[Ben P.]

I remember reading some statement that there was an order of female knights in medieval spain. This sounds a little hard to believe so I was wondering if perhaps anyone could give me any sources/citations please?

-Thanks

[Maurizio D'Angelo]

Hi Ben,
There is a case of a clearly military order of knighthood for women. It is the order of the Hatchet (orden de la Hacha) in Catalonia. It was founded in 1149 by Raymond Berenger, count of Barcelona, to honor the women who fought for the defense of the town of Tortosa against a Moor attack. The dames admitted to the order received many privileges, including exemption from all taxes, and took precedence over men in public assemblies. I presume the order died out with the original members...
In Italy, the Order of the glorious Saint Mary, founded by Loderigo d'Andalo, a nobleman of Bologna in 1233, and approved by pope Alexander IV in 1261, was the first religious order of knighthood to grant the rank of militissa to women. This order was suppressed by Sixtus V in 1558.
But I thing that is wrong consider this like a knight. Jeanne d'Arc apart.
Not in the common sense of the word.
Here a link:
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/wom-kn.htm

Hey Ben, do not stand behind me.
Ciao
Maurizio

[Ben P.]

Thanks so did the Order of the hatchet ever take part any other battles? Do you have anything on their gear and the like?

[Lafayette C Curtis]

There doesn't seem to be any other records of the Hatchet dames taking part in later battles. However, as far as equipment goes, I suspect they probably either dressed like men while they were fighting or just threw on a hauberk over their usual daily-wear dresses. Or maybe they didn't bother to dress for the occasion at all--you don't really need much (or any) armor when all you have to do is help with throwing rocks from the relatively well-protected top of a battlement.

[Jessica Finley]

Always a good starting place when you have questions about women fighting in history: http://www.lothene.org/others/women.html

[Jean-Carle Hudon]

The lists seem to be quite limited as I can think of a famous example here in New France when Madeleine de Verchères saved her village form the marauding Mohawks ( Iroquois), and thus became an important icon of feminine fortitude...
I am sure that many other cultures have women who are not in these lists.