NATIONALITY Greek

ROLE Naval commander LIVED During the fifth century, around 480 BC

his queen is probably best known from actress Eva Green’s portrayal of her in the film

300: Rise of an Empire—which was derived from Frank Miller’s graphic novel Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander. Artemisia was an actual person and like in the movie, she was considered a brilliant naval commander.

Artemisia was queen of the Greek city-state Halicarnassus and the islands of Kos,

Nisyros, and Kalymnos. Beyond her battle history, little else is known of her—she lived during the fifth century and became ruler after her husband’s death. During the second Persian invasion, Artemisia allied with Persian king Xerxes against the allied but independent Greek city-states. In 480 BC, Artemisia was the only one among Xerxes’ confidants who opposed the Battle of Salamis, an ill-fated naval battle that pitted the Persian fleet against the more powerful Greek fleet. She escaped the battle by ordering her ships to fly Greek colours and begin attacking Persian vessels—allegedly ones belonging to allies Egypt, Cyprus, Cilicia, and Pamphylia, whom she claimed were useless and whom Xerxes needed to be wary of. Upon her return to Xerxes, she garnered greater reputation for having correctly predicted many crucial aspects of the battle.

‘eee 6 NATIONALITY Vietnamese te bel = ROLE National heroines of Vietnam Fi LIVED C. 12 AD to 43 AD

he Trung sisters hailed from Nanyue, a kingdom in Vietnam that was controlled by the

occupying Chinese Han Dynasty. Consisting of Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, their father was a prefect of the district of Mé Linh, so the sisters were highly educated in both literature and martial arts.

The elder sister, Trung Trac, married Thi Sach, a neighboring prefect’s son. However,

Thi Sach was later executed by the governor of Jiaozhi after he attempted to resist Chinese cultural assimilation within his domain. After Thi Sach’s death, the Trung sisters enacted vengeance by amassing a large army of mostly women and leading them in a revolt. In a short few months they had reclaimed approximately 65 citadels and freed Nanyue of Chinese occupation. Trung Trac was declared queen regent with Trung Nhi as vicereine, and they ruled for three prosperous years before they were defeated by Chinese commander Ma Yuan in 43 AD. Both sisters were either executed shortly after their defeat or they died during the battle—historical accounts vary.

NATIONALITY Japanese ROLE Samurai warrior LIVED C. 1157 AD to 1247 AD

lomoe Gozen was a mysterious female samurai who served the samurai general

Minamoto no Yoshinaka. It is highly suspected that she was either his wife or lover, but factual accounts differ. Tomoe’s aid, and that of her two brothers, was instrumental in Yoshinaka conquering Kyoto and driving out the Japanese Taira Clan, a warring clan of samurai. During the Battle of Awazu—where Yoshinaka failed to wrestle control of the Minamoto Clan from his cousin and was subsequently killed—Tomoe Gozen supposedly escaped capture by beheading Uchida leyoshi, a samurai serving her enemy.

What happened afterward is a little hazy. The Heike Monogatari, a text documenting the feud between the Taira and Minamoto clans, does not state what became of her after. Other historical accounts claim that she was captured and became the concubine of Wada Yoshimori. Supposedly Wada and the son she bore him were killed in 1213 by the Hojo Clan. After their deaths, Tomoe Gozen retired to become a nun and lived to be 91.

Warrior women t

hen we look at the bre

uncommon for us to b legendary epic heroes—mos of the women, though? Did t fighting to the men? As any | Besides well-known Catholi are rife throughout history, e the resistance fighters and sp just knowing where to look.

NATIONAI ROLE Supe LIVED 191

Ihe White Mouse, more commonly known industrialist Henri Edmond Fiocca. Appar committed by the Nazis, Wake joined the Frer the Maquis groups—French guerilla forces. Sh soldiers for her ability to evade capture by the France, having accumulated a price on her hez Gestapo’s most wanted person in the Marseill insistence, who was later tortured and killed in Wake escaped to Britain, where she beca1 Executive (SOE)—a British organization durir sabotage, and reconnaissance. She began acti British intelligence. Her role was that of recrui in weapons and other necessities. Wake facilit. between the French forces and London, at tim were well appraised of every minute detail. Her dedication and resolve earned her m: the most decorated servicewomen of World W