Catarina Lopes


Catarina Lopes was a Portuguese soldier, she fought alongside other men and women soldiers in the Siege of Diu. She is known for forming a group of combatants to fight for Portuguese Empire against Sultanate of Gujarat and Ottoman Empire.

Biography

Catarina de Lopes together with Isabel Madeira, and with Garcia Rodrigues, Isabel Fernandes, Isabel Dias, formed a group of female combatants who fought in front of the battle against the Turks at the Second Siege of Diu in.
This achievement is recorded in the Decades of Diogo de Couto, and in a magazine of 1842 it was described as follows:
In particular, on the subject of Catarina Lopes, it is added:
In the said siege of Diu, she gave a very distinct proof of her value Catarina Lopes. It was the case, that she wanting to reject the pride of an enemy combatant, who had advanced to the walls, fell of them down along with the soldier. He wanted to fill his anger, using all his strength to suppress those of the valiant matron. But, putting aside the natural weakness, she was clothed with such a manly spirit, that coming with him to the fight, cast him down to the ground, and having no weapon wherewith to smite him, she took advantage of those which his own wrath ministered to her And so she put her fingers in his eyes, and plucked them out; and then rescued from their own, escaped the rage of their enemies, who, with their hands raised, avenged the insult.