Catalina de Erauso: The Lieutenant Nun

The teenage Catalina de Erauso ran away in 1599 from a Basque convent, dressed as a man.

She went on to live one of the most wildly fantastic lives of any woman in history.

Catalina became a soldier of fortune, renowned for her skill with a sword.  She is said to have achieved the rank of lieutenant in the Spanish army and to have participated in campaigns in Chile, Mexico, and Peru.

In Chile, she served under her brother’s command against the Araucanian Indians.

Later, she mistakenly killed her own brother in a duel.

A gambler and adventurer, Catalina became a folk hero when she returned to Europe and related her adventures.

She so charmed Pope Urban VIII that he granted her special permission to wear men’s clothes.

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