Who runs the world? These 7 badass women in history, that’s who! Here’s a look at some of the most inspiring, powerful women who have made their mark on the world.
Ching Shih
In the history of pirates, Ching Shih was one of the greatest pirates. She was born in 1775 in Guangdong province and originally worked as a prostitute. One day, she met a notorious pirate named Zheng Yi. Ching agreed to marry Zheng when he asked her to be his wife. As Zheng’s second in command, Ching became the new leader of the Red Flag Fleet in 1807 after Zheng died.
Now, Chiang was in charge of 70,000 pirates operating in the South China Sea. There were rules, and if you did not follow them, you could be decapitated or thrown overboard with weights tied to your ankles. Having such a high level of discipline was crucial to Ching’s success. As a result, her fleet attacked fishing villages, markets, towns, and cities. By taking valuable commodities and establishing financial centers along the coast, her fleet seized power. Chin even hired an accountant to calculate the value of the stolen resources.
Chinese officials were desperate to stop the Red Flag Fleet, but eventually, they came to an agreement. As a result, she spent the rest of her life in Guangzhou running two business ventures: a brothel and a gambling house.
Olga Of Kiev
Olga is best remembered for her fearless leadership and ability to stand up to the mightiest men in the world at a time when women had no rights whatsoever; she was not just a Queen, but a general and a lawmaker. She was also instrumental in uniting Kyivan Rus’ against its enemies, establishing the city of Kyiv as its capital and ensuring future generations would be able to enjoy Kiev’s golden age today.
Olga rose from humble beginnings to become the formidable Queen of Kievan Rus’. Her power did not end there, though; as she was able to unite Kyivan Rus’ against its enemies. In the early 10th century, her husband Prince Igor was killed by the Pechenegs. She took his place as ruler and held off foreign invaders with a legendary 12,000-strong Amazonian guard.
Then, she built around 1,400 Christian churches in Kyiv before uniting 10 Slavic tribes in an alliance against Byzantine Emperor Constantine I. To this day, Saint Olga remains a source of strength for Ukrainians and Orthodox Christians who are proud to call her Queen of Kievan Rus’!
Olga was the first of five women to rule the great city of Kiev, and her reign ushered in a golden age of peace, prosperity and artistic excellence. Olga was skilled at marshaling her husband’s resources to fight foes like Oleg of Novgorod. One of hers acts as queen regent involved ordering the death at dawn on Christmas Day 988 AD.
Cleopatra VII
Daughter of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra VII was an Egyptian pharaoh of Greek and Macedonian ancestry. She was the last member of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and was also the fifth monarch of ancient Egypts Ptolemaic dynasty. Cleopatra VII (69-30 BCE) was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She was born into power and married her brother. When he died, Cleopatra chose to rule alone as queen. She commanded respect from her country as well as powerful men like Julius Caesar and Mark Antony who ventured to Egypt to meet her.
Cleopatra had been ruling Egypt for nearly 20 years by the time she married her younger brother’s enemy, Mark Antony. She was a savvy ruler who knew how to use power and manipulate people – when she died, her kingdom was divided between their two children, who didn’t like each other. It would be another 150 years before Egypt was once again ruled by a woman.
From Marc Antony to Julius Caesar, no one could resist Cleopatra’s charm. She had everything a queen needed—wisdom, ingenuity and power. Famed for her beauty, she was also a ruthless leader who knew how to manipulate her subjects’ emotions to maximize their loyalty.
Matilda Of Tuscany
Matilda of Tuscany was a trailblazing woman who served as the first female head of state in Western Europe. As an independent woman living in medieval Italy, she faced many challenges that prevented her from being recognized as an equal to men. Nonetheless, she managed to navigate complex politics and become one of the most influential political figures of her time, both during and after her reign (1002-1115).
Matilda of Tuscany was a formidable woman who defied the odds and became ruler of a powerful Italian city-state. She fought to make her mark in a world dominated by men, outliving many of them in the process. Matilda was one of the most influential rulers of the Middle Ages and played an important role in Italy’s history.
As a powerful woman in the 11th century, ruling over half of Northern Italy for 21 years as a Duchess. She is best known for being one of the few women who presided over a medieval government, and her unique position as an influential female ruler in that era was all thanks to her father’s training. After her father, Boniface III died, she became the ruler of Lucca and then shortly after took control of Tuscany as well, simultaneously ruling two different regions.
Milunka Savic
Milunka Savic, who many consider the Serbian equivalent of Joan of Arc, is the most decorated woman in the history of warfare. She joined the army during the Balkan wars in 1912 as Milun Savic. Pretending to be a man, she protected her brother from being drafted. After getting shot in the Battle of Bregalnica in 1913 – the first of nine times this would happen – Milunka’s gender was discovered, but she wasn’t expelled from the service and fought in WWI under her real name.
Milunka was born in 1889 in the vill Koprivnica near Raska. She was educated, spoke French and German and achieved a lot by her age. She received the highest military award for bravery. However, in Serbia she was not appreciated for her achievements. In fact, when she joined the Military it was discovered she was a woman. Still, during WWI she gained recognition for her courage by fighting in numerous battles and for her heroism in the battle of Kolubara she received the ‘Iron Cross’.
Anna Komnena
Princess Anna Komnena was an important woman in Byzantine history. She’s the only female author whose writings have survived from the period, and with her book, The Alexiad, she gives us a firsthand account of many events in her time.
Anna Komnene, was well known as a Greek historian and princess from the 11th century. She is the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Empress Irene Doukaina. She was very skilled in writing so she was recruited to write the Alexiad, which was a story about her father’s wars with the Seljuks. The book has been widely read and praised by many scholars, especially because she wrote it in a time where women were not allowed to learn or even write for that matter.
the daughter of Emperor Alexius I, who defeated the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Manzikert and started the Komnenian dynasty (1081–1185). Her father had a reputation as an able soldier and tactician as he fought against invaders and built an empire. As a child, Anna was taught rhetoric and literature by private tutors at home. She also learned to read and write in Greek, Latin and Hebrew. As an adult she became a successful historian and wrote detailed accounts of her father’s military campaigns against invaders. Although her works are considered unreliable by modern historians because Anna was trying to glorify her family and did not use sources for her content or footnote them appropriately, she is still considered one of the first female historians in Western civilization
Jean D’arc
Who was this Joan of Arc, who was burned for being a witch in 1431? She was an illiterate peasant girl from Domremy, France whose faith in God and the voices she heard helped her lead the country to victory against its English occupiers.
What’s the best way to defeat an army of hundreds? With only a handful of soldiers. That’s exactly what young Jeanne d’Arc accomplished when she led French troops to victory over the English at Orleans on May 8, 1429. Leading by example, Jeanne was a powerful orator who rallied her fellow Frenchmen to take back their country from the oppressive English forces and uphold French sovereignty. Her bravery and audacity made her an inspirational symbol for later feminists like Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks.
As a child in Domrémy, France, Jeanne d’Arc heard voices and had visions of saints that told her to lead French soldiers. After saving Orléans from the English during the Hundred Years War, she was captured and burned at the stake as a heretic. While it’s easy to dismiss such stories as fanciful tales spun by a pious teen who grew up in a time of war, could Jean’s life be more than a simple myth?
