FReeper Canteen ~ Part VIII of Women Warriors:European Women Leaders ~ March 9, 2004

GenderGap.com ^ | March 9, 2004 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

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Part VIII: European Women
Leaders and Defenders

Throughout the middle ages noble women vigorously, and often successfully, defended their own or their male relatives, lands and castles.

Around 890 AD Thyra, Queen of Denmark, ruled in her husband's absence. She led her army against the Germans who invaded Sleswick and Jutland and over a 3 year period built the Danneverke, a great wall which was Denmark's major defense for centuries and portions of which still exist.

In 945 Igor of Russia was killed by the Drevelians during a tax revolt. His wife, Olga, raised an army which attacked Drevelian strongholds forcing them to cease their revolt and pay taxes.

In 1075 Emma, Countess of Norfolk held Norwich Castle against repeated attack and siege. When it became evident that the castle could not be taken the Countess was offered safe conduct for herself, her troops and her possessions to join her husband who had fled to France. She accepted and relinquished the castle.

Urraca, Queen of Aragon became sole ruler of Leon-Castile in 1094 when her husband died. She married Alfonso of Aragon in 1098 and spent the remaining 13 years of her reign at war with him to protect the inheritance rights of her son by her first marriage. Both she and her half-sister Teresa who ruled in Portugal personally led their armies into battle.

In Italy, Alrude, Countess of Bertinoro, led an army to break the siege of Aucona in 1172. She forced the Imperial forces to abandon the siege and engaged in several battles on her return to her castle.

Nicola de la Haye, was the daughter of Baron de la Haye, hereditary castellan of Lincoln. She successfully defended the town against several rebel raids and in 1216 was made sheriff of Lincolnshire.

Jeanne of Navarre (1271-1304) ruler of Navarre, Brie and Champagne and wife of King Philip the Fair of France led her army against that of the Count de Bar when he attempted to rebel against her. Although Philip was entitled by marriage to claim rulership over Jeanne's lands he never did so.

In 1334 Lady Agnes Randolph, wife of Patrick, Earl of Dunbar and March, held the castle of Dunbar against the forces of the Earl of Salisbury for more than 5 months. (Click on picture for link to additional information)

During the wars of Brittany in the mid 1300's, several women defended their lands on the battlefield. One of the best known was Jane, Countess of Montfort, who personally led her troops in defeating Charles of Blois at Hennebonne. She later fought a sea battle off the coast of Guernsey. Charles' wife, Jeanne de Penthierre, took to the battlefield to free him after he was taken prisoner by the English. Jeanne de Belleville, whose husband Oliver III of Clisson was beheaded by Charles of Blois, led her troops in sacking several towns loyal to Charles. She later obtained 3 ships from Edward III of England which she used to sink French merchant and military vessels. She kept her two young children with her on her military campaigns until she eventually retired and remarried.

Phillippa of Hainault, queen of Edward III of England, was named regent while he fought the French. In 1346 she led an army of 12,000 soldiers against the invading Scots and captured David Bruce, their king.

Margaret of Denmark (1353-1411) became ruler of Denmark and nominal Queen of Norway on the death of her son Olaf II in 1387. Denmark, Norway and Sweden were at war and Margaret led her armies against key cities and fortresses, eventually forcing the Swedes and Norwegians to withdraw from Denmark. She was elected Queen of Norway in 1388. The following year she was offered the Swedish throne after she defeated the Swedish king and took him prisoner. She persuaded the Diets of the three countries to accept her grand-nephew, Eric of Pomerania, as heir to their thrones. In 1397 she forged the Calmar Union, uniting the three nations under a single monarchy and becoming the most powerful ruler in Scandinavian history.

Jacqueline of Bavaria, Countess of Holland, Hainault and Zealand (1402-1437) became ruler of her lands when her father died on May 13, 1417. Her most powerful vassal, the lord of Arkell, rebelled against the rule of a 15 year old woman and led a revolt to overthrow her, laying siege to the fortified city of Gorkum. Jacqueline led an army of 300 ships and 6,000 knights to relieve Gorkum. She personally led her reserve troops in a charge against the castle gate and defeated Arkell's forces.

In 1429 Isabella of Lorraine led an army to free her husband Rene, Duke of Anjou, who had been imprisoned by the Duke of Burgundy. She later took to the field to fight for Rene's recognition as King of Sicily. Her daughter Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482) married Henry VI of England and defended the Lancastrians during the War of the Roses. Leading her armies she defeated both the Duke of York and the Earl of Warwick. In 1471 she landed at Weymouth expecting to join her forces with those of Jasper Tudor, but his army was delayed and Margaret's greatly outnumbered forces were defeated at Tewkesbury. She fled the battlefield on foot carrying her infant son and eventually escaped with him to Flanders. She raised a new army and returned to England where she fought for a number of years before being captured by the Yorkists, who allowed Louis XI of France to ransom her after obtaining her oath that she would cease fighting.

Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504), wife of Ferdinand of Aragon and queen regent of Spain, who sponsored Columbus' voyage and brought the Inquisition to her country, led her armies into battle early in her reign to protect her succession. Later during the conquest of the Moors, she sometimes rode into battle or mounted sieges with and without Ferdinand, but she was better known as a genius at military tactics and supplying armies in the field.

In 1524 the King of France and the Constable de Bourbon were at war. The King's armies laid siege to Marseilles. Ameliane du Puget, the governor's daughter, led a troop of women who broke the siege. They dug a mined trench known as the Tranchee des Dames which became the modern day Boulevard des Dames.

Lady Ann Cummingham led a cavalry troop of men and women in the Battle of Berwick on June 5, 1639.

In 1643 during the English Civil War, Blanche the Countess of Arundel, defended Wardour Castle against a Parliamentarian army while Brilliana the Countess of Harley, who was pregnant at the time, defended Brampton Castle against the King's army.

Next Tuesday, Part IX of Women Warriors:
Women Soldiers and Sailors

[StarCMC]

My computer is slow right now -- i'm sure I missed it...but...just on case....

MINE!

[StarCMC]

My computer is slow right now -- i'm sure I missed it...but...just on case....

MINE!

[StarCMC]

My computer is slow right now -- i'm sure I missed it...but...just on case....

MINE!

[StarCMC]

My computer is slow right now -- i'm sure I missed it...but...just on case....

MINE!

[StarCMC]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Click!
radu

[tomkow6]

[tomkow6]

The widow lay crying on her psychiatrist's couch. "We were
married twenty-five years before he died," she said, dabbing
away a tear. "Never had an argument in all those years."

"Amazing," said the doctor. "How did you do it?"

"I outweighed him by forty pounds and he was a coward."

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Fawnn]

tomkow6!!! #300!!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Very cool indeed!You wear it well!

[Kathy in Alaska]

LOL!! Much better!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hey, Radix, look what I found. They're getting ready for Pancakes on Wednesday!

Sugar shack: Maple sap bubbles to a full boil in Charles Matteson's sugarhouse in East Poultney, Vt., as his wife, Patricia, passes the time with a good read.

[tomkow6]

For our Canteen WAFFLE Specialist, MR. RADIX,
Catch 

Pancakes on Wednesdays

WAFFLES ON WEDNESDAY!

WAFFLES ON WEDNESDAY!

WAFFLES ON WEDNESDAY!

[Old Sarge]

Blonde on Assembly Line

A new blonde employee is hired at the Tickle Me Elmo factory and she reports for her first day promptly at 8:00 am.

The next day at 8:45 am there is a knock at the Personnel Manager's door. The Foreman from the assembly line throws open the door and begins to rant about the new employee. He complains that she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up, putting the entire plant behind schedule. The Personnel Manager decides that he should see this for himself so the two men march down to the factory floor.

When they get there the line is so backed up that there are Elmos all over the floor and they're really beginning to pile up. At the end of the line stands the new blonde employee. She has a roll of red plush fabric and a big bag of marbles. The men watch in amazement as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and begins to sew the little package between Elmo's legs.

The Personnel Manager bursts into laughter. After several minutes of hysterics he pulls himself together and approaches the woman.

"I'm sorry," he says to her, barely able to keep a straight face, "but I think you misunderstood me yesterday. Your job is to give each Elmo two test tickles."

[Kathy in Alaska]

[tomkow6]

A rich man was moving to a new house three blocks away from his
old one. Being rich, he hired a moving company.

He soon noticed the movers were not treating his prized
possessions as carefully as he would like. He grew very
concerned about what would happen to a tall grandfather clock
which he had inherited from his grandmother.

So, taking the clock in his arms, he started for the new house.
But the clock was as tall as its owner, and heavy besides. He
had to put it down every few feet and rest his arms and mop his
streaming brow. Then he would clutch his burden and stagger on
again. After half an hour of these strenuous exertions he was
nearing his destination, when a drunk who had been watching his
labors from the opposite side of the road called out to him.

"Mister," he said thickly, "could I ash you a question?"

"What is it?" demanded the rich man.

"Why on earth don't you carry a watch?"

[StarCMC]

OMG - bad, bad, bad Sarge!! ;o)

[StarCMC]

HA HA HA!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hankie Alert!! What a classy first lady is Mrs Bush.

First Lady Thanks Fort Hood Families

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2004 -- First lady Laura Bush told military wives at Fort Hood, Texas, last week that she knows what it's like "having your life turned upside-down because the man you love wants to serve the country he loves."

During a March 5 visit to Fort Hood, Mrs. Bush thanked participants in the Fort Hood Women's Conference for their sacrifices in helping their spouses fulfill their dreams—dreams, she said, are protecting America's security.

The first lady acknowledged the long list of military units that hail from the Lone Star State and the important role they are playing in the role in terror.

"Over the last year, the world has witnessed the skill and the resolve of our military -- from Korea to Kosovo to the Middle East," Bush told the group. "We've seen their courage and their decency to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. From the beginning of the battle to this very hour, our troops have conducted themselves with honor and compassion. Our military men and women have helped to free 50 million people from the oppression of two brutal regimes. They've given an entire generation of children in Iraq and Afghanistan and America the chance to grow up in peace."

The first lady said America's soldiers are "defending freedom and restoring civilization … and in the true American spirit, they are building hope one heart at a time."

She cited acts of kindness that are helping to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. She noted the work of Lt. Col. Steven Maglio, chaplain from the 4th Infantry Division's Division Artillery. With the help of families at Fort Hood, Mrs. Bush told the group, Maglio has distributed more than 180 boxes of winter coats and dresses to Iraqi children.

Similarly, she said, when soldiers from Task Force Ironhorse started renovating schools in Iraq, they realized that students didn't have basic supplies like pencils and notebooks. "So they called their family and friends back home in Killeen, who collected more than 4,000 pounds of supplies," the first lady said. "The soldiers distributed paper and calculators to children in 2,000 schools in Tikrit."

Mrs. Bush said these acts of compassion aren't simply part of the soldiers' mission. "It's part of their character," she said.

The rest of the story