Thank you for stopping by on our tour stop for THE VALIANT by Lesley Livingston. I love Lesley Livingston and particularly enjoyed reading THE VALIANT because of the kick-ass warrior that Fallon had embodied and all the other women that were in that training camp. I could not get enough of that story and decided to do a little research on warrior women throughout the ages and found some fascinating characters in history.
Named after the Goddess of the Hunt (Artemis), Artemisia was the 5th century BCE Queen of Halicarnassus, a kingdom that exists in modern-day Turkey. However, she was best known as a naval commander and ally of Xerxes, the King of Persia, in his invasion of the Greek city-states.
She made her mark in history in the Battle of Salamis, where the fleet she commanded was deemed the best against the Greeks. Greek historian Herodotus wrote of her heroics on this battlefield of the sea, painting her as a warrior who was decisive and incredibly intelligent in her strategies. This included a ruthless sense of self-preservation.
One of the only known onna-bugeisha (female samurais) in Japan’s history, Takeko was educated in literary and martial arts before distinguishing herself in the Boshin War, a Japanese civil war that lasted from January 3rd 1868 to May 18th, 1869.
In the Battle of Aizu in the fall of 1868, she and other females who chose to fight were not recognized as an official part of the Aizu army. Nonetheless, Takeko led her peers in a unit that was later dubbed Jōshitai, which translates to the “Women’s Army.” Her weapon of choice was the naginta, a Japanese pole arm. But while it helped her earn glory, it would not safeguard her through the war.
Not just a legendary female warrior but also a Roman Catholic saint,Joan was but a girl when visions of the Archangel Michael drove her to approach the military of France’s King Charles VII and offer to assist in his efforts to expel the occupying English in the later days of the Hundred Years’ War. Though initially mocked by these men and soldiers, Joan was taken seriously once her influence ended the Siege of Orleans in nine days.
By age 17, she played a key role in commanding France’s army, and her forte in the military seemed to be for strategy over slaying. The French owed much to Joan, and yet it was the Burgundians, Frenchmen loyal to England, that led to her demise. She was captured in 1430 and, despite several escape attempts and rescue efforts, Joan was put on trial by the English for heresy and cross-dressing. Her visions were now derided, and her armor called an atrocity. She was convicted, sentenced to death, and burned alive at the stake.
As wife of the king of the Celtic tribe Iceni, Boudicca was a queen—but it was widowhood that made her a warrior. Her husband Prasutagus’s will demanded that his kingdom be given jointly to his daughters and his ally, the Roman emperor. However Rome only recognized a son’s right to inherit. So, upon Prasutagus’s death, Rome not only invaded, but tortured Boudicca tortured and raped her daughters. This would not stand.
Around 60 A.D., Boudicca called on her tribe as well as others to unite and push Rome out of their lands. With 100,000 at her command, Boudica toppled the Roman Capitol of Britain, Camulodunum (modern-day Colchester). From there, she rode her troops down through Londinium (London) and Verulamium (St. Albans), destroying cities and slaughtering between 70,000 and 80,000. Her victories forced Emperor Nero to consider pulling out of Britain completely. However, a Roman defeat of Boudicca’s forces turned the tide. What became of her after this loss is a matter of debate.
information found on wikipedia
THE VALIANT
by Lesley Livingston
A richly-imagined, gripping historical fantasy for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Cinda Williams Chima, The Valiant recounts a seventeen-year-old’s tumultuous journey from fierce Celtic princess to legendary female gladiator and darling of the Roman empire.
The youngest daughter of a proud Celtic king, Fallon has always lived in the shadow of her older sister Sorcha’s legendary reputation as a warrior. But when Fallon was a young child, the armies of Julius Caesar invaded the island of Britain and her beloved older sister was killed in battle.
On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister’s footsteps and earn her rightful place in her father’s royal war band. She never gets the chance.
Instead Fallon is captured by a band of ruthless brigands who sell her to an exclusive training school for female gladiators–and its most influential patron is none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, Fallon’s worst enemy, the man who destroyed her family, might be her only hope of survival.
Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, chilling threats, and the dangerous attention of Caesar himself to survive the deadly fights that take place both in and out of the arena – and claim her place in history among the Valiant.
AUTHOR BIO
Lesley Livingston is an award-winning author of teen fiction, best known for her Wondrous Strange trilogy. She holds a master’s degree in English from the University of Toronto and was a principal performer in a Shakespearean theater company, specializing in performances for teen audiences, for more than a decade.