One could say that the Renaissance was a breath of fresh air in the dark, dank, Medieval courts of Europe. The times were certainly changing. François I invited gentlemen to take a mistress or two.
For thirty years, Henry II publicly expressed his attachment to Diane de Poitiers. Catherine de Medici displayed her lesbian inclinations. Henry III cross-dressed. He would appear in the company of his favorites made up, with curled hair, wearing a velvet bonnet similar to those donned by the whores of the era.
