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Pingyang and the Army of the Lady
Princess Pingyang was born in 600 to Li Yuan, a peasant who had risen through the army to become a commander. She was the only daughter to him and his second wife Duchess Dou. She did have two older sisters from Li Yuan’s first marriage, however, Pingyang spent more time with her four brothers. As was customary, she was given in marriage when she was quite young. Her chosen husband was Cai Shao, the son of the Duke of Julu. By all reports, Pingyang was a dutiful and loving daughter, sister and wife. However, her loyalty was put to the test when everything went sideways. During this time, China was…
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Hürrem Sultan- From slave to queen
Born Aleksandra Ruslana Lisowska around 1502, little Nastia as she was known would never have dreamed she would rise to become a queen. She was born in the town of Rohatyn in Polish Ruthenia, which is now in Western Ukraine. Legend has it her father was an Orthodox priest. Some time in the 1520’s, Nastia’s world turned upside down when she was captured by the Crimean Tartars at the tender age of 12. Raids by the Tartars into this region were not uncommon, and Nastia was soon taken to the slave markets of Kaffa. From there she went on to Istanbul, where she was selected for the sultan’s harem. The…
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Empress Wu Zetian
In the East as in the West, female rulers were not the norm. In China, the famous philosopher Confucius is reported to have said a woman ruling was as unnatural as a “hen crow like a rooster at daybreak.” Huh. A regular John Knox, that guy. Well cock-a-doodle-doo, Confucius, because this is the story of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang dynasty, the only female emperor in Chinese history. Originally, named Wu Zhao she was given the name Zetian, which means “emulator of heaven”, after death. Sources about Wu Zetian’s life are a hodgepodge, which some condemning her as the devil himself and others testifying she was an absolute…
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Bona Sforza
One would generally think the Queen of Poland would be….well….Polish. In this case, she was not. Bona Sforza, as her name would indicate, was Italian. However, as the wife of King Sigismund I she exercised great power over the country. A member of the powerful Sforza family of Milan, Bona was born on February 2, 1494 the second child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, sixth Duke of Milan and his wife Isabella of Naples. Fun fact, Isabella is thought be some to be the inspiration for the Mona Lisa. Raised in Bari and Milan, she was educated by the imminent Italian humanists Antonio de Ferraris and Crisotomo Colonna. From them she…
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Nana Asma’u
There is a lot of talk in the news about the education of girls. In fact in recent history Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban for daring to go to school and being female at the same time. However, education for women was not always considered taboo in Islamic cultures. Nana Asma’u is a perfect example of this. Born Nana Asma’u bint Shehu Usman dan Fodiyo in 1793 as the daughter of Usman dan Fodio. He was the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, which was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Northern Africa. Usman dan Fodio led the Fulani Jihad, which conquered Nigeria and Cameroon. She was named…
