Notable Women
Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt(69 - 30 B.C.E.)
One of the most recognized women rulers of the Ancient World, known for her affairs with Rome, and also with the end of the Pharoahs. Queen at age 18, she forged relationships with Rome through Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Marc Antony. Once she and Marc Antony were defeated by Octavian in 30 B.C.E. both she and Antony commited suicide.
Cleopatra was highly educated, spoke several languages, and was considered mature beyond her years. She is credited with saving Egypt from a drought and installing economic reforms. She had to survive threats of aassassination by the Romans, and her siblings, yet was able to secure her throne for 20 years. She has been immortalized through movies and writings, most notably Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety; other women cloy the appetites they feed, but she makes hungry where she most satisfies;..." - William Shakespeare; Antony and Cleopatra
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid( خديجة بنت خويلد), was the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and also the first Muslim. Before she married the Prophet, she was a successful business women who owned many caravans which made her very rich. Despite her wealth, and the personality of many women of the time, she was said to have impeccable character. Given two titles Ameerat-Quraish (Princess of Quraish) and al-Tahira (the Pure One), she used her money to feed and clothe the poor, assist relatives of her family. Another unusual aspect of her character was that she did not believe in the idol gods, since most people did at the time.
After marrying the Prophet Muhammad (S), she became the first Muslim, and supported him throughout his mission of spreading Islam. She died around 619 A.D., and the time of her death is known, among Muslims as the "Year of Sorrow"
"She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand." Prophet Muhammad (S)
Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204 C.E.)
One of the most powerful personalities of Medieval Europe. At age 15 she married Louis VII of France, joining two of the largest territories of the country. She offered a 1000 fighting vassals for the Crusade, and even accompanied her husband on the 2nd Crusade to tend the wounded.
After the Crusades, she had her marriage to Louis annulled by the pope, who gave custody of her two daughters to the king. Soon after, she married King Henry II, of England, with whom she had 5 children. Two of them, Richard "the Lionheart" and John, would become Kings of England. In 1173 she led her children in an unsuccessful revolt against Henry, who imprisoned her in various castles for fifteen years. When her sons ascended to the throne, she advised both of them in matters of the state. She died in 104, age 83, having outlived all her children.
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d'Arc) is a French Patron Saint, and National Heroine, who was head of the resistance to the English during the Hundred Year War. Her most notable military achievement was at the Battle of Orleans, in May 1429. In 1430 she was captured by the Burgundians while defending Compiegne near Paris and was sold to the English. The English, led a trial against her, with the charges of witchcraft and heresy. Many of the charges were based on her insistence on wearing male clothing, as her being told it was a crime against God. Her determination to continue wearing it was seen as defiance and proved her guilt. Joan was convicted after a fourteen-month interrogation and on May 30, 1431 she was burned at the stake in the Rouen marketplace. She was nineteen years old. Charles VII (King of France, who had much to owed Joan of Arc many of his military victories) made no attempt to come to her rescue. In 1456 a second trial was held and she was pronounced innocent of the charges against her. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.
“Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!” - Joan of Arc, as she died at the stake.
Isabelle d'Este
Isabella d'Este was born in 1474 into the ruling family of Ferra. At the age of sixteen Isabella married Francesco Gonzaga. She then became the Marchioness of Mantua.After the death of her husband, Isabella ruled alone. At the age of sixteen, Isabella d'Este was able to speak Greek and Latin as well as play the lute, sing, dance and debate. She was very well-educated and her political talent benefited Mantua while she was ruling. When her husband left, Isabella governed the city, and after he died she took over his whole job. In 1509 when she became Chief of State in Mantua. At this time she also founded a school for young women where they had to observe a strict code of morals. She was a patron of the Arts and she also set artistic fashions and standards. Isabella collected many paintings and statues. She also wrote over two thousand letters and in these she commented on everything from politics to war. That was the closest that any woman at that time ever got to writing history. Isabella patronized and promoted the arts. She allowed writers, artists and poets to exchange their ideas in her home. While she was ruling, she set an example for women to break away from the traditional role of what women were supposed to be like. By doing this and many other things she was known as the "First Lady of the Renaissance." Isabella died at the age of sixty-four in 1539.
