In Ulrich Richental's Council chronicle, women are only mentioned in passing: as saleswomen at mobile ovens and fish stands. Or nearly featureless in one of the numerous processions. Yet, there were several women who aided the smooth running of the Council. One of them is Fida Pfister, Jan Hus's landlady.

King Sigismund also brought his spouse Queen Barbara of Cilli to Constance. Though she did not stay long, many a high-ranking Constance woman remembered her for an invitation to a picnic at Richental's garden. In 1415, Barbara went back to Hungary, where she reigned independently in Sigismund's name.

Though women often go unmentioned in history books, the beautiful courtesan Imperia conspicuously reminds us of the most significant event in Constance's history. According to chronicler Ulrich Richental, roughly 700 official prostitutes were at work during the Council. He did not venture to count the "secret" women ...