Behind the Pages: Adventurous Women from History

As an author, I love diving down the rabbit holes of history for inspiration. With my historical fantasy mystery series, The Planar Pages, I took inspiration from different aspects of historical eras, events, fashion, and professions. Then I added my own twist or three to make it unique. But an adventurer or an alchemist who is also a woman? Pure fiction, I hear some say. Actually, no. The professions of my characters are firmly based in reality.

This Women’s History Month, let me introduce y’all to some of the women who share the same professions as my characters.

Adventurers

Fiona Thorne’s determination and willingness to go wherever the clues lead means she travels a lot and often alone. Historically, it wasn’t considered safe or correct for women of a certain time and class to travel alone. The following ladies felt otherwise.

Elizabeth Chudleigh (1720-88) was an English adventuress and maid of honour to Augusta, Princess of Wales. During a full and fascinating life, Elizabeth travelled across Italy, Russia, and Europe, eventually retiring to the Continent.

Mariana Starke (1762?-1838) was a pioneer of independent travel, or what she called travel for those ‘who may not choose to incur the Expence attendant upon travelling with a Courier.’ Her Travels on the Continent ran to tens of editions.

Alchemists, inventors, and business owners

Shy Gaili Pannete might come across as timid until you get her talking about her latest discoveries and inventions. Her business ventures and passion for inventing aren’t fictitious either.

Cleopatra of Alexandria, or Cleopatra the Alchemist (third century CE), was one of the first scientists to realize and record the significance of quantifying in the laboratory. A single papyrus page of her Chrysopoeia (Goldmaking) survives, with an inscription: ‘One is the Serpent, which has its poison according to two compositions, and One is All, All is Nothing.’

Lydia Estes Pinkham (1819-83) was a herbalist and businesswoman who patented a label for the $1 bottles of her Vegetable Compound. She had a knack for marketing too and was so successful that she had earned $300,000 per annum by the time of her death. Her Compound is still sold today as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

Captains and Smugglers

Although not one to regularly go into battle, Captain Henrietta has a crew that would do exactly that for her. What real-life woman could say the same?

Artemisia of Halicarnassus (c.484-c.430) was a hero of the Persian Empire during the Greco-Persian Wars and is featured in the Histories of Herodotus. A queen, a powerful widow, possible pirate, and an adventurer, she was unlikely to stay at home during the war. Furnishing King Xerxes with five triremes (oar-powered warships), she insisted on commanding one herself and engaged her fleet in the battle of Salamis. In what was considered a fine display of naval tactics, Artemisia once saved herself from the pursuing Greeks by hiding her ensign (maritime flag identifying nationality) and ramming another Persian ship as a decoy.

Reading recommendations

If you’re looking to learn more about these ambitious women from history, you can find them and others in Pandora’s Daughters: The Secret History of Enterprising Women by British historian Jane Robinson.

If you want to go on an adventure with their fantasy counterparts, you can start with the first book in The Planar Pages series, Between the Lines.