16 Powerful Women in History the World Tried to Erase
Discover the untold stories of 16 powerful women history tried to erase — rebels, warriors, and visionaries who defied the odds and reshaped the world in silence.
- Alyana Aguja
- 6 min read
Throughout the ages, innumerable women have emerged to defy the norms, resist oppression, and head revolution, only to be muffled or erased by those who hold authority. From fierce warriors such as Boudica to great minds such as Hypatia, these women broke the shackles imposed upon them and left irrevocable imprints on their times. This search reveals the stories of 16 extraordinary women whose legacies were lost, erased or denied — but whose impact continues to influence our history and inspire upcoming generations.
1. Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (1583–1663)
Image from Wikipedia
A clever diplomat and ruthless military commander, Queen Nzinga fought back against Portuguese colonization of Angola for more than 30 years. She created strategic marriages and led her troops into battle, usually appearing as a man to exercise power. Although colonial powers attempted to wipe her out, she continues to be an icon of resistance throughout Africa.
2. Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 360–415 CE)
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A philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer in Roman Egypt, Hypatia was among the last great minds of the ancient world. She headed the Neoplatonist school and taught men and women — a revolutionary act in her day. She was brutally slaughtered by a Christian mob, her writings lost, her legacy buried under centuries of silence.
3. Toypurina (1760–1799)
Image from Indigenous Goddess Gang
A Tongva medicine woman and rebel chief, Toypurina initiated an insurrection against Spanish missionaries in California. She regarded the missions as institutions of cultural genocide and mobilized adjacent tribes to resist. Spanish sources demonized her as a witch, yet she was a warrior for survival by her people.
4. Boudica (d. 60/61 CE)
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Iceni queen in Roman Britain, Boudica initiated a huge rebellion after Roman soldiers attacked her daughters and annexed her territory. She burned Roman cities to the ground, including London, and came close to driving the empire out. Following her defeat, Roman historians attempted to portray her as a barbarian, but her reputation as a freedom fighter lives on.
5. Anna Julia Cooper (1858–1964)
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Born a slave, Cooper was one of the first African American women to receive a PhD and was an early voice in Black feminism and civil rights. Her 1892 book, A Voice from the South, contended that the elevation of Black women was a precondition for societal advancement. Frequently erased from the pages of history textbooks, she established the intellectual foundation for subsequent civil rights movements.
6. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648–1695)
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A Mexican nun, poet, and autodidact scholar, Sor Juana challenged the Catholic patriarchy by writing unapologetically about gender, intellect, and power. Her advocacy of women’s right to education outraged church authorities, who silenced her and forced her into penance. Today, she is celebrated as Latin America’s first feminist.
7. Fatima al-Fihri (c. 800–880 CE)
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Fatima established the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco—the world’s oldest continuously operating university. A Muslim woman who put her inheritance towards education, she established a seat of learning that shaped both Islamic and European traditions of intellectual thought. Western accounts tend to exclude her altogether when describing the origins of academia.
8. Olympe de Gouges (1748–1793)
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A French political activist and playwright, she authored The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen as a reaction to the French Revolution’s non-inclusion of women. She insisted on political rights and equality — and was guillotined for it. History textbooks usually recall Robespierre, but not the woman who criticized him.
9. Nwanyeruwa (early 20th century)
Image from Document Women
In colonial Nigeria, Nwanyeruwa initiated the 1929 Women’s War by resisting British-imposed taxes. She mobilized thousands of women into nonviolent resistance, compelling the colonial government to retreat. Her uprising is hardly noted in colonial documents, but it was one of the largest anti-colonial uprisings organized by women in Africa.
10. Ching Shih (1775–1844)
Image from FMT
From being a Cantonese prostitute, Ching Shih rose to be the greatest pirate of all time, leading more than 70,000 criminals and hundreds of vessels. She had her own naval codes and conquered the navies of Chinese, Portuguese, and British. Historians undervalued her accomplishments, yet she retired in wealth and intact — a testament to few pirates.
11. Wang Zhenyi (1768–1797)
Image from Massive Science
A Qing dynasty Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and poet, Wang Zhenyi wrote books translating complex science into understandable terms. She defied Confucian norms of gender by studying the sky and confronting inequality. Her achievements were forgotten for centuries, although her work was revolutionary for its era.
12. Harriet Jacobs (1813–1897)
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An enslaved woman who escaped and wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, one of the first books published to document the sexual assault of enslaved women. It was so shocking that it was widely assumed that she must have written it in fiction form. She was lost to memory for decades, hidden beneath aliases.
13. Lozen (c. 1840–1889)
Image from Find a Grave
An Apache warrior and seeress, Lozen fought with her brother Victorio and later Geronimo against American expansion. She was respected for her combat skills and prophetic visions that led her people. The U.S. military dismissed her records as insignificant, yet oral tradition recalls her as a fierce warrior.
14. Jovita Idár (1885–1946)
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A writer, teacher, and suffragist, Idár wielded her pen to combat racism, segregation, and oppression of Mexican-Americans in Texas. She operated a feminist newspaper, challenged the Texas Rangers, and pushed for bilingual education. Traditional U.S. history usually marginalizes her through her unafraid activism.
15. Noor Inayat Khan (1914–1944)
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A Sufi princess of British-Indian descent who became a World War II spy, Khan served as a wireless operator in France occupied by the Nazis. She would not betray secrets even when tortured and was put to death at Dachau. Her bravery was kept secret for years, and only now has she been hailed as one of the war’s bravest agents.
16. Gertrude Bell (1868–1926)
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An archaeologist, author, and diplomat, Bell influenced the contemporary Middle East more than most men of her time. She was instrumental in delineating the borders of Iraq and guiding King Faisal I, but was eclipsed by male contemporaries such as T.E. Lawrence. History accorded Lawrence the fame; Bell received the footnote.
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- history
- Women
- throwback
- powerful women