Catalina de Erauso: The Lieutenant Nun

Portrait Painting done by Juan van der Hamen (5)

The Beginning

Catalina de Erauso was born on February 10th, 1592 (though some sources cite 1585) to a military family in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. Catalina was the child of Captain Miguel de Erauso, and his wife Maria Perez de Arce Gallarraga. From the age of four, Catalina was raised with their three sisters in the Dominican convent of San Sebastian de Antiguo. Due to their rebellious attitudes, they were eventually transferred to the convent San Bartolome. (1) However, at the age of fifteen, Catalina stole the convent keys, ran away, and disguised themselves as a man. (2) Their escape lasted until they made their way to Vitoria, Spain, here Catalina went to work for a distant relative, who did not recognize them in men's clothing. A few months later, Catalina fled with stolen money and eventually settled in Valladolid. (1) At this time Catalina assumed the identity of Fransico de Loyola, and became a page of the secretary of King Juan de Idiaquez. (3)

 Taking Advantage of a New Life

Now with their newfound identity assumed, Catalina set out to drink, fight, and womanize. (3) Searching for new horizons, Catalina joined a fleet from Spain that was heading for America. After spending a year with the Spanish Conquistadors, Catalina stole pesos from the ship's captain and hid at the port of Nombre de Dios, Panama until the ships left. (1)  After this, they spent a short amount of time roaming through present-day Venezuela, Columbia, before heading to Peru. Also during this time Catalina actually killed their uncle, stole hundreds of pesos, fought in many duels, and took several female lovers. (2) This includes romancing her boss's sister-in-law while in Lima and later, Catalina was engaged to two separate women at the same time, however before things went too far, Catalina skipped town. (3) Without money or work, Catalina decided to enlist in the Spanish army under the identity of Alonso Diaz Ramirez de Guzman and ended up serving with their biological brother Miguel, who had become the secretary of the governor of Chile. After working closely together, the pair became good friends without Miguel recognizing his closest confidant was once his sister. After three years, the pair had a falling out after Miguel discovered that "Alonso"  was sleeping with his mistress.  (3)

A Warrior Emerges

The Lieutenant Nun. (6)

Throughout Catalina's time of stealing, killing and conquering women, they also made a name for themselves as an expert solider. Prior to working underneath their brother in Chile, Catalina became a military aide to Captain Recio de Leon after leaving Peru. While they were an aide, Catalina quickly gained a reputation for their ferocious fighting skills against the Natives of Chile. After few years after leaving Charcas is when Catalina joined forces with the Spanish Armada off the coast of Peru, as they fought against the Dutch fleet. According to some sources, Catalina or "Alonso" as they were known may have been the only survivor from the battle. (4) At this time Catalina and the rest of the troops were moved to southern Chile, in order to take part in the War of the Araucania. This was the moment that Catalina ended up serving underneath their biological brother Miguel. The two got along well for many years, however, after Miguel discovered that "Alonso" had been courting his mistress, he decided to send him to the front lines of the battle on the Aracunian front. (1)  This move and Catalina's key role in battle would inevitably win her the rank of lieutenant. Once the war was over however Catalina found herself wandering through the forests of Chile, and after crossing the Andes Mountains in Argentina, they fell deathly ill. At this moment, Catalina called open a priest and professed the secret they had been withholding since leaving Spain. Catalina declared that they took up arms to defend the Catholic faith and that they believed it was their destiny to become a soldier. The priest embraced them as a devoted follower of God, and declared Catalina as an incredible individual and that if they were to recover, the priest would ensure they could return to their family in Spain. (4) When they returned home, Catalina assumed the name Antonio de Erauso and quickly became a celebrity. In 1624 they were awarded a lifelong military pension by King Philip IV, in honor of their services, and was given permission by Pope Urban VIII to continue their life living as a man. (3) After a short while in Spain, Antonio asked permission to return to America, where they adopted the new name of Fransico and would end up passing away in 1650 in the town of Cuitlaxtla. (1) 

An Icon Even After Their Time

Throughout all of the stories of Catalina and their different assumed identities, one thing has always been clear: Catalina was a pioneer for her time period, breaking down the traditional roles that were expected of a girl as a child and assuming the identity of a man from their adolescence until their time of passing. Catalina opened the eyes of the religious and staunch world of Spain and gave those who grew up after them a chance to see that not all heroes or icons need to fit into a specific gender. Additionally, her published memoir that includes the stories of their life were identified and nominated for a Lambda Literary Award under the Transgender category, further showcasing just how impactful their life still is today.

Work Cited

1. National Geographic. “La Increíble Historia De Catalina De Erauso, La Monja Alférez.” Www.nationalgeographic.com.es, National Geographic, 4 Mar. 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/historia/grandes-reportajes/increible-historia-catalina-erauso-monja-alferez_13152.

2. Milne, Andrew. “Meet Catalina De Erauso, The Cross-Dressing Warrior Nun Of 17th-Century Spain.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 15 Dec. 2017, https://allthatsinteresting.com/catalina-de-erauso.

3. “Catalina De Erauso: The Lieutenant Nun.” Rejected Princesses, https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/catalina-de-erauso.

4. “Erauso, Catalina De (1592–1635).” Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia.com, 25 Oct. 2018, https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/erauso-catalina-de-1592-1635.

5. “Portrait Painting by Juan Van Der Hamen.” Wikipedia, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Catalina_de_Erauso.jpg.

6. “Catalina De Erauso.” Blogger, http://piracyinmediterranean.blogspot.com/2010/04/catalina-de-erauso-lieutenant-nun_1863.html.