Great figure of the French Renaissance, Diane de Poitiers married a Grand Seneschal of Normandy, Louis de Brezé who was 40 years older than her. First mistress of François I, she became that of the next king, Henri II, who was 20 years younger than her. She is very influential on the king and pushes him to repress the Protestants. Henri II covered her with honors and gave her the Château de Chenonceau. Like other Renaissance personalities, she favored the arts, had the Château d'Anet in Normandy renovated and protected the poet Ronsard. After the king's death, she was driven out of court by her enemy, Queen Catherine de Medici, and had to return her jewels and the Château de Chenonceau in exchange for the Château de Chaumont sur Loire. She ended her life at the age of 66, retired to the Château d'Anet.
Woman of letters, poet and scholar, Ban Zhao (around 40-45 – around 117-120) is the first known Chinese historian. Daughter and sister of historians Ban Zhao was born around 40-45 in Fufeng, near the city of Xianyang, capital of the Qin dynasty and located in the center of present-day China. China