5MB13 Women in Arms – Leonid Křížek

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Although at first glance it might seem that war and combat are exclusively a male domain, history offers many examples showing that women were far from standing aside. Throughout the ages, they repeatedly took up arms to fulfil their destiny – driven by the defence of home, survival, dynastic claims, and the desire for freedom.

The book is divided into three chronological sections:

The book captures the fates of nearly sixty female warriors and fighters. Some societies actively involved women in combat; queens and noblewomen more than once had to personally lead armies. Other women followed armies as sutlers or nurses. Exchanging women's clothing for a male uniform offered women freedom, safety on the road, and the opportunity to perform work otherwise forbidden to them.

The book is richly illustrated – from paintings on ancient vases through engravings, paintings, and photographs. Among the unique materials are illustrations of female duelists from the late 19th century who fought with cold weapons stripped to the waist to prevent wound infection from textile fragments.

Leonid Křížek is a Czech publisher, translator, and publicist specialising in military history. Together with historian Jiří Kovařík, he authored the three-volume work History of European Duels and Fencing, for which they received the Miroslav Ivanov Main Prize for outstanding non-fiction (2015). He has been a member of the Czech Fencing Club Riegel since 1961 and actively participates in veteran tournaments. He is a coach of both sport and historical fencing at the Ars Dimicatoria school.

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