Difficult Damsels

Hypatia was renowned in her own lifetime as a great teacher and a wise counselor in the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria. She was a prominent thinker, devoting herself to learning and teaching, leading the life of a respected academic at Alexandria's university. Ancient sources routinely depict Hypatia as a woman who was widely known for her generosity, love of learning, and expertise in teaching the subjects of Neoplatonism, mathematics, science, and philosophy.

Little is known of her life, but her dramatic death at the hands of Christian fanatics culminating from the escalating political feud between Alexandria’s religious faction and the governing body is well-documented. Her tragic and brutal murder sent shockwaves throughout the empire for centuries and many scholars cite her death as the end of the classical world.

Disclaimer: Hypatia was more intellectual damsel than difficult, and her story may have one of the most gruesome and tragic endings we have ever covered on our podcast. While we do not go into any sort of graphic detail, it is still very hard to hear. Listener discretion is advised.

Brunhild reigned as a Queen, Queen Mother and Queen Regent for a son, two grandsons and a great grandson for forty years. She attained a level of power in Medieval Frankia that few people—male or female—would ever achieve after her.

In our epic conclusion of Brunhild’s story, we come to the end of the bloody rivalry between Brunhild and Fredegund. But that wasn’t the end of Brunhild yet! She had two unruly, and dare we say, petulant grandsons to deal with. But, as with many of the women in our epic tales, Brunhild’s downfall would come about simply because of the menfolk who considered her womanhood a threat.

The men who followed in Brunhild’s wake tried their damndest to erase her from the history books and nearly succeeded. But we refuse to let her legacy be forgotten. This story has been absolutely insane right from the start. And it remains as such right up to the bitter, brutal end.

(Spoiler alert: it’s not a happy ending!)

While most Medieval Queens were generally expected to step aside for their young sons and disappear into obscurity within convent walls, Brunhild would prove to be the exception to the rule. Even after her son came of age to rule on his own, Brunhild still held an iron grip over the throne of Austrasia—much to the chagrin of the men around her.

In this episode, Brunhild faces off against threats both within and outside of her kingdom even as her rivalry with Fredegund escalates and assassins are the name of the game. Despite efforts made by her brother-in-law to undermine her relationship with her son and several failed assassination attempts against herself and her family, Brunhild proves to be a woman of iron will. And she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Rachel and Kat play a round of would you rather and Anya screams like the banshee she was born to be.

You’ve heard the story from the murderess, Fredegund’s side. Now it’s time to here the cunning of a woman raised to be queen from birth. When Brunhild’s sister was murdered in the Kingdom of Neustria, it sparked one of the bloodiest rivalries to ever plague Europe.

The early years of Brunhild were filled with tragedy, with the deaths of two husbands, scheming in convents, fighting the patriarchy—late 6th century style—and maybe incest for the purposes of rebellion. From victory to tragedy, Brunhild was expected to fade into obscurity (twice over) as the widowed wife of the fallen king of Austrasia. But Brunhild was determined to get her revenge—and her weregild—from the king and queen responsible for so much tragedy, all while keeping the future of her kingdom and her children safe.

When we last left off, Fredegund’s husband had just been murdered and she’s fled to Paris with an unnamed baby at her breast and an uncertain fate ahead of her. But this is Fredegund, and she’s not about to let that stop her from clawing, poisoning, stabbing, and climbing her way back to the top.

In this episode, the rivalry between Fredegund and Brunhild escalates and we also learn what happens when you challenge Fredegund. Hint: it involves dramatic assassination in the middle of a church, snapping treasure chests and very awkward dinner parties. Just when you think this story can’t get any crazier . . . it does! Over and over and over again.

Seriously. Don’t mess with Fredegund. Not if you value your neck or your life.

It’s a choose your own adventure episode and Kat chose murder!

Queen Fredegund is quite possibly one of the most ruthless, vicious and downright villainous queens you have never heard of!

From kitchen slave to concubine to queen, Fredegund’s rise to power earned her the enmity of another powerful queen in Frankia and stoke a rivalry that eventually devastated Western Europe for 40 years. In one of the most unhinged stories we have ever told on this podcast, we follow Fredegund as she gives birth in the midst of a siege, strategically assassinates her brother-in-law, plots to overthrow two stepsons and unrepentantly bullies, poisons and/or tortures anyone unfortunate enough to look upon her wrong.

And that’s all just in part 1!

Difficult Damsel’s third cohost, Anya, is also in top form this episode; insisting on making her presence known. Fredegund would be proud!

We’re back!

And we’re taking a trip in the Rewind Time Machine to talk about two of the oldest goddesses in recorded history.

Astarte and Ishtar both emerged out of Mesopotamia as goddesses of war, love, sex and fertility. Their influence would spread from the ancient Middle East to the Mediterranean and into Egypt, serving as the blueprint for several Greek, Roman and Egyptian gods. These ancient goddesses explore the duality of the divine feminine, as ferocious as they were sensual.

Also in this episode is our very own “Reading Rainbow” segment where we regale you with tales from the Epic of Gilgamesh (cliff notes version) and read a short story about the origin of the dawn from Nikita Gill’s “The Girl and The Goddess.”

Idolator. Sorceress. Harlot. As far as wicked women go, Jezebel set the standard for which all women would be judged for thousands of years following her death. Her story is immortalized in the Bible, serving as a cautionary tale for those who would turn their back on God. In this episode, we examine the historical figure behind the tale. Jezebel was a Phoenician princess, married to King Ahab of Israel and (probably) his Queen Consort. When she came to Israel, she brought her Gods and her political aptitude with her. Naturally, the men who wrote her story weren’t happy about it.

Also in this episode we discuss the concerning status of rabid dogs running around Ancient Israel and learn the inspiration behind our new favorite Commandment: thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s grapes.

To become Queen of Jérusalem, Sibylla had to endure the deaths of her father, brother and nine year old son. When she inherited the throne, her Kingdom was on the brink of civil war, slowly being chipped away by the unstoppable and ruthless Saladin. No pressure or anything. Sibylla’s first act of true autonomy would also be her last. By crowning her obnoxious husband (some guy named Guy), Sibylla upheld the sanctity of her marriage under God, but doomed her Kingdom to fall.

Also in this episode, your favorite hosts discuss favorite historically-inspired shows and movies. Spoiler Alert: Kingdom of Heaven does NOT make the list. Not the glaringly obvious fan-fiction we wanted or needed.

Sibylla was never supposed to be queen. Hers is a story of tragedy. To take power, she had to step over the bodies of several important men in her life. From the day her brother was diagnosed with leprosy, her Queenship was no longer a question of “if” but “when.” In the ten years Sibylla’s brother, Baldwin IV, reigned, the Kingdom of Jérusalem was faced with two challenges: find Sibylla a suitable husband and defend itself against the arrival of Saladin. Sibylla’s brother would devote his short life to keeping the Kingdom of Jérusalem together as infighting and questionable marriage choices tore it apart.

Ruthless and calculating, Zumurrud Khatan was another unique woman of the Crusader era that rose to power in the city of Damascus as the men around her perished. Amidst a chaotic environment where assassination attempts were just another Tuesday and bad blood led to intrigue and infighting, Zumurrud brought stability to Medieval Damascus with her own cutthroat method of dealing with her sadistic, unhinged eldest son.

Special note: you’ll have to forgive the awkward microphone feedback in this episode! We were using a backup and it definitely shows.

Younger sister to the formidable and dominating Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, Alice is often overlooked in the pages of history.

Alice was everything the Medieval chroniclers vilified in a woman: ambitious, hotheaded and rebellious in spirit. Obviously we love her for it! Married to the prince of Antioch at sixteen and widowed by twenty, Alice was determined to capitalize on the unique opportunity that presented itself to her: she would rule Antioch independently in her young daughter’s name. To do so would have her challenge the very fabric of patriarchy that Medieval Feudalism was built upon.

During Alice’s quest for independence, she’ll openly rebel against her father, flirt recklessly with the enemy, and accept a marriage proposal that seems too good to be true (spoiler alert: it is!).

You may be thinking we’ve already heard this story before, but not like this. Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most notorious women in history, and her story was so insane that we decided we had to tell it twice. Join us for Eleanor of Aquitaine: the early years. Duchess by the age of thirteen, Queen by fifteen and Crusader by twenty-five, Eleanor was a woman that defied all convention and determined to have her name etched in the history books right from the start.

In this episode we revisit her story and follow Eleanor as she blazed a trail of scandal and infamy from Paris to the Holy Lands. We bring you Eleanor of Aquitaine The (possibly bare-breasted; definitely armored) Crusader Queen of France and her scandalous (or not) relationship with Uncle Raymond and her useless husband Louis *ahem* King Louis VII of France.

Following the untimely death of her husband, Melisende found herself in a unique position of power independent of any man’s influence. But of course it didn’t last for long. When Melisende’s son, Baldwin III, came of age, he decided he was not content to Co-Rule Jerusalem with his formidable and overbearing mother. Turns out the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree and her son attempted to set her aside just as his father had, this time by force. Melisende was not a woman easily sidelined though, and even after settling into the more traditional role of Queen Mother she still remained an influential figure of the Medieval era right up to her death.

In the conclusion to Melisende’s story, we discuss the fall of Edessa and the start of the Second Crusade, silly laurel crowns, and unsolicited mansplaining from obnoxious priests. Yay misogyny! Stick around to the end you can find out if Kat is a King, a Soldier or a Poet.

Melisende would go on to become one of the most powerful and formidable Queens of the Medieval era. The eldest of four daughters with no brothers in sight, Melisende’s father did the unthinkable: he named her as heir and then actually trained her to rule. Melisende’s rise to power has some familiar tropes: a husband that schemed to exclude her from power (he failed miserably), a potential lover that schemed to usurp the throne in her name (he failed miserably) and way too many men named Baldwin.

In a world that would do anything in its power to keep women from attaining any power of their own, Melisende refused to be set aside. And even her husband learned to keep a weapon on him at all times in her presence in a tale that reminds us . . . happy wife = happy life.

Aries chaos faces off against Virgo scrupulousness in this “relaxed” episode. WE HAVE THE NOTES!

Rachel and Kat discuss their favorite goddesses and the nuance of light and darkness and why we love these nocturnal/darker goddesses.

Stay tuned for an original goddess story from Rachel and what to expect if Kat ever ascends into godhood.

They say that behind every great man is an even greater woman, and Alexander the Great’s mother was no exception. Like all fun historical characters from Ancient Greece, Olympias claimed descent from the Gods and was determined to forge a legacy for her son worthy of his heritage. But her story is a worthy tale completely on its own.

From bewitching the King of Macedonia in a mysterious cult initiation ceremony, to bedding snakes and poisoning rivals to her son’s position in the line of succession, Olympias is the ultimate femme fatale. She was as cunning as she was ruthless, and as clever as she was bold. This story has all the elements of a classic difficult damsels tale: incest, betrayal and murder.

And also way too many people with the same name to make things all the more confusing.

"There were once women in Denmark who dressed themselves to look like men and spent almost every minute cultivating soldiers' skills; they did not want the sinews of their valour to lose tautness and be infected by self-indulgence . . . As if they were forgetful of their true selves they put toughness before allure, aimed at conflicts instead of kisses, tasted blood, not lips, sought the clash of arms rather than the arm's embrace, fitted to weapons hands which should have been weaving, desired not the couch but the kill, and those they could have appeased with looks they attacked with lances."

In this reverse damsel episode, Kat and Rachel discuss the Viking Age, Valkyries, and famous Shieldmaidens, Lagertha and Freydis Eiríksdóttir.

Strange things were said to happen around Darya Saltykova’s estate. Tales of torture and abuse slowly trickled out of the Russian noblewoman’s lands where screams were said to be heard long into the night and young girls were said to disappear. In a tale reminiscent of the Hungarian Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory some 200 years earlier, comes a tale of a woman with ties to the highest echelon of Russian nobility, even as high as the Imperial Court.

Darya Saltykova’s is a tale of a scorned woman turned raging maniac, who targeted young female serfs with her rage and aggression. But it wasn’t this torture and brutality that lead to the Blood Countess being tried for her crimes. It was the fact that she crossed the Russian nobility’s line of though shalt not kill, only punish by maiming. When all was said and done, as many as 130 deaths were attributed to Darya’s rage.

Also in this spoooky season episode, AllieCat makes another appearance and Kat and Rachel run through a sort of rapid fire round of spoooky questions!

When Elizabeth first came to the English throne, no one believed a woman could rule on her own without a husband to guide her. Queen Elizabeth proved time and again that she would always be the exception to the preposterous rule, much to the chagrin of those who wished to see her fail. The final years of her long reign saw an end to the Mary, Queen of Scots debacle, the defeat of the Spanish Armada (thank you Protestant Winds!), and more conspiracies from scheming nobles.

In the conclusion to our four-part series, we learn what it is to be a queen. Elizabeth became master of her own legacy with the help of trusted advisors. She had, in her own words, “the feeble body of a woman but the heart of a King”. But we know she had the clever and sharp intellect of a woman, and the tenacity of a Difficult Damsel and Queen.

As Elizabeth settled into her reign as queen, she quickly learned to master the art of traversing the treacherous world of courtly politics at home in England as well as France and Spain. Despite this carefully crafted persona, her throne was never completely safe. As religious strife escalated across Europe between Catholics and Protestants, the conflict hit closer to home when a certain Scottish Queen stumbled onto English shores amidst scandal and rebellion. And now it’s up to Elizabeth to strategically navigate the dangerous fallout that followed.

In this episode, Elizabeth is excommunicated (again) by the Pope, teasing marriage with a new round of suitors (and some old ones as well) and throwing her ever present feet-dragging slippers at poor William Cecil whenever he annoys her (which is all the time).

But Gloriana triumphs every step of the way, proving she is no easy woman to be trifled with.

Upon ascending the throne of England, Elizabeth was faced with two very pressing issues: reverting England back to Protestantism and getting herself a husband.

Finding herself in the very unique position of having her pick of suitors, Elizabeth frustrated her counselors by refusing to marry or name an heir. Thus, the Virgin Queen is born – though we learn the moniker is a bit deceptive. As it turns out, Elizabeth had many suitors, none more prevalent in her life than the roughish and just out of reach—mostly because he was technically already married—Robert Dudley.

Join us for a bit of a role reversal where Elizabeth perfects the art of dragging her feet—much to the dismay of poor William Cecil—and teasing the hearts of those that would try to become her consort.

Elizabeth Tudor was never supposed to be Queen.

The daughter of Henry VIII and his second and most notorious wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was born amidst religious and political turmoil in England. Join us for the origin story of Elizabeth I.

Before she was the Virgin Queen and Gloriana, she’d been an illegitimate princess used as a pawn to prop up the ambitions of the unscrupulous men around her. This story has it all: lecherous old men, terrible fathers, annoying brothers, formidable sisters and at the center of it all . . . a young girl poised to change history forever and upset the very foundation of gender roles and expectations, becoming one of England’s most celebrated monarchs.

It is said that whenever a Targaryen is born the gods flip a coin and the world waits to see how it will land: the side of greatness or the side of madness.

In this episode, we discuss the upcoming show, House of the Dragon, and the many new difficult damsels we are looking forward to meeting. At the center of the drama is Rhaenyra Targaryen – a woman whose coin teeters on the edge of greatness and madness. We also delve into the real life parallels between Rhaenyra and Empress Matilda, who was promised the throne of England only to have it stolen out from under her. And then came war.

Except this time there be dragons. Lots and lots of dragons!!!

Join us for a tale of treachery, political machinations, family members plotting to kill each other and, yes … even incest. The Ptolemy’s would be so proud.

Mary is one of the more notorious monarchs on record, due in large part to her relentless persecution of Protestants earning her the moniker of “Bloody Mary.” But was this reputation earned?

Mary’s brutality was not unique to the 16th century, but the lens of history loves to vilify women for doing the same things their male counterparts do. Mary’s reign is chalk full of religious upheaval and reform in England. Following the death of Henry VIII (good riddance!), England had two religions contending for supremacy.

The reign of Mary Tudor represents Catholicism’s last gasping, violent breath. Not to mention the karmic balancing to all Henry VIII’s bullshit (ugh – we can’t hate him enough!) We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, kids. Religious fundamentalism is bad!

In the conclusion of Mary’s story, we discuss one of history’s most exaggerated rivalries between the Queen of Scots and the Queen of England. After the Scottish noble families turn on their queen, Mary flees Scotland for England where she hopes to find sanctuary from her cousin, Elizabeth. We discover that Mary was in fact much more difficult than we originally gave her credit for . . . much to her own detriment. In the end, all roads have led Mary to her infamous fate, a block that awaits her head and an axe for her neck.

But Mary insisted on having the last word, promising the known world would erupt in chaos following her death. Spoiler alert: it did!

Following the death of her first husband, Mary returns home and finds a less than warm reception in Scotland. Considered a foreigner in her own native country and, worse yet, a Catholic Queen in a recently converted Protestant country, Mary had an uphill battle to fight. Fortunately for our Mary, Queen of Scots, Europe is full of eligible bachelors and she gets her pick of the lot! Unfortunately for Mary, she chose Lord Darnley, who we can all agree was the literal worst.

Join us for a tale of love, jealousy, gun powder and treason. For Mary, Queen of Scots, this is the height of her reign. But the end is nigh . . .

Mary, Queen of Scots might be one of the most popular and well-known monarchs in Scottish history, but who was she really?

Orphaned and the new Scottish Queen by the absurdly young age of six days old, Mary was marked by tragedy right from the start. From Henry VIII’s “Rough Wooing” of Scotland to Mary’s early years in France under the watchful eyes of her powerful Guise uncles and her headstrong mother-in-law, Catherine de’ Medici, Mary outshines her perpetually sickly and sniveling French husband and stakes a claim for the English throne. All before the age of seventeen.

Dear Listener, we present you with a special episode about a tale of morality, power and petty letters to old lovers who have vexed us.

In this relaxed episode Rachel and Kat discuss one of their favorite fantasy series and the nuanced women (and men) that make up the world of The Witcher.

Jeanne refused . . . that is all.

We’ve discussed the French Wars of religion through Catherine de Medici’s own story and that of the Catholics. Now let’s flip it and reverse it, taking a look at the conflict through Jeanne d’Albret Queen of Navarre’s eyes and the side of the Protestants.

Trust us, you won’t be disappointed! From an 11-year-old bride kicking and screaming down the aisle to the obstinate Queen of Navarre with an alliance and marriage offer for her son that sounds a little too good to be true. And through it all Jeanne refused to be anything other than the headstrong political leader of the Huguenots.

It is said that Catherine de’ Medici had dreams that came true and there was one in particular that haunted her throughout her family’s reign over the French Kingdom. In the final episode of our four-part series, Rachel and Kat discuss the fall of the Valois dynasty, thus fulfilling the prophetic dream Catherine fought so hard to prevent.

But before the fall, we have more family drama, more awkward carriage rides following failed attempted coups and more people ignoring warnings about attempted assassinations. *Spoiler alert: everyone dies in the end (sort of)* But the legacy of Catherine de’ Medici survives and history remembers her as being one of the most complex and complicated female leaders to have ever existed. Some of her legacy is good; a lot of it is bad; but none of it is boring.

Every villain has an origin story and this is where the Wicked and Evil Italian Queen is made:

Catherine de Medici’s evolution from powerless pawn and scorned wife to master manipulator and Regent of France beside her son, King Charles, has been rife with religious unrest. The French Wars of Religion between the Catholics and the Huguenots has ramped up and, even with a union of Protestant and Catholic royalty on the horizon, Catherine’s own precarious strategizing will inevitably be her downfall and spark the flames that will forever tarnish Catherine’s good name.

Warning: this episode gets dark and terrible and, while we don’t go into specific detail, we recommend you have a happy song/movie/podcast queued up and ready to go for after you’ve listened to Part III of Catherine de Medici. Rachel and I suggest the movie, Anastasia.

The saga of Catherine de Medici continues with the death of Francis I and the ascension of Henry II and Catherine to King and Queen of France. Sidelined once again while her husband’s focus remained on his mistress, Diane de Poitier and the overly ambitious Guise family her father-in-law warned him about, Catherine could do little but sit quietly and bide her time. After a series of unfortunate events and more of Henry ignoring the sage advice of those around him, Catherine was left widowed and fighting to defend the legacy of her children.

Join us as we track Catherine de Medici’s evolution from powerless pawn and scorned wife to master manipulator. We also discuss the epic prophetic death of Henry II (yes, it really happened!), tease the origins of Mary, Queen of Scots, and lay the ground work for the French Wars of Religion to come.

Orphaned at just 21 days old, Catherine de Medici’s early life was every bit the storybook damsel tale. As the pawn of a wealthy Italian merchant family, she set off from Italy to marry her young husband, the future King Henry II of France. This strictly political match was intended to tie the Papacy in Rome and the wealth of the Medici family to the noble blood of France. But, thanks to a series of unfortunate events, Catherine suddenly found herself penniless and friendless in a foreign court. The origin story of France’s most cunning Renaissance Queen has it all: tragic childhoods, obnoxious French names, outrageous pageantry, uncomfortable mistress drama and a duck measuring contest of epic proportions.

In this relaxed episode we drink champagne, eat Dill Pickle Kettle Chips and chat about our love for Dune and a new dawn of fantasy and sci-fi in film and television. Come get nerdy with us in the new year. We may just throw in some Therapy Treehouse sessions in for you free of charge as well!

In the 3rd century BCE, aggressive expansionism is the game. Rome defeats Carthage in the First Punic War, the Gauls are pushing further into new territories while actively avoiding the Greeks and the Ardiaei of Illyria are at the height of their power under the rule of their king, Agron.
When King Agron dies, his wife Teuta picks up the mantel of her late husband’s expansionism. While her naval forces push to unify the Illyrian tribes along the Adriatic’s eastern coast, Illyrian pirates – well-known and feared for their plundering of merchant ships – are encouraged by their queen regent to antagonize Mediterranean trade routes.
Illyrian pirating soon garners the unwanted attention of the growing Roman Republic. After much merchant whining, Rome sends an envoy to warn against any continuation of Teuta’s disruptive naval campaigns and Illyrian piracy within Roman trade routes. Teuta, in a display of cautious diplomacy, replies “she would see to it that Rome suffered no public wrong from Illyria, but that, as for private wrongs, it was contrary to the custom of the Illyrian kings to hinder their subjects from winning booty from the sea”, thus beginning the First Illyrian War with Rome.

Continuing with our theme of pirate queens, we take you back to the early 16th century in Northern Africa where we take a closer look at the life and reign of Sayyida al Hurra, the last woman in Islamic history to hold the title al-Hurra or Queen.

After fleeing the Reconquista in Spain, Sayyida’s family would settle in Northern Africa as refugees. As they worked to unite their fellow refugees to create a unified Morocco, an informal navy of privateers assembled to serve up revenge against the Spanish and Portuguese forces that drove them out of their homeland. And Sayyida al-Hurra is the driving force behind this battle for control over Morocco and the Strait of Gebraltar.

Ching Shih, who lived and pillaged in the China Sea during the Qing Dynasty, has been called the most successful pirate in history (No, seriously! Google it!).

A former prostitute from a floating brothel in the city of Canton, Ching Shih wed Cheng I, a fearsome pirate by family trade, and together they worked to unify the pirate bands against the Chinese and Portuguese Navy. At the height of her pirating days, Ching Shih commanded over 1,800 pirate ships, and an estimated 80,000 men – more than the famed Blackbeard within the same century.

Embarrassing defeats for the Chinese Naval Armada, awkward possible ménage à trois with husband and kidnapped/adopted son, and one badass shrewd woman at the helm . . . this episode has it all!

In a very special spooooky 2-for-1 Samhain episode, Rachel and Kat – along with a special guest – introduce two of history’s deadliest poisoners.
Operating in the 17th century, Guilia Tofana and La Voisin had the men of Italy and France glancing over their shoulders and terrified of their soup (and the perfume!). Whether it was offering disenfranchised women an escape from their abusive marriages or providing noblewomen alternative means to secure an inheritance, both women created an elaborate underground network that involved the mass production and distribution of poisons.

Also in this episode: we’ll teach you how to sniff out poison-laced cosmetics (Just kidding! They are odorless!), mourn convincingly when your husband dies of a “mysterious illness” and maybe even bewitch a King of France.

**Disclaimer: This episode gets a little dark during the La Voisin episode and makes mention of infant mortality.**

If ever there was a woman you did NOT want to mess with during the Medieval Ages, it was Olga of Kiev.

Venerated as a saint within the Russian Orthodox Church and recalled as a vengeful and deadly Viking Princess by ancient Russian and Slavic chroniclers, the story of Olga has perplexed historians for over 1000 years. Was she a sinner or a saint? A clever strategist amidst the chessboard of Kievan Rus politics or a blood thirsty heathen without scruples, hellbent on avenging her brutally murdered husband?

Hint: she was both. Olga of Kiev was not the sort of woman to be underestimated. And for the love of whatever gods you hold dear, do NOT ask for her hand in marriage. Or you’re going to have a bad time.

**No sparrows or pigeons were harmed in the recording of this podcast.**

Aries chaos faces off against Virgo scrupulousness in this “relaxed” episode.

Rachel and Kat discuss their favorite goddesses from around the world and the nuance of female gods that are paradoxically nurturing and life giving one moment and then destructive and vengeful the next.

Stay tuned for bloopers because recording a podcast with five cats is nothing but blue skies and smooth sailing . . . said no one ever!

The middle of the third century saw unrest and upheaval across the board in the known world – long established empires dwindled into dust and the Roman Empire itself nearly suffered the same fate during a time aptly named the Crisis of the Third Century.
Enter Zenobia: clever, opportunistic and proud, Zenobia capitalized on a Rome distracted by invasions from Germanic tribes and deadly infighting. She’ll end up accomplishing what no other woman was able to do before or after; Zenobia will rule one-third of the Roman Empire independent of any male lovers or consort . . . at least for a time.

In this episode we also talk about birthdays, taxidermied emperors, fast and the furious [baby] camels and our go-to comfort activities.

Rachel and Kat discuss their personal religious views and upbringing in a segment that didn’t quite make the final cut for the Joan of Arc episodes. Full length episodes will resume in two weeks!

In the early 1st Century, Rome was at the height of its power stretching its greedy, egotistical tendrils across the English Channel to subjugate the local tribes of ancient Britain before absorbing them into the Empire. That is, until Rome met Boudica. Following the brutal treatment of her daughters, Boudica rallied the local tribes of Britain against their would-be oppressors. Her challenge was simple: reclaim Britain from Rome, or die trying.

Mother. Queen. Vigilante. Freedom Fighter. Renegade. Boudica’s story, like so many women’s stories from history, comes to us from the minds and pens of her enemies. We do our best to sift through the stories to try and decipher fact from fiction.

Also in this episode: Kat and Rachel ponder the roles they would occupy in ancient and medieval society, Kat gets angry at the audacity of misogynistic Roman scholars and . . . we have more maps!

*If you would like to skip the discussion involving the sexual assault of Boudica’s daughters the time stamp in the episode 35:45 - 37:00.

In the early 1st Century on the Eastern side of the known world, the Han Dynasty faced resistance unlike anything they had ever experienced before. At the head of that resistance were sisters Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị.

Following the unlawful murder of her husband, Trưng Trắc found herself leading the first Vietnamese uprising against the Chinese Han Dynasty. Although the rebellion itself would only last for three years, the Trưng sisters would go on to serve as an inspiration for resistance against oppression in Vietnam for the next two thousand years.

Like any good story, this one is full of origin stories involving dragon lords, mustache twirling villains, cults, rain maidens and more badass women giving birth amidst a song of blood and steel.

Stick around for our random question segment to uncover the spell components needed to summon a Kat or a Rachel and, of course, no Difficult Damsel episode would be complete without Therapy Treehouse sessions!

It’s time for our very first Reversal!

In our inaugural Reverse Damsel, Kat and Rachel delve into the convoluted story of the legendary 16th Century Pirate Queen of Ireland you’ve never heard of.

This prominent figure in Irish folklore was a very real mariner airbrushed from history by jealous and petty men who could not cut her out in life, so they cut her out of history.
But who is Grace O’Malley? Find out in this week’s episode where we bring you coasts of castles, traditional Irish pastimes, opportunistic piracy, shipwrecked lovers, the Dark Lady of Doona, a baby in one hand and a musket in the other and so much more . . . including Kat’s very own Stephen-of-Blah-type-a**hole to loathe entirely!

Plus, stick around to learn more about your hosts’ family names, crests and mottos.

Cleopatra has been dubbed the wickedest woman in all of world history, in large part because she dared to view herself an equal among the powerful men of her age (the audacity!). But she was so much more than that. Queen. Mother. Scholar. Lover. High Priestess. Alchemist. Goddess. Cleopatra’s legacy was of her own making and she proved defiant to the very end.
In the epic conclusion to our accidental four part series, we talk about the disastrous Battle of Actium, Mark Antony’s spectacular failure as a man and Cleopatra’s final stand against Rome.

Also in this episode: Kat’s zoo, new tattoos, foot fetishes and the Drama Queen of Ancient Rome: Mark Antony.

Stick around until the end to hear bloopers from our hectic intro and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

Continuing our epic saga, Rachel and Kat delve into one of history’s most famous romances. Cleopatra finds a new Roman ally after the death of Julius Caesar in the form of drunken party boy Mark Antony (aka the “New Dionysus”). If our fickle history uncles are to be believed, Cleopatra bamboozled poor, unsuspecting Mark Antony through passion, witchery and those damned feminine wiles. It has absolutely nothing to do with all that difficult damsel energy bruising fragile Roman male egos. Octavion, adopted son and heir of the late Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony have absolutely no trouble coexisting whatsoever. Not at all. Seriously. No problem! They do not bring yet another Roman civil war to Alexandria’s shores thrusting Cleopatra into more Roman drama . . . Did we mention there’ll be a Part 4?

In this episode, we also bring you more therapy treehouse sessions. Are you just existing? Or are you living life? We hope it’s the latter.

Following the victory of the Battle of Alexandria, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar enter into one of the most famous historical romances of all time. In addition to pleasure barges and goddess statues, there are ostentatious street parties and pretentious dinner parties. Julius Caesar also gets all stabby-stabbed and Cleopatra makes an enemy of Cicero after promising to give him a cool book and then deciding . . . lol just kidding.
Somewhere along the way, history forgot that Cleopatra was also a diligent workaholic and more than competent ruler (thanks history uncles!). But we didn’t! Join us for part 2 of our 3-part series on Egypt’s most infamous Queen. We have leopards and giraffes and jars of the Nile river, oh my!

Cleopatra may possibly be the most notorious woman in all of World History. But is that notoriety fair or was it the result of our favorite crazy history uncles’ misogyny? Hint: it was misogyny. In part 1 we discuss Cleopatra’s eventful childhood and the early years of her reign, concluding with the arrival of Julius Caesar and the end Alexandrian Civil War. This episode has it all. Incest, beheadings, sibling rivalries and more stabby-stabby fun times. Also, there there are girls rolling out of rugs and scrolls set on fire. Just stay away from the Library of Alexandria, Caesar! Is that so much to ask!?