There has always been a belief that women are more peaceful than men, and therefore less prone to start wars, in the event that they hold power. 400 years of European History, however, confirm the opposite.
Specifically, according to recent research from the University of Chicago, which covered the historical period from 1480 to 1914 and hereditary monarchies, female monarchs were 39% more likely to declare war than male rulers.
At the core were 193 kingdoms that had at least one female monarch. Tsarist Russia, the Kingdom of England, Spain and Austria were included in the study. It is characteristic that women ruled in less than 1/5 of the countries examined.
Among others included in the research were Catherine the Great of Russia, Elizabeth I of England, Isabella of Castile, Victoria of Britain and others.
"Queens were more likely to gain territory during their reigns and did not face greater internal instability than their male counterparts," the study concluded. According to the researchers, it matters whether the queens ruled married or unmarried. As there is a tendency for opponents to attack kingdoms ruled by queens without a husband more.
On the other hand, married queens tended to wage more wars than married kings, as they could turn to their husbands to help them with the kingdom. Whereas, the kings, on the contrary, did not turn to their wives regarding the matters of governing the kingdom.
"There is a stereotype that men are responsible for wars and genocides, and that women are by nature peacemakers," said one of the study's authors, Oudrila Dub. "Our research destroyed this stereotype," the historian noted.
SOURCE:dailymail.co.uk/