2. A readable history of Guelphs vs Ghibellines, preferably by John Julius Norwich
3.
4. A biography of Liselotte, who succeeded Minette as Monsieur's second wife at the court of Louis XIV, or a well-annotated collection of her letters.
5. A biography of the warrior queen Zenobia from Gibbon's Decline and Fall, though maybe there's not enough known about her.