Florine of Burgundy (1083–1097 at Philomelium) was a French crusader. Florine was the daughter of Duke

Odo I of Burgundy Odo I (1060 – 1102Constance Brittain Bouchard, ''Sword, Miter, and Cloister: Nobility and the Church in Burgundy, 980–1198'', (Cornell University Press, 1987), 256. at Tarsus, Mersin, Tarsus), also known as Eudes, surnamed Borel and called '' ...

and

Sybilla of Burgundy Sybilla of Burgundy (1060–1103), was a French noble, Duchess consort of Burgundy by marriage to Eudes I, Duke of Burgundy. She was a daughter of William I, Count of Burgundy and Stephanie. She was married to Eudes I, Duke of Burgundy in 1080. ...

. Florine and her husband,

Sweyn the Crusader Sweyn the Crusader (); 1050 – 1097 at Philomelium (modern-day Akşehir, Turkey) was a Danish crusader. Biography Sweyn was born in Denmark, a son of King Sweyn II of Denmark, and husband of Florine of Burgundy. He is famous for his particip ...

, led fifteen hundred horsemen to the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

, and were surprised by the Turks whilst advancing rapidly across the plains of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

. Outnumbered, Sweyn defended himself during a whole day, without being able to repulse the Turks with all the efforts of his courage or the battle-axes of his warriors; Florine valiantly fought by his side. Pierced by seven arrows, but still fighting, she sought with Sweyn to open a passage towards the mountains, when they were overwhelmed by their enemies. They fell together on the field of battle at Philomelium, after having seen all their knights and most faithful servants perish around them.

Fiction

Florine's life was dramatized by

William Bernard McCabe William Bernard McCabe (1801–1891) was an Irish author of historical romances. Born in Dublin, he worked as a journalist for local newspapers before moving to London in 1833. He was employed by ''The Morning Chronicle'' and ''The Morning Herald ...

in the novel
Florine, Princess of Burgundy
A Tale of the First Crusaders'', published in 1855.

References

*Edgington, Susan; Sarah Lambert (2002). Gendering the Crusades. Columbia University Press. pp. 53–54. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Florine of Burgundy 1083 births 1097 deaths Christians of the First Crusade Women in medieval European warfare Women in 11th-century warfare Women in war in Western Asia