In the Marvel Universe, one of the most skillful groups of warriors is the Dora Milaje — an all-female unit of special forces from the African-kingdom of Wakanda. While these elite warriors are fictional, there is some evidence of a force of African female archers who existed in the Middle Ages and even fought a battle in Spain.
Written in the second half of the thirteenth century, this work begins with Biblical and ancient history before focusing on events in Iberia. However, just three days after his death on July 10th, a huge army arrived from Tunis to capture the city. All of them had their heads shaved, apart from a tuft which each of them had on the top of their head.
This was because they came as if on a pilgrimage and to seek pardon. They were well armed with cuirasses and with Turkish bows. According to Abenalfarax, who was the one who transcribed this Historia in Arabic, there were at least 15, tents, and King Bucar ordered that black woman to station herself nearest the town with all her company. He had the body of Rodrigo Diaz embalmed and dressed in armour, and put him on a horse.
The Christian forces with the dead El Cid then rode out of the city under the cover of darkness before making their attack. The first charge was against the tents of that black Moorish woman, who was in the van, and so hard was the charge that they killed a good hundred of those Moorish women, before they could take arms and mount. It was, in fact, abandoned by the Christian forces in or before another siege could be started. Some believed that there might be some truth to this story, but not the idea that these could be female archers.
Such was the belief until an article by Elena Lourie was published in the year Lourie believes that the account of these African women warriors is historical but actually describes events from the year , shortly after El Cid had captured Valencia.
