Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer

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Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer by Frans Hogenberg.
Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer by Frans Hogenberg.

Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer (1526-1588) was the daughter of the Mayor of Haarlem, Netherlands. When the city was besieged by the Spanish, she allegedly led 300 women in defence of the city. After the city was captured, she fled but returned years later. She died at the hands of pirates in 1588.

Her name lives on in colloquial Dutch. Today, kenau is the Dutch word for "a bossy woman who is thoroughly disliked".

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