History That's More Than 2-Dimensional.

June 2014

Khutulun (1260-1306)

The Wrestler Princess

This undefeated warrior princess refused to marry unless her suitor could defeat her in wrestling - if he lost, he owed her 100 horses. In the end, she had 10,000 horses and no husband.

June 24, 2014 in Corrections

Clearing the record on Nzinga and others

I’ve made corrections to almost all of the entries since initially launching this last Wednesday. I highly recommend going back to read, at bare minimum, the entries for Nzinga, Fredegund, and Sita. Many thanks to those who wrote in with additional information. A word specifically on Nzinga. No other way to put it, I fucked up... Read more »

June 20, 2014 in Corrections

Getting the Mughals right – plus, Reddit!

Notice of an update where I give a more well-rounded portrayal of the Mughal Empire.

The Handless Princess

When her brother of this fairytale princess decided to marry her, she warded him off by cutting off her own hands. Then she gave birth to a dog. It got weirder after that.

Mai Bhago (late 1600s - mid 1700s)

Savior of the Sikhs

This Sikh warrior saint led 40 deserters back into battle and in so doing, possibly saved her entire religion from extinction.

Wu Zetian (624-705)

China's Only Female Emperor

The only female emperor of China in history, her ruthless rise to power makes Game of Thrones look like a day at the beach.

Seriously, nobody should make a kids' movie about her.

The poster child for childhood abuse, nobody should ever make a kids' movie about her.

Mariya Oktyabrskaya (1905-1944)

The Tank-Driving Widow

When her husband was killed in WW2, she sold all their belongings, bought a tank, named it Fighting Girlfriend, and started killing Nazis.

The Princess Who Leapt Into a Pit

After being saved from demonic forces, this legendary Indian princess is then subjected to endless purity tests by her own husband. She eventually puts an end to his questions in a manner that surprised everyone.

Nzinga Mbande (1583-1663)

Mother of Angola

When the Portuguese took the throne from her, this Angolan queen made a new one: out of her own servant. She then fled to the jungle, conquered a tribe of cannibals, and waged war on the Portuguese for so long that they gave up and left.