Medieval War Vol Iv.2 - Queens And Valkyries

Enjoy Medieval War Vol Iv.2 - Queens And Valkyries

Medieval Warfare - IV.2

Written by Christy Beall

Theme: Fighting knights and princesses - medieval women as warriors

Introduction: Owen Rees, 'Historical Introduction: Female Warriors and Generals'.

In this modern era of social enlightenment, equality, and gender understanding, there's a dark corner where the big elephant in the room is: women in war, or more specifically, women on the front lines. It's an emotionally volatile topic that forces any society to question and challenge its perceptions of gender, of women in particular, and its own core beliefs. This debate isn't unique to our supposedly gender-liberated society; it's one that has been going on for centuries. Perhaps the first attempt at a balanced debate came in the medieval period. But of course, it needed to be discussed, simply because of the number of women who were present in the war.

Subject: Saint Jansone, 'Viking warrior women around the Baltic Sea: ladies with axes and spears'.

The phenomenon of female warriors has been analyzed time and again, but each has its own perspective. Undoubtedly, these perspectives can be influenced by modern concepts of society, such as feminism. To try to understand what it might mean to be a female warrior in medieval times (as opposed to the modern sense of the term), we could look at Viking society.

Subject: David Balfour, 'Sichelgaita of Salerno in Dyrrhachium: A Formidable Sight'.

Illustrated by Julia Lillo.

The scene, as described in Anna Komnene's Alexiad, is poignant. On October 18, 1081, at Dyrrachium (Durazzo), Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, faced a Byzantine army commanded by Emperor Alexius. Robert was accompanied by his wife, Sichelgaita.

Subject: Filippo Donvito, 'Queen Tamar of Georgia - the Lioness of the Caucasus'.

Illustrated by Maxime Plasse.

Squeezed between the Caucasus Mountains, surrounded by fierce tribes of steppe horsemen and warlike Muslim emirates, lay the Christian kingdom of Georgia. By the early 13th century, after continuous fighting along its borders, this small state had managed to earn the respect of its neighbors. They feared two things most: its formidable cavalry and the indomitable spirit of its warrior queen, Tamar the Great (r. 1184–1213).

Topic: Gareth Williams, 'Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orleans: Manipulation and the Maiden'.

Illustrated by Milek Jakubiec.

Around 1425, Joan, a fourteen-year-old girl from Domrémy, a commune in Lorraine, France, began hearing voices demanding the expulsion of the invading English forces and the coronation of Charles VII at Reims. Her obedience to this calling led to the proliferation of certain legends that extolled her exploits and assigned her a pivotal role in the liberation of Orleans and France. Although other women claimed divine patronage, why did the French establishment single out Joan? Did they discern a personal advantage, manipulating her for political gain? How do the events in Orleans separate legend from reality?

Subject: Nils Visser and Willeke Snijder, 'Jeanne of Flanders - The Flame of Brittany'.

Illustrated by Jason Juta.

Joan of Arc has become the archetype of the medieval warrior, but she was by no means the only woman to don armor and wield a sword. This is not to say that it was commonplace: female fighters remained the exception rather than the rule, but exceptions occurred with much greater frequency than is commonly known. Indeed, on occasion, a woman was even expected to wield a sword or exercise command. Such is the case with several women involved in the Breton War of Succession, all conveniently named Jeanne, although we will focus on Jeanne of Flanders, also known as the 'Flame of Brittany'.

Subject: Jean-Claude Brunner, 'Marguerite, Countess of Tyrol: One Wife, Two Husbands'.

Illustrated by ganbat badamkhand.

Only in legend did Margaret, Countess of Tyrol (1318–1369), Duchess of Carinthia and Bavaria, fight in armor, but in a far more vivid manner. Legends tell of her and her army rampaging through the valleys of Carinthia. Clad in armor, her steely grasp would crush men to death so she could drink their blood and bathe in it. In reality, she was the last of the Meinhardiner family, defending her territories as best she could against the turmoil of the times and the aspirations of the three contending families in Central Europe. Leaving her first husband behind and marrying a new one created a huge stir in Europe.

Specials

The General: Kenneth Cline, 'George Maniakes: The Hapless General of Byzantium'.

From the death of Basil II to the rise of Alexius Komnenus, the history of Byzantium seems woefully lacking in military achievement until one considers the glorious, tempestuous, and ill-fated career of George Maniakes, who showed that Byzantine armies could still win significant victories in an age of military decline, and also that palace politics could undo all such achievements.

Special: Mike Ingram, 'Falkes of Bréauté and the Baron's Wars: King John's Scythe'.

Illustrated by David McAllister.

If ever there was an archetypal medieval villain, then it must be Robin Hood's Sheriff of Nottingham. As King John's right-hand man, he was always scheming, cruel, and merciless as he ravaged the countryside around Nottingham. While the Sheriff is the stuff of legend, the real Sheriff of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Cambridgeshire in the early 13th century was much, much worse. Few today will recognize his name, yet he has become a part of our daily lives. The Sheriff's name was Falkes de Bréauté. At Medieval Shop, we have thousands of medieval and period products. Discover them!