10 fearless women rulers who left their mark on history (11 photos)

If we look through the pages of history, most of the world's rulers are men. From Alexander the Great to Napoleon Bonaparte and beyond... However, there are exceptions. A number of world events and entire countries were influenced by powerful women rulers. And some of them were extremely cruel and ruthless. Let's learn interesting facts about 10 queens and leaders who managed to influence the course of history.





1. Lakshmi Bai



Lakshmi Bai was born in the early 1830s into a high-ranking family in northern India. She was the only girl among her brothers, so even in childhood she mastered “male” activities - sword fighting, horse riding and martial arts. In her youth, she was married to the Maharaja of the principality of Jhansi, but her husband died soon after the wedding. They had no children, so the principality had no ruler left.

The British occupiers took advantage of this situation in an attempt to capture Jhansi - but Lakshmi, then 22 years old, fought back and refused to hand over the region to British rule. She was appointed regent of the state. In 1857, she led the Sepoy Rebellion against the invaders, and led the army into a fierce struggle. She fought equally with everyone else, dressed in men's clothes, and managed to capture the British treasury and the fortress of Gwalior. However, during a firefight with British troops, she was killed. She was 23 years old. But even years after her death, Lakshmi Bai remains a symbol of Indian resistance to British colonialists, and is considered a national heroine of India.

2. Wu Zetian





Wu Zetian ruled China for 40 years, from the late 7th century to the late 8th century. She was the only female empress in the entire history of China. At age 14, she was a concubine in the harem of Emperor Taizong, and when he died soon after, she became a concubine in the harem of his son, Emperor Gaozong. From him she gave birth to four sons and a daughter. The emperor himself was sick and weakened every year, so Wu concentrated power in her hands.

She created her own secret police, and was known for court intrigues - for example, she could order the quartering and drowning of unwanted people. She even killed her husband's ex-wife so that no one would claim power. When her husband died from the effects of a stroke, her son became emperor. During this time she continued to rule the empire. True, in 690 she overthrew her son from the throne and declared herself emperor. The rules are quite traditional. The only features of her reign: increasing the status of women in the dynasty and attracting scientists to high government positions. This marked the beginning of a long period of cultural flourishing in China.

3. Tomiris



Tomiris - queen of the Saks-Massagets (nomadic warriors of the Scythian circle), who lived in 570–520. BC e on the territory of Central Asia. She inherited power after the death of her father, and throughout her youth she fought for the right to lead the Massagetae. She managed to gather a powerful army and defeat the Persian king Cyrus the Great, who was eager to seize new territories. Cyrus the Great ruled the Achaemenid Empire. Even today, scholars and historians call him one of the most powerful Persian rulers. During his long and brutal reign, he conquered other empires, subdued armies, and won battle after battle. Stories about his cruelty and military cunning instilled fear in many nations.

During an attack on the Massagetae, Cyrus' soldiers tricked a group of Massagetae soldiers into drinking. While they were drunk, they were captured. One of the prisoners committed suicide - it was the beloved son of Queen Tomiris, Spargapis. Angered by the death of her son, Tomyris sent messengers to Cyrus, demanding retribution and challenging the Persians to battle. Cyrus agreed, but the Massagetae were stronger. They surrounded the Persians on all sides and killed Cyrus' soldiers. According to legend, Tomyris ordered the beheading of King Cyrus with her own sword. She then placed his severed head in a blood bag and went home to celebrate her victory.

4. Zinga Mbandi Ngola



In 1624, Zinga Mbandi Ngola became the ruler of the kingdom of Ndongo, which is located in modern Angola. Then Portuguese slave traders raided these lands for many years. They either acquired slaves to send to the New World, or simply forcibly abducted innocent people. But when Zinga came to power, instead of fighting the Portuguese, she decided to ally with them in defense of her Mbundu people.

Two years later, the slave traders broke the contract and began kidnapping people in Ndongo again. An angry Zinga ordered her subjects to move west to Matamba, where she founded a new state. The Portuguese invaders managed to take control of Ndongo, but by then Zinga had allied with Dutch slave traders and African allies against the Portuguese. The ruler organized raids, killing Portuguese sailors and soldiers in the occupied kingdom. In 1655 she abdicated the throne, and in 1663 she died. Although she failed to weaken the influence of Portugal, she achieved success in Matamba - during her reign, Matamba became a prosperous state.

5. Amanitore



Amanitore was a Nubian queen, or kandakia, who ruled Meroe, an ancient city in the Nubian kingdom of Kush. The city, which is in what is now Egypt, was ruled by a dynasty of warrior queens who took the title Candace - and its rulers were often sisters of the emperors and kings of Kush. Meroe had several female rulers over the centuries, and Amanitore stood out among them. She overthrew male leaders who dared to contradict her. According to legend, she even forced some men to commit suicide in order to maintain their share of the kingdom. During her reign, Amanitore oversaw the construction of more than 200 pyramids. In addition, the queen fought a fierce five-year battle with the Romans and was called the "one-eyed Nubian queen."

6. Fredegonda



Fredegonde - Frankish queen. In the early 500s, she became first a servant, and then, by the age of 20, a concubine of the King of Neustria, Chilperic I. Through the murder of her wives and intrigues, she managed to achieve the main thing - she became the king's wife. As queen, she often killed courtiers who stood in her way. She tried to keep Chilperic on the throne and then pave the way for her son. For this reason, in the late 500s, she organized the murder of the king's brother, Sigibert I, with poisoned axes.

Later, when there was an outbreak of dysentery in France, Chilperic's two sons from his first marriage died. Fredegonda decided to take advantage of this, and sent the king's third son to the outbreak area. She also plotted to kill another of Chilperic's sons. Soon the king himself was killed, and his place was taken by his second brother, whom Fredegonda never reached. The new king sent her to the countryside, but her exile was short-lived. Fredegond later overthrew her brother and created a new government, placing her young son Clothar II on the throne. In fact, the queen ruled for her son, instilling fear in the entire state. She died in 597 in her palace in Paris from dysentery.

7. Ranavaluna I



Ranavaluna I is the queen of Madagascar who came to power after the death of her husband in 1828. A few weeks after coming to power, the queen destroyed all her enemies in order to maintain the throne. She forever influenced the history of Madagascar - in a bad way. Her 33-year reign was a disaster for the people of Madagascar. She isolated the island and cut off most trade with African states, as well as breaking agreements with European countries and other world powers.

Ranavaluna was known for tyranny and cruelty: for example, she forced those who disagreed with her policies to eat pieces of chicken skin soaked in the poison of the tangena tree. Those who survived the chewing of the skin were considered loyal to the queen, and if someone died, the queen considered them infidels. During the queen's reign, fanompoana - manual labor to pay off debts - flourished. Many such workers died from hunger or terrible conditions. Towards the end of her reign, Ranavaluna tried to "remove" all religions from the island. In the 1850s, she banned the practice of Christianity. Many protested, but she didn’t care - she looked for activists and killed them. Even her own son, Radama II, staged a coup attempt. The coup failed - but soon, in 1861, the queen died and Radama took the throne.

8. Teuta



Teuta - queen who ruled in the 3rd century. BC e. in Illyria, a land in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. She was the second wife of King Agron, under whom the Illyrian pirates reached the heights of their power. Then, after the First Punic War, Rome established itself as the strongest power in the world, however, the Illyrians did not simply surrender to them. The people of Illyria continued to fight fiercely in the Balkans.

At that time, King Agron fought in the Adriatic Sea, winning battles and conquering small kingdoms. Returning home and celebrating another victory, he died suddenly. Teutha seized power in Illyria. She gathered a bloodthirsty army of pirates, allowing them to plunder any ships they came across. Pirates successfully operated in all parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic - not a single merchant ship could safely pass through these waters. The Roman ambassadors even tried to come to an agreement with Teuta, but she rejected peace negotiations. So Rome began a war with Illyria - and the latter, alas, could not stand it. Teuta herself lost her throne, sending a delegation to the Romans asking for peace.

9. Isabella of France



Isabella of France is the daughter of the French king Philip the Fair. In 1308, when she was only 12 years old, she was married to King Edward II of England. During their marriage, they had four children, but the marriage itself was unhappy. The king spent more time with his favorite Hugh Despenser, who often turned the king against Isabella. She refused to tolerate her husband’s hobbies, and the relationship between the spouses became increasingly tense. The king even confiscated all of Isabella's possessions, took away her children, and Despenser became his right hand.

In 1325, Isabella went to the king of France, her brother Charles IV. There she gathered a considerable army, enlisting the support of both the English barons and the English Count Roger Mortimer, who, by the way, became her lover. There was only one goal - to overthrow the king. As a result, Isabella achieved her goal - the English Parliament recognized the king as incapable of governing the state. And she ordered his favorite, Hugh Despenser, to be executed. Isabella's son Edward III became the new king.

10. Grace O'Malley



Grace O'Malley or Granual is a fearless Irish pirate of the 16th century. For decades she fought against the British invasion of Ireland. From an early age, as a little girl, she sailed on ships with her father, Lord O'Malley of the seafaring dynasty. Having matured, Grace got married, but she was not an exemplary wife for long. After the death of her first husband, she set sail on the high seas with a group of Irish pirates who fought to maintain Ireland's independence from England. Grace gathered an army of almost two dozen ships and began raiding coastal English villages. These raids continued for decades. They put an end to the agreement with Elizabeth I - she released the members of the Grace family, who had been held captive all this time. When meeting Queen Elizabeth, Grace refused to bow before Her Majesty, which was then considered unheard of - but the pirate never considered herself a “subject” of the queen.