Francina Broese Gunningh, also known as Frans Gunningh Sloet (1783 - 1824),Broese Gunningh, Francina (1783-1824)
in: ''Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland'', 2015Death certificate
at wiewaswie.nl was a Dutch soldier who served in the French, Prussian and Dutch armies. Gunningh Sloet was born 3 October 1783 in

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as the illegitimate daughter of Antje Broese, and worked as a domestic. During a trip back from Paris to the Netherlands, she dressed as a man, which was common for female travelers to avoid harassment during journeys. During the trip, however, she was arrested by the French military police as a suspected deserter after having failed to provide sufficient identifications papers, and was forcibly enlisted in the French army. She deserted, and instead enlisted in the Prussian army. When she was wounded in the chest, her sex was discovered, and she was forced to leave service. She returned to the Netherlands, and enlisted in the Dutch army. She served in combat during the sieges of Kampen,

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, and

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during the

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

. In 1814, she was engaged to be married to Alida Landeel, and added the title "Lord of Amerongen" to her name. She was arrested for using a false noble title, but escaped prison. When she was arrested, she was forced to undergo a medical examination, which revealed her sex. She was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud. She died as the widow of one Mr. Lettener on 16 August 1824 in

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References

* Dekker, Rudolf & Lotte van de Pol (1995). ''Kvinnor i manskläder. En avvikande tradition. Europa 1500-1800.'' Stockholm: Östlings Bokförlag Symposion; {{DEFAULTSORT:Broese Gunningh, Francina 1783 births 1824 deaths 19th-century Dutch people Female wartime cross-dressers People from Kampen, Overijssel 19th-century LGBT people Women in 19th-century warfare Women in war in the Netherlands