Princesses

History That's More Than 2-Dimensional.

Kumander Liwayway (1919-2014)

The commander who wore lipstick to war

When the Japanese invaded the Philippines, this beauty queen traded face powders for explosive ones.

Nia Ngao Zhua Pa

Paragon of Hmong Femininity

This Hmong morality tale shows how to be a good person, but it certainly takes some twists getting there.

Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941)

The Queen of Modern Astronomy

This astronomer threw off all the social conventions of her day to pursue her one true calling: the stars.

Li Chi (5th century BCE myth)

The Serpent Slayer

When a monster demanded teenage girl sacrifice, Li Chi saved herself, and was crowned princess for her troubles.

Eréndira (early 16th century)

How to Train Your Horse

When horse-riding Spaniards invaded, she defied her tribe to befriend one of the abandoned horses, using her new bond to fight off the Spanish.

Dragon-slaying South African Princess

When her deadbeat brothers demanded the impossible, this South African princess carried through, and slayed a dragon.

Mahendradatta (961-1011)

The Widow Queen of Indonesia

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.

Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904)

The Undefinable Adventurer

This undefinable adventurer's life burnt bright but short: a wildcard of the Algerian revolution, she survived an assassination attempt by sabre, and died in a freak desert flood.

Tamar of Georgia (1160-1213)

Holy Righteous King of Georgia

Saint, sovereign, and fiercely independent woman, she quashed two rebellions from her ex-husband, expanded her nation's borders, and ushered in a golden age.

Truganini (1812-1876)

The most famous native Tasmanian of all time

The "Last of the Aboriginal Tasmanians" (she wasn't) used brains, brawn, and sheer will to carve a place for herself, even as the world was collapsing around her.