Laskarina Bouboulina, Greek commander (d. 1825)
Laskarina Bouboulina (Greek: Λασκαρίνα Μπουμπουλίνα; 1771 – 22 May 1825) was a Greek naval commander, heroine of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and considered the first woman to attain the rank of admiral.
She was born in Constantinople in 1771 into a family of Arvanite origin. During her youth she developed an interest in sailing which was facilitated by her stepfather's liberal attitude to education. She was widowed twice, inheriting a considerable sum of money from her second husband. She later joined the Filiki Etaireia secret society which sought to achieve Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, being among the few women to do so. Following the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence she commanded a fleet of Spetsiot ships which contributed to several campaigns most notably the Siege of Nafplion.
Following the defeat of her faction in the Greek civil war of 1824 she was expelled to Spetses and briefly imprisoned on false charges. She was killed on 22 May 1825, during the course of a family feud.