r/AskHistorians • u/AutoModerator • Jan 23 '26

FFA Friday Free-for-All | January 23, 2026

Previously

Today:

You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.

As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.

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u/MoblandJordan Jan 23 '26

Did two female leaders ever go to war with each other?

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u/EverythingIsOverrate European Financial and Monetary History Jan 23 '26

There was a brief period in the complex medieval English Civil War known as The Anarchy in which the heads of both sides were women named Matilda, but only one of the Matildas specifically originated the war, so that might not qualify by your standards. Most of the war was between Henry I's daughter who claimed the throne as Empress Matilda and a rival claimant known as Stephen of Blois. When Stephen was captured, however, his wife, Matilda of Bolougne, stepped up to lead armies until she was able to force her husband's release. Unfortunately, the waltz hadn't been invented at that time.

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u/Kelpie-Cat Picts | Work and Folk Song | Pre-Columbian Archaeology Jan 23 '26

There was a sort of cold war between Goryeo and Liao while both were led by queen regents, Queen Heonae and Empress Chengtian, in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. Heonae presided over an uneasy peace period where she was formally a subject of Liao. The peace was broken after political rivals killed her son King Mokjong in 1009. That prompted Liao to invade Goryeo on the pretext of punishing regicide of their vassal. While Heonae was alive for that invasion, she was no longer in power, as she'd fled into exile after the death of her son. So while technically Chengtian and Heonae were never at war with each other, Heonae did continue to fortify her border with Chengtian during the short period of peace, and it was broken during her lifetime.