Bertha von Suttner

Born in Prague in 1843, Bertha von Suttner was an Austrian writer and peace activist who grew up in aristocratic society but became one of Europe’s most determined critics of war. Her life took her through financial hardship, work as a governess, and years in the Caucasus with her husband, Arthur von Suttner, before she returned to public life as a writer and campaigner.

Her best-known book, Lay Down Your Arms! (1889), brought her international attention with its vivid attack on the human cost of war. She also helped found the Austrian Peace Society and became a leading figure in the growing international peace movement, speaking and writing tirelessly in support of arbitration, disarmament, and cooperation between nations.

Von Suttner is also remembered for her connection with Alfred Nobel, whom she knew through correspondence and personal contact. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, becoming the first woman to receive it. She died in Vienna in 1914, just weeks before the outbreak of the First World War she had spent her life warning against.