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Blanche of Namur (1320-1363), Queen of Norway and Sweden as the wife of King Magnus VII / IV.

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Agathon and Pausanias, I promise this is the last time I'm redesigning them. They're blue and green coded BUT the colors are interchangeable between them.

The only thing is I'm regretting making agathon shorter here, I actaully want them to be the same height but I wasn't thinking. Pausanias is standing on something okay. Also he has beard troubles this is the most his beard can grow and it's slightly patchy and thin in some areas. Agathon has bangs.

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Urdubegis

The urdubegis were a group of female warriors in the Mughal Empire, who protected the zenana, the harem of the emperor. Although the origins of female bodyguards go back to the beginning of Indian civilizations, the urdubegis were a Mughal creation. The only member of the urdubegis known by name is Bibi Fatima, who served in Humayun’s and Akbar’s court.

Origins

Starting from Chandragupta Maurya’s court, we have two important texts that mention the need for female bodyguards. The first text comes from Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya (r. c. 321 to c. 297 BCE). He reports the presence of women who protected the Mauryan king, especially while he was out hunting. Women hunters accompanied the king, riding on chariots, horses, and elephants equipped with weapons. Although having male guards next to the king for his protection, was something very common in the Western world, the presence of their female counterparts was a bit of a surprise for Megasthenes.

The second text was the Arthashastra, written by Kautilya (l. c. 350-275 BCE), the advisor of Chandragupta Maurya. He wrote about the necessity of female guards due to the number of murders of previous kings. Kautilya describes the dangers of the harem:

When in the interior of the harem, the king shall see the queen only when her personal purity is vouchsafed by an old maidservant. He shall not touch any woman (unless he is apprised of her personal purity); for hidden in the queen’s chamber, his own brother killed Bhadrasena; hiding himself under the bed of his mother, the son murdered king Karusa; mixed rice with poison, as though with honey, his own queen poisoned Kasiraja; with an anklet painted with poison, his own queen killed Vairantya; with a gem of her zone bedaubed with poison, his own queen killed Souvira; with a looking-glass painted with poison, his own queen killed Jalutha; and with a weapon hidden under her tuft of hair, his own queen slew Viduratha. (1.20, ed. Kangle)

Between 340 and 293 BCE, another group of female warriors was formed under the instruction of Kautilya. Known as the Visha Kanya (Poison Girls), these women were trained from childhood by being given small doses of poison, which would gradually help them build up a tolerance. Thus, these assassins would lure their prey by using their beauty and charm and then administer the kiss of death to the enemy of the King. According to a 9th-century Arabic text, the Secreta Secretorum, Aristotle (384-322 BCE) warned his student Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 BCE) about the dangers of these “venomous virgins” before the young general set off on his Indian campaign. In another legend, the death of Alexander the Great was said to be the result of an embrace with a Visha Kanya, that may have been given to him as a trophy by King Porus, after his defeat.

The Visha Kanya were Indian, but other female bodyguards may have been brought from Central Asia, where the ancient Greeks believed the Amazons and other warlike women were located. Unfortunately, many sources are tantalizingly silent regarding the social background of these armed women. In ancient India, a king’s retinue of women displayed his power, wealth, and status. Thus, female bodyguards seemed to serve two purposes: not only did they protect the king but also added to the king’s stature in a theatrical display of divine power. While these warriors did exist, they did not have a specific title by which they were known, until the Mughal era.

Continue reading…

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— Parvati Sharma, Akbar of Hindustan

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FAV FITS: HÜRREM'S APRICOT KAFTAN

Featured → Magnificent Century Episode 33  Description → Hürrem's apricot kaftan over a white silk gown. With a uniquely sparkling embroidered design, the kaftan is fastened by a gold belt, over slashed flowing sleeves. The necklace, earrings and headpiece are also gold, whilst the veil worn outside of the harem matches the undergown's material.

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The ornate shrine of the Stowe Missal. Dating from c 1030 AD (with 14th century additions), it once held a holy text. The shrine contains a number of inscriptions, one of which says ‘pray for the king of Ireland, Donnchad son of Brian (Boru) & Gormlaith’.

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…tied together the sweet posy of the red and white roses.

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Ellie Bamber as Bertha in William Tell (2024)

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“The Queen did make enemies and irritated a number of people. She was certainly manipulative and sometimes unwise.”

I can't take it seriously when people claim it’s “only Ricardians” who hate Elizabeth Woodville and that she’s oh so sympathized elsewhere when a biography of her own brother described her in such a way

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Dubbed ‘The Strongest Woman in the World’ during her lifetime, Katie Sandwina (1884–1952) astonished audiences with her feats of strength—all while balancing a career, family life, and activism.

A rising star

Katie, born Catherine Brumbach, came from an Austrian circus family. Both her parents were known for their impressive physiques and regularly performed feats of strength. As the eldest daughter, she trained from a young age in acrobatics, trapeze, and weightlifting. Several of her sisters would also pursue athletic careers.

Katie’s father famously offered money to anyone who could defeat her in a wrestling match—but Katie never lost. She reportedly met her future husband, acrobat Max Heymann, after defeating him in one of these matches.

In 1902, Katie traveled to New York, where she allegedly outlifted the renowned strongman Eugene Sandow. According to the story, she hoisted over her head a weight that Sandow could only raise to his chest.

The Strongest Woman in the World

By 1905, Katie was a rising star on the international stage. She adopted the name Sandwina, a feminized version of Sandow, and began performing with her husband—effortlessly lifting him over her head. She sometimes did so in a “manual of arms” position, with Max playing the part of the rifle.

Katie’s act also included other breathtaking demonstrations: lifting three men at once, breaking chains, bending iron bars, juggling cannonballs, and lying on a bed of nails. Her performances were wildly successful, and she earned up to $1,500 a week.

During the 1920s, Siegmund Breitbart, who called himself “The Strongest Man in the World,” was said to cancel or postpone his shows if he happened to be performing in the same town as Katie— for fear of being upstaged.

She was praised as “The World’s Strongest Woman,” “A Wonder of Female Strength,” and “The Lady Hercules.” Katie fascinated the public because she subverted traditional gender roles by being taller and stronger than her husband, while also embodying traditionally feminine traits like beauty and motherhood.

Katie gave birth to two sons, Theodore and Alfred—the former went on to become a boxer. Remarkably, she performed in two shows the night before giving birth to her first child.

Katie was also a passionate advocate for women’s suffrage. In 1912, she was named vice-president of the suffrage group formed within the Barnum & Bailey Circus. She soon earned the nickname Sandwina the Suffragette. Her activism countered a common argument against women’s voting rights—that only those physically strong enough to defend their rights deserved to vote.

Retirement

Katie continued performing well into her fifties. After retiring from the stage, she remained in excellent shape and opened a neighborhood tavern in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The billboards outside still billed her as The Strongest Woman in the World.

Her husband did the cooking, her son worked the bar. Katie sometimes entertained patrons even into her sixties by bending iron bars, breaking chains, and lifting her husband, just as she had on stage. She had her own way of dealing with troublemakers too: a 1947 article recounts how she “floored the bruiser with one punch for the whole count and gave him a thorough lesson as she tossed him out.”

Katie Sandwina died of cancer in 1952.

If you enjoy this blog, consider supporting me on Ko-fi!

Further reading: 

Fair John D., “Kati Sandwina, ‘Hercules can be a lady’”

Hulls Tessa, “The Great Sandwina, Circus Strongwoman and restaurateur”

Simon Linda, The Greatest Shows on Earth A History of the Circus

Shapley Haley, Strong like her

Nédélec Marie, “Katie Sandwina ou un Sandow au féminin”

Tood Jane, “Center Ring: Katie Sandwina and the Construction of Celebrity”

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John, Duke of Bedford's funeral service, from BL Harley MS 1251 fol. 148r.

...in a later book of hours associated with Bedford or one of his close companions (London, British Library, Harley MS 1251) produced around 1430–1435 in Rouen, the Office of the Dead opens with a miniature of the Duke’s own funeral, identified by his armorial devices in the miniature and the eagle emblem at the folio’s margin. Orly Amit, "Appropriating the Archive: Promoting Legitimacy and Shaping Historical Memory through the Library of John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford", New Approaches to the Archive in the Middle Ages (Routledge, 2024)

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Rani Durgavati (1524-1564)

"The rani, whom all contemporary historians describe as most beautiful – ‘a lady of great loveliness and grace’, writes Badauni – was also the most powerful ruler in Garha-Katanga, a region of ‘populous cities and towns’ measuring 150 by 80 kos (or about 675 by 360 kilometres), south of Panna and north of the Deccan, inhabited mostly by Gonds. Of the people Abul Fazl is less admiring than of their country; he says ‘the people of India despise them’. The historian feels no need to investigate this contempt; indeed, he seems to share it [...].

No such scorn, however, attaches to their queen. Daughter of a raja in Bundelkhand, Durgavati had been married to the king of Garha, Raja Dalpat, who was socially her inferior but financially better off. As happens even to kings, Durgavati’s father had fallen ‘on hard times’.

Little is known of Raja Dalpat, except that he lived long enough to produce an heir, then died. Their son Bir Sah being only five years old, the rani took charge of the realm, and managed it exceptionally well.

Garha-Katanga was divided into several small kingdoms, writes Abul Fazl, but such was the rani’s ‘courage, counsel and munificence’ that she brought ‘the whole of that country under her sway’. Of its 70,000 villages, one-third were hers, and the rest ‘were subordinate ... their headmen ... under her control’. [She successfully repelled the invasion of Baz Bahadur, the ruler of Malwa, who had attacked her kingdom between 1555 and 1560]. Her courage and skill, Abul Fazl continues, was paramount; her intelligence enabled her to do ‘great things’; she could shoot arrows or bullets with equal ease; and she had a passion – in common with Akbar – for hunting. So much so, says Abul Fazl, that should a lion be sighted anywhere in her terrain, she would not drink water until she’d shot it down.

And, of course, as her father had intended, she was rich. It was the rani’s ‘abundant ... treasure’, writes Abul Fazl, getting to the rub, that inspired Asaf Khan’s ‘desire of lordship’ over her land. The eager commander began with ‘coquetry and toying, and put out his hand to touch the ... mole of the beauty’ of Gondwana – Abul Fazl’s fondness for metaphor makes it difficult to tell if Asaf Khan actually flirted with the idea of marrying his fortune rather than conquering it – but then, in 1564, Akbar made the decision for him: he sent word for Asaf Khan to march upon the queen.

Rani Durgavati’s reputation for valour rests on the war that followed. In brief, the story is that the rani, mounted on her best elephant, a ‘lofty and swift’ animal called Sarman, fought bravely until, on the cusp of defeat, her neck bleeding from an arrow wound, the queen of the Gonds drew out her own dagger and took her own life.

A more elaborate account reveals that Rani Durgavati was let down by her own side as much as she was defeated by Asaf Khan’s. It was the rani, first of all, who gave her 5000-odd troops the appetite for a fight, declaring they might leave if they liked but she would not, for how long was she to hide ‘among trees’? She would ‘fall or she would conquer’. Then, putting ‘armour on her breast and a helmet on her head’, she led her men – including her now-adult son Bir Sah – at the far larger Mughal army (10,000 cavalry alone) and made a successful onslaught. Three hundred of Asaf Khan’s men were killed, writes Abul Fazl; the ‘Rani was victorious’.

That evening, however, the queen’s luck turned. She held a council and proposed a surprise attack that very night, to deny Asaf Khan any opportunity to fortify his position. ‘No one agreed,’ writes Abul Fazl. She proposed the idea again, this time to a smaller council of her most loyal men. They, too, let the moment pass.

The next morning, Asaf Khan was, indeed, better positioned. Still, the rani’s men fought their best. It was a bloody, exhausting struggle; for three watches of the day, the battle raged, men falling one upon the other. At one point, writes a contemporary historian called Shaikh Illahdad, soldiers on both sides threw away their ‘guns and arrows ... seized each other’s collars, and fought hand to hand’. Bir Sah, the young king in whose stead his mother had ruled these past sixteen years, broke through enemy ranks thrice until he was wounded. The rani ordered her son taken away.

She had let maternal instinct get the better of martial reasoning. It may have been the rani who led the men upon her elephant, but when Bir Sah left, most of her army followed him.

Left with barely 300 men, Rani Durgavati ‘continued to wage hot war’ until she was struck by two arrows, one in the temple, the other in the neck. She fainted.

When the queen came to, her elephant was being driven to safety by a loyal chieftain called Adhar – the last man Rani Durgavati would ever lay eyes on, and the last of many who let her down. She asked him to kill her but Adhar refused. Furious at his ‘soft heart’, writes Abul Fazl, the rani drew out her dagger and committed her final act of courage upon herself, on her own."

— Parvati Sharma, Akbar of Hindustan (Juggernaut Books) / Detail from a painting of Rani Durgavati, shown gearing-up for the Battle of Narrai, by the renowned artist Beohar Rammanohar Sinha. It is located in the Shaheed-Smarak or Martyrs'-Memorial Auditorium in Jabalpur MP, India (Source).

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medieval illuminated manuscript nails by pampernailgallery

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Women’s History Month - Day 11 Matilda of Scotland

Originally born Edith of Scotland, Matilda of Scotland was one of the first queens of England. Married to Henry I of England in 1100, she produced to children, William and Matilda. William the Aetheling became Duke of Normandy, and was next in line to be King of England - Matilda became Empress of the Holy Roman empire due to her marriage to Henry V. During the English investiture controversy of 1103 - 1107 she acted as an intercessor intercessor between her husband and archbishop Anselm, writing several letters during Anselm’s absence, first asking him for advice and to return, but later increasingly to mediate. Matilda as renowned for her devotion to religion and the poor - founding two leprosy hospitals in her tenure as queen of England. Matilda had the first arched bridge in England built after taking a tumble on a ford on her way to Barking Abbey. 

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Endless List of Historical Figures: Ermengarde de Beaumont, Queen Consort of Scotland (c. 1170-1233)

Like most women of the time, not much solid information is known of my girl Ermengarde de Beaumont (flashback to the core of some deeply ingrained sexism) but I love her anyways. So here’s the downlow: she was the child of a lowly viscount with an important(ish) grandma - an illegitimate daughter of the first King Henry of England. On paper she didn’t amount to much, so no surprise when the oh-so-mighty William the Lion, aka King of Scots, wasn’t impressed and considered her a person beneath his status. But he had little choice in marrying her, for he fucked up in a battle over - what else - land lust and had been captured by King Henry’s troops. To regain his kingdom, William had to sign a treaty which not only made him acknowledge Henry as his feudal superior, among other things, but also let him choose out his own bride for William. As most men were (and are) sore losers, he was a bit of whiny baby about the whole thing so Henry gave him a bottle - the English king would pay for the entire wedding, give him valued land, and return all the castles he had acquired through his original capture of the proud scotsman. With a grumble (probably), William shut up and married my homegirl.

Some real cinderella-like shit happened, and the unlikely couple ended up being a love-match. The much older William had many lovers before this marriage (thus many illegitimate children) but he dropped them all like last weeks news after marrying Ermengarde. He was reportedly never unfaithful to her after their wedding. But she wasn’t an idle queen, not only did she have and raise four children, in Williams later years Ermengarde took over lots of his old duties - she had been recorded taking part in an incredibly complex court case and also wielded considerable influence in public affairs. They say behind every great man is an even greater woman. As the chronicler Walter Bower had described, she was ‘an extraordinary woman, gifted with a charming and witty eloquence.’

Sums it up nicely, me thinks. (…)