African queens biography
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Further, Amanirenas’s military campaigns against Rome reminded Rome that a good general knew when to bow out.
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Final Thoughts
Their words filled centuries of courage and wisdom. She spent many years winning several battles with her army.
When Karama died, Amina was crowned queen and she longed to expand her empire.
Following his death, Ranavolana sensed that her seat on the throne was under threat. She was succeeded by the modernist Emperor Haile Selassie.
8. Queen Amina
Queen Amina assended the throne of Zazzau after the death of her brother and three months later, she was already out waging wars and expanding her territories.
When the Portuguese invaded, she engaged in guerrilla warfare and formed strategic alliances. In addition, her initiatives in trade and agriculture boosted the Zazzau economy for years.
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2. Queen Nzinga of Angola (1583-1663)
Refusing to bow to Portuguese slave traders, Nzinga waged a guerilla war for decades, forming strategic alliances and mastering guerilla tactics.
At 16, she was crowned “magajiya” or princess and she was required to assume several responsibilities in preparation for her eventual ascension to the throne.
However, Amina’s real interest was in learning how to fight with weapons. She also killed Rakotobe and starved his mother to death. 1760–1827)
Queen Nandi displayed strength by defying Zulu’s beliefs to protect her son Shaka Zulu.
Perhaps, Ranavalona’s resistance could be the reason why Madagascar didn’t lose most of its traditional artifacts and artworks to the French during that period.
Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa (Ghana)
Regarded by many as one the fiercest female warriors of Africa, Yaa Asantewaa was the Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire, now part of modern-day Ghana.
She was a commoner who was adopted into the royal family after her father had warned the future King Andrianampoinimerina of a threat to his life. Despite her deep religious beliefs, she upheld Ethiopia’s traditions while addressing political challenges. Empress Menen of Ethiopia (1889-1962)
Wife to Emperor Haile Selassie, Empress Menen was a powerful advocate for Ethiopia's modernization and African self-determination on the world stage.
Her existence has long since been debated with some believing her story to be a legend. He fashioned weapons for her troops and oversaw the construction of a palace for Ranavalona.
The queen spent most of her reign resisting European powers and persecuted several European Christian missionaries. The Portuguese agreed to hand power back to Mbandi and also set a limit on the number of slaves they could take away.
On the other hand, Nzinga strategically agreed to be baptized and she adopted the name Dona Anna de Souza.
In 1633, Mbandi died and she took over as queen.
I shall call upon my fellow women. She defended her land but she was also very heartless. In the “Kebra Nagast”, she defeated the serpent king Awre after he caused disturbances in the Kingdom of Axum located in northern Ethiopia.
However, Makeda is most popularly known for her encounter with King Solomon in Jerusalem, According to the “Kebra Nagast”, Solomon was blown away by her beauty and intelligence.
Laborde was an intelligent man, who was very knowledgeable and excelled in various subjects such as engineering and ammunition. We take a look at 10 such phenomenal African queens from the iconic Nefertiti of Egypt to the lesser known but just as powerful queens that have left an erasable mark in history: