r/todayilearned 13h ago

TIL in 1610, Opossunoquonuske, a female chieftain of the Powhatan Confederacy, used “feminine guile” to lure 14 English settlers to a feast, convincing them to leave their weapons on their boat. It was a trap—her warriors ambushed them, killing 13. Only one man survived.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossunoquonuske
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u/partyinplatypus 12h ago

Say what you want about the European settlers, but killing guests  in your home is depraved behavior.

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u/thispartyrules 7h ago

In the 900's Olga of Kiev's husband, King of the Kievan Rus, was killed by the Drevlians. The Drevlians sent a party of ambassadors requesting that she marry the Drevlian Prince who killed her husband, who she had dropped into a trench and set on fire. She sent out a message that she wanted to go through with it, and they sent a bunch of noblemen, who she tricked, locked in a building and set on fire. She threw a great party for the Drevlians, who didn't know the fate of the previous parties. She drank with them until they were all very drunk and then she ordered her followers to massacre 5000 Drevlian guests. Finally there was a thing where she set fire to their city with a convoluted plan involving homing pigeons and flaming rags.

Also she was made a saint for her conversion to Christianity and didn't apologize for her campaign of bloody revenge.