Warrior Women — The Battle of Britomart and Radigund the Amazon Queen

1) Britomart – Frederic Shields, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This article was first published under the title of British Legends: Warrior Women — The Battle of Britomart and Radigund the Amazon Queen on #FolkloreThursday.com, 28/02/2019 by zteve t evans, and has been revised and edited by zteve t evans and different images added 23/04/2024.

The Faerie Queene

Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, a monumental and unfinished poem published between 1590 and 1596, is a masterpiece that transports readers to a parallel universe of medieval times, offering a unique perspective on Elizabethan society. Through the intricate and richly detailed plot, Spenser alludes to historical events and notable figures, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of the human experience. The Faerie Queene is not merely a literary work but a testament to the power of imagination and the enduring legacy of great literature. Its influence can be felt in contemporary literature, and its message resonates with readers today, inspiring them to explore the world of fantasy and appreciate the many ways literature enriches our lives. Spencer draws on Arthurian influences, legend, myth, history, and politics, alluding to reforms and controversial issues that arose in the reigns of Elizabeth I and Mary I.

It is an allegorical work that both praises and criticizes Queen Elizabeth I, represented in the poem by Gloriana, the Faerie Queene. A knight represents the six human virtues of Holiness, Chastity, Friendship, Temperance, Justice, and Courtesy. Spencer raises many questions about Elizabethan society, especially about the role of women in maintaining the patriarchal order, represented by a spectacular battle between Britomart, the Knight of Chastity, and Radigund, the Amazon Queen. The following text summarizes the battle, discusses its implications, and ends with a question for the reader.

Britomart, the Knight of Chastity

2) Britomart by Walter Crane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In the narrative, Britomart is a virgin female knight who personifies the virtue of Chastity and is associated with English virtues, particularly military prowess. The name “Brit” comes from “Briton” while “Martis” comes from the Roman god of war, “Mars”, meaning “warlike person”.

From an early age, she eschewed traditional feminine activities. Instead, she chose to train in using weapons and developing combat skills. She dressed in armour like a knight, behaved like a knight, fought like a knight, and wielded a magical black spear, becoming a formidable warrior.

After a long quest and many adventures seeking him, she finally married Artegall, the Knight of Justice, whom she had seen in Merlin’s magic-looking glass. Yet, as was often the way with knights, Artegall was bound to a quest that to abandon would bring loss of honour. Gloriana, the Faerie Queene, had given him the task of rescuing Lady Eirena from the tyrant Grantorto, and it was his chivalric duty to complete the quest or die trying. Despite her sorrow at his leaving, Britomart knew she had to allow him to complete it and looked forward to his return.

Queen Radigund, the Warrior Queen

On his quest, Artegall, accompanied by Talos, an iron man who helped him in the dispensation of justice, arrived in the country of the Amazons, ruled by Radigund, a warrior queen. Radigund fought against any knight entering her realm who would not submit to her will. After defeating them, she forced them to obey her every command or die. She made all defeated knights remove their armour and, against their will, wear female clothing, compelling them to work by spinning thread, sewing, washing clothes and other tasks those women usually did. If any refused or complained, she executed them. On hearing Artegall had arrived, Radigund challenged him to fight on the condition that the loser, if they lived, would obey the winner’s will. Artegall accepted, and a ferocious fight began.

The Battle of Radigund and Artegall

Radigund attacked him furiously, driving him back, but he struck her shield, splitting it in two. Enraged, she fought back viciously, badly wounding his thigh. Thinking she had him at her mercy, she taunted and mocked him. Now, it was his turn to be enraged, and he struck a decisive blow to her head, knocking her senseless to the ground. As he stooped to take off her helmet to decapitate her, he was stunned by her beautiful face and could not harm her. Instead, he threw away his sword, cursing that he had hurt such a lovely woman. Recovering her wits, Radigund sprang to the attack, driving him back. He could not return the blows, having thrown his sword away. He would not have done so anyway, perceiving it dishonourable to fight a female. Instead, he deflected her blows with his shield while pleading for her to stop fighting.

Artegall Surrenders

3) Artegall and Talos – Tate Britain, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

She refused and continued striking at him until he yielded, not wishing to harm her again. Despite his initial victory, by throwing his sword away and yielding, he was now bound by the terms he had agreed upon and was taken into the servitude of the Amazon Queen. She took his armour, dressed him in female clothing, and kept him prisoner, making him work at female tasks, which for a knight in those times was perceived as being demeaning and humiliating. Talos escaped and took the news of his captivity back to Britomart.

Britomart in the Land of the Amazons

Learning of her husband’s plight, Britomart set out to rescue him accompanied by Talos. They barely rested until reaching the land of the Amazons and then set up their pavilion outside the city. Seeing this, Radigund armed herself and, ordering trumpets to sound, marched out of the city gates to challenge her. Britomart stepped boldly out of the pavilion, ready for whatever the day would bring. When the two finally met face to face, Radigund recited the strict conditions she wanted the fight governed by. These were the same Artegall and all the other knights had agreed that now bound them to her in their defeat.

The Knight of Chastity Versus the Amazon Queen

Britomart refused these conditions, declaring she would only be bound by the rules of chivalry. This angered Radigund, who signalled for the trumpet to sound the beginning of the fight. They both attacked each other savagely, asking for no quarter and giving none. Fighting furiously, they hacked and stabbed at one another until the ground under their feet was red with blood, but doggedly, they fought on. Eventually, Radigund, sensing Britomart was weakening, thrust forward with all her strength, taunting her by saying, “This is for the man you love so much. I will tell him you died just for him!” and struck powerfully at her shoulder, cutting her to the bone.

Despite being sorely wounded, the blow roused Britomart to great anger. Throwing herself forward, she brought her sword down upon her foe’s helmet, splitting it apart. Radigund fell senseless to the ground, and Britomart finished her off with one blow. When the Amazons saw the death of their queen, they fled. Britomart desperately wanted to find her beloved Artegall and began searching the city until she found where the knights were imprisoned. On entering, she was shocked to the core by what she saw.

Freeing the Defeated Knights

Every knight had been made to wear female clothing and forced to do female tasks. At last, she found Artegall, who had also suffered the same fate as the others. Seeing her, he turned his face away in shame. Quickly finding other garments, she made him and the others put these on, and soon, her husband looked like the man she knew him to be

They stayed in the city until Britomart had recovered from her wounds. During this time, she took control of the realm, changing the government and the ways of the Amazons and dispensing justice that Radigund had usurped. The people soon grew to love her, listened to her wisdom, and followed her teachings. She freed all the captured knights and made them city magistrates, making them swear loyalty to Artegall, the Knight of Justice.

Artegall, remembering his quest to save Lady Eirena from the villainous clutches of the tyrant Grantorto, told Britomart that it was his knightly duty to resume his adventure. Britomart knew he was obliged to complete the quest for the sake of his honour and reputation, and sorrowfully, she resigned herself to him leaving again.

The Role of Elizabeth I

4) Queen Elizabeth I – Formerly attributed to George Gower, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Spencer needed to be careful how he presented Radigund with Elizabeth ruling England. He made a great effort to show the Amazon queen as a wicked oppressor who does not rule men by respect but weakens and subjugates them. In contrast, Britomart emancipates men, bolstering their masculinity and self-assurance of their role in society. The captive knights were uncomfortable and distressed when forced to wear female apparel, perceiving themselves to have lost masculinity, strength, and identity.

Britomart’s cross-dressing, wearing the armour of a male knight, was her choice, in contrast to Radigund’s enforced cross-dressing of the captive knights. Britomart appeared happy and comfortable in her chosen attire, and her personality shone out. She became one of the bravest, most formidable, and arguably one of the most swashbuckling knights in The Faerie Queene. However, having rescued the captive knights from the renegade Radigund, she seemed like the handmaiden of Elizabethan patriarchy, but there is a twist.

In doing so, she accomplished what the male knights could not. She restored the patriarchal order after the strong arms of the male knights had failed. It was she who returned the Amazons to the patriarchal system. Whereas Radigund represents renegade female power at war with Elizabethan patriarchy, Britomart is seen as the correct application of female power, enhancing, and protecting that same patriarchy.

The question for the reader – Which form of female power do you prefer?

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© zteve t evans

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References, Attributions and Further Reading

Copyright zteve t evans

• The Faerie Queene – Wikipedia
• The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, 1590 – The British Library
• The Project Gutenberg eBook of Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, Book I …
• The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. Search eText, Read Online .
• Stories from the Faerie Queene by Mary Macleod [1916] – Sacred Texts
• Images
• 1) File:Britomart Sample MVAS.jpeg – Wikimedia Commons1)File:Britomart Sample MVAS.jpeg – Wikimedia Commons
• 2) File:Walter Crane – Britomart (1900).jpg – Wikimedia Commons
• 3) File:John Hamilton Mortimer – Sir Arthegal, the Knight of Justice, with Talus, the Iron Man (from Spenser’s `Faerie Queene’) – Google Art Project.jpg – Wikimedia Commons
• 4) File:Elizabeth I (Armada Portrait).jpg – Wikimedia Commons

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