Matilda’s Top Women In History

Isabella of France became Queen of England when she was only 12 years old, and she found a husband who was was not interested in her - both because of her age and her gender. From her first step on English soil she was consistently ignored by the King, who much preferred to spend time with his court favourites. Isabella grew up to be a strong and formidable character, and soon King Edward 2nd would push her too far.Sources/Further ReadingWarner, Kathryn: Isabella of France, the rebel queen - the story of the queen who deposed her husband Edward IIWeir, Alison: Isabella, She Wolf of France, Queen of EnglandTurner, James: Battle, Betrayal and Baliol - the Struggle for Scotland and the Battle of Annan https://www.medievalists.net/2024/12/battle-betrayal-balliol-scotland/Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_France#In_retirement,_1330–1358Isabella: She Wolf of France and the death of Edward 2nd https://www.timeref.com/episodes/isabella_shewolf_of_france_and_death_of_edward_ii.htmUsilton, Larry W.: Isabella of France:https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/isabella-france

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is a modern style icon - almost 3 decades after her early death. However she was much more that a fashionable socialite - friends and family all say she was kind, warm and caring. She forged a successful career in a difficult industry, and fell in love with a man who happened to be in the public eye. Her struggle to get used to the frenzy of media attention was ongoing, and she was only just starting to manage it when she boarded a plane in July 1999.Beller, Elizabeth: Once Upon A Time - The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette KennedyConrieri, Stefania: Inside the Super-Secret, Ultra-Intimate Wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessettehttps://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/secret-wedding-of-john-f-kennedy-jr-and-carolyn-bessette?srsltid=AfmBOoq7vIkf7B0Bmgl1BdHA9gMHmpGNy7bLOKPoi3ZUmz9PgP1VGJ8NGerhart, Ann: Who’s That Girl? Quite Possibly the Perfect Match https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-18-ls-54958-story.htmlArmstrong, Neil: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy - The true story behind the mysterious and tragic US iconhttps://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20260212-carolyn-bessette-kennedy-the-true-story-behind-the-mysterious-and-tragic-us-iconComiter, Jordana: All About JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's Honeymoon — and the Media Frenzy That Followed When They Returned https://people.com/all-about-jfk-jr-carolyn-bessette-honeymoon-11922444Gaffney, Adrienne: The Last Days of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedyhttps://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a28187331/john-f-kennedy-jr-carolyn-bessette-last-days-plane-crash-true-story/The Life of JFK Jr: Crash and Search Timeline https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/recovery.htmWikipedia: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Bessette_Kennedy

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is a modern style icon - almost 3 decades after her early death. However she was much more that a fashionable socialite - friends and family all say she was kind, warm and caring. She forged a successful career in a difficult industry, and fell in love with a man who happened to be in the public eye. Her struggle to get used to the frenzy of media attention was ongoing, and she was only just starting to manage it when she boarded a plane in July 1999.Beller, Elizabeth: Once Upon A Time - The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette KennedyConrieri, Stefania: Inside the Super-Secret, Ultra-Intimate Wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessettehttps://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/secret-wedding-of-john-f-kennedy-jr-and-carolyn-bessette?srsltid=AfmBOoq7vIkf7B0Bmgl1BdHA9gMHmpGNy7bLOKPoi3ZUmz9PgP1VGJ8NGerhart, Ann: Who’s That Girl? Quite Possibly the Perfect Match https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-18-ls-54958-story.htmlArmstrong, Neil: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy - The true story behind the mysterious and tragic US iconhttps://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20260212-carolyn-bessette-kennedy-the-true-story-behind-the-mysterious-and-tragic-us-iconComiter, Jordana: All About JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's Honeymoon — and the Media Frenzy That Followed When They Returned https://people.com/all-about-jfk-jr-carolyn-bessette-honeymoon-11922444Gaffney, Adrienne: The Last Days of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedyhttps://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a28187331/john-f-kennedy-jr-carolyn-bessette-last-days-plane-crash-true-story/The Life of JFK Jr: Crash and Search Timeline https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/recovery.htmWikipedia: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Bessette_Kennedy

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