Rebellious Queens

The bitter truth is that peace is not always possible in the near term. Sometimes we must first struggle for equality, for dignity, for freedom and liberty. Sometimes we just don't have a choice except to defend ourselves and our loved ones from oppression and violence. 

While the power of the Queen of Her Self comes from the balance of Her passionate heartfelt emotions and Her clear, calm, reasonable mind, She also embody the female fighting spirit of the Mother - the lioness, the she bear, the badger, protecting her young.

The Queen is a mighty Amazon-for-right, fierce and unafraid. Her determination to prevent harm and to prevail in Her moral rightness is stabilized by Her astute maturity: Her experience and wisdom.

She is a seer, a strategist, a leader, a General who steps back to survey the situation, evaluate the conditions, decide on a strategy, and follow through with a viable a plan of action.

Here are some sensational Queens through the ages and across cultures who were leaders of rebellions against tyranny and in support of peace and justice:

Queen Mavia, Arabia

4th C., A.D.

Following her husband's death in the latter half of the Fourth Century, Mavia became Queen of the Saracens, a confederation of nomadic tribes who inhabited southern Palestine and northern Sinai. When she took the throne, her people had been living under the heavy-handed subjugation of the mighty Roman Empire and were in desperate straits.

She gathered her troops and staged a huge rebellion against Roman rule. She led her army through Phoenicia and Palestine all the way to Egypt, consistently and soundly defeating the Roman soldiers as they rode by. The revolt was so fast and effective that historians refer to it in comparison to the German Blitzkrieg.

Badly beaten and unable to contain the defiant Warrior Queen, Emperor Valens was forced to admit defeat and sign a truce, the terms of which Queen Mavia stipulated. She chose a local monk to be the administrative director of the region, which resulted in far more freedom for the tribes. Queen Mavia took on the might of Rome and won on her own terms.

Nanny of the Maroons, Jamaica

c. 1685 - c. 1755

Nanny, reputed to have descended from a royal family in the Gold Coast of what is now Ghana, was born into slavery in the early British colony of Jamaica. As soon as she was able, she escaped from her masters, taking other slaves with her up into the highest mountains on the island. Word of her daring escape spread and her small band was soon joined by many other ex-slaves who called themselves Maroons. Large Maroon communities were formed, including Nannyville, the largest, which was founded around 1723.

A ferocious woman, Nanny led raids against the oppressive plantations in order to liberate the slaves. The British were not amused. Nannyville was attacked on a number of occasions, and finally in 1734 they succeeded in capturing the settlement, forcing Nanny and the survivors to flee higher up into the impregnable mountains, from which they proved just as defiant. It is said that when the pursuing British fired cannonballs into their village, Nanny caught them between her buttocks and farted them right back.

Nanny and her people faced nearly constant attack and deprivation, they stood united and strong against the British under her rule. Eventually the British were forced to sign a peace treaty with the Maroons, giving them 500 acres of land to call their own. Queen Nanny is still today a Jamaican national hero whose image graces the $500 bill.

Toypurina, Native America

1760-1799

Toypurina was 9-years old when the Spanish settlers first invaded what is now the Los Angeles Basin of Las Californias. She saw firsthand the suffering that her people, the Kizh Nation, faced at the hands of the Spanish colonists who were constructing Catholic missions throughout her native lands. After the first mission was completed, Toypurina witnessed over 1000 Native People taken into its walls. Traditional ceremonials were banned and the tribes were bribed or forced to convert to Christianity, after which they were forcibly confined to the mission and used as farm labor.

By this time, Toypurina had grown to be a powerful medicine woman and shaman, the spiritual leader of her people, respected for her bravery and wisdom. She joined several outraged tribal captives of the mission in a plot to lead a rebellion against the Spanish oppressors. She recruited her brother, a Kizh Nation chief, and warriors from eight villages to join them in arms. She inspired her people to not be afraid of "Spanish sticks that spit fire."

Alas, her planned raid on the mission was foiled by an inside informer and the Native American rebels were surrounded and captured. Toypurina was sentenced to exile from her home, forced to be baptised and confined to a Spanish mission, where she spent the rest of her life.

Laskarina Bouboulina, Greece

11 May 1771 - 22 May 1825

Laskarina was born during her mother's visit to a Constantinople prison where her father, a Greek naval captain was incarcerated following his participation in a failed coup against the Ottoman Empire. Upon her father's death, Laskarina moved with her mother to the island of Spetses where she married twice, both times to wealthy men. With her riches, she built four ships, including the Agamemnon, one of the largest vessels of the time and like her father, became a naval captain.

Bouboulina joined the Filiki Etairia, a Greek revolutionary movement planning to oust the Ottomans, the only woman to do so. Twelve days after the group initiated their War of Independence, she raised the revolutionary flag on Spetses. Soon after, the islands of Hydra and Psara joined the cause.

Laskarina sent her ships to join the blockade of the Ottoman fortress at Nafplion. She later attacked Monemvasia and Pylos, depleting her vast fortune in the struggle that ultimately resulted in the creation of an independent Greek nation. It is likely that without her ships, money and brave command, the revolution would not have been successful.

Kittur Rani Chennamma, India

1778 - 1829

Born in a small rural village in India, Kittur grew up riding horses and training in archery and swordplay. At 15, she was married to Mallasarja Desai, the ruler of Kittur, a small principality, which was under the control of the insanely powerful East India Trading Company.

When her husband died, soon followed by the death of their only son, she was left the rightful but unrecognized ruler of Kittur. Rani refused to recognize British rule of her people, and met their forces as they entered Kittur with an army of her own. Hundreds of British soldiers were killed in the ensuing battle, along with the British-appointed ruler of Kittur.

She staved off the British advances for 12 days, until traitors sabotaged her gunpowder supplies. After her defeat, Queen Chennamma was kept prisoner until she died in 1829. Although her battle was unsuccessful, she was a shero and served as a role model and figurehead for her people during the Freedom Movement.

Countess Emilia Plater, Poland

1806 -1831

Countess Emilia Plater was born to Polish patriots who resented the Russian takeover of huge areas of Poland and the ruthless suppression of Polish customs that they imposed. Emilia grew up learning to fight from her male cousins and became a skilled fencer. When news of the Warsaw Insurrection of 1830 reached her town of Wilno, the Polish patriots began to plan their own rebellion

Because she was a woman, Emilia was barred from their meetings. So she cut her hair, sewed a uniform for herself and joined the revolution in drag. At her own expense, she assembled a force of 500 Lithuanian freedom fighters and led them into battle against a Russian horse patrol. On another occasion she forced an infantry division into a retreat.

In her greatest feat, Emilia and her group seized the town of Jeziorosy. Later, she joined forces with another revolutionary unit and continued to prove herself in battle, earning the rank of Captain in the field. The Countess of the Revolution fell ill and died during the ultimately unsuccessful uprising.

Yaa Asantewaa, Ghana

c. 1840 -1921

Yaa was born in the Edweso region of the Asante Kingdom. Large areas of their tribal land including gold mines were being besieged by the powerful British Empire that imposed taxes and colonial control. When the Asante began to resist British rule, the Governor, Lord Hodgson, demanded that they turn over their Golden Stool, used as a throne and symbol of independence. The British enforced this demand by traveling from village to village delivering brutal beatings to anyone they saw.

The Brits assembled a meeting with the Asante monarchy, during which Yaa's son, the King of Asante, Nana Osei Agyeman Prempeh I, was forced into exile in a demeaning ceremony. Yaa, the only woman present, stated that she refused to pay any more of their taxes. She also offered her undergarments in exchange for the loincloths of any male Asante chief not willing to fight the tyrannical Imperial rule. Major R. S. Baden-Powell, who was to become the founder of the Boy Scout movement, witnessed her speech. His assessment of the occasion was that "The only 'man' among them was the Queen."

In 1900, the 60 year-old Queen Mother Yaa Asantewa, often called the African Joan of Arc, led an army of more than 4,000 soldiers against the British in a last ditch attempt to rout them. She was ultimately defeated by the superior arms of the Empire and deported to the Seychelles Islands where she was re-united with Prempeh and lived nearly thirty more years, a celebrated folk shero. The Asante still chant her deeds, "Yaa Asantewa, the warrior woman who carries a gun and a sword of state in battle."

Margarita Ortega Neri, Mexico

c. 1870? -1910

In 1910, the Mexican peasants began a revolution to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Diaz Mori and implement a constitution and reforms to ensure more stability for the farming classes. The ten-year long conflict was bloody, resulting in close to 900,000 deaths. This made it necessary for women and children to join the battle for freedom and  they played a major role in Mori's eventual downfall.

The most famous of all the soldaderas was Margarita Neri, a Dutch-Maya from Quintana Roo. A weapons expert, crack shot, and nurse, she teamed with her daughter, Rosaura Gortari, and they both served as couriers, spies and fighters. Margarita commanded a force of over 1000 soldiers, which swept through Tabasco and Chiapas, looting, burning and killing. Neri was so effective in her slaughter of anti-revolutionary troops that the Governor of Guerrero hid in a crate and fled the town upon hearing of her approach.  

Margarita and Risaura were captured by the Maderistas and forced to march into the desert where they were left without food or water. They survived the immediate ordeal, but Rosaura died soon after. Following one more rebel mission, Margarita was recaptured and forced to stand in a cage where she was poked, prodded, and savagely beaten. When she refused to betray her comrades after four days of torture, she was summarily executed.

Corazon Aquino, The Philippines

1933 - 2009

  

María Corazón Sumulong "Cory"Cojuangco Aquino was educated in the United States. After graduating from Mount St. Vincent College in New York City, she returned to the Philippines and married Benigno Aquino, an outspoken critic of the Philippines dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. Her husband was arrested, imprisoned for eight years and then exiled to the USA. When he was finally allowed to return home Aquino was assassinated by the government as he stepped off the plane.

This bloody execution, along with a declining economy, gave Marcos' opposition a boost. Cory, outraged by her husband's death, took control of the opposition, ignoring her own danger. In 1985, a staged election was held to legitimize Marcos' rule. Cory ran against him despite having never held an elected office. In response to being attacked for her gender and political inexperience, Cory publicly agreed that it was true she had "no experience in cheating, lying to the public, stealing government money, and killing political opponents."

Marcos "won" the fake election by a landslide. The US Senate and the Catholic Church both accused the dictator of election fraud, and Cory called for peaceful protests, strikes and boycotts. The movement became known as the People Power Revolution - nuns and entire families, including children, took part. In a final attempt to regain control of their lives, Marcos ordered the army to fire on the peaceful revolutionaries. The military refused to follow their orders. Marcos was forced to flee and Corazon Aquino, the icon of the revolution, became President of the first democratically elected government of the Philippines since before the Japanese occupation.

Leymah Gbowee, Liberia

1972 -

Leymah grew up in the midst of a bloody Civil War, which tore Liberia apart and killed more than 250,000 people in 14 years. This conflict put Charles Taylor into power, soon after which, he began to support ethnic killings and embezzlement. This led to further discord within the country and instigated the Second Liberian Civil War, a war characterized by its brutality and the use of child soldiers.

Leymah Gbowee, trained as a trauma counselor for girls and women raped by militia, joined together with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkul Karman to organize the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement. They gathered women from many different backgrounds to pray and sing in public, demanding peace. Picketing, fasting and threatening a "sex strike," the women risked their lives, protesting in the capital, to demand that President Charles Taylor do something to end the conflict.

After pressure from the women and international condemnation, the brutal president finally listened and Taylor flew to neutral Ghana for peace talks. The women followed him to Ghana to continue their efforts. Violence ended in 2003, with Taylor forced to resign and imprisoned by The Hague for crimes against humanity. Democratic elections in 2005 saw Ellen Johnson Sirleaf elected by the people as the first female head of state in an African nation.  Queens Gibowee, Sirleaf and Karman were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work."

Source material:

10 Amazing Women Who Led Rebellions

Letters In Response to the DECEMBER 2013 Issue

Donna, your essay about darkness is so brilliant, so needed. Yes, yes, YES. Deep soul love,

- Camille, CA

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...what a MARVEL your thoughts in this Chronicle!!! Oooooo, my Beloved Donna: BRILLIANT...thank you so much.....as EVER...... WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW......

 - Judyth, Mexico

Your writings have been nice - the context of the season. That you can't have light without dark has never seemed more true for me.

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Thank you for giving me these words to check into each month. There is always something strong, something wise and something that hits me where it hurts! All in all, so fulfilling. Thanks from across the pond.

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- Jane, MA

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- Susan, NY

Thank you Donna. As always, so enlightening and inspiring. 

- Wendi, CA

We both really enjoy your posts.

- Be and Hans, Spain

Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts.

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- Rita Mae Brown

Dale Allen, CT; Robin Bady, NY; Alessandra Belloni, NJ; Karen Finley, NY; Krissie Keefer, CA; Elfie Knect, NY; Arlee Leonard, NY; Colette Michmanon, NY; and Martha Wilson, NY; on their performances and/or performances of their work.

Joan Breton Connelly, NY; The Parthenon Enigma: A New Understanding of the World's Most Iconic Building and the People Who Made It (Book); Dr. Judith Orloff, CA, The Ecstasy of Surrender: 12 Surprising Ways Letting Go Can Empower Your Life (Book); Karen Tate, CA, Goddess Calling: Inspiration Messages and Meditations of Sacred Feminine Liberation Thealogy (Anthology including an essay by Mama Donna); Bianca Turetsky, NY, The Time Traveling Fashionista On Board the Titanic (YA Book); on their new publications.

Lauren Curtis, NJ; Mary Beth Edelson, NY; Karen Fitzgerald, NY; Karen Guancione, NY; Meryl Meisler, NY; Carolee Schneeman, NY; Barbara T. Smith, CA;  Linda Stein, NY; Robin Tewes, NY; Linda Vallejo, CA; and Hannah Wilke, R.I.P.; on the exhibitions of their artwork.  

Martha Wilson, NY, on her new home.

Elana Carnes, NY, on her retirement.

Rev. Judith Laxer, WA, on the new home of her congregation, Gaia's Temple.

Please send your good news, achievements, accomplishments, successes and celebrations so that our international circle of sovereign sisters can send you blessings and accolades. 

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who, what, where, when, why?

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