10 Most Badass Princesses in History

Forget Ariel, Jasmine, and Merrida. Disney princesses may have an appeal to us, but history has a lot more to offer when it comes to princesses who are the definition of "badass."

They are not your typical damsels in distress that get abducted by dragons and kept in stone castles. No. These women fought in wars or gained their title by keeping ten steps ahead of their male counterparts. Of course, it also helps a little if you are related to Genghis Khan or a Spartan.

So buckle up and sharpen your swords! We are counting down to the 10 most badass princesses in history!

#10 - Urraca of Zamora

One of the five children of Ferdinand I The Great of Spain, Urraca was destined for greatness as she was able to fend off an advancing army intent on taking her city.

At the death of her father, Ferdinand I, she and her siblings were each bequeathed lands to which they can rule it as their own city-states in peace. Of course, if there is anything that history has shown us is that he – or she – who has the largest amount of land gains control of a significant portion of a territory or country. This was the case with the eldest of Ferdinand’s children, Sancho.

Deciding that he wanted all the lands to himself, Sancho effectively overthrew each of his siblings, leaving Urraca last. When Sancho reached the city-state of Zamora, his little sister was more than prepared, and Sancho’s armies were not able to enter Zamora’s walls. In a final attempt to topple Urraca, Sancho surrounded Zamora to prevent anyone from coming in or out, hoping to starve its citizens and Urraca.

The princess, however, was not deterred by Sancho and set up a plan to assassinate her brother – which was carried out successfully – and take down the family bully.

#9 - Tomoe Gozen

While she was not considered a princess or of royal birth, Tomoe Gozen deserves a spot on this list because being a female samurai is pretty much an equivalent of being a badass warrior princess.

The life of Tomoe Gozen is one of the few to have been ever recorded of a woman who rode to war. While female samurais were not completely uncommon in Japan, they are quite a few, and Tomoe was one who has exhibited an extraordinary amount of talent in martial arts, archery, and swordsmanship.

Her skills, therefore, earned her a spot in one of the history’s most respected and iconic warriors: the samurai.

Her greatest, recorded, the accomplishment was when she fought side by side with her husband in the Gempei War. As records of her life show, Tomoe single-handedly killed a group of advancing soldiers and decapitated their leader as he attempted to dismount her from her horse.

While historical records about her were kept as accurate as possible, her later years became clouded in obscurity. One account has it that, after the Gempei War, Tomoe retired her sword and entered a monastery where she lived out the rest of her life. In another story, because her husband did not survive the Gempei War, it was believed that Tomoe Gozen took her life through the ancient ritual of seppuku.

#8 - Olga of Kiev

She embodies the age-old saying, “Hell Hath no Fury As a Woman Scorned.” Olga of Kiev lived a peaceful and prosperous life in the Ukraine around the 10th century AD until her husband, Igor, was brutally murdered by invading Drevlians.

Believing that Olga was of weak stock because of her gender, the Drevlians forced her to marry one of their princes, which she did consent to. Still scorned by the killing of her husband, Olga led a group of Drevlians to a pit, which was dug overnight, and buried them alive!

She continued her systematic purge of the Drevlians and lured their most elite and influential citizens to bathhouses that she set on fire, burning alive that faction of the Drevlians in her domain – and during her husband’s funeral, she managed to get 5,000 Drevlians drunk and wiped them out.

As a final stroke to her vengeance, she returned all the pigeons that were offered to her as a sign of peace by the Drevlians but not before powdering their feathers with bits of sulfur that burned their town to ashes.

#7 - Nanny of the Maroons

On the shores of Jamaica in the 18th Century, escaped slaves built communities to protect themselves from the British. With the help of a member of the Ghanaian Royal family named Nanny, they were able to fend off the British effectively.

Coming to the shores of Jamaica on her own free will, Nanny helped the escaped African slaves, called Maroons, set up a lookout system across the entire island that would communicate through telegraph should British ships be spotted and prepare to defend their community.

Among many other systems she put in place, Nanny was even able to develop a potent herbal mixture that knocked their enemies out cold by its fumes alone.

Celebrated as a hero, her face can be found printed on Jamaican $500 bills, as well as having her name on several schools, buildings, and institutions around the island country.

#6 - Lili’uokalani

She was the last reigning monarch and Queen of Hawaii. Spending her life on the throne protecting the native people of the islands and fiercely campaigning against the annexation of the United States, Lili’uokalani used brains and diplomacy and avoided violence as a means to maintain sovereignty and independence.

In one move, she attempted to pass an amended constitution that would restore power to the native people of Hawaii as well as grant her more political power to fend off any US involvement in their affairs.

Unfortunately, in 1898, she was forced off the throne and Hawaii was finally claimed by the United States. During her lifetime she advocated for peaceful resistance and resolutions to conflict, and despite losing her country to the Americans, she continued to preserve Hawaiian identity by curating all things related to its people and culture.

Not all of us may know this, but among her various contributions to Hawaiian culture was a song that she composed called “Aloha Oe.”

#5 - Zhao Pingyang

Pingyang lived in the 7th century AD when the Sui Dynasty was on the verge of crumbling. Originally, she was not of any royal descent, being only a daughter of a governor.

However, in this turbulent time, her father saw an opportunity to topple the Sui Dynasty through rebellion. As her father amassed a force to take on the Emperor, he warned Pingyang and her husband to leave their home – which was a stone throw’s away from the Emperor’s palace – because they would soon be labeled as enemies of the state and will likely be executed on sight.

Pingyang urged her husband to leave town first to join the rebel army. On the way to meet her husband and her father, Pingyang sold her family’s estate and used the money to raise an army to help bring down the Sui Empire.

Eventually, she began to lead an army of 700,000 soldiers from one victory to the next that the Emperor assembled a special force just to kill her. Unfortunately for the Sui forces, Pingyang and her army were able to rout them, destroying the Emperor’s hopes of ridding the rebellion of their female leader.

The Sui Dynasty was later toppled and replaced by the Tang Dynasty with Pingyang’s father as the country’s new emperor.

In honor of her daughter’s victory and contributions to the successful rebellion, the Emperor commemorated her with a military parade and bestowed her with the title of “Zhao, ” and she was crowned as princess of the Tang Dynasty. She was only 20 years old.

#4 - Chiomara

At the height of the Roman Empire when they marched from one country to the next; conquering, pillaging, and abducting women, they came across a tribe of people that were on their list of subjugating next.

As part of bringing the tribe to their knees, the Romans abducted a woman named Chiomara who was, incidentally, the wife of the chief.

While with the Romans, Chiomara had to endure some abuses and sexual assaults. One centurion promised Chiomara that she would be returned to her tribe if a ransom in gold would be paid in her exchange.

Eventually, the tribe agreed to pay her ransom and she was returned. While the centurion was busy counting the gold, Chiomara ordered her rescuers to behead the centurion, and they did. To add more insult to injury, Chiomara took the head of the centurion and carried it like a trophy as she walked back home. Meeting her husband, the chief, she throws the centurion’s head at his feet and declares, “Only one man who has lain with me shall remain alive.”

#3 - Isabella of France

Called the “She-wolf of France,” Isabella had it hard from the beginning when she was married to her, presumably homosexual husband, Edward. It was even said that to keep her from losing power, she had to also build an alliance with Edward’s lover.

It was when Edward found a new lover that Isabella’s life went upside down.

During a failed skirmish in Scotland after the death of William Wallace, Edward suddenly decided to flee and abandoned Isabella and her entourage. Before they were captured by the advancing Scottish army, Isabella, her entourage, and a few knights that stayed with her managed to steal boats to escape back to England.

Unfortunately, Isabella did not receive a warm welcome back home. Her lands and her many estates were confiscated, and her household staff were thrown in jail. To add more salt to the wound, her children were sold off to her political enemies.

Sensing that trouble was closing in on her, Isabella regrouped in her home country of France and raised an army and returned to England to overthrow Edward and his new lover, Hugh. She was later joined by multiple factions during her campaign who were equally fed up with Edward.

Sensing that they are close to being cornered, Edward and Hugh fled but were caught. Hugh’s father, who was Edward’s adviser and Isabella’s fiercest political enemy, was also captured and sentenced to be dragged by a horse, hanged, and decapitated.

Hugh suffered a much harsher fate. Like his father, he was dragged by a horse, hanged until he was mostly dead, then disemboweled and decapitated with his head put on a spike on display at the London Bridge.

Due to Edward’s existing political influence and allies outside of England, Isabella had no choice but to place him behind bars where, according to historians, he “accidentally died.”

#2 - Khutulun

She was the real Warrior Princess, and that title was well deserved. After all, what other title could you be given if you were the great, great granddaughter of Genghis Khan and your family ruled a third of the globe for centuries?

Known for her independent spirit, Khutulun was a Mongolian Royalty whose reputation preceded her wherever she went. Part of her life was chronicled by Marco Polo himself where he took note of her incredible abilities in wrestling among many other impressive skills.

Her political ambitions were fueled by her father from whom she learned the fierce military strategies of the Mongol army.

Naturally, her father wanted her to marry and bear children to carry on the legacy of her bloodline but, not wanting to be married off to anyone, Khutulun issued a challenge to anyone wishing to court her: that he should beat her in wrestling before she consents to be betrothed.

Another condition was that if a man lost to her challenge, he must give her a horse.

She ended up with 10,000 horses before she finally consented to be wed.

#1 - Rani Lakshmi Bai

Before you ask why Khutulun did not make it to number one, hear us out on this and you will be surprised why Rani Lakshmi Bai landed the top spot on today’s list.

Born in 1835 in India, Lakshmi Bai was the daughter of one of India’s Prime Minister’s aides who gave her the opportunity to grow up in a royal setting. Not content to just sit around and learn needlework or other tasks usually designated to women during that time, Lakshmi Bai spent a great deal of her youth learning to use a sword, mastering archery, and wielding guns.

Married to a prince at the age of 12, Lakshmi Bai’s road to power was being paved for her. Soon enough, her husband became raja, and they adopted a son to complete their family. Unfortunately, her husband died and a certain Lord Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, cited a legislation called the Doctrine of Lapse to justify seizing her family’s lands and further stated that, according to the British government – who was occupying India – Lakhsmi Bai and her son were not of royal descent and therefore was forced out of the throne.

After emotionally and mentally recovering from the trauma dealt with her by the British Empire, she began gathering an army of men and women to rebel against the Empire. Taking on the mantle of their leader, she led her army of rebels head on against British soldiers with her adopted son strapped to her back. You heard that right. Now if that isn’t the most badass thing in history, I don’t know what is.

Labelled by her enemies as “the most dangerous of all rebel leaders,” Rani Lakshmi Bai was eventually killed at the Battle of Gwalior while charging and firing at the man who had shot her in the back.

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And that wraps up our 10 most badass princesses in history! Let us know what you think by commenting below!

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Sources:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19478_5-real-princesses-too-badass-disney-movies.html

https://www.nylon.com/articles/badass-women-in-history

http://flavorwire.com/514284/10-badass-princesses-youve-probably-never-heard-of

http://www.refinery29.com/2016/10/127504/disney-rejected-princesses-jason-porath-book#slide-21

10 Amazing Facts About the Money in Your Wallet

Money. It's a part of our daily lives and it seems like we can’t live without it. We use it to buy food, pay rent, and we save it — or even borrow it — to buy the newest clothing and technology trends.

Throughout history, money has become an indispensable part of society, trade, and commerce. And like history and society, it has come a long way with lots of stories to tell us how it got into our wallets today.

So here are the 10 Amazing Facts about the money in your wallet.

 

#10 — A Grain of Salt

Starting off with number ten, we travel back to the time of the Roman Empire. We all know that at the height of their civilization, the Romans have introduced many advances and innovations regarding economy and trade. They have also been known to use coins when trading.

However, despite this fact, physical currency is still less valuable than gold and gold is - surprisingly – less valuable than spices. Spices are hard to come by and require a lot to harvest and transport. One of the most expensive spices during that time is salt. Back in those days, salt was mined like precious stones and gems, only affordable to the wealthy. Salt was more than just a spice. It also preserves food! Imagine back when there were no refrigerators, you could make your food last longer with some salt. So, because of its high value, ancient Romans called it Salarium Argentum or “Golden Salt” and origin to the word “salary.”

#9 — Breaking Tables

Fast forward to the Renaissance, is our Number Nine spot. Bankruptcy. The mention of the word can send a chill down anyone’s spines. I mean, who would want to be in a position where you may end up with a terrible credit rating or are unable to manage your finances and be in a mountain of debt?

But bankruptcy did not always have the meaning we associate with it today. Originating in Florence during the Renaissance and at the height of power of the most influential family in the city, the Medici, money lenders would set up tables in the middle of busy markets and bazaars where people could borrow money at a set interest.

At the end of the day, or when the merchant has run out of money to lend, he will break his table in half to close shop. Florentines would call it “Banca Rotto,” meaning, broken table, hence the term “Bankrupt.”

#8 — North Carolina’s Golden Boy

We all remember the Tech Boom and the whole “.com” craze when businesses would greatly invest in almost anything and everything coming out of Silicon Valley. This inflated the American economy, which crashed when the fad faded.

However, the Tech Boom cannot compare to the height of the U.S. Gold Rush in the 1850's. Basically, back then a dozen eggs cost $90.00 of today's money, and the cheapest lodging would cost you at least $300,000!

What’s interesting about the gold rush was when it started in 1803, Conrad Reed, a 12-year old boy from North Carolina, found a 12-pound gold nugget in his father’s farm that supplied all the gold for the country’s mints until 1829. You could say that Conrad Reed was perhaps the richest 12-year old of that time, funding the nation for a whole 25 years!

#7 — Fabric of the Economy

Paper currency, believe it or not, originated in China in 910 AD. In one of his travels to Asia three centuries later, Marco Polo was amazed by the system and noticed that the Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan, exercised a lot of his power and printed so much bank notes. Unfortunately, due to an excessive amount of paper notes in the region, inflation skyrocketed at an alarming speed, and the paper money system was quickly abolished in the 15th Century and would not return until centuries later.

In the United States, it was a different story. In the 18th Century, people were already using paper currencies with a well-placed system of controlling a number of notes circulating in the market. But that’s not the interesting fact. Back in those days, when paper money was ripped or damaged, people sewed it together with cotton threads. This led to changing today's cash into 75% cotton and 25% linen to endure daily wear and tear.

#6 — Credit Where Credit is Due

Credit Cards are essential. Who could argue against its convenience and, well, inconvenience? A study has shown that there are more credit cards in the United States than there are people but that was not always so when it was first introduced as a form of currency.

It was a blunder that became the inception of the plastic currency. A man by the name of Frank McNamara took a few of his friends out to dinner in 1949. When it was time to pay the check, McNamara discovered that he did not have any cash with him. Because of this embarrassment, he created the first credit card in the history of banking and finance: The Diner’s Club Card.

It was first made out of cardboard and listed 14 participating restaurants on its back during that time. Anyone who wanted to be a Diner’s Club Card member needs only to pay an annual $3.00 fee.

#5 — Vend-O-Cash

Speaking of cards, next to credit cards, another indispensable piece of currency is the ATM card. Over the years it has gone through a lot. First built and introduced in London in 1967 for Barclay’s Bank, the Automatic Teller Machine, or ATM was invented by a Scottish man named John Shepherd-Barron and was based on the concept of a dispenser for chocolate bars.

However, at that time, plastic ATC cards have not yet been introduced or invented, and these first machines only accepted checks laced with radioactive Carbon-14 as a means for it to be identified electronically.

The radioactive check worked pretty much like the magnetic strips in modern ATM cards. Once identified by the machine, the user only has to enter a four-digit PIN to complete the transaction. To subdue the fears of radioactive contamination in humans, Shepherd-Barron claimed that users “would have to eat 136,000 checks” for the radioactive element to give the body negative and harmful effects.

#4 — In God We Trust

The invention and introduction of money made theft much easier, especially between the 16th and 17th centuries before technology. There were no banking systems or Federal Laws in place for the safeguard of currencies, nor secure places to store them.

Local temples, then, became the logical places to store them because of their superior structures, high foot traffic, and would supposedly deter thieves with the fear of God. When money lending slowly became part of the cycle of currency, priests from a Babylonian Temple in 1750, branched out into issuing loans to locals.

#3 — Rich Aromas

Cash gets passed on from one hand to the next on a daily basis. This cycle of transferring does not stop as long as people have to purchase things or pay for services. And with transferring from one hand to another, you can be sure that the money you have may come with a special bonus.

In a recent study, researchers discovered that the most common residue found on US currency is cocaine than on any other currency. And tied for second place are staphylococcus bacteria and fecal matter. For a time, around 1916, people have the option to bring their cash to Washington DC to have it washed, ironed, and reissued.

On the same note, a farm in Delaware is known for mulching almost four tons of US currency into compost. These currencies are either worn out or have been taken out of circulation. In earlier decades, worn out bills are destroyed by piercing or burning to avoid being reissued.

#2 — The Color of Money

Modern US bank notes are printed on a $7 million Swiss Super Orlof Printing presses. One of the machine’s prized features is that it exerts no less than 60 tons of pressure to force and embed ink into the fibers of the note. US bank notes are also known all over the world for their finest, top quality engravings and, of course, its signature green color.

Every currency around the world has a distinct color, and each color has its own characteristics. For the US dollar, green was chosen because it is a color that resists fading, flaking, and discoloration more than any other hue.

This signature green tint also prevents the currency from being counterfeited since fakes can be easily detected due to appearing more “perfect” than the authentic bills.

#1 — The Richest Game Ever Played

Legal tender is printed and destroyed on a daily basis. You would think that at the rate banks produce money since its inception, the world would already be swimming in cash and people would not need to work a day in their lives. But that is not the case because the printing of money is controlled by some factors including gold reserves and inflation.

However, what is surprising about the money that was legally printed and circulated and have ended up in your wallet right now is that it is outnumbered by Monopoly Money. Yes, you heard that right. Parker Brothers, creators of the game Monopoly, revealed that they print about $30 billion worth of the fictitious currency each year. The US government — supposedly — only prints money to replace old or worn-out bills, about $974 million according to CNBC. The iconic board game, therefore, not only out prints the Federal Reserve, it is printing 30 times than what the US government is.

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Sources:

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-money

http://mentalfloss.com/article/62091/12-fun-facts-about-money

http://www.rd.com/culture/money-facts/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/07/26/crazy-money-facts/13107853/