Tag: Female Rebels

Teuta and Zenobia: Revolutionary Queens Who Challenged Rome

You may wonder why I chose to write about “bad girls”. I think most of us understand that we each have a dichotomous nature and that, often times, we are guided by one side more than the other. Some of us can balance the two; but, others have more difficulty. I have experienced that difficulty myself. I can sometimes be more headstrong and independent than I should be. I have learned over the years when those traits are more positive than negative. Other times it has been my greatest failure. It is my intention to relate women who are little known to us, but who made an impact on our world, whether good or bad. I will leave that interpretation and judgment to the reader.

The first woman is Teuta who lived in 3rd Century BC in the Eastern Roman Empire. Teuta was the queen regent of the Ardiaei tribe in Illyra, which includes parts of the Western Balkans including Albania, Montenegro, and the southeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. She ruled the tribe from 231 to approximately 228-227 BCE.

Teuta assumed control of the monarchy on behalf of her young step-son, Pinnes, after the death of her husband King Agron. She is best known for her defiance against Rome which demanded she stop attacking Roman shipping and the murder of a Roman envoy. Teuta was a pirate known for intercepting Roman ships and stealing their wares for the support of her people. Her tribe along with other Illyrian tribes were known as warriors and pirates. Their economy, which struggled, was based on agriculture, mining, and commerce, primarily with Greek colonies.

Teuta utilized their navy to control the Adriatic trade routes and to capture coastal cities like Phoenice. Teuta’s fierce advocacy for her people led to conflict with the greater Roman Empire eventually leading to the First Illyrian-Roman war in 229-228 BCE. Teuta lost the war and was forced to surrender and cede territory. She is an enduring heroine in Albanian culture because they consider her a protector of their traditional ways of life.

Another such bad girl was Zenobia, a warrior during the 3rd Century AD in Syria. Like Teuta, Zenobia obtained power by becoming the regent to her oldest son, Vaballathus. She ruled from 267 to 272 AD. In 270 AD Zenobia launched an invasion of the Roman Empire that increased her kingdom. By the mid part of 271, her realm from Ancyra, central Anatolia, to Upper Egypt. She declared her son emperor and she claimed the title of empress which essentially declared the independence of Palmyra (modern day Syria).

Both of these women placed the security and well-being of their kingdoms above allegiance to the Roman Empire. They were willing to fight personally for their people when they could have passed the problems on to others. Moreover, both women had the benefit of ruling on behalf of their sons. Neither would be known had they not been widowed young and been placed in the position of needing a regent for their young children. Their personalities and characters were just what their kingdoms needed at the time they needed it. They were independent, courageous, physically and mentally strong, and faithful; though their adversaries considered them as criminal, treasonous harlots.

The historical significance of these two women should not be ignored. For the time periods in which they reigned women were considered property in most situations. Women were never consulted on their opinions much less their ideas on how to secure and improve the lives of their people. Women during antiquity were usually nothing more than objects to be admired, wives to secure the positions of their husbands, and property to be controlled. They lived among other leaders like Hannibal, Spartacus, and Julius Caesar. The courageousness of these women should be shared with our daughters so that they understand how women have been influential in their world, especially in antiquity which their history books will never include.

Have a great week!

For more information on Teuta and Zenobia:

The Epic Tale of Palmyra’s Queen Zenobia

https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/fierce-queen-illyrians-teuta-untameable-003126

Of course there’s always Wikipedia and YouTube!

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Bad Girls: A Look At the Female Rebel Throughout History

We took a look at women through history who sacrificed their comfortable lifestyles to participate in war. The British would say these women were “Doing Their Bit”. But, as we saw, these women did their service in disguise. It was incredibly dangerous for men in battle much less women. Men saw women differently in history. Women were seen as people to do be protected and honored as wives and mothers. We don’t care about this position today. At one time, the military would not take men who were their mother’s only child or they would let them go if they had siblings killed in battle making him the last child. We valued family then and the government knew that no parent should have to lose all their children to war.

Now we are going to look at female rebels over time. These women are different from the previous ladies we looked at. While these women have similar courage, they didn’t just rebel against the stereotype of women being the weaker sex, but they rebelled against the nation’s government in any way they could. The first rebel we’re going to look at is Anne Bonny.

Anne is an interesting example of the rebel female. She was born about 1698 in Kinsdale, Ireland. Anne is one of the most famous pirates in history, mainly due to her gender, although she was only a pirate for about two years. Anne was a pirate in the Caribbean during the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Women during this time had few rights, but those on pirate ships were able to gain some level of freedom and equality. Many pirate ships had democratic leadership. Everyone had a vote on key issues. They would vote for their leaders, meaning the captain, first mate, and quartermaster could all be voted out of their positions if the majority of pirates voted to do so. They would have a written document that laid out what the rules were for their ship.

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Anne’s family went through a difficult period when she was young and her father was discovered to have impregnated a servant while she was working in his family’s home. Anne’s father, who was a lawyer, was damaged by the scandal. He disguised Anne as a boy and brought her to live in his home; however, when the duplicity was discovered William decided to move the family to Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina. Around 1718 Anne met James Bonny. They married quickly thereafter. Disapproving of his daughter’s choice, he disowned Anne. Anne and James decided to go to New Providence Island in the Bahamas. James Bonny was a confidential informant on pirate activity for Governor Woodes Rogers. It was here that Anne met the pirate known as Calico Jack (real name John Rackham). She quickly fell in love with him and decided to abandon James Bonny.

Joining Rackham’s crew in 1720, Anne dressed as a man and took on the moniker Bonny. Brittanica indicates that Anne never disguised her real gender to the rest of the crew. She dressed as a man for security when they were pillaging. She signed the pirate agreement and moved to blend in with the men. As it turned out Rackham was not the best of pirate leadership. Rackham’s ship might have continued hunting and stealing from other ships had he not stolen the ship called The William to have as his new ship. The William was a British ship, and its capture earned the attention of Governor Woodes Rogers of the Bahamas. (Tucker, 89-145.)  Rackham chose to take the king’s pardon, available thanks to the Act of Grace issued in 1717, but in the end decided to go back to pirating placing a bigger target on his back. (Johnson, Chapter 7.) Governor Rogers issued a proclamation on September 5, 1720, in which he listed the crew members by name, including the names of both Anne and Mary Read, another disguised female pirate who we will discuss at a later time, and described them as enemies of the crown. (Tucker, 145.) On November 15, 1720, in Negril Point, Jamaica, while having drinks with a group of English sailors they had invited aboard, Rackham’s ship was caught by Captain Jonathan Barnet, a privateer hired by Governor Rogers. Anne and Mary were the only ones on board to fight back and not hide below, and they were all captured, and thrown in jail.

The trials of Rackham, Bonny, and Read took place in the Bahamas. Rackham was found guilty and hung the next day. Bonny and Read were tried together. The courthouse was jammed with people who wanted to see the two female pirates. Multiple witnesses testified to seeing the women in action behaving as pirates. The women were found guilty and sentenced to death. When the judge was ready to set the date for the hanging, the two women announced that they were pregnant! The judge demanded confirmation of the pregnancies, which was done and satisfied the court that the women were indeed pregnant. The judge instructed that they would be jailed until they delivered their babies. Afterwards they would be hung.

Mary Reid became sick with typhus and died prior to giving birth. No child was delivered. We know from historians that Anne was not hung either, though the reason for that is not known. Some sources claim that she returned to Charles Town and changed her name. She married again. Her husband was Joseph Burleigh. They went on to live a quiet life and had several children. She died in 1782. There is some indication that she may have returned Jamaica before her death. There is a grave for an Anne Bonny in Spanish Fort, Jamaica, with a death date of 29 December 1733. The grave is unmarked.

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Whether Bonny ever killed anyone is unknown, though there is a story about her that relates a situation wherein Bonny beat a rapist so badly that he was hospitalized. It is believed that this altercation happened in her late teens. She was a pirate for 69 days, not much time to earn the reputation that she has. This notoriety is most likely attributed to her being a woman. Recently Bonny and Reid have been described as lesbians. This is a modern interpretation. I believe they are grasping at any straws they can get to prove that homosexuality is more common than we have been led to believe in attempt to mainstream the alternate lifestyle.

“The claim that Bonny and Read were lesbians largely entered popular understanding via radical feminist Susan Baker’s 1972 article, “Anne Bonny & Mary Read: They Killed Pricks” published in a newspaper run by the lesbian separatistorganization, The Furies Collective. This article inspired writers such as Steve Gooch, which in turn influenced many media depictions.” (Wikipedia)

There were statuescommissioned for Bonny and Reid in 2020 and was unveiled at the Execution Docking in Wapping, London. The statues did not remain on display due to complaints from various groups suggesting that, by celebrating these women, they are promoting piracy. The statues were taken possession of by a local resident.

Bonny and Reid have been characters in numerous movies and plays. Here are just a few.

Hope you have a great week! Stay tuned for more bad girls in the coming weeks!!

”Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 NIV

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