Bertha von Suttner
Her powerful anti-war novel 'Lay Down Your Arms' mobilized a global peace movement, making her the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
1843–1914 (age 71)·Austrian novelist and pacifist·Birthday: June 9
Biography
Bertha von Suttner began her life in an aristocratic Bohemian world, but a fateful stint as a secretary to Alfred Nobel introduced her to the emerging ideas of organized pacifism. This spark ignited a lifetime's crusade. She channeled her convictions into a bestselling novel, 'Die Waffen nieder!' (Lay Down Your Arms!), a graphic and emotionally charged indictment of war's human cost that became an international sensation. Von Suttner was far more than a novelist; she was a strategic activist. She used her literary fame and aristocratic connections to co-found the Austrian Peace Society, edited pacifist journals, and tirelessly lobbied politicians and royalty across Europe. Her close correspondence with Alfred Nobel is widely believed to have influenced his decision to establish the Peace Prize. In 1905, she stood in Oslo to receive that very award, its first female laureate, a testament to her unique ability to translate moral outrage into a potent political force that shaped pre-World War I diplomacy.
#1 When Bertha Was Born
The biggest hits of 1843
Bertha's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1843Born
1848Started school
1856Became a teenager
1859Could drive
1861Could vote
President: Abraham Lincoln
1864Turned 21
President: Abraham Lincoln
1873Turned 30
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1883Turned 40
President: Chester A. Arthur
1893Turned 50
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Turned 60
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 70
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1914Died at 71
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, becoming the first woman to receive the honor.
- Wrote the influential anti-war novel 'Lay Down Your Arms!', a key text of the international peace movement.
- Co-founded and served as president of the Austrian Peace Society.
- Was a leading figure at the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907.
Did You Know?
She worked briefly as Alfred Nobel's secretary and maintained a lifelong friendship and correspondence with him.
Her portrait was featured on the Austrian 1000 schilling banknote.
Von Suttner's novel was one of the most influential books of the 19th-century peace movement, translated into many languages.
She died in June 1914, just a week before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered the world war she had dedicated her life to preventing.
“After the verb 'to Love,' 'to Help' is the most beautiful verb in the world.”
