Born around 240 AD in Palmyra, Syria, Zenobia would rise to challenge the likes of the Roman Empire and even earn their grudging respect, despite their prejudices against both her race and sex.
A-Z
Y is for… Yaa Asantewaa
Now an anti-colonial heroine and a role model for women and girls throughout Africa, Yaa Asantewaa was prepared to do whatever it took to protect her land and culture. As Queen Mother, she held a great deal of power in the relatively egalitarian Asante nation—power which she used to incite a war against one of the largest colonial forces in the world. It was not a war Asantewaa would necessarily win in body, but her actions and what they symbolised produced a type of victory out of defeat.
X is for… Xtabay
La Xtabay is a Yucatec Maya myth which seems to invert the typical Madonna/whore complex that is often seen in folktales. The story contrasts two women - one promiscuous, the other chaste - but it may not turn out like you expect.
W is for… Witches
The Pendle Witch Trials, in which twelve people were accused of witchcraft and ten sentenced, are some of the most infamous in English history, accounting for 2% of all witch executions carried out across three centuries. Read on to find out about the series of events that led to these deaths.
V is for… Velu Nachiyar
India has its fair share of female warriors in its history, but one of the first was a woman named Velu Nachiyar, the first Queen of Sivaganga estate. She was the first queen to take on British colonial powers in India, and she emerged victorious, restoring her kingdom to its former glory.
U is for… Undercover
The 1880s and 1890s were the heyday for undercover, stunt journalism. In a field where women had always been pushed to the margins, many female journalists found their niche in the stunt genre, going undercover in often dangerous situations, and later publishing scandalous exposés.
T is for… Telesilla
Telesilla was an ancient Greek poet who lived during the 5th century BC. Only fragments of her work have survived to this day, but it is not her poetry which she is most renowned for: she was also a famed warrior.
S is for… Six!
We all know the rhyme and, thanks to Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, many more are starting to learn who the women behind ‘Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived’ were. But how much of Six is actually historically accurate? Short answer: A fair amount. Long answer? Read on.
R is for… ‘Red’ Emma Sproson
Studies of the suffrage movement in the UK—at least in school settings—are overwhelmingly focused on the middle- to upper-class, London-based women who were members of the WSPU or the NUWSS. But this erases many working-class people who were just as influential, including Black Country activist, Emma Sproson.
Q is for… Qin Liangyu (秦良玉)
In ancient China, the position of women was very low, and they were forced into specific roles which were decided at their birth. Girls didn’t receive a comprehensive education and were expected to be wives and mothers when they grew up. Qin Liangyu was different.