They were mothers, sisters, children, and wives. But above all, these women were warriors. Throughout history, all over the world, they have wielded swords and guns, fought wars, and confronted royalty. Although outnumbered by their male comrades in battle, each of these fearsome female warriors left a lasting mark on history.
1. Artemisia I of Caria
Artemisia, named after Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, dates back to B.C. She was the queen of the kingdom of Halicarnassus, located within the borders of today’s Türkiye, in the 5th century. However, he is better known as a naval commander and for supporting the Persian king Xerxes during his invasion of the Greek city-states. (You may remember it from the movie ‘300: Rise of an Empire’.)
His name went down in history when the navy he commanded achieved great success against the Greeks in the Battle of Salamis. Greek historian Herodotus wrote about Artemisia’s heroism in this sea battle, mentioning her determination and incredibly clever strategies. These writings also pointed out his relentless drive for self-preservation. So much so that when she was cornered by a Greek ship, Artemisia deliberately drove her ship into a Persian ship, making the Greeks believe that she was one of them, and when this worked, she got away with it; It caused the Persian ship to sink. Xerxes, who was watching the events from the shore, thought that Artemisia had sunk an enemy ship when he saw the collision.
Despite all this, the legend says that Artemisia did not die in a great war, but lost her life as a result of a matter of the heart. According to the rumor, Artemisia was madly in love with a man who would bring about his destruction by ignoring her; He couldn’t see anything because of his love and it blinded him in his sleep. Artemisia, whose passion for him did not fade even though she had spoiled the beauty of the man she loved in this way, believed that she could only be freed from the captivity of love in this way, broke his neck by jumping from a rock in Leucas and, according to rumor, was buried in that area.
2. Joan of Arc
Joan, a legendary warrior woman, and a Catholic saint, was only a child when she began having visions of the Archangel Michael directing her to assist King Charles VII of France in repelling the invading English in the Hundred Years’ War. Although she was initially ridiculed by the men and soldiers, under Joan’s influence everyone began to take her seriously when the Siege of Orleans ended within nine days.
By the age of 17, he played a key role in commanding the French army, and his military skills were based more on strategy than killing. The French owed him a great debt, but it was the Burgundian French loyal to England who brought him to an end. She was captured in 1430, and despite several escape and rescue attempts, Joan was tried for heresy and cross-dressing. His views became a laughing stock. He was found guilty, sentenced to death, and burned at the stake.
Even after her death, Joan’s strategies are said to continue to influence the French fighting style. More than 25 years later, the Catholic Church took up Joan’s case again and she was acquitted of the crime of heresy, although it was too late. 460 years had passed when Pope Benedict XV declared Joan a saint.
3. Trieu Thi Trinh
Although she is called the Joan of Arc of Vietnam, Trieu Thi Trinh lived 1,200 years before her. At the age of 20, Trieu gathered a force of 1,000 men and led his Vietnamese compatriots to revolt against Chinese troops attempting to invade the country in the 3rd century. Although his brother tried to dissuade him from this rebellion, Trieu’s answer was as harsh as on the battlefield: ‘I want to travel on the wind and walk on the waves, to slaughter the whales of the Eastern sea, to clear the borders and save people from drowning. Why should I imitate others, bow my head kneel, and be a slave? Why should I devote myself to menial household chores?’ After this promise, his brother also joined the army.
Trieu was a majestic figure on the battlefield: he carried two swords and appeared in bright yellow robes on an elephant. After liberating his region and repelling the Chinese in 30 invasion attempts, he was defeated and reportedly committed suicide at the age of 23. Despite his sad end, his name still lives on. According to legend, Trieu’s voice was as powerful as a temple bell and she was close to 3 meters tall with breasts 1 meter long. These legends show how much the existence of this amazing woman has influenced people from the past to the future.
Given his eloquence, it becomes easy to grasp his influence: ‘I want to travel through storms, fight off sharks on the high seas, make slavery history; It is not to be the lover of any man and bow before him.’
4. Nakano Takeko
Takeko, one of Japan’s few known female samurai, was educated in literary and military fields before distinguishing herself in the Boshin Civil War, which lasted from 1868 to 1869.
At the Battle of Aizu in the autumn of 1868, she and other female warriors who fought as volunteers were not officially affiliated with the Aizu army. However, Takeko gathered her comrades into a unit that was later named Joshitai (‘ Women’s Army’). His weapon of choice was a naginata, a Japanese sword. Although it helped him gain fame, this weapon was not enough to protect him throughout the war.
Takeko was shot in the chest while leading an offensive against the Japanese army of the Ogaki principality. Fearing that his enemies would desecrate his body and keep his head as a gruesome trophy of war, he asked his sister to cut him up and bury him. This was his last wish, and his head was cut off and buried under a pine tree at Hokai-ji Temple, located in present-day Fukushima. Nowadays, every year during the Aizu Autumn Festival, women come to commemorate her and the Women’s Army, and a monument has been erected in that area.
5.Tomoe Gozen
However, the most famous female samurai was Tomoe, who lived approximately 700 years before Takeko. ‘Gozen’ was a prestigious title given to Tomoe by her master, General Minamoto no Yoshinaka. She fought alongside male samurai in the Genpei War between 1180 and 1185. While it was highly unusual for a woman to fight alongside men, it seems that Yoshinaka’s respect for Tomoe and her combat skills broke through the prejudices.
In the great history book ‘The Tale of Heike’, Tomoe is an ‘a remarkably powerful archer and ready to face a demon or god, on horseback or the ground; His use of a sword was worth a thousand warriors.’ It is described as saying. She was also beautiful, fearless, and respected.
Tomoe, whose hobbies included riding wild horses down steep hills, constantly led his men into battle and victory. He last took part in the Battle of Awazu, where Minamoto no Yoshinaka was killed. Tomeo, who managed to escape from the enemies in this fight, put down the sword and retired. After this, it is said that she got married and became a nun when her husband died many years later.,
6. Queen Boudicca
Boudicca, the wife of the king of the Iceni, a Celtic tribe, was a queen; What turned her into a warrior was her widowhood. Her husband Prasutagus’s will was to share the kingdom between his daughters and his ally the Roman emperor, but Rome only recognized inheritance from a son. Therefore, after Prasutagus’ death, the Romans not only invaded, but also tortured Boudicca and raped her daughters . Things were not going to end this way.
Around AD 60, Boudicca called on her tribe and others to unite to oust Rome from their lands. With 100,000 men under his command, Boudicca captured Camulodunum (modern-day Colchester), Rome’s headquarters in Britain. From there he led his troops to Londinium ( London ) and Verulamium (St. Albans), destroying the cities and killing 70,000 to 80,000 people. His victories led Emperor Nero to consider withdrawing from Britain altogether. But one defeat by Boudicca’s troops turned everything upside down. What happened to him after this defeat is a matter of debate. Since there is no evidence of his capture, it is assumed that he died of disease or suicide.
Despite the devastation she caused, Boudicca is still well remembered in London, thanks to her legend being resurrected in the Victorian Era. In 1902, a bronze statue named ‘Boadicea and her Daughters’ was erected on the west side of Westminster Bridge. This statue shows the warrior queen riding a chariot drawn by two horses; His daughters are with him, and he grasps a large spear with his arm reaching up. The following words are written on the pedestal: ‘Boadicea, Boudicca, who led her people against the Roman invader and lived in B.C. Queen of the Iceni who died in 61.’
7. Grace O’Malley
Grace O’Malley, whose nickname ‘Grainne Mhaol’ came from a story about youthful rebellion, was a 16th-century warrior and pirate. When her mother objected to Grace going to sea with her father, claiming that her long hair would get caught in the ropes, this rebellious young girl immediately cut off her curls and earned both the right to travel and a name meaning ‘bald’. This brave woman ruled the Kingdom of Umaill in Ireland, succeeding her father as chief of the O Maille clan. He used the ships he inherited for piracy.
Grace and her crew would set foot on any vessels that dared approach their shores or their ships and demand a toll. The penalty for resisting payment was violence or death. According to legend, Grace was so fearless that the day after she gave birth to a baby on the ship, she held him in her arms to protect him and scolded his men with these words: ‘Be seven times worse off than today for a year, you who can’t do a day without me!’
Still, Grace had her greatest encounter with Elizabeth I. At a time when the power of the clan chiefs was being suppressed by Elizabeth, one chief dared to write to her directly, requesting permission to continue piracy, but only against the enemies of England . As a result of the correspondence, the stubborn Grace sailed to England to meet face to face with Queen Elizabeth; and as a result of these negotiations, the queen not only released Grace’s imprisoned brother and son but also returned their property confiscated by the British forces.
But most of all, Elizabeth permitted Grace to ‘fight her fights with the whole world.’ And Grace fought until she retired to Rockfleet Castle around 1603.
8. Lozen
This Apache warrior is estimated to have been in his 30s when he was forced to be taken to the San Carlos Internment Camp with his brother Victorio’s tribe in 1870s Arizona. Due to its deplorable conditions, this camp was known as ‘Forty Acres of Hell’. Around 1877, Victorio led a group of people, including Lozen, to escape from the camp, and together they invaded the land and seized control of the Apache reservation, striking fear into the hearts of the new inhabitants of Black Mountain, New Mexico.
During one such invasion, Lozen took pity on the women and children and took them to safety beyond the Rio Grande, according to James Kaywaykla, who was a child at the time. Kaywaykla speaks of her thus: ‘I saw Lozen, brother of Victorio, a magnificent woman, on a beautiful horse: Female warrior Lozen! ‘He could ride, shoot, and fight like a man .’
His brother’s recorded words are as follows: ‘Lozen is my right-hand man… strong as a man, braver than most, and with a sharp strategic mind. Lozen is the shield of his people.’ Unfortunately, Lozen was unable to shield Victorio when he needed it most. While Lozen is sending a new mother and her baby back to the Concentration Camp, Victorio dies in the war; Hearing the news of the struggle and his brother’s death, Lozen sets out to help the survivors. After that, he became part of a series of attacks fueled by a desire for revenge that spread throughout New Mexico.
He later fought alongside Geronimo, and legend has it that he could sense the location and number of the enemy simply by extending his arms. After Geronimo’s surrender, Lozen was also captured. He died of tuberculosis while a prisoner of war. His body was returned to his tribe for honorable burial according to Apache customs.
9.Zenobia
After her husband and stepson were assassinated in 267, Zenobia became the head of the Palmyrene Empire, located in present-day Syria. Within two years of ascending to the throne, he was blocking the advance of Rome and expanding the borders of his kingdom by occupying Egypt and Anatolia. Even though he was a good rider, he showed his closeness to his army by walking for kilometers side by side with his infantry. She was a true warrior queen.
Zenobia planned to capture key trade routes before the Romans responded by besieging Emesa, where their treasure was located. He and his son Vaballathus managed to escape the siege but were captured on the banks of the Euphrates River. They were taken as captives, but Vaballathus is presumed to have died on the way to Rome.
Zenobia’s reign was violent but short-lived. It is said that his defeat in 274 was celebrated in Rome and that he was paraded through the streets tied to golden chains as part of a military parade. What comes next is a mystery. Some historians believe that he died as a result of an illness or a hunger strike, while others believe that he was beheaded. Some more optimistic narrations say that the Roman Emperor Aurelian, who admired her truthfulness and elegance, took pity on Zenobia and granted her her freedom. In the continuation of this version of the story, Zenobia marries a Roman politician, and lives her life as an elite person and a philosopher, with a luxurious house and many daughters.