Guest Post: Girl Power through the Ages... by Maid of Deception's author Jennifer McGowan

When I read about a famous woman I'm so proud, even if I never meet her before. So you could totally understand the fact that I'm way more happy to read of those women who change the world through the history and made men to look fool infront of them. I think that the following author, and guest of Corazones Literarios, thinks just like me and she going to shows us how much in the next stainment... Hello, Jennifer. I'm glad you're here with us today. Please, tell me, what do you think about the women running the world...

Girl Power through the Ages

Thank you, Giovana, for hosting me today! I’m excited to be talking about some of the most powerful women in history—monarchs whose rule still resonates hundreds—even thousands of years later. These queens have stories I find particularly fascinating, and I’ve included the bios of each provided on the websites biography.com or history.com.

1. Cleopatra
Date of Rule: 51– 30 BCE
Country of Rule: Egypt
Brief Bio:
Cleopatra VII ruled ancient Egypt as co-regent (first with her two younger brothers and then with her son) for almost three decades. She became the last in a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy, who served as general under Alexander the Great during his conquest of Egypt in 332 B.C. Well-educated and clever, Cleopatra could speak various languages and served as the dominant ruler in all three of her co-regencies. Her romantic liaisons and military alliances with the Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, as well as her supposed exotic beauty and powers of seduction, earned her an enduring place in history and popular myth. (www.history.com)

Why she rocks:
Because she was smart, savvy and new how to use her beauty and intelligence to defeat her enemies and rule her people. She was as passionate in love as she was in life, and even today—nearly two thousand years after her rule—still captures the imagination.

2. Eleanor of Aquitaine
Date of Rule: 9 April 1137 – 1 April 1204
Country of Rule: France THEN England. Because she was that cool. Throughout, she remained Duchess of Aquitaine.
Brief Bio:
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful and influential figures of the Middle Ages. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most sought-after bride of her generation. She would eventually become the queen of France, the queen of England and lead a crusade to the Holy Land. She is also credited with establishing and preserving many of the courtly rituals of chivalry. (www.history.com)

Why she rocks:
Eleanor ruled with style and strength, and refused to ever stand down. She survived challenging marriages and even 16 years of imprisonment, and her influence remained strong all the way to her death in her early 80s. In addition, she is said to have established the Court of Love, where she is reputed to have encouraged a culture of chivalry among her courtiers that had far-reaching influence on literature, poetry, music and folklore.

3. Elizabeth I
Date of Rule: 17 November 1558 – 24 March 1603
Country of Rule: England
Brief Bio:
The long reign of Elizabeth, who became known as the “Virgin Queen” for her reluctance to endanger her authority through marriage, coincided with the flowering of the English Renaissance, associated with such renowned authors as William Shakespeare. By her death in 1603, England had become a major world power in every respect, and Queen Elizabeth I passed into history as one of England’s greatest monarchs. (history.com)

Why She Rocks:
So many reasons. Elizabeth survived early challenges as King Henry VIII’s second daughter, including imprisonment, scandal, house arrest, and continual threats on her life throughout her childhood and reign. She went on to expand England’s power base and ensure its strength in Europe, and she did it on her own—never marrying or even choosing an heir until she was on her deathbed, so that she didn’t have to cede any power to a king.

4. Catherine the Great
Date of Rule: 9 July 1762 – 17 November 1796
Country of Rule: Russia
Brief Bio:
Catherine II, often called Catherine the Great, was born on May 2, 1729, in Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland), and became the Russian empress in 1762. Under her reign, Russia expanded its territories and modernized, following the lead of Western Europe. She died on November 17, 1796 in Tsarskoye Selo, or what is now Pushkin. (biography.com)

Why she rocks:
Despite the fact that she didn’t do much to improve the life of the serfs of Russia, Catherine championed educational reforms and the arts in Russia, and extended the country’s borders through her military strategy and diplomatic prowess. She’s known for several scandalous liaisons (though not as scandalous as you may have heard) as well, so this is one monarch who knew how to mix business with pleasure!

5. Victoria
Date of Rule: 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901
Country of Rule: England (She was also Empress of India from 1876-1901)
Brief Bio:
Victoria (1819-1901) was queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837–1901) and empress of India (1876–1901). She was the last of the House of Hanover and gave her name to an era, the Victorian Age. During her reign the English monarchy took on its modern ceremonial character. She and her husband, Prince Consort Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, had nine children, through whose marriages were descended many of the royal families of Europe. (history.com)

Why she rocks:
She named an AGE, people. And ruled for 2/3 of a century. During her reign, the longest in English history, all areas of English thought and industry advanced—the empire expanded dramatically, there were innovations in science, communication, travel, technology, and power distribution; literacy increased; and so did England’s power internationally. While her reign was not without its flaws—poverty and class inequalities in particular—she oversaw great change in England. She was also a hopeless romantic, so she gets extra points for that.

And there you have it! Five amazing women, Five extraordinary stories of power. Let me be the first to say it: God Save the Queen! 

You had said it yourself, God Save the Queen! All this women are inspirations to all the girls out there to be better than what people think that we are and not to get into social rules, we can do lot better. I like them all, particularity, I have a facination for Elizabeth I, she is my favorite queen of all the times and I admire her so much. Thank you, Jennifer, for passing by and share with us this inspirational and amazing women. 

And you, my fellow readers, need to check the next book becuase is very intriguin and with a story very original... keep reading to find out more.

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Blurb:

Love may be the most dangerous weapon of all.

Beatrice Knowles is a Maid of Honor, one of Queen Elizabeth I’s secret protectors. Known for her uncanny ability to manipulate men’s hearts, Beatrice has proven herself to be a valuable asset in the Queen’s court—or so she thinks. It has been three weeks since the Maids thwarted a plot to overthrow the Queen, and Beatrice is preparing to wed her betrothed, Lord Cavanaugh. However, her plans come to a crashing halt as rumors of a brewing Scottish rebellion spread among the court.

Beatrice’s new assignment is to infiltrate the visiting Scottish delegation using her subtle arts in persuasion. The mission seems simple enough, until the Queen pairs Beatrice with the worst of the lot—Alasdair MacLeod. Beatrice cannot help but think that the Queen is purposefully setting her up for failure. But Alasdair could be the key to unlocking the truth about the rebellion...and her heart. Caught in a web of ever­more­twisting lies, Beatrice must rise up among the Maids of Honor and prove what she’s known all along: in a court filled with deception and danger, love may be the deadliest weapon of all.

Also in the Maids of Honor series: MAID OF SECRETS by Jennifer McGowan!

About the Author

Jennifer McGowan was born in Ohio, grew up in Montana, and studied in Paris. She fell in love with the Elizabethan era as a college student and is now an unrepentant scholar of that period, happily splitting her time between the past and present. An RWA Golden Heart Award winner and multiple finalist, Jenn is the author of the Maids of Honor series, which currently includes Maid of Secrets (2013), the novella A Thief Before Christmas, and the forthcoming novel Maid of Deception (2014). She lives and writes in Ohio, and you can connect with her online at JenniferMcGowan.com, find her on twitter via @Jenn_McGowan, or visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferMcGowan.

You can find her here: 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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