Women of Axelgard

To the left the women of Axelgard are shown including Andrea of Caianna, Catia of Titania, and Izabella of Andaria. To the right are women in history who are matched with the Axelgard women including Marcia of ancient Rome, Catherine de Medici of medieval France, and Fu Hao from the Shang Dynasty.

In the snow-draped illustrious kingdom of Axelgard, from my Raven of Axelgard Trilogy, three women prove their worth amidst warfare, scandal, and death. Andrea of Caianna, Catia of Titania, and Izabella of Andaria were all influential warrior women who made their mark on the battlefield and in the realm. Each of them has a historical counterpart that matches them and include the figures Marcia of ancient Rome, Fu Hao from ancient China, and Catherine de Medici of Medieval France.

Throughout the ages there has been a lot to be fearful of.

With death always lingering around the corner, Catia of Titania is well aware of the threat; she faces it daily due to her friendship and duty to King Raven. Spiritual advisor to the crown, Catia is a skilled priestess and herbalist as well as a formidable archer and leader on the battlefield.  During the Shang Dynasty Fu Hao, like Catia, was very influential at court as well as was a priestess and skilled archer. A queen in her own right, Fu Hao was the first renowned female military general in Chinese history and commanded up to 13,000 troops.

Both women were respected on and off the battlefield.

Fu Hao held an esteemed position at court. She was King Wu Ding’s queen consort and helped to manage the state. The warrior queen was also a landowner and possessed her own land and fiefdom and had a significant amount of independence. As King Raven’s guardian and liaison to the human world, Catia concocted and produced the highly valuable Elixir of Light; Raven drinks the potion so that he can walk in the light of day, which effectively helped him to keep the kingdom running. As a high priestess Fu Hao also served a very important and spiritual purpose, by performing vital high-level rituals.

Though Izabella of Andaria was no priestess, she did have her own rituals of sorts, which was drinking fine red wine with her lady, Genevinna, as she conducted business. 

Former queen of Axelgard and wife of late King Riveth, Izabella earned a strong reputation at court and in the citadel, and was known for her battle smarts and affinity for the poor. She was an influential leader following Riveth’s death, and was well known for her leadership and launching catapults during the Zenian Wars. Catherine de Medici, queen of medieval France, also held great power. It all began after the sudden death of her husband and King of France Henry II, in 1559, thus thrusting her into the political arena.

Izabella and Catherine have not always been welcomed on the political scene, though.

Izabella was often kept out of political affairs after Andrea became Raven’s mistress as he attempted to isolate her, Andrea in turn was treated well and was often seen wearing extravagant dresses Raven provided for her. Similarly, prior to Henry’s death, Catherine was excluded by him in regards to political affairs. Instead Henry mingled with his prestigious mistress Diane de Poitiers, who was very influential at the French court, and was showered with gifts.

Despite both of the former queens’ isolation at court, making it difficult to be involved politically, they had other ways of contributing to their realms. 

The former queen of Axelgard was, like Catherine, a patron of the arts. In a similar fashion to Catherine, Izabella sought to coordinate and fund festivals which helped to bolster Axelgard despite the nation’s dwindling finances. Catherine used her support of the arts as an attempt to glorify the French monarchy whose reputation was in a state of decline.

As opposed to Izabella, Andrea was not raised amongst nobility and wealth and came from the desolate desert nation of Caianna.

Andrea of Caianna came from humble beginnings as a mere kitchen maid and quickly escalated in status within the kingdom upon becoming Raven’s mistress. Andrea flourishes in Axelgard alongside the king, joining her love in battle, swapping out her skills with kitchen knives for daggers. Before long she leads her own team of assassins into enemy territory which ends in success. Though Marcia, Emperor Commodus’ mistress of ancient Rome, was not a warrior woman like Andrea, both of them wielded great political strength. Marcia was a freedwoman, or a woman who was formerly a slave who legally gained her freedom, and so like Andrea came from humble beginnings. Marcia served as an influential adviser for Commodus, as did Andrea for Raven, and the Roman also had a strong faith background. Historians including Hippolytus of Rome described Marcia as being “God-loving” and as being a protector of Christians. She is known for using her power to have released Christian captives from Sardinia.

Delving deeper into Marcia and Andrea’s respective stories, let’s take a look at their coming into power as mistresses and the consequences of their power.

Andrea and Raven met when she was in the kitchen and became angry with a fellow kitchen maid and threatened her with a knife. Raven forgave her and protected her, keeping the dark act a secret. Their relationship blossomed from then on. Marcia became Commodus’ mistress after the banishment of Empress Bruttia Crispina in 177, after which she gained significant power and was treated with the honors of an empress. Izabella of Andaria was envious of Andrea for receiving Raven’s attentions. Being the former queen she wanted him for herself, and plotted to have Andrea killed. In the end King Raven was able to save her, but with a price. At court Marcia was no stranger to royal scandals and discovered that she was on a secret execution list that Commodus had written. The clever concubine then plotted to have the emperor executed leading to his being poisoned and strangled to death by the wrestler Narcissus in 192.

All of the women of Axelgard, Andrea, Catia, and Izabella, contributed in their own ways to their kingdom. Together they faced their own challenges yet strived to achieve all that they could for the sake of their homeland. Looking back at the historical figures that match them best, Marcia of ancient Rome, Fu Hao of ancient China, and Catherine de Medici of medieval France teach a great deal about these Axelgard women as they share so many of the same qualities and personality traits.

It is truly remarkable the power and intrigue that women can possess both in the worlds of fantasy and history.