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Dec 15, 2020 · 11. Iyoba of Benin, or The Queen Mother was a significant person in Benin's Edo dynasty, which governed areas of West Africa for seven centuries. 12. Queen Calafia, was a medieval legend who commanded an army of Black women and rode gryphons.
- Georgia Stone
Western African names include those from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. See also about African names.
- Makeda – The Queen of Sheba
- Empress Kandake Amanirenas
- Queen Hatshepsut
- Queen Amina of Zaria
- Queen Ranavalona
- Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa
- Queen Nzinga
- Queen Muhumuza
- Queen Cleopatra
- Queen Nandi
The Queen of Sheba is truly one of the most unique female monarchs in African history. Her existence has long since been debated with some believing her story to be a legend. However, popular ancient texts point towards her existence. In the Hebrew Bible, she was described as the powerful queen who visited King Solomonand was impressed with his gre...
Empress Kandake Amanirenas was a powerful queen who ruled in the Kingdom of Kush (located in modern-day Sudan). She was one of many Kandakes to have ruled in ancient Africa and her name Kandake (or Candace) meant “great woman.” During that time, Kandakes were seen as wives of God or the gods. The queen probably goes down as one of the fiercest and ...
Queen Hatshepsutis one of the few female pharaohs that ruled in Ancient Egypt, but she is regarded as one of the most successful female rulers whose long reign saw many developments in Egypt. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose. She married her half-brother Thutmose II when she was a teenager. In the later years, Thut...
Following up on brave warrior queens of West Africa is the Nigerian Queen Amina of Zaria. Her bravery and military conquests earned her the proclamation “Amina, Yaw Bakra rana ta san”, which means “a woman capable as a man.” She grew up in 16th-century Nigeria in the city-state of Zauzau (now called Zaria). Today, that area serves as the capital of...
Unlike some of the queens on this list, Queen Ranavalonawas a tyrant, but she had her reasons and her rule helped Madagascar resist European rule and preserve most of its culture. She played a crucial role in Madagascar’s history. Ranavalona’s life was interesting right from the start. She was never in line for the throne. She was a commoner who wa...
In March 1900, the Queen Mother of Ejisu, a town in the Ashanti Kingdom, Yaa Asantewaa, led her people in the War of the Golden Stool. It was the last in a series of warsfought between the Ashantis and the British. Although the Ashantis lost the war and the Queen Mother was exiled for the rest of her life to the island of Seychelles, Yaa Asantewaa ...
About two centuries before Ranavalona’s reign, another queen also fought hard against the Europeans, particularly the Portuguese. Her name was Queen Nzinga and her excellent diplomacy skills, strength, and bravery helped put Angola on the road to independence. Nzinga was born in 1583 in the Kingdom of Matamba and Ndongo. Her father was the king of ...
Not much is known about Queen Muhumuza’s early life. In the 1800s, she married the Rwandan King Kigeli IV. In 1895, Kigeli died but their son who was heir to the throne was prevented from succeeding him. When that happened, Muhumuza challenged not only the Rwandan kingmakers, but also the European colonialists. Eventually, she decided to leave Rwan...
No list of African queens in history is complete without mentioning Queen Cleopatra VII Thea Philopater, the last ruler under the Ptolemaic Dynasty. She reigned between 50-31 BC and although it wasn’t an exceptionally long rule, she found herself right in the middle of one the major turning points in world history. Cleopatra was well-educated and f...
Most people when asked of what they know of the Southern African Zulu tribe would probably mention the legendary warrior-king Shaka Zulu. But before Shaka, there was his mother Queen Nandi, and she was an instrumental figure in the king’s life. She was born Nandi Ndlovukazi kaBhebe in the 1760s. Not much is known of her childhood except that her fa...
Feb 8, 2022 · The following African female warrior queens and all-female armies are among those who fought for freedom from colonial occupation. 1. Queen Amanirenas, circa 40 B.C.
- Queen Aminatu. Queen Aminatu, daughter of Bakwa Turunku, was a great Hausa warrior. She is well known as a warrior princess, having inherited her mother’s assertive and precise nature.
- Makeda, Queen of Sheba. Ethiopia’s 14th-century royal epic, the Kebra Nagast or “Glory of Kings,” writes that Makeda was a queen of incredible strength.
- Queen Nefertiti. Queen Nefertiti is a prominent queen from ancient Egypt. Her name means “a beautiful woman has come.” She left a legacy of strength, beauty, and power.
- Queen Ranavalona the First of Madagascar. Queen Ranavalona I ruled Madagascar from 1788–1861. She was of Merina descent, which is the island’s largest ethnic group.
African women of antiquity were legendary for their beauty and power. Especially great were the Queens of Ethiopia; Queen of Sheba (960 B.C.), Candace of Meroe and her defeat of Alexander the Great (332 B.C.), Amanirenas, Amanishakhete, Nawidemak, Amanitore (Acts 8:26-40), Shanakdakh, and Malegereabar. Queen of Sheba.
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Sep 30, 2022 · Makeda was one of the great African queens, according to the monarch epic of Ethiopia from the fourteenth century. She is thought to have beaten snake King Awre, who was causing trouble for the Kingdom of Axum in northern Ethiopia. She won the conflict, and afterward was crowned queen of Axum. She is one of the biblical African queens.
