Cherchez la femme. Note sulla relazione tra donne e guerra in alcune leggende della storiografia araba.

The article examines the recurring narrative motif of women as instigators or decisive figures in war within medieval Arabic historiography. Drawing on sources from the 9th to 13th centuries, it identifies two main patterns : (a) accounts in which violence against women – such as abduction or rape – sparks wars and political upheavals, and (b) narratives in which women influence the outcome of conflicts by betraying their families for love. Far from being mere anecdotal embellishments, these stories serve distinct ideological and literary functions, shaping premodern historical discourse and providing a framework for interpreting political and military upheavals. By comparing these narratives to similar motifs in other literary traditions, the article situates them within a broader framework and considers the hypothesis of a transcultural continuity in the trope that links women to war.