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Clara Zetkin: A German Marxist theorist and activist, Zetkin was a prominent figure in the women's movement and fought for workers' rights and social justice. 29. Djamila Bouhired: An Algerian freedom fighter, Bouhired played a significant role in the Algerian War of Independence against French colonial rule. 30.
- Fu Hao. (died 1200 BC, China) Fu Hao was one of the many wives of King Wu Ding. She lived during the Shang Dynasty and served in the unique role of female general.
- Tomyris. (c. 530 BC, Central Asia) Tomyris was the Queen of Massagetae near the Caspian Sea. She was a widow who took on the role of queen and led her people against Cyrus the Great.
- Artemisia I of Caria. (c. 480 BC, modern-day Anatolia) Artemisia I of Caria was an important female figure of the 5th century BC. She served as the queen of Halicarnassus, a Greek city-state.
- Cynane. (357-323 BC, Macedon) Cynane was the daughter of King Philip II of Macedon and the Illyrian Princess Audata. She was also the half-sister of Alexander the Great.
Oct 15, 2019 · FIERCE. ARMED. IN COMMAND. Women over the centuries, scholars now understand, have both fought in battle and led whole armies. In these images, a modern historian brings us some of their...
- Artemisia I, 5th Century BC
- Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, 1st Century Ad
- Zenobia, 3rd Century
- Umm ’Umara, 7th Century
- Matilda of Canossa, 1046–1115
- Eleanor of Aquitaine, 1122–1204
- Tomoe Gozen, Ca. 1157–1247
- Joan of Arc, 1412–1431
- Lakshmi Bai, Ca. 1834–1858
- The Agojie of Dahomey, Ca. 17th–19th Centuries
Queen of Halicarnassus (in modern Turkey) within the Persian Empire, Artemisia commanded five ships under Xerxesduring his invasion of Greece in 480 BC. Impressed by her bravery and skill, the ruler said: “My men have turned into women, my women into men.”
When Chinese occupiers killed Trung Trac’s husband, a petty nobleman in Vietnam, she and sister Nhi raised an army—including many women generals—and drove out the Chinese. Hundreds of years later, their story inspired the thousands of women fighters of the Vietnam War.
She became ruler of the Roman colony of Palmyra (in present-day Syria) after the assassination of her husband, a prince and general. Rebelling against the Roman overlords, she seized Egypt and much of Asia Minor, commanding troops from horseback. Rome soon captured the renegade queen, who remained in Rome until her death.
A devout Arab Muslim, she joined her husband and two sons to fight alongside Muhammad in several of the prophet’s early battles in what is now Saudi Arabia. “I never looked to the right nor to the left without seeing Umm ’Umara fighting to defend me,” he said after one battle.
A noble who inherited power and vast lands in northern Italy following the death of her mother and stepfather in 1076, Matilda became a staunch military ally of Pope Gregory VII and his successors in conflicts with European rulers over church appointments. In 1087, she led an army that marched on Rome to oust a rival installed as an antipope by th...
Wife of French king Louis VII, Eleanor rode on the Second Crusade as the leader of the forces from her home province. Though she did not directly command forces, she participated in military councils and reportedly clashed with her husband.
The 12th-century epic Tale of the Heike describes Tomoe Gozen as a samurai so skillful with “the sword and bow that she was a match for a thousand warriors.”
The famous French patriot claimed divine inspiration. She was only 17 when she raised and inspired an army that in 1429 relieved the city of Orléansfrom an English siege during the Hundred Years’ War. She commanded troops for more than a year before her capture, after which she was burned at the stake.
As the widowed ruler of the Jhansi principality in India, she assembled and led an army that fought British annexation—the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857–1858. Shot and killed, she became a symbol of independence for the country—“the best and the bravest of the rebel leaders,” according to a British officer.
Dubbed “Amazons” by European colonizers, this band of elite female warriors from present-day Beninare the real-life basis for the Hollywood film “The Woman King” and the Dora Milaje of Marvel’s “Black Panther” franchise. The Agojie were 6,000 strong at their peak, attacking at night and taking the heads of enemies as trophies.
- Drew Lindsay
Sep 14, 2021 · Here are 10 of history’s fiercest female warriors who not only had to face their enemies, but also the strict gender roles of their day. 1. Fu Hao (d. c. 1200 BC) Lady Fu Hao was one of the 60 wives of Emperor Wu Ding of ancient China’s Shang Dynasty. She broke with tradition by serving as both a high priestess and military general.
- Tristan Hughes
Nov 7, 2021 · Some of these 11 women warriors have been immortalized in plays and Hollywood movies, like Cleopatra. Others are unsung heroes whom you may never have learned about in history class, like Ana Nzinga. But all of these women warriors fought back against a male-dominated world.
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The role of women in ancient warfare differed from culture to culture. There have been various historical accounts of females participating in battle. This article lists instances of women recorded as participating in ancient warfare, from the beginning of written records to approximately 500 CE.
