Warriors

Mulan

Hua Mulan is a legendary woman warrior from the Northern and Southern dynasties period (420-589) of Chinese history, originally described in the Ballad of Mulan. In the ballad, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She is a beautiful and strong woman known for practicing martial arts and for being skilled with the sword. Mulan fought for twelve years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown.

Zenobia

In 267, Zenobia became the ruler of the Palmyrene Empire that is now Zyria. Within two years of her ascent, she was battling back the advances of Rome and expanding the boundaries of her kingdom by force, invading Egypt and Anatolia. Though an accomplished rider, she also showed a kinship with her army by walking miles upon miles in step with her foot soldiers. She was truly their warrior queen.

"I'd like to ride storms, kill sharks in the open sea, drive out the aggressors, reconquer the country, undo the ties of serfdom, and never bend my back to be the concubine of whatever man."

Trieu Thi Trinh predated the French heroine by more than 1200 years. At 20 years old, She raised a following 1,000 strong, and urged her fellow Vietnamese to rebel against the Chinese forces that sought to conquer their homeland in the 3rd century. Her brother tried to dissuade her from revolt, but her response was "Why should I imitate others, bow my head, stoop over and be a slave? Why resign myself to menial housework?"

Cleopatra

Cleopatra VII was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, around 70 BC. She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek family of Macedonian origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period. She took the throne when she was only 17 years old and quickly became one of the most powerful rulers Egypt had ever known. She bonded personally and politically with two of ancient Rome's most powerful leaders, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Then, barely two decades after coming to power, she took her own life in a climactic act of defiance against the Romans, still hungry for her kingdom. After her death, Egypt became a Roman province.

Artemisia

Artemisia was the 5th century BCE Queen of Halicarnassus, a kingdom that exists in modern-day Turkey. However, she was best known as a naval commander and ally of Xerxes, the King of Persia, in his invasion of the Greek city-states. She made her mark on history in the Battle of Salamis, where the fleet she commanded was deemed the best against the Greeks. Greek historian Herodotus wrote of her heroics on this battlefield of the sea, painting her as a warrior who was decisive and incredibly intelligent in her strategies.

Pirate Queen

Grace O'Malley was a Irish pirate warrior. When her mother refused to let Grace set sail with her father, claiming the girl's long hair would get tangled in their ropes, the firebrand promptly chopped off her locks, earning passage on the voyage as well as the name that translates roughly to "bald." This bold woman ruled over the Umaill kingdom of Ireland, being chieftain of the O'Malley clan after her father. The ships she likewise inherited, she used for piracy.