Women warriors from the Sea of Stories
Mare Historiarum, or the Sea of Stories, is a well-illustrated manuscript (BnF Latin 4915) telling the history of the world, and Rome, from creation to 1250. It was commissioned by…
Mare Historiarum, or the Sea of Stories, is a well-illustrated manuscript (BnF Latin 4915) telling the history of the world, and Rome, from creation to 1250. It was commissioned by Guillaume Jouvenel de Ursins, who at the time was the chancellor of France.
Medieval histories of the world often contain stories that we now consider legend or myth. This can be confusing to modern readers, but the way that what’s “real” changes over time is an important piece of historiography.
For my particular research, it’s important in a different way: medieval French “history of the world” and “ancient history” manuscripts often include a few references to the Amazons, an all-female powerful nation with a strong military and expansionist political goals. The Amazons also sent a supporting force to the Trojan war. Queen Tomyris, Scythian queen of the Amazons, stopped a genocidal campaign by killing Cyrus the Great.
Well-illustrated history manuscripts often have two or three illustrations of Amazon warriors on the march or in battle. Mare Historiarum has a lot of illustrations— 730 miniatures over about 900 pages— and so has more women warrior scenes than I expected, and not all in the Classical and Trojan War period. Further interesting is that each illustration shows a different style of women’s armor, in very detailed (but, of course, tiny) illustrations.
Here are all of the female warrior miniatures, plus a few bonus queens!
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