K

Kaahumanu – (1768 – 1832) 
Queen consort and regent of Hawaii (1819 – 1832)
Kaahumanu was born (March 17, 1768) on the island of Maui, the daughter of a fugitve nobleman, Ke’eaumoku, and Queen Namahana, the widow of Kamehameha Nui, king of Maui. She was married (1781) to her cousin, King Kamehameha I (died 1819) and became his favourite wife. Queen Kaahumanu fully supported her husband’s plan for the unification of Hawaii. She was one of the first to be converted (1824) by Protestant Christian missionaries, and thus gave the lead for other females of the royal house to embrace the new religion. After her baptism, and under the influence of the Protestants, the queen ordered the Catholic missionaries to leave Hawaii.
With her husband’s death Kaahumanu ruled the kingdom as regent for her stepson, Kamehameha II (1819 – 1824) and she was appointed as kutninaru (premier) with powers almost equal to those of the king’s. In order to prevent the island of Kauai from asserting its independence from the royal authority, Kaahumanu had the ruler Kaumuali kidnapped, and then married him herself (1821) reuniting Kauai with the crown. Kaahumanu acted as regent when the king and Queen Keopulani travelled to England in 1824. When they both died there, she continued to rule Hawaii as regent during the minority of King Kamehameha III. Apart from fostering the work and mission of the Protestant missionaries in Hawaii, and working to improve the inferior position of Hawaiian women, Queen Kaahumanu also proclaimed the first linear code for civil laws (1824). She successfully negotiated the first treaty between the kingdom of Hawaii and the USA (1826) under President John Quincy Adams. Queen Kaahumanu died (June 5, 1832) aged sixty-four.

Kaaren, Suzanne – (1912 – 2004)
American minor film actress
Kaaren was born (March 12, 1912). She worked throughout the decades of the 1930’s and 1940’s, and appeared in various types of movie roles in westerns, horror flicks, and in romance films. She appeared in the classic horror film The Devil Bat (1940) with Bela Lugosi, and made a return to films when aged over seventy to appear as the ‘Duchess of Park Avenue’ in the popular The Cotton Club (1984). Suzanne Kaaren died (Aug 27, 2004) aged ninety-two.

Kaas, Birgitte Christine – (1682 – 1761)
Norwegian scholar, devotional poet and hymn writer
Her work was influenced by that of Dorothe Engelbretsdatter. Birgitte Kaas supported herself by her writings, and also produced secular works. Some of her work has survived.

Kaberry, Phyllis Mary – (1910 – 1977)
Anglo-Australian anthropologist
Phyllis Kaberry was born (Sept 17, 1910) in San Francisco, California, USA, the daughter of British parents, who immigrated firstly to New Zealand, before settling in Sydney, New South Wales (1914). Kaberry graduated from the University of Sydney (1935) having spent almost two years studying the life of the indigenous aborigines of the Kimberley district of Western Australia. Her research was published in Oceania (1934 – 1936) as was her thesis Aboriginal Woman (1939), which revealed the true central importance of the female to the aboriginal culture. With the support of grants from the Australian National Research Council Kaberry organized field research in the Sepik region of New Guinea, though the eruption of WW II forced her to return to Sydney.
Kaberry held fellowships at Yale University in America and lectured there during the war. It was during this time that she edited a collection of Malinowski’s unpublished papers as The Dynamics of Culture Change (1945). Several years were spent in the Cameroon region of West Africa, where Kaberry became something of a legend amongst the tribal women who honoured her with the title of ‘queen mother.’ This relationship led to the publication of the work Women in the Grassfields (1952). Kaberry later served as reader in anthropolgy (1950 – 1977) at the University College in London and also served as vice-president (1965 – 1968) of the Royal Anthropological Society. Phyllis Kaberry died (Oct 31, 1977) at Camden in south west Sydney.

Kabos, Ilona – (1893 – 1973)
Hungarian pianist
Kabos was born (Dec 7, 1893), and she performed works by Franz Liszt, Bela Bartok, and Kodaly, and later established a successful career as a respected music teacher. She performed a recording of Liszt’s Gnomenreigen in Budapest (1956). She was married to the musician, Louis Kentner. Ilona Kabos died (May 27, 1973) aged seventy-nine.

Kaccipettu Nanakaiyar – (fl. c250 – c300 AD)
Indian poet
Kaccipettu was a Tamil woman and her surviving poem ‘What She Said’ which has survived and been translated, was composed in the ancient classic style.

Kadako – (1311 – 1359)
Japanese empress consort
Kadako was the wife of the Emperor Go-Daigio (1288 – 1339), she was by birth a member of the powerful Fujiwara clan. Her eldest son Prince Tsuneyoshi predeceased his father, whilst her youngest son ascended the Imperial throne as the emperor Go-Murakami (1328 – 1368). During her widowhood the empress was accorded the title Ano Benshi.

Kadmon, Stella – (1902 – 1989)
Jewish-Austrian stage actress and theatre director
Kadmon was born (July 16, 1902) in Vienna and studied acting at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts (1920 – 1923). Stella Kadmon went on to study both acting and stage direction under Armin Seydelmann and Max Reinhardt. Kadmon worked in cabaret in Vienna and in Germany (1926 – 1931), and established the cabaret club ‘Dier liebe Augustin’ in Berlin (1931 – 1938). Kadmon fled Germany ahead of the Nazis and went to Palestine, where she worked in theatre in Tel Aviv, before eventually returning to Vienna after WW II (1947). She produced Bertolt Brecht’s Furcht und Elend des Dritten Reiches (1948). Stella Kadmon died (Oct 12, 1989) aged eighty-seven, in Vienna.

Kael, Pauline – (1919 – 2001)
American film critic and writer
Pauline Kael was born (June 19, 1919) in Petaluma, California, and was educated at the University of California at Berkeley in Los Angeles (UCLA). She was the movie critic for the New Yorker for almost twenty-five years (1968 – 1991). Kael was particularly noted for her searing and withering, though usually accurate, criticisms, and was the author of several works including Kiss, Kiss, Bang Bang (1968), When the Lights Go Down (1980), 5001 Nights at the Movies (1982) and State of the Art (1985), amongst others. She was the recipient of the National Book Award (1974).

Kaffka, Margit – (1880 – 1918)
Hungarian poet and novelist
Kaffka was born (June 1, 1880) at Nagykaroly, the daughter of a poor Catholic family. Engaged in a teaching career, Kaffka began to write poetry, being influenced by her friend, the poet Endre Ady. Her best known works were Szinek es evek (Colours and years) (1912) and Allomasok (Stations) (1917) which portrayed feminist themes. Margit Kaffka perished in Budapest (Dec 1, 1918) aged thirty-eight, during the great influenza epidemic.

Kaga no Chiyo   see   Chiyo, Fukuzoyo

Kageyama, Hideko – (1867 – 1927)
Japanese loyalist
Hideko Kageyama was born in Okayama. Involved in the Osaka Incident of 1884 with Kentaro Oi and Kusuo Kobayashi, she was imprisoned for her participation in this attempted revolt. Released in 1889, Kageyama later founded a secondary school for girls at Osaka. She published the feminist magazine Sekai Fujin, and acted as editor-in-chief (1907 – 1908).

Kagiya, Kana – (1786 – 1868)
Japanese inventor
Kana Kagiya was born at Imaide in Iyo in the Ehime Prefecture. Kana was credited with the invention (1802) of the striped cloth which was used to make the traditional kimono. She made experiments herself with various cloth dyes and perfected the process of imaide-gasuri, which later became generally known as Iyo-gasuri.

Kahina (al-Kahinat, El-Kahina) – (c660 – 693)
Berber queen and heroine, ruler of northern Africa
Kahina was the daughter of Matia, a Berber tribesman whose ancestors had adopted the Judaic religion. She succeeded Kusaila as leader of the Berbers when a young woman, and led the native resistance to the Arab conquest and spread of the Islamic religion. Her people considered her to be possessed of the gift of prophecy, and she was sometimes known as ‘Dahliya.’ The queen’s forced managed to defeat the Arab armies once, but when threatened by them several years afterwards, Kahina adopted a scorched earth policy, which lost her much-needed local support, and hastened the end of the independent Berber kingdom. According to traditional accounts, Kahina was either killed in hand to hand combat with the army, or took poison

Kahle, Maria – (1891 – 1975)
German essayist, poet and story writer
Born Maria Kessler at Wesel on the Lower Rhine, she was educated at home and at secondary school, Maria first worked as a foreign correspondent for newspapers in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil. After her return to Germany, Kahle edited the daily newspaper Der Jungdeutsche (The Young German) at Kassel in Hesse. She specialized concerning issues which affected German expatriates abroad, which brought her into favour with the rising power of the Third Reich. Her best known works included works such as Die Frau und ihr Volk (The German Woman and Her Folk (1934). With the end of the war Kahle concentrated on poetry and writing fairy tales. Her last work was Herz der Frau (Heart of the Woman) (1959). Maria Kahle died in Olsberg, Westphalia.

Kahlo, Frida – (1907 – 1954)
Mexican surrealist painter and artist
Frida Kahlo was born in Coyoacab, Mexico City, the daughter of a Jewish-German immigrant and a Mexican mother. Originally she desired to become a physician, but a serious accident ended this plan, and whilst she was recovering Kahlo began to esperimet with painting. Frida sent examples of her work to the painter and muralist Diego Rivera (1886 – 1957) whom she later married (1928). The marriage proved unhappy and the couple later divorced but remarried a second time. Her work was particularly noted for the use of violent and colourful imagery, and she produced many self-portraits, and her style remained completely different to that of her husband. Examples of her work were exhibited in the International Exhibition of Surrealism in Mexico City (1940). After her death her home in Coyoacan was established as The Frida Kahlo Museum (1958).

Kahn, Janet    see   Hooker, Janet Annenberg

Kahn, Joan – (1914 – 1994)
American editor and mystery novelist
Kahn was born in New York and attended the Horace Mann School and Barnard College. She began her editing career at Herpers Brothers (1946) dealing with books on art, travel, and history.
Kahn established the Harper Novels Suspense Department, and published works by mystery writers as Dick Francis, Julian Symonds, and Peter Dickinson, amongst others. During the 1960’s she imprinted her own books and the Mystery Writers of America awarded Kahn the Ellery Queen Award and the Edgar Allan Poe Award in recognition of her contribution to publishing. Joan Kahn died aged eighty, in New York.

Kahn, Madeline – (1942 – 1999)
American film actress and commedienne
Madeline Kahn was born (Sept 29, 1942) in Boston, Massachusetts. She was raised in New York and trained as a speech therapist at Hofstra University on Long Island, before deciding on a career on the stage. Kahn performed in clubs on Broadway, before attracting attention when she played Ryan O’Neal’s unpleasant fiancee in the comedy film What’ s Up Doc? (1972) with Barbra Streisand. Her appearance as Trixie Delight in Paper Moon (1973) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting actress. She received her second Academy Award nomination for her brilliant vampish rendition of the stage performer Lili Von Shtupp in Mel Brooks’ classic comedy western film Blazing Saddles (1974), where she performed the notably famous song ‘I’m Tired.’ She appeared with Gene Wilder as Elizabeth in the Mel Brooks’ parody Young Frankenstein (1974). Madeline Kahn received Antoinette Perry (Toni) nominations for her stage performances in On the 20th Century (1978) and Born Yesterday (1989). She won the Best Actress Award for her role as a Jewish matron in The Sisters Rosensweig (1993). She also worked in television and had her own show Oh Madeleine ! (1983 – 1984). Madeline Kahn died of cancer (Dec 3, 1999) aged fifty-seven, in Los Angeles, California.

Kainerstorfer, Clotilde – (fl. 1874 – 1885)
German composer
Clothilde Kainerstorfer was born in Swabia, Bavaria and produced devotional works. She composed almost a dozen pieces of religious music for piano and organ, which were published in Augsburg. These included Op. 47, ten Christmas carols for voice and piano.

Kairi, Evanthia – (1799 – 1866)
Greek educator, nationalist and feminist pioneer
Evanthia Kairi was born on the Island of Andros, daughter of the noted philosopher, Theophilos Kairis, who oversaw her education. Evanthia trained as a schoolteacher and lectured in Greek literature and history at a school for girls in Kydonies. She was later appointed headmistress of this establishment and was a strong supporter, and campaigner, for more educational opportunities to be made available for Greek women. Also a fervent nationalist, she appealed to various European women’s groups for assistance in the uprising against Turkish rule then building momentum in her homeland. Her famous play, Nikiratos (1826), was penned after the city of Missolonghi fell to the enemy Turks. After the eventual establishment of Greek independence, Kairi retired to Andros where she established a school to care for and educate war orphans.

Kaiser, Isabelle – (1866 – 1925)
Swiss novelist
Kaiser was born (Oct 2, 1866) in Beckenried, in the German speaking region of Switzerland, but later resided in Geneva and Zug with her family. Her personal diary, later published as Die Friedensucherin (The Searcher for Peace) (1908) was based on an unsuccessful romance. Isabelle Kaiser resided in some isolation and produced over two dozen books, written in both German and French. Other works included Coeur de femme (Woman’s Heart) (1891) which won a German literary prize, Sorciere (Witch) (1896), Notre Pere (Our Father) (1900) and Novellen und Skizzen (Short Stories and Sketches) (1914) in which she pleaded for peace on the eve of WW I. Kaiser travelled extensively throughout Europe, visiting various countries including Italy, Belgium, Germany, and France, reading from her various novels and poems, and was much admired in the literary salons of Paris. The Academie Francais awarded her a prize for her novel Juteau Davigneux (1910). Isabella Kaiser died (Feb 17, 1925) aged fifty-eight, at Beckenried.

Kaiulani – (1875 – 1899)
Hawaiian princess
Princess Kaiulani was born (Oct 15, 1875) the daughter of Prince Leleiohoku, the brother to Queen Liliukalani. Though she was not officially named as heir to the throne, her birth was proclaimed ans celebrated by the Hawaiian people who named her ‘the Hope of Hawaii.’ When her aunt was deposed (1893), Kaiulani was unsuccessfully proposed as her successor, under a regency. This was quickly abandoned, and the princess was treated shabbily by the American government, though she was eventually granted a pension and permitted to retain certain family estates. She remained unmarried. Princess Kaiulani died (March 3, 1899) aged only twenty-three.

Kakhovskaia, Irina Kontantinovna – (1888 – 1960)
Russian revolutionary
Irina Kakhovskaia suffered exile during her youth (1908 – 1917) because of her involvement in anti-government activities. With the outbreak of the revolution, Kakhovskaia joined the army, and became one of the leaders fighting against the German forces in the Ukraine region (1918). Kakhovskaia was one of the assassins of the German army commander, Field Marshal Eichhorn. Her male accomplice was hanged for his part in the murder, but Kakhovskaia was sentenced to imprisonment (1921) in the gulags where she remained nearly thirty-five years. Released only after the death of Josef Stalin (1955), she was permitted to live out her remaining years in Moscow.

Kaleko, Mascha – (1907 – 1975)
Jewish-Russian novelist and poet
Kaleko was born (June 7, 1907) at Schidlow in Poland, the daughter of a Jewish-Russian father and an Austrian mother. Later she and her mother removed to reside in Berlin. There she established herself in literary circles, and produced a highly popular collection of nonsensical verse entitled Das lyrische Stenpgrammhelft (The Lyrical Stenographer’s Notebook) (1933). Another collection of poetry was Verse fur Zeitgenossen (Verses for Contemporaries) (1958). Her first marriage ended in divorce and she remarried to the musician and composer, Cemjo Vinaver. With the rise of the Nazi regime, the family fled Germany and immigrated to the USA (1939). After residing with her husband and son in New York for over twenty-five years, Kaleko and Vinaver eventually immigrated to live in Palestine (1966). She survived both her son (1968) and her husband (1973). Mascha Kaleko died (Jan 21, 1975) aged fifty-seven, in Zurich, Switzerland.

Kalisch, Sonia   see   Tucker, Sophie

Kallas, Aino Julia Maria – (1878 – 1956)
Finnish novelist, essayist, and lecturer
Aino Krohn was the daughter of the famous nationalist, Julius Krohn, and was married (1900) to the noted Estonian folklorist Oskar Kallas. A prominent figure in the campaign of Estonian nationalism she was one of the best known Finnish authors outside her own country. Her works included the novels Laulaja ja balladeja (Song and Ballads) (1897), Meren takaa (From Beyond the Sea) (1904) and Lahtevien laivojen kaupunki (The Town of Departing Ships) (1913). Kallas also produced a famous series of novellas Barbara von Tisenhusen (1923), Reigin pappi (The Rector of Reigi) (1926), Sudenmorsian (The Wolf’s Bride) (1928) and Pyhan joen kosto (The Revenge of the Holy River) (1930).

Kallinica (Callinica) – (d. c251 AD)
Graeco-Roman Christian martyr
Kallinica was a native of Galatia in Asia Minor. She worked as a servant (perhaps a slave) to a noble matron named Basilissa who sent gifts and provisions for imprisoned Christians during the persecution initiated by the emperor Traianus Decius (249 – 251 AD). Kallinica’s arrest whilst engaged in distributing aid led to the subsequent arrest of Basilissa. Both women refused to make sacrifice to the pagan gods, and were then tortured and beheaded. Both were revered as saints, their feast (March 22) being recorded in the Roman Martyrology and the Acta Sanctorum.

Kalliope Lerama (Calliope) – (d. c251 AD)
Graeco-Roman virgin martyr
Kalliope Lerama was arrested as a Christian during the persecutions initiated by the Emperor Traianus Decius (249 – 251 AD). She was subjected to frightful forms of torture before being finally executed. Kalliope was revered as a saint her feast (June 8) being recorded in the Roman Martyrology and the Acta Sanctorum. Spurius legends place her martyrdom instead during the reign of the Emperor Nero (54 – 68 AD).

Kallir, Lilian – (1931 – 2004)
Bohemian-American pianist and chamber musician
Lilian Kallir was born (May 6, 1931) in Prague of Austrian parents. A musical prodigy from her early years, she studied under Isabella Vengerova and Herman de Grab. She was married (1959) to the pianist Claude Frank, and was mother of the noted violinist, Pamela Frank. Kallir fled the rise of the Nazis with her family, and immigrated to the USA. She studied at the Mannes School of Music and made her stage debut at the age of seventeen with the New York Philharmonic (1948). She established a reputation for herself with her repertoire of works by Mozart and Chopin. She toured Europe and South America, and was highly regarded as a music instructor when she joined the staff of the Mannes College (1975). As a performer of chamber music, Kallir performed with Richard Stoltzman and Yo-Yo Ma, amongst other musical luminaries. She also travelled the world performing with various major orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony, and the Royal Concertgebouw, of Amsterdam. Her rendition of the Mozart Piano Concerto in G (K. 453) was nominated for a Grammy Award. Lilian Kallir died (Oct 25, 2004) aged seventy-three, in New York.

Kallirhoe   see   Kora

Kallisthene – (c285 – c340 AD)
Greek physician and saint
Kallisthene was the daughter of a Roman citizen named Audactus, who resided at Ephesus in Greece. She was sent away to escape the unwanted attentions of the emperor Maximian, who then confiscated the family’s possessions and banished them to another province. Audactus refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods and was beheaded. Kallisthene cut off her hair, disguised herself as a man, and resided for several years in Nikomedia. During this period of disguise she supported herself by the practice of medicine, and was in Thrace, where she was recorded as having successfully treated a girl with an eye affliction that threatened blindness. The grateful parents proposed that the doctor should marry their daughter, whereupon Kallisthene revealed her story to them. She remained secreted with the family until the death of Maximian (313 AD). With the succession of the emperor Licinius, Kallisthene applied to the empress Constantia, his wife, sister to Constantine the Great, who received her and others of her family under her protection. Licinius, through the intercession of his wife, then restored to Kallisthene the properties of her late father. She resided at Ephesus until her death. Father and daughter were honoured together as saints (Oct 4).

Kallodata (Callodata) – (d. c250 AD)
Graeco-Roman Christian martyr
Kallodata was a married to a Greek named Cyrus and was a native of Alexandria in Egypt. She was arrested as a Christian together with Andropelagia and several others during the persecutions of the emperor Traianus Decius (249 – 251 AD). All refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods and were executed. Kallodata was revered as a saint (Sept 6), her feast being recorded in the Acta Sanctorum.

Kalthum, Um – (1897 – 1975)
Egyptian vocalist
Um Kalthum was born into a poor family in the village of Tamay al-Zahirah, in the Nile Delta region. She began her career as a reciter of the Koran, but quickly estasblished a reputation for herself as an extremely popular and beloved singer, becoming known as the ‘Nightingale of the East.’ Um Kalthoum performed romantic, sad, and nationalist works, but was particularly admired for her renditions of traditional Arab love ballads. She gave weekly concert performances on Egyptian radio and made many recordings of her work. Um Kalthoum performed before King Farouk and was honoured by him for her contribution to Egyptian and Islamic culture, but with the overthrow of the monarchy (1953) she was treated with as much honour by the new regime. Um Kalthoum travelled abroad extensively, where she also performed, sometimes for extrordinary fees. Um Kalthum died (Feb 3, 1975) aged seventy-seven, in Cairo.

Kalundborg – (fl. c1170 – c1190)
Swedish princess
Kalundborg was the wife of Sune Sverkersson Sik (born c1132), the son of Sverker I the Elder, king of Sweden (1130 – 1156). Their daughter, Ingegerd Ylva Sunnesdotter became the wife of Magnus Folkunga, and through her, Kalundborg was the grandmother of the famous regent, Birger Jarl (died 1266), and was the great-grandmother of King Valdemar (1250 – 1275).

Kalvak, Helen – (1901 – 1984) 
Canadian Inuit painter
Helen Kalvak resided all her life in the wilderness, and only began drawing scenes from the daily lives of the Copper Inuit of the Canadian arctic region, when aged over sixty. Her work recorded the traditional legends and ceremonies, and she was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts (1975).

Kalyanavati – (c1160 – 1208)
Queen of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
Kalyanavati was the wife of King Nissamkamalla of the Kalinga dynasty. Her husband died in 1187 and was succeeded by his stepbrother, King Sahasamalla. With Sahasamalla’s death (1202) the queen dowager assumed the crown, and ruled as queen until her death.

Kamalat Shah – (fl. 1688 – 1699)
Indonesian Muslim queen, ruler of Aceh Dar us-Salam
Born Putri Raja Setia, she was the great-granddaughter of Sultan Mukmin (1579). She succeeded her sister-in-law, Sultana Zaqiyat on the throne (1688), and ruled for a decade. Islamic and anti-commercial factors led to an appeal to Mecca against female rule, and eventually Kamalat Shah was removed from power, despite her beneficent rule, by the political intrigues of Sayyidd Ibrahim Habib, who then married the queen, and assumed the full powers of a sultan. Kamalat Shah remained consort only, and bore her husband two sons, both of whom succeeded as sultans.

Kamamalu – (1797 – 1824)
Queen consort of Hawaii
Kamamlu was the daughter of King Kamehameha and the wife to King Liholiho. She visited England (1823 – 1824) with her husband, being received at the court of King George IV (1820 – 1830) and died there.

Kaminker, Simone Henriette Charlotte    see    Signoret, Simone

Kamphoevener, Baroness Elsa Sophia von – (1878 – 1963)
German children’s author and writer
Baroness Elsa was born in Hamelin, the daughter of a German military officer, and spent the first four decades of her life in Turkey. She only returned to Germany at the end of WW I (1921).
Elsa was first employed with the UFA film studios in Berlin until 1931, when she devoted herself to her writing, and translating Islamic fairy-tales and children’s stories into German. She was the author of the collection of fairy tales entitled Nachtfeuren der Karawan-Serai (1956), amongst several other works. Baroness von Kamphoevner died at Traunstein.

Kamures – (1855 – 1921)
Ottoman sultana (1909 – 1918)
Kamures was born at Genji in the Caucasus. She was married (1872) at Ortakeuy, to Sultan Mehmed V Resad (1844 – 1918). She was the mother of Prince Ziyaeddin Osman (1873 – 1938), who later served as a major-general in the Ottoman army. Sultana Kamures survived the sultan and died (April 30, 1921) aged sixty-five, at Courot-Chachme.

Kane, Fusako    see   Fusako

Kane, Julia    see   Robins, Denise Naomi

Kane, Sarah – (1971 – 1999)
British dramatist
Kane was born in Essex, and studied drama at Bristol University, and then playwriting at Birmingham University, in Lancashire. Her first work Blasted (1995) caused a storm when it was performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London, as it included explicit scenes of bestial, sexual, and perverted acts. Her work was particularly noted for its association with violence, depression, despair, and love, all of which were hopelessly intertwined. Her second work Phaedra’s Love (1996) an adaptation of Seneca, continued in her own particular oeuvre, was followed by Cleansed which included an amputation and heroin being injected into an eyeball, and caused outrage amongst various critics. Kane shied away from all the celebrity caused by her plays. Sarah Kane committed suicide by hanging herself (Feb 20, 1999) in London, aged twenty-eight.

Kaneko, Tomosada – (1876 – 1948)
Japanese princess
Princess Tomosada Kaneko was born (Aug 26, 1876), the daughter of Prince Tomosada Iwakura, and was married (1893) to Prince Higashi Fushimi (1876 – 1922) of the Imperial house. They remained childless. The princess and her husband represented the emperor at the coronation of George V and Queen Mary in London (June, 1911). Her husband died in Tokyo, and she survived him for twenty-five years as Princess Dowager (1922 – 1948). After WW II the princess was officially relegated to commoner status (Oct, 1947). The former princess died in Tokyo.

Kang Keqing – (1911 – 1992)
Chinese political leader, Communist aide and women’s leader
Kang Keqing was born (Sept, 1911) in Jiangxi Province and was raised by a poor peasant family who had adopted her during infancy. She was educated at the Red Army College and the military academy. She was married (1929) to the noted general, Zhu De and was later appointed as commander of the Red Army’s Women’s Department. She was one of the few women on the Long March (1934 – 1935). She was elected to the committee of the Chinese Democratic Women’s Federation, and served as president (1978 – 1988) and then honorary president (1988 – 1992). Kang Keqing died (April 22, 1992) aged eighty, in Beijing.

Kan-t’en Hou – (c1095 – 1142)
Chinese ruler of the Ch’e-tan Liao Dynasty
Kant’en Hou was the wife of King Te Tsnung, who kept his capital at Balasagun. With her husband’s death (1124) the queen ruled until her death. She was succeeded as her son or stepson Jen Tsung (1142 – 1154).

Kao-Yang – (c615 – 656)
Chinese Imperial princess
Kao-Yang was half-sister to the Emperor Kao-Tsung. She and her husband, Fan I-ai, were involved in a vague conspiracy agains the Imperial authority, and the princess was ordered to commit suicide. Her husband was the son of the early T’ang statesman Fang Hsudin-ling.

Kapiolani, Esther Julia – (1834 – 1899)
Queen consort of Hawaii
Princess Kapiolani was born (Dec 31, 1834) the granddaughter of Kaumuali, last independent king of the island of Kauai, and was the stepdaughter of the Queen regent Kaahumanu, the widow of Kamehameha I (died 1819). She was married to King David Kalakaua and as queen consort she established the Kapiolani Maternity Hospital, to treat and look after native Hawaiian mothers. With the deposition of Queen Liliukolani (1893) by the USA, Queen Kapiolani was granted a small pension and permitted to retain certain estates for her own use. Queen Kapiolani died (June 24, 1899) aged sixty-four.

Kapitolina (Capitolina) – (d. c304 AD)
Graeco-Roman Christian martyr
Kapitolina was born into a noble family in Cappodocia, Asia Minor, and was tutored by Firmilianus, the Christian bishop of Caesarea. She was arrested and put to death by the sword during the perseuctions initiated by the emperor Diocletian, because of her refusal to sacrifice to the local deity, Serapis. Her maidservant Erotis was forced to witness her execution. Erotis then reviled her killers and was herself put to death. The church venerated both women together as saints, their feast (Oct 27) being recorded in the Roman Martyrology and the Acta Sanctorum.

Kaplan, Fanya – (1890 – 1918) 
Russian terrorist and revolutionary figure
Born Feiga Efimova Roidman, Fanya Kaplan made an abortive assassination attempt upon Vladimir Lenin (Aug, 1918), maintaining that he had betrayed the Russian revolution by making peace with Germany. She was tried and found guilty, and despite Lenin’s own attempts to spare her life, Kaplan was executed.

Kaplan, Helen – (1910 – 1993)
American activist and campaigner
Kaplan was educated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Philadelphia Conservatory. Kaplan was a founder member of the Nassau Association for the Help of Retarded Children (1949), of which she served as president and vice-president. Having lost a child to leukemia (1952) she devoted the rest of her life to reforming the care provided for mentally retarded children. She was finally appointed as executive director (1961 – 1988), a position she had already filled for nearly three decades. The members of the Nassau association provided edcuational, vocational, and residential help for nearly fifteen hundred people across the USA annually. Helen Kaplan died in Plainview, Long Island.

Kappes, Nancy – (1904 – 1998)
American educator
Born Georgianna Morris Crowther, in Lutherville, Maryland, she was the sister of Bosley Crowther, film critic for The New York Times. She graduated from the National Cathedral School in Washington, and from Smith College, and married Carl Kappes, to whom she bore one son and two daughters. Nancy Kappes earned a master’s degree (1953) in history at Columbia University Teachers College, and taught for many years at preparatory schools, including the Masters School, in Dobb’s Ferry, New York, from which she retired (1969). Nancy Kappes died (Oct 17, 1998) at Greenwich, Connecticut.

Kapralova, Vitezslava – (1915 – 1940)
Czech composer
Kapralova was born (Jan 24, 1915) at Brno, the daughter of Vaclav Kapral. She studied composition under Vilem Petrzelka and conducting under Vaclav Chalabala, at the Brno Conservatory (1930 – 1935). Kapralova was best known for her orchestral works such as the, Military Sinfonietta and Suita rustica, which remained unfinished at her death, and this is generally regarded to be her greatest work. Vitezslava Kapralova died of tuberculosis (June 16, 1940) aged twenty-five, at Montpellier, France, during the evacuation of Paris during WW II.

Karadin, Barbara – (1937 – 2001)
Australian civic activist
Barbara Karadin and her husband Steve established (1985) the Bar Point Rescue Base along the Hawkesbury River in Sydney, New South Wales. Barbara operated the radio whilst her husband acted as boat master. The couple retired (April, 2000) due to Joan’s ill-health, though until her death she continued to edit the rescue base magazine Riding On Airwaves.

Karadjordjevica, Zorka     see    Zorka Ljubica

Karatza, Rallou – (1778 – 1830) 
Greek nationalist
Princess Rallou Karatza was born in Wallachia, Romania, the daughter of a Greek prince. Carefully educated she developed a particular interest in all forms of historical theatre. The first Greek woman to form a company of amateur players, she recruited talent from the Greek school in Bucharest. Rallou Karatza was later closely involved with the secret society ‘Philiki Etaireia’ which organized Greek resistance to Turkish rule, and turned her theatre over to be used for propaganda purposes. The revolutionary plays and ethnic dramas performed at her school made an important contribution to the nationalist uprising (1821). Translating and directing many works herself, Karatza provided scholarships that enabled promising performers to travel to Paris to study, and her theatre became a famous centre for didactic performances. Karatza Rallou died in Athens.

Kardos, Marie – (1884 – 1929)
Hungarian poisoner
Mrs Kardos was married into a provincial but wealthy family in the village of Tiszakurt, near Nagyrev, in the province of Theisswinkel, some sixty miles from Budapest. She poisoned her husband, and then her lover, when she grew weary of them, and inherited property. When her twenty-three year old son became chronically ill, she poisoned him also, on all occasions procuring the poisons from the notorious Mrs Fazekas from neighbouring Nagyrev.
When the rash of murders in the district reached almost epidemic proportions, the activities of Fazekas were closely watched by police. She visited all her customers in order to warn them, and then evaded justice herself by taking poison in from of the arresting officers. All her noted contacts were then visited and arrested, including Marie Kardos. Arrested and taken to Szolnok with many other guilty women, Mrs Kardos dressed immaculately for her court hearing, and then stunned the court by calmly explaining how she had casually poisoned her already dying son with soup. Utterly astounded by her matter of fact admission, the court condemned Marie Kardos to death. She was hanged.

Karelli, Zoe – (1901 – 1998)
Greek poet and dramatist
Born Chryssoula Argyriadou into a prominent literary family in Thessalonika, she was well educated in languages, drawing and singing. She adopted the literary pseudonym ‘Zoe Karelli.’ Karelli studied the works of foreign writers such as Djuna Barnes and T.S. Eliot, and published Greek translations of their works. She produced ten volumes of poetry including Cassandra kai alla Poiemata (Cassandra and Other Poems) (1955), for which she was awarded the State Prize for poetry (1956). Her collected poems were published under the title The Crossroads (1973). The French ministry of education awarded Karelli the Palmes Academique (1959).

Karfunkelstein, Jettka    see    Finkenstein, Jettka

Karin Mansdotter – (1550 – 1612)
Queen consort of Sweden (1567 – 1568)
Katharine Mansdotter was born (Nov 6, 1550) of peasant birth, the daughter of a gaoler. Commonly known by the diminutive Karin she was working as a barmaid at an inn when she was noticed by King Eric XIV (1533 – 1577), who then made her his mistress (1565). Possessed of a gentle disposition, good humour and sound sense, Karin was one of the few people who retained any influence over the king when he became subject to fits of insanity. She bore him an illegitimate daughter (1566) and eventually the king secretly married Karin (1567). However, the birth of their son Gustav (1568 – 1607) made necessary a public wedding (July 4, 1568). This was followed the next day by the queen’s coronation (July 5), which created an uproar amongst the nobility many of whom refused to attend the ceremony.
King Eric was deposed soon afterwards in favour of his brother Johann, Duke of Finland, who became John III. Queen Karin was temporarily seperated from her husband by order of the council, who feared the procreation of any more children who would create further dynastic problems. She was later permitted to reside with Eric and remained with him until his death (1577). The former queen was granted an estate in Finland for her maintenance, and was eventually reconciled with the Swedish royal family and recognized as queen dowager. Her children were granted the royal titles and styles, though they were deemed to possess no claims to the Swedish throne. Queen Karin died (Sept 13, 1612) aged sixty-one. Her five children were,

• Princess Sigrid Vasa (1566 – 1633). She was married firstly to Henrik Tott (died 1603) and secondly to Niels Natt och Dag (1554 – 1613).
• Prince Gustavus Vasa (1568 – 1607). He died unmarried.
• Prince Henrik Vasa (1570 – 1574). He died young.
• Prince Arnold Vasa (born 1572). He died young.
• Prince Henrik Vasa (1574 – 1633). He remained unmarried.

Karin, Katarina Sunadotter     see   Catherine Sunesdotter

Karinska, Barbara – (1886 – 1983) 
Russian costume designer
Barbara Karinska was born in the Ukraine, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. She studied law in Moscow and was married before immigrating to Paris (1928), where she designed costumes for the Comedie Francaise. Karinska worked with the choreographer, George Balanchine in Monte Carlo, and designed the costumes for his ballet Cotillon (1932). She also worked with Henri Matisse, March Chagall and Salvador Dali, and designed costumes for the Ballet Russe. She worked in Hollywood, California, designing for several famous films such as Kismet and Gaslight with Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman. She designed Bergman’s costume for Joan of Arc (1948) for which she received an Academy Award. Despite all her stage and film work Karinska is remembered chiefly for her near three decades collaboration with Balanchine and the New York City Ballet (1949 – 1977). She received the Capezio Dance Award (1961) for her especial contributions to dance.

Kariokka, Taheyya – (1920 – 1999)
Egyptian belly dancer, actress and performer
Born Abla Mohammed Kareem Al Nirani at Ismaileya in Cairo, she was born into a comfortable bourgeois family. She joined the cabaret organized by the Lebanese dancer Badia Masabni and took her professional name of ‘Karioka’ (Carioca) from the Brazilian samba dancers, whose style she adopted with her own variations, becoming a talented and popular performer. Kariokka appeared in several films such as Dreams of Youth (1941) in which she atarred alongside the popular actor and lyricist Farid al-Atrash Samara, and the cult film Li’bat al sitt (The Lady’s Puppet or Madame’s Plaything) (1946).
Her film credits included Ibn el fellah (The Peasant’s Son) (1948), Akbal el Bakari (A Large Family) (1950), El Murra kulshi (A Woman is Everyhting) (1954), Wa Islamah (Oh Islam) (1962) and Al Saqqa mat (The Water-Carrier Is Dead (1977). Her last film roles was in the movies kaman oue kaman Iskanderija (Alexandria Again and Forever) (1990) and Marcides (1993). Kariokka remained a favourite with Egyptian audiences due to her colouful and amusing personality. She was married eight or possibly more times, her husbands including the actor Rushdi Abaza (1926 – 1980) and the vocalist Moharram Fuad. She continued performing until the late 1960’s but did not retire completely until 1986. Taheyya Kariokka died (Sept 20, 1999) aged seventy-eight.

Karolyi, Caroline Zichy, Countess – (1818 – 1903)
Hungarian society figure
Countess Caroline Zichy was the daughter of Count Charles Zichy (1785 – 1876) and his wife, Countess Antonia Batthyany (1789 – 1825). She was married to Count Georg (Ede) Karolyi (1802 – 1877) whom she survived almost three decades as the Countess Dowager Karolyi (1877 – 1903). During her youth the countess had been involved in a romantic liasion with her brother-in-law, Count Lajos Batthyany, the Hungarian prime minister who was later executed in Budapest for political reasons (1849).

Karolyi, Katinka Andrassy, Countess – (1892 – 1985)
Hungarian political figure, salonniere, and memoirist
Known as the ‘Red Countess,’ Countess Katinka Andrassy was the daughter of Count Theodore Andrassy (1857 – 1905) and his wife Countess Eleonore Zichy (1867 – 1945). She was married (1914) to Count Mihaly Karolyi, the president of Hungary (1918 – 1919), to whom she bore two children. The countess was an active supporter of her husband’s Socialist politics, and when Bela Kun and his supporters seized power, she accompanied her husband into exile (1919). They resided for two decades in Western Europe, but with the rise of the Nazi threat and imminent war, the family immigrated to England (1939). At the end of the war they returned to Hungary (1946), residing in Budapest, where some of her family property was restored to her, and at Vence in Antibes in the south of France. The countess survived her husband for three decades and published her memoirs A Life Together (1966). Countess Karolyi died aged ninety-three.

Karomama I – (fl. c950 – c920 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Karomama I was the wife of King Shoshenq I, mother to King Osorkon I (924 – c886 BC), and grandmother to Takelot I. She is assumed to have been related to her husband, and was of Libyan origins. She was his wife at the time of his coronation at Heliopolis. Her existence is known solely from the surviving stelae of her descendant Pasenhor, who made a dedication to the Apis bull in the thirty-seventh years of King Shoshenq V, in which he recounted his royal ancestry. Queen Karomama is thought to have been married to her son after Shoshenq’s death (924 BC), though this would have certainly been a purely political and ceremonial union.

Karomama II – (fl. c870 – c850 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Karomama II was the wife of King Osorkon I (c874 – c850 BC) and the mother of King Takelot I (c850 – c825 BC). Karomama III was her daughter-in-law. A stone relief is preserved in the British Museum in London, which depicts Karomama and Osorkon together. It came originally from the great granite hall that Osorkon built at Bubastis to celebrate his jubilee. The queen probably survived into the reign of her son.

Karomama III – (c860 – c810 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Karomama III was the daughter of Nimlot, king of Egypt at Hermopolis, and was granddaughter of King Osorkon II. She was married to her half-brother Takelot II (c850 – c825 BC). The marriage was a political and dynastic union, uniting the north and south of Egypt, and it also made Nimlot father-in-law to his own half-brother. Queen Karomama was the mother of King Osorkon III who ruled at Leontopolis (c787 – c859 BC), and of Princess Shepensopetet, who was married to Djedkhansefankh and was the mother of Nakhtefmut, the prophet of Amun. Her daughter Princess Istweret was the second wife of Tairbast, and the stepmother of Hor, who served her brother as vizier.
The queen was interred at Thebes, as green glazed ushabti figures were recovered there by archaeologists, but her tomb remains undiscovered. A bronze statue of Karomama, discovered by Champollion at Thebes (1829) is preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris, and she is depicted in the traditional religious dress of the ‘Divine Oratrice of Amun’ her dress inlaid with silver and gold. She was also depicted with her husband in a surviving relief in a chapel at Karnak.

Karr i Alfonsetti, Carme – (1865 – 1943)
Spanish writer, dramatist, and children’s author
Karr was born in Barcelona, and was niece to the French modernist novelist Alphonse Karr. She published songs in Catalan and edited the women’s monthly periodical Feminal.  Carme Karr founded and directed the La Llar, a college established for female teachers and pupils. Her novella La vida d’en Joan Franch (The Life of John Franch) (1912) was awarded a prize in Barcelona (1912) and she was the author of Cuentos a mis nietos (Stories for my Grandchildren) (1932). Carme Karr i Alfonsetti died in Barcelona.

Karsavina, Tamara Platonovna – (1885 – 1978)
Russian-Anglo ballerina
Tamara Karsavina was born in St Petersburg. She was trained at the Imperial Ballet School by the Italian choreographer, Enrico Cecchetti before joining the Marinskii Theatre (1902). She was married to a diplomat. Karsavina was one of the original members of the company established by Sergei Diaghilev, and she created especial roles for herself in ballets composed by Michel Fokine and Vaslav Nijinsky. With the eruption of the Revolution, Karsavina and her family immigrated to England (1918), where she remained long associated with Diaghilev at the Ballets Russes. She served as vice-preisdent of the Royal Academy of Dancing until her retirement (1955). Madame Karsavina produced several works concerning ballet and dance entitled Ballet Technique (1956) and Classical Ballet (1962), and also wrote her autobiography Theatre Street (1930).

Karsch, Anna Luise – (1722 – 1791)
German poet and letter writer
Anna Karsch was born in Brandenburg, Prussia (Dec 1, 1722), the daughter of a dairy farmer. Her education was later overseen by her uncle, but with her father’s death she was forced to return home and worked variously as a housemaid and farmhand. She later married a weaver named Hiersekorn (1738) and bore him two children. Despite being pregnant, her husband took advantage of the new divorce laws, and she returned to her mother’s home without any means of financial support, and subsequently remarried to a tailor named Karsch. The couple ssettled at Fraustadt in Poland, but this marriage also remained unhappy, as her new husband was an alcoholic.
Financial necessity inspired Madame Karsch to write, and became the first German woman to earn her living in this manner. Later the worry of her drunken husband was removed when he was forced to enter the Prussian army (1760). With her children she now removed to Berlin, where she established herself in the prominent literary salon society of the day. She herself recorded details of her meeting with King Frederick the Great (1740 – 1786). Anna Luise Karsch died in Berlin (Oct 12, 1791) aged sixty-eight. Madame Karsch was the author of several collections of verse such as Auserlesene Gedichte (Selected Poems) (1764) and Einige Oden uber verschiedene hohe Gegenstande (Some Odes About Various High Subjects) (1764). She was mother to the poet and dramatist Caroline von Klencke and grandmother of the poet Helmine von Chezy. Her last collection entitled simply Gedichte (Poems), was published posthumously (1792) by her daughter.

Kartini, Raden Adjeng – (1879 – 1904) 
Javanese letter writer
Raden Adjeng Kartini was the daughter of the Prince-regent of Djapava in Central Java. Forbidden by law to attend school, she read voraciously and educated herself at home. In 1899 she began a correspondence with a pen-friend Stella Zeehandelaar, which has survived, and reveals the princess’s deep longing for the improvement of the situation for Javanese women. Encouraged by the education minister Abendanon, the princess instituted her own school for girls in her own house (1903). Though initially permitted to attend college in Djakarta, the princess was ordered home to marry the Prince-Regent of Renbang, and died from the effects of childbirth the following year.

Kasa no Iratsume – (fl. c750)
Japanese poet
Her surviving twenty-seven verses (tanka), were all addressed to the famous poet Otomo no Yakamochi. They were recorded in the Manyo-Shui (Collection of Ten thousand Leaves).

Kasaqa – (fl. c760 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Kasaqa was one of the wives of King Alara. Their daughter Tabiry became the wife of King Py (Piankhy) of the XXVthe Dynasty (721 – 656 BC). Queen Kasaqa is attested by a surviving temple inscription from Kawa, and the stelae of her daughter which was uncovered in Khartoum.

Kaschnitz, Marie Luise – (1901 – 1974)
German novelist and poet
Marie Luise was born into a patrician family at Karlsruhe in Baden. She was educated in Potsdam and Berlin and worked as a book dealer before marrying the noted archaeologist, Guido von Kaschnitz-Weinberg (1925). Madame Kaschnitz resided in Rome with her husband until 1932, after which they returned to Germany and settle in Marburg. During this time she produced the autobiographical work Liebe beginnt (1933), and the mythological work Elissa (1937). From 1941 she resided in Frankfurt-am-Main, where she remained throughout the rest of WW II. After the war she published her collection of verse Gedichte (Poems) (1947) and Totentanz und Gedichte sur Zeit (1947) which concerned events connected with the war. During the postwar years Kaschnitz resided in Rome for several years (1955 – 1958). Marie Luise Kaschnitz died in Frankfurt-am-Main.

Kasebier, Gertrude Stanton – (1852 – 1934)
American photographer and portraitist
Gertrude Stanton was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and was raised in Colorado and in Brooklyn, New York. She was married (1874) to Edmund Kasebier, a German immigrant, to whom she bore several children. Kasebier studied art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn (1889 – 1896), and then went to Germany to study chemistry, in order that she could understand the technical applications of that science to photography. She established her own extremely successful portrait studio in Manhattan (1897 – 1898), where she quickly rejected the contemporary lighting and settings then commonly used in portrait studios. The first collection of her photograph portraits were exhibited at the Pratt Institute (1897) and she was a founder member of Photo-Secession (1902). The noted photographer Alfred Stieglitz devoted the first issue of his magazine Camera Work to Kasebier and her work (1903). She was co-founder, with Alvin Langdon Coburn and Clarence White, of the Pictorial Photogtaphers of America (1916).

Kashevarova-Rudneva, Varvara – (1844 – 1899) 
Russian physician
Varvara studied medicine and graduated as valedictorian from the Medical-Surgical Academy (1868). She was awarded her doctorate in 1876, becoming the first registered female medical doctor in Russia. Dr Kasherova-Rudneva specialized in gynaecology.

Kasia      see     Kassiane

Kasmuneh – (fl. c1180 – c1220)
Jewish-Moorish poet
A native of Andalusia in Spain, she was the daughter of Ishmael. Some of her verses including the poem ‘Overripe Fruit’ have survived.

Kassandane (Cassandane) – (c580 – 538 BC)
Persian queen consort
Kassandane was born a princess of Media, the daughter of Prince Pharnaspes of a branch of the Achaemenidae dynasty. She was married to King Kyrus II the Great (c585 – 530 BC), and was the mother of kings Kambyses II (538 – 522 BC) and Smerdis (522 BC), sometimes called Bardiya. Queen Kassandane also bore Cyrus several daughters includinbg Atossa I, wife of Kambyses II and of Darius I, Roxana, wife of Kambyses II and Artystone, the favourite wife of Darius I.
Queen Kassandane died from the effects of childbirth, and the Greek historian Herodotus recorded that Cyrus lamented her death so keenly, that he ordered by public proclamation that all his subjects should go into mourning for her. The noted French archaeologist Marcel Dieulafoy mistook Cyrus’s tomb near Mashhad-I-Murghab, popularly known as the ‘Tomb of the Mother of Solomon’ as Kassandane’s resting place.

Kassandra (Cassandra) – (c1215 – c1184 BC) 
Greek priestess and prophet
Princess Kassandra the daughter of King Priam of Troy, and his second wife Hekabe. She welched on an agreement with the god Apollo, who gave her the gift of prophecy in return for her sexual favours. He then decreed that she would able to predict the future, but than no-one would ever believe her prophecies, and she was considered to be deranged. Kassandra predicted dire consequences if the wooden horse was taken inside the city, but of course, no-one heeded her, and disaster ensued for Troy. She was raped by Ajax, the son of Oileus, in the temple of Athena, and was later taken back to Greece as a prisoner by Agamemnon, king of Mykenae, and was eventually murdered with him. Together with Apollo, she was worshipped under the name of Alexandra.

Kassiane (Ikasia, Kasia) – (c805 – c867) 
Byzantine poet and hymnist
Kassiane was originally one of the young patrician ladies viewed as a potential bride for the Emperor Theophilus (reigned 829 – 842). During their meeting the emperor made a jibe about all evil stemming from women, to which Kassiane made a caustic reply. Because of this Theophilus chose Theodora as empress in her staid. Kassiane never married and founded a convent where she served as abbess until her death. Kassiane devoted her time to the writing of iambic epigrams, and composed a substantial number of devotional hymns, many of which remain in liturgical use in the Orthodox Church to the present day, including one on Mary Magdalen. Kassiane bears the unique honour of being the only female poet of distinction in Byzantine history.

Kastein, Shulamith – (1903 – 1983)
Austrian-American speech pathologist and author
Kastein was born (March 1, 1903) of Jewish antecedents in Vienna. She was raised and educated there, and estasblished herself as a speech therapist. However, with the rise of the Nazi regime Kastein prudently immigrated to the USA (1940). In America Kastein re-established herself in successful public practice in New York, and later joined the staff (1948) of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. With her retirement Kastein became director of Mount Saint Ursula’s Speech Center in the Bronx. Dr Kastein wrote several books such as New Trends in Differential Diagnosis: The Child With Communication Disorders and was co-author of several publications including the educational manual Raising the Young Blind Child. Shulamith Kastein died (July 20, 1983) aged eighty.

Kasuga – (1579 – 1643) 
Japanese political figure
Originally called Ofku she was married and had several children of her own. She later joined the household of the Tokugawa shogun Ieyasu, as nurse and governess to his son Hidetada (1604), after which she assumed the name of Kasuga. Her foster son later became shogun under the name Iemitsu (1623 – 1651). Lady Kasuga retained her consoderable influence over her foster son and the couple were later married (1625). She retained her pre-eminent position at the shogun court till her death.

Katalin of Hungary (Catherine) – (1256 – c1290)
Queen consort of Serbia (1276 – 1282)
Princess Katalin was the daughter of Stephen V, King of Hungary, and his wife Elisabeth, the daughter of Kuthen, Khan of the Kumans. She was married (1270) to Stephen Dragutin V (1243 – 1317), King of Serbia. Her husband was later deposed (1282) and Queen Katalin died several years afterwards. Their eldest son Vladislav Dragutin (c1275 – after 1326) spent his life trying to gain control of the thrones of Serbia and Hungary, which he claimed through Queen Katalin, but proved ultimately unsuccessful. He died in Hungary, having married twice and left children. Katalin’s second son, Urosic Dragutin (c1280 – c1306) died as a monk, whilst her daughter, Jelisaveta Dragutina (c1278 – 1331) became the wife of Stephen Kotromanic (c1265 – c1314), Duke of Bosnia, and left children.

Katargi-Obrenovica, Maria – (1835 – 1876)
Serbian princess
Elena Maria Katargi was the wife of Prince Milosh Obrenovic (1829 – 1861), and was the mother of Milan IV Obrenovic (1854 – 1901), king of Serbia, and was grandmother to the ill-fated King Alexander Obrenovic (1901 – 1903), the last of the dynasty. Her marriage with Milan was unhappy and incongenial to both, and whilst her son was an infant, the princess abandoned him to the care of his father, seperated from the prince, and pursued her own interests. Maria became the mistress of Alexander Cuza, the ruler of Wallachia and Moldavia (1853 – 1866), and retained this position and influence throughout the almost entire period of his office. It was because of this that Cuza’s wife Elena resided abroad in Paris intil 1862. After the successive coup d’etat against Cuza, Maria accompanied him into exile in Europe. When her son Milan later became king, Maria returned to the court at Belgrade, but her appearance was politely ignored. Maria Katargi-Obrenovica died in obscurity.

Katarina Birgersdotter – (1245 – before 1298)
Princess of Sweden
Katarina was the younger daughter of Birger Magnusson, the Regent of Sweden (1251 – 1266) and his first wife Princess Ingeborge Eriksdotter, the daughter of Erik X Knudsson, King of Sweden (1208 – 1216). She was the sister to kings Valdemar I Birgersson (1250 – 1275) and Magnus III Ladulas Birgersson (1275 – 1290). Princess Katarina was married (1259) to Siegfried I (c1230 – 1298), Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, the son of Prince Heinrich I of Anhalt-Zerbst and his wife Irmengarde of Thuringia, the daughter of Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia and sister-in-law to St Elizabeth of Hungary (1207 – 1231). Katarina then became princess consort of Anhalt-Zerbst and bore Siegfried a large family of ten children. Prince Siegfried was living forty years after their marriage (March 25, 1298) but Katarina had died before this date. Her children were,

• Albert I (c1264 – 1316). He succeeded his father as the reigning Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (1298 – 1316) and was married twice and left descendants.
• Princess Agnes of Anhalt-Zerbst (c1265 – after 1316). She remained unmarried and became a nun being appointed as prioress of Koswig.
• Princess Hedwig of Anhalt-Zerbst (1267 – after 1319). She remained unmarried and became a nun serving as prioress of Koswig.
• Prince Heinrich of Anhalt-Zerbst (c1270 – after 1339). He remained unmarried.
• Prince Siegfried of Anhalt-Zerbst (c1272 – after 1315). He became a priest in Magdeburg.
• Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst (died after 1298). She became a nun at Koswig during childhood (1284).
• Princess Jutta of Anhalt-Zerbst (died after 1298). She became a nun at Koswig with her sisters Elisabeth and Constance.
• Princess Constance of Anhalt-Zerbst (died after 1298). She became a nun at Koswig with her elder sisters.
• Prince Hermann of Anhalt-Zerbst (died 1290). He became a monk.
• Princess Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst (died after 1290). She became the wife of Ludwig of Hackeborn, Count von Wippra (died 1298).

Katarina of Saxe-Lauenburg    see   Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg

Katarina Stenbock – (1535 – 1621)
Queen consort of Sweden (1552 – 1560)
Katarina Stenbock was born (July 22, 1535) the daughter of Gustavus Olafsson, Baron Stenbock and his wife Brita Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud. She was a maternal relative of Queen Margareta, the second wife of King Gustavus I Eriksson (1496 – 1560). Katarina became the king’s third and last consort (1552) after their marriage at Vadstena but there were no children of the marriage. Katarina survived Gustavus for over sixty years as the Dowager Queen of Sweden (1560 – 1621). Queen Katarina died (Dec 13, 1621) aged eighty-six.

Katarina Vasa (Katherine) – (1539 – 1610)
Princess of Sweden
Katarina was born (June 6, 1539) in Stockholm, the eldest daughter of Gustavus I Vasa (1496 – 1560), King of Sweden (1523 – 1560) and his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud, the daughter of Erik Abrahamson Leijonhufvud Pa Loholmen, the Governor of Vastergotland and his wife Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa. The princess was married (1559) to Edzard II (1532 – 1599), Count of Ostfriesland (East Friesland) and was his countess consort for four decades (1559 – 1599). Edzard was the son of Count Enno II of Ostfriesland and his wife Countess Anna of Oldenburg. Princess Katarina survived her husband as the Dowager Countess of Ostfriesland (1599 – 1610) and died (Dec 21, 1610) aged seventy-one, at Berum. Her children were,

• Countess Margarethe of Ostfriesland (1560 – 1588). She remained unmarried.
• Countess Anna of Ostfriesland (1562 – 1621). She was married three times, firstly to Ludwig VI (1539 – 1583), Elector Palatine of the Rhine, secondly to Ernst Friedrich (1560 – 1604),
  Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and thirdly to Julius Heinrich (1586 – 1665), Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (1656 – 1665), but left no children from any of these unions.
• Count Enno III (1563 – 1625). He succeeded his father as the reigning Count of Ostfriesland (1599 – 1625) and was married twice and left issue.
• Count Gustav of Ostfriesland (1565 – 1608). He died unmarried.
• Johannes of Ostfriesland, Count of Rietberg (1566 – 1591). He was married and left issue.
• Count Christopher of Ostfriesland (1569 – 1639). He was married to Lambertine de Ligne (1593 – 1651) but left no issue.
• Count Edzard of Ostfriesland (1571 – 1572). He died young.
• Countess Elisabeth of Ostfriesland (1572 – 1573). She died young.
• Countess Sophia of Ostfriesland (1574 – 1630). She remained unmarried.
• Count Karl Otto of Ostfriesland (1577 – 1603). He remained unmarried.
• Countess Maria of Ostfriesland (1582 – 1616). She became the wife of Julius Ernst (1571 – 1636), Duke of Brunswick-Dannenberg and left issue.

Katarzyna Opalinska – (1680 – 1747)
Queen consort of Poland (1704 – 1709) and (1733 – 1735)
Princess Katarzyna Opalinska was the daughter of Prince Jan Karl Opalinski, and his wife Catherine Anne Sophie. She was married (1698) to Stanislas Leszczynski (1677 – 1766) who was twice King of Poland, but was deposed and died as duke of Lorraine (1738 – 1766). Their only surviving child, a daughter Marie Leszczynska, was the wife of Louis XV of France. King Stanislas once stated that the two most boring women in the world were his wife and their daughter. Queen Katarzyna predeceased her husband, and was interred in the Church of Notre Dame de Bonsecours in Nancy, Lorraine, where her husband was later buried beside her. Queen Katarzyna was the great-grandmother of three French Bourbon kings, Louis XVI (1774 – 1793), Louis XVIII (1793 – 1824), and Charles X (1824 – 1830). She appears, together with her husband and daughter, as a character in the historical novel Louis the Well Beloved (1959) by Jean Plaidy.

Katatcharova, Maria Ivanovna – (1796 – 1824)
Russian Imperial courtier
Maria Katatcharova was the mistress of Tsar Alexander I (1801 – 1825) by whom she was the mother of an illegitimate son, known as Nicolas Vassilievich Isakov (1821 – 1891). Maria died young. Her descendants through this son included Vladimir Isakov  (19191 – 1986) of Quebec, Canada, who left issue, and Maria Nikolaievna Isakova (1853 – 1926), the wife of Prince Serge Vassiltchikov, both of whom were members of the Imperial court during the reigns of Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II.

Kateline, Agnes – (fl. 1297 – 1332)
English mediaeval alewife
Agnes was a member of the community of the village of Broughton. As a widow she held some valuable lands and the rents from a tenement, the rights of which she retained after her son John Kateline came of age (c1300). She herself was fined for not keeping her roadside ditches repaired.

Katharine, Katherine     see   also    Catharine, Catherine

Katherine de Valois (1) – (1377 – 1388)
Princess of France
Katherine was born (Feb 4, 1377), the sixth and youngest daughter of Charles V, King of France and his wife Jeanne, the daughter of Pierre I, Duc de Bourbon. The deaths of two of her sisters Marie and Isabelle (1377) and then her mother (1378) narrowly followed her own birth. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer and others were sent to France (1376 – 1377) to try and negotiate a marriage of her sister Marie with the young King Richard II (1377 – 1399). These negotiations were upset by the death of Marie (May, 1376). The English ambassador then tried to arrange the marriage with Katherine as a substitute bride, but due to the rebellion of Wat Tyler in England, and the unsettled conditions of the country, the French broke off these negotiations. Charles VI finally arranged Katherine’s marriage (1386) with her first cousin, Jean de Bourbon, Comte de Berry (1367 – 1416), later duc de Berry as Jean II, after her death. The marriage proved short-lived and Princess Katherine died (Oct, 1388) aged eleven.

Katherine de Valois (Catherine) (2) – (1401 – 1437)
Queen consort of England (1420 – 1422)
Princess Katherine was born (Oct 27, 1401) at the Hotel de St Pol in Paris, the youngest daughter of Charles VI Le Fou (the Mad), King of France (1380 – 1422) and his wife Isabeau (Isabella), the daughter of Duke Stephen II of Bavaria-Ingoldstadt. Her eldest sister Isabelle de Valois had been the second wife of Richard II. Princess Katherine was married (1420) at Troyes Cathedral, to Henry VI of England (1387 – 1422) and was crowned queen at Westminster Abbey in London (Feb 24, 1421). Negotiations for the marriage had been delayed because of the wars between their two countries, but by the Treaty of Troyes (1420), King Henry had won the princess’s hand, and with it, succession to the kingdom of France at the death of Charles VI.
Henry V died when their son Henry VI (1421 – 1471), the last of the Lancastrian dynasty, was only a few months old, and Queen Katherine retained custody of the infant Henry VI until he was seven (1429). The queen played no part in political affairs during her son’s minority, but the worry of a new stepfather and the problems that would entail for them made the infant king’s regents pass a law which forbade the marriage of a royal widow without permission of the monarch. Queen Katherine ignored this and was supposedly remarried secretly (c1428), to the handsome Welshman, Owen Tudor (c1405 – 1461), to whom she bore several children, though there remains considerable debate as to the whether the couple were actually married at all, and no document was ever discovered. Her children from this liasion included Edmund Tudor (1430 – 1456), later created Earl of Richmond by his royal half-brother, through whom Queen Katherine was ancestress of the Tudor Dynasty (1485 – 1603) that ended with Elizabeth I, and of the Stuart and Hanoverian dynasties and their successors. Queen Katherine died (Jan 3, 1437) aged thirty-five, from the effects of childbirth, at the Abbey of St Saviour, Bermondsey, in London. She was interred within Westminster Abbey.

Katherine of Greece (Ekaterini) – (1913 – 2007)
Princess
Princess Katherine was born in Athens (May 4, 1913), the youngest child of King Konstantinos I (1913 – 1917) and (1920 – 1922), and his wife Sophia of Prussia, daughter to Kaiser Friedrich III (1888) and sister to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (1888 – 1918). She bore the additional title of Princess of Denmark. Her mother was granddaughter to Queen Victoria of England (1837 – 1901). During the period of her father’s first abdication (1917 – 1920) she was exiled with her parents to Switzerland, during his second she resided at Palermo in Sicily until her father’s death (1923) when she and her mother removed to the Villa Sparta in Florence, Italy. Katherine was educated at private schools in England, and with her cousin, the future Queen Elizabeth II, she acted as bridesmaid at the wedding (1934) of her cousin Princess Marina of Greece to Prince George, Duke of Kent, the younger son of George V (1910 – 1936).
With the reinstatement of her brother Giorgios II to the Greek throne (1935 – 1947) Katherine and her sister Irene returned to Athens. During WW II she worked for the Greek Red Cross (1939 – 1941), and then accompanied her brother Prince Pavlos (later Pavlos I 1947 – 1964) to Cape Town in South Africa where the princess continued to work as a nurse. On her return trip to England she met an English officer, Major Richard Brandram (1911 – 1994) whom she married (1947). The couple had an only son, Paul Brandram (born 1948). Princess Katherine accompanied Major Brandram on his diplomatic posting to Baghdad in Iraq, after which they settled permanently in England. King George VI granted her, at her request, the style of Lady Katherine Brandram, and the rank of a duke’s daughtert, but outside of Britain she remained a princess. With the death of the Spanish Infanta Beatriz, daughter of Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Princess Katherine became the last surviving great-granddaughter (2002 – 2007) of Queen Victoria. Widowed in 1994, Katherine was confined to a wheelchair during her last years. Princess Katherine died (Oct 2, 2007) aged ninety-four.

Katherine Plantagenet (1) – (1253 – 1257)
English princess
Katherine was born (Nov 25, 1253) at Westminster Palace, London, the third and youngest daughter of King Henry III (1216 – 1272) and his wife Eleanor, the daughter of Ramon Berengar V, Count of Provence. She was sister to Edward I (1272 – 1307). The princess was christened and named by her godfather, Sancho of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury. Though a beautiful child and the darling of her family, Princess Katherine could not speak, and remained mute for her short life. Princess Katherine died (May 3, 1257) at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, aged only in her fourth year, to the great grief of her parents and siblings. She was was interred between the chapels of St Blaye and St Benedict within Westminster Abbey, London, though her monument no longer survives. Among the surviving records in the Tower of London, was an order for payment to the king’s goldsmith, William de Gloucester, for a silver image to adorn the princess’s tomb.

Katherine Plantagenet (2) – (c1274 – 1275)
English princess
Perhaps the fifth daughter of King Edward I (1272 – 1307) and his first wife Eleanor, the daughter of Ferdinando III, King of Castile and Leon, she was named in honour of her father’s favourite sister, the deaf and dumb Princess Katherine, who had died during childhood (1257). Unfortunately this princess survived an even shorter span. She was probably interred within Westminster Abbey, London.

Katherine Stuart (1) – (c1360 – c1405)
Scottish princess
Katherine Stuart was the second daughter of King Robert II, and his second wife Euphemia Ross, the widow of John Randolph, earl of Moray. She was married by her father (c1384) to David Lindsay (1359 – 1407), first earl of Crawford, and brought the lordship of Strathnairn as her dowry. Princess Katherine bore Lord Crawford three sons, of whom the eldest, Alexander Lindsay (c1388 – 1439), succeeded his father as second earl of Crawford (1407 – 1439). He was married and left descendants. Of her daughters, Lady Marjory Lindsay became the wife of Sir William Douglas, of Lochleven Castle, and Lady Elizabeth Lindsay became the wife of Sir Robert Keith, Marischal (marshal) of Scotland.

Katherine Stuart (2) – (1639)
English princess
Katherine Stuart was born (June 29, 1639) at Whitehall Palace, London, the fourth daughter of Charles I, King of Great Britain (1625 – 1649) and his wife Henrietta Maria, the daughter of Henry IV, King of France (1589 – 1610). The birth was a difficult one and Queen Henrietta Maria suffered greatly throughout. The infant princess was quickly christened and died the same day, and was interred in Westminster Abbey, London.
Thomas Fuller in his work The Worthies of England recorded that Princess Katherine ‘survived not above half an hour after her baptizing: so that it is charity to mention her whose memory is likely to be lost, so short her continuance in this life …’. Lovelace wrote a lengthy set of elegiac verses to mourn her death which remain extant.

Katherine Stuart (3) – (1671)
English princess
Katherine Stuart was born (Feb 9, 1671) at Whitehall Palace, London, the youngest daughter of James II (1685 – 1688), then duke of York, and his first wife Anne, the daughter of Sir Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. She was full-sister to queens Mary II (1688 – 1694) and Anne (1702 – 1714). Princess Katherine died (Dec 5, 1671) aged eleven months, at St James’s Palace, London, and was interred within Westminster Abbey.

Katherine Wilhelmine Marie – (1817 – 1893)
German princess
Princess Katherine of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg was born (Jan 19, 1817) in Stuttgart, Wurttemburg, the daughter of Prince Karl Albrecht III of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingfurst (1776 – 1843), and his second wife Marie Leopoldine (1791 – 1844), the daughter of Prince Karl Joseph von Furstenburg. Katherine was married firstly to Count Franz Irwin von Ingelheim. With his early death she was remarried (1848) to Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1785 – 1853) as his second wife. Their marriage remained childless. Katherine was princess consort of Sigmaringen until her husband abdicated in favour of his son shortly before his own death (1853). She survived him for four decades (1853 – 1893) as Princess Dowager and never remarried. The princess eventually retired from the court to become a Benedictine nun of the Franciscan Order of St Ambrose in Rome (1858). She later returned to Germany, and resided at the Benedictine abbey of Beuron. Princess Katherine died (Feb 15, 1893) aged seventy-six, at Freiburg im Breisgau.

Katramide (Kotramide) – (fl. c1000 – c1020)
Armenian queen
Katramide was born into the princely family of Siunia. She became the wife of king Gagik I (died 1020), and was the grandmother of Roupen I, king of Armenia (died 1092). Queen Katramide was the ancestor of Maria Laskarina (1206 – 1270), the wife of Bela IV, King of Hungary (1235 – 1270).

Katsura – (1838 – 1881)
Japanese Imperial princess
Katsura was the second daughter of the Emperor Ninko (1817 – 1846) and his wife Yasuko, the daughter of Takatsukasa Masahiro. Originally named Sumiko, her official style became Katsura-no-Miya, when she succeeded her brother, Prince Misahito (1857) as tenth head of that family. She was married (1869) to Prince Yamashina (1816 – 1898) and left children.

Katun – (c975 – 1014)
Polish queen
Princess Katun was the daughter of Samuel, Tsar of Bulgaria and his wife Byzantine wife Agatha, the daughter of Joannes Khryselius, Duke of Durazzo. Katun was married (c995) to Vaszuly the Blind (c972 – 1037), King of Poland and Duke of Hungary and was the mother of Bela I (c1008 – 1063), King of Hungary (1060 – 1063). Queen Katun died (Oct 6, 1014) aged about forty.

Katznelson, Shulamit – (1919 – 1999)
Jewish linguist, educator, and historian
Katznelson was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the niece of Zalman Shazar, the third president of Israel. She trained as a teacher and worked at the Rehavia Gymnasium in Tel Aviv. In conjunction with the Israeli Ministry of Education and Culture, she established Ulpan Akiva, the residential language school in Nahariya in Israel, where she taught Hebrew to Arabs and Arabic to Jews in order to promote and sustain a cultural dialogue between the two peoples. She was the director of this school for over four decades (1951 – 1996). She and the school were jointly awarded the Israel Prize for Life Achievement in Education (1986), whilst Shulamit was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace prize (1992) and (1993). Shulamit Katznelson died (Aug 6, 1999) aged seventy-nine, at Netanya, near Tel Aviv.

Katzen, Lila – (1926 – 1998) 
American sculptor
Katzen was born in Brooklyn, New York, and studied art in Manhattan under the abstract painter Hans Hoffman. Katzen’s own career began in 1955 and she held her own exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Her techniques included the use of plastics for the Architectural League of New York (1968) and light tunnels for the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil (1970). She was the American representative to the World Expo (1988) in Brisbane, Australia, and one of her works adorns the US Consulate in Hamburg, Germany. Lila Katzen died (Sept 20, 1998) in Manhattan.

Kauffmann, Angelica – (1741 – 1807)
Swiss-Anglo painter
Maria Anna Angelica Kauffmann was born in Switzerland, the daughter of a painter, and made a name for herself as an artist of considerable talent, whilst still only child. She became famous for her portraits and historical scenes, and her most famous works included the classical works Interview of Hector and Andromache and Venus Showing Aeneas and Achates the Way to Carthage. A founding member of the Royal Academy in England (1768), Kauffmann was later briefly married to the Swedish adventurer, who called himself ‘Count de Horne’ but was in fact an imposter of common stock named Brandt. His death (1780) left her free to marry (1781) her second husband, the Italian painter Antonio Zucchi (1728 – 1795).

Kauffman, Ruth Hammitt – (1881 – 1952)
American author
Ruth Hammitt was born in New York, and became the wife of the noted editor, war correspondent, and novelist, Reginald Wright Kauffman (1877 – 1959). She was the editor of Unfamiliar Quotations (1949). Ruth Kauffman died (Aug 13, 1952).

Kaufman, Sue    see    Barondess, Sue Kaufman

Kaumeyer, Dorothy   see   Lamour, Dorothy

Kaun, Elfriede – (1914 – 2008)
German sportswoman
Kaun was born (Oct 5, 1914) in Buttel, Steinberg. She competed at the Summer Olympics in Berlin (1936) in the high jump, and was awarded a bronze medal for her 1.63 metre jump. Elfriede Kaun died (March 5, 2008) aged ninety-three.

Kautsky, Luise – (1864 – 1944)
Austrian feminist, publisher and translator
Born Luise Ronsperger in Vienna, she was the daughter of a confectioner, but received an excellent education, notably in languages. She was married (1890) to the political theorist and socialist Karl Kautsky (1854 – 1938), and worked with him to produce his Marxist newspaper Die Neue Zeit. Madame Kautsky translated many famous German works into English, French and Russian. She worked briefly for her husband’s socialist organization in Berlin and became a close friend to Rosa Luxemburg. With the rise of the Nazi regime, the couple removed to the safety of Prague in Bohemia. However with the Anschluss (1938) the couple were forced to flee ahead of the German army, and removed to Amsterdam. With her husband’s death (1938) Luise remained resident there. She was later arrested by the Nazis and sent to Aushwitz concentration camp where she died.

Kavanagh, Julia – (1824 – 1877)
Irish novelist, biographer, and historian
Julia Kavanagh was born at Thurles, in county Tipperary, and was partly raised in France. Julia was educated at home, where she remained to care for her sick mother. Kavanagh later moved to London (1844), and wrote articles for magazine’s and some children’s stories. She is best remembered as the author of such popular novels as The Montyon Prizes (1846), Natalie (1851), Adele (1858) and Bessie (1872). Kavanagh also wrote historical works such as Women in France in the Eighteenth Century (1850) and French Women of Letters (1861).

Kavanagh, Pat – (1940 – 2008)
British literary agent
Patricia Olive Kavanagh was born (Jan 31, 1940) at Durban and was raised in South Africa. She attended Cape Town University and came to Britain when she had completed her education. She was employed as a trainee copywriter with an advertising agency before becoming a literary agent with the firm AD Peters (1964) which later became Peters, Fraser & Dunlop (PFD) (1988).
Kavanagh was married (1979) to the novelist Julian Barnes, author of Flaubert’s Parrot, who was a member of her own literary clientele, as well as such authors as Ruth Rendell, Margaret Drabble, Joanna Trollope, Andrew Motion, Martin Amis and Dirk Bogarde. Kavanagh later left her husband and became involved in a lengthy relationship with the author Jeanette Winterston, though she and barnes became reconciled when this affair ended (1989).. Kavanagh and many of her former clients later left PFD to establish the new agency United Agents (2007). Pat Kavanagh died (Oct 20, 2008) aged sixty-eight in London.

Kavkova, Zdena – (1896 – 1965)
Czech film actress
Kavkova was born (July 9, 1896) and made her first cinema appearance in the silent film, Zlate srdecko (Heart of Gold) (1916). Other silent credits included the title role in Cervena karkulka (Little Red Riding Hood) (1920), and the role of Milca Janotova in Falesna kocicka (The Little False Cat) (1926). With the advent of sound films, Zdena appeared in only a handful including Takovy je zivot (Such is Life) (1929), and then retired from the industry. Zdenka Kavkova died (Dec 1, 1965) aged sixty-nine, in Prague.

Kawai Chiget Su-ni – (1632 – 1736)
Japanese poet and centenarian
Some of her haiku verses have survived, mostly untitled. They were translated into English (1977) in the twentieth century.

Kawit – (fl. c2050 – c2030 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Possibly the wife of King Mentuhotep I (c2085 – c2010 BC), her shaft tomb and shrine were discovered, along with those of five other royal women, behind the tomb temple of Menuhotep I at Der el-Bahri, near Thebes (1920). A relief from the exterior of her sarcophagus, preserved in the Cairo Museum, portrays the queen at her toilette. The lid of her sarcophagus, inscribed with her name, the only inner decoration found, was instead covering the sarcophagus of Princess Henhener, but the reason for this remains unknown. Her mummy reveals that Kawit died young, aged about twenty, and she may have been the mother of Princess Muyet, who died aged about five, whose shaft tomb was close to her own.

Kay, Carol – (1947 – 1998)
American teacher, academic and scholar
Kay was educated at Radcliffe College, and later graduated from Harvard University (1975), whilst simultaneously teaching English at Princeton University (1973 – 1979). Carol Kay held faculty appointments at various other colleges and universities, including Amherst College and Washingon University in St Louis. She later served as associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh (1989 – 1998). She was the author of an important research study concerning eighteenth century literature entitled Political Constructions (1989). Carol Kay died (Sept 12, 1998) aged fifty-one, in Pittsburgh.

Kay, Gertrude Alice – (c1865 – 1939)
American author and illustrator of children’s books
Kay was born in Alliance, Ohio. Her published works included The Book of Seven Wishes (1917), Us Kids and the Circus (1927) and Peter, Patter & Pixie (1931). Gertrude Kay died (Dec 19, 1939).

Kay, Kathie – (1918 – 2005)
Scottish vocalist and television performer
Born Connie Wood (Nov 20, 1918) in Glasgow, she began her early singing career appearing in pubs and clubs, before moving onto the stage, where she worked with Hugh Green. Her husband was the noted Scottish singer Archie McCulloch. Whilst on stage Kathie Kay was discovered by radio star Billy Cotton, who engaged Kay to work with him to radio (1949), and later made the successful transition with the show to television as the Billy Cotton Bandshow remaining with the program until its demise (1968). Kathie Kay died (March 9, 2005) aged eighty-six.

Kay, Margaret – (c1904 – 1967)
Australian aboriginal curator
Kay was born at Broadwater on the Richmond River in New South Wales, the daughter of a white man and an aboriginal woman of the Bundjalung tribe. She was sent to a children’s home and was educated to become a servant, and later worked as a companion to a Queensland family, but managed to maintain connections with her own people. A talented painter and etcher, Kay turned part of her own home in Tweed Heads to a museum for ancient and modern aboriginal artifacts., and also maintained the local bora ground, used by local aborigines for private ceremonies. She obtained permission from the local council to have this area preserved as a historic site and was appointed as caretaker. She never married. Examples of her work were preserved at the Minjungbal Resource Museum and Study Centre in Tweed Heads. Margaret Kay died (Nov 5, 1967) in hospital in Murwillumbah.

Kaye, M.M. – (1909 – 2001)
Anglo-Indian novelist
Mary Margaret Kaye was born in Simla the daughter of a military officer. She was married to a military man and accompanied him on many of her postings throughout India. M.M. Kaye achieved fame with her extremely popular romantic novels such as Trade Winds (1963) which dealt with the slave trade in Zanzibar, Africa, Shadow of the Moon (1957) which dealt with the Sepoy rebellion and The Far Pavilions (1978). She published the autobiography The Sun in the Morning (1990).

Kaye, Nora – (1920 – 1987)
American dramatic ballerina
Born Nora Koreff in New York, she studied music and dance at the School of American Ballet and at the New York Metropolitan Opera Ballet School. She was an original member of the American Ballet Theatre (1939) and soon established herself as the reigning ballerina, marrying the noted choreographer Herbert Ross. Kaye created the role of Hagar in Antony Tudor’s opera The Pillar of Fire (1942), and performed in many modern ballets and dances, as well as the usual classics. Apart from a brief stint (1951 – 1954) with the New York City Ballet, Kaye remained with the American Ballet Theatre until her retirement (1961). She later assisted her husband in the production of the film The Turning Point (1977).

Kaye, Ruth Emilia    see   Kent, Constance Emilie

Kaye-Mason, Clarissa – (1931 – 1994)
Australian film actress
Clarissa Kaye was born in Sydney, New South Wales. She was married (1971 – 1984) to British actor James Mason from whom she was later divorced. She appeared in films such as Age of Consent (1969) and The Good Wife (1987). She played Marjorie Glick in the television adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel Salem’s Lot (1979) appearing with her husband and David Soul. Clarissa Kaye-Mason died of cancer.

Kaye-Smith, Sheila – (1887 – 1956)
British novelist and poet
Sheila Kaye-Smith was born at Hastings, Sussex, the daughter of a physician. She later married (1929) an Anglican priest, Theodore Penrose Fry, and the couple converted to Roman Catholicism. Kaye-Smith’s works included novels such as The Tramping Methodist (1908) and Sussex Gorse: The Story of a Fight (1916), which were all set in her native Sussex. These were followed by Green Apple Harvest (1920) and Joanna Golden (1921).

Kaylock, Susie Olive – (1892 – 1959)
Australian civic leader and government official
Born Susie Harden (June 8, 1892) at Tintenbar in New South Wales, she was the daughter of a farmer and a schoolteacher. She was educated at home by her mother before finishing her education in Sydney. Her first husband, Reginald Rudder, was killed in action during WW I (1917), and she remarried secondly to John Kaylock, a government health inspector. Having studied shorthand and typing by correspondence she became determined upon a career in local government. She served as deputy shire clerk with the Dorrigo State Council, assistant shire clerk at Grenfell, and then deputy clerk in Mudgee prior to her second marriage (1932). Kaylock was particularly concerned for the conditions of mothers in rural communities, and was responsible for the establishment of several bay health centres. Kaylock was later appointed as president (1940) of the Kempsey Branch of the CWA (Country Women’s Association) and served as delegate to several important conferences held in Sydney. She was closely associated with the Girl Guides for many years. Susie Kaylock died of cancer (Aug 18, 1959) aged sixty-seven, in Bourke.

Kayser, Louisa   see   Dat-So-La-Lee

Kayssler, Helene    see   Fehdmer, Helene

Kaya Sultan Osmanoglu – (1631 – 1657)
Ottoman princess of Turkey
Princess Kaya Sultan was the daughter of Sultan Murad IV (1623 – 1640), and was niece to the mad Sultan Ibrahim (1640 – 1648). Her uncle ordered her marriage (1644) with Melek Ahmed Pasha over forty years her senior, but she refused to permit him near her on their wedding night, and even attacked him with a dagger. The sultan later stripped Kaya of her wealth and estates, and forced her, together with his sisters, Ayse, Fatma and Hanzade, to wait upon his favourite mistress Humasah. With Ibrahim’s death Kaya’s rank and property were all restored. Her married state later improved considerably and she came to regret her former ill-treatment of her husband. Kaya died in childbirth, aged only twenty-six, and her husband was so overcome with grief that he flung himself over her coffin at the funeral, regardless of royal protocol.

Kazakova, Rimma Feodorovna – (1932 – 2008)
Russian poet and lyricist
Kazakova was born (Jan 27, 1932) at Sebastopol, and studied history at the Leningrad State University. After graduating she became a lecturer in Khabarovsk. Her published works included the collection of verse Let’s Meet in the East (1958), considered one of her best, and she was appointed ar the first secretary of the Moscow Union of Writers. Many of her nationalistic songs became very popular during the height of the Soviet era. Rimma Kazakova died (May 19, 2008) aged seventy-six, near Petrushkovo.

Kazantzaki, Galateia – (1886 – 1962)
Greek novelist, dramatist and poet
Born Galateia Alexiou at Herakleion on the island of Crete, she was the daughter of a publisher. She was sister to the noted writer Elly Alexiou, and was wife (1911 – 1924) to the famous novelist and poet Nikos Kazantzakis (1885 – 1957), whom she later divorced. She later remarried to the literary critic Augeris, but retained the name of her first husband. Madame Galateia began her literary career at an early age (1906) and wrote articles which were published in various periodicals, though she adopted pseudonyms such as ‘Lalo di Castro’ and ‘Petroula Psiloreiti.’ Her first novel Ridi Pagliaccio (1909), which was published in installments, was admired by her contemporaries, though her futre husband Kazantzakis died not find her notion of realism to his taste. Kazantzakis also wrote books for children, as well as several popular plays such as Pasi Thysia (At All Costs) (1911) and Eno To Ploio Taxideuei (The Ship Sails On) (1931). She published a collection of short stories entitled Oi Krisimes Stigmes (The Crucial Moments) (1952) which dealt with problems faced by Greek women, and also wrote the semi-autobiographical novel Anthropoi kai Hyperanthropoi (Men and Supermen) (1957). Galateia Kazantzaki died in Athens.

Kazuko, Tokugawa     see     Masako, Tokugawa

Kazu-no-Miya – (1846 – 1877)
Japanese Imperial princess, poet and political activist
Princess Kazu was the eldest daughter of the Emperor Ninko (1817 – 1846) and his wife Yasuko, the daughter of Takatsukasa Masahiro. She was the younger half-sister to the Emperor Komei.
The princess was born (July 3, 1846) in Kyoto, and was originally named Chikako, though her offiical title was Kazu-no-Miya. She was betrothed originally to an Imperial relative, Prince Arisugawa Taruhito, but was married instead (March, 1862) to Tokugawa Iemouchi (1846 – 1866), who served as the fourteenth Tokugawa Shogun (1858 – 1866). With her husband’s early death she continued to reside at Edo Castle until the garrison surrendered to the Imperial forces (1868). Kazu–no-Miya then became a Buddhist nun, and was officially styled ‘Jokwan-In.’ Princess Kazu-no-Miya died (Sept 2, 1877) aged thirty-one, at Hakone, and was interred at Zojo-ji, in Minato, Tokyo.

Keal, Minna – (1909 – 1999)
Jewish-Anglo composer
Born Minnie Nerenstein (March 22, 1909) in London, into a poor, working-class family, she originally studied music at the Clapton County School in Hackney. Following this, Minna was able to study under Thomas Knott (piano) and William Alwyn (composition) at the Royal Academy of Music, adopting the name of Keal, her family responsibilities meant that Keal was forced to abandon her promising musical career.  Keal’s final return to music in the mid 1970’s came about after a chance meeting with Justin Connolly. She was best known for her String Quartet (1976 – 1978) and the Cantillation (1985 – 1988), which she composed for violin and orchestra. Her Wind Quintet composition was dedicated in gratitude to her former teacher William Alwyn. Minna Keal died (Nov 14, 1999) aged ninety.

Keamogetsi – (fl. c1830 – c1850)
African queen consort
Keamogetsi was the first wife of Sekgoma I (c1815 – 1883), chief of the Bamangwato in Botswana, and was the mother of four sons including King Khama III Boikanyo (c1835 – 1923), and Prince Kgamanae, who was baptized a Christian, and driven out of the kingdom by his brother. Her granddaughter Tebogo became the wife of King Segoma II (1923 – 1925).

Keane, Constance     see    Lake, Veronica

Keane, Molly – (1905 – 1996)
Irish novelist and dramatist
Mary Nesta Skrine was born (July 20, 1905) in Kildare, the daughter of a poet, and was educated at home under the supervision of a governess and by her father. Known as Molly she was married (1938) to Robert Lumley Keane (1908 – 1946) to whom she bore two daughters. Her earliest writing The Knight of the Cheerful Countenance (1921) was composed in order to supplement her income, and was published using the pseudonym of ‘M.J. Farrell.’
Keane’s novels exposed the peculiarities of the upper classes, and included such works as Devoted Ladies (1934), Two Days in Aragon (1941) and Loving Without Tears (1951), amongst many others. Her plays included Ducks and Drakes (1942) and Dazzling Prospect (1961). Much of her writing ceased after the tragic early death of her husband, whom she survived for five decades, though her novel Good Behaviour (1981), which was named for the Booker Prize, led to a revival of interest in her work. Good Behaviour was made into a film for television as was her later work Time After Time (1983).

Keary, Annie – (1825 – 1879)
British novelist
Annie Keary was born in Yorkshire, the daughter of a clergyman. She was best known for two popular children’s novels The Rival Kings (1857) which told the story of two child gangs, and Father Phim (1879) which explored the relationship which developed between and English girl and an Irish priest. With her sister Eliza, Annie co-wrote The Heroes of Asgard (1857) the first English retelling of the ancient Norse myths for children.

Kebennia – (c870 – 958) 
German saint
Kebennia was of humble parentage and became a servant in the household of a noble lady named Viborada, the sister of Hitto, a monk at the abbey of St Gall. When Viborada decided to live as a recluse in a cell near the St Gall (c891), Kebennia accompanied her to tend to her daily needs. Kebennia served Viborada faithfully until her death (925), whereupon she performed the same services for Viborada’s friend Rachilda. With Rachilda’s own death twenty years later (946), Kebennia became a nun and retired to the cloister. She died at an advanced age, the church venerating her memory on Nov 28 and July 7.

Keddie, Henrietta – (1827 – 1914)
Scottish novelist and author
Keddie was born at Cupar, in Fife (March 4, 1827), the daughter of the notary, Philip Keddie, later the coalmaster at Grange, near Elie in Fifeshire. Educated at home by an elder sister, Henrietta never married, and from 1848 – 1870 she was the joint-owner and organizer of a boarding and day school for girls in Cupar. From 1870 – 1884 she resided in London, where she was engaged in literary work, and became known in those circles. Her works included biographical and historical works such as Six Royal Ladies of the House of Hanover (1898) and The Countess of Huntingdon and her Circle (1907), as well as novels such as Citoyenne Jacqueline (1865), St Mungo’s City (1885), Rachel Langton (1896), Miss Nance (1899), The Machinations of Janet (1903) and The Girls of Inverbarns (1906). Henrietta Keddie died (Jan 8, 1914) aged eighty-six.

Kedeste Krestos – (c1678 – 1705)
Ethiopian princess and dynastic matriarch
Kedeste Krestos was the sister of Fitawrari Agne and became a secondary wife to the Emperor Iyasu I (c1662 – 1706). Though she was not granted the Imperial title Kedeste Krestos was the mother of two emperors, Dawit III (born c1695) who succeeded his father (1706 – 1721), and Johannes II (c1699 – 1769) who ruled as emperor (1755 – 1769), and left descendants.

Kedrova, Lila – (1917 – 2000)
Russian-French film actress
Kedrova was born (Oct 9, 1917) in St Petersburg, and joined the Moscow Art Theatre touring company at fifteen (1932). Lila Kedrova appeared mainly in French films, but was best known for her appearance with Anthony Quinn as Madame Hortense in Zorba the Greek (1964), which made her famous internationally, and won her the Oscar Award for Best Supporting Actress. Other film credits included Penelope (1967), The Tenant (1976), Sunset People (1984) and the Italian film La Prossima Volta Il Fuoco (1993) which was her last. Kedrova later appeared on the Broadway stage in New York, where she reprised her famous Madame Hortense role for the musical version of Zorba the Greek (1983). For this performance she won an Antoinette Perry Award (Tony), for best performance by a featured actress in a musical. She appeared on the London stage as Madame Armefelt in a revival of A Little Night Music (1989). Lila Kedrova died (Feb 16, 2000) aged eighty-two, at her home in Ontario, Canada.

Keeble, Lillah Emma, Lady      see    McCarthy, Lillah Emma

Keeler, Ruby – (1909 – 1993)
American dancer and film actress
Born Ruby Ethel Hilda Keeler (Aug 25, 1909) at Dartmouth in Nova Scotia, Canada, despite being possesses of rather mediocre talent, Keeler still managed to make a name for herself in several famous musical films of the 1930’s such as 42nd Street (1933) and Dames (1934). Other film credits included Colleen (1936) and Mother Carey’s Chickens (1938). She had been married (1928 – 1940) to the actor and singer Al Jolson (1886 – 1950), from whom she was later divorced. Keeler later returned to the screen after an absence of almost three decades to appear in The Phynx (1970). Ruby Keeler died (Feb 28, 1993) aged eighty-three, at Rancho Mirage, California.

Keeley, Mary Ann – (1806 – 1899) 
British actress
Born Mary Ann Goward at Ipswich in Suffolk, she married the actor and comedian, Robert Keeley (1829), with whom she often appeared on the stage. Her small physicality made roles for boys perfect for her, and she was best remembered in the role of the arch villain Jack Sheppard. They later appeared in the USA with Madame Vestris at the Olympic Theatre (1838 – 1841).
Mary Keeley retired from the stage after the death of her husband (1869).

Keene, Constance – (1921 – 2005)
American pianist
Keene was born in Brooklyn, New York (Feb 9, 1921), and was taught by the noted pianist Abram Chasins, to whom she was married for almost thirty years (1949 – 1987) as her first husband. Keene was the winner of the Naumburg Piano Competition (1943). Famous for being the only female pianist to stand in for the famous concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz (1949), Keene was particularly admired for her recordings of the works of Hummer, Weber, and Felix Mendelssohn. Her own recording of Rachmaninov’s Preludes (1964) was exceptionally well received. During her later career Keene established a distinguished reputation for herself as a teacher, and was for many years, a member of the staff of the Manahttan School of Music. Constance Keene died (Dec 24, 2005) aged eighty-four, in New York.

Keene, Frances – (1913 – 1997)
American writer, translator and educator
Keene was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and attended Smith College. She studied Italian literature at Columbia University, and worked for the war office during WW II. She was married three times, and left four children. Keene translated from Italian the works of Cesare Pavese and Luigi Pirandello and edited an anthology of work by anti-Fascist Italians and exiles entitled Neither Liberty Nor Bread (1940).
Keene later worked for various publishing companies such as Macmillan and Doubleday, specializing in children’s literature, and was involved with works by writers such as Hilary Knight and Maurice Sendak. She wrote a number of books for juvenile readers using the pseudonym ‘Alex Rider.’ Frances Keene died (June 26, 1997) aged eighty-three, on Long Island, New York.

Keene, Laura – (1830 – 1873)
Anglo-American actress and theatre manager
Laura Keene was born in England and made her stage debut in London (1851). However, she met with mediocre success, and later went to the USA (1855). After working with an acting troupe in New York, Keene managed to open her own theatre in that city (1856) as well as organizing a repertory company which met with considerable success. With the advent of the Civil War she established variety and vaudeville actes but her theatre was forced to close (1863). She herself went on tour, and was appearing on stage at the Ford Theatre in Washington D.C. the night President Abraham Lincoln was assasinated (1865).

Keene, Mary – (1895 – 1977)
British anatomist
Born Mary Frances Lucas Keene, at Eversley, near Folkestone, Kent, she studied at the London School of Medicine for Women (later the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine). She worked her entire career at the London School, serving as lecturerer in embryology and senior demonstrator of anatomy, and later as president of the school. During her retirement Frances Keene became professor emeritus at the University of London.

Keenleyside, Jean Dawson    see   Mallett, Jane

Keesing, Nancy Florence – (1923 – 1993)
Australian author and poet
Keesing born in Sydney, New South Wales, and was educated at Sydney Girls’ Grammar School and Sydney University. Besides several works for children By Gravel and Gum (1963) and The Golden Dream (1974), Keesing produced three volumes of verse and compiled several anthologies. Most notable were Australian Bush Ballads (1955) and Old Bush Songs (1957) which she co-edited with poet and editor, Douglas Stewart (1913 – 1985). Keesing worked freelance from the 1970’s, and compiled The White Chrysanthemum (1977), Shalom: Australian Jewish short stories (1979), and an interesting study of Australian female slang terms entitled Lily on the Dustbin (1982) besides her own memoirs Riding the Elephant (1988). Keesing was chairperson of the Literature Board (1973 – 1978) and of the NSW committee of the National Book Council (1981 – 1984). Nancy Keesing died (Jan 19, 1993) in Hunters Hill, Sydney.

Kefer, Rose    see   Hobart, Rose

Kehajia, Kalliopi – (1839 – 1905)
Greek educator, feminist, and reformer
Kalliopi Kehajia was born in Athens, but went to London where she was trained as a teacher. Upon her return to Athens she was appointed as headmistress of the Hill School for Girls. Greatly interested in creating opportunities for female education and further study, Kehajia established The Society for Promoting Women’s Education (1872). Kehajia travelled wideley, visiting France and the USA, and was later appointed as principal of the Zappeion School for Girls in Constantinople, Turkey, a post she held for fifteen years (1875 – 1890).

Kehew, Mary Morton Kimball – (1859 – 1918)
American trade unionist, feminist, and social reformer
Kehew was born in Boston, Massachusetts into an upper class family. She was educated privately at home by a governess and was married to a merchant (1880). Mary Kehew joined (1886) the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, of which organization she was twice president (1892 – 1913) and (1914 – 1918). Keenly interested in providing favourable employment opportunities for young women, she also instigated campaigns aimed as providing legal protection for working women. With her friend Mary Kenney O’Sullivan, Kehew founded the Union for Industrial Progress (1886), and was later appointed (1903) as the first president of the National Women’s Trade Union League.

Keighley, Erna Laura – (1891 – 1955)
Anglo-Australian feminist and women’s activist
Born Erna Salomon (June 25, 1891) in Manningham, near Bradford in England, she was the daughter of a shipping merchant. She was married (1918) at Shipley in Yorkshire to Albert Keighley, a carpet manufacturer who later established himself in business in Camperdown, Sydney. Keighley immigrated to Sydney with their two children (1930) and then became closely involved with various women’s organizations. She served as president (1936 – 1938) of the women’s branch of the Sane Democracy League of Australia, joined the UAW (United Association of Women) and became a close friend of Lady Jessie Street. During WW II Keighley served as president (1941 – 1942) of the National Defence League, which provided military items, comforts, and necessaries for the men at the front. Keighley campaigned successfully that pension benefits should be accorded to members of the WAAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force). She spent several years in England (1943 – 1946) after which she retired from public service. Erna Keighley died (July 16, 1955) aged sixty-four, at Clifton Gardens.

Keith, Hester Maria Thrale, Lady – (1762 – 1857)
British scholar and salon hostess
Hester Thrale was the eldest daughter of Henry Thrale (1727 – 1781) and his wife Hester Lynch, later Mrs Piozzi. She was the ‘Queenie’ of Dr Samuel Johnson, who wrote rhymes for her and oversaw her education. The death of her only brother (1776) left her a considerable heiress. The novelist and memoirist Fanny Burney met Hester when she was fourteen (1778) and found her extremely well educated and intelligent, but rather lacking in warmth. When her mother remarried to Piozzi, Hester went to reside in Brighton, where she stufied Hebrew and mathematics. When aged over forty-five she consented to become the second wife (1808) of Admiral George Keith Elphinstone (1746 – 1823), Viscount Keith, a widower, and was presented at court to Queen Charlotte. Her only child, Georgiana Augusta Henrietta Elphinstone (1808 – 1892) became the wife firstly of the Hon. Augustus Villiers, second son of the fourth Earl of Jersey, and secondly of Lord William Godolphin Osborne, brother of the eighth Duke of Leeds. Lady Keith’s stepdaughter was the famous salonniere, Margaret, Comtesse de Flahault. Lady Keith resided at Tulliallan on the Forth of Forth, at Purbrook Park in Edinburgh, and at Harley Street in London. She was an original patron of Almack’s, and was a promient figure in society for four decades (1810 – 1849) in London and Edinburgh. She survived her husband for thirty-five years as Dowager Viscountess Keith (1823 – 1857) and she retired much from public life after 1850. Lady Keith died (March 31, 1857) aged ninety-five, at her house in Piccadilly.

Keldie, Aileen Margaret – (1936 – 1961)
Australian airline stewardess
Aileen Keldie was born (Sept 16, 1936) near Newcastle in New South Wales, the daughter of a government valuer. The family moved to Sydney during her infancy, where Aileen attended secondary school, and then the Church of England Grammar School for Girls at Cremorne in North Sydney. Keldie joined Ansett-ANA as an air hostess (1957) after training in Melbourne, Victoria. She was killed (Nov 30, 1961) aged twenty-five, when the plane of which she was travelling between Sydney and Canberra sufferred from violent weather and crashed into the sea over Botany Bay, after breaking apart in the air. All eleven passengers and crew were killed, though Keldie’s body was recovered. A board on inquiry instituted to cover the accident ordered that all Australian airlines were to be henceforward fitted with weather radar (1963).

Kellems, Vivien – (1896 – 1975)
American industrialist, feminist, and lecturer
Kellems was born (June 7, 1896) in Des Moines, Iowa. She moved with her family to Eugene in Oregon, and graduated from the University of Oregon (1918) where she studied economics. She never married. From 1928 Kellems became involved in the organization and administration of her brother Edgar’s company which had designed an improved woven grip, which was used to pull cables through conduits. The business thrived with the advent of WW II, and Kellems tried without success to gain nomination in Republican politics, in which she famously lost to Clare Boothe-Luce (1942). She later began (1943) a legal campaign agains the Federal tax system, which she maintained was discriminatory against single people. She became entangled with the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) again (1948), when she objected to being forced to collect income tax from her employees on behalf of the government. Kellems second foray into politics failed to gain her the Republican nomination for the US Senate (1950). Two later nomination attempts (1956) and (1962) likewise ended in failure. Kellems staged a nine-hour sit down at a polling booth (1965) in protest against the use of party levers on voting machines. Vivien Kellems died (Jan 25, 1975) aged seventy-eight, in Los Angeles, California.

Keller, Helen Adams – (1880 – 1968)
American blind, deaf and dumb writer and activist
Helen Keller was born (June 27, 1880) in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the daughter of Arthur Keller, a Confederate veteran. Her mother, Kate Adams Keller, was a member of the prominent Adams family of New England. Stricken with blindness and deafness after an infant illness, she eventually became the student of Anne Sullivan Macy, who painstakingly taught her to speak by touch. She attended Radcliffe College and became a noted writer and public lecturer. Keller produced the book My Story (1902), and her early life and education formed the basis of the film The Miracle Worker (1962), with Anne Bancroft in the role of Anne Sullivan Macy. She devoted her life to helping others in her position and was a tireless fundraiser for the American Foundation for the Blind. Keller was close friends for many years with the noted actress Katharine Cornell, whose manager, Nancy Hamilton, produced the documentary The Unconquered (1954) (later retitled Helen Keller in Her Story), which received an Academy Award (1955). Keller was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964) from President Johnson, though illness meant that her nephew and niece attended the ceremony in her place. She wrote the autobiographical account Midstream (1927) and Helen Keller’s Journal (1938) after a visit to Japan. Helen Keller died (June 1, 1968) aged eighty-seven.

Kellerman, Annette Marie Sarah – (1886 – 1975)
Australian swimmer, dancer, and actress
Annette Kellerman was especially remembered for popularizing the one-piece bathing costume which created quite a stir. Kellerman appeared in several silent films such as Neptune’s Daughter (1914), Daughter of the Gods (1916) and Queen of the Sea (1918). She was portrayed on screen by Esther Williams in the famous film Million Dollar Mermaid (1952).

Keller, Countess Mathilde von – (1853 – 1946)
German courtier and memoirist
Countess Mathilde Keller was the cousin of Count Friedrich Wilhelm Keller, who served at the Imperial Prussian court of Kaiser Wilhelm II (1888 – 1918) in Berlin as lord-in-waiting. Countess Mathilde served at the court for forty years as lady-in-waiting (hofdame) to the emperor’s first wife, the Empress Augusta Victoria, formerly princess of Schleswig-Holstein, from the time of her marriage (1881). She shared her duties with Countess Brockdorff and Fraulein von Gersdorff, and accompanied the empress into exile in Holland. With her death (1921), Mathilde eventually returned to Germany. Countess Keller left memoirs entitled Forty Years in the Service of the Empress: a Culture Picture from the Years, 1881 – 1921) (Vierzig Jahre im Dienst der Kaiserin: ein Kulturbild aus den Jahren 1881 –1921) (1935). She remained unmarried. Countess Keller died aged ninety-three.

Kelley, Edith Summers – (1884 – 1956)
Canadian-American novelist
Kelley published the novel Weeds (1923).

Kelley, Florence – (1859 – 1932) 
American social reformer and feminist
Florence Kelley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a Congressman, and graduated from Cornell University (1882). Refused admission to Pennsylvania University to study law because of her sex, she travelled to Zurich, in Switzerland where she studied economics and law. There she joined the Socialist Party and married the radical Vishnevetsky (1884) to whom she bore three children. Her translation of Engel’s Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 appeared in 1887. Kelley later seperated from Vishnevetsky, and took her children to Chicago, Illinois, where she was employed at the Hull House Settlement (1891 – 1899). She produced the Hull House Maps and Papers (1895) and became the first woman inspector in the state of Illinois, where she successfully promulgated an anti-sweatshop clause through the state legislature. Kelley later vigorously campaigned for protective legislation for women and children in her works Ethical Gains through Legislation (1905) and Modern Industry (1913). She was later appointed delegate to the International Congress of Women for Permanent Peace in Zurich (1919).

Kellie, Elizabeth Pierrepoint, Countess of    see   Pierrepoint, Elizabeth

Kello, Esther     see    Inglis, Esther

Kellog, Clara Louise – (1842 – 1916)
American soprano
Kellog was born in Sumterville, South Carolina (July, 1842) and studied singing in New York. She performed in public from the age of fourteen (1856) and made her official debut at the Academy of Music (1861). Kellog then travelled to England, where she made her debut performing at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London (1867) in the role of Margherita. She later toured Europe with great success. Clara Kellog died (May 13, 1916) at New Hartford, Connecticut.

Kellogg, Louise Phelps – (c1865 – 1942)
American historian and author
Kellogg was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and served as research associate of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for just over four decades (1901 – 1942), and was the editor of Early Narratives of the Northwest (1917). Her other published works included The French Regime in Wisconsin and the Northwest (1925) and The British Regime in Wisconsin and the Northwest (1935). Louise Phelps Kellogg died (July 11, 1942).

Kellor, Frances Alice – (1873 – 1952)
American social investigator, reformer and arbitration specialist
Frances Kellor was born (Oct 20, 1873) in Columbus, Ohio, and was raised in Coldwater, Michigan, where she worked as a domestic to bring in money for the family. She later studied and paid her own way through law school (1897). A firm believer in the connection between the environment and crime, her own research into this field led to the publication of Experiemental Psychology (1901), in which she articulated that crime committed by juvenile offenders was related to unemployment, lack of education, and negative childhood experiences. She suggested that rehabilitation programs be established in prisons, and that reformatories be built to house such offenders until they could be re-integrated with society.
Also interested in the problems that were faced by black migrants, Kellor travelled extensively throughout the Southern states to document her report, and her research was financed by the Chicago Women’s Club (1900). Her research into unemployment led to the publication of Out of Work: A Study of Employment Agencies (1904) which led to formal government intervention to try and reduce and regulate the problem. Assisted by Mary White Ovington and Mary Dreier, Kellor served as executive secretary of the National League for the Protection of Colored Women, which provided active assistance to black women searching for employment in New York. She was appointed to head the newly created Bureau of Industries and Immigration in New York, and served as director and chief investigastor (1910 – 1913). During WW I through the Committee for Immigrants in America Kellor established (1915) the National Americanization Day Committee to publicize Americanization in various cities throughout the USA. Kellor was also a founding member of the American Arbitration Association, which organization she served as first vice-president and chief executive for twenty-five years (1926 – 1952). Frances Kellor died (Jan 4, 1952) aged seventy-eight, in New York. Some of her papers and private correspondence are preserved in the Library of Congress.

Kelly, Annette Rogers    see   Rogers, Annette

Kelly, Ethel Knight – (1875 – 1949)
Canadian-Australian actress and author
Born Ethel Mollison (Jan 28, 1875) in New Brunswick, Canada, and established herself as a popular stage actress in America before she came to Australia to join the theatrical company of J.C. Williamson (1903). Kelly married the same year and retired from the stage, devoting her time and energy to organizing fund-raising activities for the benefit of various hospitals and charities, she herself appearing in stage plays enacted to raise money for these causes. During the 1920’s Knight edited the women’s pages of the periodical Smith’s Weekly, and then resided in Florence, Italy, for a decade, producing several novels including Why the Sphinx Smiles (1925) and her memoirs Twelve Milestones (1929). She later returned to Australia (1934). Ethel Kelly died (Sept 22, 1949) in Sydney, New South Wales.

Kelly, Florence Finch – (1858 – 1939)
American novelist and journalist
Kelly was born (March 27, 1858) in Girard, Illinois, and began her career as a successful journalist in 1882. At the age of almost fifty (1906) Kelly joined the staff of the New York Times Book Review where she was employed for three decades until her retirement at the age of nearly eighty (1936). None of her written works were produced before the age of forty, and include the novels The Delafield Affair (1909), Rhoda of the Underground (1909), Fate of Felix Brand (1913) and The Dixons (1921). Kelly also wrote a collection of tales entitled Emerson’s Wife, and Other Western Stories (1911), and left an autobiography Flowing Stream: the Story of Fifty-Six Years in American Newspaper Life (1938). Florence Kelly died (Dec 17, 1939) aged eighty-one.

Kelly, Frances Maria – (1790 – 1882) 
British actress and vocalist
Frances Kelly was born at Brighton, London into an acting family, and appeared on the stage at Drury Lane Theatre during her childhood. During four decade career she was based at Drury Lane, where she remained a firm favourite with the public until her retirement (1835). She was twice shot at on stage by raving lunatics. She later built the Royalty Theatre in Soho, but the venture failed and she fell into financial difficulties.

Kelly, Grace Patricia – (1929 – 1982) 
American film actress
Grace Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a wealthy Irish businessman, John Brendan Kelly, and his wife Margaret Meier, and the niece of actor and dramatist George Kelly (1890 – 1974). She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York, and performed on stage at Broadway in such productions as The Father (1949) and on television. She made her film debut with Fourteen Hours (1951). Her short five year career was crammed with classic credits such as the famous western High Noon (1952) opposite Gary Cooper, in which she played a Quaker bride, Mogambo (1953), Dial M for Murder (1954) opposite Ray Milland, Rear Window (1954), The Country Girl (1954) for which she won an Academy Award, The Swan (1956) with David Niven and Agnes Moorehead, in which she played a European princess, To Catch a Thief (1955) with Cary Grant, and High Society (1956).
Grace retired from the stage permanently after her famous, fairy-tale, televised wedding (1956) to Prince Rainier III of Monaco (1923 – 2005), whom she had met at the Cannes Film Festival (1955), and to whom she bore a son and heir Prince Albert II, and two daughters, Caroline and Stephanie. Her career, glamorous appearance, and marriage always fascinated the world’s media, and Princess Grace always remained a popular figure. Zealous in her pursuit of many worthy causes in Monaco, she was president of the Monegasque Red Cross. During the 1970’s and early 1980’s the princess travelled extensively, making both state and courtesy visits to the USA, Ireland, Italy, and Canada, and she and Rainier were received on two occasions by Pope John XXIII. Princess Grace was killed tragically in a car accident (Sept 15, 1982), over which, rightly or wrongly, a shadow of mystery has always remained, though her younger daughter survived the crash.

Kelly, Isabella – (c1759 – 1857)
Scottish novelist, poet and didactic writer
Isabella Fordyce was born at Cairnburgh Castle, the daughter of William Fordyce, a military officer who served as groom of the bedchamber to King George III. Her mother was niece to Alexander Fraser, Lord Strichen. Isabella was married (1789) to Major Robert Kelly (died 1807), who served with the East India Company in Madras, and was by him the mother of Sir Fitzroy Kelly, the attorney-general and lord chief baron of the Exchequer. Isabella later remarried (before 1816) to a merchant named Hedgeland. Isabella Kelly was the author of the Collection of Poems and Fables (1794) and as her husband had apparently deserted her Isabella became a professional writer in order to support her children. She produced ten Gothic novels, and six other novels including Madeline (1794). Her last published work was A Memoir of the Late Mrs Henrietta Fordyce (1823) written in answer to claims that she had swindled an elderly relative of her wealth. Isabella Kelly died (June 25, 1857) aged ninety-eight, in London.

Kelly, Joan – (1928 – 1982) 
American Renaissance historian
Kelly graduated from St John’s University (1953) and received a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University (1954), where she gained her Ph.D (1963). Her second husband, Martin Fleischer, was professor of political science at Brooklyn College.Trained as a Renaissance scholar her first published work was Leone Battista Alberti: Universal Man of the Early Renaissance (1970). Joan Kelly was co-founder and co-director with Gerda Lerner of the first Master of Arts program in women’s history which was established at Sarah Lawrence College (1972). A leader in the new arena of women’s history, she was wideley regarded, and she was appointed professor of history at the City College of New York. Her most famous works were Did Women Have a Renaissance, which has been often reprinted Households and Kin: Families in Flux, a supplemental text for students, and a collection of essays Women, History, and Theory (1982). Joan Kelly died of cancer (Aug 15, 1982) in Manhattan, New York.

Kelly, Jo Ann – (1944 – 1990)
British blues and jazz singer and guitarist
Originally contracted with CBS in London, she successfully interpreted the lyrics of the American composer Robert Johnson. Jo Ann Kelly was the only British vocalist to be officially invited to the centenary blues festival in Memphis, Tennessee (1969).

Kelly, Mary Anne – (1826 – 1910)
Irish patriot and poet
Kelly was born at Headford in county Galway, into the landed gentry. She wrote patriotic verse for The Nation, the mouthpiece of the Young Ireland movement, and adopted the literary pseudonym ‘Eva.’ She was engaged to the nationalist leader Kevin Izod O’Doherty, who was arrested for treason and sent to Australia. They were later married in Ireland (1855). With O’Dogerty’s pardon the couple came to live in Queensland in Australia. Mary Anne Kelly died in Brisbane.

Kelly, Mary Jane – (c1863 – 1888)
Irish prostitute
Mary Jane Kelly was born in Limerick, Ireland, and had the distinction of being the last victim of the notorious ‘Jack the Ripper’ murderer in Whitechapel, London (Nov, 1888).  Said to have been married to a collier named Davis (c1879), his death a few years later led Mary Jane to drift to London where she quickly became a prostitute, working in brothels and the streets, having made a brief trip to Paris. Her murder was the most grisly and ghastly of the ‘Ripper’s’ handiwork.

Kelly, Myra – (1875 – 1910)
Irish-American children’s author
Kelly was born (May 26, 1875) in Dublin, and immigrated to the USA with her family. She published several works for young children including Little Citizens: The Humours of School Life (1904) and Little Aliens (1910). Myra Kelly died (March 30, 1910) aged only thirty-four.

Kelly, Nancy – (1921 – 1995)
Irish-American actress
Nancy Kelly the elder sister to actor Jack Kelly (1927 – 1992), and was born in Astoria, New York, into a theatrical family. She was originally a child model and worked on stage in Broadway, New York. She began her career in films at the age of seventeen (1938). During the next decade Kelly appeared in leading roles in several movies such as Tailspin (1938), Parachute Battalion (1941), Tornado (1943), Woman in Bondage (1945) and Friendly Enemies (1947). She appeared with child actress Patsy McCormack in the thriller The Bad Seed (1956) which was nominated for an Academy Award. Kelly continued to appear in films sporadically and also worked for television.

Kelly, Patsy – (1910 – 1981)
American actress and comedienne
Patsy Kelly appeared in films from 1933. Though not glamorous or of leading lady status, she worked almost continously in movies throughout her lengthy career until her death. Kelly appeared in such films as The Girl from Missouri (1934), Kelly the Second (1936), Broadway Limited (1941), Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960), and in the famous satanic thriller Rosemary’s Baby (1968) with Mia Farrow. She later worked in television and appeared in the series The Cop and The Kid (1976).

Kelly, Petra Karin – (1947 – 1992)
German politician and ecological campaigner
Born Petra Lehmann in Gunzburg, Bavaria, with the divorce her parents and her mother’s remarriage to an American military officer she removed to America (1960). Petra attended the American University in Washington, where she studied political sience and international relations. She later worked for the EEC (European Economic Community) in Brussels, Belgium and established the political party Die Grunen (Green Party) (1979), which later entered the Bundestag with a total of twenty-eight seats (1983). Despite the promise of these early years the Party later lost all their seats with unification (1990), and was rent with internal jealousies and political divisions. Kelly was found shot dead in bed with her partner Gert Bastian, supposedly the victim of a suicide pact, but the former East German secret police (Stasi) are now considered to have murdered both. Her correspondence has been edited and published.

Kelton, Pert – (1907 – 1968)
American actress and comedienne
Pert Kelton was born in Great Falls, Montana, the daughter of vaudeville performers. She appeared on stage in early childhood and then worked on Broadway in New York. Her film credits included The Bowery (1933), Annie Oakley (1935) and Cain and Mabel (1936). Kelton appeared as Alice opposite Jackie Gleason in his ‘Honeymooner’ sketches on the television series Cavalcade of Stars (1950 – 1952), but she was replaced in this role after she was blacklisted during the Communist hype of the early 1950’s. Her career sufferred though Kelton appeared in several films the 1960’s including The Music Man (1962) and The Comic (1969) which was released after her death.

Kemble, Adelaide – (1814 – 1879)
British vocalist
Adelaide Kemble was born in London, the younger daughter of actor Charles Kemble, the manager of Covent Garden Theatre, and niece to famed actress, Sarah Siddons. She sang professionally in Germany, Prague in Bohemia, Paris, and Italy, specializing in roles Bellini and Rossini. She left the stage to marry (1843) Edward Sartoris. Kemble was the author of works such as Medusa and Other Tales (1868) and Past Hours (1880).

Kemble, Elizabeth – (1762 – 1841)
British actress and vocalist
Born Elizabeth Satchell, in London, she was the daughter of an instrument maker. She was married (1783) to actor and theatre manager, Stephen Kemble. Appeared as Polly Peachum in The Beggar’s Opera (1780), and later sometimes performed with her husband, whose talent her own was said to have excelled. She is best remembered by her contemporaries as Ophelia in Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Kemble, Fanny – (1809 – 1893)
British actress
Frances Anne Kemble was born (Nov 27, 1809) in London, the daughter of the actor and theatre manager Charles Kemble and the actress Maria Theresa de Camp. The niece of noted actress Sarah Siddons, her first play Francis I was published and performed (1832), but she proved a much better actress, notably as Shakespeare’s Juliet, and toured the USA with her father. Fanny Kemble was married (1834) to a wealthy American Pierce Butler, and was horrified when she discovered that he owned plantations and slaves in Georgia. He banned the publishing of her Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation (1863) and the couple were eventually divorced (1850), after much acrimony. From 1877 she resided permanently in England, and wrote the novel Long Ago (1889) and Notes Upon some of Shakespeare’s Plays (1882). Fanny Kemble died (Jan 15, 1893) aged eighty-three.

Keminub – (fl. c1920 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Keminub was the wife of King Amenemhet II and was interred in a tomb within her husband’s funerary enclosure at Dahshur. She shared her tomb with a certain Amenhotep, perhaps her son, though this remains speculation.

Kemnitz, Mathilde von    see    Ludendorff, Mathilde Friederike Karoline

Kemp, Betty – (1916 – 2007)
British historian
Elizabeth Kemp was born (Nov 5, 1916) at Bowden in Cheshire, the daughter of a teacher. She never married and became professor of Modern History at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she became famous as a leading authority on the British constitution. A strong supporter of university educational opportunities for women, her ambigous relationship with Sir Maurice Oldfield, the head of MI6 in the 1970’s, was the source of much speculation. Kemp retired in 1978. Betty Kemp died aged ninety.

Kemp, Marion Kirkwood – (c1876 – 1931)
Australian contralto and choral vocalist
Kemp was born at Goolwa in South Australia, the daughter of Alexander Kemp. She studied music at the Adelaide Conservatory, and she removed to Perth in Western Australia, after her marriage with Harold Crase. In Perth she performed with the Philharmonic Society and then travelled to London, but her plans were upset by the outbreak of WW I (1914), so she retuend to Australia, and estsblished herself in Sydney, New South Wales, where she was known for her public concert appearances and performances with various choral societies. Marion Kemp died (Jan 24, 1931) in Sydney.

Kempe, Margery – (c1373 – after 1439)
English traveller and religious mystic
Margery Burnham was the daughter of John Burnham, burgess and Member of Parliament for Lynn, Norfolk. She was married (c1393) to a freeman of Lynn, John Kempe. Her religious visions gained her some considerable reputation, and some ridicule. She made pilgrimages to Palestine (1414), the shrine of St Iago (James) de Compostella in Spain, and various other European popular pilgrim centres. Her visions and life story were recorded by local clerics in the so-called Book of Margery Kempe, which is the earliest known such autobiographical work by a woman to survive.

Kempe, Mirdza – (1907 – 1974)
Latvian lyric poet and literary critic
Kempe was born (Feb 9, 1907) at Liepaja, the daughter of a business agent. She studied law and agriculture at the University of Riga but financial problems meant that she had to forsake her studied for paid work, and she began to work in radio as an announcer and as a translator. She was married to the Latvian writer Erik Damsons. During WW II, with the approach of the German army, Kempe and her husband fled to Russia. At the end of the war her husband died and she returned to Latvia and began writing concerning political oppression in various countries and cultures. For this she was awarded the title of People’s Poet of the Latvian SSR (1967) and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Vishabharati in India (1972). Her published works included Skaudra liesma (1961), Gaisma akmenl (1967) and Dzintara spogulis (1968) and much of her poetry was translated into Russian. Mirdza Kempe died (April 12, 1974) aged sixty-seven, at Riga.

Kempen-Spyri, Emilie – (1853 – 1901)
Swiss physician and lawyer
Emilie was the first Swiss woman to qualify as a lawyer (1887).

Kempner, Friederike – (1836 – 1904)
Jewish-German poet, essayist
Kempner was born at Opatow in Posen, the daughter of a wealthy landowner and was aunt to the famous literary critic, Alfred Kerr (1867 – 1946). She wrote overly sentimental verse from childhood, but her literary pretensions severely embarrassed her family. Despite the seriousness of her verses, their solemn pomposity aroused comic sentiments in her readers, as did some of her serious treatises. Her collection of verse entitled simply Gedichte (Poems) (1873) went through seven editions prior to 1903. She also wrote the novel Berenice (1960). Friederike Kempner died at Freiderikenhof, near Breslau in Poland.

Kempner, Nan Field – (1930 – 2005)
American society hostess and socialite
Nan Schlesinger was born (July 24, 1930) in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Albert Schlesinger, a wealthy car dealer. She was educated at the Sarah Dix Hamlin School for Girls and the Connecticut College for Women, and then continued her studies at the Sorbonne, in Paris. She married (1952) Thomas Lenox Kempner, of Manhattan, New York. Addicted to haute couture and a friend of designer Yves St Laurent from 1958, Kempner travelled continuously between London, Paris, Gstaad, Venice, and the Caribbean, and it was her desire to remain thin in order to always be able to wear the latest Paris creations that inspired novelist Tom Wolfe to coin the term ‘social X-ray’ for the society matrons of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in his Bonfire of the Vanities. Kempner worked as a contributing editor for French Vogue, and was a fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar, as well as being employed as a design consultant for Tiffany & Co. She published the hostess guidebook, R.S.V.P. (2000), and the Art’s Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York held a posthumous exhibition of her collection of couture collection (2006 – 2007). Nan Kempner died (July 3, 2005) aged seventy-four.

Kempson, Rachel (Lady Redgrave) – (1910 – 2004)
British actress
Rachel Kempson was born (May 28, 1910) at Dartmouth in Devon, the daughter of Eric Kempson. She was educated in London and in Paris, and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Rachel later became the wife to actor Sir Michael Redgrave (1908 – 1985), and was mother of actresses Vanessa (born 1937) and Lynn Redgrave (born 1943). Kempson began her long and distinguished film career playing extras. Her more notable film credits included appearances in The Captive Heart (1946), Georgy Girl (1966), Jennie (1976) which was made for television, Out of Africa (1985) with Meryl Streep, and Déjà Vu (1998) which was produced in the USA. She appeared with Glenda Jackson as her lady-in-waiting Katherine Ashley in the popular television series Elizabeth R (1971).

Kempton, Greta – (1901 – 1991)
Austrian-American artist and portrait painter
Martha Grace Kempton was born (March 22, 1901) in Vienna, and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in that city before immigrating to the USA. Greta Kempton became a student of the National Academy of Design and of the Art Students League in New York. She was married to the prominent businessman, Ambrose McNamara. Her career as a portraitist was enhanced by the publicity she received for her painting of the daughter if the Treasury Secretary John W. Snyder (1947). The same years she produced the portrait of Bess Truman, after which she was commissioned by the White House for a series of five portraits of President Harry Truman. Kempton also worked on the restoration of paintings at the Church of the Transfiguration in New York. Examples of her work are preserved in the National Portrait Gallery, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Harry S. Truman Library. Greta Kempten died (Dec 10, 1991) aged ninety, in New York.

Kemp-Welch, Joan – (1906 – 1999)
British character actress and film and television director
Born Glory Vincent Green (Sept 23, 1906) at Wimbledon, London, she took the name Joan and adopted her mother’s maiden name of Kemp-Welch. Joan Kemp-Welch appeared in several films such as Once a Thief (1935), The Girl in the Taxi (1937) and Pimpernel Smith (1941). Usually cast as eccentric spinsters, she later forsook the movies in order to establish her career as a television director of great talent and intuition. She directed episodes of various popular television programs such as ITV Play of the Work (1962 – 1965), ITV Playhouse (1967 – 1969), Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 – 1972) and Armchair Theatre (1966 – 1973). Joan Kemp-Welch died (July 5, 1999) aged ninety-two.

Kemp-Welch, Lucy Elizabeth – (1869 – 1958)
British painter
Lucy Kemp-Welch studied art under Sir Hubert von Herkomer from the Royal Academy, at Bushey in Hertfordshire. She specialized in the painting of the animals, and managed the Herkomer School (1904 – 1911). Lucy produced a large panel for the Royal Exchange (1924), in London, which depicted the valuable work performed by British women during WW I. Examples of her work are preserved at the Tate Gallery and at the Imperial War Museum.

Kemp-Welch, Margaret – (1879 – 1968)
British painter and engraver
Margaret Kemp-Welch was the daughter of Stanley Kemp-Welch, and received her secondary education in Kensington. She studied art under Sir Hubert von Herkomer at the Royal Academy, and under Sir Frank Short. Kemp-Welch later became an associate of the A.R.E. (Associate of the Royal Academy of Painter-Etchers and Engravers) (1901), and examples of her work were exhibited at the Royal Academy, at the Royal Institute of Water Colours, and abroad at the Paris Salon. Margaret Kemp-Welch died (Jan 15, 1968) at Brighton, Sussex.

Kemsit (Khemsit) – (fl. c2000 BC)
Egyptian princess
Kemsit was most probablyof the family of King Mentuhotep I. She died young, aged about twenty, and was interred in a shaft tomb behind the king’s temple at Der el-Bahri, near Thebes. This tomb was excavated in 1920, and Khemsit’s sarcophagus now resides in the Cairo Museum.

Kendal, Countess of     see    Benauges, Comtesse de

Kendal, Duchess of     see     Schulenburg, Countess von der

Kendal, Dame Madge Shafto – (1848 – 1935)
British actress
Born Margaret Robertson in Cleethorpes, into a theatrical family, and was the much younger sister to the noted dramatist Thomas W. Robertson (1829 – 1871). She first appeared on the stage at the age of five (1853). Madge was married (1869) to William Hunter Kendal (1843 – 1917) and worked as a theatrical team until their retirement (1908). With her husband and Sir John Hare Madge co-managed the St James’s Theatre in London (1879 – 1888). She appeared with Dame Ellen Terry, as Mistress Ford in Beerbohm Tree’s production of William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (1902). She and her husband were credited with raising the respectability of the acting profession, and Madge was created DBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire) by George V (1926) because of her contributions to the theatre. Dame Madge Kendal died aged eighty-seven, in Hertfordshire.

Kendall, Kay – (1926 – 1959)
British comic actress
Born Justine McCarthy in Withersnea, near Hull, she came from a prominent stage family. She appeared as a chorus dancer at the London Palladium at the age of twelve (1938) and made her first film appearance in Fiddlers Three (1944). Despite several movie appearances including London Town (1946), Kendall continued to work in touring troupes, and it was not until she appeared in Genevieve (1953) that her penchant for comedy was revealed, and this was to achieve world wide fame for her. Vivacious, elegant, and polished, Kendall appeared in various American films such as Les Girls (1957) and The Reluctant Debutante (1958) with her husband (1957 – 1959) fellow actor Rex Harrison (1908 – 1990). She was also involved in a liasion with the Hollywood director Wesley Ruggles (1889 – 1972), one of the original Keystone Cops. Her career was cut tragically short when she died of leukaemia, and her last film Once More with Feeling (1960) was released posthumously.

Kendall, Marie – (1875 – 1964)
British comedienne and music-hall performer
Kemdall was born in East London, and appeared on the stage during early childhood. She was very popular in the role of pirncipal boy, for which she earned a large salary. Kendall was an original performer of the Vintage Variety (1931) and appeared at the 1932 Royal Command Performance for George v and Queen Mary. She retired in 1939. Marie Kendall was the grandmother of actress Kay Kendall.

Kendrick, Pearl Luella (1890 – 1980)
American microbiologist
Pearl Kendrick graduated in medicine from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and joined the field of public health, her first employer being the New York State Department of Health. Kendrick later accepted a position with the Michigan State Health Department (1920) of which she was eventually appointed associate director (1932). In conjunction with her colleague Grace Eldening, Kendrick researched and developed a vaccine to be used against whooping cough, a dangerous, and sometimes fatal children’s disease. Her influence led to the establishment of a standardized immunization program devised to protect children from diptheria, whooping cough, and tetanus.

Kenly, Julie Woodbridge Terry – (1869 – 1943)
American author
Kenly was born (March 26, 1869) in Cleveland, Ohio. Her published works included Strictly Personal (1929), Green Magic (1930) and Cities of Wax (1935), amongst others. Julie Kenly died (Jan 8, 1943) aged seventy-three.

Kennedy, Alice Anastasia – (1876 – 1960)
Australian Catholic nun and educator
Alice Kennedy was born (Jan 21, 1876), and entered the Order of Presentation sisters as Mother Ursula. She was appointed MBE (Member of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II (1956) in recognition of her services and promotion of education. Alice Kennedy died (Jan 12, 1960) aged eighty-three.

Kennedy, Carolyn Bessette – (1965 – 1999)
American fashion designer and presidential family figure
Carolyn Bessette was the daughter of William Bessette, and architectural engineer. She was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she attended secondary school, and later attended Boston University. Bessette originally worked with the Calvin Klein fashion house in New York as a celebrity outfitter, before being promoted as director of publicity, which required her to organize fashion shows and liase with fashion editors. She attracted national celebrity after she began dating (1994) John F. Kennedy Jr. (born 1960), the son and heir of the late president and Jackie Onassis. After their subsequent marriage (1996), Carolyn withdrew completely from the fashion industry, and became a favoured society and fashion icon. Carolyn Kennedy remained an intensely private individual, despite public interest in her married life. Together with her husband, and her unmarried sister, Lauren Bessette, Carolyn died in a plane crash (July 16, 1999) aged thirty-three, whilst travelling to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. They were childless.

Kennedy, Catherine Urwin – (1947 – 1998)
Anglo-American activist and campaigner
Catherine was born in Wallsend, England, and studied arts and economics at the University of East Anglia, where she was later employed as a teacher. Catherine received her master’s degree from Yale’s school of management in the USA. She married the American historian Paul Kennedy (1967) and bore him three sons. Prominent for her asscoaition with the AIDS crisis, despite all the opposition and obstacles palced in her path by bureaucracy, Kennedy managed to open a nursing centre for those sufferring from the disease. Assisted in this by the State Legislature and grants from the Merck Family Fund, she opened Leeway Inc., in New Haven as a hospice for AIDS patients (1995), which she organized as administrator for two years until her death from pancreatic cancer.

Kennedy, Daisy – (1893 – 1981)
Australian violinist
Kennedy was born (Jan 16, 1893) at Burra-Burra, near Adelaide in South Australia. She studied at the Adelaide Conservatory under the guidance of the famous Bohemian violinist and concertmaster Otokar Sevcik (1852 – 1934). Kennedy later travelled to Europe to continue her studies in Vienna, Austria, and made successful concert tours of the USA, Austria, and Great Britain Her first husband was the pianist and composer Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890 – 1963) from whom she was later divorced. Her second was the noted British dramatist and actor, John Drinkwater (1882 – 1937) and she spent the latter part of her life in London, though she made several visits to Australia, including two trips to Adelaide in (1964) and (1978). Daisy Kennedy died (Aug, 1981) aged eighty-eight, in London (Aug, 1981).

Kennedy, Elena    see   Ortea, Virginia Elena

Kennedy, Elizabeth Brydges, Lady – (1578 – 1617)
English Tudor courtier
Elizabeth Brydges was the elder daughter of Giles Brydges, third Lord Chandos, and his wife Frances, the daughter of Edward Clinton, first Earl of Lincoln. She brought a dowry of over sixteen thousand pounds, and was ‘the fair Mrs Brydges’ to whom Lord Essex showed so much affection as to rouse the anger of Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth was only married after the queen’s death to (1603) Sir John Kennedy, and became embroiled in lengthy and expensive litigation in an attempt to claim the Chandos estates at Sudeley as heir general of her family, but her claim was disallowed. Lady Kennedy died (Oct, 1617) in poverty, aged thirty-nine.

Kennedy, Florynce Rae – (1916 – 2000)
Black American lawyer, feminist and civil rights activist
Kennedy was born (Feb 11, 1916) in Kansas City, and worked as a milliner and an elevator operator before attending Columbia University. Initially rejected by the Columbia law school on the grounds of sex, she was finally admitted when she threatened the school with legal action (1944). Having qualified as a lawyer, she represented such legendary figures as Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday, and travelled on the feminist lecture circuit with Gloria Steinem. She founded the Feminist Party (1971) which nominated Shirley Chisholm as its leader, and assisted with the establishment of the Women’s Political Caucus and the National Organization for Women. Loud, opinionated, colourful, and flamboyant, Kennedy was known for her determined stance on pro-abortion, which led to the publication of Abortion Rap. She was also the author of the autobiography Color Me Flo: My Hard Life and Good Times (1976). Florynce Kennedy died (Dec 22, 2000) aged eighty-four.

Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier  see   Onassis, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy

Kennedy, Jane – (c1544 – 1589)
Scottish courtier
Jane Kennedy served Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots as bedchamber woman during the period of her imprisonment in England (1568 – 1587). Jane remained devotedly close to her royal mistress, and attended the queen at her execution at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire (Feb, 1587). Kennedy was charged to deliver the queen’s gold rosary to Anne Dacre, countess of Arundel, and was present at the queen’s funeral at Peterborough. After the ceremonies, Jane returned to Scotland, where she gave a personal account of his mother’s death to King James VI (I). Kennedy was married to Queen Mary’s steward, Andrew Melville, and was sent by King James to Denmark, to escort his wife Anne back to England, as a reward for her service to his late mother. Jane drowned during a storm prior to her departure on this journey.

Kennedy, Kate – (1827 – 1890) 
American educator and reformer
Kate Kennedy was born in Ireland and immigrated to the Unites States with her family in the mid 1850’s. Having already received training as a teacher in her native land, Kate became a principal in the public school system in San Francisco, California. Kate is best remembered for the successful legal battle she waged against the Board of Education, which case established teacher tenure in the state of California (1890). She was aunt of school founder and administrator Katherine Delmar Burke.

Kennedy, Kick    see   Hartington, Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, Lady

Kennedy, Margaret Moore – (1896 – 1967)
British novelist and dramatist
Margaret Kennedy was the daughter of a barrister and was educated at Cheltenham Ladies’ College and at Somerville College, Oxford. She was married (1925) to Sir David Davies, Queen’s Counsel, but published under her maiden name. Kennedy was the author of such popular sentimental novels as The Ladies of Lyndon (1923) and The Constant Nymph (1924). She wrote the play Escape Me Never (1933), for the Austrian actress Elisabeth Bergner. Later works included Troy Chimneys (1953) and The Outlaws on Parnassus (1958).

Kennedy, Rose Fitzgerald – (1890 – 1995)
American presidential matriarch and memoirist
Rose Fitzgerald was born (July 22, 1890), the eldest child of John Francis Fitzgerald, and his wife Mary Josephine Hannon. She became the wife of senator Joseph Patrick Kennedy (1888 – 1969), the US ambassador to Britain, and was mother to John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917 – 1963), the thirty-fifth President of the USA (1960 – 1963), to senator Robert Kennedy (1925 – 1968), who was assassinated, and the lawyer and politician, senator Edward Kennedy (born 1932). Mrs Kennedy left memoirs entitled Times to Remember (1974). Frailty and extreme old age caused her to retire from public life entirely by the 1990’s, and her last years were saddened by undignified wranglings, caused by her daughters fighting over her custody. Mrs Kennedy died aged one hundred and four years, having been created a papal countess by the Vatican.

Kennedy, Sara Beaumont – (c1855 – 1921)
Southern American novelist and poet
Kennedy was born in Somerville, Tennessee. She was the author of several collections of verse including One Wish (1915) and Poems (1919). Sara Beaumont Kennedy died (March 12, 1921).

Kennedy-Fraser, Marjorie – (1857 – 1930)
Scottish popular singer and balladeer
Best remembered for her repertoire of Hebridean folk-songs, Marjorie Kennedy was born (Oct 1, 1857) in Perth, the daughter of vocalist David Kennedy. She received vocal training from her father, and later performed in Paris as a concert singer with great success. She added her husband’s surname of Fraser to her own, and established herself as a popular pianist and alto vocalist. She published the Songs of the Hebrides (1909) in three volumes, and composed the libretto of the opera The Seal Woman (1924) produced by Granville Bantock. Marjorie Kennedy-Fraser died (Nov 21, 1930) aged seventy-three, in Edinburgh.

Kenner-Jackson, Doris – (1941 – 2000)
Black American vocalist
Kenner-Jackson was one of the original members of the popular 1960’s singing group the Shirrelles. Doris Kenner-Jackson died (Feb 4, 2000) aged fifty-eight, at Sacramento, California.

Kennet, Kathleen Bruce, Lady (Kathleen Scott) – (1878 – 1947)
British sculptor
Born Edith Agnes Kathleen Bruce, she was married firstly (1908) to Captain Robert Falcon Scott, who perished during the Antarctic Expedition (1912), and secondly (1922) to Edward Hilton-Young, Lord Kennet.

Kennevan, Mary    see    Carr, Mary

Kenney, Annie – (1879 – 1953) 
British suffragette
Annie Kenney was born at Springhead, near Oldham, Leeds, and was employed as a mill carder. After losing a finger at work and the closing of the mill, Kenney became involved in the trade union movement. Kenney was imprisoned with Christabel Pankhurst (1905) after they interrupted a meeting at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, Lancashire, which was being addressed by Sir Edward Grey and Winston Churchill. She visited the USA and Australia, where she became a friend to the Prime Minister, William Hughes. She left recollections entitled Memories of a Millhand (1924) and withdrew from public life after her marriage (1926).

Kenny, Elizabeth – (1880 – 1952) 
Australian nurse and polio therapist
Kenny was born (Sept 20, 1880) in Warialda, New South Wales, and became a nurse in the Darling Downs region with little formal training before gaining further valuable experience nursing on troopships during World War I. Elizabeth Kenny developed her own process for treating infantile paralysis, which involved stimulating the paralysed muscles, whilst she was a bush nurse in Queensland, and set up her own clinics in the state. Despite great success however, she was denounced by established medical practitioners, most notably Sir Raphael Cilento (1938). In America however, she was received with acclaim. She left two volumes of autobiography And They Shall Walk (1943) and My Battle and Victory (1955) which was published posthumously. Elizabeth Kenny died (Nov 30, 1952) aged seventy-two, in Toowoomba, Queensland.

Kenpton, Jean Goldschmidt – (1945 – 1971)
American poet and fiction writer
Jean Goldschmidt was the daughter of Arthur Eduard Goldschmidt, and US delegate and consultant to the United Nations. Her mother, Elizabeth Wickenden Goldschmidt was a university academic. She attended the Brearley School and Sarah Lawrence College. Jean was married (1967) to fellow writer, James Murray Kenpton (born 1954) and both were prominently active members of the anti-Vietnam war movement, and opposed drafting. Examples of her verse were published in the Atlanticunder her maiden name, and she was the author of two stories ‘Pursuits’ and ‘A Letter to the Mayor.’ Her personal experiences as a social worker in New York provided the raw material for her tales. Jean Kenpton and her husband were both killed in a car accident (Nov 26, 1971) near Petersburg, Virginia. She was aged only twenty-six.

Kensa    see   Khensa

Kenshi (1) – (994 – 1027)
Japanese empress consort
Kenshi was the daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga and his wife Minamoto no Rinshi. Her sister Akiko was wife to the Emperor Ichiyo. Kenshi was the wife (1010) of the Emperor Sanjo (1008 – 1036).

Kenshi (2) – (c1057 – 1084)
Japanese empress consort
Kenshi was the daughter of Minamoto Akifusa, and was later adopted formally by Fujiwara Mororzane. She was married (c1072) to the Emperor Shirikawa (1053 – 1129), the seventy-second emperor (1073 – 1087). She became the mother of the future emperor Horikawa (1079 – 1107), formerly called Taruhito, as well as several other children. Her eldest daughter was the Dowager Empress Ikuyoshi, whilst her second, Princess Rokkaku, served as an Imperial priestess. The emperor was much attached to her, and with Kenshi’s death, was stricken with extreme grief. Shirikawa later abdicated in favour of their son, and became a monk. One of her sisters served as lady-in-waiting at the court and later became the wife of Fujiwara no Tadazane.

Kent, Annabella Benn, Countess of – (1606 – 1698)
English philanthropist
Annabella Benn was born (Sept 3, 1606) in Kensington, London, the daughter of Sir Anthony Benn, recorder of London and his wife Jane Evelyn, the daughter of John Evelyn of Godstone, Surrey. She was married firstly to a gentleman named Douce of Hampshire (died c1634). Mistress Douce was remarried secondly to the Hon. (Honourable) Anthony Fane (1613 – 1643), a younger son of Mary, Countess of Westmorland.
With his death Mrs Fane then remarried to her third and last husband becoming the second wife of Henry Grey (1594 – 1651) tenth Earl of Kent (1643 – 1651), whom she survived almost five decades as the Dowager Countess of Kent (1651 – 1698). Countess Annabella was the mother of Anthony Grey (1645 – 1702) who succeeded his father as eleventh Earl of Kent (1651 – 1702) and of Lady Elizabeth Grey (c1646 – 1714) who was married to Banastre Maynard (1642 – 1718), third Lord Maynard and left descendants. The countess was famous for charitable and philanthropic activities and died (Aug 17, 1699) aged ninety-two, at Fitton.

Kent, Anne Woodville, Countess of      see    Woodville, Anne

Kent, Constance Emilie – (1844 – 1944)
Anglo-Australian murderess and nurse
Constance Kent was born in England and was sister to the naturalist William Saville Kent. She was arrested for the savage and brutal murder of her two younger stepbrothers when she was very young. The charges were dropped due to want of exact evidence and she was released. Two decades later Constance underwent a religious conversion, and confessed to the killings. She spent twenty years in prison before being released, whereupon she went to Australia with her brother, when she assumed the name of Ruth Emilia Kaye. Constance trained as a nurse at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. She remained married. Constance Kent died aged one hundred in Melbourne.

Kent, Corita – (1918 – 1986)
American graphic artist and educator
Frances Elizabeth Kent was born (Nov 20, 1918) at Fort Doge, Iowa. She was originally a nun with the Catholic order of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Los Angeles, California (1938 – 1968) where she trained as a teacher. Sister Mary Corita later forsook the cloister in 1968, and devoted herself to her artwork and serigraphy. She became particulalry known for her silkscreen work such as ‘Enriched Bread.’ Examples of her work included the 1985 Love Stamp and she was the author of several works such as Footnotes and Headlines: A Play-Prayer Book (1967) and Damn Everything but the Circus (1970). Corita Kent died of cancer (Sept 18, 1986) aged sixty-seven.

Kent, Elisabeth of Juliers, Countess of    see   Elisabeth of Juliers

Kent, Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of – (1584 – 1651) 
English author
Lady Elizabeth Talbot was the daughter of Gilbert Talbot, seventh Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir William Cavendish. Her maternal grandmother was the famous Bess of Hardwick (1518 – 1608). She married (1601) Henry Grey, eighth Earl of Kent (1583 – 1639) but left no issue. At her father’s death (1616), Elizabeth and her two sisters received the greater part of his estates, but the baronies of Talbot, Furnivall, and Strange of Blackmere, fell into abeyance until the death of Elizabeth, when they were invested in her younger sister Alathea, Countess of Arundel.
Countess Elizabeth is said to have remarried to the writer John Selden, formerly her late husband’s legal adviser. The marriage was not made public because of some law of inheritance, but was owned after the countess’s death. The poet Samuel Butler was in her service for some years, and she may be the Lady Kent mentioned in Selden’s work Table Talk, though this is not certain. The countess compiled a work on home herbal remedies entitled A Choice Manuall, or Rare and Selct Secrets in Physick and Chyrurgery. Collected and practised by the…..Countesse of Kent, late deceased (1652). Between 1652 and 1687 this work went through nineteen editions. The Countess of Kent died (Dec 7, 1651) aged sixty-seven, at the Friary House, Whitefriars, London, and was interred at Fitton. The countess bequeathed most of her property, including Friary House, to Selden, who was appointed her executor.

Kent, Ivy – (1890 – 1974)
Western Australian feminist, women’s activist and civic leader
Ivy Kent founded a club for girls during WW I. She was a founding member of the Association of Civilian Widows, which organization she served as president, and assisted with the establishment of the National Fitness Council of Western Australia. Kent was appointed MBE (Member of the British Empire) in recognition of her valuable voluntary work within the community. Her memoirs entitled Reflection (1978) were published posthumously.

Kent, Penelope    see   Stout, Penelope

Kent, Sophia Bentinck, Duchess of – (1701 – 1748)
British society figure and courtier
Lady Sophia Bentinck was the eldest daughter of Hans Bentinck, first Earl of Portland, favourite of King William III, and his wife Jane Martha Temple, the widow of John Berkeley, third Lord Berkeley of Stratton. Lady Sophia was married (1728) to Henry Grey (1671 – 1740), the tenth earl and first and only Duke of Kent, and attended the court of George II (1727 – 1760) and Queen Caroline where her mother Lady Portland served as governess to the princesses. She survived her husband as the Dowager Duchess of Kent (1740 – 1748). The duchess is mentioned in the correspondence of the famous antiquarian, Sir Horace Walpole. Her children were George Grey (1732 – 1733), Earl of Harold, who predeceased his father, and Lady Anne Sophia Grey, the wife of John Egerton (1721 – 1787), Bishop of Durham.

Kent, Susan Bertie, Countess of – (1554 – 1603?)
English Tudor courtier and literary patron
Susan Bertie was the daughter of Richard Bertie, and his wife Katherine Willoughby, the widow of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, friend and favourite of Henry VIII (1509 – 1547). Susan inherited the ancient medieval barony of Willoughby de Eresby from her mother (1582) and was patron of the female poet and writer, Emilia Bassano Lanyer. Susan became the wife of Reginald Grey (1535 – 1596), fifth Earl of Kent (1562 – 1596) but they remained childless.

Kent, Thelma Rene – (1899 – 1946)
New Zealand photographer
Kent was born (Oct 21, 1899) at Christchurch, the daughter of a bootmaker, and attended secondary school there. After winning a newspaper photographic competition, Kent became determined to make that her chosen career, and travelled New Zealand, particularly the South Island, in search of suitable natural subjects. She wrote and illustrated her own articles which appeared in various publications such as the New Zealand Railways Magazine and the Auckland Weekly News. She received critical acclaim for her photograph of flying gannets at Cape Kidnappers, which was published in Photograms of the Year 1939. Kent did photographic work for the Cawthron Institute and the Canterbury Museum, which led to her interest and talent in photomicrography, the process by which small objects can be photographed using a microscope. She was a member of the Christchurch Photographic Society and was made a fellow (1938) of the Royal Society of Arts. She remained unmarried. Thelma Kent died (June 22, 1946) of cancer, aged forty-six

Kent, Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of – (1786 – 1861)
German-Anglo royal, mother to Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901)
Born Princess Marie Luise Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Aug 17, 1786) at Coburg, Thuringia, the daughter of Franz Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and his second wife Augusta Caroline Sophia of Reuss-Ebersdorff. She was the elder sister of Leopold I, King of the Belgians (1830 – 1865).  Victoire was married firstly (1803) to Emich Karl (1763 – 1814), reigning Prince of Leiningen (1805 – 1814), as his second wife, and bore him two children, his son and heir Prince Karl (1804 – 1858), and a daughter Feodora (1807 – 1872). After this the couple resided mainly apart, and the prince permitted Victoria no participation in public affairs.
With his death, she quietly resided with her children at Amorbach, near Darmstadt, and ruled Leiningen as regent for her young son Karl. Her master of the household, Captain von Schindler, achieved considerable influence over the princess, and became the effective co-regent of the principality. He later tried unsuccessfully to prevent Victoria’s second marriage, which was the end of his power at court. Victoria then became the wife (1818) of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1767 – 1820), the fourth son of George III (1760 – 1820) he being recommended to Victoria by his niece, the Princess Charlotte. Though at first reluctant to remarry because it meant giving up the guardianship of her children, the Prince Regent intervened to enable her to retain their gaurdianship legally after her remarriage. The marriage took place at Ehrenburg Castle, Coburg (May 29, 1818). The couple then left for England, where a second ceremony took place at Kew Palace in the prescence of Queen Charlotte and other members of the royal family.
Duchess Victoria bore Edward a healthy daughter, Princess Victoria (born 1819), but the duke died when their daughter was but six months old. She long resided away from the court with her daughter at Kensington Palace. She did not get on at all with her brother-in-law William IV (1830 – 1837), due to her rather obvious plotting to gain the regency on behalf of her daughter if the king should die before she became eighteen, remained apart from his court. She deliberately kept her daughter in subjection to her, making the princess share her room until she came of age.
The duchess came to rely more and more upon her household comptroller, the manipulative and ambitious Sir John Conroy, whose influence over her remained after her daughter’s acession to the throne (1837). The true extent of his dishonesty was finally revealed in 1850, and he was dismissed from office, being replaced as Comptroller by Sir George Coupar, who proved a trustworthy servant on her behalf. Relations between mother and daughter remained considerably strained until after the birth of the the Prince of Wales (1841), when Prince Albert had managed to effect a real and lasting reconciliation between the duchess and the queen. Thereafter the duchess remained a constant member of the family circle, and her grandson Bertie was her favourite of all Victoria’s children. With the death of her sister-in-law Princess Augusta (1840) she was granted the residences of Clarence House and Frogmore Lodge. During her last years she sufferred from inceasingly debilitating attacks of erysipelas.
The Duchess of Kent died (March 16, 1861) aged seventy-four, at Frogmore, Windsor, in Berkshire. She was buried temporarily at St George’s Chapel at Windsor, but the queen caused a mausoleum to be erected at Frogmore, where the duchess’s remains were later interred (Aug 17, 1861). Her daughter Feodora of Leiningen, who was once sought as a second wife by the elderly George IV (1828), was married to the German Prince Ernst von Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1794 – 1860), and left descendants, of whom her own daughter Eliza of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Ada to the family) was sought without success as a bride by the French emperor Napoleon III. She was portrayed by actress Alison Leggatt in the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) series Edward VII (1975) with Timothy West in the title role and Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria. In the BBC movie Victoria & Albert (2001) the duchess was played by Penelope Wilton, with Victoria Hamilton as her young daughter, Sir Peter Ustinov as William IV and Dame Diana Rigg as Baroness Lehzen.

Kenterka     see   Khentetka

Kenthap    see   Khenthap

Kentigerna (Caentigern, Quintigerna) – (c680 – 734) 
Irish ascetic and saint
Kentigerna was the daughter of Kellach ‘Cualann,’ king of Leinster, and married a neighbouring prince of Munster named Feriach by whom she was the mother of St Fillan (Foilan) (c700 – c777). With her husband’s death (c705), Kentigerna and Fillan went to Scotland, where she resided as an anchoress of the island of Inchebroida in Loch Lomond. Her death there (Jan 7, 734) was recorded in the Annals of Ulster. The church of Inch Cailleach, on Inchebroida, of which now only ruins remain, was dedicated to Kentigerna, who was long revered as a saint (Jan 7).

Kenyon, Dorothy – (1888 – 1972)
American lawyer, judge, and feminist
Dorothy Kenyon was born (Feb 17, 1888) in New York, the daughter of a patent lawyer. She was educated privately with a governess at home in Connecticut, and also attended secondary school on Manhattan. She later graduated from Smith College (1908). Kenyon successfully studied law and then worked performing government research and studies, but retained an independent practice of her own for over five decades. She was amongst the first women to gain admittance to the New York bar association (1937). Kenyon was a lifelong supporter of the Cooperative League of the United States, and served on the national board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for over forty years (1930 – 1972). She was amongst the minority who opposed the expulsion of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn because of her membership of the Communist Party (1940). Her career was later stymied because of her involvement with the McCarthy communist committee inquiries, despite the fact that she received widespread support from important social and legal figures. During the 1950’s Kenyon challenged the restrictive abortion laws and marched and demonstrated with younger feminists to change the laws. Dorothy Kenyon died (Feb 11, 1972) aged eighty-three, in New York.

Kenyon, Jane – (1947 – 1995)
American poet and translator
Kenyon was born (May 23, 1947) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan. She was married (1972) to the poet Donald Hall, and resided with her husband at his ancestral home in Wilmot in New Hampshire. Jane Kenyon was best known for her published collections of verse, admired for their simple, unentangled emotional style, and which included From Room to Room (1978), The Boat of Quiet Hours (1986), Let Evening Come (1990) and Constance (1993). She translated the poetic works of the Russian Anna Akhmatova into English as Twenty Poems of Anna Akhmatova (1985). Her last work in which she edited the collection entitled Otherwise: New and Selected Poems (1996) was published posthumously. Her private correspondence with the poet Hayden Carruth (1994 – 1995) was lated edited and published posthumously as Letters to Jane (2004). Kenyon had been appointed poet laureate for the state of New Hampshire. Jane Kenyon died (April 22, 1995) of leukaemia, aged forty-seven.

Kenyon, Dame Kathleen Mary – (1906 – 1978)
British archaeologist
Kathleen Kenyon was born in London and was educated at St Paul’s School for Girls and at Somerville College, Oxford. Kenyon was remembered for her excavations at three specific sites, Great Zimbabwe, in Southern Rhodesia (1929), Verulaminium, near St Albans, in England (1930 – 1935), and Samaria, in Palestine (1931 – 1934). Her best known achievements were the excavations entailed at Jericho (1952 – 1958). Kenyon later served as director of the British School of archaeology in Jerusalem (1951 – 1966), and later served as principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford (1962 – 1973). She was the author of Digging up Jericho (1957), Archaeology in the Holy Land (1965) and Digging up Jerusalem (1974).

Kenyon, Margaret Emma Hanmer, Lady – (1779 – 1815)
British Hanoverian peeress (1803 – 1815)
Margaret Hanmer was the daughter of Sir Thomas Hanmer, baronet, of Hanmer, Flintshire, and his wife Margaret, the eldest daughter and coheiress of George Kenyon, of Peel Hall, Lancashire. Margaret was married (1803) to George Kenyon (1776 – 1855), the second Baron Kenyon (1802 – 1855). Lady Kenyon died (Feb 24, 1815) aged thirty-five, and left five children,

• Hon. (Honourable) Margaret Emma Kenyon (1804 – 1829). She was married to Sir James Hay Langham (1802 – 1893), third baronet (1833 – 1893), but died childless.
• Lloyd Kenyon (1805 – 1869). He succeeded his father as third Baron Kenyon (1855 – 1869). He was married to the daughter of the the fourth Baron Walsingham, and left descendants.
• Hon. Marianne Kenyon (1808 – 1866). She was married to Admiral Thomas Best, the son of Baron Wynford.
• Hon. Edmund Kenyon (1810 – 1894), of Maesfen, Shropshire. He was married twice and left descendants.
• Hon. Peregrina Kenyon (died 1830). She died young and unmarried.

Kenyon-Slaney, Lady Mary   see  Gilmour, Mary Cecilia Rhodesia Hamilton, Lady

Kenyon-Slaney, Sybil Agnes – (1888 – 1970)
British courtier
Sybil Kenyon-Slaney was the daughter of Colonel W. Kenyon-Slaney, and his wife Lady Mabel Selina, the daughter of the third Earl of Bradford. She was never married. Sybil served at the court for over two decades as lady-in-waiting to HRH the Princess Royal (1923 – 1947), the daughter of George V and Queen Mary. For a further fifteen years after that her duties were lessened, though she continued to serve as extra lady-in-waiting untl her permanent retirement (1962). Sybil Kenyon-Slaney died (June 2, 1970) aged eighty-two, at Shawbridge in Shrewsbury.

Keogh, Theodora – (1919 – 2008)
American novelist
Born Theodora Roosevelt (June 30, 1919) in New York, she was the eldest daughter of Archibald Bulloch Roosevelt, and was the granddaughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. After coming out into society she trained as dancer, but gave up this career after her first marriage (1945) with the artist Tom Keogh (1921 – 1980). She then resided with her husband in Paris, though the couple later divorced. Theodora indulged in an affair with the Korean writer Peter Hyun and published her first novel Meg (1950), which was considered by many to be partly autobiographical. She dealt graphically with the themes of rape and lesbianism, which made her books rather controversial. Eight other novels followed including The Double Door (1952), Street Music (1954) which dealt with difficult sexual relationships, and Gemini (1961), which dealt with incest. Her other works included The Other Girl (1962) a fictionalized account of the murder of Elizabeth Short, the infamous ‘Black Dahlia’ (1947). Theodora Keogh died (Jan 5, 2008) aged eighty-eight, in North Carolina.

Keppel, Alice Frederica – (1868 – 1947)
British courtier
Alice Edmonstone was the daughter of Admiral Sir William Edmonstone, fourth Baronet of Duntreath Castle in Stirlingshire, and was born (April 29, 1868) at Woolwich. She became the wife (1891) of George Keppel, younger son of William Coutts Keppel, seventh Earl of Albemarle, to whom she bore two daughters, Violet Trefusis and Sonia Keppel (Mrs Roland Cubitt). Alice Keppel was the last mistress (1898 – 1910) of Edward VII (1901 – 1910). Beautiful, vivacious, and tactful, she became one of the leading figures of Edward’s court, being received by Queen Alexandra and was popularly known as ‘La Favorita.’ An especial friend to the king’s financier, Sir Ernest Cassel, Alice was reputed to have accumulated considerable financial holdings from the king.
The often retold story that Queen Alexandra sent for Alice to see the king on his deathbed is not true. Alice actually insisted on seeing Bertie against the queen’s will, and created a scene. After the king’s death she resided mainly in Italy. During WW I Alice assisted Lady Sarah Wilson, daughter of the duke of Marlborough, with the running of a hospital for soldiers in Boulogne. She bought her Italian residence in Florence, the Villa d’Ombrellino, with her husband (1927), and maintained a magnificent salon there. With the advent of WW II she returned to England and resided at the Ritz Hotel in London, but later returned to Italy. Alice Keppel died (Sept 11, 1947) aged seventy-nine, at her home in Florence. She was portrayed by Moira Redmond in the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) television series Edward VII (1975) with Timothy West in the title role and Helen Ryan as Queen Alexandra.

Keppel, Leopoldina Olivia – (1866 – 1948)
British aristocrat and nun
Lady Leopoldina Keppel was born (Nov 14, 1866), the fourth daughter of William Coutts Keppel, seventh Earl of Albemarle (1891 – 1894), and his wife Sophia Mary McNab, the daughter of Sir Allan Napier McNab, the Prime Minister of Canada. King Leopold II of Belgium (1865 – 1909) stood sponsor at her christening. Leopoldina never married, and eventually became a nun, taking the title of ‘Madam Keppel.’ Leopoldina Keppel died (Aug 9, 1948) aged eighty-one.

Keppel, Sonia Rosemary – (1900 – 1986)
British memoirist and author
Sonia Keppel was the younger daughter of Hon. George Keppel, a younger son of the Earl of Albemarle, and his wife Alice Frederica Edmonstone, the mistress of King Edward VII. She was married to Hon. (Honourable) Roland Cavendish Cubitt (died 1962) a son of Lord Ashcombe, to whom she bore several children, and from whom she was later divorced (1948). She was appointed OBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II (1959).

Ker, Annie Caroline – (1874 – 1945)
Australian nurse and missionary to Papua in New Guinea
Ker was born in Melbourne, Victoria, where she trained as a nurse before joining the the Anglican mission in New Guinea (1899). With her retirement she published the work Papuan Fairy Tales (1910). Annie Ker died (April 27, 1945).

Kerdeston, Ismania de Hanham, Lady – (c1350 – 1420)
English Plantagenet courtier
Ismania de Hanham was the second wife of John de Burghersh (1343 – 1391), third Baron Kerdeston and became Baroness Kerdeston. Lady Kerdeston and her husband attended the court of Edward III and Ldy Ismania became a widow during the reign of Richard II and was the Dowager Baroness Kerdeston for almost three decades (1391 – 1420). Ismania de Kerdeston was later appointed to serve as lady-in-waiting in the household of Queen Katherine de Valois, the wife of King Henry V (1413 – 1422).
Lady Kerdeston was the mother of Matilda de Burghersh (Maude) (1379 – 1437) who became the wife of Thomas Chaucer (1368 – 1434), the son of the famous poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Her granddaughter Alice Chaucer married as her third husband to William de La Pole, first Duke of Suffolk, and their son John de La Pole, second Duke of Suffolk was married to the Princess Elizabeth Plantagenet of York, sister to Edward IV and Richard III. Through this marriage Lady Kerdeston was the direct ancestress of the de La Pole branch of the White Rose of York. Lady Kerdeston appears as a character in the historical novel Crown in Candlelight (1978) by Rosemary Hawley Jarman.

Kere     see    Cera

Kerin, Dorothy – (1889 – 1963)
British Anglican mystic
Dorothy Kerin was born in London of Irish parents. Having sufferred from chronic illness for several years, Kerin experienced visions and the stigmata, and recovered her health. She then decided to devote her life to healing. Kerin began her public ministry at Ealing under the auspices of Bishop Philip Lloyd and her mission grew to such an extent that she was later forced to remove to Burrswood, near Groombridge in Kent (1948). A decade later she visited the USA, and then toured Europe, making successful visits to France, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Kerkado, Madamoiselle Le Senechal de – (fl. 1805)
French composer
Her Christian name remains unknown. She is recorded as the producer of a one-act comedie melee d’ariettes, La meprise volontaire ou La double lecon (1805) which was produced at the Opera Comique in Paris, when the author was only nineteen. The libretto was composed by Alexandre Duval.

Kerkhoff, Susanne – (1918 – 1950)
German poet, novelist, and essayist
Kerkhoff was the daughter of the academic and historian, Walther Harich and his wife Eta Harich-Schneider, the noted musicologist. She received an excellent education and was employed as a journalist with the Berliner Zeitung (1948). Known for her anti-fascist and anti-Nazi views, she is best known for the semi-autobiographical novel Tochter aus gutem Hause (Daughter of a Good Family) (1940). Other works included In der goldenen Kugel (1944) and Die velorenen Sturme (1947). Susanne Kerkhoff committed suicide in Berlin.

Kerkyra (Cercyra) – (c75 – c95 AD)
Graeco-Roman Christian martyr
Kerkyra was the daughter of Kercilinus, governor of Corfu. During persecutions instigated by the emperor Domitian, her father had arrested the Christians preachers, Jason and Sosipater, who had converted many Corfuans. Kerkyra, after witnessing their tortures was converted herself. Her enraged father father ordered that she be tortured by being suspended and slowly choked over a low fire, before being finally executed. The church honoured Kerkyra as a saint (April 29), together with Saturninus, a converted robber, who had been put to death at the same time.

Kermadeuc, Jeanne de – (1873 – 1964) 
Caribbean author, poet and educator
Kermadeuc was born (Feb 8, 1873) in Petit-Canal, Guadeloupe, and was educated at the Externat des Soeurs de Saint Joseph in Pointe-a-Pitre. Madamoiselle Kermadeuc had a long career as a teacher, notably at the schools of Jabrun and Morne a’-l’ Eau. Her poetry was published posthumously in Paris (1966) and included Feux du soir, Refuge poetique and Sanglots. Jeanne de Kermadeuc died (Aug 5, 1964) aged ninety.

Kern, Frida – (1891 – 1988)
Austrian composer
Kern was born (March 9, 1891) and was raised at Linz. She studied under Franz Schmidt (composition) and Robert Heger (conducting) at the Vienna Music Academy. She produced five string quartets, chamber music, and orchestral suites. Frida Kern was killed (Dec 23, 1988) in a car accident at Linz, aged ninety-seven.

Kerouac, Jan Michele – (1952 – 1996) 
American author
Janice Michele Kerouac was born (Feb 16, 1952) in Albany, New York, the daughter of the famous author Jack Kerouac whom she only actually met twice in her life, and his wife Joan Haverty. She married twice but left no surviving children. Employed in a variety of jobs in Arizona, New York, Washington, and New Mexico (1972 – 1977) she was possessed some talent as a ceramic sculptor, and was briefly employed by Mark Hines Creations, in Burbank, California (1978). Kerouac led a very adventurous life which involved drugs, alcohol, and prostitution. In 1994 she successfully sued the relatives of her stepmother for her father’s notebooks and other memorabilia. Her novels included the autobiographical Baby Driver: A Story about Myself (1981), Trainsong (1988), and Excerpts from Parrot Fever (1994). Jan Kerouac died (June 5, 1996) in Albuquerque, New Mexico after a spleen operation.

Keroualle, Louise Renee de Penancoet de – (1649 – 1734)
French-Anglo courtier and political agent
Louise de Keroualle was born in Kerouaille, Brittany, the elder daughter of Guillaume de Penancoet, Comte de Keroualle, and his wife Marie Anne de Ploeuc, herself a descendant of Charles VI of France. Louise was appointed lady-in-waiting to Henriette Anne Stuart, Duchesse d’Orleans, the sister of Charles II, and accompanied her to England in 1670. Louise quickly became the king’s mistress, but he remained well aware of her political loyalty to Louis XIV. A famous beauty, the king’s nickname for her was ‘Fubbs,’ and he granted her splendid apartments in Whitehall Palace. Highly unpopular because of her Catholicism, political dealings, and imperious airs, parliament actually demanded her dismissal from court (1679), but to no avail. Her embarassing clashes with her rival Nell Gwyn are well known. Her only child by the king was Charles Fitzroy, Duke of Lennox (1672 – 1722) from who was descended Diana Spencer, the wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, son of Elizabeth II.
Charles created her duchess of Portsmouth (1673) and in 1684, as a reward for her services Louis XIV granted her the duchy of Aubigny, with reversion to her son and his heirs. With Charles’s death she remained at Whitehall till the Revolution of 1688, when she finally returned to France, residing at her estate at Aubigny. She lived the last forty years of her life in wealthy retirement. Voltaire saw her in old age and though her still beautiful. Louise de Keroualle died in Paris (Nov 14, 1734) and was interred in the church of the Barefooted Carmelites in the chapel belonging to the De Rieux family.

Keroubec, Yvonne de – (1772 – 1858)
French diarist and memoirist
Yvonne was born in Brittany, and was married firstly (1789) to Charles, Marquis de Keroubec, who perished during the Revolution (1792), and secondly (1804) to Xavier Lartiffe, which marriage was arranged by the emperor Napoleon. Most of the diary The Memoires of the Marquise de Keroubec (1785 – 1858) was published posthumously (1926). They cover her earliest years and then the circumstances of her two marriages, whilst the latest part of her journal was taken up again just before her death, which took place in Paris.

Kerr, Deborah – (1921 – 2007)
Scottish stage, film, and television actress
Born Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer (Sept 30, 1921) in Helensburgh, near Glasgow, she was the daughter of a naval architect. She trained as a ballet dancer and made her stage debut in the ballet Prometheus at Sadler’s Wells (1938). Desiring instead to act in films Deborah trained for the stage under her aunt, a drama teacher in Bristol. She then appeared with a repertory company in Oxford as a step towards her first film appearance in Contraband (1940). This was followed by appearances in Major Barbara (1941), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) and then as a nun in Black Narcissus (1947) which role brought her to international acclaim. Kerr then travelled to the USA where she received a contract in Hollywood, California.
Though admired for her classic and reservedly lady-like roles and manner, she was much admired as the Christian princess Lygia, who was saved from the lions in the arena in the famous Quo Vadis (1951) and then as Princess Flavia in The Prisoner of Zenda (1952). Kerr achieved lasting fame when she played a nymphomaniac Karen opposite Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (1953) with the classic scene of the two lovers on the beach in Hawaii, for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Her most remembered role however, was probably as the royal governess Anna Leonowens in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I (1956) opposite Yul Brynner as the king of Siam, and opposite Cary Grant in the classic romantic film An Affair to Remember (1957). Other notable credits were as Sybil, the downtrodden and emotionally repressed spinster daughter of Dame Gladys Cooper in Separate Tables (1958), The Sundowners (1960) set in Australia, as the governess with an unsavoury past in The Chalk Garden (1964), The Night of the Iguana (1964) and Casino Royale (1967) where she played a Bond girl at the age of forty-six.
Kerr received six Academy Award nominations, and later appeared in scenes which required nudity such as The Gypsy Moths (1969), which was produced by John Frankenheimer, but eventually retired from the screen (1969) and returned to the stage. There she appeared in such productions as Seascape (1975) Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1977) and Overheard (1981), before returning briefly to film to make a memorable appearance in The Assam Garden (1985). This was her last fim role. Kerr was recognized for her contribution to stage and film and was granted a special BAFTA award (1991) and received an honorary Academy Award (1993). Great Britain recognized her work when she was made CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II. She was then sufferring from Parkinson’s disease, which would debilitate her last years. Kerr was married twice and left two daughters. Deborah Kerr died in Suffolk (Oct 16, 2007) aged eighty-six.

Kerr, Doris Boake – (1895 – 1944)
Australian writer
Kerr was born (Aug 29, 1895) in Sydney, New South Wales, the granddaughter of the noted photographer Barcoft Capel Boake (1838 – 1921). Using the pseudonym ‘Capel Boake’ she published three novels Painted Clay (1923), Romany Mark (1923) and Dark Thread (1936). Doris Boake Kerr died (June 5, 1944) aged forty-eight.

Kerr, Elizabeth – (fl. 1767)
British Hanoverian artist and painter
Elizabeth Kerr was a married lady living in London, who exhibited her work at the Free Society. She produced water colour still-lifes and specialized in flower paintings.

Kerr, Sophie – (1880 – 1965)
American novelist and writer
Kerr was born (Aug 23, 1880) in Denton, Maryland, the daughter of Jonathon William Kerr. She was educated in Frederick, Maryland, and at the University of Vermont. Her married name was Underwood. Upon leaving school she worked for a newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before moving on to New York, where she was appointed as editor of the Woman’s Home Companion. Apart from numerous articles in various magazines and newspapers tthroughout the USA, Kerr was the author of nearly two dozen novels, poems, and short stories. She was especially remembered as the author of The Beautiful Woman (1941), Jenny Devlin (1943), As Tall As Pride (1949) and The Man Who Knew the Date (1951). Kerr established through her will, the Sophie Kerr Award, at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, to assist the careers of promising writers. She wrote the story behind the film People Will Talk (1935) and wrote several episodes of the popular television serial Matinee Theatre (1955). Sophie Kerr died (Feb 6, 1965) aged eighty-four, in New York.

Kerry, Anastasia Daly, Countess of – (1723 – 1799)
Irish Hanoverian peeress
Anastasia Daly was the daughter of Peter Daly of Queensberry and his wife Elizabeth Blake. She was married firstly to her kinsman Charles Daly, of Laughcrea in Galway but this union ended in divorce. She was then courted by the young Francis Thomas Fitzmaurice (1740 – 1818), third Earl of Kerry, seventeen years her junior. Her marriage with Daly was dissolved by divorce and she then married Lord Kerry. The marriage created a great social scandal and due to the age of the bride there were no children. Anastasia was formally recognized as Countess of Kerry as her marriage was legal, but her former position as a divorced woman ensured that she was not received in society. Lord and Lady Kerry then sold off and alienated most of the Fitzmaurice family lands in their efforts to strengthen their social position with little result. The Countess of Kerry died (April 9, 1799) aged seventy-five, and was interred within Westminster Abbey in London.

Kershaw, Frances Edith Wigmore, Lady – (1882 – 1960)
British peeress (1947 – 1961)
Frances Wigmore was the daughter of James Thomas Wigmore, of Hereford. She became the wife (1903) of Fred Kershaw (1881 – 1961), created Baron Kershaw of Prestwich, Lancaster (1947) by King George VI (1936 – 1952), whom he served as lord-in-waiting (1948 – 1951). She then became Baroness Kershaw (1947 – 1960). Lady Kershaw died (July 31, 1960) and left four sons,

• Herbert Kershaw (1904 – 1961), second Baron Kershaw (Feb – July, 1961). He was married but left no children.
• Edward Aubrey Kershaw (1906 – 1962). He succeeded his elder brother as third Baron Kershaw (1961 – 1962). He was married and left descendants.
• Donald Arthur Kershaw (born 1915). He was heir-presumptive to the barony of Kershaw (1962 – 1971) until the birth of his nephew. He married and left children.
• Peter John Kershaw (born 1924). He served in WW II (1944 – 1945) and married and left children.

Kerssenbroeck, Gisele von – (c1250 – 1300)
German painter
Gisele von Kerssenbroeck was a nun in Westphalia in Saxony. She wrote and illustrated the Codex Gisele manuscript, preserved in the Cathedral Library of Osnabruck, which includes a total of fifty-two miniatures.

Kessler, Lillian Ruth – (1908 – 1993)
American corporate executive
Kessler was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Radcliffe College and graudated from Cleveland University (1929). She was married (1930 – 1940) to the violinist Joseph Fuchs, to whom she bore a daughter, and from whom she was later divorced. Lillian was employed as an analyst with the Foreign Economic Administration and also worked as a foreign markets consultant for the Sinclair Oil Corporation. She is best remembered as the founder of the Kessler International Corporation (1946), in Rockville, Md., which exported railroad parts, electronics, and heavy industrial equipment to Asia, Africa, and South America. Kessler established the Historical Records Survey for the Works Program Administration (W.P.A.), as part of the New Deal program (1935), and co-wrote a guide book to American folk songs entitled Songs of Yesterday: A Song Anthology of American Life. Lillian Kessler died (Sept 18, 1993) aged eighty-five, in Washington.

Kesson, Jessie – (1916 – 1995)
Scottish novelist and dramatist
Born Jessie Grant McDonald in Inverness, she and her mother were disowned by their family, and they were forced to reside in poverty in Elgin before Jessie was finally sent to an orphanage in Skene, Aberdeenshire, where she received her education. Jessie was trained for domestic service and was married to a cottar, John Kesson. Together the couple managed a farm and Jessie later worked as a social worker in Glasgow, and then in London before circumstances permitted her to devote her time to writing. Her works included The White Bird Passes (1958), Glitter of Mica (1963) and Where the Apple Ripens (1985) which dealt with her life as an agricultural worker.

Keswick, Maggie (Margaret) – (1941 – 1995)
Anglo-American horticulturalist, specialist with traditional Chinese gardens
Maggie Keswick was born in Scotland, the daughter of a merchant trader. She was educated at Oxford University, and trained as a schoolteacher. Keswick abandoned her teaching career to run a shop in London, and was married to the designer and writer Charles Jencks, to whom she bore two children. Her interest in eastern gardens and horticulture stemmed from her youth spent in the East, and with her husband she designed conversions of gardens for clients in England an abroad in the USA. Keswick lectured all over the world on the subject and was the author of The Chinese Garden: history, art, and architecture (1978). Maggie Keswick died in Edinburgh from breast cancer.

Ketchum, Annie Chambers – (1824 – 1904)
Southern American poet
Ketchum was born (Nov 8, 1824) in Scott County, Kentucky. She wrote Christmas Carillons and Other Poems (1888). Annie Chambers Ketchum died aged seventy-nine.

Keteryche, Joan – (c1415 – 1479) 
English nun and letter writer
Joan Keteryche was the daughter of William Keteryche of Bray, Landbeach, Cambridgeshire, and became a nun of the order of the Minoresses at the abbey of Denny, near Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire. From 1452 – 1470 the nuns were engaged in litigation with Thomas Burgoyne over the nun’s rights to the manor of Histon. The abbess, Katherine Sybyle, had retired because of ill-health, and Joan was elected abbess against her own wishes. One of her letters survives, dated Jan, 1462, in which she requests legal assistance from John Paston concerning this ruinous lawsuit. The abbess was not able to come to an arrangement with Burgoyne’s heirs till after his death (1470). Joan remained in office till her death, but by then the abbey had accrued expensive legal costs.

Kethevan – (c1571 – 1624)
Queen consort of Kakhetia
Kethevan was married (c1581) to David I, King of Kakhetia (1601 – 1602) who was murdered at Shiraz (Oct 21, 1602). She was the mother of King Telmuraz I (1589 – 1663), who left descendants, and Keshish (1588 – after 1614), who was married (1604) to Abbas I, Shah of Persia (1571 – 1629), who later divorced her. When Abbas invaded Georgia, Queen Kethevan was given the choice of abandoning the Christian faith, and entering the Shah’s harem, or of death. She chose the latter and was murdered (Sept 24, 1624) at Shiraz. The queen was regarded a martyr for the faith and a saint by the Georgian church.

Kettle, Dame Alice    see    Kyteler, Alice

Keun, Irmgard – (1905 – 1982)
German novelist and poet
Keun was born in Berlin, Prussia (Feb 6, 1905) and was raised in a fairly liberal manner. Her literary efforts were encouraged by the writer Alfred Doblin, and Keun was best known for her two popular novels Gilgi – eine von uns (Gilgi – One of Us) (1931) and Das kunsteidene Madchen (The Artificial Silk Girl) (1932), concerning bourgeois women who managed to become successful and independent. However, with the rise of Nazism and the Third Reich Keun’s novels aroused the ire of the National Socialists, who regarded her books as immoral. When she tried to sue for damages Keun was arrested and interrogated by the Gestapo. Her father paid for her release and she eventually went into exile in Ostende in Belgium (1936). During The German invasion of Holland she was captured in Amsterdam, but managed to return to Germany with false papers. After WW II, Keun was employed as a journalist and radio broadcaster. She lived to see a new interest in novels with the rise of feminism, and spent the last years of her life in Bonn. Her husband was the author Johannes Tralow (1932 – (1937) from whom she was divorced, and she became involved in an unsuccessful liasion with the Austrian author Josef Roth. Irmgard Keun died in Cologne (May 5, 1982) aged seventy-seven.

Key, Ellen Karolina Sophia – (1849 – 1926)
Swedish educator, feminist, and radical reformer
Ellen Keys was born in Sundsholm in Smaland, the daughter of a wealthy landowner who had established himself as a politician. However, when her father’s finances collapsed, Ellen was forced to work in Stockholm as a schoolteacher for twenty years (1880 – 1899). Key was the author of Barnets arhundrade (The Century of the Child) (1909), The Morality of Woman and Other Essays (1911), The Renaissance of Motherhood (1914) and War, Peace, and the Future (1916) and was popularly known as ‘Pallas of Sweden.’ She lectured wideley and campaigned vigorously for peace. Her works have been translated into several languages.

Keyes, Evelyn – (1916 – 2008)
American film actress
Born Evelyn Louise Keyes (Nov 20, 1916) in Port Arthur, Texas, she became a chorus dancer before being signed up by Cecil B. DeMille (1935). Evelyn Keyes first film role was as Madeleine in The Buccaneer (1938), but she was best known for playing Suellen O’Hara Scarlett O’Hara’s rather unpleasant sister in the classic Gone With the Wind (1939). Keyes went on to play the lover of Robert Montgomery in the film Here Comes Mr Jordan (1941), and appeared as Kathy Flanagan in Mrs Mike (1949), considered by many to be her best film, and then as Linda James in 99 River Street (1953). Keyes had a small part in The Seven Year Itch (1955) which starred Marilyn Monroe. She retired from films in 1956 but continued her stagework. Famous for her turbulent private life, Keyes was married four times, including to director Charles Vidor (1943 – 1945), to actor and director John Huston (1946 – 1950), and to the famous bandleader Artie Shaw (1957 – 1985). She published the autobiography Scarlett O’Hara’s Younger Sister: My Lively Life in and Out of Hollywood (1977). Keyes briefly returned to the screen in her later years to play Mrs Axel in A Return to Salem’s Lot (1987) and the witch instructor in Wicked Stepmother (1989). Evelyn Keyes died (July 4, 2008) aged ninety-one, at Montecito, near Santa Barbara, California.

Keyes, Frances Parkinson – (1885 – 1970)
Southern American writer, novelist, and editor
Frances Parkinson Wheeler was born (July 21, 1885) at University, Virginia, the daughter of John Henry Wheeler. She attended school in Boston, Massachusetts, and finished her education abroad in Switzerland, and in Berlin, Prussia. She was married to Henry Wilder Keyes (died 1938), senator for New Hampshire, and governor of Lousiana, to whom she bore three sons. Her first novel was The Old Gray House (1919), and Keyes followed the success of this work with such popular novels as The Great Tradition (1939), Blue Camellia (1957) and The Rose and the Lily (1961). Other works included Steamboat Gothic and The Royal Box. Keyes served as associate editor of Good Housekeeping magazine (1923 – 1936) and was also editor of the National Historical Magazine (1937 – 1939). She produced the collection of verse entitled The Happy Wanderer (1935). Frances Keyes died (July 3, 1970) aged eighty-four, at New Orleans, Louisiana.

Keyes, Sarah – (1843 – 1931)
Irish-Australian emigrant and educator
Keyes was born in Londonderry, Ireland, and immigrated to Australia as a teenager, after surviving the famous wreck of the the small ship the White Squall, on the Kent Islands. Sarah was raised in Parramatta near Sydney, and later removed to Bathurst where she organized the Pixie Ladies’ College for five decades (1870 – 1920). Keyes remained unmarried. Sarah Keyes died (Jan 25, 1931) aged eighty-seven, in Bathurst.

Keyna (Keyne, Cain, Ceinwen) – (c475 AD – c530)
Welsh ascetic and saint
Keyna was one of the large number of children borne to Brychan, King of Brecknock. Keyna refused several offers of marriage and the Welsh nicknamed her Cain Wyry (Keyna the Maiden). Keyna became a hermitess on the banks of the SevernRriver in Somersetshire, England. According to local tradition the area had been infested with snakes that the saint turned to stone. After living there for several years, during which time she travelled wideley and founded oratories, she met her nephew, St Cadoc, at St Michael’s Mount, and he persuaded Keyna to return to Wales. She founded numerous churches in south Wales, Cornwall, and Somerset, but not that at Keynsham, as has been stated. Keyna then resided at the foot of a hill at Liskeard in Cornwall and remained there for the rest of her life as an ascetic recluse. Keyna was revered as a saint after her death (October 7 or 8). Robert Southey composed the ballad The hill of St Keyne.

Keynes, Lady    see    Lopokova, Lydia Vasilievna

Keys, Lady Mary    see    Grey, Lady Mary

Keyser, Agnes – (1852 – 1941)
British nurse and hospital organizer
The private mistress of Edward VII (1901 – 1910), Agnes Keyser was the daughter of a wealthy stockbroker. The most private of the king’s mistresses, Agnes Keyser’s relationship with Edward was accepted by Queen Alexandra. During the Boer War she and her sister Fanny turned their home in Grosvenor Crescent in London into a convalescent home, King Edward VII’s Hospital for Officers (1899), for which the king provided the capital. The hospital later removed to Beaumont Street (1948) and was later renamed King Edward VII’s Hospital Sister Agnes (2000), when its services were extended to all servicemen. She was portrayed on the screen by actress Sally Horne in the famous BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) series Edward VII (1975) with Timothy West in the title role.

Keyserlinck, Charlotte Amalie Truchsess von Waldburg, Countess von – (1729 – 1791)

German painter and miniaturist
Born Countess Karoline Charlotte Amalia Truchsess von Waldburg, she married firstly Count Heinrich Christian von Keyserlinck, who died in 1761, and secondly, Count Heinrich Uexkuell-Gyllenband, who died in 1787. The countess exhibited her Adam and Eve at the Berlin Kunstakademie (1787), and her portrait of the philosopher Emanuel Kant was preserved in the Majoratsbibliothek in Rautenburg. She was elected a member of the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts.

Keyserling, Mary Dublin – (1910 – 1997)
American economist, government official and author
Mary Keyserling was appointed as director of the Women’s Bureau (1964 – 1969). She was the author of Windows on Day Care (1972).

Khadija Begam – (c1550 – c1601)
Safavid queen of Persia
Khadija Begum was the daughter of Shah Tahmasp I. She was married to her cousin Jamshid, Khan of Rasht. She ruled Gilan as a widow.

Khadijah – (555 – 619)
Arab businesswoman
Khadija was first wife of the Muslim prophet Muhammad (564 – 636). She was a widow with children when the prophet married her. Their own union produced six children, and Khadijah retained the control of her trading business after their marriage. Muhammad remained faithful to her during her lifetime and always revered her memory.

Khamaat – (fl. c2400 BC)
Egyptian princess
A member of the IVth Dynasty (2520 – 2392 BC) Princess Khamaat became the wife of Ptahshepses who was buried at Saqqara during the reign of King Niuserre, the fourth last pharaoh of the Vth Dynasty. Inscriptions from her husband’s tomb accord Khamaat the title of ‘Eldest King’s Daughter’ and thus she must have been the child of either Shepsekaf, the last ruler of the IVth Dynasty or of Userkaf, the first ruler of the Vth Dynasty.

Khambatta, Persis – (1948 – 1998) 
Indian actress
Khambatta was born in Bombay, Maharashtra (Oct 2, 1948) into a Parsee family the daughter of a textile manufacturer. She began a modelling career at the age of thirteen (1962), and won the Miss India beauty crown (1965), which enabled her to pursue that career in London and in the USA. Persis Khambatta starred in Hindi-language films such as Bombay Rat Ki Bahoon Mein (Bombay by Night) (1967) and Kama Sutra (1969) which was released in Germany. She then went to America where she appeared in films in Hollywood, notably with Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine in The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), Conduct Unbecoming (1976) with Michael York and Richard Attenborough, and inNighthawks (1981) with Sylvester Stallone.
Khambatta was best remembered for her role as Lieutenant Ilia the Deltan navigator in Star Trek –The Motion Picture (1979) with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, for which she completely shaved her head. Other film credits included Megaforce (1982), Warrior of the Lost World (1985) which was released in Italy, Deadly Intent (1988) and Phoenix the Warrior (1988). Khambatta was the author of the book Pride of India (1986) which chronicled the lives of the former Miss Indias. Persis Khambatta died of a heart attack (Aug 18, 1998) aged forty-nine, in Bombay.

Khamerernebty I – (fl. c2530 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Khamerernebty I was the wife of King Rakhaef of the IVth Dynasty, and was the mother of King Menkaure (c2535 – c2472 BC) and of his sister and consort, Khamerernebty II. She owned a large tomb found in a quarry at Giza, east of Khafre’s pyramid, where an inscription mentions her daughter and namesake.

Khamerernebty II – (c2530 – c2475 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Khamerernebty II was the daughter of King Rakhaef, and Queen Khamerernebty I. She was married to her brother, Menkaure (c2535 – c2472 BC) as his chief wife and queen. She was perhaps the mother of King Shepsekaf (c2472 – c2467 BC). Some of her statuary was uncovered in the pyramid of Menkaure in the Valley of the Kings and is preserved in the Boston Museum in the USA.

Khan, Ra’ana Liaquat Ali – (1905 – 1990) 
Pakistani politician
Born Liquat Ali Pant in Almora, in northern India, she attended Lucknow University and its counterpart in Calcutta. She became a lecturer at the Indraprastha College for Women in New Delhi. She was was married (1933) to the noted politician, Zada Liaquat Ali Khan. Ra’ana Khan organized practical assistance for the large numbers of refugees during her husband’s presidence as the first prime minister after the partition (1947). With his assassination at Rawalpindi (1951), she continued to be involved in social reforms and with Pakistani politics. She was appointed as delegate to the United Nations (1952) and was the first Pakistani women to serve as a foreign ambassador (1954 – 1966). She was the first female governor of the Sind region (1973), and later received the prestigious Human Rights Award (1978).

Khanish Khanum – (1506 – 1564)
Safavid queen of Persia
Khanish Khanum was the eldest daughter of Shah Ismail I (1487 – 1524). She was married firstly (1521) at Hamadan, to Amira Dubbaj Rasthti (Mozaffar Sultan), the governor of Rasht and Fuman, who was later executed at Tabriz (1536). Khanish Khanum remarried secondly to Nur-ad-din Nimatallah Yazdi (died 1564). Through her first marriage she was the grandmother of Jamshid Khan Rashti.

Khanzada Begum – (c1361 – 1411) 
Timurid queen
Also known as Sawin Big bint Aq Sufi, she was the daughter of the Timurid princess Shakar Beg bint Jani Beg, and was a descendant of Juci bint Cingiz Khan. She was married firstly (1376) to Jahangir, and secondly to Miranshah, both sons of Timurlane. A woman of considerable political influence she was the mother of Khalil-Sultan who ruled (1384 – 1411).

Khayr un Nisa Begum – (c1548 – 1579)
Persian empress
Khayr un Nisa Begum was the daughter of Mir Abdullah Khan, the governor of Mazandaran, and was a descendant of the Mae’ash Sayyids, her father claiming descent from the fourth Imam, Zayn al-Abidin. Khayr un Nisa was married (1565) to Muhammad Khubabanda (1531 – 1596), as his second wife. He became emperor in 1577. As her husband was half-blind, the empress played a prominent and decisive role in Persian politics, and she practically took over the government herself, in her husband’s name. Her five children included the crown prince Sultan Hamza Mirza (1566 – 1586) who was assassinated. He was married three times and left descendants. Her second son was Abbas I the Great (1571 – 1629), emperor of Persia, who also left descendants. Her three younger sons were imprisoned by emperor Abbas, and died childless. Empress Khayr un Nisa Begum was murdered (July 26, 1579), at Qazuin, aged barely thirty.

Khensa (Kensa) – (fl. c740 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Khensa was probably the daughter of King Kashta and his wife Pebatma. She became the third wife of King Py (Piankhy) (c770 – 730 BC). Her name is inscribed upon a statue of the deity Bastet which is preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Various items of funerary equipment were recovered from her tomb at El-Kurru, and remain in museums in Khartoum and in Boston, USA. She bore the titled of ‘King’s Daughter’ and ‘King’s Great Wife.’

Khentetka (Kenterka) – (fl. c2440 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Khentetka was the chief queen of King Djedefre of the IVth Dynasty (2520 – 2392 BC). She was probably the mother of several of his younger sons and was the stepmother of King Khafre. The queen is known from various some smashed royal statues recovered from Djedefre’s mortuary temple near his pyramid at Abu Rawash, north of Giza. Surviving inscriptions give her the title of ‘King’s Wife.’

Khenthap (Kenthap) – (fl. c3170 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Khenthap was the wife of King Hor Aha (died c3163 BC), and was perhaps the mother of King Djer, his successor. Her existence is attested by the Cairo Annals.

Khentkawes I (Khantkawes) – (c2520 – c2460 BC)
Queen of Egypt
Originally called Redjedet, she was probably the daughter of King Menkaure. She was married firstly to King Shepsekaf (ruled c2472 – c2467 BC), and secondly, to his successor, King Userkaf (ruled c2467 – c2458 BC), and was ancestress of the Vth Dynasty. She was probably the mother of pharoahs Sahura (ruled c2458 – c2446 BC) and Neferirkare (ruled c2446 – c2426 BC). A cult was established in the memory of Queen Khentkawes, which honoured her as ancestress of the new dynasty which lasted till c2340 BC. Her imposing tomb was excavated at Gaza (1932 – 1933) by Selim Bey Hassan. The size of her tomb, and the fact that it possessed a causeway and valley temple, was unprecedented for a woman. Many servants were interred with her. Some papyrus fragments, which dealt with offerrings made to statues of Khentkawes, were found in the tomb of her son Neferirkare at Abusir.

Khentkawes II (Khantkawes) – (fl. c2440 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Khentkawes II was probably the wife of King Neferirkare (ruled c2446 – c2426 BC), she was almost certainly the daughter of Queen Khentkawes I, and was either full sibling, of half-sister, to her husband. Her small pyramid complex was situated next to that of her husband, and she possessed her own mortuary temple. She was accorded the titles of ‘Great Favour, King’s Wife’ and ‘Beholder of Seth and Horus.’

Khirgipa    see   Gilukhipa

Kholu – (c1772 – 1860)
African queen
Kholu was the daughter of Ntsukunyane, chief of the Bafokeng. She was married (c1785) to Mokhachane (c1765 – 1855), chief of the Bamonaheng in Lesotho, whom she survived as queen mother, and died aged in her late eighties. Queen Kholu was the mother of Moshoeshoe I the Great (c1786 – 1870), King of Lesotho.

Khosrovidukht    see   Xosroviduxt

Khvoschchinskaia, Nadezhda Dmitrievna – (1824 – 1889)
Russian poet, critic, writer, and translator
Nadezhda Khvoschchinskaia was born (May 20, 1824) in the province of Ryazan. She was the elder sister to Praskovia and Sophia Khvoschchinskaia. Nadezhda herself produced over ten novels, over forty works of prose published under the male pseudonym ‘V. Krestovskii,’ and various translations from French and German works into Russian. Her best known work Ursa Major (1870 – 1871), dealt with the question of female suffrage, and the novel In Hope of Better Days (1860). Nadezhda Khvoschchinskaia died (June 8, 1889) aged sixty-five, in St Petersburg.

Khvoschchinskaia, Praskovia Dmitrievna – (1832 – 1916)
Russian story writer
Praskovia Khvoschchinskai was born in the province of Ryazan, and was the younger sister to Nadezhda and Sophia Khvoschchinkskaia. Educated at home, she produced a volume of stories entitled V gorode I v drevne: Ocherki i rasskazy (In the City and In the Country: Sketches and Stories (1881) which was published under the pseudonym ‘S. Zimarova,’ and dealt with the unhappiness found within domestic life.

Khvoschchinskaia, Sophia Dmitrievna – (1828 – 1865)
Russian writer and and painter
Sophia Khvoschchinskaia was born (May 20, 1828) in the province of Ryazan. She was the younger sister of Nadezhda and the elder sister of Praskovia Khvoschchinskaia. Khvoschchinskaia was educated at home, but, unlike her sisters, she attended the Ekaterinsky Institute in Moscow, where she studied art and she produced a portrait of the noted artist Alexander Ivanov (1806 – 1858). A talented and insightful author of human foibles, Sophia was particular noted for her stories which dealt with contemporary social and political themes such as ‘Aunty’s Legacy’ (1858) and ‘City Folk and Country Folk’ (1863). Some of her works such as ‘A Provincial’s Lament’ (1861) and ‘Our Urban Life’ (1864) were published using the pseudonym ‘Ivan Vesenev.’ Sophia Khvoschchinskaia died young (Aug 5, 1865) at Ryazan, aged thirty-seven.

Kiara     see    Cera

Kidd, Dame Margaret Henderson – (1900 – 1988)
Scottish lawyer, advocate, and King’s Counsel
Margaret Henderson Kidd was born (March 14, 1900) in Linlithglow, the daughter of James Kidd, a solicitor and Member of Parliament. She was educated at the Linlithgow Academy and then Edinburgh University. She was married (1930) to Donald Somerled MacDonald, to whom she bore a daughter. Being determined upon a career in law, when she qualified Margaret became the first female member of the Scottish Bar (1923). Kidd was later the first woman QC ever to be appointed (1948), and was the first woman ever to be the sheriff of a county, serving as such part-time in Dumfries (1960 – 1966) and Perth (1966 – 1974). She also served as vice-president of the British Federation of University Women. Kidd was appointed DBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II (1975), and received honorary degrees from the universities of Dundee and Edinburgh. Sometimes known by her married name as Dame Margaret Macdonald she died (March 22, 1989) in Edinburgh, aged eighty-eight.

Kiddle, Margaret Loch – (1914 – 1958) 
Australian historian and biographer
Kiddle was born (Sept 10, 1914) in South Yarra, Victoria. She was employed with the Price Commission during World War II, and gained her Master of Arts from Melbourne University (1947). Apart from several children’s books Moonbeam Srairs (1945) and West of Sunset (1949), Kiddle produced a biography of colonial philanthropist and reformer Caroline Chisholm (1950), whilst her best known work Men of Yesterday (1961) was completed very shortly before her death and was published posthumously. Margaret Loch Kiddle died of leukaemia (May 3, 1958) aged forty-three.

Kiefer, Marianne – (1928 – 2008)
German stage and film actress
Kiefer was born (Sept 3, 1928) in Dresden in Saxony, the daughter of an artist. She was a talented stage performer, and her film credits included Florentiner 73 (1972), Toggenburger Boc (1975), Ich bin nichte meine Tante (1980), Polizeiruf 100 (1987) and Mensch, mein Papa … ! (1988). Her last film role was in Langer Samstag (2003). Marianne Kiefer died (Jan 4, 2008) aged seventy-nine, at Kriescha.

Kielsmansegge, Augusta Charlotte von Schonberg, Countess von – (1777 – 1863)
German political intriguer
Countess von Kielsmansegge was a supporter of Napoleon I and was closely involved with intrigue at his court. She left reminiscences entitled Memoiren der Grafin Kielsmansegge uber Napoleon I. auf Grund des Orginalmanuskripts in Besitz des Grafen Guerrino zu Lynar, Lubeck (1927), which were published in Dresden and in Berlin.

Kielsmansegge, Charlotte Sophia von – (1675 – 1725)
German Hanoverian courtier and royal mistress
Charlotte Sophia von Kielsmansegge was born, probably at Osnabruck, the illegitinmate daughter of Ernst Augustus, Elector of Hanover (1692 – 1698) and his mistress, Clara von Meisenburg. For reasons of propriety she bore the name of her stepfather, Count von Platen, her mother’s legal husband. Charlotte was married (1701) to Johann Adolf, Baron von Kielsmansegge (died 1717), a nobleman of honourable reputation, who had for some years been attached to the Hanoverian court. She was the mother of his son, George Augustus (1702 – 1734), Count von Kielsmansegge.
In Hanover the couple enjoyed a distinguished social position, and their villa, named ‘Fantaisie’ situated in the avenue of Herrenhausen, was a favourite resort for foreign visitors, though the baroness enjoyed a reputation for promiscuity. Prior to her marriage Charlotte had become the mistress of the elector’s son, her own legitimate half-brother, George Louis of Hanover (1660 – 1727), who she accompanied to England when he became king of England as George I (1714). Due to her corpulence she was nicknamed ‘the Elephant’ by the London mob. Neither at Hanover, nor in England had King George made any secret of the nature of the ties that held him and the baroness. He had consistently treated her as his half-sister and accorded her precedence as such at the electoral court. George granted her the Irish titles of countess of Leinster (1721) and then countess of Darlington (1722), and she was referred to as consanguinea nostro. Their scandalous relationship inspired Jacobite spite, anti-German prejudice, and scandalmomgers.
After the resignation of the Duke of Somerset, the high household office of master of the royal Household was left vacant, in order that its duties might be performed by Madame von Kielsmansegge’s husband. She never remarried after his death. The famous antiquarian and letter writer Horace Walpole met her as a small child, and the memory never left him. He later described her as having ‘two fierce black eyes, large and rolling … two acres of cheek spread with crimson, an ocean of neck that overflowed.’ Countess Charlotte bore the king an illegitimate daughter, who bore the name of her husband in order to prevent a scandal, Mary Charlotte Sophia von Kielsmansegge (1695 – 1782), later the wife of Emanuel Scrope (died 1735), second Viscount Howe. Lady Darlington died (April 20, 1725) aged forty-nine, at her house in St James’s Square, London. She was was interred within Westminster Abbey.

Kifunji – (c1590 – 1647) 
Angolan warrior princess
Kifunji was the sister of the famou Queen Mbande Nzinga. She was baptized with her sisters Nzinga and Mukumbu c1622, taking the name of ‘Lady Grace.’ During Nzinga’s protracted wars agains the Portugese, Kifunji was captured, but managed to keep her sister supplied with valuable military tactical information. Because of this the Portugese caused her to be drowned (Oct, 1647) as they retreated before her sister’s army.

Kikuko, Tokugawa – (1911 – 2004)
Japanese Imperial princess
Princess Tokugawa Kikuko was born (Dec 26, 1911), the only child of Prince Tokugawa Yoshihisa and his wife Princess Miyeko, the daughter of Prince Arisugawa Taruhito, the adopted son of the emperor Ninko (1817 – 1846). Her grandfather, Tokugawa Yoshinobu was the last of the shoguns. Kikuko graduated from the Gakushuin Women’s College (1929) and was then married (1930) to Prince Takamatsu Nobuhito (1905 – 1987), the third son of the emperor Taisho (1912 – 1926) and younger brother to the emperor Showa (1926 – 1989, formerly Hirohito), who served as an officer with the Imperial Japanese Navy. With her husband’s death she discovered his controversial war diaries, and achieved public recognition for permitting them to be published
The princess served as honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross and was president of the Tokyo Tikei Welfare Society. The princess, who wrote articles which were published in popular women’s magazines, was a prominent patron of cancer research. Just prior to her death (2002) she wrote in favour of a repeal of the law which prevented females from ascending the Imperial throne. Princess Kikuko died aged ninety-two.

Kildare, Elizabeth Zouche, Countess of   see   Zouche, Elizabeth

Kilgallen, Dorothy – (1913 – 1965)
American newspaper woman, columnist, and radio and television personality
Kilgallen was born (July 3, 1913) and was married to actor Dick Kollmar. She worked as areporter for the Journal-American publication in New York, and worked in radio with her husband where they hosted the daily program Breakfast with Dorothy and Dick for almost two decades (1945 – 1963). Dorothy Kilgallen appeared on the popular television show What’s My Line? (1949 – 1965). Dorothy Kilgallen died (Nov 8, 1965) aged fifty-two.

Kilham, Hannah – (1774 – 1832)
British missionary and linguist
Hannah Kilham was born at Sheffield, the daughter of a tradesman. With her mother’s death (1786), she ran the household for her father and brothers. Hannah joined the Wesleyan Methodists (1796) and married (1798) Alexander Kilham, leader of the seperatist sect known as the New Connexion. Kilham learned two African dialects, Mandingo and Jaloof from black sailors in England, and then went to Africa under the guidance of the Quakers. She established schools in Gambia and Sierra Leone which taught the English language. She died at sea from shock, after the vessel on which she was travelling was struck by lightning. She was the author of Lessons on Language (1818) and The Claims of Africa to Christian Instruction (1830).

Killick, Elsie Florence    see    Randolph, Elsie

Killigrew, Anne – (1660 – 1685)
English portrait painter and poet
Anne Killigrew was born in London, the daughter the theologian, Henry Killigrew, chaplain and almoner to the duke of York (later James II). She served at the Stuart court as maid-of-honour to Duke James’s second wife, Mary Beatrice of Modena. Her portrait of James II (1685) is preserved at Windsor Castle, in Berkshire whilst her Portrait of a Young Woman was preserved at Berkeley Castle in Goucestershire. Though it is known that she produced a portrait of Queen Mary Beatrice, this work remains untraced. Her collection of verse was published posthumously by her father, with the famous, ‘Ode to Mrs Anne Killigrew’ (1686), by John Dryden. Anne Killigrew died of smallpox (June 16, 1685) aged twenty-four.

Killigrew, Catherine Cooke, Lady – (1530 – 1583)
English Protestant patron, humanist, and scholar
Catherine Cooke was the fourth daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, of Gidea Hall, Essex, tutor to Edward VI (1547 – 1553), and his wife Alice Waldegrave, the daughter of Sir William Waldegrave of Suffolk. Skilled in several languages, such as Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, she was married at the late age of thirty-five (1565) to Sir Henry Killigrew (c1525 – 1603), the successful Tudor diplomat. She bore her husband four daughters. Her death occurred after the birth of a stillborn child at an advanced age. Lady Killigrew died (Dec 27, 1583) aged fifty-three. Some lines of Latin verse by Lady Catherine were preserved by Sir John Harinton in the notes of his translation of Orlando Furioso. These were later reprinted in Worthies of England (1662) by Thomas Fuller (1608 – 1661). Her tomb inscription (now destroyed) was penned by Andrew Melville (1545 – 1622).

Killigrew, Elizabeth – (1622 – 1679)
Englis Stuart courtier
Elizabeth Killigrew was the mistress of King Charles II (1660 – 1685). She was boaptised (May 16, 1622) in the church of St Margaret, Lothbury, the daughter of Sir Robert Killigrew, vice-chamberlain to Queen Henrietta Maria, by his wife Mary, the daughter of Sir Henry Wodehouse, of Waxham, Norfolk. As a young girl she was sent to the court where she served as maid-of-honour to Queen Henrietta Maria, and finished her education. She was married (1638) to Francis Boyle (1623 – 1699), the first Viscount Shannon, a younger son of Richard Boyle, earl of Cork. Elizabeth became the mistress of King Charles early during his exile (1650) and bears the distinction of being one of the few of the king’s many mistresses to be older than him.
Lady Shannon bore the king an illegitimate daughter, Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria Fitzroy (1651 – 1684), acknowledged by her royal father, who was later married to James Howard, and then to William Paston, second Earl of Yarmouth.Elizabeth Killigrew died late in Dec, 1679, and was interred in Westminster Abbey, London (Jan 4, 1680). Her royal daughter was later interred with her (1684). By lord Shannon she left a legitimate son, Richard Boyle (died 1679), who predeceased his father, and was the father of Richard Boyle (1675 – 1740) who succeeded his grandfather as second Viscount Shannon (1699 – 1740).

Killigrew, Mary Lucas, Lady – (1607 – 1646)
English Stuart courtier
Mary Lucas was the eldest daughter of Thomas Lucas, of Colchester, Essex, and his wife Elizabeth Leighton. She was the much elder sister of the Stuart authoress, Margaret, Duchess of Newcastle. Her mother and King Charles I agreed to her marriage (1625) with Sir Peter Killigrew, who then received a state pension and was appointed gentleman of the Privy Chamber to the king. They were also granted apartments in Whitehall Palace. Despite this royal favour, both Mary Killigrew and her husband later supported Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians during the Civil War. Lady Mary died of consumption, which had already killed her daughter. She was interred in the burial vault of the Lucas family at St John’s in Colchester. However, when St John’s fell to the Parliamentarians, the soldiers broke open the tombs, including those of Mary Killigrew and her mother, and desecrated their remains. Lady Killigrew was commemorated by her sister Margaret when she wrote the elegy On a Mother that died for grief of her only Daughter (c1652).

Killikelly, Sarah Hutchins – (1840 – 1912)
Southern American author
Killikelly was born (Jan 1, 1840) at Vincennes, Indiana. She was the author of several historical works including Curious Questions in History, Literature, Art, and Social Life (1886 – 1900), which was published in three volumes. Sarah Killikelly died (May 14, 1912) aged seventy-two.

Kilmarnock, Anne Livingston, Countess of – (1709 – 1747)
Scottish Jacobite leader
Lady Anne Livingston was the only daughter of James Livingston, fifth Earl of Linlithgow and fourth Earl of Callendar, and his wife Lady Margaret Hay, the younger daughter of John Hay, twelfth Earl of Erroll. Lady Anne was married (1724) to William Boyd, the fourth Earl of Kilmarnock. A devoted Jacobite figure, she detained the Hanoverian General Hawley at dinner, in order to ensure the Jacobite victory at the battle of Falkirk (1746). Her husband had taken part in the 1745 rising, and was attained as a Jacobite. He was beheaded at Tower Hill in London (Aug 18, 1746). Lady Kilmarnock survived her husband little over a year as Dowager Countess of Kilmarnock. Lady Kilmarnock died (Sept 14, 1747), aged thirty-five. Her children included,

• William Boyd, styled Lord Boyd, son and heir (born 1725). He died as a child.
• James Boyd (1726 – 1778). He took the surname of Hay and succeeded his great-aunt as fifteenth Earl of Erroll.
• Captain Hon. (Honourable) Charles Boyd (c1728 – 1782). He escaped capture after the battle of Culloden. He was married twice and left children.
• Captain Hon. William Boyd (c1730 – 1780). He died unmarried.

Kilmer, Aline Murray – (1888 – 1941)
American poet
Aline Murray was born (Aug 1, 1888) in Norfolk, Virginia, and became the wife of fellow poet and essayist Joyce Kilmer (1886 – 1918), whom she survived. She was the daughter-in-law of Annie Kilburn Kilmer. Her poems included ‘For the Birth of a Middle-Aged Child,’ ‘To Aphrodite: With a Mirror’ and ‘Prelude.’ Her collections of published verse included The King’s Daughter, and Other Poems (1925) and Selected Poems (1929). Aline Murray Kilmer died (Oct 1, 1941) aged fifty-two.

Kilmer, Annie Kilburn – (c1856 – 1932)
American literary figure, author, and composer
Annie Kilburn was born in Albany, New York. She was mother of the poet and essayist Joyce Kilmer (1886 – 1918) and mother-in-law to Aline Murray Kilmer. Her published works included Memories of My Son Sergeant Joyce Kilmer (1920) and the autobiography Leaves from My Life (1925). Annie Kilmer died (Jan 1, 1932).

Kilmuir, Sylvia Harrison, Countess of   see    De La Warr, Sylvia Mary Harrison, Countess

Kilner, Dorothy – (1755 – 1836)
British children’s writer
The sister-in-law of Mary Maze Kilner, she was born at Maryland Point, near Stratford, Essex. She wrote works for children using the pseudonym ‘Mary Pelham’ and her true identity remained secret for a long time. Kilner produced didactic works such as Dialogues and Letters on Morality (c1783) and The First Principles of Religion (c1787), but was best known for her popular juvenile fiction such as Life and Perambulation of a Mouse (1783), The Village School (c1795) and First Going to School, or, The Story of Tom Brown and His Sisters (1804).

Kilner, Mary Ann – (1753 – 1831)
British children’s writer
Born Mary Maze, she became the sister-in-law of Dorothy Kilner, being the wife of her brother. She became a popular writer of works for children, using the pseudonym ‘S.S.’ The best known of her popular works were The Adventures of a Pincushion (c1780) and the moral tales Jemima Placid (c1783), William Sedley (c1783) and Memoirs of a Peg-Top (c1783).

Kim, Agatha – (c1795 – 1839)
Korean Christian martyr
Agatha Kim was baptized by a layman who had been converted in China. Agatha was one of those killed when Christianity was outlawed. Taken with many others, she refused to recant her faith and was tortured before being crucified upon a wooden cross pulled by a cart. She was then stripped naked and beheaded. Agatha Kim was later canonized a saint (1925) by Pope Pius XI (1922 – 1939).

Kimball, Harriet McEwan – (1834 – 1917)
American poet and hymnwriter
Kimball was born (Nov, 1834) at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Kimball wrote the popular poem ‘White Azaleas’ and also produced Hymns (1866) and the collection of verse entitled Poems (1889). Harriet Kimball died (Sept 3, 1917) aged eitghy-three.

Kimmins, Dame Grace Thyrza – (1870 – 1954)
British pioneer with crippled children and medical treatment reformer.
Grace Hannan was born (May 6, 1870) at Lewes, Sussex, into a middle-class family, the daughter of a cloth merchant. After finishing her education she decided to devote her energies to improve the conditions for the disabled. She founded the Guild of the Brave Poor Things (1894), branches of which were established all over the country, and which was designed to unite handicapped people of all ages and religions, which was supported by Queen Mary, wife of George V, and later by Queen Elizabeth, the widow of George VI. She was married (1897) to the scientist, Charles William Kimmins, who was employed as an inspector of the education department with the Lonodn County council (1904 – 1923). The couple had two sons.
Under the joint patronage of Princess Louise, the Duchess of Argyll and Bishop Winnington-Ingram of London, Kimmins established a series of Heritage Craft Schools, designed to prove the disabled with a means to earn a living, and support themselves. During WW I Kimmins turned over her school to the government for use as a hospital for wounded soldiers. A crippled boy was assigned to look after each wounded soldier, which served to give them hope for their own recovery. Kimmins was rewarded for her lifetime work by the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by King George V (1927). Encroaching age forced her to hand over the administration of the Heritage Craft Schools to the National Trust (1948) and she was then created DBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire) by King George VI. Dame Grace Kimmins died (March 3, 1954) aged eighty-three, at Haywards Heath.

Kimpa Vita, Beatriz – (1684 – 1706) 
Kongolese Christian religious leader, saint and mystic
Beatriz Kimpa Vita claimed to be possessed of the spirit of St Anthony, and asserted that Jesus Christ had been of Kongolese origins. She criticized the Italian Capuchin monks that were acting as missionaries, for not supporting black Christian saints. Her ‘Antonian’ movement had large support from the common population, and was aimed at creating a peaceful solution of the cyclic civil wars which Kongo had been decimated by through the politics of rival dynasts. She was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually burnt at the stake as a heretic.

Kind, Marien     see    Handel-Mazzetti, Baroness Enrica

Kindersely, Jemima – (1741 – 1809)
Anglo-indian traveller and letter writer
Jemima Wicksted was born at Bath (Oct 2, 1741), the daughter of an army officer named Wicksted, who was later stationed at Allahabad in Bengal, India. She married (1762) Lt-Col Nathaniel Kindersely (1734 – 1769) to whom she bore a son Nathaniel Edward Kindersely (1762 – 1831) who achieved an impressive career in the Civil Service. Jemima travelled to India with her husband, and sent letters home to her friends in bath, describing both the journey there, and the countries they visited along the way.
Her first letter (June, 1764) was from Santa Cruz, in Tenerife. Further along the way, the couple visited the Canary Islands, San Salvador in Brazil, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, before finally reaching Pondicherry on the Coromandel coast (June, 1765). Jemima and her husband then visited Madras and Calcutte, before travelling by barge up the Ganges river to Patna and finally to Allahabad, where Kindersely took up his official posting. Mrs Kindersley resided there until March, 1768, becoming one of the first official ‘memsahibs’ of the period of British residency in India. She later returned to England and her correspondence entitled Letters from the East Indies were published in London (1777).

King, Alberta Christine Williams – (1904 – 1974)
Black American religious and civil rights figure
Alberta Williams King was the mother of Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968), and was the mother-in-law of Coretta Scott King. She was born (Sept 13, 1904) in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of a Baptist clergyman. She attended college and trained as a teacher before her marriage with Martin Luther King, Sr (1926), after which she devoted herself to family life and her children.
With her father’s death (1931), Alberta’s husband succeeded him as pastor at the Ebenezer Church in Atlanta. Alberta played an important role in the affairs of the Ebenezer Church and conducted the choir there. Under her direction they performed at the premiere of the film Gone With the Wind (1939). She served as the president of the Ebenezer Women’s Committee (1950 – 1962). Alberta King was shot and killed (June 30, 1974) aged sixty-nine, by a deranged gunman as she sat in church.

King, Augusta Ada    see    Lovelace, Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of

King, Carol Weiss – (1895 – 1952)
American lawyer and civil rights advocate
Caroline Weiss was born (Aug 24, 1895) in New York, the daughter of Samuel Weiss, a corporate lawyer. She attended the Horace Mann School in New York and graduated from Barnard College, after which she attended the New York University Law School where she trained as a lawyer. She was married (1917) to Gordon Congdon King, a writer, who died in 1930. She never remarried. Carol King devoted her life to serve the needs of those whom civil law usually treated badly, such as illegal aliens, radicals, and unionists, such as the west coast labour leader Harry Bridges. She became famous as noted strategist and tacitician of constitutional law. Her main opposition in these cases came from the US immigration service, and King constantly made the point that her clients, as foreign born nationals, already possessed legal rights that the government had to observe. This argument succeeded in preventing many from being deported. She won her greatest legal victory when the Supreme Court accepted King’s theory concerning the legal rights of aliens (1948), and all deportation hearings in progress were stopped until further investigation. After visits to the USSR and then to Nazi Germany, King established the human rights publication the International Juridicial Association Bulletin (1932). She assisted with the foundation of the National Lawyers Guild (1936), and served as general counsel for the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born. Carol Weiss King died of cancer (Jan 22, 1952) in New York.

King, Coretta Scott – (1927 – 2006)
Black American vocalist and civil rights campaigner and diplomat
Coretta Scott was born (April 27, 1927) at Heiberger, in Marion County, Alabama and attended college in Ohio. She studied music at the New England Conservatory, and made her debut as a concert singer (1948). Five years afterwards she became the wife of the famous civil rights leader Martin Luther King (1926 – 1968) to whom she bore several children. Coretta King was involved together with her husband in the struggle for civil rights for Negro Americans. With her husband’s famous assasination, Coretta led the successful campaign to have a national holiday established in his honour (1983). She became the founder and president of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, for Non-Violent Social Change (1971). King later visited South Africa where she was received by Winnie Mandela, but scrupulously refused to meet President Botha (1986). King was the author of the memoir My Life with Martin Luther King Jr (1968). Coretta Scott King died (Jan 31, 2006) aged seventy-eight.

King, Edith Lawrence – (1882 – 1975) 
American painter and founder
Edith King studied painting under Maurice Prendergast and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her works were exhibited in the Armory Show (1913) and she co-founded the Children’s School of Acting and Design Theater in New York (1923) which she ran for over three decades until her retirement (1959). Here children under the age of twelve were taught the classics, as well as eastern drama from Iran and Greece. King and her friend Dorothy Coit co-produced Shakespeare’s The Tempest for Broadway as well as a Persian drama, Kai Khosru. Twenty volumes of king’s photographs and designs are preserved in the Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts. Edith Lawrence King died in Southbury, Connecticut.

King, Georgianna Goddard – (1871 – 1939)
Southern American art and literary critic, sholar and educator
King was born (Aug 5, 1871) in West Columbia, West Virginia. King founded and supervised the art department at Bryn Mawr College (1912), where she worked as a lecturer. She was an impressive academic scholar and wrote poetic verses as well as more serious works such as Pre-Romanesque Churches of Spain (1924). Georgianna King died (May 4, 1939) aged sixty-seven.

King, Georgina – (1845 – 1932)
Australian anthropologist and geologist
King was born (June 6, 1845) in Fremantle, Western Australia, the sister to Sir George Kelso King. Georgina came to Sydney as a child and was encouraged in geological interests. She was the author of Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania (1924) and was a friend of Daisy Bates. She remained unmarried. Georgina King died (June 7, 1932) aged eighty-seven, in Sydney.

King, Grace Elizabeth – (1852 – 1932)
Southern American historian, novelist and short story writer
King was born (Nov 29, 1851) in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the author of Balcony Stories (1892) and La Dame de Sainte Hermine (1924), as well as personal reminiscences entitled Memories of a Southern Woman (1932). Grace Elizabeth King died (Jan 14, 1932) aged seventy-nine.

King, Harriet Eleanor – (1839 – 1920)
Scottish Catholic poet and writer
Harriet Baillie-Hamilton was born in Chigwell, Sussex, the daughter of Admiral and Lady Harriet Baillie-Hamilton, and granddaughter to the earl of Haddington. She was married Henry Samuel King, of Chigwell, Essex, to whom she bore seven children. King was the author of poems and devotional works inclcuding Aspromonte, and Other Poems, Ballads of the North, and Other Poems, The Prophecy of Westminster, The Foreshadowing of a Saint, The Hours of the Passion and the Letters and Recollections of Mazzini. Harriet Eleanor King died (May 10, 1920) in London.

King, Janet – (c1848 – 1911)
British nursing sister
Born Janet Wells, she later became the wife (1882) of George King. Janet King had trained as a nurse with the Protestant Deaconesses Institution, and served with the Russian army at Lom during the Russo-Turkish War (1877 – 1878). Sister Janet was present during the siege of Rustchuk, and received the Imperial Order of the Red Cross of Russia. She was later sent to the Zulu war where she took charge of a large base hospital of Utrecht. For this valuable work she was awarded the Royal Red Cross by Queen Victoria. Janet King died (June 6, 1911) at Wood View, Purley.

King, Jessie Marion – (1875 – 1949)
Scottish book illustrator, painter and designer
Jessie King was born (March 20, 1875) at Bearsden (formerly New Kilpatrick), Glasgow, the daughter of Dr James King, of New Kirkcudbright Church. She studied art under Francis Newberry at the Glasgow School of Art (1895 – 1899). Her style was strongly influenced by Botticelli, Edward Burne-Jones and Rossetti and she did the illustrations for the volume on plants entitled Budding Life, as well as being a noted fabric designer. Her best known work was her illustrations for William Morris’s work The Defence of Guinevere (1904). King later removed to Paris with her husband, the designer and painter, Ernest Archibald Taylor (1874 – 1952), where she ran the Shealing Atelier in Paris (1911 – 1915). With the eruption of WW I the couple returned to Scotland, where she took up ceramic design, her work being exhibited in Edinburgh, London, Berlin, and Turin. She was awarded a gold medal at the Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte Decorativa. Jessie Marion King died (Aug 3, 1949) aged seventy-four, at Kirkcudbright, near Dumfries.

King, Mabel – (1933 – 1999)
American television actress and vocalist
King was best remembered in the role of Mama in the popular 1970’s sitcom What’s Happening! Mabel King died (Nov 9, 1999) aged sixty-six, at Woodland Hills, California.

King, Wilhelmina – (fl. 1770 – 1775)
British Hanoverian artist and painter
Wilhelmina King was born into the aristocratic family of Roscommon, Ireland, and  was sister to Sir Robert King (1724 – 1755), Baron Kingsborough and his brother, Sir Edward King (1726 – 1797), first Earl of Kingston. Wilhelmina had a privileged upbringing, her education being supervised by a governess. She produced water colour still-life paintings, and her work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and at the Society of Artists in London.

Kingscote, Emily Marie Howe, Lady – (1836 – 1910)
British courtier
Lady Emily Howe was the daughter of the first Earl Howe. Lady Emily was married (1856) to Colonel Sir Robert Nigel FitzHardinge Kingscote (1830 – 1908), equerry to King Edward VII (1901 – 1908) as his second wife, and bore him three children. Lady Kingscote served as woman of the bedchamber to HM Queen Alexandra. She survived her husband as Dowager Lady Kingscote (1908 – 1910). Lady Kingscote died (Sept 22, 1910) aged seventy-four, in London.

Kingsford, Anna – (1846 – 1888) 
British physician and author
Born Anna Bonus at Stratford, Essex, she was married (1867) to a clergyman, Algernon Kingsford, of Shropshire. She converted to Roman Catholicism (1870), became a well-known Theosophist author, and was vigorous advocate of higher education for women, being the owner and editor of The Lady’s Own Paper from 1872. Also active in the field of animal welfare, Kingsford was an avid supporter of the anti-vivisectionist campaign. Having received her medical doctorate from Paris (1880), she was a firm advocate of vegetarianism and wrote The Perfect Way in Diet, and co-founded the Hermetic Society (1884) with the humanitarian writer Edward Maitland (1824 – 1897). The aims of the society were to promote reconciliation between Christianity and the eastern faiths. Together, Kingsford and Maitland authored Keys of the Creeds (1875), and her own volume Clothed With the Sun was published by Maitland after her death.

Kingsley, Florence Morse – (1859 – 1937)
American author and novelist
Florence Morse was born (July 14, 1859) near Medina, Ohio, and was married to Charles R. Kingsley. She was the author of The Singular Miss Smith (1904), And So They Were Married (1908) and The Heart of Philura (1915), amongst many others. Florence Kingsley died (Oct 26, 1937) aged seventy-eight.

Kingsley, Mary Henrietta – (1862 – 1900)
British traveller and writer
Mary Kingsley was born in Islington in London, the daughter of the traveller, Dr George Kingsley, and niece to Charles Kingsley, the famous novelist. Mary was educated privately at home with a governess, she kept house for her invalid parents until their deaths, and then embarked upon two famously adventurous trips to Africa (1893 – 1895), including trips to Zaire, Nigeria, the French Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, amingst others. She wrote Travels in West Africa (1897) and West Africa Studies (1899). Mary Kingsley died of enteric fever in South Africa, aged thirty-eight, whilst working as a nurse during the Boer conflict. Kingsley was buried at sea.

Kinglsey, Mary St Leger     see     Malet, Lucas

Kingsmill, Morphita – (c1495 – 1569) 
English Catholic nun
Morphita Kingsmill was the last abbess of Wherwell, in Hampshire. With the dissolution of the monasteries inder Henry VIII (1539), the former abbess, who was granted a pension by the crown, retired to reside privately with half a dozen of her former nuns in a quasi-religious community of their own. Dying in 1569, her will, from which these meagre details of her life have been salvaged, has been preserved in the Hampshire Record Office.

Kingston, Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of      see     Chudleigh, Elizabeth

Kingston, Isabella Bentinck, Duchess of – (1688 – 1728)
British Hanoverian courtier
Lady Isabella Bentinck was born (May 4, 1688), the fifth daughter of Hans William Bentinck (1649 – 1709), first Earl of Portland, the favourite courtier of King William III (1688 – 1702). Her mother, the Earl’s first wife, was Anne Villiers (1659 – 1688), the daughter of the Stuart courtier, Sir Edward Villiers. Through her mother Isabella was a close connection of Barbara Villiers, the notorious mistress of Charles II. Lady Isabella or ‘Belle’ as she was known in society, was a great beauty at the court of George I, and was assiduously courted by the widowed Evelyn Pierrepoint, Duke of Kingston (1665 – 1726). She became his second wife (1714). She was stepmother to the famous traveller and letter writer, Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu. Isabella survived her husband barely two years as Dowager Duchess (1726 – 1728). The Duchess of Kingston died (Feb 23, 1728) aged thirty-nine, in Paris. Her body was conveyed via the Channel to England and she was buried at Holme-Pierrepoint (May 3, 1728). Her children were,

• Lady Caroline Pierrepoint (1716? – 1753). She was married to Thomas Brand (c1717 – 1770) of The Hoo in Herefordshire, and left children.
• Lady Anne Pierrepoint (1718 – 1739). She died unmarried.

Kingston, Mary Scrope, Lady – (c1490 – c1550)
English Tudor courtier
Mary Scrope was the daughter of Sir Richard Scrope of Upsall in Yorkshire. She was married firstly to Sir Edward Jerningham of Somerleyton in Suffolk, and then became the second wife (c1525) of Sir William Kingston (c1480 – 1540) of Painswick in Gloucestershire, Constable of the Tower of London. Lady Mary was the stepmother of Sir Anthony Kingston (1519 – 1556), the Provost Marshal of Cornwall. She survived her second husband as the Dowager Lady Kingston.
Lady Kingston and her husband received Queen Anne Boleyn when she entered the Tower of London (May 2, 1536), and Henry VIII appointed lady Kingston to attend the queen during her imprisonment. Known for loyalty to Catherine of Aragon and her dislike of Queen Anne, Lady Kingston and the two other ladies chosen to attend the doomed woman were chosen for specifically that reason, and Lady Kingston was ordered to report any of the queen’s conversations to Thomas Cromwell. She attended the queen at her execution (May 19) where the distressed state of the ladies-in-waiting was noticed by observers and seems to indicate that the queen’s plight had finally won their sympathy, despite their original aversion to her and the reformist cause. In the film Anne of the Thousand Days (1970) with Genevieve Bujold as the queen and Richard Burton as Henry VIII, Lady Kingston was portrayed by actress Nora Swinburne. In the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) series The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) with Keith Michell and Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn, Lady Kingston was portrayed by actress Patricia Heneghan.

Kink, Louise Gretchen – (1908 – 1992)
Swiss-American disaster survivor
Louise Kink was born (April 8, 1908) in Zurich, Switzerland, the daughter of a shop keeper. Together with her parents and several other family members, Louise embarked aboard the Titanic (1912) at Southampton in England to immigrate to Milwaukee in Wisconsin in the USA. The family travelled in third class. The male members of the family became alarmed when the collision with the iceberg took place and it was due to their efforsts that the family was roused from sleep and mustered on deck. During this journey her father’s two siblings were lost in the crowds.
Louise was placed in Lifeboat 2 with her mother, but as it was being lowered her father broke through and jumped aboard and was thus also saved. They were picked by by the Carpathia but her aunt and uncle perished in the sinking. Her parents’ marriage later ended in divorce (1919) and her father returned to Switzerland and remarried. Louise King became the wife (1932) of Harold Pope to whom she bore four children before they eventually divorced.
When the wreck of the Titanic was later discovered (1985) Mrs Pope testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, and urged that the site become a permanent memorial. She was present at the 75th anniversary ceremony of the disaster held at Wilmington in Delaware (1987) and at the conventions held by the Titanic Historical Society in Boston, Massachusetts (1988) and (1990). Mrs Louise Kink Pope died (Aug 25, 1992) aged eighty-four, in Milwaukee.

Kinkel, Johanna – (1810 – 1858)
German pianist, writer, and composer
Johanna Mockel was born (July 8, 1810) in Bonn, the daughter of the musician Peter Joseph Mockel. She received her musical education from Franz Anton Ries, who had instructed Ludwig van Beethoven. She was married (1832) to Johann Paul Mathieux, a bookseller from Cologne (Koln). They were later legally seperated (1840). Kinkel composed cantatas, popular songs and plays for the stage, and conducted a choral group. She was a member of the coterie that surrounded Felix Mendelssohn and Bettina von Arnim in Berlin. She later converted to the Protestant religion and remarried (1843) to an academic, Gottfried Kinkel, but his involvement with revolutionary activists forced the couple to flee into exile to England, where he taught at the University of London. Johanna Kinkel was the author of Acht Brief an eine Freundin uber Klavier-Unterricht (Eight Letters to a Friend on Piano Playing) (1852), and the autobiographical novel Hans Ibeles (1860), which was published posthumously in London. Johanna Kinkel’s death in London (Nov 15, 1858), at the age of forty-eight, may have been either an accident or suicide, though neither has been conclusively proved.

Kinna – (c420 – c480 AD) 
Irish abbess and saint
Kinna was the only daughter of Echu, king of Oriel. Her father would only consent to her being veiled as a nun if St Patrick promised him eternal life without making him take baptism (c440 AD). Kinna was placed under the care and religious guidance of the nun Cetamaria, at Druimduchan in county Tyrone. Kinna lived there for many years, and was credited with miracles, both during her lifetime, and after her death. Kinna was venerated as a saint (Feb 1).

Kinnaird, Mary Jane Hoare, Lady – (1816 – 1888)
British philanthropist
Mary Hoare was born (March 14, 1816) at Blatherwick Park, Northamptonshire, the daughter of a London banker, and was niece to the Earl of Gainsborough. She was married (1843) to Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird (1814 – 1887), who later succeeded as tenth Baron Kinnaird (1878). Her philanthropic activities were fully supported by her husband, who was himself a prominent philanthropic figure. Mary Kinnaird established the St John’s Training School for Domestic Servants (1841) for young girls. With Lady Charlotte Canning, she organized to send nurses and medical supplies to help the British troops in the Crimea (1854). She was a co-founder of the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) with Emily Robarts (1877), and assisted with the foundation of the British Ladies’ Female Emigration Society and the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission. She edited the volume of devotional verse, Servants’ Prayers (1848). Lady Kinnaird survived her husband as the Dowager Baroness Kinnaird (1887 – 1888). Lady Kinnaird died (Dec 1, 1888) aged seventy-two, at Plaistow Lodge, near Bromley, Kent. Her children were,

• Hon. (Honourable) Frederica georgiana Kinnaird (1845 – 1929). She became the wife of Dr Alfred Orlando James (died 1896).
• Hon. Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird (1847 – 1923). He succeeded his father as the eleventh Baron Kinnaird, and left issue.
• Hon. Agneta Olivia Kinnaird (1850 – 1940). She became the wife of Roland Yorke Bevan (died 1923).
• Hon. Emily Cecilia Kinnaird (1855 – 1947). She remained unmarried.

Kinney, Elizabeth Clementine Dodge – (1810 –1889)
American poet and essayist
Elizabeth Dodge was born (Dec 18, 1810) in New York. She was married firstly to Stedman, secondly to Kinney, and was the author of Felicita (1855) and the collection of verse entitled Poems (1867). Elizabeth Kinney died (Nov 19, 1889) aged seventy-eight.

Kinsky, Countess Bertha von    see   Suttner, Baroness von

Kinsolving, Sally Bruce – (1876 – 1962)
American poet and author
Kinsolving was born (Feb 14, 1876) in Richmond, Virginia. She was the author of the collections of verse entitled David and Bathsheba, and Other Poems (1922) and Many Waters (1942). She also wrote Depths and Shallows (1921). Sally Bruce Kinsolving died (April 27, 1962) aged eighty-six.

Kipling, Alice – (1837 – 1920)
British writer and literary figure
Alice Macdonald was the second daughter of Reverend George Browne Macdonald, and his second wife Hannah Jones. She was sister to Agnes, Lady Poynter and Georgiana, Lady Burne-Jones. Alice was married to John Lockwood Kipling (1837 – 1911), and was the mother of the famous author and poet Rudyard Kipling (1865 – 1936). Her daughter Alice Kipling (1868 – 1948) was married to Colonel John Fleming (1858 – 1942) and left children.

Kira Kirrillovna – (1909 – 1967)
Russian Romanov grand duchess
Princess Kira Kirrillovna was born (May 9, 1909) in Paris, the second daughter of the Grand Duke Kirrill Vladimirovitch and his German wife, Victoria Melita of Edinburgh-Coburg, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was sister to Grand Duke Vladimir Kirrillovitch (1917 – 1992), the later Head of the Romanov family. With the outbreak of the Revolution, Kira fled with her family to Finland (1917), later visiting Coburg in Germany before settling at Saint-Briac in France. When her father declared himself the guardian of the Romanov throne he accorded Kira and her sister Maria the titles and styles of Grand Duchesses.
An early attachment to Prince Alfonso, Prince of the Asturias, son of Alfonso XIII of Spain, came to nothing, and when she desired to marry the Hungarian aristocrat Prince Constantine Soutzo, King Carol II refused permission for political reasons. Grand Duchess Kira was married (1938) to Louis Ferdinand (born 1907), Prince of Prussia, the second son of Crown Prince Wilhelm, and the grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was head of the royal House of Hohenzollern, and and left several children. Princess Kira accompanied her husband on several of his travels around the world, but otherwise resided at the family estate at Wummenhorf, near Bremen, where she supervised the raising and education of her children, and administered her husband’s farming estates during his abscences. After WW II she was called to testify in the case of Anna Anderson who claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the daughter of Nicholas II. Despite the fact that Anderson received the support of her uncle Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovitch and her mother-in-law, the Prussian Crown Princess Cecilie, Kira did not believe the woman’s claim. Grand Duchess Kira died (Sept 8, 1967) aged fifty-eight, at Saint-Briac in France. Her seven children were,

• Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (born 1939) He renounced his rights to the Prussian throne, and was married twice, leaving issue.
• Prince Michael of Prussia (born 1940) He renounced his rights to the throne and married twice, leaving issue.
• Princess Marie Cecile of Prussia (born 1942) She became the wife of Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg (born 1936), and left issue.
• Princess Kira of Prussia (1943 – 2004). She became the wife of Thomas Liepsner (born 1945), of St Louis, Missouri, USA, and left issue.
• Prince Louis Ferdinand (1944 – 1977) He was married and left issue, but was killed in a military accident.
• Prince Christian Sigismund of Prussia (born 1946) He was married and left issue.
• Princess Xenia of Prussia (1949 – 1992). She became the wife of Per-Edvard Lithander (born 1944), and left issue.

Kira Augusta Victoria Frederica – (1943 – 2004)
Princess of Prussia
Princess Kira was born (June 27, 1943) at Cadinen, the second daughter of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, and his wife Grand Duchess Kira Kirrillovna of Russia, the daughter of Grand Duke Kirrill Vladimirovitch and sister to Grand Duke Vladimir Kirrillovitch. She was the great-granddaughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II (1888 – 1918) and was a descendant of Queen Victoria. Kira became the wife (1973) of an American citizen, Thomas Liepsner, of St Louis, Missouri (born 1945), and left issue, Kira Marina Liepsner (born 1977). They were later divorced (1984). Princess Kira died (Jan 10, 2004) aged sixty.

Kira Melita Feodora Marie Victoria Alexandra – (1930 – 2005)
German princess
Princess Kira of Leiningen was born (July 18, 1930) at Coburg in Thuringia, the daughter of Karl, Prince of Leiningen, and his wife, the Romanov grand duchess Maria Kirrillovna, daughter of Grand Duke Kyrill Vladimirovitch, cousin to Nicholas II (1894 – 1917). Kira was married (1963) at Kent in England, to her cousin, Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia (1929 – 1990), as his second wife. The religious ceremony took place at Amorbach, Leiningen a month afterwards. The couple were divorced a decade later (1972) and the princess never remarried. Princess Kira died (Sept 24, 2005) aged seventy-five, in London. She left three children, all born in London,

• Princess Lavinia Marie of Yugoslavia (born 1961). She was married (1989 – 1993) to a Greek citizen Erastos Sidiropoulos (born 1942), from whom she was later divorced. She bore him a son, and left a natural daughter, adopted by Sidiropoulos.
• Prince Wladimir of Yugoslavia (born 1964).
• Prince Dimitrij of Yugoslavia (born 1965).

Kirch, Christine – (c1697 – 1782)
German astronomer
Christine Kirch was the daughter of Gottfried Kirch, royal astronomer at the court of Friedrich I, King of Prussia, and his wife Marie Margaretha Winckelmann. She was trained in astronomy by her mother, and worked beside her in the private laboroatory of the Baron von Krosigk. When her brother Christfried was appointed as director of the Berlin Academy (1716), Christine and her mother worked as his assistants. Christine compiled and produced highly accurate almanacs, calendars, ephemerides, and astronomical computations for the Berlin Academy of Sciences.

Kirch, Marie Margaretha – (1670 – 1720)
German astronomer
Born Marie Margaretha Winckelmann at Leipzig, Saxony, she received her training in astronomy under Christoph Arnold and became the wife of astronomer Gottfried Kirch. The couple settled in Berlin, Prussia after Gottfried was appointed royal astronomer (1700), and Marie Margaretha produced almanacs and calendars for Breslau, Dresden, and Hungary. Marie herself discovered the comet of 1702, though she did not receive recognition for this discovery. She recognized for her research and observations concerning the aurora borealis (1707) and her work concerning the conjunctions of the planets Saturn and Venus (1712). She later worked with her daughter Christine in the private laboroatory of Baron von Krosigk (1712 – 1714).

Kirchberg, Elisabeth von – (fl. c1300 – c1350)
German nun and biographer
Elisabeth von Kirchberg entered the Dominican convent at Kirchberg in Wurttemburg as a small child and spent all of her life there. Elisabeth was a close friend of the nun Irmengard, who experienced mystical visions and revelations, and herself wrote down the details of these experiences in Latin. She was the author of Irmengard – Vita, and probably also of the Kirchberger Schwesternbuch (Sister Book of Kirchberg), though this has not been definitely proven. Sister Elisabeth may also have been the author of Ulmer Schwesternbuch (Sister Book of Ulm),

Kirchgessner, Marianne Antonia – (1769 – 1808) 
German musician and glass harmonica player
Marianne Kirchgessner became blind after a childhood illness, but despite this handicapp, she became an extremely proficient musician. She studied the glass harmonica in Karlsruhe, Baden, and appeared in public concert (1791). The famous composer Wolfgang Mozart heard Marianne perform in Vienna, and wrote several compositions for her with varying accompaniments. She visited London in 1794, and was a friend of the writer Goethe during the latter part of her life.

Kirchwey, Freda – (1894 – 1976) 
American feminist and editor
Freda Kirchwey was born in New York, the daughter of Dr George Kirchwey, dean of the Columbia Law School. She attended the Horace Mann School and later attended Barnard College, where she organized a movement that successfully abolished sororities. She was married to an academic (1915) Evans Clark, to whom she bore two children. Kirchwey joined the weekly magazine The Nation (1919) as a journalist, and rose to become publisher (1937 – 1955) after she bought the magazine from Maurice Wertheim (1937). A militant feminist she was a firm and vocal champion of human rights, and of social and political reform, her magazine was banned at one time (1948 – 1950) from the official periodical list of the New York school system because of a series of articles written by Paul Blanshard, that were considered anti-Catholic.   From 1955 Kirchwey devoted more of her time to such public organizations at the League of Women Voters, the Committee for World Development and World Disarmament, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Freda Kirchwey died (Jan 3, 1976) in St Petersburg, Florida.

Kirk, Eleanor   see   Ames, Eleanor Maria Easterbrook

Kirk, Ellen Warner Olney – (1842 – after 1904)
American novelist
Ellen Olney was born (Nov 6, 1842) at Southington, Connecticut. She was married to the author and editor John Foster Kirk (1824 – 1904), whom she survived. She wrote several works herself using the pseudonym ‘Henry Hayes.’

Kirk, Marie Elizabeth – (1855 – 1928) 
Australian temperance reformer and welfare activist
Marie Sutton was born (Dec 9, 1835) in London, England, and was raised as a Quaker. She was married (1878) to an ironmonger, Frank Kirk, and bore him a daughter. Having been a missionary worker in the slums of London, she came to Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia, and settled at Camberwell (1886). Having witnessed first hand the evils wraught by drink during her work in the slums of London, Kirk became the founding secretary of the WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union of Victoria) (1887 – 1913), and edited the temperance journal White Ribbon Signal from 1892. Kirk assisted with the formation of the National Council of Women (1902) and campaigned for the reform of conditions endured by female prisoners and factory workers, for the institution of female police and for the organizations of free kindergartens. During her later years she suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Marie Elizabeth Kirk died (Jan 14, 1928) aged seventy-two, in Malvern, Melbourne.

Kirk, Dame Ruth – (1924 – 2000)
New Zealand children’s activist
Lucy Ruth Miller became the wife (1943) of the noted politician Norman Eric Kirk (1923 – 1974), to whom she bore five children. She and her husband built their family estate at Kaiapoi where her husband quickly became a prominent figure within the Labour Party. She was the Lady Mayoress of Kaiapoi when her husband was elected as Lord Mayor (1951). Mrs Kirk became the first lady of New Zealand when her husband became prime minister (9172 – 1974) and was an active supporter and patron of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child. She was created DBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II (1975) in recognition of her valuable public service. Dame Lucy Kirk died (March 20, 2000).

Kirkby, Margaret de – (fl. c1340 – 1349) 
English religieuse
Margaret de Kirkby became a Cistercian nun at the priory of Hampole, in West Yorkshire. The mystic hermit Richard Rolle later made his home there. Margaret later left Hampole to be an anchorite at Anderby, in East Layton in Yorkshire, and it was for her that Rolle wrote the devotional treatise The Form of Living especially for her, as was perhaps also his Commandment and other works which have not survived. Rolle died at Hampole of the Black Death epidemic, and Margaret then returned to the priory where she resided in his cell there. With the other nuns Margaret composed a biographical Office to celebrate his life and to encourage Rolle’s religious cult at Hampole.

Kirkhoven, Catherine – (1613 – 1667)
English Stuart courtier and royalist
Catherine Wotton was the daughter of Lord Wotton. She was married to a Flemish nobleman Johann a’ Kirkhoven, and served at the court of Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria. Charles II rewarded her service to his family by creating her Countess of Chesterfield for life.

Kirkland, Caroline Matilda Stansbury – (1801 – 1864)
American educator, editor, and writer
Kirland was born (Jan 12, 1801) in New York. She used the pen name ‘Mrs Mary Clavers’ and was the founder (1847) and editor (1847 – 1851) of the Union Magazine of Literature and Art. Caroline Kirkland died (April 6, 1864) aged sixty-three.

Kirkland, Katherine – (1808 – 1892)
Australian pioneer and diarist
With her husband and family, Katherine Kirkland arrived from England and embarked at Port Henry in Victoria. She spent two years (1839 – 1841) resident at the family station at Trewalla. Katherine greatly loathed the squalor she saw in the colony, missed genteel society, and was frightened by the aborigines. The family later survived a bushfire and removed to Melbourne prior to returning to England. Her memoirs of this period of her life were published in Edinburgh as Life in the Bush.By a Lady (1845).

Kirkland, Winifred Margaretta – (1872 – 1943)
American author
Kirkland was born (Nov 25, 1872) in Columbia, Pennsylvania. She used the pseudonym ‘James Priceman’ under which she published several works such as Chaos and Creed (1925). Other works were published using her own name and included Portrait of a Carpenter (1931) and Are We Immortal? (1941). Winifred Kirkland died (May 14, 1943) aged seventy.

Kirkpatrick, Catherine Aurora – (1804 – 1889)
Anglo-Indian society and literary figure in England
Catherine Kirkpatrick was the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel James Kirkpatrick, Resident of Hyderabad, and his wife, the Mohammedan princess Khair-un-Nissa. Her birth was commemorated by the sinking of a well, the base of which was inscribed with the year of her birth. Catherine was raised firstly by her Indian grandmother, and was later sent to be educated in England. There she was married to Captain James Winslow Philips, of the 7th Hussars regiment, and never returned to England. Catherine featured as ‘Kitty Kirkpatrick’ in Thomas Carlyle’s Reminiscences, and she was the ‘Blumine’ of his Sartor Resartus. Catherine Kirkpatrick died aged eighty-five, at Torquay, Devon.

Kirkpatrick, Jeane Duane – (1926 – 2006)
American academic and stateswoman
Born Jeane Jordan in Duncan, Oklahoma, she was educated at Columbia University and in Paris, France. She was firstly employed as a research analyst for the state department (1951 – 1953). She was married (1955) to Evron Kirkpatrick. After her marriage she concentrated on a career as an academic at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she was later appointed (1978) as professor of government. Fiercely anti-Communist, she was made permanent representative of the USA to the United Nations (1981 – 1985) by President Ronald Reagan. After she left office Kirkpatrick left the Democrats and joined the Republican Party. Her published works included The Reagan Phenomenon (1983) and The Withering Away of the Totalitarian State (1990).

Kirkwood, Pat – (1921 – 2007)
British stage and film actress and vocalist
Patricia Kirkwood was born (Feb 24, 1921) in Pendleton, near Manchester in Lancashire, the daughter of a shipping clerk. She sang on BBC radio after being discovered in a talent contest, and went on to perform in variety shows at the Hippodrome in Salford, and in pantomime in London. Blessed with a winning combination of beauty and talent, Pat Kirkwood became popularly known as ‘Britain’s Betty Grable.’ Her first film credits included Save A Little Sunshine (1937) and Me and My Pal (1938).
However she first attracted attention when she appeared with George Formby in the race-horse comedy Come On, George! (1939) which was directed by Anthony Kimmins. It was on this occasion that Kirkwood’s beauty and talent aroused the ire of Formby’s possessive wife, Beryl. She later appeared with the comedy duo Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch in the film Band Wagon (1940). On stage Kirkwood sang in many of the musical productions of Cole Porter and Noel Coward, performing such popular songs as ‘My Heart Belongs to Daddy,’ ‘Just One of Those Things’ and ‘Chase Me Charlie.’ She appeared with Vic Oliver, the son-in-law of Winston Churchill, in the revue Starlight Roof (1947) at the Hippodrome. Miss Kirkwood’s name was linked romantically with Prince Philip (1948), the husband of Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II), but she always vehemently denied anything illicit. She herself was married four times. Pat Kirkwood died (Dec 25, 2007) aged eighty-six, at Ilkley, North Yorkshire.

Kirmsse, Etta    see   Federn-Kirmsse, Etta

Kirsova, Helene – (1910 – 1962) 
Danish-Australian ballerina, choreographer and dance director
Born Ellen Wittrup in Copenhagen, she studied dance in Paris and spent four years with the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo (1931 – 1935) and adopted her professional name. Kirsova toured Australia with the De Basil Company (1936 – 1937) and settled in Sydney, New South Wales. She formed a dance company based on Russian traditions, and choreographed works for The Australian National Ballet (later known as the Kirsova Ballet), most notably the rendition of Faust for which the music was composed by Henry Krips. At length however, the lack of finances forced her to disband the group and she returned to Europe (1947). Helene Kirsova died (Feb 22, 1962) in London.

Kiru – (fl. c1800 – c1770 BC)
Assyrian queen
Kiru was one of the daughters of Zimri-Lim, King of Mari and his chief queen Shibtu. Surviving correspondence from the royal archive, and ration lists from the royal household identify Kiru as the king’s daughter. Her father arranged for her to make a dynastic alliance with Haya-mamu, King of Ilansura in Idamaraz, and the queen served as mayor of that city. The marriage proved gravely unhappy, and in one surviving letter from Haya-mamu to Zimri-Lim, he accuses his father-in-law of being the author of his present unhappiness. The marriage was eventually ended and Queen Kiru returned to the court at Mari. Much of the surviving correspondence with her father dealt with political matters, and King Yarim-Dagan of Dunnum once acted as intermediary with Zimri-Lim on her behalf.

Kisagotami – (fl. c540 – c500 BC)
Indian poet and religious ascetic
Kisagotami was born into a poor family in Savatthi, her original name being Gotami. Gautama Buddha was her first cousin. She was married to a wealthy banker, and was treated badly by her new family until she produced a son. When the child died in infancy she became deranged, but was recalled to sanity by the wisdom of Buddha, and accepted the child’s death. Hers was the only poem recorded in the Therigatha that named the author.

Kishi, Fujiwara no    see   Yoshiko

Kisselgoff, Lea – (1908 – 1997) 
American sinologist
Kisselgoff studied classical Chinese at the School of Oriental Languages in Paris, and received a degree in Chinese civilization from the Sorbonne. Whilst in Paris Kesselgoff studied under the prominent sinologists Marcel Granet and Paul Pelliot. Relocating to the USA (1941) she joined the staff of the Chinese History Project which published her History of Chinese Society, Liao (907 – 1125), a study of the Imperial Liao dynasty. She twice served as president of the New York Oriental Club (1972 – 1974) and (1982 – 1984). The dance critic Anna Kisselgoff was her daughter. Lea Kisselgoff died in Manhattan, New York.

Kiusem (Kosem) – (1589 – 1651)
Ottoman Valide Sultan (queen mother)
Born Kiusem Mahpayker, she was of Greek origins, being the daughter of a priest from Tinos. She was sent as a slave to the harem and became the concubine to sultan Ahmed I, and was the mother of the sultans Murad IV (1612 – 1640) and Ibrahim the Mad (1615 – 1648). With Ahmed’s death (1617) Kiusem resided at the Old Saray until her son Murad became sultan, when she was officially installed as Valide Sultan (1623). She ruled as regent until 1632, though she continued to control the administration until Murad’s death. Her son Ibrahim was mentally unstable which enabled Kiusem to retain considerable power. When Ibrahim was deposed she ruled as official regent for her grandson, Mehmed IV (1648 – 1651). Kiusem was murdered in the palace at Constantinople (Sept 3, 1651) on the orders of her daughter-in-law, Turhan Hadice, the mother of Mehmed, who feared that Kiusem was planning to depose Mehmed in favour of a more amenable prince.

Kitt, Eartha – (1927 – 2008)
Black American vocalist and stage and film actress
Eartha Mae Kitt was born (Jan 26, 1927) in North, South Carolina, the illegitimate daughter of a white father and a Black-Cherokee mother. She attended the New York School of the Performing Arts. She made her stage debut as a member of the Katharine Dunham Dance Troupe in Blue Holiday (1945). She worked in the nightclub circuit in Europe and performed with enormous success on Braodway. She appeared in Orson Welles’ production of Dr Faustus (1951). Welles greatly admired Kitt whom he referred to as ‘the most exciting woman in the world.’ Her other stage credits included New Faces of 1952, Shinbone Alley (1957) and The Owl and the Pussycat (1965 – 1966). Kitt worked in cabaret in Europe and the USA with enormous success, and became an internationally famous recording artist. She appeared in such films as New Faces (1954), St Louis Blues (1957) in which she played the lead role opposite Nat King Cole, and Anna Lucasta (1958). Her later appearances were in Friday Foster (1975), the documentary special All By Myself (1982), The Serpent Warriors (1986), Erik the Viking (1989), Boomerang (1991) and I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1992).
Eartha Kitt was awarded the Golden Rose of Montreux for her appearance in the film Kaskade (1962), and was remembered by a generation of young people as the sensuous purring Catwoman in the popular Batman television series with Adam West in the title role. She toured Australia several times, the first in (1963), and later supported the campaign to save the Franklin River in Tasmania during the 1980’s. During the 1960’s she was blacklisted in the USA because she publicly spoke out against the Vietnam War (1968). She published several autobiographical works such as Thursday’s Child (1956), A Tart Is Not a Sweet, Alone With Me (1976) and,I’m Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten (1992). Kitt provided voice-overs for characters in the films Ill Gotten Gains (1998) and The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). She retained her popularity all of her life, and appeared in the Broadway musical The Wild Party (2000) opposite the Australian actress Toni Colette. She continued with her stage work until only a few months before her demise. Her most popular songs included ‘Just an Old Fashioned Girl,’ C’est Si Bon,’ and’Where Is My Man.’ Eartha Kitt died (Dec 25, 2008) aged eighty-one, in New York.

Kiya – (c1375 – c1350 BC)
Queen consort of Egypt
Kiya was a secondary wife of King Amenhotep IV Akhenaten, and probably the mother of the short-lived king Tuthankhamun. She is perhaps to be identified with Tadukhipa, the daughter of Shuttarna, king of the Mittani, but this identification remains speculation. Her existence was long hidden and was discovered through the work of Professor John Harris (1974). Sir Leonard Woolley, whilst excavating at Amarna, found some hieroglyphs bearing the name of Akhenaten’s daughter Meritaten, which had been carved over the name of Kiya. Further investigation identified her as a secondary wife, in an attempt to provide the king with a son, Queen Nefertiti having borne six daughters. The attempted removal of her name, whatever the reason, indicates she died before the king.

Klafsky, Katharina – (1855 – 1896)
Hungarian soprano
Klafsy was born at St Johann, and studied under Mathilde Marchesi, the teacher of Dame Nellie Melba. She joined the comic opera chorus, and performed in Europe and the USA, specializing in Wagnerian roles. She was married to the noted conductor Otto Lohse (1858 – 1925), and was prima donna with the Damrosch Opera Company. She was sometimes known as Madame Lohse-Klafsky, Katharina Klafsky died in Hamburg.

Klara Maria von Korff – (1895 – 1992)
German duchess consort of Saxe-Meiningen
Countess Klara Maria Agnes Johanna Huberta Gabriela Josepha Elisabeth von Korff gennant Schmising-Kerssenbrock was born (May 31, 1895) at Darmmstadt in Hesse, the eldest daughter of Count Alfred von Korff gennant Schmising-Kerssenbrock (1856 – 1936) and his wife Baroness Helene von Hilgers (1868 – 1963). Klara Maria was married (1919) to Duke George of Saxe-Meiningen (1892 – 1946), the eldest son of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen and his wife Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld, the daughter of Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her husband later succeeded as the Head of the former reigning Royal House of Saxe-Meiningen as Duke George III (1941 – 1946) when Klara Maria became duchess consort.
Duke George served with the German forces during WW II and died (Jan 6, 1946) as a prisoner of war at Tscherpowez in Siberia. Klara Maria survived her husband for over forty-five years as the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (1946 – 1992) and resided for some years at Seeheim in Bavaria. Duchess Klara Maria died (Feb 10, 1992) aged ninety-six, at Hogerhof bei Turnitz in Lower Austria. Her daughter the Crown Princess Regina caused the duchess’s remains and that of her eldest son Anton Ulrich to be transferred to the vault of the Veste Heldburg at Heldburg in Hildburghausen (2006). The remains of her later husband Duke George III were laid to rest there soon afterwards (2007). Her children were,

• Prince Anton Ulrich of Saxe-Meiningen (1919 – 1940). He died unmarried being killed in action at Albert-sur-Somme during WW II.
• Prince Friedrich Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen (1921 – 1997). He renounced the succession in favour of his paternal uncle Bernhard IV and became a Carthusian monk (1953).
• Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen (1922 – 1923). She died in infancy.
• Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen (born 1925). She became the wife of Otto von Hapsburg, Archduke and Crown Prince of Austria (born 1912) the eldest son and heir of the last Holy
  Roman emperor Karl I (1916 – 1918) and left issue.

Klechniowska, Anna Maria – (1888 – 1973)
Polish composer and music teacher
Klechniowska was born (April 6, 1888) at Borowka, in the Ukraine. She studied music in Warsaw and Lemberg, before studying under Joseph Pembaur (piano) and Stephan Krehl (composition) at the Leipzig Conservatory (1906 – 1908). Her orchestral works included the symphonic poem, Wawel (1917), and, The Seasons (1953). She also produced two ballets Juria (1939) and Fantasma (1964). Anna Maria Klechniowska died (Aug 28, 1973) aged eighty-five, in Warsaw.

Kleeb, Helen – (1907 – 2003)
American television actress
Kleeb was born (Jan 6, 1907) in South Bend, Washington. In an admirable career which lasted over five decades Kleeb appeared in many memorable character roles, appearing as a gossipy housewife with Ellen Corby in Hush, Hush, …Sweet Charlotte (1964), which starred Bette Davis, Joseph Cotton, Olivia De Havilland, and Agnes Moorhead. However, she was probably best remembered as Miss Mamie Baldwin in the popular television series The Waltons (1972 – 1981). She later made a cameo appearance in The Golden Girls, as Mrs Devereux, the mother of Blanche in a special Mother’s Day episode. Helen Kleeb died (Dec 28, 2003) aged ninety-six, in Los Angeles, California.

Kleeburg, Clothilde – (1866 – 1909)
Belgian pianist
Clothilde Kleeburg was born (June 27, 1866) in Paris, where trained as a pianist at the Conservatoire. She made her public debut with the Pasdeloup orchestra, and made a highly successful tour of Europe. Clothilde was later appointed an Officier de l’Academie (1894). Clothilde Kleeburg died (Feb 7, 1909) aged forty-two, in Brussels.

Kleegman, Anna – (1893 – 1970)
Russian-American physician and obstetrician
The elder sister of Sophia Kleegman, Anna was born in Kiev, in the Ukraine, and immigrated to New York, USA with her family (1906). She chose a professional career in medicine, her choice actively encouraged by her parents, and she became a qualified obstetrician, as did her sister Sophia.

Kleegman, Sophia Josephine – (1901 – 1971)
Russian-American gynaecologist and obstetrician
Sophia Kleegman was born (July 8, 1901) in Kiev, Ukraine, the younger sister of Anna Kleegman. She migrated to New York, USA, with her family (1906). She was naturalized in 1923 and trained as a midwife and obstetrician. Dr Kleegman became the first woman to be appointed to the New York University (NYU) College of Medicine faculty of obsterics and gynaecology (1929). She then became a member of the attending staff of the Bellevue Hospital and was later appointed clinical professor (1953) of obsterics and gynaecology. She was married (1932) to fellow physician and orthodontist, John H. Sillman, to whom she bore two children. Her personal field of research into the problems of human sterility led to the publication of the work Infertility in Women (1966), which she co-wrote with Sherwin Kaufman. Kleegman was later the director of the Infertility Clinic at the New York University Bellevue Center (1958 – 1971). An advocate of birth control, Dr Kleegman actively supported the work of Margaret Sanger and her borth-control clinics. She served as president (1942 – 1944) of the Women’s Medical Association of New York and ebcame the first woman to be elected president (1965) of the New York University Medical Alumni Association. Sophia Josephine Kleegman died (Sept 26, 1971) aged seventy, in New York.

Kleeman, Rita Halle – (1887 – 1971)
American author and biographer
Kleeman was born (May 23, 1887) in Chillicothe, Ohio. She wrote Gracious Lady: Life of Sara Delano Roosevelt (1935) and Young Franklin Roosevelt (1946). Rita Kleeman died (May 22, 1971) the day before her eighty-fourth birthday.

Klein, Anne Hannah – (1906 – 1974)
American fashion designer
Born Hannah Golofski in New York, she began her career in fashion design as a sketcher on Seventh Avenue. She pioneered her own design company Junior Sophisticates (1948), and later erstblished her own name fashion house as Anne Klein & Co (1968). She was extremely popular in the USA where she was particulalry noted for her range of sportswear for young women.

Klein, Melanie – (1882 – 1960)
Austrian-Anglo psychoanalyst
Born Melanie Reizes in Vienna, she was the daughter of a physician. She studied medicine until her marriage (1903) with Stephen Klein, a cousin. This union proved uncongenial, and eventually ended in divorce (1923). Klein studied psychoanalysis under Sigmund Freud, Sandor Ferenczi, and under Karl Abraham in Berlin. She became a naturalized British subject in 1934. Klein encouraged her subjects to reveal psychic patterns and associations through free play, rather than the verbal ‘free association’ method, then popularly utilized. She was the author of The Psycho-Analysis of Children (1934), Envy and Gratitude (1957) and Narrative of a Child Analysis (1961) which was published posthumously.

Kleitagora (Cleitagora) – (fl. c520 – c480 BC)
Greek poet
Kleitagora is said variously to be a native of either, Lesbos, Thessaly, or Sparta. She wrote drinking songs for male gatherings (symposia) which led to the tradition that she was a courtesan, as respectable Greek women were not present at these gatherings.

Klementine (Clementine) – (1897 – 1975)
German princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Princess Klementine was born (March 23, 1897) at Pola in Italy, the eldest daughter of Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and his wife Archduchess Caroline of Austria-Tuscany, the daughter of the Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria and Tuscany. She was christened Klementine Maria Theresa Josepha Leopoldine Viktoria Raphaelle Michaele Gabriele Gonzaga. Klementine was married (1925) in Zurich, Switzerland, in a civil ceremony, to Eduard von Heller (1877 – 1970), which marriage was followed by a religious ceremony at Coburg in Thuringia, a week afterwards.  As a widow Klementine resided at Aubonne in Switzerland. She survived her husband by five years. She was the mother of Marie Amelie von Heller (born 1927) who became the wife of Carlo Felice Nicolis, Conte de Robilant (born 1927), and left children, and of a son Athlone von Heller (born 1938). Princess Klementine died (Jan 7, 1975) aged seventy-seven, at Lausanne, Switzerland.

Kleobulina – (fl. c560 – c540 BC) 
Greek poet
Kleobulina was daughter to the philosopher tyrant, Kleobulus of Lindus, on the island of Rhodes, referred to as one of the ‘Seven Sages of Greece.’ A letter quoted by Diogenes Laertes places father and daughter c550 BC. Kleobulus held advanced views on female education, and Kleobulina became famous for her intelligence, her father giving her the nickname ‘Eumetis’ which meant ‘of good counsel.’ She wrote riddles, in elegiac metre, which were not inferior to those of her father. Some of these survive, including one about the year. Her fame later led to her being satirized in Athenian comedy, and in the fifth century BC, the comic dramatist Kratinus wrote a play entitled Kleobulinas.

Kleonike (Cleonice) – (c495 – c477 BC)
Greek patrician
Kleonike was a native of Byzantium. The Roman historian Plutarch recorded that Kleonike was sent to the chamber of Pausanias, the Spartan regent, for illicit purposes, her parents being too fearful to intervene. Alone in the dark, she accidentally startled Pausanias when he entered the room, and he killed her, thinking her an assassin. Plutarch recorded that Pausanias was harassed by the ghost of Kleonike, who hinted to him of his eventual fate, being starved to death in the sanctuary of the goddess Athena Chalcioecus on the Spartan acropolis (470 BC).

Kleopatra (Cleopatra) – (357 – 336 BC)
Queen consort of Macedonia
Kleopatra was the daughter of Amyntas, an important general, who was connected to the royal house. She was sister to Hippostratus and niece to Attalus. Her marriage (338 BC) which made her the last wife of Philip II and stepmother to Alexander the Great, was apparently not contracted for reasons of state, and the historian Satyrus stated that it was a love match. At the wedding feast, Kleopatra’s uncle, Attalus, earned the lasting emnity of Queen Olympias and Alexander, by intimating that the Macedonians could now hope for a legitimate heir to the throne, an insult Olympias neither forgave nor forgot. The historian Justin states that Kleopatra was the mother of a son, Karounos, supposedly born only days before his father’s death, who was put to death by Alexander’s order. This son is also mentioned by Diodorus.
Queen Kleopatra was present with Philip and the court at Pella (June, 336 BC) to celebrate the marriage of her stepdaughter Kleopatra to the king of Epirus, when Philip was assassinated by Pausanias. Alexander then caused Kleopatra’s father Amyntas to be executed, but he was not responsible for the death of his young stepmother. Queen Olympias organized Kleopatra’s death, without the knowledge of Alexander. Kleopatra’s infant daughter Europa was killed in her lap, whilst Olympias then forced Kleopatra to hang herself with her own belt. Alexander caused Kleopatra to be interred in a gold casket, and interred in the antechamber of his father’s tomb at Vergina.

Kleopatra of Lyncestis – (c445 – after 413 BC)
Greek queen consort of Macedonia
Kleopatra was the daughter of the ancient kingdom of Lyncestis. She was married firstly (c422 BC) to Perdikas II (c480 – 413 BC), King of Macedonia, as his second wife. This marriage remained childless, and with the king’s death the queen was remarried (413 BC) to her stepson, King Archelaus (c450 – 399 BC), by whom she was the mother of King Orestes of Macedonia, who ruled briefly during the decade of the 390’s. She also bore Archelaus an unnamed daughter who became the wife of her half-brother King Amyntas II (died 393 BC).

Kleopatra of Macedonia (Cleopatra) – (353 – 308 BC) 
Greek queen
Kleopatra was the daughter of Philip II and his wife Olympias of Epirus, and was the full sister of Alexander the Great. She was married to her cousin, Alexander I, King of Epirus (369 – 330 BC), to whom she bore two children, Neoptolemus II (330 – 296 BC), who died without issue, and a daughter Kadmeia, who survived him. With Alexander’s death (323 BC) she selected the Babylonian general Leonatus for her husband, he hoping to gain the Macedonian throne through Kleopatra. He attempted to gain the support of Alexander’s secretary, Eumenes of Kardia, for his cheme, but Eumenes refused, and Leonatus was soon killed in the Lamian War. An attempt to marry her to another of Alexander’s generals, Perdikas, likewise failed. Kleopatra remained unmarried and resided quietly at Sardes, but was placed in confinement there on the orders of Antigonus Gonatos. When she secretly agreed to become the wife of Ptolemy, then ruling in Egypt, Antigonus had her murdered by her women attendants, whom he then executed for the crime. She was then aged forty-five.

Klerk, Marike de – (1937 – 2001)
South African First Lady (1989 – 1998) and social reformer
Marike was born (March 29, 1937) in Pretoria. She attended university and was employed as a book keeper before becoming the wife of the rising politician, Fredrik Willem de Klerk, to whom she bore three children. During her husband’s period in office Marike served as leader of the Nationalist Party women’s organization, was patron of the National Cancer Association and of the National Council of Business Women. However, her main interest was in improving the lives of rural women, to which end she established the Women’s Outreach Foundation. She attended a conference in Geneva, Switzerland (1992) with the wives of other heads of state to deal with this problem. Despite her continuously conservative approach towards the role of women in South African society, her dedication and work earned her the respect of most. Marike and her husband were later divorced (1998). Madame de Klerk was murdered in her own home near Cape Town (Dec 3, 2001) aged sixty-four, being killed by a security guard whom she disturbed robbing her house.

Klettenburg, Susanne Katharina von – (c1720 – 1775)
German alchemist and scientific researcher
Susanna von Klettenburg was a resident of Frankfurt-am-Main where she kept her own well-equipped laboratory. With the young scientist and novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Madame von Klettenberg conducted several experiments. Goethe left a record of their attempts to extract ‘air-salt.’

Kleve, Stella     see    Malling, Mathilda

Klinckowstrom, Hedvig Eleonora – (1753 – 1792)
Swedish courtier and noblewoman
Hedvig Eleonora von fersen was the daughter of Count Frederik Axel von Ferseb, the noted statesman, and his wife Hedvig Catharina de La Gardie, the daughter of Count Magnus Julius de La Gardie. She was the sister to Count Axel Fersen, the lover of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, and of Sophie Piper. She became the second wife of the Swedish marshal Thure Leonard Klinckowstrom and bore him four children. Madame Klinckowstrom was a prominent figure at the court of King Gustavus III. The king wrote to Hedvig Eleonora (1775) requesting her husband intercede on behalf of the impecunious poet Karl Mikael Bellman (1740 – 1795) which then placed him under the royal patronage and protection. Madame Klinckowstrom died at Pisa in Italy.

Klipstein, Charlotte von – (1837 – 1898)
German lyric poet and writer
Born Charlotte Lothiessen (Jan 22, 1837) at Pfifflingheim, near Worms, she was the daughter of a clergyman. With her father’s early death, Charlotte removed with her family to Darmstadt in Hesse, where she was married (1866) to a forestry ranger, Emil von Klipstein, to whom she bore several children. After her husband’s death (1875) Charlotte devoted herself to writing. She was the author of Erlebtes und Geschautes (Experiences and Visions) (1900), which was published posthumously. Charlotte von Klipstein died (Sept 25, 1898) aged sixty-one, at Darmstadt.

Klipstein, Editha von – (1880 – 1953)
German novelist, essayist, and memoirist
Editha was born near Kiel (Nov 13, 1880), the daughter of an archeologist. She studied art and travelled extensively in Europe. Editha was married to Felix Klipstein, the noted graphic designer. Madame von Klipstein’s published works included Anna Linde (1935), Erinnerungen an eine Gelehrten-Republik (Memoirs of a Republic of Scholars (1947) and her memoirs Geestern und Heute (Yesterday and Today) (1948). Editha von Klipstein died (May 27, 1953) aged seventy-two, at Laubach, Hesse.

Kloosterman, Simke – (1876 – 1938)
Dutch novelist and author
Kloosterman was born (Nov 25, 1876) at Twijzel, the daughter of the Frisian poet Jan Ritskes Kloosterman (1849 – 1914) and was a descendant of the poet Eelke Meinerts. Her first notable work was the novel De Hoara’s fen Hastings (1921) which was set within a Frisian farming community. This was followed by the historical novels It jubdjir (1927) and Hengist en Horsa (1933). Simke Kloosterman died (Dec 5, 1938) aged sixty-two.

Klopstock, Margaret – (1728 – 1758)
German author
Born Meta Moller in Hamburg (March 16, 1728), she was very well educated, particularly with languages, and she was fluent in English. Margaret was eventually married (1754) to the famous poet Friedrich Gottlieb Kloptsock (1724 – 1803) and resided with him in Copenhagen in Denmark for several years prior to their return to Germany (1758). Her private correspondence entitled Letters from the Dead to the Living was published posthumously. She composed the two hymns ‘Das Vergangne Jahr’ (The Year Gone By) and ‘Die Liebe Gottes’ (The Love of God), and was also the author of the play Der Tod Abels (The Death of Abel) (1757). Margaret Klopstock died in childbirth (Nov 28, 1758) in Hamburg.

Klumpke, Dorothea – (1861 – 1942)
American astronomer
Klumpke was born (Aug 9, 1861) in San Francisco, California. She was educated in Europe and studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Paris, and becoming a proficient linguist. She was the first woman to be permitted to work at the Paris Observatoire, or to gain a mathematics degree there, and wrote a thesis concerning the rings of the planet Saturn. Other written treatises concerned meteorited and various spectra of stars. She prepared a catalogue of stars to be presented to the International Astronomical Congress, and was the first woman to be elected to the Astronomical Society of France. Dorothea Klumpke was appointed a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (1934) and several minor planets were named in her honour.

Klytaemnestra (Clytaemnestra) – (c1225 – c1184 BC)
Mycenaean queen
Klytaemnestra was the daughter of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and sister of the famous Helen of Troy. During her youth, Agamemnon of Mykenae and his brother Menelaus of Sparta arrived at her father’s court as refugees. She married Agamemnon, whilst Helen married Menelaus, in a double dynastic marriage. Klytaemnestra bore a son and heir, Orestes, as well as three daughters, Iphigeneia, Elektra, and Krysothemis prior to her husband’s leaving for the Trojan War (c1194 BC), he caused their daughter Iphigeneia to be sacrificed to the goddess Artemis, and her feelings for her husband soured to hatred. During his decade absence, the queen was seduced by Agamemnon’s old enemy, Aegisthus.
With her husband’s return, she and Aegisthus caused his assasination. Klytaemnestra assisted personally with the crime, by giving Agamemnon a crimson robe with which she entangled him. Whilst he was struggling with the garment, Aegisthus struck him down. The Trojan captive, Kassandra, brought back by Agamemnon, who had unsuccessfully tried to warn him of his impending fate, was then killed by the guilty lover also. Queen Klytaemnestra and her lover ruled for several years, but were both later killed by her son Orestes, to avenge his father’s murder. The story of his struggle with the guilt which ensued from the death of his mother is the subject of the Oresteia.

Knebel, Laura Bergquist – (1918 – 1982) 
American writer, journalist, and editor
Laura Bergquist was born in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from the University of Chicago. She was married to the author and novelist Fletcher Knebel (1911 – 1993). Laura Knebel was employed on the staff of Look magazine for seventeen years (1954 – 1971), working mainly as a political correspondent and editor till the magazine’s ultimate demise, and was sometimes known professionally by her maiden name of Bergquist. She won four awards from the Overseas Press Club and four Newspaper Guild Page One awards, and was the author of a biography of President John F. Kennedy entitled A Very Special President (1965). Laura Knebel died (Nov 6, 1982) aged sixty-four, at Princeton, New Jersey.

Knel, Joan    see    Bocher, Joan

Knesebeck, Eleonore von dem (Nell) – (1646 – 1717)
German courtier and lady-in-waiting
Eleonore von dem Knesebeck was the confidante and loyal attendant of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, the unfortunate wife of George I of England. She was involved with concealing the princess’s illicit affair with Count Philip von Konigsmarck. She remained loyal and was imprisoned by order of the elector Ernst August, Sophia Dorothea’s father-in-law. Several years afterwards she was rescued from prison due to the ingenuity of her sister, Sibylle Juliana, the wife of Hans Friedrich von Metsch, and went into exile to the court of Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, enemy of the Hanoverian court. He granted Eleonore a pension and his protection. Eleonore von dem Knesebeck died at Wolfenbuttel.

Knetchur, Agnes – (fl. 1397)
English mediaeval miscreant
Agnes was employed as a servant by a Herefordshire clergyman. She indulged in a scandalous affair with her employer and was eventually brought before the ecclesiastical courts on charges of having illicit sexual relations and for ringing the church bells, presumably for her own amusement.

Knevels, Gertrude – (1881 – 1962)
American author
Knevels was born (April 2, 1881) at Fishkill-on-Hudson, New York. She wrote Dragon’s Glory (1925), Octagon House (1926) and Death on the Clock (1940). Gertrude Knevels died (April 6, 1962) aged eighty-one.

Knight, Helen Cross – (fl. 1846 – 1865)
American author and writer, she wrote Hannah More: or, Life in Hall and Cottage (1851) and Taking a Stand (1865). All her works were published anonymously.

Knight, Henrietta      see    Luxborough, Lady

Knight, Dame Laura – (1877 – 1970)
British painter and watercolour landscape painter.
Born Laura Johnson in Long Eaton, she was educated at the Brincliffe School in Nottingham and in France. She later studied art at the School of Art in Nottingham, where her mother was a teacher. There she met the portrait painter Harold Knight (1874 – 1961), whom she later married (1903) and studied at the Royal Academy, where her work Daughters of the Sun was exhibited (1909). A friend of Augustus John and George Bernard Shaw, Laura Knight painted stage and ballet pieces, and was best known for her circus and gypsy scenes including Sawdust and Gold Dust (1953) and the Bolshoi Ballet rehearsing (1958).
Laura Knight later became an associate of the Royal Academy (1927), only the third woman to be so honoured. She was later created DBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire) by King George V (1929). During the famous Nuremburg trials in Germany (1946) Knight produced scenes depicting these events. A retrospective exhibition of her work was held at the Diploma Gallery of the Royal Academy (1965). Knight wrote two volumes of autobiography entitled Oil Paint and Grease Paint (1936), A Proper Circus Omie (1962) and The Magic of a Line (1965).
Dame Laura Knight died (July 7, 1970) aged ninety-two, in London.

Knight, Margaret (Mattie) – (1838 – 1914)
American inventor
Born in Maine, Margaret Knight is said to have devised a method of securing steel-tipped shuttles in a cotton mill at the age of twelve.  Later employed in a paper bag factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, Margaret produced the first square bottomed bags. Margaret later invented and improved a shoe-cutting machine, and in 1902 obtained a patent on a rotary engine, later herself inventing several of the motor components. Though she was awarded nearly thirty patents, Margaret made little capital out of her ideas, selling the patents to her employers in return for needed cash.

Knight, Sarah Kemble – (1666 – 1727)
American colonial diarist, travel journalist, poet and businesswoman
Knight was born (April 19, 1666) in Boston, Massachusetts. Her private diary was published posthumously as The Journals of Madam Knight and Rev. Mr Buckingham (1825). Some of her verses have survived. Sarah Kemble Knight died (Sept 25, 1727) aged sixty-one.

Knip, Henriette    see   Ronner-Knip, Henrietta Geertruida

Knipe, Emilie Benson – (1870 – 1958)
American artist and author
Emilie Benson was born (June 12, 1870) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She became the wife of the noted author, Alden Arthur Knipe (1870 – 1950). Emilie Knipe wrote novels herself and used the pseudonym ‘Therese Benson.’ She was the author of The Unknown Daughter (1929) and Fools Gold (1932). Together with her husband she co-wrote The Lucky Sixpence (1912) and A Maid of Old Manhattan (1917). Emilie Benson Knipe died (Oct 25, 1958) aged eighty-eight.

Knipper-Chekhova, Olga Leonidovna (Olga Chekhova) – (1868 – 1959)
Russian actress
Olga Knipper daughter of Leonid Knipper, she studied acting under Nemirovitch-Dantchenko, director of the Moscow Arts Theatre and later became the wife (1901) of the playwright, Anton Chekhov (1860 – 1904), becoming famous as the supreme interpreter of the roles written by her husband. Knipper-Chekhova created the role of Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard (1904), and was particularly popular in the role of Elena in Uncle Vanya. Her three hundredth performance of the role of Madame Ranevskaya, took place at the Moscow Arts Theatre when she was seventy-five (1943). She was portrayed on the screen by actress Mae Madison in the film The Mad Genius (1931) with John Barrymore as Chekhov.

Kniveton, Frances Dudley, Lady – (1598 – 1643)
English aristocrat
Frances Dudley was the daughter of Sir Robert Dudley, sometimes styled Duke of Northumberland, and his first wife Alicia Leigh, the daughter of Thomas, Lord Ellesmere. Thus she was the granddaughter of Sir Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the favourite of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 – 1603). Her father eloped to Italy where he bigamously married his mistress, and Frances was raised in England by her mother and her grandfather, Lord Ellesmere. She was married to Sir Gilbert Kniveton, of Merfasten and Bradley, in Derbyshire. Their daughter Catherine Kniveton was married to Thomas Pegge of Yelderlsey, and their granddaughter, Catherine Pegge, was the mistress of Charles II (1660 – 1685) by whom she left illegitimate issue.

Knollys, Catherine – (1524 – 1569)
English Tudor courtier
Catherine Carey was the daughter of Sir William Carey, gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Henry VIII (1509 – 1547) and his wife Lady Mary Boleyn, the elder daughter of Sir Thomas, Earl of Wiltshire and Lady Elizabeth Howard. Her mother was the elder sister to Anne Boleyn, and Catherine was first cousin to Queen Elizabeth I.Catherine Carey may or may not have been fathered by King Henry VIII during the time her mother was his mistress (1523 – 1526), it remains impossible to determine now, but he never actually acknowledged her as his child, though her brother, Henry Carey (1526 – 1596), first Baron Hunsdon, was generally known to have been fathered by the king, though again he made no official announcement. The cause of this was most probably because their mother was a married woman at the time.
Catherine Carey first came to court to attend her aunt, Queen Anne, and went with her during her imprisonment in the Tower of London, prior to her execution, to serve her aunt during her last weeks, though she did not witness her execution due to her youth. After that she returned to reside with her mother and stepfather, Sir William Stafford, at Rochford in Essex. She later returned to the court to serve both Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard as maid-of-honour (1540 – 1541), and it was during this time that she was married (1540) to Sir Francis Knollys (1514 – 1596), of Caverham and Rotherfield Greys. Lady Knollys remained untouched by the scandal that eneveloped her kinswoman Queen Catherine, and led to her execution (1542).
With the accession of Queen Elizabeth (1558) Lady Knollys became an important personage at the court, and served as lady-in-waiting until her death, which event was the cause of great grief to the queen, to whom she was a favourite cousin. Lady Knollys bore her husband a large family of children including the infamous Lettice Knollys, her eldest daughter, who was famously the rival of Queen Elizabeth for the affections of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Through her sons she was ancestress of the later Earls of Banbury. Lady Knollys died (Jan 15, 1569) aged forty-four, in London. In the film The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) with Eric Bana as the king, Scarlett Johansson as her mother as Natalie Portman as her aunt, Anne Boleyn, Kate Carey was played by actress Poppy Hurst. Her father was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Knollys, Charlotte – (1839 – 1930)
British courtier
Elizabeth Charlotte Knollys was the daughter of Sir William Thomas Knollys, KCB (1797 – 1883) and his wife Elizabeth St Aubyn, and was sister to Sir Francis Knollys, a member of the household to the Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria. She never married and served at court for over six decades (1870 – 1925) as lady-in-waiting and companion to Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII (1901 – 1910) and was raised to the rank of a baron’s daughter by Royal Warrant (1901). Charlotte Knollys died (April 24, 1930). Miss Knollys was portrayed by actress Barbara Laurenson in the famous BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) series Edward VII (1975) with Timothy West in the title role and Helen Ryan as Queen Alexandra.

Knollys, Lettice (Laetitia) (Lady Leicester) – (1540 – 1634)
English Tudor courtier and political figure
Lettice Knollys was the eldest daughter of Sir Francis Knollys, and his wife Catherine Carey, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth I. She was married firstly (1560) to Walter Devereux, first Earl of Essex (1539 – 1576), by whom she was the mother of Robert Devereux, second Earl of Essex (1566 – 1601), the last notorious and ill-fated favourite of Elizabeth I. William Shakespeare paid tribute to Lettice’s famous beauty in his Midsummer Night’s Dream in the form of ‘the little western flower.’
A woman of considerable physical attractions and forceful personality, Lettice served at the court as lady-in-waiting to the queen, and incurred her permanent enmity after being caught out (1566) in a flirtation with the queen’s favourite, Sir Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Lord Essex died in Dublin, whereupon Lettice secretly remarried to Robert Dudley, who had by this time given up hope of marriage with Queen Elizabeth. The marriage at Wanstead was witnessed by her father, amongst several others. The marriage was finally revealed to the queen, by the French minister, M. de Simier (1579), whereupon Dudley was forced to retire from court for awhile. However, Elizabeth never relented as far as Lettice was concerned. The couple had an only son, Robert Dudley (1579 – 1584), who died a child and was interred within the Beauchamp Chapel at Warwick. Lettice has been accused of bringing about Leicester’s death. There are several versions of the story and her guilt or innocence of the charges now impossible to determine.
Lettice remarried (1589) as her third husband Sir Christopher Blount, and was even briefly received by the queen in private (1597) at the intercession of her son Essex, then high in favour, but Elizabeth refused a public reconciliation. Lady Leicester remained unincriminated by her son’s ill-advised revolt, but she lost both husband and son to charges of high treason and subsequent execution (1601). She survived Dudley as the Dowager Countess of Leicester for over four decades (1588 – 1634). Lettice died (Dec 25, 1634) at Drayton Basset, aged ninety-four, and was interred beside Leicester at Warwick. Lettice’s children by her first husband were,

• Lady Penelope Devereux (1562 – 1607). She was married firstly to Robert Rich (1559 – 1619), later the first Earl of Warwick, from whom she was divorced. Her second husband was Charles Blount (c1558 – 1608), eighth Baron Mountjoy and Earl of Devonshire.
• Lady Dorothy Devereux (1563 – 1619). She was married firstly to Sir Thomas Perrot (died 1594), and secondly to Henry Percy (1564 – 1632), ninth Earl of Northumberland.
• Sir Robert Devereux (1566 – 1601), second Earl of Essex (1576 – 1601). He was married to Frances Walsingham, daughter of Queen Elizabeth’ trusted minister, and left descendants.
• Walter Devereux (1568 – 1591). He died unmarried, being killed in a skirmish outside the city of Rouen in Normandy.

Knopf, Blanche Wolf – (1894 – 1966)
American editor and publisher
Blanche Wolf was born (July 30, 1894) in New York, the daughter of a wealthy Jewish jeweller. She was educated at home by governesses and at school in New York and was married (1916) to Alfred A. Knopf, publisher with Doubleday, Page & Company. The couple had an only son. Blanche became a director and vice-president of the Doubleday Company (1921), and she travelled Europe extensively with her husband. A skilled linguist, it was she who mainly dealt with the foreign authors whose books her husband’s company would publish.
Blanche arranged for the publication of American editions of the works of such writers as Andre Gide, Thomas Mann, Mikhail Sholokov, Albert Camus, Jean Paul, Sartre, and Ilya Ehrenburg. It was she who persuaded Sigmund Freud to allow her husband to publish his last work Moses and Monotheism (1938). As well as important foreign authors Blanche Knopf also published the works of such popular writers as the crime novelist James M.Cain, author of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Mildred Pierce (1941), and the mystery writer Dashiell Hamnett and Raymond Chandler. Blanche Wolf Knopf died (June 4, 1966) aged seventy-one.

Knopf, Eleanora Frances Bliss – (1883 – 1974)
American geologist
Eleanora Bliss was born (July 15, 1883) in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a West Point army officer and scholar. She studied chemistry and geology at Bryn Mawr College and then worked under the noted botanist Florence Bascom. She was married (1920) to Adolph Knopf, a geologist with the USGS. Mrs Knopf was later hired as a geological aide by the Unites States Geological Survey (USGS) in Washington (1912) and discovered the existence of the mineral glaucophane in Penssylvania, the first sighting of this mineral east of the Pacific coast (1913). She was particularly known for her study and research into metamorphic rocks, Knopf produced her major work on the subject entitled Structural Petrology (1938). She accompanied her husband on several field trips to the Rocky Mountains, and her alma mater, Bryn Mawr College, formally recognized Knopf’s valuable work as a researcher and author with a citation (1960). She was widowed in 1966. Eleanora Knopf died (Jan 21, 1974) aged ninety, in Menlo Park, California.

Knopf, Olga – (1888 – 1982)
Austrian-American psychiatrist and writer
Ola Knopf was the author of several notable works on the subject such as The Art of Being a Woman (1932), Women on Their Own (1935) and Successful Aging (1975). Her personal correspondence has survived.

Knorre, Johanna Louisa – (1766 – 1834)
German painter
Born Johanna Wahlstab, she became the wife of Andreas Knorre, the first professor of drawing at the Provinzial Kunstschule at Konigsberg, in Prussia. Knorre sporadically exhibited miniature and portrait copies at the Berlin Academy from 1787 till 1810. Her daughter was the painter Augusta Knorre.

Knorring, Sophie Margareta Zelow, Baroness von – (1797 – 1848)
Swedish autobiographer, realist novelist, and sketcher
Sophie Zelow was born (Sept 29, 1797) at Grafsnas Castle, Vastergotland, the daughter of an aristocratic military officer, who had been a courtier of King Gustavus III. She was educated at home by governesses, and grew into a beautiful and socially successful young woman of rank prior to her eventual marriage (1820) with the Baron von Knorring, a family connection.
Sophie’s later literary efforts were heavily influenced by the works of Rousseau and Madame de Stael, amongst several others. Her first novel Cousinerna (The Cousins) (1829) which was published anonymously (1834). This was followed by other novels such as the semi-autobiographical work Illusionerna (The Illusions) (1836) which is considered by many to be her best work, and the novels Qvinnorna (Women) (1836) and Stands-Paralleler (Class Parallels) (1838). The Baroness died (Feb 13, 1848) aged fifty, at Skalltorp.

Knowles, Lilian Charlotte Anne – (c1875 – 1926)
British economic historian
Lilian Thomm she was born at Killagorden, Truro, in Cornwall, the daughter of Philip Thomm, and was educated at Truro High School and Girton College, Cambridge. She married a barrister (1904) and became a lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Later a reader in economic history at the University of London (1907), Knowles was appointed a member of the departmental committee which was assessing the rising costs of living for the working classes (1918) and then became a member of the Royal commission on the Income Tax (1919 – 1920). Knowles then served as dean of the faculty of economics at the University of London (1920 – 1924). Apart from editing a British edition of The Referendum in Switzerland, by Simon Deploige, she was the author of The Economic Development of the Overseas Empire, 1763 – 1914 (1914). Lilian Knowles died (April 25, 1926).

Knowles, Mary – (1733 – 1807)
British literary figure and letter writer
Mary Knowles was friend to both the noted lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784) and to James Boswell.

Knox, Ada Victoria Harris, Lady – (1900 – 1987)
Anglo-Australian voluntary activist
Ada Knox was born (Aug 18, 1900), the daughter of William H. Harris, and was educated privatley at home, and at Effingham House in Bexhill, England. She was married (1921) to the Australian Brigadier Sir George Knox, of Ferntree Gully in Victoria. Lady Knox was noted for her four decades long work with the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) and the ARCS (Australian Red Cross Service) for which she was awarded the Long Service Medal.

Knox, Marjory     see    Bowes, Elizabeth

Knox-Mawer, June – (1930 – 2006)
British radio broadcaster and writer
June Ellis was born (May 10, 1930) the daughter of an accountant, and was raised in Denbighshire. She was firstly employed as a reporter with the Chester Chronicle but left after her marriage with Ronald Knox-Mawer, a member of the colonial services whom she accompanied to Aden when he was appointed as chief justice there (1952). Mrs Knox-Mawer travelled widely in Saudi Arabia and gained the friendship of the local princes and their wives due to her understanding of and sympathy with the strong nationalist movement within the country.
Mrs Knox-Mawer published the travel diary entitled The Sultans Came to Tea (1961) whilst her novel Sandstorm (1992) was the winner of the Boots Romantic Book of the Year award. She then accompanied her husband to his posting in Fiji (1958) and produced two more travel volumes entitled A Gift of Islands (1965) and A South Sea Spell (1975). With her husband’s retirement they returned to England (1971). There she became the hosr of the radio program Woman’s Hour (1979 – 1983). June Knox-Mawer died (April 19, 2006) aged seventy-five.

Knyvet, Katherine – (c1549 – 1622)
English Tudor noblewoman and dynastic matriarch
Katherine Knyvet was the daughter of Sir Henry Knyvet, of Charlton, Wiltshire, and his wife Anne Pickering. She was the younger sister to Sir Henry Knyvet (died 1598) and to Thomas, Lord Knyvet of Escrick (died 1622). She was married firstly to Henry, second Baron Paget of Beaudesert (c1537 – 1568), and secondly to Sir Edward Cary (c1540 – 1618), of Aldenham and Berkhampsted, in Hertfordshire, and left descendants through both marriages.

Knyvett, Deborah – (c1793 – 1876)
British vocalist
Born Deborah Travis, at Shaw, near Oldham, she was trained as a singer and publicly performed works by George Frederic Handel, to great critical acclaim, her own peculiar musical style being particularly admired. Deborah Travis performed at the Concerts of Antient Music (1813), and performed at many of the important London concerts over a period of twenty-five years (1815 – 1843). Deborah became the second wife (1826) of the noted composer William Knyvett (1779 – 1856), whom she survived two decades. Mrs Knyvett died (Feb 10, 1876) at Clarges House, Ryde, on the Isle of Wight.

Kobell, Anna – (1790 – 1847)
Dutch painter, etcher, and lithographer
Kobell was born (Sept 17, 1790) in Gouda, the daughter of the famous painter, etcher, and draughtsman Jan Kobell I (died 1814). She was taught under her father, and painted landscpaes, still-lifes, and genre pieces. Anna Kobell died (Sept 7, 1847) aged fifty-six, at Delfshaven, Rotterdam.

Kobrynska, Natalija – (1855 – 1920)
Russian novelist, author, and essayist
Kobrynska was born at Beleluji in Galicia in the Ukraine, the daughter of a village priest and parliamentary delegate. She was well educated and was later married (1875) to Teofil Kobrynski, the noted theologian, who continued her education. With her husband’s death (1876) she returned to her father, and the pair travelled to Vienna, where she became imbued with feminist ideals. Her works included, ‘Pani Suminska,’ and the story, ‘Zadlja Kusnyka Xliba’ (For the Sake of a Piece of Bread), which details the lot of young woman with no suitable education to make her way in the world, who was thus forced to marry a man for whom she had no feeling. Natalija Kobrynska died at Bolexol.

Kobyljanska, Olha – (1863 – 1942)
Ukrainian novelist, dramatist, and writer
Kobyljanska was born (Nov 25, 1863) at Hurahomor of a Ukrainian family with strong German connections. She studied German lieterature, and her literary style was much influenced by the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and the feminist work of Natalija Kobrynska. Her work included the novels Tsarivna (The Princess) (1895), which was presented in diary format, and Zemlja (The Soil) (1910), which explored the theme of the attachment to the soil evinced by the Ukrainian peasantry. One of her most popular works was the novel V Nedilju rano zillaja kopala (She Gathered Herbs on Sunday Morning) (1909) which dealt with a traditional tragic folk-tale from the Bukovina region. Olha Kobyljanska died (March 28, 1942) aged seventy-eight, at Cernivci.

Koch, Vivienne – (1914 – 1961)
American author and biographer
Koch was the wife of John F. Day. She wrote William Carlos Williams (1950) and W.B. Yeats in The Tragic Phase (1952). Vivienne Koch died (Nov 29, 1961) aged only forty-seven.

Kochanska, Praxede Marcelline    see   Sembrich, Marcella

Koechlin-Smythe, Pat     see    Smythe, Pat

Koehler, Florence – (1861 – 1944) 
American artist and craftswoman
Florence Koehler was a native of Chicago, Illinois, where her work was promoted by the Chicago Arts and Crafts Society, which was founded in 1897. Koehler specialized in jewellery, her designs being heavily influenced by the French Art Noveau style. Her work was very popular with the intellectual salon society and is considered to be the most outstanding examples of this period, on par with the designs of L.C. Tiffany.

Koenig, Baroness Alma Johanna von – (1887 – c1942)
Jewish-German novelist and much celebrated lyric poet
Baroness Alma von Koenig was born (Aug 18, 1887) at Prague, Bohemia, the daughter of wealthy and titled Jewish parents, and was raised in Vienna. She was married (1921) to Baron Bernhard Ehrenfels, from whom she was later divorced (1936).  Alma was later involved (1934) in a romantic liasion with Oskar Tauschinski, and remained with him till her death. Her experiences with her former husband were the basis for her novel Leidenschaft in Algier (Passion in Algiers) (1932). With the rise of the Nazi regime her work was no longer published (1933), and von Koenig was forced to give lectures in order to survive. She was later evicted from her apartment and was eventually deported by the Nazi regime, and perished in a concentration camp during WW II, perhaps in Minsk. Alma von Koenig was honoured with the Prize of the City of Vienna (1925) for her novel Die Geschichte vom Half dem Weibe (The Story of Half Woman) (1924). Her last novel Der jugenliche Gott (The Youthful God) dealt with the relationship between the Roman emperor Nero and his mother Agrippina.

Koerber, Leila Marie  see  Dressler, Marie

Koffler, Camille    see    Ylla

Kogan, Claude – (1919 – 1959) 
French mountaineer
Kogan was originally the proprietor of a swimwear factory. She climbed the Ardennes, Andes, and the Alps, and she was a member of the first ascent of Mt Sakantay, of the Cordillera Vilcabamba in Peru (1952), a climb of almost twenty thousand feet. Her husband died after their return from the Andes. Claude then climbed the higher summit of Nun in the Indian Punjab region. Her successful ascent of Mt Cho Oyo, in the Himalayas (1954), at twenty-five thousand feet, was the highest recorded ascent made by a European woman. Claude Kogan was killed in an avalanche (Oct, 1959) whilst leading an all-woman expedition in Nepal.

Kogelnik, Kiki – (1935 – 1997) 
Austrian-American artist and designer
Kogeknik was born (Jan 22, 1935) in Beiburg, Germany, and studied art at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, being once engaged to the artist Arnulf Rainer. Removing to Paris (1959) and from there to the USA, Kogelnik’s style combined aspects of European figurative and American Pop Art, with an almost satiristic feminist style. Kogelnik worked in vinyl, fibreglass and glass, and produced prints and installation pieces. Her first exhibition in New York (1965) was held at the Austrian Institute. She married (1966) the prominent oncologist and restaureant owner George Schwarz, and helped design his restaurants, notably the Elephant and Castle in Greenwich Village and the Notto Star. Kiki Kogelnik died (Feb 1, 1997) aged sixty-two, in Vienna.

Koghtnatsi, Khosrovidoukht – (c690 – 737)
Armenian poet
Khosrovidoukt was daughter to the ruling prince of the Koghten region. Her poem ‘More Astonishing’ has survived.

Kohen, Sidonie – (1830 – 1900)
Austrian feminist and suffrage campaigner
Born Sidonie Kahn (Dec 1, 1830) in Teschen, Silesia, after her marriage she joined the General Women’s Association and the Viennese Women’s Employment Association, for both of which organizations she worked tirelessly for three decades (1870 – 1900). The first Austrian secondary school for girls was established (1871) mainly due to Kohen’s influence and support. Sidonie Kohen died (April 17, 1900) aged sixty-nine, in Vienna.

Kohlhagen, Lisette – (1891 – 1969)
Australian painter and artist, printmaker, and critic
Lisette Kohlhagen was born at Kilkerran, South Australia and later removed to Adelaide, where she studied under James Ashton and Gwen Barringer. She later travelled to London she attended the Royal Drawing Society, and with her return to Melbourne, she continued her studies under George Bell. Kohlhagen was a founding member of the Contemporary Art Society in Sydney and was awarded a bronze star and gold medal from the Royal Drawing Society. Her work was exhibited at the Australian Academy of Art and the Royal South Australian Society of the Arts. Examples of her work were preserved in the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Kohut, Rebekah Bettelheim – (1864 – 1951)
Hungarian-American educator and social welfare reformer
Rebekah Bettelheim was born (Sept 9, 1864) in Kaschau, Hungary, into a Jewish rabbinical family, the daughter of physician. She immigrated to the USA with her family (1867), and was married (1887) to the Hungarian-Jewish rabbinical scholar, Alexander Kohut, who died in 1894. Madame Kohut became a volunteer with the New York Women’s Health Protective Association, which campaigned for improved public sanitation. She also translated her husband’s sermons from German into English so that they might be published, and wrote the autobiographical work My Portion (1925).

Kohut served as president of the New York section of the National Council of Jewish Women (1894 – 1898) and founded the Kohut School for Girls (1899). She established the Alexander Kohut Memorial Collection at Yale University (1912), which accepted several thousand important volumes from her late husband’s library. She later established the Bureau of the Young Women’s Hebrew Association (1914). Governor (later president) Franklin D. Roosevelt later appointed Kohut to the New York State Advisory Council on Employment and to the Joint Legislative Commission on Unemployment (1931). Rebekah Kohut died (Aug 11, 1951) aged eighty-six, in New York.

Koka – (fl. c1150 – c1200)
Japanese poet
Koka was the daughter of Fujiwara no Toshitaka, and served at the Imperial court as steward to the empress. Some of her verses have survivd.

Kokalari, Musine – (1920 – 1982) 
Albanian writer
Kokalari was a native of Gjirokaster in the southern part of the country. She travelled to Italy for several years to finish her education at the University of Rome, and returned to Albania in the middle of WW II (1942).  Actively involved in the cause of social freedom for the Albanian people, Kokalari was a member of the semi-secret social democrat group which produced the periodical zeri i lirise (The voice of freedom) to which she contributed articles. Arrested by the Communist regime (1946) she was sentenced to life imprisonment at Burrel. She died there shortly after her release from prison thirty-five years later. Musine Kokalari was the author of two folk narratives including Sic me thote nena plake (As My Old Mother Tells Me) (1941) which was republished in America (1984).

Kola    see   Kostin von Kolakiewicz, Adrienne

Kolb, Annette – (1870 – 1967)
German novelist, essayist, author, diarist and translator
Annette Kolb was born (Feb 28, 1870) in Munich, Bavaria, the daughter of a garden architect and a pianist. She was educated under the supervision of governesses in Munich and was awarded the Fontane Award for her published essays (1913). During WW I Kolb was actively involved with the activities of the pacifist movement in Switzerland. After the war she resided for over a decade (1922 – 1933) in Badenweiler. With the rise of Adolf Hitler she fled to Paris via Switzerland, and later escaped to the safety of the USA (1940). With the end of WW II she returned to Europe and resided in Badenweiler.
Annette Kolb ‘s best known works included the novels Der neue Schlag (The New Beat Drum) (1912), Das Exemplar (The Example) (1913) and Die Last (The Burden) (1918) which works were admired by Rainer Maria Rilke, with whom she corresponded. Her other works included the biographical works Mozart (1937), Franz Schubert, sein Leben (Franz Schubert, His Life) (1941) and Konig Ludwig II.von Bayern und Richard Wagner (The Bavarian King Ludwig II and Richard Wagner) (1947). Kolb was a model for Thomas Mann’s Munich chapter in his novel Doktor Faustus (1948). Annette Kolb died (Dec 3, 1967) aged ninety-seven, in Munich.

Keating, Adeline May – (1885 – 1957)
Australian business woman
Keating was born (Jan 8, 1885) near Bendigo in Victoria, the daughter of a sharebroker. Her early musical talent was fostered at school, but the death of her father (1908) caused the family to remove to Melbourne, where they resided in poverty. Adeline Keating was employed by Sidney Myer at his newly established business, Myer Emporium Ltd in Bourke St, Melbourne (1914) and due to shortages of male staff due to the war, permitted Adeline to become a buyer for the business. She travelled to England, Paris, the USA, Japan and Leipzig in Germany, being one of the first female buyers present at the Leipzig Fair (1923). She eventually spent nine months of every year travelling abroad to buy stock for Myers. Eventually the stress of the job, and the resentment of less successful male co-workers, led to a nervous breakdown, and she was forced to resign from Myers (1932). Keating then established her own toy manufacturing business, the A.M.K. Manufacturing Co. (1932 – 1939), which was eventually forced to close due to the Depression. She remained unmarried. Adeline Keating died (March 7, 1957) aged seventy-one, at Brighton in Sydney.

Kolbe, Emma Eliza    see   Coe, Emma Eliza

Kolemine, Alexandrine Czapaska von – (1854 – 1941)
German courtier
Countess Alexandrine Hutten-Czapaska was born (Sept 4, 1854) in Warsaw, Poland, the daughter of Count Adam Hutten-Czapaski, and his wife, Countess Marianne Rzewuska She was married firstly to Alexandre Kolemine, the Russian charge d’affaires in Darmstadt. Her first marriage was terminated by divorce and Alexandrine became the second wife (1884) at Darmstadt to the widowed Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt (1837 – 1892). Alexandrine was married morganatically and was granted the title of countess von Romrod, but Grand Duke Louis’s mother-in-law, Queen Victoria (mother of his first wife Alice) ordered the union annulled. She was briefly the stepmother to Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia. Alexandrine was granted a financial stipend and left the royal court. She was later remarried a third time (1893) to Vassili Romanovitch Bacheracht (died 1916), whi served as the Russian minister at Berne. Much of the later part of her life was spent in Switzerland. The countess died (May 8, 1941) aged eighty-six, at Vevey, near Vaud.

Kollontai, Alexandra Mikhailovna – (1872 – 1952)
Russian feminist, revolutionary, government official, diplomat and writer
The daughter of Mikhail Domontovich, Alexandra Mikhailovna Domontovna was born in St Petersburg, into a wealthy family. She rejected her heritage when she embraced socialism. She was married to a military officer, and became a member of the Russian Social Democratic Party. For this she was exiled to Germany (1908). During WW I Kollontai urge the USA not to enter the war, but following the revoution at home (1917) she quickly returned to Russia. Kollontai was the first commissar of Public Welfare appointed by the Bolshevik government (1920) and was later appointed as minister to Norway, being the first woman to hold that position, twice, (1923 – 1925) and (1927 – 1930).
Her success as a diplomat led to Kollontai being appointed minister to Mexico (1926 – 1927) and Sweden (1930 – 1945). She was appointed an official amabassador (1943) being the first woman in modern history to be so honoured, and became intrumental in arrangeing the terms which ended the Soviet-Finnish conflict (1944). Kollontai later received the Order of Lenin. She was author of The New Morality and the Working Class (1918), The Workers’ Opposition in Russia (c1921) and her collection of short stories Love of Worker Bees (1923).

Kollwitz, Kathe – (1867 – 1945)
German graphic artist, printmaker, sculptor, and diarist
Kathe Schmidt was born (July 8, 1867) in Konigsberg, Prussia, the daughter of a Protestant clergyman. She studied drawing in Konigsberg and Berlin under Karl Stauffer-Bern, and was married to a medical student, Karl Kollwitz. Her work was greatly influenced by the work of the painter and sculptor Max Klinger (1857 – 1920), and she preferred serious or politically motivated content to her work, such as her famous etchings the Weaver’s Revolt (1897 – 1898), which had been inspired by the play Die Weber by Gerhard Hauptmann, and the Peasants’ War (1902 – 1908). Kollwitz became the first woman to be elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts (1919) though she was later expelled by the Nazis (1933). She produced the famous series of prints which dealt with the theme of Death (1934 – 1935) and her Diaries and Letters (1955) were published posthumously. Kathe Kollwitz died (April 22, 1945) aged seventy-seven, at Mortizburg, near Dresden in Saxony.

Kolmar, Gertrud – (1894 – 1943)
Jewish-German poet
Born Gertrud Chodziesner in Berlin, Prussia, she received an excellent education and excelled in languages. During WW I she served as an interpreter at the Doberitz prison camp. Gertrud Kolmar stayed for awhile in postwar Paris, the inspiration for her famous poem ‘Paris,’ but ultimately she returned to Berlin where she worked as a teacher of deaf and mute children. With the rise of the Nazi regime the position of her family became more and more unsteady. Eventually her elderly widowed father was deported (1941) and she herself finally disappeared into a concentration camp, from which she did not survive. Her poetry was published posthumously (1955).

Kolstad, Eva – (1918 – 1999)
Norwegian politician
Born Eva Lundegaard in Halden, she was trained as schoolteacher and account keeper. She qualified as a chartered accountant (1944) and was married (1942) to Ragnar Kolstad. Eva Kolstad worked with the International Alliance of Women, and served several terms on the board of that organization. She was appointed as president of the Norwegian Association for the Rights of Women for over a decade (1956 – 1968), and served as a member of the United Nations Committee on the Status of Women (1969 – 1975). Prominent in Norwegian politics, Kolstad served two terms as a member of parliament, and was appointed as minister of Consumer Affairs (1972 – 1973) and was later appointed to serve as Ombudsman (1978).

Kominia Asenina – (c1355 – 1396)
Bulgarian princess
Princess Kominia was the daughter of Prince Ivan Komnenus Asen, and his second wife Anna, the daughter of Andronikos Palaeologus. Through her mother she was a close connection of the Byzantine Imperial dynasty. Kominia was married (1372) to Balsa II Balsic, Lord of Zeta and Durazzo, who was later killed in battle (1385). She survived him a decade and left an only decade, and left an only daughter Kraljica Rudjina Balsica (c1374 – after 1421), Lady of Valona, who was married to Merta Zarkovic.

Komisarjevskaia, Vera Feodorovna – (1864 – 1910)
Russian actress and theatre manager
Komisarjevskaia was born in St Petersburg, the daughter if a tenor, and was sister to the noted designer and stage director Theodore Feodorovitch Komisarjevskaia. Possessed of a sensitive, other-worldly style, Komisarjevskaia became one of the most leading and acclaimed actresses of her era. She was particularly admired by the dramatist Anton Chekhov, and by the leading Symbolist writers, Andrei Bely and Alexander Blok. She founded an experimental theatre in St Petersburg (1905) and appointed Vsevolod Meyerhold as director, but the venture proved unsuccessful and the theatre was eventually closed (1908). Vera Komisarjevskaia died of smallpox in Tashkent.

Komnena, Theodora Palaeologina – (1200 – before 1259)
Byzantine patrician and Imperial courtier
Theodora Komnena was the granddaughter of the Emperor Alexius III Angelus, and was married (1216) to Andronikos Dukas Komnenus (died 1246), the governor of Thessalonika. She became the mother of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus (1224 – 1282) but died before her son’s accession (1259).

Komornicka, Maria – (1876 – 1949)
Polish dramatist, poet, essayist, and literary critic
Komornicka was born (July 25, 1876) in Grabow, and later travelled to England where she stayed for several years and studied at Cambridge University. Maria Komornicka was the author of a series of articles entitled Raj mlodziezy (Young People’s Paradise) (1896) which dealt with her university life.  Prior to this she had published the collection of short stories, Z zycia nedzarza, Staszka (From the Life of the Beggar Stan) (1892), which was followed by Szkice (Sketches) (1894). Her later works included the volume of verse and prose entitled, Biesy (Demons) (1903), which had strong psychological overtones. Maria Komornicka died (Feb 8, 1949) aged seventy-two, at Izabelin.

Komosarye (Comosarye) (1) – (c350 – c290 BC)
Queen of the Kimmerian Bosporus in Asia Minor
Queen Komosarye ruled jointly with her husband Pairisades II (347 – 309 BC) and then ruled alone until her own death two decades later. Queen Komosarye was her husband’s first cousin, being the daughter of his uncle Gorgippus, eponym of the city of Gorgippia. Komosarye’s name was found inscribed on a sandstone base found on the hill above the shore of Lake Temryuk, near Phanagoria, which is preserved in The Hermitage Museum in Leningrad.

Komosarye (Comosarye) (2) – (fl. c180 – c150 BC)
Greek queen consort of Bithynia
Komosarye was probably of the family of the kings of the Bosporus. She became the wife of Prusias II Cynegus (c215 – 149 BC), King of Bithynia, in Asia Minor.

Komyo – (701 – 760)
Japanese empress consort and religious activist
Komyo was born at Izumi, the daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito, an Imperial minister, and his wife Agata Inukai. Her sister Miyako was mother to the Emperor Shomu. Komyo was married (716) to the Emperor Shomu (701 – 756) and was mother of the empress regnant Shotoku Koken. With her husband she became a great supporter of the Buddhist faith, and commissioned twenty-four complete sets of the Buddhist canon of texts to be made, which numbered over five thousand volumes. Four of her own verses remain extant, whilst a surviving copy of the work Luoyi lun is thought to be the empress’s own calligraphy.
The empress also commissioned Buddhist statues to adorn the family temple in memory of her mother (734), ans founded a Busshist nunnery within the Imperial palace (741). The Busshist Shinyakushiji shrine established at Nara (c747) was built by Empress Komyo when her husband was sufferring from an illness. With her death she bequeathed her funiture and household possessions to the Great Buddha shrine at Tadaiji. These artifacts have survived and remain housed in the temple at Shosoin.

Konig, Alma Johanna   see   Koenig, Baroness von

Konigsmark, Maria Aurora von – (1662 – 1728) 
German-Swedish beauty and adventuress
Countess Maria Aurora von Konigsmarck was born in Stade, Bremen, Germany, the daugher of the German count Konrad Christoph von Konigsmarck, who served in the Swedish military, and his wife Countess Maria Christina von Wrangel. Her brother Count Carl von Konigsmarck was hanged in London for the murder of his servant, whilst her other brother Count Philipp Christopher was the ill-fated lover of Sophia Dorothea, the estranged wife of the future George I of England.
Aurora originally went to Dresden in Saxony to search for her younger brother who had disappeared (murdered 1694). Her search revealed little though she was welcomed at the court of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and elector of Saxony, whose mistress she became after he courted her in most elaborate style, disguised as the Greek god Pan. She became the mother of his son Maurice (1696 – 1750), the Marshal de Saxe, who was to become a famous military leader for the French under Louis XV. Augustus sent her to the Swedish court (1702) on a special mission to negotiate peace between himself and the Swedish king Charles XII. Aurora became the king’s mistress, but he remained uninfluenced by her, and the mission was a failure. When Augustus tired of her, Aurora was appointed provost of the Protestant abbey of Quedlinburg, but she retained strong links to court circles, and also resided in Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg. Aurora was described by Voltaire as ‘the most famous woman of two centuries.’ Countess von Konigsmarck died (Feb 16, 1728) at Quedlinburg Abbey.

Konopicka, Maria – (1842 – 1910)
Polish poet, author, fairy tale writer and women’s rights campaigner
Born Maria Wasilowski, at Suwalki, in the north-east of the country, she was the daughter of a lawyer. She was educated by nuns in Warsaw, where she met the writer Eliza Pawlowska, who remained her friend. Maria was married to an older man and bore him six children. Maria later left her husband and went to Warsaw, taking their children with her. There she devoted herself to writing in order to provide for them all. She established herself as a respected editor and journalist, and in her articles she particularly attacked the laxness and corruption of the rural clergy, which led to accusations of fostering rebellion. Her published works included the collection of verse Poezje (1881) which was published in three successive volumes over a six year period (1881 – 1887). She wrote the collections of short stories, Cztery nowele (1888) and Ludzie i rzeczy (People and Things) (1898), and the collection of fairy-tales O krasnoludkach i sierotce Marysi (About Gnomes and the Little Orphan Mary).

Kontschaka – (c1301 – 1318)
Russian princess
Kontscjaka was the sister of Usbeck, Khan of Polovtsky. She became the second wife of the Christian ruler George III, Grand Prince of Vladimir (1281 – 1325). Upon her conversion to the Russian Orthodox faith Kontschaka adopted the name of Agatha (c1317). She died childless the following year.

Kool, Molly – (1916 – 2009)
American sea captain
Myrtle Kool was born (Feb 23, 1916) in Alma, New Brunswick, the daughter of a Dutch sailor. She was raised with the sea and from a young age was taught to handle boats by herself. Molly Kool became the first woman to join the Merchant Marine School in Saint John, New Brunswick (1937). She graduated and received her Master Mariner’s papers from the Merchant Marine Institution in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Kool at first captained her father’s scow working in the Bay of Fundy but she mainly retired after her boat was destroyed by fire (1944).
Kool was married twice and eventually illness forced her to fully retire after she lost both of her legs. A ship was later named in her honour (2003) and was a memorial to her achievements was put up in her home town of Alma. Molly kool died (Feb 25, 2009) aged ninety-three, in Bangor, Maine.

Koorten, Johanna – (1650 – 1717)
Dutch painter, artist, and vocalist
Johanna Koorten performed in Vienna, St Petersburg, and London as a singer with enormous success. She was a talented drawer, and produced designs for embroidery and tableware. Her married name was Blok, and may be identified with one ‘Anna Cortens’ who produced the surviving work Bird Concert.

Kopechne, Mary Jo (Mary Josephine) – (1941 – 1969)
American political secretary
Mary Jo Kopechne left a party in the company of Senator Edward Kennedy, and drowned, aged twenty-eight, when their car fell into the Chappaquiddick River, near Martha’s Vineyard (July 29, 1969). Kennedy claimed to have attempted to save Kopechne but unaccountably failed to report the matter to police for several hours.

Koppe, Charlotte    see   Feige, Charlotte

Koppen, Anna Elise von – (1860 – 1932)
German morganatic royal
Anna von Koppen was born (Feb 3, 1860) at St Goarshausen, the daughter of Heinrich von Koppen. She was married at Elsen (1893) to Prince Otto Heinrich of Schaumburg-Lippe (1854 – 1935). The marriage was not recognized by the royal family and was regarded as morganatic. Anna was granted the rank and title of Countess von Hagenburg by her brother-in-law Prince George of Schaumburg-Lippe. The marriage remained childess. Anna and her husband both survived the fall of the reigning royal dynasty (1918). Madame von Hagenburg died (March 27, 1932) aged seventy-two, at Cabel.

Koptiaeva, Antonina – (1904 – 1991)
Russian novelist
Antonina Koptiaeva was born in Siberia, into a wealthy middle-class family. She was famous as the author of the feminist trilogy Comrade Anna (1946) for which she was awarded the Stalin Prize for Literature and, Ivan Ivanovich. Roman v. Dvukh Chastiakh (Ivan Ivanovich.Novel in Two Parts) (1949), which was translated into English (1952).Other published work included Friendship (1954) and The Gift of Earth (1963).

Kora – (fl. c600 – c500 BC)
Greek painter and artist
Her real name was Kallirhoe (Callirhoe), and she was the daughter of the potter Butades. She was trained by her father to assist him in his work, and is said to have sketched her departing lover in charcoal on the wall of their home. Her work is said to have inspired Butades to outline it in clay, thus forming the first medallion.

Korda, Joan   see   Gardner, Joan

Korda, Lady     see   Oberon, Merle

Korene, Vera – (1901 – 1996)
Russian-French actress and vocalist
Born Rebecca Vera Korestzky (June 6, 1901), she was of Jewish background. With the outbreak of the Revolution (1917) she fled to France and settled in Paris, where she adopted the surname ‘Korene.’ Vera Korene established herself as a talented stage actress and singer, and later appeared in several films such as La voix sans visage (1933), L’argent (1936), La danseuse rouge, 1937 (The Red Dancer, 1937) and La brigade sauvage (1939). She formed her own theatre company that performed at the Comedie Francaise, and she served for over two decades (1956 – 1978) as director of the Theatre de la Renaissance. Vera Korene died (Nov 19, 1996) aged ninety-five, at Louvenciennes, near Paris.

Korinna (Corinna) – (fl. c500 – c470 BC)
Greek poet
Korinna was born at Tanagra. She wrote choral lyric poems on localized subjects such as, Boetus, Seven Against Thebes, and Iolaus and the Return of Orion. She also wrote the poem Orestes. The traveller Pausanias states that her use of local dialect made her work more popular than that of the epic poet Pindar of Thebes, whom she is credited with besting in a poetry competition on five different occasions. Three main fragments of her work survive. Antipater of Thessalonika included her as one of his nine female Muses in the second century BC, and the Roman poets, Propertius and Statius, both admired her style.

Korn, Clara Anna – (1866 – 1940)
German-American pianist, composer, and music teacher
Born Clara Gerlach (Jan 30, 1866) in Berlin, Prussia, she immigrated to the USA with her family as a child (1869). Clara studied under Dvorak and Bruno Klein at the National Conservatory in New York, and later settled in Brooklyn, where she made a career for herself as a distinguished music teacher. She was married and was the founder of the National Federation of Mosaic Club and the Women’s Philharmonic Society. She produced chamber music, piano works, songs, and the opera Their Last War (1932). Clara Korn died (July 14, 1940) aged seventy-four, in New York.

Korpmann, Elisabeth      see    Hevelius, Elisabeth

Kortzfleisch, Ida von – (1850 – 1915)
German social reformer
Kortzfleisch was born (Oct 10, 1850) at Pillau, the daughter of a Prussian military officer. Having worked as a hospital administrator during the Franco-Prussian War (1870 – 1871), Ida von Kortzfleisch later founded the first Rural School of Economics for Women at Hesse (1897), which later removed to Reifenstein in Thuringia (1900). Her edcuational ideas had been published in the Tagliche Rundschau publication, using the pseudonym ‘Ida Pillau.’ Ida von Kortzfleisch died (Oct 7, 1915) aged sixty-four, in Fredeburg.

Kosach-Kvitka, Ljarissa Petrivna    see   Ukrajinka, Lesja

Koscina, Sylvia – (1933 – 1994)
Czech film actress
Sylvia Koscina was best remembered for the role of the bride Iole in the film Hercules (1957) opposite Steve Reeves, and also appeared in Hercules Unchained (1959). She also received critical acclaim for her appearance with Elke Sommer in the film Deadlier Than the Male (1966).

Kosem   see   Kiusem

Kosmartidene – (fl. c480 – c440 BC)
Babylonian concubine
Kosmartidene was a native of Edom in Akkad, her name meaning ‘Kos has given a daughter.’ She was taken into the harem of the Persian king Artaxerxes I (465 – 424 BC), and was the mother of his son, Darius II Nothus (c467 – 404 BC), formerly called Ochus, who ruled for two decades. Her second son Arsites was killed by his brother as a rival claimant for the throne (423 BC). Kosmartidene died at some unknown date, before her son’s accession (424 BC).

Kosmowska, Irena – (1879 – 1945)
Polish government minister
When the vote was granted to Polish women at the end of WW I (1918) Irene Kosmowska and six other women were created government ministers, being elected by the Polish parliament (Seym). Kosmowska became the vice-minister for social welfare but was later imprisoned (1930) for speaking out against government practice and corruption. During WW II she was deported by the Nazis and died as a result of the treatment she received.

Kossak-Szatkowska, Zofia – (1890 – 1968)
Polish historical novelist
Zofia kossak-Szatkowska was born (Aug 8, 1890). Her first short story The Troubles of a Gnome (1926) was not written till she was nearly forty. This work was followed by her first novel Angels in the Dust (1935). Both works were admired for their vivid imagery and exacting historical research. For the duration of World War II Zofia was incarcerated in a German concentration camp. After being liberated she went to England. There she continued to write novels, short-stories and magazine articles.

Kossamak Nearireak – (1903 – 1975) 
Queen of Cambodia
Kossamak Nearireak was the daughter of King Sisowath Monivong (reigned 1927 – 1941) and married (1920) Norodom Suramarit (1896 – 1960). With her father’ death (1941) her own son Norodom Sihanouk (born 1922) became king. He abdicated in order to become premier of Cambodia (1955), and Kossamak and her husband ruled for five years till Suramarit’s death. Her son did not reassume the crown, remaining Cambodia’s official spokesman in world issues, whilst the queen-mother continued the ceremonial functions of the monarchy. Highly popular she exerted great influence over her son, and remained in Cambodia after the coup that removed her son from power (1970). Finally the queen mother was permitted to join her son in exile in Beijing (1973). Queen Kossamak Nearireak died (April 28, 1975) in Beijing.

Konstancja   see   Constance

Kostin von Kolakiewicz, Adrienne – (1860 – 1922)
Austrian stage actress
Kostin von Kolaliewicz was born (Dec 13, 1860) in Czernowitz, the daughter of a military officer. She trained as a theatre actress under Leo Friedrich, and made her stage debut in the role of Klarchen at Leipzig in Saxony. Adrienne worked at Wiesbaden for several years before joining the cast of the Burgtheater in Vienna for several seasons (1888 – 1893) and (1904 – 1905). She sometimes used the pseudonym ‘Kola’ and was best admired in roles such as Mary Stuart and the classical Medea. Adrienne Kostin von Kolakiewicz died (March 17, 1922) aged sixty-one, in Vienna.

Kotanyi-Pollak, Hilda – (b. 1874)
Austrian painter and artist
Hilda Kotanyi was born (Nov 2, 1874) in Vienna, and studied under artists Imre Revesz and Christian Landenberger, before establishing herself as a portraitist in Vienna. Kotanyi-Pollak was elected to the Association of Women Fine Artists, and one of her best known works was Der Glaube (The Belief). Hilda founded the School of Drawing and Painting in Vienna and was married to painter Richard Pollak.

Kota Rani – (c1295 – c1345) 
Queen of Kashmir
Kota Rani was the wife of Sultan Jadr al-Din who seized the throne in 1320. With his early death (1323) she ruled as regent for their son Haidar Khan. She later remarried to Udayanadeva, brother to King Sahadeva of the former Simhadeva dynasty, as a means of protecting her own and her son’s positions. Widowed a second time (1338) Kota Rani agains ruled as regent, but in mid 1339 she contracted a third marriage with her former minister Shams al-Din (1262 – 1342) who deposed her from the regency.

Kotchubey, Daria de Beauharnais, Princess de – (1870 – 1937)
Russian royal
Comtesse Daria de Beauharnais was born (March 19, 1870) in St Petersburg, the only child of Eugene de Beauharnais, fifth Duke of Leuchtenberg, and his first morganatic wife, Daria Konstantinovna Opotchinina, Comtesse de Beauharnais. Daria bore the title of Comtesse de Beauharnais from birth, and later married four times. She was married firstly (1893) at Baden-Baden in Germany to a Russian nobleman, Prince Leo Mikhailovitch Kotchubey (1862 – 1927). The marriage produced two children and ended in divorce (1911), though their son Prince Evgeni Leontievitch (1894 – 1951) took the title of Prince Kotchubey de Beauharnais.
Daria remarried secondly (1911), in St Petersburg, to Vladimir Evgenievitch, Baron Gravenitz (1872 – 1916), an officer in the Russian Imperial Navy. This marriage was childless. The princess did not leave Russia at the outbreak of the Revolution (1917), and the facts concerning her later life are sketchy. She was detained and kept a prisoner for some years by the Communist regime, and is believed to have contracted two further marriages, thirdly to an Italian marquis, and fourthy to a Spaniard, before being imprisoned in a prison camp in Leningrad. Princess de Kotchubey was eventually shot there (Nov 5, 1937).

Kotini of Ambergau – (c855 – 906)
German mediaeval heiress
Kotini was the daughter of Rabold, Count in the Ambergau. She became the wife (c870) of Count Sieghard I of Ebersberg in Bavaria, the son of Count Sieghard of Kraichgau. Some old genealogies incorrectly name her ‘Gotherina.’ Countess Kotini bore Sieghard two sons, the elder Rabold I (c875 – 919), named for his maternal grandfather, was appointed as Margrave of Carinthia in the year of his father’s death (906) and left descendants including Count Rabold II of Freising (died 980), whilst the younger son Sieghard II (c880 – before 923) became the Count in Upper Salzburggau (908) and married a daughter of Count Engelbert I of Inngau, and left descendants. Kotini briefly survived her husband (Oct – Dec, 906) as the Dowager Countess of Ebersberg and died (Dec 20, 906) aged about fifty.

Kotopouli, Marika – (1887 – 1954)
Greek actress
Marika Kotopouli was the daughter of actors, and was trained for the stage from an early age. She possessed an extensive range, including comedy, classical drama, and vaudeville, and was much admired as one of the most leading and talented actresses of her era. She established her own theatre company in Athens which she managed for three decades, during which she sought with success to revive the ancient Greek dramas.

Kotramide    see   Katramide

Kottaner, Helene – (c1400 – after 1470)
German courtier and memoirist
Helene Kottaner was lady-in-waiting to Queen Elisabeth, wife of Albert V of Austria. She accompanied her mistress on her successful escape from the city of Prague, carrying with them the infant king and heir of Bohemia and Hungary, Ladislas V, and the royal jewels. The queen died in 1442 and Ladislas in 1457. Helene then retired to a convent to spend the remainder of her life. Her own written account of the events at court was made years later from her religious retreat (1470).

Kottlitz, Clothilde – (1822 – 1867)
German vocal teacher
Born Clothilde Ellendt, she became the wife of the German director and composer Adam Kottlitz (1820 – 1860). Before and during her widowhood Madame Kottlitz maintained an excellent reputation as a vocal instructor for aspiring opera singers.

Kotzkau, Regina Magdalena von – (1678 – 1755)
German courtier and morganatic wife
Regina von Kotzkau was born (April 22, 1678) at Bayreuth, Brandenburg, Prussia. She became the morganatic wife of George Albert, Margrave of Ansbach, to whom she bore three sons. Regina was granted the title of Baroness von Kotzkau by the Emperor Leopold I, which rank and title was borne by her sons, two of whom left descendants. Madame von Kotzkau survived her husband over five decades (1703 – 1755). Regina von Kotzkau died (Oct 27, 1755) aged seventy-seven, at Oberkotzau Castle.

Kouchak, Nahabed – (fl. c1450 – c1500)
Armenian medieval poet
Some of her verses survive including ‘My Heart Is Turned into a Wailing Child’ and ‘Birthday Song.’

Koulomzin, Sophie Sergeievna – (1903 – 2000)
Russian educator, religious author, and memoirst
Sophie Schidlovskaia was born in St Petersburg, the daughter of Sergei Schidlovsky, the last vice-president of the Duma (parliament) in Tsarist Russia. With the advent of the revolution the family fled to Estonia, and later to Germany. Sophie studied philosophy at the University of Berlin in Prussia. Schidlovskaia was able to study in the USA after she received a scholarship (1926) and she studied religion at Columbia University. She then resided in Paris where she emerged as a leader of the Russian Christian Student Movement, and taught the children of emigres.
Sophie was married (1932) to Nikita Koulomzin, an engineer, to whom she bore several children. After WW II she and her family moved permanently to New York (1948) where Sophie founded the Orthodox Christian Education Commission. She also taught for two decades (1954 – 1974) at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary at Crestwood. Madame Koulomzin published several works including History of the Orthodox Church, Our Church and Our Children and her own memoirs entitled Many Worlds: A Russian Life (1980). Sophie Koulomzin died aged ninety-six in New York.

Kouri-Barreto, Ada – (1917 – 2005)
Cuban cardiologist
Ada Kouri was born in Havana, the daughter of Dr Juan Bautista Kouri-Esmeja and his wife Josefina Barreto, herself a physician. During her time at university she was a member of the Ala Izquierda Estufiantil (Student Left Wing). She was trained as a doctor and specialized in cardiology. Ada Kouri-Barreto was married to Raul Roa-Garcia, the foreign minister of Cuba, and became the mother to the noted diplomat, Raul Roa-Kouri. After the March, 1935 she lived in exile in the USA for several years with her husband, but returned to join the anti-Batista political movement, and worked with the resistance. With the success of Castro’s revolution, Ada Kouri-Barreto served as director of the Hygiene Institute. Ada Kouri-Barreto died (July 11, 2005) aged eighty-eight, in Rome, whilst on a visit.

Kovach, Nora – (1932 – 2009)
Hungarian ballerina
Kovach was raised in Budapest and trained as adancer with the Budapest Opera Ballet and with the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, Russia. Nora was married to fellow dancer Istvan Rabovsky. As the leading performers with the Budapest State Opera, Nora and her husband were sent on a tour of East Berlin (1953). From there they defected by train to West Berlin and freedom, which escape created an international media sensation.
Kovach and Rabovsky then appeared in Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus with the Festival Ballet in London (1953) and were magnificently received. The couple then travelled to the USA and continued to perform in ballet in Japan, Europe and South America. Nora and her husband were amongst those passengers rescued from aboard the liner Andrea Doria (1956) in Nantucket, Massachusetts (1956). After establishing their own ballet troupe, Nora opened a ballet studio in Plainview, New York (1969). She later divorced Rabovsky and remarried twice more. She left no children. Nora Kovach died (Jan 18, 2009) aged seventy-seven, in Miami, Florida.

Kovacs, Margit – (1902 – 1977)
Hungarian potter and ceramic scultptor
Margit Kovacs was born at Gyor. Kovacs studied art, and then ceramics in Budapest, before removing to Vienna, Austria, where she studied modelling under the sculptor Karl Miller. Kovacs returned to Hungary (1929) and organized a successful exhibition of her ceramic work. She worked in Copenhagen and Paris, and then worked at the Sevres porcelain factory. She was awarded an honorary diploma at the Paris International Exhibition (1937) and carried off first prize at the Brussels Exhibition (1958). Kovacs was particularly known for her large mural works, and for her series of figures entitled Mourning Women. A museum dedicated to her work was established at Szentendre in Hungary.

Kovalevskaia, Sofia Vasilievna – (1850 – 1891)
Russian mathematician, novelist, poet, memoirist and dramatist
Sofia Kovalevskai was born (Jan 3, 1850) in Moscow, the daughter of an army officer. She was the sister-in-law to the noted embryologist, Alexander Kovalevsky, and established a lasting reputation for herself as a mathematician. Denied an academic post for some years because of her sex, Kovalevskaia was finally employed as a lecturer in Stockholm, Sweden, and then made a full professor (1889). She also contributed important work in astronomy, in particular research into the mysterious rings of the planet Saturn. Kovalevskaia produced two novels The Nihilist Girl (1890) and Vera Brantzova (1895), and wrote her autobiography A Russian Childhood (1878). Sofia Kovalevskaia died (Jan 19, 1891) aged forty-one.

Kovalskaia, Elizaveta Nikolaievna – (1850 – 1943)
Russian revolutionary, nihilist, and historian
Born Elizaveta Solntseva in Kharkov, she was involved with socialism and revolutionary activities in her late teens, and became a prominent figure within the underground revolutionary movement. Kovalskaia established the Southern Russia Workers’ League (1880) in Kiev, which organized terrorist activities aimed at the Imperial government. For these activities she was ultimately arrested and sentenced to hard labour in Siberia. With her release from this brutal exile she resided in Switzerland for some years (1903 – 1917). With the outbreak of the revolution in Russia Kovalskaia returned home, where she was appointed as historian of the Russian Revolution at the Petrograd Archives of Revolutionary History. She was the author of The 1880-81 Southern Russian Workers’ League (1926).

Kozeluch, Catharina     see   Cibbin-Kozeluch, Catharina

Kraemer-Widl, Marie – (1860 – 1926)
Austrian dramatic soprano
Born Marie Widl (Feb 3, 1860) in Znaim, she studied at the Vienna Observatory before making her stage debut at the Imperial Opera (1876). Marie was married to the musician and teacher August Kraemer, with whom she toured North America. Madame Kraemer-Widl was particularly admired for her Wagnerian roles. She retired in 1893, and became a teacher. Marie Kraemer-Widl died (April 1, 1926) aged sixty-six, at Gratz.

Krafft, Barbara – (1764 – 1825) 
German painter and artist
Born Barbara Steiner, she was the daughter of a painter. She exhibited her work with the Vienna Academy, of which she was later made a member (1786). Barbara travelled through the European courts receiving and producing commissions, painting almost one hundred and fifty portraits, of which only a handful survived into the twentieth century. Her self-portrait was preserved in Salzburg. Krafft was appointed the official painter for the city of Bamberg (1821). Barbara Krafft died in Bamberg.

Kraftner, Hertha – (1928 – 1951)
Austrian poet and writer
Kraftner was born (April 26, 1928) in Vienna and studied English and German literature, as well as psychology and sociology. Influenced by the work and style of Rainer Maria Rilke and others, Kraftner wrote the famous poem, ‘Einem Strassengeiger,’ and published the prose work Pariser Tagebuch (1950). Hertha Kraftner committed suicided (Nov 13, 1951) aged only twenty-two, in Vienna.

Krainy, Anton    see   Gippius, Zinaida Nikolaievna

Kralik von Mayerswalden, Mathilde – (1857 – 1944)
Austrian pianist and composer
Born Mathilde Kralik (Dec 3, 1857) at Linz she studied the piano under Julius Epstein, counterpoint under Anton Bruckner, and composition under Franz Krenn in Vienna. Madame Kralik von Mayerswalden served as president of the Women’s choral Society in Vienna. She composed operas such as Blume und weissblume; Der Heilige Gral (1907) the lyrics for which were written by Mathilde’s brother, Richard von Kralik, as well as cantatas and sacral pieces. Mathilde Kralik von Mayerswalden died (March 8, 1944) aged eighty-six, in Vienna.

Kramer-Lassar, Edna – (1901 – 1984)
American mathematician and author
Edna Kramer was born in Manhattan, New York, and graduated from Hunter College in 1922. In 1930 she became the third woman to earn a doctorate in pure mathematics from Colombia University, and continued her studies at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. From 1948 until her retirement in 1965, Edna Kramer was the professor of mathematics at the Polytechnic Institute of New York. She taught at various other prestigious colleges and universities, and in 1972 gave lectures at the Chinese University in Singapore. Her written works include A First Course in Educational Statistics, Mathematics Takes Wings: An Aviation Supplement to Secondary Mathematics and The Nature and Growth of Modern Mathematics (1970). Edna married Dr Benedict T. Lassar. Edith Kramer-Lassar died in (July 9, 1984) in Manhattan.

Kramskaia-Iunker, Sophia Ivanovna – (1866 – 1936) 
Russian water colour painter
Sophia Kramskaia-Iunker was born in St Petersburg, the daughter of artist Ivan Nikolaievitch Kramskoi, whose student she became, prior to further study completed at the Academy of Arts in St Petersburg (1886 – 1888). Her work was exhibited at the Academy of the Society of Water Colour Painters in 1895 – 1896 and in 1900, and at the St Petersburg Society of Artists in (1907 – 1910) and (1912 – 1913).

Krasner, Lee    see    Pollock, Lee Krasner

Krateia Veriana, Claudia – (fl. 180 – 192 AD)
Graeco-Roman civic leader
Claudia Krateia Veriana was the daughter of Claudius Metrobius Verianus, a patrician citizen of Ephesus in Ionia, and his wife Ulpia Demokrateia. She held the civic titles of prytanis and gymnasiarchios, and also served as priestess (kosmeteira) to the cult of the goddess Artemis, as had her maternal grandmother Julia Damiana Polla before her.

Kratesikleia – (c278 – 219 BC)
Spartan queen consort
Kratesikleia was the wife of Leonidas II, who succeeded to the Spartan throne after the death of King Aerotatus at the battle of Megalopolis (262 BC). She was the mother of king Kleomenes II (c260 – 219 BC) and of Khilonis, wife of Kleombrotus. With her husband’s death, the queen mother supported her son’s regime to the utmost of her political abilities, and Plutarch records that she shared his ambitions for Sparta, and helped gain him supporters. During her son’s later campaigns the queen and her grandchildren were demanded by Ptolemy III of Egypt as hostages for her sons’s behaviour. Kleomenes later made an agreement with the Achaeans without consulting Ptolemy, and was then defeated at the battle of Sellasia (221 BC). Ptolemy IV had Kleomenes arrested on conspiracy charges, but he escaped and committed suicide. Ptolemy then ordered his family and household executed. Despute her pleas to be killed first, her grandchildren were slain before her.

Kraus, Anne – (1924 – 1998)
German-American administrator
Born Hanneliese Bender in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, shewas sent to England for safety prior to World War II. In England Kraus trained as a nurse at the Sheffield School of Nursing before continuing to work as an operating room sister in Manhattan, New York. Appointed the director of general services at the New York City Association for the Help of Retarded Children, she later served as associated president (1967 – 1970). This organization provided group homes for the mentally retarded so that they live, and contribute to public life on a daily basis.

Krauss, Marie Gabrielle – (1842 – 1906)
Austrian soprano
Krauss was born (March 24, 1842) in Vienna, and attended the Vienna Conservatory before studying further under Mathilde Marchesi. She was a member of the Vienna Court Opera before joining the Theatre des Italiens in Paris (1875 – 1886). She worked as a vocal teacher in Paris and was appointed and Officier de l’Academie. Madame Krauss died (Jan 6, 1906) aged sixty-three, in Paris.

Krauss, Ruth – (1901 – 1993)
American children’s author
Krauss was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Peabody Institute of Music. She graduated from the Parsons School of Fine and Applied Art in New York. Krauss produced well over thirty books for children including, A Good Man and His Good Wife (1944), with illustrations by the abstract painter Ad Reinhardt, The Carrott Seed (1945), Bears (1948) and I Can Fly (1950). Many of her books were illustrated by her husband, David Johnson Leisk, who used the pseudonym ‘Crockett Johnson.’ Eight of her works were illustrated by fellow children’s writer Maurice Sendak, beginning with A Hole Is to Dig: A First Book of Definitions (1952). She was awarded the Caldecott medal for her works The Happy Day (1950) and A Very Special House (1954). Ruth Krauss died in Westport, Connecticut.

Krebs, Marie (Marie Brenning) – (1851 – 1900)
German pianist and teacher
Krebs was born in Dresden, Saxony (Dec 5, 1851), daughter of the noted composer of operettas, Karl August Krebs (formerly Miedcke before adoption) (1804 – 1880). She established herself as a noted singing teacher and vocal educator. Her married name was Brenning. Marie Krebs died (June 27, 1900) aged forty-eight.

Kreitmayer, Katherina – (c1670 – 1726) 
Bavarian painter and artist
Kreitmayer was a Catholic nun at the monastery of Altomunster, near Eichach. She was known particularly for her religious and devotional works.

Kriger, Viktorina Vladimirovna – (1893 – 1978) 
Russian ballerina
Kriger was born in St Petersburg into a well established theatrical family. She graduated from the Moscow Theatre School (1910) and had in impressive nearly forty year career with the Bolshoi Ballet (1910 – 1948) as well as stints with the Ballets Russes (1920 – 1923). In conjunction with Ivan Shlugleit, Kriger organized the Truppa Moskovskogo Khudozhestvennogo Baleta (1929), which eventually evolved into the Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre (1933). One of the favourite ballerinas of the dictator Josef Stalin during the World War II period, she was the author of Moi Zapiski (1930). Viktorina Kriger died (Dec 23, 1978) in Moscow.

Krishna Kumari – (c1794 – 1810) 
Rajput princess
Krishna Kumari was the daughter of Rana Bhim Singh of Mewar, whilst her mother was a princess of the royal house of Udaipur in Rajasthan. In 1708 her hand was sought by Sawai Jagat Singh of Jaipur, and by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. The two prospective grooms fought a long and protracted war over the right to win the princess’s hand, and the peace and economy of the states of Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaipur were eventually ruined. Her father, in an attempt to drastically salvage the situation, convinced Krishna Kumari to commit suicide, which she did. Her tragic death undermined the reputation of her proud family, and eventually the British took control of Udaipur.

Kristin – (fl. c1450)
Icelandic letter writer
Kristin managed and supervised her own estate, servants, and other workers. Her letters survive, and deal mainly with the daily problems and details of running and administering to a large estate.

Kristin ferch Gronw    see    Cristin

Kristina Alexandra Vasa    see    Christina of Sweden

Kristina Bjornsdotter – (c1120 – 1170)
Queen consort of Sweden
Princess Kristina Bjornsdotter was the daughter of Bjorn Jarnsida, Prince of Denmark. She was married firstly to Jaroslav Haraldsson, Prince of Kiev (died c1148), and secondly (c1150) to Erik IX (c1120 – 1161), King of Sweden. Her daughter, Margaret Eriksdotter, became the second wife of Sverker, king of Norway.

Kristina Sigurdsdotter – (1127 – 1178)
Queen consort of Norway (c1146 – 1155)
Princess Kristina Sigurdsdotter was the daughter of Sigurd I, King of Norway, and his Russian second wife, Malmfride of Kiev. Kristina was married firstly (c1146) to her cousin, Sigurd II of Norway (1133 – 1155), but none of the sons of this marriage, Harald or Erik, succeeded to the throne. Her daughter, Cecilia Sigurdsdotter (died after 1185) was married firstly to Folkvid, and secondly to Baard Guttormsson (died 1194). Queen Kristina remarried secondly (1155) to Erling Skakke (c1115 – 1179) by whom she was the mother of Magnus V Erlingsson (1156 – 1184), who succeeded as king of Norway (1162) mainly due to her efforts. Queen Kristina died aged forty-one.

Krout, Caroline Virginia – (1853 – 1931)
American author and historian
Krout was born ay Crawfordsville, Indiana, and used the pseudonym ‘Caroline Brown.’ Her works included, Knights in Fustian: A War Time Story of Indiana (1900) and Dionis of the White Veil (1911). Caroline Krout died (Oct 9, 1931) aged seventy-eight.

Krudener, Barbara Juliana von Vietinghoff, Baroness von – (1764 – 1824)
Russian mystic
Baroness Barbara von Vietinghoff was born in Riga, the daughter of Baron von Vietinghoff. She was married (1782) to the Russian ambassador to Venice, Baron von Krudener, but the marriage was not congenial, and they seperated several years afterwards (1785). The baroness resided in Paris and St Petersburg, and wrote the immensely popular autobiographical novel Valerie (1803) and began to develop a deep and abiding interest in religious mysticism. She met and influenced the Russian tsar, Alexander I, himself a mystic, and through him she was said to have organized the Holy Alliance, of Russia, Austria, and Prussia (1815). Her behaviour became more and more bizarre, and eventually the baroness became engrossed in a plan for the Tsar to conquer Greece. Eventually she was rejected by Alexander, and retired to her family estates in Riga. Her last years were spent in communication with the Moravian Brethren.

Krumpholtz, Anne-Marie – (c1755 – 1813)
French harpist and composer
Anne Marie Steckler was born at Metz, Lorraine, and was probably the daughter of the noted harp maker, Christian Steckler. She studied the harp under Johann Baptist Krumpholtz, whom she later married (1783). The couple had two daughters. Prior and directly after her marriage, Anne-Marie had performed at the Concert Spirituel in Paris (1779 – 1784). Madame Krumpholtz appears to have left her husband for a lover, and then fled with him to England (c1788) and performed there till 1803. Her works included A Favorite Piemontois Air, with Variations by Dalvimare (c1810). Anne-Marie Krumpholtz died (Nov 15, 1813) of apoplexy in London.     

Krupskaya, Nadezhda Konstantinovna – (1869 – 1939)
Russian politican
A leader of the Bolshevik movement, Nadezhda Krupskaya was born in St Petersburg, to a poor aristocratic family, and trained as a teacher before becoming the wife (1896) to Russian dictator Vladimir Lenin. A prominent member of the Marxist Russian Social Democratgic Party, she published the feminist pamphlet The Woman Worker (1900).

Krusenstjerna, Agnes Julie Frederica von – (1894 – 1940)
Swedish novelist
Krusenstjerna aroused considerable controversy by penning several sexually explicit novels such as the seven volume work Froknarna von Pahlen (The Misses von Pahlen) (1930 – 1935).

Kryzhanoskaia, Vera Ivanovna    see    Rochester, J.W.

Krzyzanowska, Halina – (1860 – 1937)
Polish pianist and composer
Halina Kryzanowska was born in Paris, and studied the piano under Felix Le Couppey at the Paris Conservatoire. She performed mainly in Poland and France, and was made an officer of the Academie de France (1896). Madame Krzyzanowska was later appointed professor of piano at the Rennes conservatory in Brittany. She composed dance pieces, sonatas, a symphony, string quartet, and many chamber works. Though greatly admired in their day, her works are now largely forgotten.

Kschessinska, Mathilde Felixovna – (1872 – 1971) 
Russian ballerina and memoirist
Mathilde Kschessinska was born (Sept 1, 1872) at Ligovo, near Peterhof, the daughter of Felix Kschessinski, a Polish character dancer. Trained in the ballet from early childhood, she became a member of the Imperial Ballet at the Marinskii Theatre (1889) and by 1894 she was acclaimed for her brilliant dancing. She was the first Russian ballerina to perform the 32 fouettes and the first Russian to dance Aurora. Renowned for her superb technique and personal charm, Kschessinska eventually gained the title of prima ballerina assoluta (1895). Excelling in the great classical ballets, but enjoying dramatic roles like La Esmerelda, she performed later with the Diagilev Ballet Russes (1911) in London, Budapest and Monte Carlo.

It was while she was performing at the Marinskii that she first attracted the attention of the Tsarevitch Nicholas (later Nicholas II), with whom she lived as his mistress (1892 – 1894) until his marriage with the German princess Alexandra of Hesse. Whilst continuing with her ballet career, Kschessinska then became the mistress of the future Christian X of Denmark before the tsar’s cousin Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovitch (1879 – 1956) fell in love with her, and she bore him a son Vladimir (1902 – 1974) her pregnancy forcing her to hand over some of her roles to Anna Pavlova. With the outbreak of the Revolution (1917) Mathilde and her son were sent to safety at Kislovodsk, where they remained until finally leaving Russia for Contrexeville in France (1919). Andrei married her (1921) after the death of his mother and she assumed the title of princess Romanovsky-Krassinsky. With Andrei’s death financial considerations forced Mathilde to set up a studio in Paris were she gave ballet instruction until she retired (1963). Mathilde Kschessinska died (Dec 7, 1971) aged ninety-nine, in Paris.

Kshetrayya – (fl. c1650 – c1700)
Indian poet
Kshetraya came from the Telegu region. Several of her poems survive including, ‘Dancing-Girl’s Song.’

Ktenava, Katena   see    Victor, Katherine

Kuan, Fu-Jen – (1262 – 1319)
Chinese painter, poet and calligrapher
Fu-Jen Kuan was born into a prominent family in Zhejiang province. She became the wife of the artist Zhao Meng, who served in the government under the Mongol invaders (1286). Fu-Jen and her husband resided in Peking (Beijing), and accompanied her husband on his travels throughout China on official business. A talented artist who was particularly noted for her representations of flowers and birds, her poem ‘Married Love’ survives. She died whilst travelling to Shandong.

Ku-baba – (fl. c2400 BC)
Queen of Kish
Ku-baba is believed to have been of Sumerian origin. Formerly a tavern-keeper (sabitum) which h has been traditionally translated as ‘ale-wife,’ she founded one of the early dynasties at Kish. Queen Ku-baba apparently ruled in her own right, and was succeeded by her son, King Puzur-sin (c2380 BC), and then her grandson, King Ur-Zababa (c2360 BC).

Kubatum – (fl. c1800 – c1750 BC)
Sumerian poet and princess
Her verses ‘Love Song to King Shu-Suen’ have survived.

Kubini, Zofia – (fl. c1650 – c1700)
Slovak-Czech religious hymn writer
Some of her work survives. Few details of her life have been recorded save that she came from an upper class family and had received a decent education.

Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth – (1926 – 2004)
Swedish-American psychiatrist, thanatologist, and physician
Elisabeth was born in Zurich. She worked as a hospital volunteer during WW II, and this decided her upon a career in medicine. She graduated from the University of Zurich (1957), married and moved to the USA, where she remained the rest of her life. Kubler-Ross established herself in psychiatric practice, and was later appointed assistant professor at the University of Chicago Medical School in Illinois. Her treatment of terminally ill patients led to the publication of her famous work On Death and Dying (1969) and Death: The Final Stage of Growth (1975).

Kuhn, Maggie (Margaret) – (1905 – 1995)
American civil rights activist and social reformer, advocate for the elderly
Kuhn was born (Aug 3, 1905) in Buffalo, New York, and was a teacher with the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association). Maggie Kuhn became the founder of the Gray Panthers movement (1971) after she was forced to retire by the Presbyterian Church in a determination to fight ageism, and campaigned for truth in advertising. She was the author of Retirement Living (1972), and published her autobiography No Stone Unturned (1991). Maggie Kuhn died (April 22, 1995) aged eighty-nine, in Philadelphia.

Kuhnett, Elizabeth Marie Christine   see   Landi, Elissa

Kulaprabhavati – (c450 – c490 AD)
Cambodian queen
Kulaprabhavati was the first wife of Jayavarman, King of Funan, and was the mother of his son Gunavarman. Both she and her son erected an inscription in Sanskrit which has survived. A stele found in the Takeo province of Cambodia reveled that the queen built a private estate with a palace and lake, which was for her retirement from public life. Her son was murdered (514) by his half-brother Rudravarman, the son of a concubine.

Kulichevskaia, Klavdia Mikhailovna – (1861 – 1923) 
Russian ballerina
Kulichevskaia trained and graduated (1880) at the St Petersburg Theatre School. Besides an impressive career as leading ballerina at the Mariinski Theatre until 1918, she also taught dance at the Petersburg School (1901 – 1917), her pupils including Olga Spesivtseva, for whom she specifically revived Skazka Beloi Nochi (1913). She left Russia after her retirement. Klavdia Kulichevskaia died in Tokyo, Japan.

Kuliffay, Izabella – (1863 – 1945)
Hungarian pianist and composer
Kuliffay was born (Dec 29, 1863) at Pest, and studied at the National Conservatory in Budapest and at the Budapest Academy of Music (1879 – 1883), where she was taught by Kornel Abranyi and Gyula Erkel. Madame Kuliffay later organized a school for girls (1901 – 1916) and then taught music until her eventual retirement (1932). She later served as vice-president of the Hungarian Women’s Choral Union. Izabella Kuliffay died (Jan 19, 1945) aged eighty-one, in Budapest.

Kulisciova, Anna Moiseevna – (1854 – 1925) 
Russian-Italian politician and revolutionary
Anna Kulisciova was born in Simferopol the daughter of a merchant. From the early 1870’s she studied at the Zurich University in Switzerland, where she became closely associated with the reactionary Bakunist narodniks. This led to her further involvement with the revolutionary movement in Russia against Tsar Alexander II (1873 – 1877). Forced to flee abroad to Paris, Kulisciova based herself there, but was soon expelled by the French government for organizing a local section of the Marxist International group, and moved on to Italy, where she remained for the rest of her life. There she became one of the founding members of the Italian Socialist Party (1892). Female suffrage was not a priority with Kulisciova as she believed that the emancipation of women would be a natural development from the emancipation of the working class, so she opposed her party’s commitment to women’s suffrage (1910).

Kulka, Eva Susanne – (1919 – 2009)
Austrian-Australian poet
Eva Abelis was born (March 9, 1919) in Vienna, the daughter of Fritz Abelis, a Jewish bank official. She attended public schools but fled to England with her family to escape the Nazi regime (1939). In England she was employed as a social worker and book keeper with UKIAS (United Kingdom Immigrant Advisory Service), and later attended Emerson College in Sussex, which was organized and run by the Anthroposophical Society, first as a student and later as an accountant on the staff.
Eva then immigrated to Australia (1946) and was married twice, secondly to Arthur Kulka, leaving two children from her first marriage. She later returned to England where she was appointed as house organizer for live-in students at Emerson College. She later worked in an office at Watford. She retired in 1985 but continued to work as a volunteer until 1990 when she returned to Australia and resided at Hornsby in Sydney, New South Wales. She published the collection of verse entitled simply Poems (2003) which included works such as ‘The Ides of March 1978,’ A Landlady’s Dilemma,’ ‘My Daughter’s 40th Birthday’ and ‘The Cemetery.’ She was a friend and supporter of the South African painter Beni Kleynhans, to whom she addressed several of her verses, and whom she cared for in her own home until his death (1992). Eva Kulka died (Jan 8, 2009) at Byron Bay in Queensland.

Kulp, Nancy – (1921 – 1991)
American comedy film and television actress and political campaigner
Best known for playing the frustrated spinster bank secretary Jane Hathaway in the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962 – 1971) with Irene Ryan and Buddy Ebsen, Nancy Kulp was born (Aug 28, 1921) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She attended Florida State University and the University of Miami before volunteering for war service with WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service). For her WW II service she received several commendations such as the American Campaign Medal and the National Defense Medal.
Though originally attached to the publicity department in Hollywood, California, it was director George Cukor (1899 – 1983) who recognized her talent, and encouraged Kulp to become a character actress.
Her movie credits included such films as The Model and the Marriage Broker (1952), Shane (1953), The Parent Trap (1961) and The Patsy (1964). Kulp also appeared on television shows such as The Bob Cummings Show (1955 – 1959) in which she played eccentric neighbour, Pamela Livingston, and The Brian Keith Show (1973 – 1974). For her portrayal of Jane Hathaway she received an Emmy Award nomination (1967). Kulp made a brief foray into politics as the Democrat representative for Pennsylvania (1984), but she was soundly defeated by her Republican counterpart, Bud Schuster, who was actually supported by her former co-star, Buddy Ebsen. Nancy Kulp died (Feb 3, 1991) aged sixty-nine, in California.

Kumaradevi – (fl. c335 AD)
Indian queen
Kumaradevi was a Licchavi princess and became the wife of King Candragupta I (died c335 AD) and was the mother of King Samudragupta (c322 – 376 AD). A pillar inscription of her son’s from Allahabad, composed by the courtier Harisens, gives prominence to the marriage of Samudragupta’s parents, and the king proudly described himself as the son of the daughter of the Licchavis. The importance of Kumaradevi’s marriage is also attested by a series of gold coins, which depict on one side the figures of the queen and her son, and on the other is depicted a goddess seated on a lion with the name of the Licchavis beside it. It seems that through Kumaradevi her son was able to succeed his maternal grandfather in the licchavi kingdom, situated in northern Bihar.

Kummer, Clare Rodman Beecher – (1888 – 1948)
American dramatist, stage writer, and lyricist
Clare Kummer was author of the plays Rollo’s Wild Oat (1922) and Her Master’s Voice (1933). She also composed the popular song ‘In the Dingle-Dongle Bell.’

Kunhardt, Dorothy Meserve – (1901 – 1979) 
American children’s author and illustrator
Dorothy Meserve was born in New York, the daughter of Frederick Hill Meserve. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College, and wrote and illustrated her first work Junket Is Nice in 1922, but her most famous work was Pat the Bunny (1940), who helped introduce a whole generation of pre-school children to books in a combination of touch and tell. This work sold millions of copies, and remained a bestseller on the children’s classics list. Dorothy collaborated with her son Philip B. Kunhardt Jr, the managing director of Life magazine, on two works Twenty Days (1955) concerned with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the ensuing national mourning, and Mathew Brady and His World (1977), a book of Civil War photography. Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt died (Dec 23, 1979) aged seventy-eight, in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Kunigunda of England   see   Gunhilda of England

Kunigunda of Luxemburg (Cunegund) – (c983 – 1033)
German Holy Roman Empress (1002 – 1024)
Countess Kunigunda was the daughter of Friedrich I, Count of Luxemburg and his wife Ermentrude of Gleiberg. She was married whilst still a child (995) to Duke Henry of Bavaria (973 – 1024), who was elected to succeed the childless emperor Otto III on the Imperial throne (1002). The marriage remained childless. Later writers assert that husband and wife took a vow of perpetual chastity, and this story is accepted by the Roman Martyrology, but modern historians would seem to agree that there is no reliable evidence to corroborate this. With Henry’s accession, Kunigunda was crowned empress at Paderborn (Aug 1, 1002) by Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz, and the couple were later crowned together as king and queen of Lombardy (May 14, 1004). A decade later they travelled to Italy (1013), where they were formally recognized as emperor and empress by Pope Bencdict VIII, who crowned them at Tusculum (Feb 14, 1014).
During her husband’s lifetime the empress’s two brothers, Kuno and Dietrich of Luxemburg, caused the emperor much disquiet because of the overweening ambitions. In spite of her own exemplary life, Empress Kunigunda is said to have become the victim of slander, and successfully underwent the ordeal by fire, walking barefoot over hot ploughshares, in order to vindicate her chastity. Kunigunda assisted her husband with the foundation of Bamberg Cathedral, and founded the convent of Kaufingen, near Kassel, in Hesse, for nuns of the Benedictine order, in gratitude for her recovery from a serious illness. With Henry she was a supporter of the Cluniac reformers, and the decrees of the reforming Synod of Dortmund (1005) were issue in both their names. On his deathbed (July 13, 1024), the emperor commended to Kunigunda’s care the royal insignia, to be delivered by her own hand to his successor, Conrad II (1024 – 1039). During the interim period (July 13 – Sept 8) the Dowager Empress controlled the administration of the empire. With the completion and dedication of Kaufingen Abbey (1025), the empress retired from the world and became a nun there. Empress Kunigunda died (March 3, 1033) aged about forty-nine, at Kaufingen and was interred with her husband at Bamberg, being interred in the habit of a nun. Kunigunda was later canonized a saint (1200) by Pope Innocent III.

Kunigunde of Beichlingen – (c1088 – 1140)
German mediaeval noblewoman and heiress
Countess Kunigunde was the daughter of Kuno, Count of Beichlingen. She became the second wife (before 1110) of Diepold III (c1075 – 1146), Margrave of Vohburg, whom she predeceased.
Kunigunde died (June 8, 1140). Her seven children were,

• Diepold IV of Vohburg (c1112 – 1128). He became co-margrave with his father and was married but died childless, predeceasing his father.
• Luitgarde of Vohburg. She became the wife of Volkrat, Count of Lechsegemund.
• Berthold II of Vohburg (c1128 – c1182). He succeeded his father as Margrave (1146 – c1182) and was twice married, leaving issue.
• Kunigunde of Vohburg (1129 – 1184). She became the wife of Ottokar III (1125 – 1164), Margrave of Styria, and left issue.
• Adela of Vohburg (1130 – c1187). She was married firstly to Friedrich I (1122 – 1190), King of Germany (later Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa). This marriage remained childless and ended in divorce. Queen Adela remarried to Count Poppo III of Laufen (died after 1181), to whom she bore children.
• Sophia of Vohburg (c1132 – 1176). She was married firstly to Herman II, Count of Falkenstein, and secondly to Konrad II, Count of Peilstein.
• Diepold VI of Vohburg. He ruled jointly with his elder brother Berthold II.

Kunigunde of Bohemia – (1265 – 1321)
Princess and nun
Princess Kunigunde was born (Jan, 1265) elder the daughter of King Ottokar II Przemysl and his second wife Kunigunde, the daughter of Rotislav of Tschernigov, King of Bulgaria and of Galicia. Originally betrothed to Albert, the eldest son of the German king Rudolf I, this marriage never eventuated, and Kunigunde married (1290) to Boleslav II (1262 – 1313), Duke Plock and of Masovia. As a widow she became the Benedictine abbess of St George, in Prague, and attained a lasting reputation for piety and religious sanctity. Duchess Kunigunde died (Nov 27, 1321) aged fifty-six.

Kunigunde of Galicia – (1245 – 1285)
Queen consort of Bohemia (1261 – 1278)
Princess Kunigunde was the daughter of Rotislav of Tschernigov, King of Bulgaria and of Galicia and his wife Anna, the daughter of Bela I, King of Hungary (1060 – 1063). The princess became the second wife (1261) of Ottokar II (1233 – 1278), King of Bohemia, and bore him two daughters, and then finally, a son and heir, Wenceslas (Wenzel) (1271). Queen Kunigunde accompanied her husband to Germany (1273). With Ottokar’s death at the battle of Durnkrut (Aug 26, 1278), the queen desired to head the regency for her young son. However, her claims were passed over in favour of her later husband’s cousin, Otto IV, margrave of Brandenburg, who ruled Bohemia as regent until 1283. During this time, Wenzel II was removed from Kunigunde’s custody and care, and raised at the court of her rival in Brandenburg.
The queen mother held her own court in Prague, where she met and became enamoured of Zavis, Count von Falkenstein, and became his mistress. Kunigunde was soon dominated by her favourite, whose influence proved detrimental not only to her own reputation, but to her son’s rule.Queen Kunigunde died (Sept 9, 1285) aged forty, shortly after secretly marrying von Falkenstein. Zavis von Falkenstein later acquired a second royal bride, Elisabeth, the daughter of Stephen V, King of Hungary, but was later executed by order of his royal stepson (1290). Her children were,

• Princess Kunigunde of Bohemia (1265 – 1321). She became the wife of Boleslav II (1262 – 1313), Duke of Masovia in Poland.
• Princess Agnes of Bohemia (1269 – 1296). She became the wife of Rudolf II of Hapsburg (1271 – 1290), Duke of Austria.
• Wenzel II (1271 – 1305). He succeeded as King of Bohemia (1278 – 1305) and was later made King of Poland (1300). He was married twice and left issue.

Kunigunde of Hungary – (1224 – 1292)
Duchess of Poland
Princess Kunigunde was born (March 5, 1224) the daughter of Bela IV, King of Hungary (1235 – 1270) and his Byzantine wife Maria Laskarisa. She was married (1239) to Duke Boleslav V of Poland (1226 – 1279). With her husband’s permission Kunigunde undertook a vow of perpetual chastity before the Bishop of Cracow (1240) and led a most austere life, wearing hair shirts under all her garments, whilst the duke became known as ‘Boleslav the Chaste.’ The duchess organized food relief for the poor and needy, and when, after her husband’s death (1279), the nobles wished Kunigunde to carry on the government of Poland, she refused, and retired from the court, becoming a Poor Clare at the abbey of Sandeck.
Kunigunde spent the remainder of her life building churches and hospitals, paying the expenses of chaplains of the Friars Minor, and ransoming Christian captives from the Turks. When Poland was overrun by the Tartar hordes (1287), the nuns of Sandeck were forced to take refuge at the castle of Pyenin, which was at first besieged by the invaders. Their failure to take the castle and the continued safety of the inhabitants therein was credited to the duchess’s prayerful intercession. Duchess Kunigunde died (July 24, 1292) at Sandeck. She was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII (1690).

Kunigunde of Stade – (955 – 997)
German medieval noblewoman, countess consort of Walbeck (986 – 991)
Kunigunde of Stade was the mother of the famous chronicler, Thietmar of Merseburg. She was the daughter of Heinrich I, Count of Stade and his first wife Judith, the daughter of Eldo (Otto), Count in the Wetterau and Kunigunde, the daughter of Herbert I, Count of Vermandois in France. Kunigunde was married (c971) to Siegfried I (c937 – 991), the reigning Count of Walbeck from 986, to whom she bore several children. She survived Siegfried as the Dowager Countess of Stade (991 – 997). Countess Kunigunde died (July 13, 997). Her children were,

• Friedrich of Walbeck (c972 – after 1012). He became Burgrave of Magdeburg and was married twice, leaving issue.
• Heinrich, Count of Walbeck (c973 – after 1014).
• Thietmar of Walbeck (975 – 1018). He became a monk and was appointed as Bishop of Merseburg.
• Siegfried of Walbeck (c978 – 1032). He also took holy orders, and was later appointed as Abbot of Berge in Magdeburg (1009) and later Bisho of Munster (1022).
• Bruno of Walbeck (c981 – 1049). He entered the church as well, and was appointed as abbot in Nienburg and Magdeburg (1025) and then Bishop of Verden (1034).
• Irmengarde of Walbeck. She became a nun and was Abbess of Alsleben.
• Bertha of Walbeck. She became a nun and succeeded her elder sister as Abbess of Alsleben.

Kunigunde of Swabia – (c868 – 920)
Queen consort of Germany
Countess Kunigunde was the daughter of Berchtold III, Count Palatine of Swabia, and his wife, a granddaughter of the Carolingian Emperor Lothair I (840 – 855). Kunigunde was married firstly (c881) to Luitpold of Bavaria (c853 – 907), Margrave of Carinthia, who was killed in battle against the Hungarians at Pressburg, and by whom she left descendants. Her second husband was Conrad I, King of Burgundy (c875 – 918) but this marriage remained childless. Queen Kunigunde died (June 7, 920) aged in her early fifties.

Kunismatum – (fl. c1800 – c1770 BC)
Assyrian courtier
Perhaps a secondary wife of Zimri-Lim, King of Mari, she was an important personage during the reign of King Yasmah-Addu, and survived the change of power to become a member of Zimri-Lim’s harem. Surviving correspondence from the royal archive at Mari revealed that Kunismatum resided at Terqa, where the local governor, Kibri Dagan, one wrote to Zimri-Lim to inform him that Kunismatum was suffering an illness. Her own letters reveal that she may have been associated with the worship of the local cult of Dagan.

Kurakina, Alexandra Ivanovna Panina, Countess – (1711 – 1786)
Russian noblewoman and courtier
Alexandra Kurakina was the daughter of Count Ivan Panin and his wife Countess Agrafena Vasilievna Everlakova, the daughter of Count Vassily Everlakov. Alexandra became the wife of Count Alexander Kurakin (1697 – 1749) who served at the court of the Empress Anna Ivanovna. She survived her husband for over three decades as the Dowager Countess Kurakina (1749 – 1786) and attended the Empress Catherine II. She was mentioned in the Memoires of the Princess Dashkova. Her children included Prince Boris Alexandrovitch Kurakin (1733 – 1764) and Princess Natalia Alexandrovna Kurakina (1737 – 1797) the wife of Prince Nicholas Repnin.

Kurdujin – (c1276 – after 1320)
Mongol queen
Kurdujin was the daughter of Mengu-Temur and his wife Abish Khatun, Queen of Kirman. She was married to Soynghatmish Qutlugh-Khanid, ruler of Kirman, and briefly ruled in Kirman as regent (1295).

Kurgapkina, Ninel – (1929 – 2009)
Russian ballerina and teacher
Kurgapkina was born (Feb 13, 1929) in Leningrad and studied under the celebrated Agrippina Vaganova. She joined the Kirov Ballet and became a solo performer. Kurgapkina performed many times with Rudolf Nureyev appearing in Gayane by Nina Asimova, La Bayadere, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. The character of Anna Andreevna in Oleg Vinogradov’s ballet The Government Inspector was created especially for her.
Kurgapkina performed in Paris, New York and at La Scala in Milan and was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR (1974). She later performed with Mikhail Baryshnikov and became a dance coach with the Kirov Ballet (1969) and was then appointed as a director of the Vaganova Academy (1972). Her pupils included Uliana Lopatkina and Anna Polikarpova. Ninel Kurgapkina died (May 8, 2009) aged eighty, in St Petersburg.

Kurland, Dorothea von Medem, Duchesse de – (1761 – 1821) 
German salonniere and political figure,
Born Countess Anna Charlotte Dorothea von Medem at Mesothen in Kurland, she was the daughter of Count Johann Friedrich von Medem and his wife Louise Charlotte von Manteuffel gen. Szoege. She was married (1779) to Peter Biron, Duke of Kurland and Sengallen (1724 – 1800) to whom she bore four daughters, including the famous political salonniere, the Duchesse de Dino. An influential political figure, possessed of great personal dignity and charm, as well as political intelligence, the duchesse was a friend to the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and to the influential French statesman, the Prince de Talleyrand, whose mistress she became in Paris (1810). She took a small chateau at St Germain where Talleyrand seems to have become more or less, a permanent guest. A regular correspondent with Tsar Alexander I of Russia, her letters were in fact drafted by Talleyrand, then copied, and finally read and signed by the duchess before being delivered.  Alarmed by the threat of hostilities between France and Russia (1812) the duchesse returned to her estates in Germany to assure that her possessions were amply protected. With Talleyrand she entertained Louis XVIII in Paris (1814) after the restoration of the Bourbons. Duchess Dorothea de Kurland died (Aug 20, 1821) at Lobichau, Altenburg.

Kurnatowska, Maria Elzbiera – (1945 – 2009)
Polish politician
Kurnatowska was born (July 2, 1945) at Strzelno, and studied history at university in Poznan. She became involved in State politics and joined the Polish People’s Party. Maria was appointed as a delegate of the Bydgoszcz Regional Assembly (1990) and was then elected to a seat on the Sejm (Lower House of the Polish Parliament) which she held for four years (1993 – 1997). She was later elected to the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Regional Assembly and served three terms (1999 – 2009). Maria Kurnatowska received the Golden Cross of Merit (1999) in recognition of her contribution to politics and died (March 27, 2009) aged sixty-three.

Kurt, Melanie – (1880 – 1941)
Austrian soprano
Kurt was born in Vienna, and studied the piano at the Vienna Conservatory under Theodor Leschetizky (1830 – 1915). She performed with Lilli Lehmann and was later a member of the Brunswick (1908 – 1912) and Berlin Operas (1915 – 1917). Kurt performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and was particularly acclaimed for her Wagnerian roles. Melanie Kurt died (March 11, 1941) aged sixty, in New York.

Kuster, Anna Maria    see   Reinhard, Anna Maria

Kusumavardhani – (fl. c1350 – c1390)
Javanese queen
Kusumavardhani was the daughter of Rasanajara, King of Majapahit, and his wife Hayam Wuruk. She was married (c1350) to her cousin, King Vrikramavardhana, who ruled for over three decades (1389 – 1429). She was the mother of King Bhre Tumapel (1447 – 1451) and the queen regnant Suhita.

Kusunose, Kita – (1833 – 1920)
Japanese politician
Born Kita Kumaji in Kochi prefecture, she was the daughter of an ordinary workman. She was married (1854) to Masamoto Kusunose, a noted fencing instructor. After the death of her husband, Kita took an active interest in social and political affairs, becoming such as strident force for the reform of civil rights that she earned the sobriquet ‘Minken Baba’ (hag of civil rights). She was a supporter of the minister Taisuke Itagaki and a friend of Mitsur Koyama.

Kuyper, Elisabeth – (1877 – 1953)
Dutch composer and orchestral conductor
Kuyper was born (Sept 13, 1877) in Amsterdam. She studied music under Daniel de Lange and Frans Coenen, and then later she had further instruction with Max Bruch in Berlin. Kuyper taught composition and theory at the Hochschule fur Musik in Berlin, Prussia (1908 – 1920). She was the first woman to win the Mendelssohn State Prize for composition, and established four symphony orchestras for women. Her chamber pieces included Violin Sonata (1901) and Serenata Ticinese (1928). Elisabeth Kuyper died (Feb 26, 1953) aged seventy-five, at Viganello, Switzerland.

Kvedrova, Zofka – (1878 – 1926) 
Slovak feminist and writer
Escaping from an unhappy family life, Zofka worked as a clerk in Ljubljana and Trieste, and became involved with the liberal and feminist circles there. Travelling to Switzerland and Germany, she was also briefly employed as a journalist in Prague, Bohemia. Influenced by the Swedish writers, Ellen Key and Laure Marholm, Zofka’s first work Misterijzene (1900) was a collection of sketches which mirrored her own early misfortunes. Her most famous work, the novel Njenozivljenje (1914) followed the same themes in the life of a loyal wife and mother. Her play Amerikanci (1908), dealt with the problems engendered by mass emigrations.

Kwanshi – (fl. c1330 – c1350)
Japanese empress consort
Kwanshi was the eldest daughter of the Emperor Go-Daigo. She was married (1332) to the northern emperor Kogon (1313 – 1364), and was mother to the Emperor Sukaoe (1334 – 1398).

Kwenayagae – (fl. c1860 – 1874)
African queen
Kwenayagae was of ancient royal lineage, being a descendant of the sixteenth century chieftain Kwena, the titular founder of the Bakwena tribe. She was the first wife of Macheng, King of the Bamangato (c1830 – c1873). Their marriage remained childless, and after Macheng’s expulsion from his kingdom and subsequent death, Queen Kwenayage remarried to Sechele I, King of the Bakwena (c1810 – c1892) as his last wife. This marriage was also childless. She was stepmother to Sebele I (c1840 – 1911), King of the Bakwena.

Kyasht, Lydia – (1885 – 1959)
Russian ballerina
Kyasht was born in St Petersburg, and trained at the Imperial school, together with Anna Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina. Kyasht made her stage debut (1902) and succeeded in becoming a prima ballerina with the Marinskii Theatre before travelling to England (1908). In England Lydia Kyasht took over the role of Swanilda in, Coppelia from Adeline Genee, and was extremely successful as the wild gypsy dancer in Round the World. During her time at the Empire Theatre, she appeared in the title role of the new opera Sylvia (1911) and appeared with Serge Diaghilev dancing the Firebird in L’oiseau de feu (1912). She later established the dance company, Ballet de la Jeunesse (1940). Her memoirs were published as Romantic Recollections (1929). Lydia Kyasht died (Jan 12, 1959) aged seventy-three, in London.

Kyme, Elizabeth Tailboys, Lady    see   Tailboys, Elizabeth

Kynedride (Cynedridis, Chidestre) – (c627 – 701)
Anglo-Saxon queen consort and saint
Kynedride was the daughter of Penda, King of Mercia, and his wife Cyneswyth. She became the first wife (c643) of Cenwalh (c620 – 672), King of Wessex, but their marriage remained childless. The English chroniclers Palgrave and Holinshed mistakenly called this lady Sexburga, naming her as the daughter of King Pybba of Mercia, but this is a hopeless confusion with King Cenwalh’s second wife of that name, the two women being completely seperate identities. Cenwalh created a political scandal by divorcing Queen Kynedride in order to marry Sexburga (645). The queen returned to her father’s court in Mercia, having already converted to Christianity.
King Oswini of Deira (died 651) then wished to marry her, but she refused his suit. Instead, Kynedride concerted Oswini, and persuaded him to make a pilgrimage to Rome instead. With the death of King Penda (654), Kynedride entered the monastery of Caistor, which had been founded by her elder sister, Queen Cyneburga, and became a nun there. Kynedride is often left out of the number of the sainted children of King Penda, but she is included amongst them in the Britannia Sancta and in The Lives of the Women Saints in England. She is believed to be identical with St Chidestre (died 701), the daughter of Penda who appears in the list compiled by Cardinal Newman. The church honoured Kynedride as a saint (March 6 and May 31).

Kyneswyth (Cyneswid, Cyneswitha) – (c637 – after 709)
Anglo-Saxon queen consort and saint
Kyneswyth was the daughter of Penda, King of Mercia and his wife Cyneswyth. She was the younger sister to Queen Cyneburga of Deira and Queen Kynedride of Wessex. Kyneswyth was married (c655) to King Sebbi of Essex, to whom she bore three sons. Husband and wife professed great religious sanctity, and Sebbi permitted Kyneswyth freedom to pursue her religious career without hindrance, after the succession had been assured. With her sister Cyneburga she assisted with the establishment of the abbey of Medeshamstede, later known as Peterborough. The foundation charter of the abbey records the prescence of Kyneswyth, her husband, and her sister at the consecration ceremony (656).
With Cyneburga’s death (680), Kyneswyth succeeded her as abbess, which position she retained until her death. King Sebbi abdicated shortly before his own death (c695), and was later venerated as a saint (Aug 29). During her old age (709) the abbess convinced her kinsman, King Offa of Essex, to leave his wife and make a pilgrimage to Rome. She was buried in the abbey of Peterborough. During the reign of Henry I (1100 – 1135) the bones of Kyneswyth, Cyneburga, and their kinswoman, Tibba, were restored to Peterborough from the abbey of Thorney, where they had been taken for safety when Peterborough had been ravaged by the Danes during the reign of Aethelred II. A festival was instituted to honour this translation which became the feast day for these three royal saints (March 6).

Kynnana (Cynane) – (357 – 323 BC) 
Macedonian queen
Kynnana was the daughter of Philip II and his wife Audata of Illyria. Her mother died at her birth, and she was the elder half-sister to Alexander the Great. She was married (c342 BC) to her cousin, Amyntas IV (363 – 336 BC) and their daughter Eurydice was later married to her uncle, Philip III Arrhidaeus. A successful warrior, she was taken into battle with her father, and once killed an Illyrian queen in hand to hand combat. With her father’s assassination at Pella, her husband was proclaimed joint-king with his half-brother, Alexander, but was soon murdered. With Alexander’s death (323 BC), Kynnana participated in the dynastic intrigues which rent the royal house. She arranged her daughter’s marriage to Arrhidaeus, and supported their claim to the throne. She hired a mercenary army with her own finances, but was killed in battle the same year. Her daughter and son-in-law later perished at the hands of her stepmother, Queen Olympias (317 BC).

Kynnesley, Joanna de – (fl. c1400 – 1406) 
English petitioner
Joanna was the wife of a London citizen, John Kynnesley, who had been illegally imprisoned in Norwich Castle, Norfolk for some unknown cause. Joanna petitioned King Henry IV that her husband be either released or charged with some pspecific offence. The sheriff of Norfolk acted, and brought John to the Fleet prison in London while his case was examined. No proper cause for his detention could be found and because of her successful petition, Joanna succeeded in obtaining his release (Jan, 1406).

Kyota, Magdalene – (1542 – 1620)
Japanese Christian martyr
Magdalene was the wife of Simon Kyota, a nobleman and soldier from the kingdom of Bungo. Husband and wife were converted to Christianity by the Jesuits and established a school at Cocura. They refused to desist from their religious activities and were condemned to death together, Magdalene being crucified with her husband. She was later canonized as a saint (Aug 16).

Kypros (Cypros) – (c5 – c48 AD)
Jewish queen of the Herodian dynasty
Kypros was the daughter of Prince Pharsaelus, and his wife Salampsio, the daughter of Herod I the Great, King of Judaea. She was married (c24 AD) to King Herod Agrippa I (10 BC – 44 AD), whom she briefly survived. She was the mother of King Herod Agrippa II (27 – 100 AD), and of the infamous Queen Berenice, mistress to the Roman emperor Titus. Her daughter Drusilla was the wife of the Roman procurator, Antonius Felix.

Kyrk, Hazel – (1886 – 1957)
American consumer economist
Kyrk was born (Nov 19, 1886) in Ashley, Ohio, the daughter of a drayman. She worked as a schoolteacher before attending the Ohio Wesleyan University (1904 – 1906). She later earned herself a degree in economics and social sciences from the University of Chicago (1910). Kyrk was a pioneer figure in the field of consumer economics and her observations during WW I resulted in the publication of A Theory of Consumption (1923), which was followed by the study The Economic Problems of the Family (1929).
After stints at several universitites which included Stanford (1923 – 1924) and Iowa State College (1924 – 1925), Kyrk joined the faculty of the University of Chicago, where she remained over two and a half decades (1925 – 1952). She was later made a full professor (1941). Prior to and during WW II Hazel Kyrk served as the principal economist in the Bureau of Home Economics of the Department of Agriculture (1938 – 1941), where she contributed to the massive, twenty volume Consumer Purchases Study, which established what became known as the consumer price index. She retired in 1952 and published The Family in the American Economy (1953). Hazel Kyrk died (Aug 6, 1957) aged seventy, in West Dover, Vermont.

Kyteler, Alice – (c1263 – after 1324) 
Irish accused witch
Alice Kyteler had been married four times, her first three husbands, William Outlawe, a banker and moneylender, Adam Le Blund, and Richard de Valle, all dying in mysterious circumstances.
When her fourth husband, Sir John le Poer, fell ill of a wasting sickness in 1324, suspicion against Alice grew. After receiving information from a maidservant, Sir John had his wife’s apartments forcibly searched, and arranged for Richard de Ledrede, the Bishop of Ossory, to accuse her of witchcraft. She was indicted for heresy, animal sacrifice, prophecy and consorting with demons, mockery of of church ritual, the making of sinister charms and spells, and finally, of conducting sexual relations with a spirit named Robert Artisson. The entire charges appear to have been inspired by a dispute over property, as her children accused Dame Alice of stealing their inheritance through the use of magic incantations.
Dame Alice bravely defied, and even managed to imprison the bishop briefly in Kilkenny Castle, despite having been herself excommunicated. Assisted by members of the local nobility, Dame Alice gathered her jewels, and fled to safety and obscurity in England, where she remained for the rest of her life. She was tried and convicted in absentia. Her favourite son William Outlawe had been arrested as her accomplice, but was pardoned, on condition that he pay for the re-roofing of St Mary’s Cathedral. However several of her other accomplices were not so lucky, and her personal maid, Petronilla de Meath was burnt at the stake. This notorious trial was the forerunner of the later witchtrials which plagued Europe and Britain.

Kyveli (Cybele) – (1887 – 1978)
Greek tragic actress, legendary figure of stage and film
Kyveli was born in Smyrna and was raised in an orphanage in Athens before being adopted by a noted lawyer named Andrianou. She appeared on stage at an early age and was one of the most important actresses at the Nea Skini (1901 – 1906). She became popularly known by her classical Christian name, and excelled in ancient tragedy roles such as Alcestis and Antigone. She also performed the plays of Henril Ibsen and Leo Tolstoy. The dramatist Gregorios Xenopoulos wrote the successful play The Red Rock especially for her. She later co-founded the National Theatre of Greece (1932) with fellow actress and rival, Maria Kotopouli. She appeared in several films and made a notable stage appearance in the title role of Lysistrata (1951), the ancient comedy of Aristophanes.