History books often highlight the accomplishments of male leaders, but many powerful and influential women have shaped the world. Their stories, though often overlooked, are filled with intrigue, strategy, and undeniable strength. Let’s delve into the lives of ten remarkable queens who ruled with ruthlessness and left an indelible mark on history.
Rani Lakshmi Bai
Born into an influential priestly family in northern India in the early 1830s, Lakshmi Bai was raised with traditionally masculine skills such as sword fighting, horseback riding, and martial arts. When she married the maharaja of Jhansi, a regional independent state, her life took an unexpected turn. After the maharaja’s death, with no heir to succeed him, British colonial officials sought to annex Jhansi.
Refusing to surrender her state, Lakshmi Bai was named regent and, in 1857, led a mutiny against the British. As the Rani of Jhansi, she fiercely fought against the East India Company’s privateers, even capturing the fortress of Gwalior to secure much-needed weapons. Though she was killed in battle, disguised in men’s clothes, Lakshmi Bai became a symbol of Indian resistance against British colonial rule. [1]
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, was a key figure in the Tang Dynasty during the late 7th and early 8th centuries. Beginning as a concubine, she skillfully navigated the imperial court, becoming the favored concubine of two emperors and bearing several sons. When the emperor’s wife attempted to remove her, Wu accused her of plotting to kill her own daughter, leading to Wu’s rise as empress.
After her husband suffered a stroke, Wu seized power. She created a secret police to monitor political leaders, executing dissidents and orchestrating assassinations. She even killed her husband’s former wife to consolidate her power. Following her husband’s death, Wu made her son emperor, controlling him from behind the scenes. In 690, she officially took the throne, improving the status of women and bringing scholars into government, ushering in a cultural flourishing that benefited China for centuries. [2]
Tomyris
In the 6th century BC, Cyrus the Great, ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, was known for his military prowess and brutality. However, he met his match in Tomyris, a powerful woman who led the Massagetae, a group of Scythian people. Cyrus tricked and captured a group of Massagetae soldiers, including Tomyris’s son, Spargapises, who killed himself in captivity.
Enraged, Tomyris demanded retribution. She challenged Cyrus to battle, and the Massagetae forces surrounded and massacred the Persians. Tomyris personally killed Cyrus and placed his severed head in a bag of blood, celebrating her victory and avenging her son’s death. [3]
Nzinga
In 1624, Nzinga Ana became the ruler of the kingdom of Ndongo, located in present-day Angola. Facing Portuguese slave traders who raided the area, Nzinga initially allied with the Portuguese to protect her people. However, when the Portuguese broke the alliance and resumed enslaving the Mbundu people, Nzinga moved her subjects west to Matamba and formed a new government.
As the Portuguese took control of Ndongo, Nzinga became an insurgent, allying with Dutch slave traders and leading raids against the Portuguese and their African allies. Although she couldn’t oust Portugal, she established Matamba as a thriving trading center by her death in 1663. [4]
Amanitore
Amanitore, a warrior queen of Meroe in the Nubian kingdom of Kush, ruled with power and cunning from the year before Jesus’ birth until AD 20. As a Kandake, she had the authority to depose male leaders and oversaw the construction and restoration of over 200 pyramids. She is remembered as the last of the great builders of the Kush empire.
Amanitore is believed to be the “one-eyed Nubian queen” who fought a five-year battle against the Romans and the “Candace” mentioned in the Book of Acts. Her reign was marked by significant construction and military resistance. [5]
Fredegund
Fredegund of Neustria rose from slavery to become the wife of Chilperic, the king of Francia. As queen, she ruthlessly eliminated anyone who stood in her way, aiming to secure the throne for her son. She orchestrated the assassination of Chilperic’s brother, Sigibert, during a war, solidifying Chilperic’s power.
After dysentery killed two of Chilperic’s sons from his first marriage, Fredegund sent another son to the outbreak area and plotted the death of another who had been plotting against Chilperic. After Chilperic’s assassination, Fredegund briefly lost power but soon overthrew his brother and ruled as regent for her infant son, Chlothar II. [6]
Ranavalona
Ranavalona became the queen of Madagascar in 1828 after her husband’s unexpected death. To maintain power, she eliminated her enemies and isolated the island. She ceased trade and goodwill exchanges with African countries, enforcing loyalty through brutal methods. Critics were made to eat chicken skin laced with tangena tree poison to prove their loyalty.
Ranavalona rolled back agreements with European nations, dissolved trade agreements, and ramped up the “fanompoana” practice, forcing poor Malagasy people into manual labor. She also banned Christianity in the 1850s, persecuting missionaries and native converts. By the end of her reign, Madagascar’s population had been halved due to her policies. [7]
Teuta
Teuta, the pirate queen of Illyria, challenged Rome’s dominance in the 3rd century BC. After her husband, King Agron, died, she took control of Illyria and resorted to piracy in the Adriatic and Mediterranean. Her forces attacked merchant ships, leading to complaints to the Roman Senate.
When Rome sent envoys to ask her to stop, she imprisoned and killed them, leading to war. Despite fierce resistance, Teuta’s allies betrayed her. During her surrender in the city of Risan, she supposedly jumped off a cliff to her death rather than cede to Roman power. [8]
Isabella of France
Isabella of France married England’s Edward II in 1308. Amidst court tensions and Edward’s favoritism towards Hugh Despenser the Younger, Edward declared war on Isabella’s brother, Charles IV of France. Isabella negotiated peace and formed an alliance between France and England.
Returning to England to remove Despenser, Isabella invaded in 1326 after her husband refused. Edward II’s support crumbled, and he abdicated. Isabella had Hugh Despenser executed and ruled England behind the scenes with her lover, Roger Mortimer, until her son, Edward III, launched a coup in 1330, forcing her to live out her life as a dowager queen. [9]
Grace O’Malley
Grace O’Malley, a 16th-century Irish clan leader, fought to keep the English from invading Ireland. As the daughter of the lord of the O’Malley dynasty, she took to the seas, becoming known as Grace the Bald (Gráinne Mhaol) after cutting her hair to join her father on a sailing expedition.
After her first husband died, she led a band of Irish pirates to maintain Ireland’s independence, raiding coastal Tudor villages. Eventually, Queen Elizabeth I called for a meeting. Grace refused to bow before the Queen but negotiated the release of her kidnapped family members in exchange for ending her piracy. [10]
These ten queens demonstrate that throughout history, women have wielded significant power, sometimes through diplomacy and sometimes through force. Their stories, often overshadowed by those of male leaders, deserve to be remembered and celebrated.
Which of these queens inspires you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
