Timeline of women in early modern warfare
Encyclopedia
Warfare through history has mainly been a matter for men, but women have also played a role, often a leading one. The following list of prominent women in war and their exploits from about 1500 AD up to about 1750 AD suggests the wider involvement of numerous unnamed women, some of them thrust into positions of leadership by accident of birth
or family connection, others from humble origin by force of personality and circumstance.
Accident of birth
Accident of birth is a phrase pointing out that no one has any control of, or responsibility for, the circumstances of their birth or parentage. With a modern scientific understanding of genetics, one can reasonably call any human being's entire genome an accident of birth...
or family connection, others from humble origin by force of personality and circumstance.
Women in War in the Early Modern Era
16th century
- 16th century: SikhismSikhismSikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
founded. One of its tenets is equality for women which extends to allowing them into participate in combat and warfare. See :Category:Female Sikh warriors for more information. - 1501: Christina of SaxonyChristina of SaxonyChristina of Saxony , was a Saxon princess who became Queen consort of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She was born a granddaughter of Frederick the Gentle of Saxony, and daughter of Ernest, Elector of Saxony and Elisabeth of Bavaria.-Biography:She was married to John, King of Denmark, Norway and...
holds the city of Stockholm for the Danish during a Swedish rebellion against the Danish. - 1505: Ingeborg TottIngeborg TottLady Ingeborg Åkesdotter Tott , in her lifetime called Ingeborg Åkesdotter , was a Swedish noble, the consort of the Swedish regent Sten Sture the elder . She was also the fiefholder and regent of Häme in Finland...
defends her fief Häme CastleHäme castleHäme Castle is a medieval castle in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The castle is located on the coast of lake Vanajavesi in the city center. The castle was originally located on an island....
in FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
against the attack from another noble fiefholder. - 1511: According to popular legend, Gertruid BolwaterGertruid BolwaterGertruid Bolwater , was a legendary Dutch heroine, known as the defender of Venlo during its siege by Emperor Maximilian I, when she climbed up the defence-wall of the city and took over the defence from a fallen ensign....
defends VenloVenloVenlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
. - 1513: Catherine of AragonCatherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
acts as Regent for Henry VIIIHenry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and attends the field at the Battle of Flodden Field. - 1520: During the Swedish war of Independence against Denmark, rebellion-leader Christina GyllenstiernaChristina GyllenstiernaChristina Nilsdotter of Fogelvik, Heiress of Tullgarn , was the wife of the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Younger, and after his death, leader of resistance to Christian II of Denmark...
becomes the head military commander of Sweden and StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and defends the city. Anna Eriksdotter (Bielke)Anna Eriksdotter (Bielke)Anna Eriksdotter was a Swedish noble, commander of the city and castle of Kalmar during the Swedish rebellion against Denmark....
commands the city of KalmarKalmarKalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...
at the same point. - 1521: Maria Pacheco PadillaMaria Pacheco PadillaMaría Pacheco was a 16th century Spanish woman. When her husband, the chief comunero Juan López de Padilla, fell in the battle of Villalar, she took command in his name and successfully lead the defence of the city of Toledo against the royalist forces until the arrangement of a peaceful...
defends the city of Toledo, SpainToledo, SpainToledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
for six months after her husband falls in battle. - 1521–1523: Abbess Anna LeuhusenAnna LeuhusenAnna Rheinholdsdotter Leuhusen , was the an Abbess of St. Clare's Priory in Stockholm. She became known for her involvement in the Swedish War of Liberation between Sweden and Denmark in the 1520s.-Background:...
participates in the secret traffic in and out of the city of Stockholm during the Swedish War of LiberationSwedish War of LiberationThe Swedish War of Liberation , , was a civil war in which the Swedish nobleman Gustav Vasa successfully deposed the Danish king Christian II as regent of the Kalmar Union in Sweden. The war started in January 1521 when Gustav Vasa was appointed "hövitsman" over Dalarna. After Gustav Vasa sacked...
. - 1530–1599: Abbakka, a ruler of Tulu NaduTulu NaduTulu Nadu is a Tulu-speaking region spread over to parts of present Karnataka and Kerala States of India. It consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and the northern parts of the Kasaragod district of Kerala up to the Payaswini River...
in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
fights the PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
army. - 1536–1573: Reign of AminaAminaAmina Sukhera was a Hausa Muslim Warrior Queen of Zazzau , in what is now north central Nigeria. She is the subject of many legends, but is widely believed by historians to have been a real ruler, though contemporary evidence about her is limited...
, ruler of the Hausa empire in NigerNigerNiger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
. She personally led an army of over 20,000 soldiers. - 1539–1540: GaitanaGaitanaGaitana, also referred to as La Gaitana and Cacica Gaitana, was a 16th century Páez woman leader who, in 1539-40, led the indigenous people of northern Cauca, Colombia in armed resistance against colonization by the Spanish...
of the PaezPaez peopleThe Paez, also known as the Nasa, are a Native American people who live in the Andes Mountains of Colombia.-Religion:In the early 1900s, Lazarists built missions among the Paez and began the work to convert them to Christianity. Jesuits had originally tried to convert the Paez, but failed. However,...
leads the indigenous people of Columbia in armed resistance against the Spanish. - 1541: Inés de Suárez, who came to the Americas to search her husband, fought with Pedro de ValdiviaPedro de ValdiviaPedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
in ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. - 1541: Gaspar de CarvajalGaspar de CarvajalGaspar de Carvajal was a Spanish Dominican missionary to the New World, known for chronicling some of the explorations of the Amazon.-Arrival in the New World and the Amazonian Expedition:...
, a Dominican monk, reports being attacked by a band of armed women while travelling in Brazil. - 1543: According to legend, Catherine Ségurane defends the city of NiceNiceNice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. - February 12, 1545: Scottish women fight in the Battle of Ancrum MoorBattle of Ancrum MoorThe Battle of Ancrum Moor was fought during the War of the Rough Wooing in 1545. The Scottish victory put a temporary end to English depredations in the Scottish border and lowlands.-Background :...
. Among them is Lilliard, for whom Lilliard Edge is named. - 1559–1560: Mary of GuiseMary of GuiseMary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
, Regent of Scotland, leads French armies against the protestant rebellion. - 1562–1566: Mary, Queen of Scots, leads armies against several rebellions by nobles, including the Chaseabout RaidChaseabout RaidThe Chaseabout Raid was a rebellion by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray against his half sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, on 26 August 1565, over her marriage to Lord Darnley.-Background:...
of 1565. - 1564: Indian queen Rani Durgawati leads her forces against the MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
army, but is defeated. - 1569: Marguerite DelayeMarguerite DelayeMarguerite Catherine Ponsoye Delaye was a woman who fought during the siege of Montelimar by Admiral Coligny in 1569, and lost an arm in the fighting. A one armed statue was erected in her honor.-References:...
loses an arm in while fighting Admiral ColignyGaspard de ColignyGaspard de Coligny , Seigneur de Châtillon, was a French nobleman and admiral, best remembered as a disciplined Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion.-Ancestry:...
during his siege of MontélimarMontélimarMontélimar is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. It is the second-largest town in the department after Valence.-History:...
. A one-armed statue is erected in her honor. - 1569: Jane HowardJane HowardJane Neville , Countess of Westmorland , daughter of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey and Frances de Vere....
, Countess of Westmoreland, is instrumental in raising the troops for unsuccessful Rising of the NorthRising of the NorthThe Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.-Background:When Elizabeth I succeeded her...
. - 1569: Brita OlofsdotterBrita OlofsdotterBrita Olofsdotter , was a Finnish soldier of the Swedish cavalry. She is the likely first confirmed female soldier in Sweden, as well as the first confirmed Swedish example of the historical phenomena of women impersonating men to gain access to professions barred to their gender.Olofsdotter was...
, widow after soldier Nils Simonsson, serves in the Finnish troup in the Swedish cavalry in Livonia; she is killed in battle, and king John III of SwedenJohn III of Sweden-Family:John married his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland , house of Jagiello, in Vilnius on 4 October 1562. In Sweden, she is known as Katarina Jagellonica. She was the sister of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland...
orders for her salary to be paid to her family. - 1572: In defence of the city during a siege of HaarlemSiege of HaarlemThe siege of Haarlem was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. From December 11, 1572 to July 13, 1573 an army of Philip II of Spain laid bloody siege to the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, whose loyalties had begun wavering during the previous summer...
by Spanish troops, which lasted from December 1572 to 1573, Kenau Simonsdochter HasselaerKenau Simonsdochter HasselaerKenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer was a wood merchant of Haarlem, Netherlands She was the daughter of Simon Hasselaer and Grietje Koen. When the city was besieged by the Spanish, she led a company of women in defence of the city, becoming famous for bravery...
(1526–1588) supplied the Dutch forces with wood. She owned a wood company at Haarlem. Myth says she led a force of women defending the city and ever since "kenau" has been a Dutch expression for a harsh woman. - 1573: Trijn RembrandsTrijn RembrandsTrijn Rembrands is known as the heroine of the Spanish siege of Alkmaar during the Eighty Years' War in 1573, when she allegedly served in the defence as a soldier.She was married to the textile merchant Cornelis Reyersz...
allegedly participates in the defence of AlkmaarAlkmaarAlkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
. - 1577: Dutch woman Trijn van de LeemputTrijn van de LeemputTrijn van Leemput was a Dutch heroine of the Eighty Years' War against Spain. According to local legend in Utrecht, she led a large group of women on May 2, 1577 to the castle of Vredenburg and gave the signal to begin demolishing the castle.The castle of Vredenburg had been built by emperor...
allegedly rallies women in UtrechtUtrecht (city)Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
against the Spanish. - 1580s: A woman is reported to have served as a man in the Portuguese army in AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
for a period of five years before she was discovered. - 1584: Mary AmbreeMary AmbreeIn 1584 the Spanish captured the city of Ghent, and Dutch and English volunteers fought to liberate the city.A female French Legionnaire in the book Sowing Glory by P.C. Wren was referred to by the pseudonym of Mary Ambree in order to protect her identity. She became the subject of an English ballad....
participates in the fighting against the Spanish for the city of GhentGhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
. A ballad is eventually written about her. - 1587 : Catharina RoseCatharina RoseCatharina Rose d. after June 1587, was the heroine of the Spanish siege of Sluis during the Eighty Years' War.At the Spanish siege of the city of Sluis in Flanders in June 1587, Rose was made commander and leader of the women which were given the task of defending the area between the blue tower...
commands a women battalion at the Spanish siege of SluisSluisSluis is the name of both a municipality and a town located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western part of the Netherlands....
in Flanders. - 1588 : Queen Elizabeth I defeats the Spanish Armada
- 1590 : Françoise de CezelliFrançoise de CezelliFrancoise spelt her name GAZELLI There is a statue of her in Leucate Village. There is a paragraph engraved next to it , in which she appeals to the commanders of the French garrison in 1589...
defeats the Spanish army during the battle of LeucateLeucateNestled between the Mediterranean sea and sea pond backing the Corbières mountains with an impressive view on the Canigou peak, Leucate is a community of typical villages lying among a unique natural landscape.... - 1597 : Ebba StenbockEbba StenbockEbba Gustavsdotter Stenbock was a Swedish noble. She was the acting governor in Turku in 1597, in the period between the death of the former governor, her spouse, and before the installement of the successor. She was imprisoned for political reasons...
serves as commander of Turku Castle in Finland after the death of her spouse. - Late 16th century: MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Queen Chand BibiChand BibiChand Bibi , also known as Chand Khatun or Chand Sultana, was an Indian Muslim woman warrior. She acted as the Regent of Bijapur and Regent of Ahmednagar...
fights the MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s. - Early 17th century: Catalina de ErausoCatalina de ErausoCatalina de Erauso, also known as La Monja Alférez , was a semi-legendary personality of the Basque Country, Spain and Spanish America in the first half of the seventeenth century.- Life :Catalina de Erauso was daughter and sister of soldiers from the city of San Sebastián in Spain...
fights as a soldier in Mexico, Peru, and Chile.
17th century
- 17th century: SikhSikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
woman Bibi Dalair KaurBibi Dalair KaurBibi Dalair Kaur was a seventeenth century Sikh woman who fought against the Moghuls. She rallied 100 female Sikhs against them. She was killed and is considered to be a martyr among Sikhs.-Source:*...
fights the MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s by rallying 100 Sikh women against them. She is killed, and Sikhs consider her to be a martyr. - 17th century: Queen Keladi ChennammaKeladi ChennammaKeladi Chennamma was the Queen of Keladi Kingdom in Karnataka. She was daughter of Siddappa Setty of Kundapur who is from a Lingayathi Banajigaru Community. She married King Somashekara in 1667. After Somashekara, she became the queen of Keladi Nayaka dynasty who fought the Mughal Army of Aurangzeb...
of the KeladiKeladiKeladi is a temple town in Shimoga district of the state of Karnataka in India.Located about 8 KM from Sagara town.-History:It is interesting as the place whence the Ikkeri chiefs derived their origin, which is thus related :-...
kingdom of IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
fights the MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s. - 17th century: Respective reigns of Jaga warrior queens MussasaMussasaMussasa was a 17th century Jaga queen. Her nation was on the Cunene river in what is now Angola. She expanded her empire greatly through her military, and led soldiers into battle. She was succeeded by her daughter, Tembandumba.-References:...
and TembandumbaTembandumbaTembandumba was a ruler of the Jagas of what is now Angola. Her mother was Mussasa, whom she rebelled against and declared herself queen. She would take lovers, but would kill them after a brief dalliance. After taking power, she organized the Jaga for war by demanding that infants be killed by...
. - 17th century to 1894: Dahomey AmazonsDahomey AmazonsThe Dahomey Amazons or Mino were a Fon all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey which lasted until the end of the 19th century...
act as an all female regiment (under female command) of the west African Kingdom of DahomeyDahomeyDahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
. - 17th century: Several soldiers are reportedly discovered to be female in the French army during the reign of Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. - 17th century: Shen Yunying leads her own army in China.
- 17th century: Gao GuiyingGao GuiyingGao Guiyng was a female Chinese revolutionary, rebellion-leader and army-commander, one of the most remarkable women in the history of China....
leads her army as a general in China. - 17th century: Qin LiangyuQin LiangyuQin Liangyu was a general who fought the Manchus as they invaded China at the end of the Ming Dynasty.-Education:Qin Liangyu was born in Zhong County, Sichuan during the late Ming Dynasty to ethnic Miao parents. Her father, Qin Kui, believed girls should get the same education as boys and had her...
commands armies in China. - 1600: InahimeInahime' was a Japanese woman of the late Azuchi-Momoyama through early Edo periods. Born the daughter of Honda Tadakatsu, she was adopted by Tokugawa Ieyasu, before marrying Sanada Nobuyuki. She is described as having been very beautiful and highly intelligent.-Biography:Komatsuhime was known in her...
, a Japanese princess, participates in the Battle of SekigaharaBattle of SekigaharaThe , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
. - 1612: SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Emerentia KrakowEmerentia KrakowEmerentia Krakow, née Emerentia Påvelsdotter Pauli , was a Swedish woman, known as the defender of the Gullberg Fortress against the Danish at Gothenburg during the Swedish-Danish war in 1612....
defends the Fortress of Gullberg against the DanesDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in the place of her wounded spouse, the commendant of the fortress. - 1620: Legendary Albanian heroine Nora of KelmendiNora of KelmendiNora of Kelmendi , is also referred to as the "Helen of Albania" as her beauty also sparked a great war. She is also called the Albanian Brünhilde too, for she herself was the greatest woman warrior in the history of Albania...
. - September 13, 1624: Ketevan the MartyrKetevan the MartyrKetevan, "the Martyr" was a queen of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia. She was killed at Shiraz, Iran, after prolonged tortures for refusing to give up the Christian faith and embrace Islam.-Life:...
, a Georgian queen, is tortured to death after offering herself as a hostage to Shah Abbas IAbbas I of PersiaShāh ‘Abbās the Great was Shah of Iran, and generally considered the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of Shah Mohammad....
to prevent war. - 1628: Glasmästare-Kerstin is hanged after it is discovered that she enlisted as a soldier in the Swedish army
- June 5, 1639: Lady Ann Cunningham leads a mixed-sex cavalry troop in the Battle of Berwick.
- 1643: Lady Mary BankesMary BankesLady Mary Bankes née Hawtry was a Royalist who defended Corfe Castle from a three-year siege during the English Civil War from 1643 to 1646...
defends Corfe CastleCorfe CastleCorfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight...
from a siege in the English Civil WarEnglish Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. - 1643: Lady Brilliana HarleyBrilliana HarleyBrilliana, Lady Harley , née Brilliana Conway, was a celebrated English letter-writer.-Marriage:Conway was born at Brill, near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, while her father Sir Edward Conway was Governor there...
defends Brampton Castle during the English Civil War. - 1643: Henrietta Maria of FranceHenrietta Maria of FranceHenrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
returns to England from France, landing in YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and joining Royalist troops in the English Civil War. - 1644: Charlotte Stanley, Countess of DerbyCharlotte Stanley, Countess of DerbyCharlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby , born Charlotte de La Trémoille, was the daughter of the French nobleman Claude de La Trémoille, Duke of Thouars, and his wife Charlotte Brabantina of Nassau...
defends Latham House from Parliamentarian Forces. - 1670: AlyonaAlyonaAlyona was an Erzyan female ataman during the Peasant Revolt in Russia under the leadership of Stepan Razin. A peasant by birth from the Vyezdnaya sloboda of Arzamas, she was an elderly nun before becoming an ataman. She commanded a detachment of about 600 men and participated in the capture of...
, a Russian female atamanAtamanAtaman was a commander title of the Ukrainian People's Army, Cossack, and haidamak leaders, who were in essence the Cossacks...
rebel, is burned at the stake. - 1675–1676: King Philip's WarKing Philip's WarKing Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
. AwashonksAwashonksAwashonks was a female sachem of the Sakonnet Indian tribe in Seconet, Rhode Island. She signed the Plymouth Agreement of 1671...
, female chief of the Sakonnet tribe, initially supports MetacometMetacometMetacomet , also known as King Philip or Metacom, or occasionally Pometacom, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War, a widespread Native American uprising against English colonists in New England.-Biography:Metacomet was the second son of Massasoit...
, but later makes peace with the colonists. - 1672: Margaretha SandraMargaretha SandraMargaretha Sandra , was a Dutch heroine, known for participation in the defence of Aardenburg during the siege of the French in 1672....
, as well as several other women, participare in the defence of the Dutch city of AardenburgAardenburgAardenburg is a small city close to the Dutch border with Belgium. It is part of the Sluis Municipality, located in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands...
against the French. - 1676: Colonists request that PamunkeyPamunkeyThe Pamunkey nation are one of eleven Virginia Indian tribes recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The historical tribe was part of the Powhatan paramountcy, made up of Algonquian-speaking tribes. The Powhatan paramount chiefdom was made up over 30 tribes, estimated to total about...
chief Queen AnneQueen Anne (Pamunkey chief)Queen Anne succeeded to the position of chief of the Pamunkey tribe in 1708 after the obscure and short rule of "Queen Betty" who succeeded Cockacoeske. This was nearly a decade after Bacon's Rebellion...
furnish warriors to fight in Bacon's RebellionBacon's RebellionBacon's Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony in North America, led by a 29-year-old planter, Nathaniel Bacon.About a thousand Virginians rose because they resented Virginia Governor William Berkeley's friendly policies towards the Native Americans...
. She initially refuses on the grounds that her tribe was neglected by the colonists for twenty years, but relents when the colonists promise better treatment for her tribe. - 1679: Lisbetha OlsdotterLisbetha OlsdotterLisbetha Olsdotter was a Swedish female crossdresser, who was executed on a number of different charges after having dressed as a man, served as a soldier and married a woman....
is put on trial for having served in the Swedish army under the name Mats Ersson. - 1683: The pirate Anne Dieu-Le-VeutAnne Dieu-le-VeutAnne Dieu-Le-Veut also called Marie-Anne or Marianne was a French Pirate, a so called Buccaneer, and together with Jaquotte Delahaye one of very few female ones....
becomes known in the Caribbean SeaCaribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
as a great fighter, one of the first of many female pirates famed for their fighting-skills. - 1688: A coup takes place in Siam. Women drilled in the use of muskets replace the mercenaries and samurai who had served the old government. They are led by a woman named Ma Ying Taphan.
- 1690s: Kit CavanaghKit CavanaghChristian Davies , born Christian Cavanagh, was a trooper and later a sutler for the 4th Dragoons, later the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons. She was also known as Kit Cavanagh and Mother Ross. She served, in disguise, as a soldier in the British Army...
disguises herself as a man in order to fight as a dragoon. She eventually fights openly as a woman. - 1690: Anne ChamberlyneAnne ChamberlyneAnn Chamberlyne was a female tar who joined her brother's ship's crew in 1690 and fought the French at Beachy Head. A plaque in her memory at All Saints Church Cheyne Walk in London used to exist, but it was destroyed in World War II during a bombing raid.The plaque stated:She is the first known...
, a female tar who disguised herself as man, fights the French at Beachy HeadBeachy HeadBeachy Head is a chalk headland on the south coast of England, close to the town of Eastbourne in the county of East Sussex, immediately east of the Seven Sisters. The cliff there is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, rising to 162 m above sea level. The peak allows views of the south...
. - 1697: New England colonist Hannah DustonHannah DustonHannah Duston was a colonial Massachusetts Puritan woman who escaped Native American captivity by leading her fellow captives in killing their captors at night. Duston is believed to be the first woman honored in the United States with a statue...
is captured by Abenaki Native Americans during a raid. She kills ten of them while they were asleep and escapes with the other prisoners, taking their scalps with her. She is possibly the first woman in the United States to be honored with a statue.
18th century
- Early 18th century: Juliana Dias da Costa rides on a war elephant alongside her husband, Mughal emperor of IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Bahadur Shah IBahadur Shah IBahadur Shah was a Mughal Emperor, who ruled India from 1707 to 1712. His original name was Qutb ud-Din Muhammad Mu'azzam later titled as Shah Alam by his father. He took the throne name Bahadur Shah in 1707. His name Bahādur means "brave" & "hero" in Turko-Mongol languages...
, in battles to defend his authority. - Early 18th century : Mary ReadMary ReadMary Read was an English pirate. She is chiefly remembered as one of only two women known to have been convicted of piracy during the early 18th century, at the height of the Golden Age of Piracy....
serves as a soldier in Belgium before becoming a pirate. - 18th century: KaipkireKaipkireKaipkire was a female warrior of the Herero people in the 18th century. She led resistance forces against British slave traders. Herero warrior women also fought German soldiers in the Herero Wars.-References:...
of the Herero leads forces against British slave traders. - 18th century: Ghaliyya al-WahhabiyyaGhaliyya al-WahhabiyyaGhaliyya al-Wahhabiyya was an 18th century Hanbali woman who led Saudi Arabian military resistance to prevent the Ottoman recapture of Mecca. She was from Tarba. She was given the title Amira, which is the female version of the title Emir, in recognition of her acts.-Notes:...
leads military resistance movement to prevent foreign takeover of MeccaMeccaMecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. - 18th century: Comtesse de Polignac and Marchioness de Nesle fight a duel over their mutual lover, Duc de Richelieu.
- 18th century: The ruling Princess of Sardhana, Begum Samru (Johanna Noblis), leads her armies in war.
- 18th century: Catherina Margaretha Linck serves as a soldier in the armies of HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, PrussiaPrussiaPrussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, HesseHesseHesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, and PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. - 1700: TarabaiTarabaiTarabai was a queen of the Maratha Empire in India. Her husband was Chhatrapati Rajaram, son of Shivaji. Tarabai was the daughter of the famed Maratha general Hambirao Mohite...
, a queen of the MarathaMarathaThe Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
empire in India, leads a war against invading Mughals. - 1700 : Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Cassel defends CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
against invasion. - 1700 : Maria Ursula d'Abreu e LencastroMaria Ursula d'Abreu e LencastroMaria Ursula d'Abreu e Lencastro was a Portuguese corporal. She served in the Portuguese army in India dressed as a man in 1700-1712. She participated in the conquest of the fortress at Amboina and was decorated for her service by the king in 1714.- Sources :...
fights in the Portuguese army in India. - 1700 : Margareta von AschebergMargareta von AschebergMargareta von Ascheberg as married Barnekow , was a Swedish land owner, noble and acting regiment colonel during the Great Northern War....
acting colonel of her dead husband's regiment during the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. - During the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
, Maria FaxellMaria FaxellMaria Faxell was a Swedish vicar's wife who, according to legend, averted a Norwegian attack in Sweden during the Great Northern War.During the war between Sweden and Denmark–Norway, a Norwegian troupe passed the border in to Sweden and was observed at the farm Gryttve by Kölns church in Värmland....
, the wife of a vicar, defends her village against a Norwegian attack by handing out old weapons to both men and women during her husband's absence. - An unnamed woman serves in the Swedish army in the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
; after the war, she is seen wearing men's clothing on the streets of Stockholm until the 1740s, were she was known as "The Rider". - 1704: Mai BhagoMai BhagoMai Bhago also Known as Mata Bhag Kaur was a Sikh woman who led Sikh soldiers against the Mughals in 1705. She killed several enemy soldiers on the battlefield, and is considered to be a saint by Sikhs...
leads Sikh soldiers against the Mughals. - 1711–1721: Ingela GathenhielmIngela GathenhielmIngela Olofsdotter Gathenhielm née Hammar, , was a Swedish privateer in service of King Charles XII of Sweden during the Great Northern War.- Biography :...
operates the Swedish Privateering fleet jointly with her husband during the Great Northern War; when widowed in 1718, she continues herself. - 1712-1714: Anna Jöransdotter from Finland serves in the Swedish army under the named Johan Haritu
- 1713-1721: Margareta Elisabeth RoosMargareta Elisabeth RoosMargareta Elisabeth Roos or Anna Stina Roos was a Swedish-Estonian woman and a crossdresser who served as a soldier in the Swedish army of Charles XII of Sweden during the Great Northern War. She is also called Anna Stina Roos....
is said to have served in the Swedish army, but as she was never trialed, this s regarded as unconfirmed - 1713-1726: Ulrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora Stålhammar was a Swedish corporal and crossdresser who served during the Great Northern War. She was put on trial for having served as a military posing as a man and for marrying a woman...
serves in the Swedish army under Charles XII of SwedenCharles XII of SwedenCharles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
during the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of... - 1715: Two unnamed women are rumored among the soldiers to serve in the Swedish army, one of them a wife of one of the soldiers, who by this point was to have served for a period of four years
- 1716: Norwegian Anna ColbjørnsdatterAnna ColbjørnsdatterAnna Colbjørnsdatter Arneberg was a Norwegian national heroine, known for her participation in the Battle of Norderhov in Norway during the Great Northern War 29 March 1716.She was the daughter of the vicar Colbjørn Torstenssøn Arneberg Anna Colbjørnsdatter Arneberg (1667–1736) was a Norwegian...
is granted the success in the victory over the Swedes at the Battle of Norderhov in Norway during the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
29 March 1716 by capturing 600 Swedish soldiers. - 1719: Brita OlsdotterBrita OlsdotterBrita Olsdotter was an old Swedish woman who, according to legend, saved the city of Linköping from being burnt by the Russians during the Great Northern War....
, an old Swedish woman, meets the Russian army, who marches against LinköpingLinköpingLinköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
after having burnt NorrköpingNorrköpingNorrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
, and makes them turn around and leave after telling them that reinforcements were arriving to assist Linköping. - 1720–1739: Granny NannyGranny NannyQueen Nanny or Nanny , Jamaican National Hero, was a well-known leader of the Jamaican Maroons in the eighteenth century. Historical documents refer to her as the "rebels old obeah woman," and they legally grant "Nanny and the people now residing with her and their heirs . . . a certain parcel of...
, a spiritual leader of the MaroonsMaroon (people)Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
of JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, leads rebel slaves in First Maroon WarFirst Maroon WarThe First Maroon War was a conflict between the Jamaican Maroons and the British in Jamaica which reached a climax in 1731.-Background:In 1655, the British defeated the Spanish colonists and took control of most of Jamaica...
against the British. - 1725: Dutch woman Maria ter MeetelenMaria ter MeetelenMaria ter Meetelen , was a Dutch writer of an autobiography. Her biography is considered to be a valuable witness statement of the life of a former slave ....
serves in the Spanish army dressed as a man. - 1730s–1740s: Female Ho-chunkHo-ChunkThe Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
chief Glory of the MorningGlory of the MorningGlory of the Morning was the first woman ever described in the written history of Wisconsin, and the only known female chief of the Hocąk nation...
allies her tribe with the French in order to battle the Fox tribe. - 1740: Ann MillsAnn MillsAnn Mills was a British woman who disguised herself as a man in order to become a dragoon. In 1740 she fought on the frigate Maidenstone.-References:*...
fights on the frigate Maidenstone as a dragoon. - 1745: Countess Mary Hay raises an army of Buchan men for Prince Charles Edward Stuart.
- 1745: Lady Anne Farquharson-MacKintoshLady Anne Farquharson-MacKintoshLady Anne Farquharson-Mackintosh was a Jacobite of the Clan Farquharson and the wife of Angus, Chief of the Clan MacKintosh.Born in 1723 to John Farquharson of Invercauld, chief of the Clan Farquharson and staunch Jacobite...
raises 200–400 men of her clan to fight in the Jacobite risingJacobite risingThe Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
, but does not lead them. - 1745: Phoebe HesselPhoebe HesselPhoebe Hessel was best known for disguising herself as a man to serve in the British Army, probably to be with her lover, Samuel Golding....
fights in the Battle of FontenoyBattle of FontenoyThe Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
with her lover. She had disguised herself as a man and joined the British Army to be near him. - 1746–1769: Maria van AntwerpenMaria van AntwerpenMaria van Antwerpen was a Dutch soldier and cross dresser. She is perhaps the most famous and well-documented example of a female cross dresser enlisting in the army as a man. She also married twice to women...
serves as a soldier in the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
under the name Jan van Art. - 1750: Hannah SnellHannah SnellHannah Snell was a British woman who disguised herself as a man and became a soldier.Hannah Snell was born in Worcester, England on 23 April, 1723. Locals claim that she played a soldier even as a child. In 1740, she moved to London and later married James Summs on 6 January, 1744.In 1746, she...
, a British woman who had disguised herself as a man in order to become a Royal Marine, has her military service officially recognized and is granted a pension.
See also
- Timeline of Women in Medieval warfareTimeline of women in Medieval warfareWarfare throughout history has mainly been a matter for men, but women have also played a role, often a leading one. The following list of prominent women in war and their exploits from about 500 C.E...
- Women in warfare (1750 - 1799)Women in warfare (1750 - 1799)Warfare through history has mainly been a matter for men, but women have also played a role, occasionally a leading one. The following list of prominent women in war and their exploits from about 1750 C.E. up to about 1799 C.E...