Women Warriors of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Burned at the stake

Joan of Arc was born in 1412 in the north part of France. Although illiterate, she was well versed in the Catholic religion and was very devout. At age 13, she announced that she had been hearing the voice of God. By age 16, she believed she was destined to help the crown prince become king.

She chopped her hair, wore men's clothing, and crossed the land to see him. After a private audience, where she told him of prayers only he knew, he gave her a white horse and white armor and she went to Orleans, a city under siege.

She led the men there in several charges and the English retreated. Over the next several months, she continued to guide the troops in wins and the prince was crowned. In 1430, she fell from her horse during battle and was captured by the English and their allies, the Burgundians.

After a trial for heresy (including a charge of cross-dressing), she was found guilty and burned at the stake in front of a crowd. Her fame lived on, however, and in 1920 she was canonized as a saint.

Answer: Georgia

Tamar of Georgia was born in 1166 as the first child for George III and his wife. At the age of 12, she began co-ruling with her father so the country could become used to a woman ruler. She ascended the throne in 1184 and immediately quashed a rebellion by torturing and banishing those nobles who disagreed with her ascending the throne. Immediately afterwards, she called a Christian church council and formed her own "cabinet".

She married a Russian but soon divorced him for infidelity in a time when the Christian community frowned upon divorce. Tamar accompanied her armies and planned campaigns as she defended Georgia from Muslims and spread her lands throughout the Caucasus region. During her rule, she not only was a strong military leader but helped issue in a time of prosperity known as the "Golden Age of Georgia".

She died in 1213 and was buried in a secret location. A child from her second marriage took the throne and Tamar herself was made a saint by the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Answer: Romans

Boudica was born around the year 30 AD in Celtic Britain and by age 18 had married Prasutagus, the king of modern day East Anglia. When he died in the year 60 he left no male heirs. Roman troops had begun raiding southern England in 43 AD and by the time her husband died, they had reached her.

They confiscated her land, flogged her in public, and raped her daughters. She vowed revenge. Over the next year, she personally led over 100,000 fellow tribesman and anti-Roman citizens in a battle across the lands. Trained as a warrior, she destroyed cities (including modern-day London) and massacred those who sided with the Romans.

In total, over 70,000 people died as a result of her troops. The Roman general Suetonius finally was able to subdue her revolt in 61 AD. Boudica and her daughters killed themselves with poison rather than be captured.

Answer: Horses

Lozen was a Chiricahua Apache who was born in the late 1840s in the southwestern part of the United States. From the time she was little, she learned war tactics from her brother Victorio, who would later become a powerful chief. She also took up the art of healing and was a medicine woman.

The name Lozen was given to her as one who is adept at stealing horses as this was a unique talent she possessed. By age 20, she was riding with Victorio and honed her skills at riding and shooting. In 1870, she helped her people escape from harsh conditions in various reservations in which they were placed. By 1880, she joined the group led by Geronimo in order to gain revenge for the death of her brother.

She was eventually captured and sent to Alabama where she died of diseases in 1889.

Answer: Battle axe

Fu Hao was a king's wife and a general in the 13th century BC during the Shang dynasty in China. She was one of sixty wives of the King Wu Ding during the time. She swiftly moved up the ranks of the wives. Simultaneously, because of the time period she was allowed to join the army and her skills promoted her swiftly in this role also.

The led an army of over 13,000 soldiers to completely defeat the Tu-Fang rival army. Over time, she continued to lead great victories over the dynasty's enemies. She also became a spiritual and political leader to the people.

Her favorite weapon to use was the battle axe and many of them were buried with her upon her death. Her tomb was discovered in 1976 and its pristine state gave people a glimpse into this time period in history and of this amazing warrior woman.

Answer: Naval battles

Artemisia I, named for the Greek goddess Artemis who was the goddess of hunting, lived in the 5th century BC and took her father's throne of Halicarnassus after her husband died and her son was just an infant. She was an extremely skilled naval commander and an excellent tactician.

Although she was known to fly both the Greek and Persian flags, she more often sided with Xerxes of Persia. She was the only one of his leaders to suggest he NOT skirmish on the seas. He ignored her and they entered the Battle of Salamis.

While Xerxes watched from his shore-side throne, Artemisia rammed one of her own allied ships and attempted escape. This worked to her favor in that the Greeks thought she was ramming a Persian ship and the Persians thought she was attacking the Greeks! Later, Xerxes turned to her as a source of combat advice. Rumors abound that Artemisia committed suicide after being rejected by a potential lover.

Answer: Red and white

Tomoe Gozen was born in Japan during a time when women could become samurais and were trained to use a sword for defensive maneuvers. Tomoe was different in that she was trained to also use them offensively. She was the concubine of Yoshinaka of the Minamoto clan who sported the color white. During the Genpei wars, Yoshinaka often had Tomoe by his side in the field.

In 1181, for example, she competed in a battle where she brought back the heads of seven mounted soldiers. In 1184, she joined Yoshinaka in a battle that pitted only 300 of them against 6,000 Taira clan waving the color red. Only five Minamoto were left standing and she was one of them.

As a woman, she was ordered to leave the field before surrender and she did so only after she sliced off the head of one last enemy. Nobody knows what happened to her after this time, but rumors have her being captured, becoming a nun, or committing suicide out of heartbreak.

Answer: War elephants

The Trung sisters were the Vietnamese daughters of a local lord. They grew up with a wish to overthrow the Chinese who had been ruling their land. The sisters were trained in war techniques and were excellent leaders as well. One legend has it that they personally killed a man-eating tiger and used its skin as paper to record their 'draft' into the fight.

In the year 40, they led over 80,000 troops (including 36 women generals) into battle and successfully drove out the Chinese while also freeing multiple forts. For three years afterward, they ran the government and defended their lands.

By the year 43, however, the Chinese had returned with a vast army and the sisters were defeated. As the code of honor at the time directed, the Trung sisters committed suicide after the loss.

Answer: Gymnastic poses on a pole

She was born Manikarnika in India in 1835 and, due to her father's influence, grew up in the ruler's house. Here she was raised with boys and quickly became skilled at military and sporting techniques which would help her in later years. She married the maharaja of Jhansi and took on the name Lakshmibai, but he died before they could have any heirs. Per the custom at the time, they adopted a son shortly before his death.

However, the British in the area refused to recognize his rights and annexed the Jhansi state. Lakshmibai refused to allow the British to take her lands and organized troops and gathered rebels from the countryside to fight back.

She was personally involved in the fighting and took on battles that were overwhelmingly against her numbers.

She escaped several times before, dressed as a man, she was killed in combat. The 22 year old woman was still firing her pistol as she died.

Answer: It was never discovered she was a female through her entire enlistment and beyond

Jennie Hodges was born in Ireland in 1844 and was a stowaway on a ship to America. She settled in Illinois. By 1863, the American Civil War had been raging and President Lincoln was calling for more volunteers. Jennie dressed as man, went to the local office, and enlisted.

She gave her name as Albert Cashier and passed the physical (which only consisted of an eye and ear check). She was part of the 95th Illinois Infantry and, though tiny in stature, was known to be a brave and skilled rifleman. For three years, she served in this role and fought in around 40 battles.

She was briefly captured at Vicksburg but beat the guard over the head with a rifle and escaped. Even after she mustered out, she kept up the persona for over forty years. It was not until a series of illnesses caused her to be hospitalized that the truth was discovered in 1914.

After she died, she was buried as Albert with full military honors.