The more we read the newspaper, the more we realise that history is probably not correct. We’re all on different sides of the fence, so history can be interpreted differently depending on who you ask. The same can also be said of ‘good’ and ‘bad’. And for women, you’ll notice that being ‘bad’ involves standing up for your rights or speaking heresy like “women aren’t inferior to men.” There were some “real bad” women, though. So here are some women who left their mark on history by being ‘bad’ in one way or another.
Empress Dowager Cixi
She ruled the Qing Dynasty between 1861 and her death in 1908, and has been characterised as a ruthless reactionary and power-hungry woman. History credits her with the downfall of the Chinese Empire, but some historians think she was merely a scapegoat.
Nellie Bly
Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman was an American journalist who broke the world record for a circumnavigation in 72 days, following Jules Verne’s novel. She was also the first stunt girl reporter, pretending to be crazy and being committed to a psychiatric hospital to write about the poor treatment of the inmates.
Delphine LaLaurie
Often referred to as Madame Blanque, she was a New Orleans socialite. In 1834, firefighters found tortured slaves in her attic when they arrived at her Royal Street mansion to put out a fire. The town heard about the incident and began to walk into her home and steal from her until she escaped to France with her family.
Olga of Kiev
Olga’s husband, Igor, was murdered by the Drevlians in 945, who then recommended Olga should marry his killer, Prince Mal. Olga replied that she would bury the Drevlian messengers and then head to their village, make them drunk and kill them. While her soldiers were busy doing that, she went back to her castle to get the army to make sure they were all dead. Then she burned the city down, using the Drevlians’ birds.And because she was the first king to be baptised, she became a Saint.
Lucrezia Borgia
It can be a strange fate to be born the illegitimate daughter of a Pope. I know she’s often depicted as a seductress with a poison ring, but it was likely just bad PR in a very corrupt time.
Lizzie Borden
A 19th-century celebrity true crime figure, she gained notoriety due to her involvement in a deeply chilling case. The gruesome axe-murder of her father and stepmother cast her as the sole suspect, leading to widespread public fascination and speculation about her guilt or innocence.
Phoolan Devi
Another revenge story. In 1979 Phoolan Devi was abducted by bandits. She was raped numerous times until the number two in the gang took a liking to her and killed the leader. Phoolan Devi was India’s Robin Hood, but was kidnapped and abused again when a gang member was released from prison. She escaped and eventually took revenge by killing the 20 bandits who abused her.
Iva Toguri D’Aquino
The American was in Japan when World War II broke out, and remained there. She was forced to present a radio program in English to the Allies, but refused to air anti-American comments. She smuggled food to American POWs. She was taken into custody by the US after the war, but released for lack of evidence. Some time later, upon returning to the US, the FBI reopened the case, and she was falsely convicted using witnesses. She spent more than six years in prison and was later pardoned.
Victoria Woodhull
In 1872, she was the first woman to run for US President, but she was arrested for obscenity and barred from the polls. She was also a “free love” advocate, meaning she wanted to be able to get married, divorced and have children free from any class or government interference.
Boudica
She was queen of the ancient British tribe of Iceni, and led an unsuccessful revolt against the Romans, burning down London. To the British she’s a national icon and a champion of freedom and justice. To the Romans, she was a nightmare.
Catherine the Great
She ruled Russia for 34 years from 1762 to 1796 after staging a coup d’etat against her husband. She was expansionist but is most famous for her numerous affairs and her racy lifestyle.
Mary Wollstonecraft
She was an English philosopher and writer who championed women’s rights, but not all men liked that. She’s known as one of the founders of feminist philosophy because of her book, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” in which she claimed women were not inferior to men in 1792. But because she had many lovers and didn’t conform to society, she wasn’t remembered for her work.
Peggy Shippen
General Benedict Arnold’s second wife was dubbed “the highest-paid spy in the American Revolution”. Right after their wedding, Arnold began to plot his defection, and according to accounts, Peggy Shippen was the one responsible for his defection to the British.
Ching Shih
Also known as Zheng Yi Sao and other names, she was a Chinese pirate captain who replaced her husband. She is one of the most successful pirates in history, and died aged 68 from natural causes, well after her pirating days. She married her adopted son and fought the Chinese government, which could not defeat her and her 70,000 pirates.
Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was found guilty of spying for Germany during the First World War. She was shot by a firing squad in France and became a symbol of the femme fatale.
