Valasca is a

woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

mentioned in the ''History of Bohemia'' by Aeneas Silvius (

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

). She was also called Vlasta and was supporter of the mythical

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

Libuše , Libussa, Libushe or, historically ''Lubossa'', is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czechs, Czech people as a whole. According to legend, she was the youngest but wisest of three sisters, who became queen after their father ...

Life

Valasca led a female rebellion against the rule of Přemysl after the death of

. On the death of Libuše ca. 738, Valasca, one of Libussa(Libuše)'s favourite henchwomen, seized power and created a state ruled by women. She decreed that only women were to receive military training and that boys were to be maimed to render them unable to fight by removal of the right eye and thumb. She supposedly distributed a potion to the women of Bohemia which protected them from men. She was slain by Primislaus( Přemysl) in battle after seven years of rule, at which point men regained power. Her headquarters were traditionally believed to have been located in

Dívčí Hrad Dívčí Hrad () is a municipality and village in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. Geography Dívčí Hrad is located about north of Bruntál and northeast of Ostrava. It is s ...

("The Virgin’s Castle") on Mount Vidovole.

In popular culture

A character called Velasca played by

Melinda Clarke Melinda Patrice Clarke (born April 24, 1969) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Faith Taylor on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' (1989–1990), Julie Cooper on Fox's teen drama series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007), Lady Heath ...

in popular TV series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' was loosely based on Valasca.

References

{{Monarchs of Bohemia Czech mythology 8th-century women monarchs Culture of the Czech Republic Women in medieval European warfare