Women Warriors of the 12th Century
Women Warriors of the 11th Century << . . . . >> Women Warriors of the 13th Century

The Order of the Hatchet (orden de la Hacha) was founded in 1149 by the Count of Barcelona, to honor the women who fought for the defense of the town of Tortosa against a Moorish attack
(source Women Knights in the Middle Ages)

Alrude, Countess of Bertinoro in Italy led her army and broke a siege at Aucona in 1172, she also took part in several battles when she returned to her own castle.

Petronilla, Countess of Leicester took part in her husband's rebellion against Henry II in 1173. According to Jordan Fantosome " she was armed in a hauberk and carried a sword and shield".
(info given by Pamela - SHAKESPEARE.@prodigy.net)

A Papal Bull of 1189 prohibited women from joining the Third Crusade, but was widely ignored.
Queens Eleanor of Aquitaine, Eleanor of Castile, Marguerite de Provence, Florine of Denmark and Berengaria of Navarre are known to have gone on Crusade.

Guilbert de Nogent wrote a history of the Crusades and mentioned "a troop of Amazons" who accompanied Emperor Conrad to Syria as well as women Crusaders in the army of William, Count of Poitiers.

Urraca, Queen of Aragon became ruler of Leon-Castile in 1094 when her husband died. She remarried in 1098 and then spent 13 years at war with her second husband, Alfonso the Battler, to protect the inheritance rights of her son by her first marriage. She led her own armies into battle.

Queen Tamara of Georgia was crowned in 1178 and became co-ruler with her father. When he died in 1184 she was sole ruler, although also under the guardianship of her aunt Rusudani. Empress Maud or Matilda
Tamara married George Bodolyubskin of Kiev in 1187, but later sent him into exile as punishment for his infidelities. He led revolts against her rule. Her second marriage was to David Sosland, an Ossetian prince. They had a son in 1194 and a daughter in 1195. She planned battle strategy and addressed her troops before battle, but did not actually lead them in combat, so her role was more like that of a modern general. She died in 1212.

The Empress Maud, also known as Matilda, Empress of Germany, Countess of Anjou, Domina Anglorum, Lady of the English, Matilda Augusta and Matilda the Good, was the daughter of King Henry I of England and Normandy.
Her father made her his heir, but the Barons refused to accept her and her cousin Stephen was crowned King in 1135. Maud then invaded England and a long civil war continued for many years until Stephen agreed to make Maud's son Henry his heir. She died in Normandy in 1167.

Maude de Valerie (1155-1210) also known as Maud de Saint Valery, Matilda, Moll Walby, The Lady of LaHaie or The Lady of La Hay defended Pain's Castle.

In the late 1100's, during the Gempei War in Japan, Tomoe Gozen fought alongside her husband, a Minamoto general.
Yae, a mistress of Takeda Shingen, fought alongside him and commanded a squad of female cavalry.

Women Warriors of the 11th Century << . . . . >> Women Warriors of the 13th Century

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These pages are provided by Nicky Saunders of Lothene Experimental Archaeology