CLEOPATRA

70-30 BC

--ruled at 17 w/ her 12 yr old brother and husband Ptolemy

-- "serpent of the nile" for beguiling men

-- spoke 8 languages, philosopher, writer on alchemy

-- controlled two of the most powerful men in the world through seduction: Julius Ceasr, and Mark Anthony of Rome

-- challenged the idea of virtuous womanhood

-- resisted the country's Roman oppression her entire reign.

MESSALINA

22-48 AD

--daughter of nobility; frequented insane Caligula.

--Caligula tricks her into marrying his very retarded uncle Claudius.

-- voracious appetite for sex and power; she secured much influence through sex.

--w/ Claudius at war, she declares the city a brothel, winning a sexual competition and bedding over 25 men in one night.

--illegally marries a consul on the side, and is soon sworded. 

BOUDICA

30- 62 AD

--ruler of the Celtic Iceni tribe in Britain

--was stripped and flogged centrally and the city was overturned because her late husband left her his treasures.

-- united her tribe with others to fight Roman rule

-- ruled and led 4 battles losing the last.

-- fiery Amazon and inspiring orator

-- poisoned herself and daughter in the end

MALINALI

1500-1527

--Mexican Indian sold several times since a child; concubine at 12

-- concubine to Cortes

-- billingually makes a negotiation btw Cortes and a dignitary

-- thru this is given status and serious position as liasion.

-- later marries and reunites amicablly with family.

QUEEN MARY I (of Tudor)

1516-1558

-- child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

-- remained a pious reputation throughout her life, restored Catholicism to the country.

-- marries younger Philip of Spain.

-- killed off many Protestant heretics.

-- had much drama in her life surrounding bearing children and producing male heirs.

ELIZABETH BATHORY

1560-1614

-- born into powerful Protestant Hungarian family.

-- cultured to believe in her innate superiority.

-- early sexuality; birthed at 14, and married Count Ferene Nadasdy.

-- acted out fantasies together on hapless servants.

-- took many lovers and sadistic entourage.

-- amazing beauty fades and she beats, tortures, and bathes in blood to retain youth.

-- Was found guilty of 80 counts of murder; her diary listed over 650 murders.

CATHERINE II of RUSSIA

(Catherine the Great)

1729-1796

-- ambitious empress and ruthless reformer; set Russia on the map.

-- always dreamt of the throne, married onoxious and retarded Prince Peter.

-- studied herself up beyond her years, she outshines Peter.

--6 yrs into infertility, conceives with an army officer.

-- Peter cheats, is loyal to Persia, and wants Cath. dead.

--Cath. has Peter killed on battle lines.

--she goes on to better the country, but permitted slavery, her only flaw from history.

QUEEN RANAVALONA

1782-1861

-- her father revealed an assassination plot; his repayment was Ranavalona's adoption into court.

-- schooled in intrigue and danger of the royal court.

-- marries the prince, but always argued about govt., immigration, tourism, and missionary converters.

--her husband dies, she then with a trumped up group of followers executes the bloodline of Rakatobe to become heir.

-- she becomes venomously obsessed with the gods of her culture and her godhood and godhood rituals.

-- in attempts to keep Madagascar pure she executes Christians, naysayers, Frenchman then Europeans.

-- she dies unexpectedly, and a Christian queen takes throne.

SHI XIANGGU

(The Greatest Pirate Who Ever Lived)

1785-1844

--born dirt poor, wanted more, becomes prostitute.

--dragged on Zheng Yi's ship for her prostitution.

--conceded to marriage for joint head pirate position and half of what he owned, was granted.

--so skilled, she takes over as head pirate.

-- made an industry creatively, and tactically oppressing the South China Sea and its shores.

-- a governor and embargoes force her to battle and retirement.

-- she dies at age 59 running a brothel, gambling house, and drug smuggling ring.

MARY ANN COTTON

(1832- 1873)

-- murdered up to 20 people, 8 of her own children using arsenic.

-- grew up poverty stricken.

-- seduced men sexually to eventual marriage and death.

-- murders were usually for convenience or insurance.

-- convicted of 6 murders.

-- bungled in execution--- left hanging for 3 min.

CIXI

(1835-1908)

-- power crazed 50 year rule through regency.

-- ruled through her son, then nephew, then lover's grandson.

-- she opposed westernization, she was regent under the 100 Days of Reform & the Boxer Rebellion; though she was opposed.

-- she leaves behind the legendary Last Emperor, whose status ended as an ordinary citizen of communism.

BELLE STARR

(1848-1889)

-- well educated and cultured.

-- loved men at an early age, though a tomboy.

-- had an intelligence position w/ the S. Confederacy.

-- has romance with Native American, Bud and goes on a shooting frenzy at his civil war death.

-- runs and marries outlaws as Queen of the Outlaws.

-- she did a lot of horse thieving.

-- is shot in back, face, and shoulder by an unknown enemy never discovered.

AMY BOCK

(1859- 1943)

-- New Zealand's crossdressing conwoman.

-- both she and her mother had mental problems.

-- Bock took to role playing as a way of life.

-- excellent con artist, skilled in entrapment, the thrill superceded the actual money.

-- chose the hardest targets: a judiciary, the wealthy.

-- chose cons that were fantastic and foolhardy.

-- last scam: trying to marry a woman as a man-- was caught eventually spending 2 yrs in jail, scams on men were too easy, she'd remarked.

-- married Chris Christofferson for a year.

-- last appeared in court: 72; died: 84.

MARY MALLON

(a.k.a Typhoid Mary)

(1869- 1938)

-- born in impoverished Ireland

-- moved to the American dream at 15.

-- throughout life had a bad temper, could've been due to prejudice in being an immigrant.

-- had an affinity for cooking, but also held Typhoid fever.

-- killed dozens in restaurants and homes from her cooking.

-- in spite of being quarantined several times.

-- died in quarantine, because she wouldn't stop cooking.

CHICAGO MAY

(1871- 1929)

-- grew up poor in a small Irish village.

-- she eventually witnessed street life.

-- she begins a lifetime career of scamming and prostitution.

-- gets a job as an actress, but still scams.

-- was proposed marriage in court procession and marrries, but still scams.

-- imprisoned for a minor shooting, while in prison, comes out scamming.

-- dies at 58, the day of her wedding.

MATA HARI

(1876-1917)

--"Margaretha Zelle: the stripper who might have been a spy."

-- eventually brides a captain. she doe s performannces for him on a big scale with veils, piano, dancing, and strip tease.

-- leaves abusive capt. after custody battle.

-- leaves to Paris where she creates performances on an even bigger scale, dancing the Mata Hari, and begins toying with espionage with German clients.

-- later found guilty of being a spy for Germany, but the truth is still unknown.
 

TILLY DEVINE

(1900-1970)

-- had a life began in poverty.

-- married twice, once to an abusive man.

-- she craved finer things in life although she had a dual personality of a violent, lewd, drug dealing, brothel owner; versus a tea sipping woman who loved the theater and fine things.

-- is rich through her vices, and has a rival in Kate Leigh.

-- meets Queen Elizabeth II. 

-- sold all her brothels to pay her taxes, she dies broke.

GEORGIA TANN

(1891-1950)

-- between 1924 and 1950 she made about 1 million from stealing and selling babies.

-- she always chose poor children, and enjoyed playing God over poor original parents.

-- though shady, she is considered the founder of American adoption.

-- adoptive parents were unscreened.

-- she kidnapped many children, and falsified many documents to make an ends.

-- many of the children were used in pedophile rings, or as work slaves, she turned a blind eye.

-- she merely appeared to love the thrill of placing children.

-- dies 3 mo. into a court investigation on her practices.

MADAME MAO

(1941-1991)

-- violent, drunk father abandoned; mom becomes courtesan.

-- gets in with traveling actors. experiences the casting couch.

--  she writes poety and essays on politics.

-- marries Mao Zedong, req. to stay out of politics.

-- many of her political writing persuasions are leading to deaths.

-- elevated to 1st Woman of Chinese Parliament.

-- spoke out that she should be a political world leader.

-- she eventually is imprisoned for life for political involvement.

-- gets throat cancer, and hangs herself in 1991.

ISMELDA MARCOS

(1929- )

-- born poor, cared for brothers and sisters in Manila.

-- her looks were her trump card; entered many pageants.

-- met Congressman Ferdinand Marcos, who proposed 30 min. into meeting.

-- Ferdinand is adulturous (there is physical proof)

-- Ismelda hides Manila's poverty and promotes herself to gain presidency.

-- she also spends exorbitantly government money for personal use.

-- she opened relations w/ China, set up oil pricing with Sadam Hussein, and was close w/ the Reagans.

-- with entrance of rebels, Ferdinand and Esmerelda leave the country and their riches behind.

-- she owned 508 gowns, over 800 handbags, and hundreds of sunglasses, to name a few items.

-- returns for presidency in '92, an overturned jail sentence '93, and 3 failed elections.

-- 684 million went missing; their thievery could have paid the national debt at one point.

LEILA KHALED

(1944-)

-- "the pinup terrorist"

-- Arab- Israeli conflict moved her from Haifa to Lebannon at age 4.

-- At 15, joins the Arab National Movement (ANM) w/ her brothers and sisters.

-- she was a teacher while keeping up with politics.

-- joins the PFLP, recruiter, highly articulate, stunningly attractive, freedom fighter training.

-- she succeeds in a mission: rerouting a plane through hijacking.

-- she receives worldwide publicity, so she gets 6 plastic surgeries done--- without anaesthetic.

-- failed mission, her release negotiated.

-- recent interviews: has no regrets, but doesn't condone violence, Palestinian first, then a woman.

PHOOLAN DEVI

(1963-2001)

-- "The Bandit Queen:" freedom fighter, politician.

-- born in the low caste of the mullahs, considered untouchable in Bihar, India.
--married to a man 3x her 11 years who voraciously used her.

-- she fled several times but was always tracked and tortured.

-- trying to find sanctuary after her release, she is raped in front of her parents in her home because she was sexualized by a head villager for her past.

-- for running away from a second marriage to another older man, she is thrown in jail where guards abuse her.

-- much later she meets a bandit named Vikram who demands respect for Phoolan, and she finds sanctuary in his gang.

--Phoolan and Vikram's gang fought the caste war, fighting rapists, wrongdoers, and the like.

-- Vikram is later shot, Phoolan continues her own gang, and is later negotiated to incarceration.