Leyrann
Deity
I'm writing a work of fantasy set in the real world (except, obviously, there is hidden magic), and I'm doing history worldbuilding. However, my own knowledge of history is relatively spotty (most of what I know comes from Civilization and things I picked up on these forums), so I figured I'd ask some of the people over here.
I'm looking specifically for notable women in history, in particular those who lived before ~1700 AD (but going back thousands of years). Also, the importance isn't in the actual history, but rather what has been asserted to be true. For example, Arachne (from Greek myth) does not qualify, as she is mythological, but Helen of Troy does qualify, as the Iliad was supposedly a (romanticized) historical account.
To be of interest, people do not need to be rulers, or even have power at all, so long as they were notable for one reason or another.
There are also a number of things that make specific people more interesting, but note that none of these are requirements:
-Women who were called 'king' or some other masculine title or such (e.g. Jadwiga, Tamar).
-Women who died or retired at a relatively young age, say before 40 (e.g. Jeanne d'Arc, Jadwiga).
-Women who were alleged or known to be sexually liberal or even deviant (e.g. Catherine the Great), as well as women who were associated with concubinage or prostitution (e.g. Theodora, wife of Justinian). Note that I don't consider it a 'minus' if someone was instead known to be chaste.
-Women who were alleged to have supernatural powers of some sort, or simply ties to the supernatural (e.g. Jeanne d'Arc, Himiko).
-People whose gender identity was disputed for one reason or another, be it their own insistence, slander, contradicting historical accounts or anything else (no examples that I know of). Big plus. These people are even of interest to me if the consensus among historians is that someone was a guy and allegations of "they're feminine/a woman" were simply slander by their opponents.
Last, offensive militaristic actions or other violent or cruel decisions make people significantly less interesting for my research. For example, Isabella I of Spain would have been interesting, if it weren't for her taking part in the expulsion of Jews and Muslims and creating the Spanish Inquisition. The same does not apply for reactionary actions, such as those from Jeanne d'Arc or Mulan (whose goal was protecting her family, and not fighting).
Also note: I've already considered all of the women featured in Civilization 3, 4, 5 and 6, including the female heroes from the Heroes and Legends game mode in Civ 6.
EDIT: As replies are coming in, I realized I should narrow some things down further. I might have more points here in the future.
-Due to the nature of the story I'm working on, women who made scientific breakthroughs are less interesting (exceptions may occur), whereas tolerance, progressive social values, breaking gender norms, et cetera are a plus.
-Actual real-world fame (both at the time they were alive and in later times) is also a relevant parameter. Basically, the public consciousness affects things in my universe.
I'm looking specifically for notable women in history, in particular those who lived before ~1700 AD (but going back thousands of years). Also, the importance isn't in the actual history, but rather what has been asserted to be true. For example, Arachne (from Greek myth) does not qualify, as she is mythological, but Helen of Troy does qualify, as the Iliad was supposedly a (romanticized) historical account.
To be of interest, people do not need to be rulers, or even have power at all, so long as they were notable for one reason or another.
There are also a number of things that make specific people more interesting, but note that none of these are requirements:
-Women who were called 'king' or some other masculine title or such (e.g. Jadwiga, Tamar).
-Women who died or retired at a relatively young age, say before 40 (e.g. Jeanne d'Arc, Jadwiga).
-Women who were alleged or known to be sexually liberal or even deviant (e.g. Catherine the Great), as well as women who were associated with concubinage or prostitution (e.g. Theodora, wife of Justinian). Note that I don't consider it a 'minus' if someone was instead known to be chaste.
-Women who were alleged to have supernatural powers of some sort, or simply ties to the supernatural (e.g. Jeanne d'Arc, Himiko).
-People whose gender identity was disputed for one reason or another, be it their own insistence, slander, contradicting historical accounts or anything else (no examples that I know of). Big plus. These people are even of interest to me if the consensus among historians is that someone was a guy and allegations of "they're feminine/a woman" were simply slander by their opponents.
Last, offensive militaristic actions or other violent or cruel decisions make people significantly less interesting for my research. For example, Isabella I of Spain would have been interesting, if it weren't for her taking part in the expulsion of Jews and Muslims and creating the Spanish Inquisition. The same does not apply for reactionary actions, such as those from Jeanne d'Arc or Mulan (whose goal was protecting her family, and not fighting).
Also note: I've already considered all of the women featured in Civilization 3, 4, 5 and 6, including the female heroes from the Heroes and Legends game mode in Civ 6.
EDIT: As replies are coming in, I realized I should narrow some things down further. I might have more points here in the future.
-Due to the nature of the story I'm working on, women who made scientific breakthroughs are less interesting (exceptions may occur), whereas tolerance, progressive social values, breaking gender norms, et cetera are a plus.
-Actual real-world fame (both at the time they were alive and in later times) is also a relevant parameter. Basically, the public consciousness affects things in my universe.
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