The most famous female warrior in human history is perhaps Joan of Arc. This national heroine of France led French troops in the fight against the British during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th and 15th centuries AD. At the time of her leadership, she was only 17 years old, and even at such a young age she demonstrated courage and strength. Thanks to her, France won several major victories, but then she was betrayed and burned at the stake. Today she is considered the patron saint of France. Almost all of us know very well about this warrior, because she has written many books and made expensive films. Were there other brave warriors in the world? Of course yes.
There have been many female warriors in human history, but they are rarely talked about
Contents
- 1 Samurai Woman Tomoe Gozen
- 2 Chinese Warlord Fu Hao
- 3 Ruler Zinga Mbandi Ngola
- 4 Celtic warrior queen Boudicca
- 5 Mongol princess Khutulun
Samurai woman Tomoe Gozen
Usually, when it comes to samurai, we imagine men with katanas and shurikens. But many historical stories also mention female samurai, who in ancient times were best known asonna-bugeisha.The most famous female samurai is consideredTomoe Gozen. According to historical documents, she was born in 1157 and took part in the Taira-Minamoto War, one of the largest civil wars in medieval Japan.
Of course, no one knows what Tomoe Gozen looked like. Source: Collection of Tokyo National Museum
It is believed that Tomoe Gozen was a brave woman who was distinguished by her mastery of the sword and bow. Much has been written about her in the medieval book “Heike-monogatari”. According to the scriptures, one day she was among the last 5 samurai to survive one of the bloody battles. How she died is not known exactly: either she died with her husband on the battlefield, or she went to the Western Provinces and found another husband.
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Chinese warlord Fu Hao
In China there were also female warriors. The most famous of them is Fu Hao, who was a military leader and one of the 64 wives of Wu Ding, the ruler of the Shang state.
Nothing is written about Fu Hao's life in written sources. But information about it is found on fragments of a turtle shell, which were used during fortune telling sessions in ancient China. According to one legend, under her command there was an army of 3 thousand soldiers. She was so famous for her victories that subsequently other warriors called upon her spirit to attract good luck in battle.
Monument to the warrior Fu Hao. Source: wikipedia.org
The tomb of Fu Hao was found in 1976, in the Chinese province of Henan. Inside, archaeologists discovered a wealth of riches: about 1,600 kilograms of bronze, 7,000 shells that served as money, a huge hoard of jade, bronze vessels, and so on. The tomb of Fu Hao is especially highly valued because, unlike other burials of the Shang dynasty, it was not robbed by anyone.
Tomb of Fu Hao. Source: wikipedia.org
Ruler Zinga Mbandi Ngola
Zinga Mbandi Ngola is the legendary ruler of the kingdom of Ndongo, located in South Africa. She was the daughter of the ruler of Mbandi, who lost a huge part of his possessions to the Portuguese. One day she was sent to representatives of Portugal for negotiations and achieved recognition.
Ruler Zinga Mbandi Ngola. Source: forbes.ru
However, then the Portuguese betrayed her. The woman did not fear enemies, but, on the contrary, led the troops. They raided enemy points and eventually defended themselves. In total, Zinga Mbandi Ngola ruled for 40 years, of which she spent more than 30 years in wars with the Portuguese and their allies. After that, she dedicated her life to restoring the kingdom, because the people were exhausted by hunger.
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Celtic warrior queen Boudicca
Another female warrior who is rarely talked about is Boudicca. She was the wife of the ruler of the Celtic Iceni tribe, Prasutagus. After his death, Roman troops attacked their lands. Emperor Nero deprived her of the title of ruler and took away all her property. Moreover, Boudicca was publicly flogged, and her daughters were raped.
The brave Boudicca did not tolerate this and in 61 AD led the uprising. In two days, she and her allies destroyed the city of Camulodunum. They also burned the city of Londinium, where London stands today. The third city on the way of the rebels was Verulamium. They took no prisoners and killed about 17,000 people in total.
Boudicca as imagined by a modern artist. Source: cubiq.ru
Eventually, Boudicca's rebellion was suppressed by the Romans, who had extensive experience in fighting on open ground. Seeing the defeat, the warrior ate a poisonous plant so as not to fall into the hands of her enemies. All sources say that her funeral was rich.
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Mongolian princess Khutulun
The legendary founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, had many descendants. For example, his great-great-granddaughter was Khutulun, whom history remembers as a brave and skilled warrior. According to historical data, she was very strong and tall. She was similar in character to a man and went on military campaigns with her father.
Still from the TV series about Khutulun. Source: thewrap.com
It is noteworthy that Khutulun was not unique in Mongolian society. In those days, many Mongolian women knew how to ride horses and also wielded bows and arrows. They often raided and fought equally with men. But Khutulun is the most famous of these women. One day, the great traveler Marco Polo saw her personally on the battlefield.
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