History is the Name, Fashion is the Game

Grace O’Malley (Grace O’Malley statue in Westport House from https://vagabondtoursofireland.com/grace-omalley-the-pirate-queen/)             Grace O’Malley is the famous and fierce Irish female pirate, who could be a more appropriate woman to talk about on St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish holiday. She was well known for her sea faring abilities and her courage against hardships. She was more than willing to fight for her family and her rights. She plundered and she made her own path and she fought fire with fire when it came to her enemies. It’s no wonder Elizabeth I, was impressed by her. Biography:              Grace O’Malley or Gráinne Ní Mhaille the famous female pirate was born in 1530 into the Irish Chieftain of the O’Malley’s of Murrisk (National Archives). Her father was Owen O’Malley, a sea trader, and when he died she would inherit his ships and business as she was his only child. From her mother, Margaret O’Malley, she also inherited lands which gave her more power

Sacagawea (Lewis & Clark at Three Forks by Edgar Samuel Paxson, 2012) Sacagawea is one of the most famous women in American history due to her association with Lewis and Clark’s discovery of the West but not much in known about her early life. We know that she is strong and probably endured great hardship being separated from her family and home when she was kidnapped. We also know she was incredibly resourceful and smart. I wish we knew more about her side of the story; she is such an interesting and strong figure in history.   Biography:             Sacagawea was born in 1788 or 1789 as a “member of the Lemhi band of the Native American Shoshone tribe” in the land which is now commonly known as Idaho (History.com Staff). Their enemies were the Hidatsa tribe who during the year of 1800 kidnapped Sacagawea, who was 12, while a buffalo hunt was occurring.   She was taken to the Hidatsa-Mandan location in what is now North Dakota. Her name is actually a combo of two Hi

Thecla (Theocleia, Paul, and Thecla, Fresco from the Grotto of Saint Paul at Ephesus (Thecla is in the window) fromhttps://members.bib-arch.org/bible-review/21/3/6)   Thecla is a pretty impressive young woman and the feminist figure from the Acts of Paul and Thecla. She baptizes herself and proves that women could preach the word of God as well as men. The Acts adds to this imagery by having the female lion in the arena save her from certain death and the women of the arena cheering for her. Biography:             Thecla was a wealthy woman who was the daughter of Theoclia and she was engaged to be married to a man named Thamyris when she heard Paul speak in Iconium at the house of Onesiphorus. Paul was preaching about those who were blessed by God for abandoning worldly things in pursuit of God. Part of his speech which would certainly have had an impact on her later choices was the last bit in which Paul said: “ Blessed are the bodies and souls of virgins, for

Catherine Howard (Portrait of a Young Woman (possibly Catherine) by the workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger ca. 1540–45)             Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of King Henry VIII, and she is often the one wife of his that is treated the cruelest by modern standards. Yes Catherine did not make the greatest impact as Queen, she was young and honestly not given enough time to do much. She was not incredibly gifted either, most of Catherine’s attractive qualities were her charm, grace, love of life, and kindness. The reason I love Catherine is because she is incredibly normal and relatable. I also feel that for centuries there has been a great double standard for her, most historians disregard her as a slut or an empty headed wanton. Catherine is famous for having two, potentially three sexually partners, Dereham and the King with the tiniest chance she might have slept with Culpepper. I personally believe like most modern historians that she had not committed adul