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Heroines of History
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
542 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1851
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About the author
John Stilwell Jenkins
68 books3 followersJohn Stilwell Jenkins (1818-1852) was a historical writer and editor of Cayuga Times.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 20, 2014
The Heroines of History is a collection of short biographies depicting prominent female historical figures: Marie Antoinette, Catherine II of Russia, Elizabeth I of England (here "Elizabeth of England", as the book predates Elizabeth II), Isabella of Castile, Joan of Arc, Maria Theresa, Mary of Scotland, Cleopatra, Madame Roland, and Josephine Bonaparte. It is nominally authored by John S. Jenkins, though he died before completing the work and it was finished according to his wishes and instructions.
I picked up the Librivox recording because I'd just been going through some history-related podcasts and had become interested in the stories of some of these ladies. It was also something that broke up conveniently into small segments to be listened to while I worked. Although some of the biographies are read by more than one person, most are presented by a single reader, which enhances the feeling of reading a small collection rather than a single volume.
It was an interesting read, but I would hesitate to recommend it as an actual source of reliable information as opposed to reading for entertainment. There is a heavy bias in most sections, sometimes for and sometimes against the subject, that troubles me somewhat. Perhaps Marie Antoinette really was that innocent and Catherine the Great really was that horrible, but it's one thing to imply that through presentation of facts and another to explicitly tell your audience how these women should be perceived. For example, Isabella of Castile is given a free pass on the Spanish Inquisition because: "Had [she] been left to her own judgement, she would have used milder means to root out heresy from her kingdom; but actuated by her early teachers, who impressed her with the duty of thorough action and influenced by her confessor Talevera, she countenanced the proceedings of the Spanish Inquisition." It isn't her fault, she's a good girl, really; it was the Catholic Church that made her go against her own sweet nature! The horror of the Inquisition, the conquest of the Muslims, and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain is not softened, but Isabella is excused from personal responsibility for any of it and the Church blamed for influencing her to ignore her conscience on the subject of religious tolerance at every turn. By contrast, we are assured many times over that Elizabeth of England was a selfish tyrannical capricious coquette who actually contributed nothing to the age that bears her name, but the major evidence of her self-centeredness and the ways in which England's golden age was brought about by other people than its reigning monarch is considered too well-known to bother presenting it. When I say the bias is easy to detect, I mean it kind of smacks you upside the head and refuses not to be detected.
I suspect that one would be better off to find other full-length works dealing with the specific women in whom one is interested, if one is concerned with neutral and objective reporting. If one is looking for public-domain true-ish stories of politics and intrigue, though, this may be worth picking up. The bias is generally easy to detect, making it also easy to compensate for, and of course one can always use it as a jumping-off point for further reading. Four stars for being entertaining, but my rating gets knocked down because it's more skewed to entertainment and less skewed toward actually imparting factual information than a work like this should be.
I picked up the Librivox recording because I'd just been going through some history-related podcasts and had become interested in the stories of some of these ladies. It was also something that broke up conveniently into small segments to be listened to while I worked. Although some of the biographies are read by more than one person, most are presented by a single reader, which enhances the feeling of reading a small collection rather than a single volume.
It was an interesting read, but I would hesitate to recommend it as an actual source of reliable information as opposed to reading for entertainment. There is a heavy bias in most sections, sometimes for and sometimes against the subject, that troubles me somewhat. Perhaps Marie Antoinette really was that innocent and Catherine the Great really was that horrible, but it's one thing to imply that through presentation of facts and another to explicitly tell your audience how these women should be perceived. For example, Isabella of Castile is given a free pass on the Spanish Inquisition because: "Had [she] been left to her own judgement, she would have used milder means to root out heresy from her kingdom; but actuated by her early teachers, who impressed her with the duty of thorough action and influenced by her confessor Talevera, she countenanced the proceedings of the Spanish Inquisition." It isn't her fault, she's a good girl, really; it was the Catholic Church that made her go against her own sweet nature! The horror of the Inquisition, the conquest of the Muslims, and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain is not softened, but Isabella is excused from personal responsibility for any of it and the Church blamed for influencing her to ignore her conscience on the subject of religious tolerance at every turn. By contrast, we are assured many times over that Elizabeth of England was a selfish tyrannical capricious coquette who actually contributed nothing to the age that bears her name, but the major evidence of her self-centeredness and the ways in which England's golden age was brought about by other people than its reigning monarch is considered too well-known to bother presenting it. When I say the bias is easy to detect, I mean it kind of smacks you upside the head and refuses not to be detected.
I suspect that one would be better off to find other full-length works dealing with the specific women in whom one is interested, if one is concerned with neutral and objective reporting. If one is looking for public-domain true-ish stories of politics and intrigue, though, this may be worth picking up. The bias is generally easy to detect, making it also easy to compensate for, and of course one can always use it as a jumping-off point for further reading. Four stars for being entertaining, but my rating gets knocked down because it's more skewed to entertainment and less skewed toward actually imparting factual information than a work like this should be.
March 23, 2022
Книгата "The Heroines of History" представя живота и делото на 10 жени, оставили своя отпечатък в световната история. Написана с изключителна ерудираност, книгата заслужава 5 звезди, но авторът показва явни пристрастия или неприязън към някои от жените, което не съответства на претенциите и жанра, заради което доста се колебаех колко звезди да дам.
1.Клеопатра - фараон на Египет, управлява с твърда ръка и отстранява безпощадно всичките си противници включително някои от братята и сестрите си. Занимава се с математика, химия, търговско дело, владее 7 езика, считана за една от най-умните и красиви жени в историята. Малко известен факт е, че Клеопатра почти успява да стане владетелка на Рим, превръщайки се и в практически владетел на света.
2.Изабел Кастилска - кралица на Кастилия, противоречива личност, фанатизирана католичка, дала началото на Испанската инквизиция. Тя завършва Реконкистата. Дава началото на обединението на Испания. Но без съмнение най-великото нейно постижение като владетелка е субсидирането на експедицията на Христофор Колумб за откриването на Америка, с което превръща Испания в империя.
3.Жана д'Арк е предводителка на френската армия през част от Стогодишната война. Тя печели няколко важни битки, сред които тази при Орлеан, с което напълно обръща хода на войната в полза на Франция. При обсадата на Компиен е пленена, продадена на англичаните и изгорена на клада. Жана д'Арк е пълководец с несравними лидерски качества и военни умения, оправдана посмъртно и канонизирана от римокатолическата църква.
4.Мария Тереза - ерцхерцогиня на Австрия, кралица на Унгария и Чехия, тя наследява по-скоро малки феодални държави, които успява да обедини и централизира. Премахва крепостничеството, инквизицията, отделя църквата от образованието, основава болница за лечение на едра шарка. Всичко това Мария Тереза постига докато е бременна почти през цялото време. Тя има 16 деца, за които се грижи да получат отлично образование.
5.Жозефин - съпруга на Наполеон и императрица на Франция, обичана от всички, за нея казват, че докато Наполеон завладява градове, тя завладява сърцата на хората.
6.Елизабет - кралица на Англия и Ирландия, периодът на царуването ѝ е известен с процъфтяване на английската култура и изкуство и с превръщането на Англия в една от най-големите морски сили. По отношение на войните Елизабет води отбранителна политика. Един от най-големите успехи на управлението ѝ е победата над Непобедимата армада на Испания.
7.Мария Стюарт - кралица на Шотландия, обезглавена от Елизабет заради претенциите ѝ за английския престол.
8.Екатерина Велика - императрица на Русия, авторът показва явна неприязън към нея, като дори отказва да я нарича Велика. Тя разширява границите на империята значително и превръща Русия в една от водещите сили в Европа. Под нейно управление настъпва разцвет на културата. Екатерина Велика отваря училища и болници, като прави един от своите приоритети образованието на жените.
9.Мария Антоанета - кралица на Франция по брак и ерцхерцогиня на Австрия по наследство, дъщеря на Мария Тереза. Мария Антоанета е известна със своята екстравагантност и разточителност, но и с благотворителност, добър характер и интелект. Гилотинирана през Френската революция, тя е на неподходящото място в неподходящото време и се оказва невинна жертва на гнева на френския народ към монархията.
10.Мадам Роланд - писателка и една от най-влиятелните политически личности на своето време, омайващ оратор, впечатляващ всички с интелекта и красотата си, мадам Роланд е гилотинирана през Френската революция.
1.Клеопатра - фараон на Египет, управлява с твърда ръка и отстранява безпощадно всичките си противници включително някои от братята и сестрите си. Занимава се с математика, химия, търговско дело, владее 7 езика, считана за една от най-умните и красиви жени в историята. Малко известен факт е, че Клеопатра почти успява да стане владетелка на Рим, превръщайки се и в практически владетел на света.
2.Изабел Кастилска - кралица на Кастилия, противоречива личност, фанатизирана католичка, дала началото на Испанската инквизиция. Тя завършва Реконкистата. Дава началото на обединението на Испания. Но без съмнение най-великото нейно постижение като владетелка е субсидирането на експедицията на Христофор Колумб за откриването на Америка, с което превръща Испания в империя.
3.Жана д'Арк е предводителка на френската армия през част от Стогодишната война. Тя печели няколко важни битки, сред които тази при Орлеан, с което напълно обръща хода на войната в полза на Франция. При обсадата на Компиен е пленена, продадена на англичаните и изгорена на клада. Жана д'Арк е пълководец с несравними лидерски качества и военни умения, оправдана посмъртно и канонизирана от римокатолическата църква.
4.Мария Тереза - ерцхерцогиня на Австрия, кралица на Унгария и Чехия, тя наследява по-скоро малки феодални държави, които успява да обедини и централизира. Премахва крепостничеството, инквизицията, отделя църквата от образованието, основава болница за лечение на едра шарка. Всичко това Мария Тереза постига докато е бременна почти през цялото време. Тя има 16 деца, за които се грижи да получат отлично образование.
5.Жозефин - съпруга на Наполеон и императрица на Франция, обичана от всички, за нея казват, че докато Наполеон завладява градове, тя завладява сърцата на хората.
6.Елизабет - кралица на Англия и Ирландия, периодът на царуването ѝ е известен с процъфтяване на английската култура и изкуство и с превръщането на Англия в една от най-големите морски сили. По отношение на войните Елизабет води отбранителна политика. Един от най-големите успехи на управлението ѝ е победата над Непобедимата армада на Испания.
7.Мария Стюарт - кралица на Шотландия, обезглавена от Елизабет заради претенциите ѝ за английския престол.
8.Екатерина Велика - императрица на Русия, авторът показва явна неприязън към нея, като дори отказва да я нарича Велика. Тя разширява границите на империята значително и превръща Русия в една от водещите сили в Европа. Под нейно управление настъпва разцвет на културата. Екатерина Велика отваря училища и болници, като прави един от своите приоритети образованието на жените.
9.Мария Антоанета - кралица на Франция по брак и ерцхерцогиня на Австрия по наследство, дъщеря на Мария Тереза. Мария Антоанета е известна със своята екстравагантност и разточителност, но и с благотворителност, добър характер и интелект. Гилотинирана през Френската революция, тя е на неподходящото място в неподходящото време и се оказва невинна жертва на гнева на френския народ към монархията.
10.Мадам Роланд - писателка и една от най-влиятелните политически личности на своето време, омайващ оратор, впечатляващ всички с интелекта и красотата си, мадам Роланд е гилотинирана през Френската революция.
August 10, 2020
This book was written 170+ years, which explains part of the set up, language and interpretation that is currently no longer supported.
And I liked to discover a book that old that celebrated women throughout history.
But I also felt it was riddled with bias: the writer clearly did not like Catherine the Great, she is desribed as the devil incarnated, while for instance Isabel of Spain is excused for most of the terrible things she did. I am not sure where this stems from, but it did bother me.
And I liked to discover a book that old that celebrated women throughout history.
But I also felt it was riddled with bias: the writer clearly did not like Catherine the Great, she is desribed as the devil incarnated, while for instance Isabel of Spain is excused for most of the terrible things she did. I am not sure where this stems from, but it did bother me.
April 2, 2020
This was a good read. I learned a bit more about these personalities and the book held my interest.
Would I re-read this book? No
Would I keep a copy in my collection? No
Would I recommend this book to someone? Yes
Would I gift this book to someone? No
Would I re-read this book? No
Would I keep a copy in my collection? No
Would I recommend this book to someone? Yes
Would I gift this book to someone? No
July 25, 2020
I learned a thing here and there, but in general, this book was probably too cerebral for me. It did not hold my attention. I listened to it, and after so many times going back to figure out where my brain checked out...
Read
August 23, 2017Good book, kept my interest.
October 11, 2022
Its a product of its time. The account of events are very biased
September 23, 2023
The heroines include Dr Elizabeth Blackwell and her sister. Listening to the harrowing stories of ridicule and belittling on behalf of the profession due to her gender, one comes away that she had the backbone and stamina to withstand the onslaught.
Happy to hear there is a movie coming soon —2023.
Happy to hear there is a movie coming soon —2023.
April 15, 2015
I liked this, I liked listening to stories of these women, some of whom I knew very little about. This book gives a few chapters about the following powerful women: Cleopatra, cunning and beautiful queen of the Nile who succeeded in bedding not one, but TWO Caesars of Rome; Isabella I of Castile who maintained her place as a co-ruler of Spain and eventually funded Columbus; Joan of Arc, soldier-maid who united France; Maria Theresa, Queen Regent and final monarch of the House of Habsburg, sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, and several other kingdoms, and Holy Roman Empress, she was also the mother of Marie Antoinette (and fourteen other children!!) and a powerful and important ruler in Europe for 40 years; Josephine Bonaparte, wife of Napoleon I and empress of France; Elizabeth I, Queen of England and patron of the Elizabethan era of literature and art, as well as a lot of bloody religious battles with Scotland, Spain, France, Ireland, and Russia; Mary, Queen of Scots who reigned for only a few years in Scotland before she was thrown into prison by her bitter rival, Elizabeth I, where she remained for almost 20 years until her execution; Catherine the Great of Russia, a ruthless ruler who killed those in the way of her rise to power, expanded the Russian empire to great loss of life, lived extravagantly while her people starved..yet her reign was considered the Golden Age of the Russian Empire (and it probably was, for the nobles); Marie Antoinette, the lavish young queen of France who met her ultimate demise at the guillotine, and Madame Roland, heroine of the French Revolution who was killed during the Reign of Terror.
May 16, 2023
Audio book:
Listening to the stories of brave women throughout history is amazing, if you know of more books of this nature suggestions would be appreciated.
Some of the stories are heart wrenching because of the way they end, but seeing how they overcome the triumph of live is inspiring.
Listening to the stories of brave women throughout history is amazing, if you know of more books of this nature suggestions would be appreciated.
Some of the stories are heart wrenching because of the way they end, but seeing how they overcome the triumph of live is inspiring.
October 11, 2015
Wow, this guy is a romantic!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews