Name one of the Women of History you admire?

[bleedingheart]

No matter the reason why you admire her...name her and the reason...

[bleedingheart]

1. Catherine the Great of Russia

Here is a woman that was sent off to a foreign country to marry and become the future Czarina. She finds her husband a first class ass and she manages to finish him off, take all the lovers she pleases and she rules a vast empire....

[TheDebbieDee]

10. Yeah, she was handed lemons....

and she used them to make lemonade!

[bleedingheart]

11. I was reading some information about her recently

and after she birthed an heir to the throne she was basically considered worthless to the Romanov clan...had she not been as strong she may have been put away in a nunnery or murdered by her husband.

[mtowngman]

35. I read that once when she was ill

and they were using leeches to bleed her, which was a common practice, she asked to have every drop of German blood drained out of her. My 2nd favorite Romanov (Peter The Great, of course).

[Astarho]

2. Zenobia of Palmyra

Queen of Palmyra from 267-272

She was able to play of Rome and Persia against each other for a few years while building her own empire, shortlived as it was.

[Robeson]

3. Probably two...

...one, was Livia, wife of Augustus, and the other was Antonina, wife of the Roman general Belesarius. Both were great women, who had great influence, over great men.

[bleedingheart]

4. Ah Livia...she was quite an interesting character...

I truly feel she was the power behind Augustus.

[Robeson]

5. It always seemed to me that the true genius of Augustus...

...was that he surrounded himself with brilliant people, not mediocre people, but great people. Marcus Agrippa was brilliant. Augustus wedded Livia in a move that was a total political alliance, and she proved to be exceedingly well adept to being the first lady of Rome, and adviser to Augustus. His extended family, such as Drusus and Tiberius were very good - and even great - generals and administrators. And really, the list goes on and on. I think Augustus's personal skill and genius have been somewhat overrated. But his ability to pick people of genius, was second to none. That goes from his advisers, to his wife, to her sons to many others. He had a knack for finding people of skill and genius.

Really, history has few examples of someone who has been so adroit in doing that.

[cruadin]

6. Sacajawea. She has been honored on our most recent...

dollar coin and I think justifiably so. The story of her exploits on the Lewis and Clarke Expedition certainly justify that honor. It is even more remarkable because at the time she was still in her teens and caring for a newborn infant.
She managed to make herself indispensable on numerous occasions through her courage, stamina and intelligence.
There are several good books on the Expedition, IMO one of the most readable is "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. Despite the fact that Ambrose is primarily focused on the two leaders of the Expedition, Sacajawea's role in its success comes through quite strongly.

[onager]

7. Emma Goldman

One of the most amazing characters in history. I read everything about her I can find. Anarchist, atheist, pacifist even in wartime, birth-control advocate, general troublemaker...and one of the first women to call herself a "feminist."

The US deported her back to her native Russia after the "Red Raids" of 1919. That trip was arranged by a hustling young bureaucrat named J. Edgar Hoover.

Deportation let her tell Lenin personally what she thought about the Great Worker's Revolution, which was already solidifying into the totalitarian nightmare it would become under Stalin. Behaving just like the capitalist swine on the other side of the world, Lenin had her deported to Spain.

Her last wish was to be buried in the United States, which she saw as the best hope of the world despite her shabby treatment at its hands.

[Robeson]

8. Good One....

:thumbsup:

[bleedingheart]

9. I think that PBS did a biography of her...

it was really interesting.

[JNelson6563]

12. Eleanor of Aquitaine

She did pretty damn well considering the time period she lived in. Politically astute, she advised her sons brilliantly once they were on the throne. One of her few mistakes was also her biggest, under-estimating her husband, Henry.

Julie

[bleedingheart]

13. In a way she helped "raise" Henry...so it makes sense he

would end up using the knowledge she bestowed upon him to mess with her.

However she is quite an admirable character...and a great choice

Beautiful
Rich; Heir to most of modern France
Politically astute
Quite sensual by all accounts of the era
Queen of France (divorced after bearing 2 daughters and no sons)
Queen of England (loads of kids including sons...take that Louis)

[JNelson6563]

16. Yes, she and the Empress

Two very formidible women, one raised him the other did the polish work and together they fashioned Henry into quite a specimien.

Back to Eleanor, truly "a catch". I believe her relationship with Henry was based on a mutual level of ambition and they each realized the other was of the calibur to help them achieve those ambitions. I would say they were evenly matched and he got an unfair advantage simply because he was the male. A weaker, less determined woman would've never made it through her long confinement and then gone on to accomplish all that she did.

Hers is certainly a story one can look to for many things, inspiration to soldier on is one of them.

This is a good thread topic Bleedingheart, lots of great stories being posted and discussed.

:toast:

Julie

[deadparrot]

19. Agreed.

[Lithos]

14. A couple come to mind

Margaret Sanger for her great work on women's rights

Empress Maud just because

Queen Elizabeth I - guess I can't get enough of female English Monarchs..

[MountainLaurel]

15. Mother Jones

For her support of the labor movement.

[Lefty48197]

32. Mother Jones ROCKS!

Great magazine too! They've chosen a wonderful person to name themselves after.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

17. A few come to mind here

Helen Keller -For overcoming all her various challenges and obstacles in her path and also for her commitment to social justice and a compassionate society
Mother Teresa-For obvious reasons -her work to combat poverty, disease, homelessness and social injustice
Eleanor Roosevelt-Way ahead of her times in terms of social and political views and a trailblazer in so many aspects of social and political life
Jacqueline Kennedy-A magnificent First Lady
Elizabeth I-For her strength and courage as a monarch
Joan of Arc-A religious visionary who defied traditional stereotypes

[Liberty Belle]

18. Most recent 1st: Barbara Boxer, heroine of democracy.

Mother Jones, for her amazing tenacity fighting to unionize the coal miners--walking hundreds of miles and even standing down gun-toting thugs.

Helen Keller, for her amazing spirit in overcoming adversity.

Golda Meier, for her leadership amid turmoil.

Margaret Chase Smith, the first Senator to denounce McCarthyism.

Rachel Carson, whose book started the environmental movement.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist who Lincoln called "the little lady whose book started this great war."

Margaret Sanger, crusader for birth control access.

Susan B. Anthony, for her tireless efforts--and time spent in jail--to earn women the right to vote.

Harriet Tubman, who not only helped free slaves via the underground railroad, but risked her life as well to work as a Union spy.

Nelly Bly, the gutsy reporter best known for her "Around the World in 80 days" stunt, but who also went undercover to expose conditions in a madhouse.

Eleanor Roosevelt, for her strength and determination.

Abigail Adams, who penned a letter to her husband, John, imploring him to "remember the ladies" when drafting the Constitution. Too bad he didn't listen.

Note: This was a fun topic for me to research when writing my book, 100 Books That Shaped World History.

[kwassa]

20. Queen Elizabeth I

She came out of this very dysfunctional family, see ...

She was a remarkable leader, following the very tough act of her father Henry VIII, the great changes he had forced upon the nation, the challenges from her sister Mary, Queen of Scots,

and, of course, the Spanish Armada, as Spain attempted to invade England.

She lived in extremely difficult and critical times, and made historic decisions that greatly benefited her country and people.

[scarletlib]

24. She is my number one also.

She managed to keep England out of any major wars during her reign and the country at the end of reign was in fantastic shape financially, etc.

[LibertyLover]

21. More than one I'm afraid

Hatshepsut - for the voyage to Punt, for "giving peace a chance" and for the beautiful tomb at Deir el Bahri.

Eleanor of Aquitaine - for going on crusade with her 1st husband and figuring out it was time to say adieu.

Elizabeth I - for defeating Philip' Armada, although her Irish policies were bad.

Deborah Samson - for fighting in the American Revolutionary War and getting Congress to give her a veteran's pension.

Eleanor Roosevelt - for being herself.

[bleedingheart]

22. not a problem to have more than one. I too admire more than one

but I figured we would start the conversation from there.

Your choices by the way are excellent.

[Taxloss]

23. Barbara Castle.

She'd fit in here at DU.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Castle

[foreigncorrespondent]

25. Sister Elizabeth Kenny!

This woman being born in the bush (Australian country) overcame some really large hurdles in getting her revolutionary polio treatment recognized by Dr's, during a time when women were told to remain at home and have children.

After being dealt a raw hand in both her birth country (Australia) and mother England she headed for the United States where virtually overnight the "Kenny Treatment for Infantile Paralysis" became a common treatment in the polio epidemic in that country.

This woman is a true hero and a rather remarkable lady. And a true blue leftie!!!

[Matilda]

26. Elizabeth I top of my list.

She performed a wonderful balancing act, keeping her country out of
war with Spain and France, and building up the treasury which had
been depleted by her father.

She also kept her throne for herself, refusing to take a husband who
would inevitably have tried to rule through her. She knew her own
abilities, and cleverly played the European princes off against each
other as long as she could, knowing that she was England's best hope
for security and prosperity. There's no doubt she loved the Earl of
Leicester, but she was way too smart to wed him, knowing he would
be a disaster for the country if he ever got that much power.

I'm totally in awe of her intellect, and in her clear-headed ability
to put the welfare of her country and people before everything.

[Stop_the_War]

27. Cleopatra, Emma Goldman, Rosa Luxembourg, Barbara Boxer, Rosa Parks...

[Baclava]

28. Lyudmila Pavlichenko

The greatest female sniper of all time with 309 confirmed kills against the Nazi's in WWII.

When invited by Eleanor Roosevelt, she became the first Soviet citizen to be received by a U.S. President.

Woodie Guthrie wrote a song about her.

[fudge stripe cookays]

29. Alice Paul. Period.

A Quaker, non-violent, but did just about anything she needed to to get women the vote.

For her hunger strike and force feeding, for the brutality she endured in Occoquan, for denying herself a normal life (love, marriage, children) for the larger cause of women's equality, this woman deserves all of our gratitude.

FSC

[Darth_Kitten]

30. Mary of Modena

:) Queen of England. :)

Her character: generous, noble, kind, a strong character who was in my estimation, one of the best Queens of England. :)

[Lefty48197]

31. My Mom

Tough as nails. Solid as a rock. I come from a long line of women who are strong leaders. Mom's mom, before her, and great Granny before her. I can't imagine three generations of other women that I'd rather descend from.

[Xipe Totec]

33. Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz

There in no one greater to my eyes





Juana Ramirez de Asbaje was born in Mexico in the year 1648. She was born to an illiterate mother who ran her own hacienda. Her father was always absent from her life. It was her grandfather who inspired her to seek intelligence. Juana learned with great ease and triumphed in anything she did. She learned to read before the age of three. She would often punish herself for not learning fast enough by cutting off her hair. She pleaded her mother to dress her up in boys clothing and let her go to the University of Mexico, but she refused on account of her age. She desperately wanted to do advanced studies, but her mother refused. Because of this, she taught herself Latin in twenty lessons.

Word soon spread about Juana’s immense intelligence. She was invited to the court of Marquis of Mancera. There, she was “tested” by forty philosophers, theologians, and scholars. The forty men were astonished at Juana’s great intelligence. She had finally proven herself. People finally recognized a female intellectual, in a world where women were oppressed and looked down upon. She was invited to stay at the court, and while there, she was asked to write poetry for social and political events. Juana wrote, concentrating her knowledge on mathematics, logic, music, and theology. This was sure to attract attention from enemies, since she lived in a world where intelligence was only associated with men, but for the meantime, she had “royal protection,” since she was a friend of the Marquis, and she could continue without threat from anyone.

http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=CRUZ_Fredericksburg_Academy

[Marie26]

37. I think it's wonderful that Mexico has her on the peso. n/t

[bklyncowgirl]

34. Hatshepsut

As daughter of the Great Wife of King Thutmose I she was married to her half brother Thutmose II to help legitimize his claim to the throne. He died young, leaving a daughter by Hatshepsut and a son by one of his concubines. She was probably in her late teens or early twenties at the time.

Thutmose III became king but private inscriptions from the period make it clear who was running the show. She sponsored major construction projects, including the quarrying and transport of the largest obelisks ever quarried up to that point. At some point, by the seventh year of her stepson's reign, she was declared King of Egypt by an oracle of Amon (no doubt with the conivence of Amon's chief priest)

Hatshepsut's reign was largely peaceful. Though she did conduct some military campeigns, her focus was on trade and internal development. Her temple at Deir el Bahri is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

One thing that I have always admired her for is that, while no doubt cunning, and ruthless, Hatshepsut never did anything to harm young Thutmose III. He retained his titles (she was the senior co-regent) and was eventually given command of the army. When she died after some 22 years in power, he was more than ready to rule. He conquered most of what's now Palestine and Syria and was a builder and statesman.

[Marie26]

36. Joan of Arc.

I don't really care if she was crazy or not. :) She had the courage of her convictions, the leadership to lead armies of thousands, the compassion to care about the plight of her country. A definite role model.

[Bucky]

38. Anna Nicole Smith

[scarletlib]

39. well, you have got to give her credit for fighting for her rights.

she is not the dumb blonde she pretends to be.

[TheBaldyMan]

40. Rear Adm. Ruth Hopper USN

all round computing pioneer with accomplishmants too many and varied to list here.

[rickrok66]

41. Some of my favorites

Veronica Franco - Poet, Courtesan, Feminist in 16th Century Venice. There is book about her - The Honest Courtesan and the movie - Dangerous Beauty. Very eloquent, wrote beautiful poetry, and wrote on themes such as the equality of women and the plight of women at that time, was accused of witchcraft (of course) and placed before the Inquisition, but sucessfully defended herself and through her public letters defended herself against jealous politicos and other poets.

Angelina Jolie - For her work with the UN and donated 1/3 of her money to the UNHCR. She and Brad are planning to donate the proceeds from her first baby pics - $5million - to UNICEF. It is sad, she is our de facto Ambassador to the United Nations and our de factor foreign policy for the entire continent of Africa.

Eleanor Roosevelt - First Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission, authored with others the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Elizabeth I - didn't need a man and still kicked arse.

Catherine the Great - also kicked arse

Rosa Luxemburg - Polish Communist, killed for her beliefs in Germany shortly after WWI

Dorothy Day - Catholic Workers Movement

[LadyoftheRabbits]

42. New here... *waves*

Mine would have to be Elizabeth I, Bess of Hardwick, Catherine Parr, and Josephine de Beauharnais, all for forging very distinct personalities and surviving in troubled times.

[otherlander]

43. Queen Lili'uokalani

for standing up to the imperialists and defending Hawaii. After she was overthrown, there was a rebellion. Several days later, she was arrested when firearms were found in her garden.

Hi, history group! :hi:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

44. Maria Bochkareva, for her courage in battle in World War I

Under Kerensky and the Russian provisional government, she organized and led a combat unit of about 2,000 women volunteers known as the "Women's Battalion Of Death" and fought against the Germans and Austrians on the Russian front in World War I. Some of the women volunteers were war widows seeking revenge. These woman actually fought briefly in the trenches alongside combat units of Russian men. At first they were ridiculed and even raped by their own countrymen, but they gained respect in combat in the short time they were involved. In one action, they actually led the offensive when other Russian units balked, charging over three lines of German trenches before being pushed back. I believe technically that they were fighting in the Austrian Army sector but that the German Army had taken over much of the campaign as the Austrian Army faltered. They captured over 200 German soldiers in one action. Bochkareva herself was twice wounded and decorated several times for bravery. What was left of Bochareva's battalion defended the provisional Kerensky government against the Bolsheviks when the latter stormed the Winter Palace and it eventually had to withdraw.

For her time, I think this woman showed tremendous courage in a day when female combat units were unheard of.

[Odin2005]

45. Definitely Elizabeth I, the greastest woman ruler in history IMO.

Much of the stuff she did pretty much allowed England to become the colonial and naval superpower it became, and kicked Spanish ass on the side.