Princesses

History That's More Than 2-Dimensional.

Timoclea (4th century BCE)

The Woman Who Threw Her Rapist in a Well

When a soldier raped her, this woman tossed him in a well and threw rocks at him until he died.

Vitka Kempner (1920-2012)

Avenger of the Holocaust

Spy, smuggler, saboteur, partisan: this Jewish woman refused to go like a lamb to the slaughter, and fought the Nazis tooth and nail... even after the war, when she, alongside others, poisoned thousands of Nazi POWs in a revenge plot.

Cornelia Sorabji (1866-1954)

Protector. Reformer. Lawyer.

One of the first Indian women to practice law, she fought against -- and inside of -- a system that held no room for her.

Sarah Biffin (1784-1850)

The Artist Who Painted With Her Mouth

Born without arms or legs, this artist learned to write, sew, and paint with her mouth - and came to work for kings and queens.

Toregene Khatun (?-1246)

Empress of the Mongols

Although her tribe was destroyed and she was forced into an unwanted marriage, this indomitable woman came to run the world's largest empire - with a woman as her companion.

Alakhai Beki (c.1191-[post 1230])

Princess Who Runs the State

This Mongol stood up to the most fearsome man in the world and in so doing, prevented a genocide.

Anne Farquharson-Mackintosh (1723-1787)

The Lady Who Became a Colonel

When the true king of the Scots came to reclaim the throne, this spirited woman went up against her husband to back her chosen sovereign.

Virginia Hall (1906-1982)

The Most Dangerous Spy of All

This "most dangerous of all spies" staged daring mountaintop escapes, prison breaks, and railway bombings -- all on her trusty wooden leg, codenamed "Cuthbert."

Mary Patten (1837-1861)

The First American Woman to Command a Ship

When her husband became deathly ill, this pregnant teen took the reins to become America's first female boat commander - all while fighting off a mutiny and keeping her husband alive.

Anacaona (c.1474-1503)

Poet Queen of Haiti

When Columbus and his crew ravaged her land, this native Haitian poet gave all to keep the peace.