10 Princesses Who Have Made Their Mark In History

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This week I am sharing some brief info about 10 real life princesses. Why? Well we are joining several great bloggers on a fun reading adventure starting in March. Poppins Book Nook will be a monthly blog series centered around children’s literature for grade levels PreK – 12th.. Each month we will have a theme and at the end of the month we will each be writing a post about the books we read and the various resources, printables, crafts, etc we utilized.

So for March the theme is Knights, Princesses and Castles. Well we were actually reading a book called Princess Grace by Mary Hoffman (Gwyn had picked it up at the library to go with our Black History unit). After reading the book we got a little distracted....the book is about storybook Princess vs real Princesses and this really intrigued Gwyn. We learned that the real Princesses (not the Disney versions) were actually adventurous, butt kicking, highly intelligent, skilled females who were not really interested in curtsying  working on needle point and wearing fancy pink and purple ball gowns. We got a little sidetracked with our Black History unit and started doing a some research on a few real Princesses (many who later became Queens) that have made their mark in history with their bravery, courage, kindness.....

10 Awesome Princesses Who Have Made Their Mark In History:

1) Princess Noor Inayat Khan - aka the "Spy Princess." Princess Noor was of royal Indian decent through her father. She was an SOE agent during the World War II. She became the first female radio operator to be sent from Britain into occupied France to aid the French.
2) Princess Hatshepsut - considered one of the greatest rulers of her time. She rose from Princess to Pharaoh during the 18th dynasty. What a woman as Pharaoh? She expanded trade, watched the Egyptian economy grow and improve, and built and restored temples of Egypt. She accomplished many of these tasks by claiming to be a male. She strapped a golden beard to her chin and often dressed in male clothing. She is notably one of the best Kings (even though she was a woman) Egypt's ever had.
3) Princess Cleopatra - the Princess of Macedonian and later Queen regent of Egypt. She was the last Pharaoh of Egypt, last of the Ptolemy dynasty of Egyptian rulers and known for her relationships with Julius Caesar and to Marc Antony.
4) Princess Cofachiqui - the Indian princess of Yupaha. This brave, sweet, loyal girl is known for the hospitality she provided to De Soto and his men despite their treacherous treatment.
5) Princess Rani Lakshmi Bai - one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. This Princess wasn't interested in normal princess stuff (like needle point, etc) instead she practiced swordsmanship, archery and shooting.

6) Princess Isabella of France - aka "She Wolf." Some of her story is not very kid friendly. But this woman was a force to be reckoned with. She controlled her own land, militia, treasury and won battles.

7) Princess Zhao of Pingyang - though she didn't start a Princess, Pingyang aided her father on his mission to defeat the Sui Dynasty in China. She led a victorious army of 70,000 (many who were women) and helped defeat and reroute the Sui armies. As a gift, her proud father who became emperor of the new Tang Dynasty, gave her the title Princess.
8) Princess Khutulun - another skilled warrior Princess of China. Khutulun was a skilled warrior, and a keen strategist. She refused to marry unless a man could first defeat her in wrestling. Many men came forward to try, but none succeeded. If the prospective groom lost he would forfeit 100 horses. She gained 10,000 horses this way. Eventually she married a fellow warrior of her choosing, however she still continued to lead armies and fight battles.
9) Princess Amina - a fierce warrior who loved fighting. She was Princess (later queen) of Zazzau (now Zaria). She helped Zazzau become the center of trade and gain more land. She kept her land strong and powerful. She also build walls around all the villages to help protect them.
10) Princess Arachidamia - a Princess (later Qqueen) of Sparta this woman had wealth, power and status. She led  the Spartan women into battle against Pyrrhus. She and her army of women completed with their own hands a third of the defensive trench which was used to keep out Pyrrhus's army.

I cannot wait to share more details about how our Prince, Princess and Castle learning goes with you on March 25th.

Participating Poppins Book Nook Blogs:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - Royal Baloo - 3 Dinosaurs - Monsters Ed - Chestnut Grove Academy - Growing in God's Grace - Royal Little Lambs - Life with Moore Babies - Teach Beside Me - The Usual Mayhem - Mum Central - Fantastic Fun and Learning - Kathys Cluttered Mind - Play Create Explore - Two Big Two Little - Toddler Approved - Growing Book by Book - Adventures in Mommydom - B-Inspired Mama - The Fairy and The Frog - Edventures with Kids - Learning & Growing the Piwi way - A Gluten Free Journey - Rainy Day Mum - Mom to Crazy Monkeys

*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with: Top Ten Tuesday,  I Can Teach My Child