Famous queens and empresses in history While today fewer and fewer monarchies exclude women from the order of succession, there were periods...
Famous queens and empresses in history
While today fewer and fewer monarchies exclude women from the order of succession, there were periods in history when the only mechanisms available to a woman seeking involvement in affairs of state were seduction and violence.Whether exercising power in their own name or in the shadow of a monarch, these queens and empresses followed various paths to the top, while leaving their mark on national and, sometimes, world history.
Nefertiti (14th century BCE)
The great Nefertiti was married to the monotheistic pharaoh Akhenaten. Immortalized by a famous bust, she set the standard for beauty in the ancient world. Her importance in ancient Egyptian history is not limited to her physical appearance, however. Frequently represented in works of art, Nefertiti wielded an omnipresent influence in public and religious life on par with the pharaoh. Artists also portrayed the couple’s close relationship. Together, they initiated an unprecedented cultural revolution by establishing the god Aton, represented by a solar disk, as the sole deity.
Cleopatra (69–30 BCE)
According to the romanticized legend, Egypt’s last queen seduced two of the most powerful men of her time: Julius Caesar followed by Mark Antony, ruler of Rome’s eastern provinces. When Mark Antony was defeated, Cleopatra killed herself by allowing a poisonous snake, known as an asp, to bite her. Beyond the myth, Cleopatra is now acknowledged to have been a clever politician who knew how to cultivate alliances, preserve peace, and restore economic and cultural prosperity to the weakened kingdom she had inherited.
Zenobia (3rd century)
Zenobia was queen consort, then regent of Palmyra, a Roman province located in modern-day Syria. She wanted to free her kingdom from Rome’s control. Zenobia not only achieved this goal, but also extended her territory to the east as well as toward Anatolia and Egypt. In 271, she named her son the new Caesar. This was too much for Rome’s emperor, Aurelian, who sent his troops to besiege the rebel queen’s city. Zenobia’s fate following the Roman victory remains a mystery, but she has since become a legendary heroine of Syrian nationalism.
Saint Clotilda (circa 475–545)
Upon marrying Clovis, Clotilda became the first queen of the Franks. Raised Catholic, she is often credited with influencing Clovis’ conversion to Christianity. Indeed, following a military victory attributed to the “god of Clotilda,” the pagan king and thousands of his warriors were baptized. Pilgrims continue to visit the queen’s relics, venerating her as the “mother of Christian France.”
Wu Zetian (circa 624–705)
After years of ruling from the shadows as concubine, first imperial wife, then regent, Wu Zetian officially assumed power to the detriment of her sons. She is the only empress in Chinese history to have ruled in her own name. Despite rising to power through intrigue, manipulation, and assassination, Wu Zetian was responsible for establishing a strong and effective centralized regime that reformed agricultural policies and established a military administration.
Empress Matilda (1102–1167)
Granddaughter of William the Conqueror, Mathilda (also called Maud) was the designated heir to the English throne, but, upon her father’s death, the crown was usurped by Étienne (Stephen) of Blois. In response, Mathilde, who still held the title of empress from her first marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, launched a civil war that ended only when her son was named Stephen’s successor. As mother of Henry II, she founded the Plantagenet line, a dynasty that would rule England for two centuries.
Isabella of Castile (1451–1504)
Isabella I continued to reign over Castile while working hand in hand with her husband, Ferdinand II, ruler of the neighbouring kingdom of Aragon. She played a vital role in the campaign that rid Spain of the last Muslim emirate, while simultaneously carrying out a policy of territorial expansion that eventually financed Christopher Columbus’ expeditions to the New World. Also under the parallel reigns of the Catholic Kings, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon’s ideology of spreading Christianity through violence led to the establishment of the Inquisition.
Hürrem Sultan (circa 1500–1558)
Hürrem (sometimes called Roxelana) was a Ukrainian slave in the harem of Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. She managed to captivate her master to the point of being freed. In total disregard of Ottoman tradition, Süleyman then married her and raised her to the rank of sultana. From then on, her influence continued to grow, especially over the empire’s foreign affairs. In fact, Hürrem was the first in a series of women who held power, on behalf of their husbands or sons, over the Ottoman Empire during a period known as the Sultanate of Women.
Anne Boleyn (circa 1501–1536)
The name Anne Boleyn is irrevocably linked to the history of English religious reform. Indeed, England’s break with Rome was prompted by the Pope’s refusal to annul Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The king had been obsessed with Anne Boleyn and was determined to make her his second wife. Unfortunately, the new queen, like her predecessor, failed to give him a male heir. She also found herself disliked at court. To get rid of Anne, the king had her sentenced to death for adultery, oedipal love, and high treason.
Catherine de Medici (1519–1589)
Born into a powerful family of Florentine bankers, Catherine de Medici got off to a difficult start in the French court as she competed for the attention of her husband, King Henri II, with the sovereign’s favourite, Diane de Poitiers. Her talents as a politician became apparent as three of her sons, one after the other, ruled France. For 30 years, Catherine used her influence to govern alongside them. Playing a key role in the Wars of Religion, she espoused a fluctuating policy of conciliation with the Protestants until it finally crumbled following the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew’s Day.
Elizabeth I (1533–1603)
The road to the throne was fraught with difficulties for Anne Boleyn’s daughter, but once crowned, Elizabeth I proved to be a brilliant ruler. Fiercely protective of her independence, the Virgin Queen refused to marry, proving that a woman could bring England prosperity. Elizabeth consolidated national unity, stabilizing the Anglican Church after decades of religious conflict, and promoted a cultural renaissance. Indeed, this was England’s golden age, during which its maritime and commercial power would pave the way for the empire of the following centuries.
Mary Stuart (1542–1587)
Mary Stuart was the subject of political intrigue from the cradle. Proclaimed queen of Scotland just days after her birth, she also briefly became queen consort of France. Through her grandmother, Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, she could also claim the crown of England, and Catholics pushed her to pursue it instead of her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth I. Suspected of having murdered her second husband, Mary was arrested and imprisoned for 18 years by her powerful English rival before being executed under the pretext of having plotted against Elizabeth.
Mumtaz Mahal (1593–1631)
You may not recognize her name, yet millions of visitors flock to her tomb every year. Arjumand Banu Begum, also known as Mumtaz Mahal, was Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s favourite wife. He named her his empress, made her his closest advisor, and never left her side, even during military campaigns. Mad with grief at her death, he built the Taj Mahal in her honour. Their bodies now enjoy eternal rest in this jewel of Indo-Muslim architecture.
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