The Most Badass Stories of Female Rage in History
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Any woman would attest to the difficulties of living in a patriarchal society where men have more dominant control over systems of society and government. In such a setting, women are expected to affirm their presumed inferiority—follow men’s orders and keep the objections to themselves while they’re at it. Naturally, some are bound to snap and take justice into their own hand.
But the vengeful woman doesn’t just exist in movies, but in real life too. These women walked so Gone Girl could run.
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Giulia Tofana
If we’re talking feminine rage, then there’s no better way to start than with Giulia Tofana, who is said to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 600 men around Palermo, Naples, Perugia, and Rome. She is known as history’s most prolific serial poisoner, the queenpin of an underground poison ring, whose business model focused on helping wives escape their abusive husbands—but making them widows.
But first, picture what it was like for women in early 17th-century Italy. Back in the day, daughters were sent into marriages with whomever their parents chose. These marriages were commonly transactional, done for the dowry or as part of a trade deal. Before rights and equality, women were treated more like property and child-rearing vessels. The worst part? Divorce wasn’t a thing back then, so the only way for a woman to get out of marriage was through death, either hers or his.
Enter Tofana, who invented a bespoke poison called Aqua Tofana. This poison was tasteless, odorless, harmless-looking, and most importantly, untraceable, making it the perfect tool for murder. Its principal ingredient was said to be arsenic, and four to six drops were enough to kill a man within a few days. Slow and steady wins the race (and gets the inheritance).
Eventually, Tofana’s operation was stopped when a scared customer confessed to Papal authorities. She initially went into hiding in a church but was hunted down when a rumor spread that she poisoned Rome’s water supply. Intense questioning and torture made her confess to her crimes, and this was enough to get her an execution sentence.
Freddie Oversteegen
Freddie Oversteegen will go down in history as one of the many unsung female heroes of World War II. Oversteegen was only 14 years old when she was recruited to join the Dutch resistance, taking on the role of handing out anti-Nazi newspapers and pamphlets with her sister and another young woman named Hannie Schaft. But it wasn’t long before the two started carrying out more dangerous and harrowing assignments.
This might be one of the times when invisibility proved to be advantageous for women. Oversteegen’s age was an invaluable tool that allowed her to slip past Nazi controls with ease. Non-Jewish children, especially young girls, received little to zero suspicion back then.
One of Oversteegen’s earliest tasks was arson. She, with the help of her sister, managed to burn down a Nazi warehouse after flirting with the guards as a distraction. Eventually, they began capitalizing on their femininity as a modus to lure Nazi guards into the forest. Once they reached a secluded spot, the men would be shot in a surprise attack. When asked how many soldiers they had managed to kill, Oversteegen replied, “A soldier never tells.”
Queen Boudica
Boudica, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea, was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe. She ascended to the throne after marrying King Prasutagus, with whom she had two daughters. When the Romans invaded southern England in A.D. 43, many of the Celtic tribes were left with no choice but to submit to their rule, but Prasugatus was allowed to stay in power as a forced ally of the conquerors.
When Prasugatus died with no male heir, he left his wealth to his wife and daughters, hoping that the agreement with the Romans would grant them imperial immunity. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Instead, they annexed Prasugatus’ kingdom, flogged Boudica, and raped their two daughters.
This inspired Boudica to lead a rebellion against the Romans. For justice for her two daughters, Boudica would slaughter thousands of Romans. She led an army to set fire to Camulodunum (Colchester), Verulamium (St. Albans), Londinium (London), and several military posts. According to the accounts of Roman historian Tacitus, Boudica’s uprising killed 70,000 Romans and pro-Roman Britons and eviscerated the Roman 9th Legion. Boudica was eventually defeated, but not before making her legacy as one of Rome’s most vicious opponents.
Queen Arawelo
Arawelo is said to have been the heir of a Somalian king who only sired daughters in the 15th century. As the eldest daughter, she was the natural successor to her father’s throne—or at least she believed so when she decided to undertake the role without asking for anyone’s permission.
Headstrong as she is, Arawelo had always been known to rebel against the social expectations placed on women. Eventually, she grew tired of women not having access to education and being discouraged from participating in activities that were traditionally given to men, like hunting and carrying water. So, little by little, over the course of her reign, she began to reverse gender roles.
Women were given more jobs in politics because Arawelo believed that they were natural peacekeepers. It could also simply be that she held strong beliefs about the supremacy of matriarchal rule. Either way, this meant that the domestic chores were handed to men. According to legends, she also imposed a new order where rapists were hung from their testicles as a punishment. As you can imagine, the men were deeply unhappy with their new status.
But Queen Arawelo could care less. Instead, she began to fully turn the tables and trained women to become more violent to their husbands and sons. Taking it a step further, she also started castrating men across the land, except for a chosen few who were spared for the purpose of continuing the bloodline.
