#OnThisDay in #history - in 1587, perhaps the first female English novelist, Lady Mary Wroth (nee Sidney) was born. Learned, literary, and sophisticated, Mary was a favorite of Queen Anna of Denmark and danced in several of her masques. In addition to serving as a patron, she was friends with Ben Jonson and was noted for her writings by him and their contemporaries. She wrote Urania and was the first known woman in #England to have written a sonnet sequence. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1567, Catalina Micaela of #Spain was born in Madrid to Elisabeth of Valois and Philip II. She was likely namesake of her grandmother, Catherine de' Medici.
Well-educated, confident, and capable, Catalina Micaela was married to Charles Emmanuel of Savoy in 1585. Initially unpopular in Savoy (she was of foreign birth), Catalina Micaela earned loyalty by protecting Savoy from Spanish encroachment. She served as regent as well. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1565 Marie de Gournay was born in #France - Marie was from an educated family (her father was a treasurer for the king). Through the family library, she was able to teach herself Latin and philosophy. She found the works of Montaigne, and after reaching out to him became an 'adopted daughter' of his. She was concerned for women and wrote in defense of their capabilities and equality to men. Marie was also a founder of the French Academy. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1789, a group of market-women in #Paris , upset about the shortage and high price of bread, began to march toward Versailles. They gathered weapons and allies on the way, marching about six hours (church bells ringing all along the way in solidarity) and ending up over ten thousand supporters strong. By the time the royal family were escorted back to Paris, the crowd was at least sixty thousand. #OTD#histodons#France#FrenchRevolution@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1836 Juliette Adam was born in #France Adam (nee Lambert) established an intellectual salon and wrote and published feminist works. She defended George Sand and Daniel Stern as writers. She advocated for women to be full actual French citizens, able to provide witness statements and, after marriage, to own the funds and other results of their labor. Adam's other political work attacked figures like Otto von Bismarck. She died in 1936. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1858, Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse was born in #Italy - Duse, as she came to be known by, was born into an acting family, her grandfather & father both parts of traveling troupes. She became a member of their troupe at age 4, and acted until she retired in 1909. She was praised as one of, if not the, greatest actress of her generation (which included Sarah Bernhardt, who was a rival for roles). Duse was the first woman on the cover of Time. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1850, Sarah Biffen died at age 66. Sarah was born without arms and grew up to be a well-respected miniature portraitist who received a pension from Queen Victoria. She built a studio from which she painted and sold her work - she was well known by Charles Dickens who mentioned her in some of his works. She was also commissioned by the queen to paint miniatures of the royal family, which drastically increased her popularity.
#OnThisDay in #history - Annie Besant (nee Wood) was born in 1847. Annie was born in London, and married at age 20, but the marriage fell apart in a few years. She separated from her husband and began to write - she was an ardent supporter of worker's and women's rights, even publishing a book on contraception (for which she was put on trial and custody of her daughter was given to her ex-husband). She advocated for Irish and Indian Home Rule and independence. #otd#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1810, Elizabeth Gaskell (nee Stevenson) was born. Elizabeth was born in London to a well-to-do family. After her mother's death, she lived with her aunt in the countryside. There, she received a good education and after her marriage began to publish novels (all have been adapted by the BBC). She explored the lives of working class people in Manchester, and in her lifetime was lauded as the greatest English novelist since Jane Austen. @histodons#histodons#OTD
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1828, Charlotte Seuerling died around age 45. Charlotte Antonia was the daughter of a performing family - her father ran the theatre where her mother was star - and she was blinded at age 4 due to a botched smallpox inoculation. Charlotte didn't let that stop her, she became a well-known musician, composing and performing on both the harp and guitar for her parents' productions. She played for the queen and was known as the Songmaiden. #histodons@histodons#OTD
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1825, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born in Baltimore. She was born to a free Black family but orphaned at age 3, when she was adopted by her abolitionist minister uncle. As a young woman, she published anti-slavery poetry and was the first Black woman to publish a short story in the USA.
She was a civil rights activist, gave lectures on abolition, & after the Civil War moved to the South to provide education to the newly freed people. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1580, Katherine Brandon died aged 61. The daughter of Maria de Salinas, one of Katherine of Aragon's Spanish ladies-in-waiting, the younger namesake of the queen was a powerful woman in her own right. Baroness Willoughby by birthright, Katherine was a religious reformer who helped publish Katherine Parr's prayer book and built churches for immigrants fleeing persecution. She also possibly helped author parts of Foxe's Book of Martyrs. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1915, Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte died aged 50. She was a public health and Indigenous rights advocate. As a child, she saw an older Indigenous woman die after a white doctor refused to treat her. This pushed Susan to become a physician herself, and she was one of, if not the first Indigenous person in the US to do so. She was valedictorian in her medical school cohort and went on to campaign for temperance and TB prevention and education. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - the Sultana Marija, Mara Branković, died in 1487 around age 70.
married off in an attempt get the Ottomans to stop invading Serbia (it didn't work), Mara was Sultana for about 16 years, and it was, as it was for so many medieval women, in her widowhood that she was able to guide her own destiny. She lived at the court of her step-son, Mehmed II and acted as a trusted advisor. She was well known for her influence, especially with the Church. #OTD#histodons@histodons
#OnThisDay in #history - in 1590, Maria de Zayas y Sotomayor was baptized in Madrid #Spain - not much is known of her early life, but she grew up to be a #writer . Maria wrote what came to be known as the Spanish Decameron, the Novelas amorosas y ejemplares.
She was a #poet and #playwright having written Friendship Betrayed, a comedy which focused on female friendships. She advocated for women's independence (and saw convents as places of women's freedom from men). #OTD#histodons@histodons