Women Who Made History

At the age of 14 Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst a princess from a minor German aristocratic family, journeyed to Russia... because she had been chosen to marry Grand Duke Peter, heir to the Russian throne. For the sake of the marriage she converted to the Russian Orthodox religion and was given the name that has become famous in history: Catherine.

Some countries attain crucial characteristics under female rule, such as the England of Queen Elizabeth I and the Russia of Catherine the Great. And then there are women who do not rule and yet manage to leave their mark on their land, their era. One of these, known as the Queen of Hearts during her lifetime, was Louise of Prussia. Though she had no official political or military power, she wielded influence over the men who did - predominantly her husband King Frederick Wilhelm III - and she had the stature and style to become a symbolic figure.

Unlike the other women in this series, Sophie Scholl had neither power nor influence. She has gone down in history because she took a stand against injustice, virtually ignored by the world at large, and paid the ultimate price for her principles. Alongside Count von Stauffenberg, she is now one of the most popular figures of German resistance against Hitler during the Second World War. Photographs show her as a 20-year-old girl; knowing that she was interrogated, tried and executed simply for speaking out about the injustices of the Nazi regime has helped make her part of the collective memory of the German nation.