Favorite Historical Female

[merithyn]

So, keeping with my apparently feminist bent, I'll ask the question: Who is your favorite historical female? Doesn't matter where in history - but why you like the person would be nice to know.

Preference would be that the woman be dead, but if you can't think of any dead ones you like, a live one will do.

[garbon]

How sexist.

[Neil]

Hard to say.  Probably Victoria.

[merithyn]

How sexist.

Feel free to start your own thread about favorite historical male. In the meantime, don't be mean.

[merithyn]

Hard to say.  Probably Victoria.

Now that's interesting. Why?

[Syt]

Elizabeth I

And Messalina.

[garbon]

How sexist.

Feel free to start your own thread about favorite historical male. In the meantime, don't be mean.

I'd say you are the one trivializing women, which is not particularly feminist.

[merithyn]

I'd say you are the one trivializing women, which is not particularly feminist.

Not at all. Rather, I'm recognizing that on Languish, one is not likely to find someone saying that a woman is their favorite historical figure since a lot of people on here seem to prefer war figures over most others. So, by asking the question as I did, I'm likely to learn about more historical women than I would if I only asked who a favorite historical figure might be.

In my opinion, it isn't trivializing to separate a sub-group out in order to learn things about them that aren't normally addressed in the general course of things. When most of what you learn is about one group in history, specifically asking about other groups allows you to learn more interesting facts than you would otherwise come across.

[merithyn]

Elizabeth I

And Messalina.

Liz I is my favorite.

Who's Messalina?

[Drakken]

Rome's most infamous cheating whore, wife of Roman Emperor Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-claudius.

[Syt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messalina

[Malthus]

Not at all. Rather, I'm recognizing that on Languish, one is not likely to find someone saying that a woman is their favorite historical figure since a lot of people on here seem to prefer war figures over most others. So, by asking the question as I did, I'm likely to learn about more historical women than I would if I only asked who a favorite historical figure might be.

On that topic, plenty of warrior women to admire - like Britain's own Boudica, warrior queen of the Iceni - gotta love a woman who burned down London. 

[merithyn]

Not at all. Rather, I'm recognizing that on Languish, one is not likely to find someone saying that a woman is their favorite historical figure since a lot of people on here seem to prefer war figures over most others. So, by asking the question as I did, I'm likely to learn about more historical women than I would if I only asked who a favorite historical figure might be.

On that topic, plenty of warrior women to admire - like Britain's own Boudica, warrior queen of the Iceni - gotta love a woman who burned down London. 

Sure. But would you have thought to mention her if I hadn't asked specifically about historical women?

[Drakken]

Surprisingly, one of my favourite historical female character is Sisi - the real one, not the Romy Schneider one.

Not far lies also Vicki, Princess Royal, a woman who loathed with a passion everything militaristic and conservative her country of adoption Prussia was showcasing. The avowed aim of her marriage to Prussian crown prince Frederick was even to bring more liberalism in Prussia, which failed spectacularly.

[Malthus]

Rome's most infamous cheating whore, wife of Roman Emperor Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-claudius.

Well, if we are going down that road - my favorite is the Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian the Great.

Anyone remember what she used to complain about, according to Procopius? 

[spoiler] That she had only three orifices suitable for fucking at the same time ... [/spoiler]