Powerful Women

For centuries, power was a territory largely closed to women. Even so, the History of Spain, between the 10th and 20th centuries, preserves the names of those who managed to exercise a measure of authority in a world designed to suit men.

From the Middle Ages, figures such as Violante of Hungary, wife of James I the Conqueror, and Teresa of Ávila, tireless reformer of the Carmelite Order, stand out. During the Golden Age, women printers sustained much of the publishing world of their time through their work. Later, bold businesswomen such as the Widow Solano, creator of the famous milk coffee lozenges, and the popular lottery seller Doña Manolita became important social and economic figures.

Trailblazers such as Masseras, Aleu, and Castells, the first Spanish women to attend university, also opened new paths. In the turbulent 20th century, Dolores Ibárruri and Pilar Primo de Rivera embodied opposing political visions in a Spain marked by confrontation. And Mercedes Fórmica, as a lawyer, defended the legal dignity of separated women during the Franco regime.

Remembering their names is not merely an exercise in historical memory. It is an act of justice and recognition for those who, despite the limits imposed upon them, helped transform our history.