Nitocris : The 6th Dynasty's Worst Banquet Host
When her brother was killed, this pharaoh took her time cooking up revenge.
Isabella of France : The She-Wolf of France
After years of neglect and abuse from her husband, this queen raised an army and took over England for herself.
Mary Anning : The Princess of Paleontology
When her father died, leaving her lower-class family in debt, this indomitable woman worked tirelessly and became one of history’s greatest fossil collectors.
Gouyen : Wise Woman of the Apache
When an enemy killed her husband, this Apache woman broke the rules of her tribe to get revenge – and in so doing, became one of her tribe’s greatest heroes.
Jeanne de Clisson : The Lioness of Brittany
When her husband was unjustly executed, this French noblewoman-turned-pirate became the terror of France.
Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz : The Phoenix of Mexico
This brilliant poet rose from illegitimacy and poverty to become one of the luminaries of her age – until she flew too close to the sun.
Tirgatao : The Princess Whom Walls Could Not Hold
Abandoned and imprisoned, this real-life Amazon took back the life she had stolen away.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko : The Deadliest Female Sniper in History
When her beloved college of history was bombed by the Germans, this woman began a dark path that would see her become history’s deadliest female sniper — and one of Eleanor Roosevelt’s best friends.
Taytu Betul : The Bad Cop Empress of Ethiopia
This stubborn empress led her native Ethiopia to do the unthinkable – defeat one of the major European powers in war.
Kate Shelley : The Girl Who Saved a Train
To save an oncoming passenger train, this 15-year-old girl climbed across a collapsing bridge, with nothing but flashes of lightning to keep her from falling to her death in the flooding river below — a river that had already killed her father.
Random Princesses
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Alfhild
Viking princess who decided she'd rather be a pirate than get married. -
Corn Maiden
This mythical Native American woman saved her loved ones from starvation with delicious magical leprosy - a fact that led to, shall we say, complications. -
Isabel Godin des Odonais
To reunite with her husband, she went on a months-long trek through the jungle -- and was the only survivor. -
Jackie Mitchell
In 1931, a seventeen-year-old girl struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in front of a crowd of thousands -- and then was benched into obscurity. -
Mary Bowser
Brilliant undercover spy who posed as a slave to spy on - and attempt to burn down - the Confederate… -
Iara
When this indigenous Brazilian warrior mermaid proved too awesome for her tribe, she just took up residence in the water, and started an aquatic harem of passers-by. -
Mariya Oktyabrskaya
When her husband was killed in WW2, she sold all their belongings, bought a tank, named it Fighting Girlfriend, and started killing Nazis. -
Mahendradatta
This Indonesian queen ruled wisely and justly in life, and was deified as the embodiment of all evil after her death. The story of why gets a bit complicated. -
Taytu Betul
This stubborn empress led her native Ethiopia to do the unthinkable - defeat one of the major European powers in war. -
Masako Hojo
When her shogun husband cheated on her, she raised an army and destroyed the other woman's house. Later she deposed her incompetent son to become the first nun to rule Japan. -
Boudica
This legendary warrior queen killed 70,000 Romans, burnt London to the ground, and became the most famous headhunter of all time - and to this day, Britain loves her for it. -
Ida Laura Pfeiffer
Starting her travels at 45 years old, this globetrotter became a worldwide sensation for going boldly where no woman had gone before. -
Onake Obavva
When enemies invaded her town while her husband was on lunch break, she grabbed a nearby pestle and saved the day by achieving the high score in soldier whack-a-mole. -
A'isha bint abi Bakr
Independent, bold wife of the Prophet Muhammad, she led armies in the Battle of the Camel and was one of… -
Keumalahayati
The first naval admiral of modern times, she protected her country from foreign invaders with aplomb.