African Queens such as Amina of Zauzau, Amanirenas, Kandeka, Queen Nefertiti, Queen Makeda, and Cleopatra ruled Kingdoms and are considered some of the greatest of all time in the continent. They are basically characterized by their capacities to take over territories, fight wars fiercely, liberate their people, and in other instances; create peace in their Kingdoms.
These queens mostly ruled in ancient times in the pre and post-colonial eras. Their roles in different Kingdoms have opened up to the fact that women may not be as weak as perceived but have strength and skills enough to govern people.
10 Greatest African Queens You Should Know
1. Queen Amina
Queen Amina also known as Aminatu of Zazzau (now Zaria) was the daughter of King Nikatau and Queen Bakwa Turku. She became queen in 1576 and lasted till 1610. She remains one of the few women to have led men to battles right from the time she was made queen.
Building strong walls and conquering many lands, Amina increased her territory, became wealthy, and had many slaves to her name. According to history, Amina took a new lover in different towns she went to. Sadly they ended up beheaded by morning to keep them away from telling the story.
2. Queen Amanirenas
The world may have forgotten Amanirenas but the greatness of the fearless and blind-in-one-eye queen cannot be denied. She served as queen to the Kushites from 40 – 10 BC and during her reign, she led her people to several battles that include a war that lasted 5 years against Roman Egypt.
She became victorious over the Roman forces at Syne and Philae and before her death in the 10th BC, she had already expanded the territory of Kush.
3. Queen Makeda Of Sheba
She is one of the African queens cited in the Christian bible. The role played by her in Solomon’s life as one of the women that had his children, contributed to making her famous. Her reign as queen of Axum started after winning a battle against the serpent King Awre who had troubled the northern Ethiopian Kingdom of Axum. Through her, there came a lineage of East African and Nubian Kings.
She is believed to be the first African queen having ruled in 960 BC. She was also known by many names of Queen Sheba, Queen of Saba, and Queen Belqis.
Read Also:12 Most Powerful African Kings That Ever Lived
4. Yaa Asantewaa Of Asante Kingdom
Yaa Asantewaa was born in the Ashanti Empire in 1840. She was the queen mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire (present-day Ghana). She became widely known as a politician, activist, and a queen who led the War of the Golden Stool in 1900 where she fought against British colonialism. The war is otherwise known as the Yaa Asantewaa War.
Although she ended up being exiled from Asante and later died in 1921, she is still remembered for her active participation in the liberation of her people which led to its becoming the first African nation in Sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence (on March 6, 1957).
5. Kandake
Often regarded as Candace or the Empress of Ethiopia, Kandake rose to become one of the highly respected and feared generals of her time. She rose to become prominent and strongest military personnel among other women.
6. Queen Nefertiti Of Egypt
In Egypt from 1354 to 1336 BC, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti ruled the Kingdom after the death of her husband Pharoah Akhenaten. She lived to become a wealthy queen even though the death of her husband caused set back in the economy of Egypt. She was a mother of 6 children that include King Tutankhamun.
With her husband, she saw the expansion of Egypt as well as saw that its cultures, traditions, arts, and many other things about the Empire were encouraged.
7. Queen Moremi of Ile-Ife
To have her people liberated from the Ugbo people, Moremi went as far as sacrificing her only son, Uluorogbo. She is one of the African queens who went to the extreme to set their people free from their oppressors. Moremi was the wife of Oranmiyan, son of Oduduwa, and the foremost king of Ife.
For helping her people in a war that turned many Ife people into slaves while others died, she is still seen as the epitome of greatness by the Yoruba people. After losing her only son, Ife people vowed to become her children for generations. In 2017, the Ooni of Ile Ife, Oba Ogunwusi had a statue of her made in his palace. The statue is the tallest in Nigeria and 4th in Africa.
8. Queen Cleopatra Of Egypt
Cleopatra became the queen of Egypt at the age of 18 after the death of her father Ptolemy XII. She was the lover of Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony.
Cleopatra in her quest for power had a hand in the death of her 3 siblings but allowed herself to influence greatly Roman politics. She died by suicide in 30 BCE in Alexandria after Egypt fell into the hands of the Romans.
9. Queen Nandi Of Zulu
Queen Nandi was the mother of Shaka Zulu, the Zulu king responsible for popularizing Zulu through having a great military and reforming the Zulu Kingdom.
She became very influential in Zulu and she aided in expanding the Kingdom of Zulu.
10. Queen Ranvalona 1 of Madagascar
She was the queen of Madagascar for 33 years from 1788 to 1861. In terms of colonialism and the liberation of the people of Madagascar, Queen Ranvalona 1 worked towards gaining independence.
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