In 1905, Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner became the second female Nobel laureate and the first female Nobel Peace Prize winner. She she wrote and passionately argued for world peace. She is the next subject in this month’s look at women of peace. Background Born June 9, 1843 in Prague, Austrian Empire, she was the daughter of a count in the Austrian military.  Her mother’s family came from untitled nobility, making Bertha of “mixed” descent according to the standards of high Austrian aristocrats of the day.  Education While her family struggled financially, a cousin whose father was a private tutor moved in with her family. He taught Bertha literature and philosophy. Fluent in French, Italian and English, she also became a pianist and singer. She wanted to be an opera singer, but her stage fright prevented her from making opera singing a career. First Published Her first published work, the novella Endertraüme im Monde, appeared in Die Deutsche Frau in 1859. In Love She found employment as a tutor and companion to the four teenaged daughters of Karl von Suttner in 1873. She fell in love with the girls’ elder brother, Arthur Gundacca who was seven years her junior. Neither of their families […]