Matilda’s Top Women In History

Katherine Swynford was born an ordinary girl into an ordinary family. But she became the ancestor of Kings and Queens, and produced the family that became the Tudor Dynasty. Her story is, unusually for the times, a love story - and equally as unusually, she was not a woman after power and prestige. Sources/Further Reading: Amin, Nathan: The House of Beaufort, the Bastard Line that Captured the Cro...

Marie Curie was one of the finest scientific minds of the 20th century. She was born in Poland - a country that didn’t technically exist - in a time and place where women were not even allowed to study at university. Through her own hard work and dedication, she became a highly respected physicist and the winner of two Nobel prizes - still the only person to have ever won in two science discipline...

Marie Curie was one of the finest scientific minds of the 20th century. She was born in Poland - a country that didn’t technically exist - in a time and place where women were not even allowed to study at university. Through her own hard work and dedication, she became a highly respected physicist and the winner of two Nobel prizes - still the only person to have ever won in two science discipline...

Mary of Burgundy was the ruling Duchesses of a vast territory, but when she came into her inheritance she faced invasions and rebellions. Luckily for her, she had a smart and sensible negotiator by her side - her stepmother, Margaret of York. These two women were able to stabilise a fractious territory and left a European legacy that lasted for centuries. Sources/Further Reading Weightman, Christi...

Mary of Burgundy was the ruling Duchesses of a vast territory, but when she came into her inheritance she faced invasions and rebellions. Luckily for her, she had a smart and sensible negotiator by her side - her stepmother, Margaret of York. These two women were able to stabilise a fractious territory and left a European legacy that lasted for centuries. Sources/Further Reading Weightman, Christi...

Bonnie and Clyde are sometimes viewed as a romantic story - the couple who lived life on the road, outside the norms and laws of society and without any regrets. In reality, their lives were not like this at all - neither glamorous nor romantic. It was a life of campsites and small cabins, living in their car and constantly looking over their shoulders for the police who were, eventually, only one...

Bonnie and Clyde are sometimes viewed as a romantic story - the couple who lived life on the road, outside the norms and laws of society and without any regrets. In reality, their lives were not like this at all - neither glamorous nor romantic. It was a life of campsites and small cabins, living in their car and constantly looking over their shoulders for the police who were, eventually, only one...

Charlotte Bronte always considered herself plain and awkward - but behind her plain and pious exterior was an intelligent, curious and open mind. She and her sisters grew up in rural England - a literary backwater - but they produced some of the greatest English novels. Charlotte was more than just an author - her life was one of great tragedy, unexpected marriage proposals and an uneasy relations...

Charlotte Bronte always considered herself plain and awkward - but behind her plain and pious exterior was an intelligent, curious and open mind. She and her sisters grew up in rural England - a literary backwater - but they produced some of the greatest English novels. Charlotte was more than just an author - her life was one of great tragedy, unexpected marriage proposals and an uneasy relations...

In 1776 the work of the English parliament and law courts paused for a week to hear the unusual case of a woman being tried for bigamy. Elizabeth Chudleigh had married the Duke of Kingston, but before that she had married - and never divorced - the Earl of Bristol. The entire country was agog to see the outcome - was she a Duchess or a Countess? For Elizabeth, there was more at stake than just a t...

In 1776 the work of the English parliament and law courts paused for a week to hear the unusual case of a woman being tried for bigamy. Elizabeth Chudleigh had married the Duke of Kingston, but before that she had married - and never divorced - the Earl of Bristol. The entire country was agog to see the outcome - was she a Duchess or a Countess? For Elizabeth, there was more at stake than just a t...

Nancy Wake was a New Zealand born Australian journalist working in France when Germany invaded her beloved adopted country. Unwilling to watch as France became overrun with foreign soldiers, she joined up with the secret band of guerrilla fighters known as the French Resistance. Embedded with a group of fighters in the mountains of Central France, Nancy played an invaluable role in obtaining weapo...

Nancy Wake was a New Zealand born Australian journalist working in France when Germany invaded her beloved adopted country. Unwilling to watch as France became overrun with foreign soldiers, she joined up with the secret band of guerrilla fighters known as the French Resistance. Embedded with a group of fighters in the mountains of Central France, Nancy played an invaluable role in obtaining weapo...

Lady Caroline Lamb is famous - or infamous - for her affair with the poet Lord Byron and for being the wife of Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. But she was also a novelist in her own right, helping to create a new genre of fiction called the silver fork novel which allowed ordinary people a glimpse into the lives of the rich aristocracy. Throughout her life she suffered fr...

Lady Caroline Lamb is famous - or infamous - for her affair with the poet Lord Byron and for being the wife of Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. But she was also a novelist in her own right, helping to create a new genre of fiction called the silver fork novel which allowed ordinary people a glimpse into the lives of the rich aristocracy. Throughout her life she suffered fr...

Jadwiga of Poland was a woman, but she ruled with the title of King. Although short lived, her reign is seen as a pivotal one in the history of Poland as it ushered in an age of increasing wealth and military might. Known for her diplomatic skills and ability to negotiate, Jadwiga was beloved by her people and venerated by her church. Sources/Further Reading Halecki, Oskar: A History of Poland Zam...

Jadwiga of Poland was a woman, but she ruled with the title of King. Although short lived, her reign is seen as a pivotal one in the history of Poland as it ushered in an age of increasing wealth and military might. Known for her diplomatic skills and ability to negotiate, Jadwiga was beloved by her people and venerated by her church. Sources/Further Reading Halecki, Oskar: A History of Poland Zam...

In 1582 a small corner of Essex in England turned in on itself, and 14 people - 13 women and 1 man - were arrested, interrogated and imprisoned for bewitching to death people and/or animals. This is a story of how grief, fear and suspicion can kill innocent people. Please note there is some discussion of infant death in this episode. Brennen, Lewis: Parliaments, Politics and People Seminar: The Po...

In 1582 a small corner of Essex in England turned in on itself, and 14 people - 13 women and 1 man - were arrested, interrogated and imprisoned for bewitching to death people and/or animals. This is a story of how grief, fear and suspicion can kill innocent people. Please note there is some discussion of infant death in this episode. Brennen, Lewis: Parliaments, Politics and People Seminar: The Po...

Caroline of Ansbach, wife and queen of George 2nd, is one of the lesser known British Queens. Which is a shame, as she was one of the cleverest and most influential. Born in a small German state, she went on to wield enormous influence over her husband and his kingdom. The British First Minister would approach Caroline before her husband, and the public loved her for her style and loathed her for...

Caroline of Ansbach, wife and queen of George 2nd, is one of the lesser known British Queens. Which is a shame, as she was one of the cleverest and most influential. Born in a small German state, she went on to wield enormous influence over her husband and his kingdom. The British First Minister would approach Caroline before her husband, and the public loved her for her style and loathed her for...

Bess of Hardwick was born in Hardwick Hall as the daughter of a relatively poor local squire. She died in almost the same spot 80 years later - but in a vastly different tax bracket. At her death, she was not only a Countess but she controlled enormous swathes of lands and ran a thriving business loaning money and selling timber, slate and bricks from her extensive properties. She was the richest...

Bess of Hardwick was born in Hardwick Hall as the daughter of a relatively poor local squire. She died in almost the same spot 80 years later - but in a vastly different tax bracket. At her death, she was not only a Countess but she controlled enormous swathes of lands and ran a thriving business loaning money and selling timber, slate and bricks from her extensive properties. She was the richest...

Queen Charlotte was hand-picked King George 3rd to be his Queen, and she proved to be a good choice. Her steady sense of duty helped keep the Kingdom together when her husband was incapacitated and her subjects were restless. Recently made more famous thanks to the series ‘Bridgerton’ Charlotte was not unlike her character on the show - dignified and keen on protocol. However she loved her husband...

Queen Charlotte was hand-picked King George 3rd to be his Queen, and she proved to be a good choice. Her steady sense of duty helped keep the Kingdom together when her husband was incapacitated and her subjects were restless. Recently made more famous thanks to the series ‘Bridgerton’ Charlotte was not unlike her character on the show - dignified and keen on protocol. However she loved her husband...