Warrior queen, castle defender or besieger, pirate, or street duelist.
These are only a few phrases that Jessica Salmonson uses to describe the female Amazons of world history.
And once upon a time, an esoteric group of such fierce women pervaded over the Kingdom of Thailand.
This group was the all-women bodyguard of the King of Siam.
Salmonson, the author ofThe Encyclopedia of Amazons, calls them the best-trained force in all of Siam.
King Chulalongkorn and the royal family
Called the Krome Klone, this group consisted of 400 women.
These were divided into four battalions of 100 guards each.
The battalions were captained by women as well.
Each woman would admit herself at the age of 13, and join the army by 25.
From then on they became a part of the royal guard.
Upon entering the palace Amazons, the women took a vow of chastity.
Every candidate was robust and beautiful as a prerequisite, and roamed in fine uniform after selection.
The strength and structure of the battalion was imitated in other areas of the military as well.
In Burma, a similar bodyguard was set up to protect the princes of the kingdom.
Many works discussed the sheer capability of these women over time.
The King of Siam never went anywhere without his Krome Klone.
All Amazons had only one purpose and duty: protection.
They were hence assigned five black women each who took care of all domestic chores for them.
Free of any other duty, each Amazon focussed only on her job as a guard and protector.
The Krom Klone was dissolved by the 19th century only due to dwindling recruitment numbers.
The archetype of the female Amazon has been around for generations.
Can you name a few from the 21st century?
References#The King of Siams Amazons#Stronghold-Nation#The Encyclopedia of Amazons
