Following the death of queen Elizabeth I, Queen Anna of Denmark became England’s first queen consort in over 40 years. As the wife of reigning King James I, Anna’s royal position differed vastly from Elizabeth’s. Anna after all did not have governing powers, and her position as James’ “wife” (femme covert) folded her legal identity […]
Female Knights of the Middle Ages
While female knights were rare in the Middle Ages, they did exist. Though many records have been lost to time, there are records of women being knighted. Knights in Medieval Times The Middle Ages, also called the medieval era, is the name of the period in Europe from about the 5th century to the 15th. […]
The Warrior Queen Chand Bibi
Every empire in the pages of history has witnessed female warriors who wielded weapons against their enemies. These “warrior queens” proved to be mighty heroines and acts as an inspiration to all the women in the world. But not many remember these heroines from the past and their legacy is often forgotten. The vast civilization […]
Bess of Hardwick: The Second Wealthiest Woman in Tudor England (After the Queen)
Elizabeth Hardwick, better known as Bess of Hardwick, was the daughter of John Hardwick (b. 1495 – d. 29 Jan 1528) and Elizabeth Leake (b. 1499 – d. 1570). The finer details of her early life remain a bit of a mystery though and there isn’t much for us to delve into there. We do […]
Sayyida al Hurra, Islamic pirate queen
Sayyida al Hurra was a 16th-century pirate queen. Though Islamic records of the time are strangely silent about her, she was a powerful force of the time and an equal ally of the famous pirate Barbarossa. Her real name is unknown; the title Sayyida al Hurra means “noble lady who is free and independent; the […]
Meerabai the Poet
That dark dweller in BrajIs my only refuge.O my companion, worldly comfort is an illusion,As soon you get it, it goes.I have chosen the indestructible for my refuge,Him whom the snake of death will not devour.My beloved dwells in my heart all day,I have actually seen that abode of joy.Meera’s lord is Hari, the indestructible.My […]
Queen Manduhai the Wise
Mandukhai Khatun (1449-1510), also known as Mandukhai Sechen Khatun, was a Mongolian Empress. The word “Khatun” is the female form of the word “Khan”, as in Genghis Kahn. Born into a family of aristocrats, she married Manduul Khan when she was 18 years old, and bore a daughter, whose name unfortunately isn’t known. Soon after […]
