Olympias of Macedon: The Mom Who Made Alexander Great

The much-maligned woman fought tooth and nail to position her son, Alexander, to become “the Great” – and herself in the process.

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Laskarina Bouboulina

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Theodora

Sex worker who became empress of the Byzantine Empire, and used her political power to safeguard her interests, and her husband's reputation.

Pasiphaë

This mythical queen gave birth to the minotaur and cursed her unfaithful husband with the world's weirdest magic STD -- but was her whole story just a smear campaign?

Ilona Zrinyi

When her rebel husband was imprisoned, she continued the movement - by holding a castle under siege for three long, lonely years.

Pope Joan

This pope was largely assumed to be male until she gave birth in the midst of a procession - and largely assumed to be factual until the 13th century.

Penta

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Caterina Sforza

The illegitimate daughter of a minor noble, after losing her husband, she became one of the most powerful and fierce women in Italy - commanding troops, insulting Machiavelli, and fighting Cesare Borgia with unmatched ferocity.

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