The Feminist Philosopher Killed by Childbirth

Mary Wollstonecraft was a pioneering feminist philosopher whose 1792 work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman was decades ahead of its time. She died on 10 September 1797 from septicaemia following the birth of her daughter Mary. Her physician William Poignand removed the placenta by hand without washing. Puerperal fever set in within hours. She died eleven days after giving birth. Her daughter Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin grew up to marry Percy Bysshe Shelley and write Frankenstein at the age of eighteen.

INTERESTING FACT Mary Wollstonecraft’s husband William Godwin published a memoir after her death that was intended as a tribute. It revealed details of her unconventional life including illegitimate children and suicide attempts. The public reaction destroyed her reputation for nearly a century. Her ideas were dismissed because of her life. She was only fully rehabilitated in the 20th century.

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