“Unveiling the Fearless Warrior Queens Who Changed the Course of History: Are You Ready to Meet the Legends?”
Gudit of Ethiopia
Gudit of Ethiopia is perhaps history’s most savage queen. Flourishing sometime around 960, Gudit laid waste to Axum and its land, destroying everything in her wake. While she is mentioned occasionally in historical accounts, most of what we know about Gudit has been passed down through oral tradition.
One historian, Paul B. Henze wrote, “She is said to have killed the emperor, ascended the throne herself and reigned for 40 years. Accounts of her violent misdeeds are still related among peasants in the north Ethiopian countryside. On my first visit to the rock church of Abreha and Atsbeha in eastern Tigray in 1970, I noticed that its intricately carved ceiling was covered in black soot. The priest said it was the work of Gudit, who had piled the church full of hay and set it ablaze nine centuries before.”
Amanitore of Meroe
2,000 years ago the ancient realm of Meroe in Nubia (modern-day Sudan) was home to some awesome queens, called kandakes. Amanitore was one of the best, reigning alongside her son in the 1st century BCE. What we know about Amanitore is limited, but one of the Romans, Strabo, recorded an encounter with a one-eyed Nubian queen who fought fiercely.
Amanitore was as brave as any man, if not braver, marching into battle to oppose the Roman forces. Although Rome would triumph through sheer numbers and force, they would later come to a treaty which put Meroe in good stead.
Nzinga of Ndongo
Cast your mind all the way back to 1624, when African nations were trying to ward off trouble from slave traders. Nzinga, the Queen of Ndongo wasn’t about to sit back and do nothing as her subjects were picked off like lemons. In a strategic move, the tactical ruler forged an alliance with the Portuguese, which put an end to their involvement in the slave trade. She even agreed to be baptized in the Catholic faith.
Ndinga lived to the ripe old age of 80 and saw her fair share of ups and downs. When her partnership with the Portuguese ended, she allied her country with whoever was useful and continued to fight anyone who dared take a shot at Ndongo.
Mother Lu of China
Wang Mang forcibly took the throne in the 1st century, CE. The Chinese emperor wasn’t liked by his subjects. According to sources, Mother Lu was a woman from an extremely wealthy family who started an uprising when her son was executed by Mang’s men.
Gathering a dedicated following of subjects that wanted “traditional” values such as slavery reinstated, Lu managed to get Mang off the throne and restore the old Han Dynasty. Dubbing themselves the Red Eyebrow Rebellion, her armies painted their brows crimson to represent demons. She might have had some questionable beliefs, but Mother Lu got the job done.
Æthelflæd Of Mercia
Alfred the Great is up there with the most prolific of England’s ancient leaders, ruling during the Anglo-Saxon era. As it turns out, his kids didn’t fall far from the tree. His daughter Æthelflæd went on to marry the ruler of Mercia. Luckily for the new Queen, her husband was much older, giving her the scope to make most of the decisions.
Æthelflæd wasn’t scared to get her hands dirty, working tirelessly to protect her land from Viking invaders by building several strongholds. As well as this, she successfully fended off the Danish, Welsh, and Irish, at one point taking the Welsh King’s wife hostage to subdue him.
Tomyris of the Massagetae
Cyrus the Great, the King of Persia circa 529 CE, has a lot of stories to his name – but his enemy Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae blew him out of the water. The two were embroiled in a mutual obsession, never quite able to leave each other alone.
Cyrus tried to stomp out Tomyris and her army by pretending he wanted to marry her. Tomyris didn’t fall for it, causing Cyrus to build a bridge to try and get to her. It failed. Next, he staged an elaborate banquet. When the Massagetae saw it, they ate their fill and passed out drunk. Cyrus’ soldiers returned and slaughtered many of them, including Tomyris’ child. The grieving mother trapped the Persian soldiers in a narrow pass and slaughtered them in retaliation, taking the King’s head in revenge.
Samsi of Arabia
In the 8th century, BC Samsi reigned over the ancient Near East for more than 20 years. According to the Assyrian chronicles, Queen Samsi was a powerful ruler who faced the Assyrian kings without fear. Although Samsi was later defeated in battle, her enemies actually restored her to power – something you don’t come across in history too often.
It’s thought that the opposition knew how much they needed a respected ruler in charge in order to continue lucrative trade deals. Samsi maintained a peaceful partnership with her foes for the rest of her reign, proving that compromise can be just as meaningful as a victory.
