Archaeologists have discovered shocking evidence that medieval women fought and died alongside men in battle.
The remains of a woman, dating back to between the 12th and 15th centuries AD, were discovered buried alongside 22 warrior monks in a castle built in 1852 in Spain, which was used as a fortress to defend the nation from Muslim invaders.
The 23 warriors had stab wounds and blunt force injuries that were consistent with a violent death, and the woman had injuries to the top of the skull, cheeks, and pelvis.
The lead investigator said the woman was in her 40s, just under 5ft tall, of medium build and skilled with a sword.
Spanish women fought as conquistadors alongside men during Cortés’ expedition in the early 16th century, but the remains of the woman found in the castle predate records by centuries.
The remains of a woman were discovered buried alongside 24 monks at the Zorita de los Canes castle in Guadalajara. Twenty-three of the monks were found to be warriors who had stab wounds and blunt force injuries consistent with a violent death.
Researchers exhumed 25 skeletons from the cemetery of the Zorita de los Canes castle and, based on their bone structure, detected that one of them was that of a woman.
Researchers from the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and the Max Planck Institute study The remains exhumed in the cemetery of the castle of Zorita de los Canes were 25 skeletons, but only 23 had wounds that suggested they died in battle.
It was when looking at the injuries that investigators recognized characteristic differences that revealed that one of them was a woman.
“The morphology of the facial and pelvic bones are the most obvious examples,” explains Carme Rissech, a researcher at the URV.
Researchers analyzed carbon-14 and nitrogen-15 isotopes in the monks’ bones to determine each individual’s sex, health, and cause of death.
These nitrogen isotopes identify carbon atoms that reveal whether the person’s main source of protein was fish or meat, while carbon isotopes measure the amount of carbon-14 in the person’s skeletal remains to calculate how much time has passed since their death.
The team initially believed the warriors were all men until they studied bone proportions and realized one of them was a woman.
“She may have died in a very similar manner to the male knights, and was likely wearing some form of armour or chainmail,” Rissech said.
His shoulder and arm bones showed muscular markings that were consistent with the sword training attributes seen among warrior monks.
Knights were usually required to be of a higher class or position, such as those belonging to the high or low nobility and the urban elite, but in these types of monastic orders, commoner sergeants were equally equipped and trained for battle.
The team found that the woman’s diet was different from that of the men at the cemetery and “observed a lower level of protein consumption in the case of this woman, which could indicate a lower status in the social group.”
The isotope study showed that the other individuals had consumed regular meals of fish and poultry, but the woman had consumed less protein than her peers, which could support the idea that she was from a lower social class.
The woman’s remains showed muscular marks on her shoulders and arms that were consistent with the sword training attributes seen among warrior monks, and while some researchers have also speculated that she should be a servant at the castle who was called to join the knights, the lead researcher does not believe that to be the case because her bones would show signs of servant work.
However, Rissech has refuted the theory, saying the difference in diet could be a reflection of gender discrepancies during that time.
Some researchers have also speculated that she was a servant of the castle who was called to join the knights.
However, the team does not believe that is likely because “her work as a servant would have left marks on her bones, indicators of certain types of physical activity that we could now identify,” Rissech said.
‘I believe these remains belong to a female warrior, but further analysis is needed to determine to what extent this woman is contemporary with the other knights.’
The castle was built to defend the emirate from Christian attacks in 852 AD, but was transferred to the Order of Calatrava in 1124, a Cicterian military and religious order tasked with defending the border; the group was later called the Knights of Calatrava.
The warrior’s wounds may have been inflicted during the battles of Alarcos in 1195 AD or Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 AD, shortly after the Order of Calatrava took the fortress; both battles were between Christians and Muslims fighting over the territory on which the castle stood.
