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 CrownWeir, Alison: Katherine Swynford, the Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous DuchessGoodman, Anthony: Katherine SwynfordLineage, Jeanette: Katherine Swynford, The History of a Medieval MistressWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Swynford

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 CrownWeir, Alison: Katherine Swynford, the Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous DuchessGoodman, Anthony: Katherine SwynfordLineage, Jeanette: Katherine Swynford, The History of a Medieval MistressWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Swynford

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 disciplines, Chemistry and Physics. She also promoted women in science, and through her development of mobile x-ray machines helped save the lives of countless soldiers in the First World War. She was a truly remarkable woman.Sources/Further ReadingSobel, Dava: The Elements of Marie Curie - How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in ScienceGunderman, Dr Richard: Marie Curie - The Pioneer, The Nobel Laureate, The Discoverer of RadioactivityWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_CurieThe Nobel Prize: Marie Curie Biographical https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/marie-curie/biographical/Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity https://history.aip.org/exhibits/curie/polgirl1.htm

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 disciplines, Chemistry and Physics. She also promoted women in science, and through her development of mobile x-ray machines helped save the lives of countless soldiers in the First World War. She was a truly remarkable woman.Sources/Further ReadingSobel, Dava: The Elements of Marie Curie - How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in ScienceGunderman, Dr Richard: Marie Curie - The Pioneer, The Nobel Laureate, The Discoverer of RadioactivityWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_CurieThe Nobel Prize: Marie Curie Biographical https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/marie-curie/biographical/Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity https://history.aip.org/exhibits/curie/polgirl1.htm

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 ReadingWeightman, Christine: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, 1446-1503Van Loo, Bart: The Burgundians, A Vanished EmpirePotter, G.R (ed) The New Cambridge Modern History: Volume 1, the Renaissance, 1493-1520: The Burgundian Netherlands 1477-1521Today, Jacob: Burgundian Netherlands Court Life and Patronage https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/burgundian-netherlands-court-life-and-patronageWars of the Roses: Margaret of Burgundy https://www.warsoftheroses.com/people/margaret-of-york-duchess-of-burgundy/Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margaret-of-york-duchess-of-burgundy/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_YorkWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_BurgundyBritannica.com: Mary, Duchess of Burgundy https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-duchess-of-BurgundyEBSCO- Mary of Burgundy https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/mary-burgundy

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 ReadingWeightman, Christine: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, 1446-1503Van Loo, Bart: The Burgundians, A Vanished EmpirePotter, G.R (ed) The New Cambridge Modern History: Volume 1, the Renaissance, 1493-1520: The Burgundian Netherlands 1477-1521Today, Jacob: Burgundian Netherlands Court Life and Patronage https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/burgundian-netherlands-court-life-and-patronageWars of the Roses: Margaret of Burgundy https://www.warsoftheroses.com/people/margaret-of-york-duchess-of-burgundy/Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margaret-of-york-duchess-of-burgundy/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_YorkWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_BurgundyBritannica.com: Mary, Duchess of Burgundy https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-duchess-of-BurgundyEBSCO- Mary of Burgundy https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/mary-burgundy

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 step behind them. Bonnie Parker got swept into this life of crime, and although she (probably) didn’t kill anyone herself she was definitely an accomplice to both murder and bank robbery. She was well aware that, in choosing to stand with Clyde, she was dooming herself to a short life - but she didn’t care.Sources/Further Reading[Letter to Alice Sheppard describing the post-mortem condition of Bonnie Parker's body.] https://digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/collection/gcd/id/155/Historynet.com: Bonnie and Clydes Revenge on Eastham https://www.historynet.com/bonnie-clydes-revenge-on-eastham/Milner, E.R: The LIves and times of Bonnie and ClydeTreherne, J.E: The Strange History of Bonnie and ClydeBarrow, Blanche Caldwell: My Life with Bonnie and ClydeGilmore, John: On the run with Bonnie and ClydeWikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde

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 relationship with her newfound fame.Sources/Further ReadingHarman, Claire: Charlotte Bronte, A LifeWatson, Graham: The Invention of Charlotte BronteGaskell, Elizabeth: The Life of Charlotte BronteTalbot, Dean: Charlotte Bronte Statistics https://wordsrated.com/charlotte-bronte-statistics/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bront%C3%AB