(Female archer from the Taymouth Hours manuscript)Makouraino - The archer who repelled piratesMakour
(Female archer from the Taymouth Hours manuscript)Makouraino - The archer who repelled piratesMakouraino’s story is contained in an obscure manuscript from the Mediceo-Laurentian library in Florence. It was found among the writings of the Byzantine intellectual Maximos Planudes and other works. The author of the passage is unknown:“In the part of Karia (present-day Turkey) just opposite Chios, it is reported that, in our own day, a mature woman, with some facial hair, named Makouraino, married and with children, displayed her valor and leadership when the occasion presented itself. What she did was no less than what a man would do, indeed what the bravest men would do. For her ability to stretch tight and stiff bows was awesome. It is said that, by herself, she stood up to two pirate ships and drove them from the shore by firing arrows at them. In the year 1341.”Nothing else is known about her. Makouraino’s name reveals that she wasn’t Greek, but her origins remain obscure since the region was characterized by ethnic diversity. Bibliography:DeVries Kelly, Livingston Michael, Medieval Warfare: A ReaderЗборник радова Византолошког института -- source link
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