Power Wasn’t Polite

History has never had a shortage of dangerous people, but when people think of those who left a legacy of fear, they often discredit one little group—the women. Some ruled with terrifying force. Others fought in wars or took revenge in brutal ways. Whatever the case may be, there are quite a few ladies who knew how to make history, too, and we’re here to name them. 

Израиль Абрамович Озерский (1904-1971) on Wikimedia

1. Olga of Kyiv

Olga of Kyiv is remembered as one of medieval Europe’s most terrifying rulers, especially if you happened to be part of the Drevlian tribe. She wasn’t going to let them walk free after they claimed her husband’s life; she took revenge through a series of brutal punishments, including burying envoys alive and burning a city using birds carrying embers. Crazily enough, she later became a saint.

Sergei Kirillov on Wikimedia

2. Fu Hao

Fu Hao was a Shang dynasty queen, priestess, and military commander who knew how to wield power. Inscriptions from ancient China credit her with leading campaigns against rival groups, and even her tomb has weapons that made her military status pretty clear. After all, you don’t get buried with battle axes if you only attended meetings.

PhiLiP on Wikimedia

3. Queen Teuta

Queen Teuta ruled the Illyrian Ardiaei in the third century BC, and her kingdom became infamous for piracy across the Adriatic Sea. Roman complaints about Illyrian raids eventually led to a major confrontation after Roman envoys were reportedly attacked. Her aggressive policies also helped spark the First Illyrian War.

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4. Fredegund

Fredegund, a Frankish queen of the sixth century, built her reputation in a royal court where poisoning, assassination, and family drama were all par for the course. Well, even in a world where that’s just another Tuesday, she was accused of arranging murders against rivals, including members of her own extended political circle.

Lawrence Alma-Tadema on Wikimedia

5. Empress Irene of Athens

Irene of Athens ruled the Byzantine Empire by proving palace politics could be just as ruthless as any battlefield. Her tyranny didn’t stop at the family tree, either. She had her own son, Constantine VI, blinded after a power struggle, clearing the way for her to rule in her own right. 

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6. Trung Trac

Trung Trac led a rebellion against the Han Chinese rule in Vietnam alongside her sister, Trung Nhi. In the first century AD, she helped gather armies, seize territory, and briefly establish independence before the Han forces returned in strength. Her story remains heroic, however, as a woman who took up violence for political freedom.

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7. Sichelgaita of Salerno

Never forget that medieval noblewomen weren’t always cowering behind the walls. Sichelgaita of Salerno was a Lombard princess who fought beside her husband, the Norman leader Robert Guiscard. Though reports vary, it’s said that at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1081, she rallied fleeing soldiers and pushed them back into the fight. 

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8. Caterina Sforza

Caterina Sforza, the so-called Tiger of Forli, defended her family’s holdings with a stubbornness that made her famous across Renaissance Italy. When enemies moved in and captured her children, they did so as a means of pressuring her into surrendering. But she refused to fold and continued holding the fortress. She later resisted Cesare Borgia’s forces, too.

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9. Grace O’Malley

Grace O’Malley had a lot of notable deeds under her belt. She was an Irish pirate queen, first and foremost, who led ships, commanded fighters, and raided along the western coast of Ireland. She also challenged English authority, fought rival clans, and even negotiated directly with Queen Elizabeth I when it suited her interests. 

Suzanne Mischyshyn on Wikimedia

10. Anne Bonny

Anne Bonny became one of the most notorious pirates of the early eighteenth century while sailing with Calico Jack Rackham. She wasn’t hanging around in the background; she took part in attacks on merchant ships in the Caribbean and reportedly fought fiercely when Rackham’s crew was captured. Her legend only grew when people realized she didn’t fit the meek expectations men often attributed to women of her time.

Engraved by Benjamin Cole[2] (1695–1766) on Wikimedia

11. Mary Read

Mary Read lived much of her life disguised as a man, and funnily enough, eventually became a pirate alongside Anne Bonny. She fought aboard Rackham’s ship and was said to have defended the vessel when many of the male crew members were too drunk or frightened to help. 

Engraved by Benjamin Cole[2] (1695–1766) on Wikimedia

12. Catalina de Erauso

Catalina de Erauso, often called the Lieutenant Nun, escaped a convent in Spain and later fought as a soldier in the Spanish Americas. If you really want to learn more about her, you’d have to poke around her memoir, which describes duels, brawls, military service, and several killings, though some details have been debated by historians. 

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13. Charlotte Corday

Charlotte Corday became famous for assassinating Jean-Paul Marat during the French Revolution, which is already more than enough to leave a mark. She believed Marat’s radical politics helped fuel the Reign of Terror, so she gained access to him and stabbed him while he sat in his bath. Her act didn’t stop the violence in France, but it made her one of the revolution’s most unforgettable figures.

Jean-Jacques Hauer on Wikimedia

14. Hannah Duston

Hannah Duston was a Puritan colonist captured during King William’s War in 1697, and her escape wound up being one of colonial New England’s most disturbing stories. While being held by Abenaki captors, she and two others killed ten Native people, including children, before fleeing. She was celebrated as a frontier heroine for generations, but modern readers now notice how brutal the story really is.

Daderot on Wikimedia

15. Ranavalona I

Ranavalona I ruled Madagascar in the nineteenth century and became infamous for all sorts of ruthless things, namely harsh policies, forced labor, and deadly punishments. During her reign, thousands died through warfare and state projects tied to maintaining royal control. Some argued that she defended Madagascar’s independence from European influence, but her methods still made her one of the era’s most feared monarchs.

Pierre Suau (illustrator, 1861-1916) on Wikimedia

16. Laskarina Bouboulina

Laskarina Bouboulina wasn’t just a woman of wealth who waited for things to iron themselves out. She used her wealth and ships to support the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, organized naval operations, supplied fighters, and participated in blockades and sieges—including actions around Nafplio.

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17. Yaa Asantewaa

Yaa Asantewaa led the Ashanti resistance against British colonial forces during the War of the Golden Stool in 1900. As queen mother of Ejisu, she also helped rally fighters after the men up top hesitated or were captured. Though her rebellion was eventually defeated, her leadership made her a lasting symbol in Ghanaian history.

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18. Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Lyudmila Pavlichenko: a Soviet sniper during World War II, and one of the deadliest women ever recorded in combat. Her story’s pretty incredible, and she was credited with 309 enemy kills while fighting against Nazi Germany, including during the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. She even earned the nickname “Lady Death.”

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19. Phoolan Devi

Phoolan Devi, later known as India’s Bandit Queen, became a feared outlaw after years of abuse, caste oppression, and violence. The exact part she played remained disputed, but she was linked to the 1981 Behmai massacre, where more than twenty men were killed. The massacre didn’t hinder her too much, though, and she was later elected to India’s Parliament.

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20. Irma Grese

Make no mistake—women were just as responsible for being concentration camp guards. Irma Grese served at Ravensbrück, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen; survivors described her unbelievable cruelty toward prisoners, and she was thankfully convicted during the Belsen Trial after the war. She was executed in 1945, leaving behind one of the ugliest examples of monstrous authority.

No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit, John Silverside (Sgt) on Wikimedia