Bertha Felicitas Sophie Freifrau von Suttner
Honorary President, Permanent International Peace Bureau.
Country: Austria-Hungary
Born: 9 June 1843 in Prague, [then in Austrian Empire]
Died: 21 June 1914 in Vienna, [then in Austria-Hungary]
Bertha Felicitas Sophie Freifrau von Suttner (Baroness Bertha von Suttner), born as Gräfin (Countess) Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, was an Austrian novelist, radical pacifist, and was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Suttner became a leading figure in the peace movement with the publication of her novel, Die Waffen nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms!) in 1889 and founded an Austrian pacifist organization in 1891. She gained international repute as editor of the international pacifist journal Die Waffen nieder!, named for her book, from 1892 to 1899.
Though her personal contact with Alfred Nobel had been brief, she corresponded with him until his death in 1896, and it is believed that she was a major influence in his decision to include a peace prize among those prizes provided in his will, which she won in 1905.