Brave Women Warriors Who Shook the World With Their Strength

Before Wonder Woman, there were thousands of impressive women warriors all over the world that paved the way for strong independent women of today. These female warriors used their strength (both physical and mental) to join wars, rebellions, and battles during times when women were largely undervalued. What we’ve learned from reading about all these fierce ladies is: Do not underestimate women!

Today, samurai warriors are usually thought of as being men, but there was a group of female samurai before these men known as Onna-bugeisha. They fought alongside their male counterparts in battle and were held to the same standards.

Ana Nzinga was a queen of the African state now known as Angola in the early 1600s. She protected her people against rival attacks by forming alliances with Portugal. Eventually, her allies turned on her and she escaped to another kingdom where she slowly rebuilt her army from runaway slaves and African soldiers.

Khutulun was the great-great-granddaughter of Ghengis Khan and made a name for herself as a wrestler of great strength. In the 13th century, no man or woman could beat this “wrestler princess”. 

Rani Velu Nachiyar was one of the first women to join the fight against British colonialism in India. When she was just a child she learned to use weapons, practice martial arts, and shoot  a bow and arrow. 

For almost 200 years, a fierce group of female warriors known as the Dahomey Amazons fought for a king in the Republic of Benin. They were known for using clubs, knives, and razors as long as 3-feet to defeat their enemies.

Policarpa Salavarrieta, or La Pola, was a defiant woman who fought to protect Columbia from Spanish rule. Her weapon of choice was intelligence. La Pola would pose as a houservant and seamstress for Spanish households where she would gather intel and pass it on to her people.

Ching Shih took over her husband’s fleet of ships when he died and successfully headed one of Asia’s biggest pirate crews. She is known for enforcing the strictest pirate codes to ever exist. Her goal was to get rich and she used all the usual pirate tactics: extortion, blackmail, etc. 

The Night Witches were an all-female group of talented fighter pilots tasked with fighteing Nazi pilots. They earned their name for their almost supernatural ability to fly in pitch black conditions.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko is one of the most famous female snipers of all time, serving in World War II for the soviets. In only a year, she racked up 309 kills, many of which were enemy snipers. Because women weren’t allowed in the military at the time, she had to sneak her way in and essentially beg for an opportunity to showcase her skills.

Princess Pingyang was the daughter of a general who was plotting to take the Emperor down. The general sent the princess and her husband away to protect her from the gruesome rebellion that was about to take place. 

Joan of Arc is perhaps one of the most famous women warriors in history. She convinced the men in charge to let her command a French army with no military training.She was a natural military leader, leading French troops against the English to victory.