Maria Lehman
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
Marija Léman | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Maria Lehman |
| Died | Grast, Luepola |
| Buried | TBD |
| Allegiance |  V_FRL |
| Years of service | 1818 |
| Memorials | TBD |
Maria Lehman (Luepolan: Marija Léman) was a semi-legendary heroine of the 1818 Uprising in Luepola. She is credited with having organized the revolt of the peasantry in the vicinity of Grast into the organized army that Gordăn Petrušić would come to command, and secure victory over Ratimir II with. Maria Lehman is usually portrayed as a peasant who became an experienced and skillful horsewoman. In some versions of her story, she is depicted as having been motivated to fight by the death of her husband; in others, she is simply one of a number of peasants. Most accounts of Lehman agree that she was killed in the Battle of Grast. Maria Lehman features prominently in Luepolan national symbology as an early patriot of the modern Luepolan state. Additionally, she is regarded by many more globally as an early icon of feminism, whose exploits contributed to the end of one of the more culturally backwards regimes of the era.
Historians who remain skeptical of Lehman's existence point to the lack of corroboration of her account from official, pre-1822 sources under either Ratimir or Petrušić, or similar sources written by Lehman herself. Additionally, some historians point out that Petrušić may have seen the propaganda value of a heroine leading common men into battle, in particular as a way to inspire the support of Luepolan women for the First Luepolan Republic.
