In 40 BC, while Cleopatra was ruling over a stable Egypt, their southern neighbours gained a different badass lady as a ruler. Amanirenas was a fearless warrior queen who, despite her kingdom's small size, was able to stand up against the might of Rome.
Warriors
Women who fought back – Summary
A summary of November 2022's theme - Women who fought back!
Pirates – Summary
A summary of July 2022's theme - Pirates!
The Dahomey Amazons
The Dahomey Amazons—traditionally called the N'Nonmiton—were an army of women in the Kingdom of Dahomey, present-day Benin. Their origins are somewhat murky, but there were records of women warriors in the region from the eighteenth century.
Warriors – Summary
A summary of March 2022's theme - Warriors!
Sisters: Hai Bà Trưng
TheTrưng sisters, Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị, were warriors who rebelled against Chinese Han-dynasty domination of Vietnam, liberating their country and becoming national heroines – and are still celebrated as such today despite both dying around 2000 years ago.
Women Who Fought Back: The Igbo Women’s War
In 1929, one of the first major acts of protest against British colonialism in West Africa broke out in Nigeria. In colonialist terms, the conflict became known as the Aba Riots, an attempt to reduce the action to the hysterical efforts of a few, removing women from it altogether. In the Igbo language, it is Ogu Umunwanyi – the Women’s War.
Jewish women resisters of World War Two
The resistance activities of Jewish women during World War Two have faded from historical memory. Yet they played as big a part as any in the various underground movements and were all exceptionally brave. Instagram's ten slide limit means I can only highlight a few of these women, but I would encourage you to look up the many stories online.
Pirates: Jeanne de Clisson
In 1330, Jeanne de Belleville married her third husband, wealthy Breton nobleman Olivier de Clisson IV, becoming Jeanne de Clisson. The couple individually had extensive properties and the combination of their assets and wealth turned them into something of a power couple, though it would take some years (and Olivier’s death) before that power truly revealed itself.
Pirates: Six Biographies
Six short biographies of ruthless female pirates across history.