I was watching the open ceremonies for the Olympic games this past week and was introduced to an amazing woman. Agnes Keleti is the oldest living Olympic champion and turned 100 years old this year. She was a 10 times Olympic medalist and five of those were gold. She lived through a lot of difficulties during her life, but in the end she came out on top. I find her to be very impressive and I wanted to highlight her here.
Keleti was born on January 9, 1921 in Budapest Hungary. At age 16, she won the National Gymnastics Championships and was on the fast track for the 1940 Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, these games were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II. Keleti has more pressing worries though than just missing her chance at the Olympics. She was Jewish and her country was now under Nazi occupation. In order to survive, she took the identity of a Christian girl (using false paperwork). She refused to wear the gold star that was required by the Nazi’s to identify those with Jewish heritage. She managed to escape with the use of the false documentation and found safety in a remote village where she worked as a maid. Fortunately, she survived (her mother and sister did as well by going into hiding separately). Many of her family members (including her father) were not as lucky and lost their lives after being sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. I cannot imagine how terrifying this would have been and how brave she was to take these risks in order to survive.
At 27, Keleti prepared to compete at the London 1948 Olympic games, but was injured and was unable to compete that year. It was not until she was 31 that she finally got her chance at the 1952 Helsinki games. At 31, she would have been one of the oldest gymnasts. Gymnastics is a sport where it is more difficult to compete in the elite level as one ages. The average age of the athletes at the time was 23 years old (today the average is 19 years old). Despite this “disadvantage,” she won 4 medals (including one gold in the floor exercise). Yet, Keleti was not finished.
At age 35, she competed at the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne. By the end, she was the most successful athlete of those games. She won six medals in total with four of these being gold. She won gold in the floor, bars and balance beam individual events and placed second in the all around competition. At the time, she was the most decorated athlete. During these games, the Soviet Union invaded Hungary (her home country) and she had to seek political asylum in Australia. She remained there the rest of the year and helped coach Australian gymnastics.
In 1957, she moved to Israel. She did not return to Hungary until 2015. In Israel, she married and had two children. She worked as a physical education teacher and helped coach and advise Israel’s national gymnastics team until the 1990s. Besides her Olympic accomplishments, she won the national championships nine times more before retiring in 1956. In 1954, she became world champion in uneven bar. She has been inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Hungarian Sports Hall of Fame, the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Keleti’s life has been incredible and she is such an amazing woman. She has shown her strength and perseverance as she lived through much hardship, but still managed to accomplish her goals. She is still finding the joys in life at 100 years old.
Empress Zenobia is an example of a strong and ambitious woman of the ancient world. Unfortunately, not many sources survive to tell her story. Zenobia ruled the city-state of Palmyra from around 267 AD to 272 AD and, after leading a rebellion, she united much of the Eastern portion of the Roman empire under her banner. Though she was defeated in the end, her legacy lives on throughout history and she is viewed as an iconic leader.
The city of Palmyra was a trade center. It was located in modern day Syria and benefitted from the use of the silk road. The land surrounding the city was also fertile and good for farming. Many different cultures and ethnicities settled in Palmyra which created a melting pot of languages, traditions, and religions. The city became very wealthy from the silk road trade, tradesmen who ran businesses there, and from agricultural production. Most of the wealth was made through taxes and tariffs on those who traded within the walls. In 64 B.C.E., Palmyra was conquered by Rome and became a Roman city state. This left the city in a very privileged position within the empire. They were left mostly independent and profited off exclusive trade with Rome. A Roman garrison was located in the city which boosted its popularity and brought more traffic to spend cash at local businesses.
Zenobia was likely born in the 240s CE to a wealthy and powerful family. She claimed she was a descendant of Cleopatra and the Ptolemy dynasty of ancient Egypt. At a young age, she married the King of Palmyra, Septimius Odenathus. Being born in a privileged position, Zenobia was well educated. She was fluent in at least three languages (Palmyrene, Greek and Egyptian) and had a grasp on politics. King Odenathus became King of one of the most powerful cities in the Eastern Empire. Rome relied on these border groups and city-state allies to protect them from outside invaders ( at this time, the Persians). Rome was have problems by the 250s/260s CE. Rome had trouble holding together their Eastern borders as their enemies began to pick at their territory. It was the same at the Northern border as well. This was part of the difficulty of maintaining such a large empire and why key allies were important. In 260 CE, Emperor Valerion was captured by the Persians which was a huge blow to the empire. As a result, many terrirotirs found an opportunity to rebel and finally break away from Rome. Confidence in the Empire began to dwindle. King Odenathus proved his loyalty and united some of the smaller groups to support the new Roman emperor and defeat the Persians. This approach was successful and Palmyra was viewed as a loyal province.
In 267 CE, Odenathus was assassinated along with his eldest son from his first marriage. The reason for this has been lost to history. Some suspect that Zenobia may have had cause (with the death of her husband and his eldest son, then her own son would be next in line), but Odenathus likely made many enemies with his support of Rome and the new emperor. After the sudden death of her husband, Zenobia acted quickly. This was key to prevent a sudden power vacuum. She quickly brought the assassins to trial and then execution. Her son, Vaballathus, was then set up as King. Since he was a minor, Zenobia ruled in his stead as regent. It seemed the popular support was there for Zenobia to become Empress. It is clear that she was ambitious (especially with her later rebellion against Rome). She also likely had a lot of influence during her husband’s rule and definitely learned much about governing Palmyra. She was to become Empress during Palmyra’s prime years.
From what is known of Zenobia, she was a very capable leader. One of her most famous achievements is creating a larger empire independent from Rome. She was in charge of a large and strong army and had the wealth to back them up. She was very involved with her generals and they were one of her most important counselors. Apparently, she may even had drank, socialized, and rode with them for battle and training. Beginning in 270 CE, Zenobia and her armies (led often by her general Zabdus) invaded some of the most prosperous Eastern provinces. She controlled Arabia, Judea, and Syria. One of her biggest wins was the conquering of Egypt, where her army of 70,000 defeated 50,000 Roman soldiers. Alexandria was now part of her empire. By 271, Zenobia controlled an empire that stretched from Libiya/Sudan to northern Turkey. Yet, Zenobia was very successful at ruling such a large empire and mix of people.
As stated earlier, Palymyra had always been a melting pot of various languages and cultures. She worked to understand and appease different groups of people within her empire. She successfully was able to intigrate herself into the different religious groups, political groups, and ethnic groups. She also portrayed herself in different ways depending on what groups held sway. Sometimes she may be portrayed as a Syrian monarch, or a Roman empress, or a Hellenistic Queen. She also created images that associated herself with her alleged ancestor, Cleopatra. Zenobia was also very interested in education and the continuation of learning. She gathered many intellectuals to her court and surrounded herself with new ideas and differing perspectives.
Due to the lack of sources, it is difficult to know exactly why Zenobia turned against Rome. There are some theories, but we may never know for sure. One theory posed by historians is that she wanted to prevent universal domination of Rome, but there is no evidence to back this up. She could have been looking to protect the commercial interests of Palmyra due to the instability of Rome and its northern borders. Another reason would be for independence from Rome. Palmyra was strong enough and in a good position to leave and form their own empire. I believe it is likely that latter reason for her break from the Roman empire. I think she likely realized that they could be independent and did not need to rely on another for protection. They did not need to share their wealth with another. There were probably many other reasons that were lost to history.
With great power comes those who wish to take it from you (or in this case, take it back). Naturally, Rome was not happy with what was going on in their former Eastern Empire. They had lost control over some of their wealthiest provinces and their former city-state ally was now their enemy. The new emperor, Aurelian, was not going to let this stand. Emperor Aurelian gathered his troops to start an invasion in the year 272. The Romans quickly took back many of the provinces that had been lost as Zenobia quickly began to gather her troops towards her to focus on Egypt and Syria (where Palmyra was located). At Antioch, Zenobia and Aurelian met to commence the Battle of Immae. This ended in Zenobia’s defeat where she fled to Emesa. To keep her image strong and, likely, to boost moral, she began to spread the rumor that they had captured Aurelian.
Aurelian quickly caught up to her and they fought again at the Battle of Emesa. This was a close battle as the Palmyrene heavy cavalry forced the Roman cavalry into a defeat. High on the feeling of victory, the Palmyrene’s chased after the Romans and broke formation only to fall into their trap as the Roman infantry was waiting for them. They were slaughtered. Zenobia and what remained of her army had to retreat back to Palmyra in order to regroup. Naturally, the Romans followed and laid siege to the city. In the end, Zenobia and her son were captured and transported to Rome where they were paraded through the streets in humiliation. It is not known what became of Zenobia and her son after this. There has been some theories that she was forced into a retirement and lived her life in a comfortable villa, but the most likely ending is that she was executed.
Palmyra’s citizens did attempt to revolt again after coming back under Roman rule, but it was never successful again. Aurelian made sure that its citizens were forever put back in submission. He destroyed much of the city, looted its temples, and even murdered its residents. Rome would rebuild Palmyra to its own standards.
Despite the unfortunate ending to Zenobia’s career, she has had a long lasting legacy to the modern era. She has become an icon of Syrian nationalism and is on one of their bank notes today. She is remembered as a brave, strong, and virtuous queen She is remembered for her enthusiasm and ambition. She is remembered for fighting for independence and standing up to a goliath of the ancient world. She is also an example of a strong woman in a time when this was not necessarily the norm. She proved to be a strong and intelligent ruler in her own right. I found her acceptance and willing to adapt to many different cultural groups as very impressive and forward thinking. She did not try to change their ways, but tried to work with them to create a more united empire.
Palmyra and Its Empire: Zenobia’s Revolt against Rome by Richard Stoneman
I started to learn Japanese a couple months ago. It has always been something I wanted to do, but I had never really had the motivation until now. I have always wanted to travel to Japan and that is one of my main goals in studying the language (it is also something to look forward too once the COVID pandemic has died down). I believe it is really important to learn at least some parts of the language and culture of the place you want to travel to. It will enrich the overall experience.
One important part of studying Japanese is familiarizing oneself with the writing system. A combination of three different systems are used: hiragana, katakana and kanji. I wanted to know more about why three systems were used, so I began to research. To my surprise, I actually discovered a very interesting piece of women’s history.
While doing research for my series on the suffragist movement in the United States, I came across a very interesting trend that was briefly popular during the mid-19th century. Elizabeth Smith Miller debuted the “Bloomer” costume in 1851 . Miller was working in her garden and became irritated when her long and heavy skirts got in the way of her work. As she was now thoroughly fed up, she decided to take a pair of scissors and cut the skirt to a shorter version. Underneath the skirt, she would wear a wide pair of trousers which allowed her more comfort and freedom to complete her tasks. This outfit soon became a hit among the early feminists in the budding suffragist/women’s right movement. This new fashion trend pushed the boundaries of the feminine norms of society (despite being short lived) and it is easy to see why it became popular with suffragists. The Bloomer walked so future fashion trends of the 20th century could run. I really have never looked deeply into fashion history before, but it is fascinating how through this mode of art/expression women were able to convey what they wanted and resisted against societal norms.
The turn of the century brought about a new era of suffragists. The previous generation attempted to fight for their suffrage rights while still trying to fit into the roles that society made for them. They wanted to fight for progress, but also could not afford to stand out in ways that may look badly on the cause as they would lose support. For this reason, the old generation of suffragists did not encourage street speaking, marches, or acts of civil disobedience. Victoria Woodhull (a woman who I profiled two years ago: historynavigator.org/2018/06/18/victoria-woodhull-first-female-presidential-candidate-and-activist/ ) was a woman ahead of her time and was a very popular figure. She was bold and headstrong. She even announced her candidacy for president in 1870 (prior to women receiving the vote!). Woodhull was a divorcee and lectured about women’s rights and their sexual freedom. It was the free love portion and her spiritualism beliefs that cause the suffragists to want to disassociate from Woodhull’s brand. They knew that this would be a discouragement to any politician who may have sided with their cause. Society was not ready to accept women’s suffrage AND their sexual freedom. Just like with the temperance movement, the women of the older generation were still very concerned with appearances despite their activism.
Yet, in the wake of the 20th century, the world was changing. In Great Britain, the “suffragettes” were making loud scenes to get what they wanted. The suffragettes held parades, gave speeches, performed skits, participated in hunger strikes , and , sometimes, even performed acts of violence. American suffragists, like Harriot Stanton Blatch (daughter of Cady Stanton) , traveled to Great Britain and were influenced by what they saw there.
Last week, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in America. It is an amazing milestone to hit and to honor, but, on the other hand, it is shocking to think that the female citizens of this country have only had the right to vote for one hundred years. There are so many stories, people, and events that went into the long fight for the 19th Amendment, but in these next two posts I have compiled the events and stories that I feel were most important and encapsulated the movement.
Seneca Falls Convention, July 1848
The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 sparked the women’s suffrage movement in America. The event was organized by five women: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary M’Clintock, Martha Coffin Wright, and Jane Hunt. It took place in the small town of Seneca Falls, New York. This convention was an early introductions, worldwide, of the concept of women’s suffrage. But how did this convention suddenly come about?
The abolition of slavery was one of the first political movements that women participated in and were able to exercise political agency. Beginning in the 1830s, American women were speaking out against slavery in public lectures. A woman’s role, during this period, was to be stowed away in the “private sphere”. They were to be dutiful wives and take care of the children. Being regulated to the household, women never had a chance to reach out further and participate in the public sphere. They were barred from taking an active role in politics. To society, their opinions were unimportant. After a woman married (which was expected of them) they would lose any few freedoms they had and were dependent on their husbands. Married women had virtually no property or financial rights and the option of divorce was near impossible. The ideal “True Womanhood” of the period was a wife/mother who was pious and submissive. By the eyes of the law, women were dependents rather than a true citizen.
August 2020 marks 100 years since the 19th Amendment was passed. This amendment provided women with the right to vote in the United States. It is hard to believe that it was not until 1920 that the female citizens of America received a right that should have been automatic as a citizen of the country. This right is often taken for granted today and it can be difficult to imagine a time when a woman would actually be arrested for voting in an election! It is important to remember this anniversary and to remember how hard the women who came before us fought. They fought so we could participate in government and in the decision making of this country. It is critical that we exercise this right every opportunity we have. During August (and likely the months beyond), I would like to highlight some of the tactics the suffragettes used to have their voice heard, famous standouts, and highlight how much hard work was put into the movement.
Throughout history, morality laws have been used by empires to place restrictions on society in order to create a specific image and enforce power. Many times, these laws would especially affect a specific group within the population. The post this month will compare two different ancient cultures and reveal how ancient morality laws were used to place controls on women. It will explore how these restrictions were to help create the ideal society that the leaders envisioned. In the process, some amazing heroines, The Trung sisters of Vietnam, will be highlighted. Even in the current era, morality laws can still be found. In the past decade there have been many debates which affect marriage rights, healthcare, and the choices of particular groups in our society. Many of the ancient laws that are discussed here will seem outdated, but it is interesting to compare to the discussions happening in our world today.
In this post I want to bring attention to the Christmas Eve Italian Hall Disaster. This event is a forgotten piece of history to those outside of the local area. This story takes place in the early 1900s during a time where big corporations were booming and there were essentially no restrictions on how an employer could choose to treat their work force. It begins with local workers who became fed up with the way they were being treated and realized that they should be worth more to their employers. With great sacrifice to many union families, a strike begins. Unfortunately, it will end in a Christmas tragedy, but there will be a legacy that these families left behind. It should not be forgotten.
“The female sex has been left defenseless for a long time now, like an orchard without a wall and bereft of a champion to take up arms in order to protect it…”
–The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan, 1405
Feminism in the 15th century? This is considered a rare concept during the medieval period. This was an era of serfs/lords, arranged marriages, and a time when women were viewed as little more than property. This period lacked champions to stand up to the patriarchy that dominated society. Well, such a champion did exist, though many may not have been familiar with her. She is considered France’s (even Europe’s) first profession female writer and was popular internationally. Her name was Christine de Pizan.
Christine is considered one of the first feminist figures as, through her work, she directly addresses many of the injustices her sex had been subjected to. She calls out the injustice of their treatment in a very progressive manner. This is evident in two of her most famous books, The Book of the City of Ladies and The Book of the Three Virtues. Christine’s version of feminism in the 15th century is still not like it is today (as she was still a woman of her time), but it was extremely radical for the period she lived through. I first learned about this amazing woman in an art history course in college and she has been a figure that I have wanted to highlight for a long time now. Continue reading “The Creation of a City of Ladies: Christine de Pizan and her Legacy”→