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Home , 700s (decade), Dihya, Margaret I of Denmark, Phraates IV, Phraates V, Tigranes III

LHOSSINE/CREATIVE COMMONS NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM / PUBLIC DOMAIN CREATIVE COMMONS GUSTAVO JERONIMO/CREATIVE COMMONS

GEVORK NAZARYAN/CREATIVE COMMONS INDIA POST

Look back through the millennia and you’ll find women Women in power even in humanity’s earliest days. Here’s a look at seven powerful queens and in their accomplishments.

PUBLIC DOMAIN History WOMEN IN HISTORY | AFRICAN LEGEND , Berber Warrior Queen Dihya was born into the tribe in the and eventually ruled a free Berber state in north that stretched from the Aures Mountains to the oasis of Gadames.

She is usually described as very tall with a lot of hair, which may mean she wore her hair long and in dread- locks. The Ancient History Encyclopedia says she was a black, African queen who dressed as royals of ancient in a loose tunic or robe, sometimes belted, with sandals.

FIGHTING THE Dihya was also referred to in sources as al Kahina, meaning the soothsayer, because of her alleged ability to foresee the future. She fought off the armies of the Umayyad , led by Hasan bin al-Nu’man, who marched from and met her near Meskiana in 698 (modern day ). It’s said she beat him so badly that he fled to for five years. However, Hasan eventually returned and, helped by a captured officer, defeated Dihya near Tabarka in modern near the Algerian border. History dis- agrees on whether she died a warrior’s death in battle or took poison to prevent capture, but it likely occurred in the late or early 700s. It’s said she was 127 years old at the time of her death, although this is almost certainly just a part of her legend.

STORY OF THE KAHINA Dihya’s story has been used over time to promote Berber causes, by French colonials to paint their rule in a positive light, and by North African feminists. It’s important to note that we only know Dihya’s story from Arab historians writing about the conquest of . Some of these sources claim Dihya was a Jewish sorceress, while others say she was a Christian who derived her power from a Christian icon. Her legend is also frequently entwined with birds. Some sources say she was an early scholar of desert birds, while others claim it was birds who brought her the knowledge of the future, says the Ancient History encyclopedia. LHOSSINE/CREATIVE COMMONS WOMEN IN HISTORY | MAYAN QUEEN Lady Eveningstar of the Maya Just as Dihya’s life was winding down, on the other side of the world, a girl was born in Calakmul, in the Mayan empire. She came to as a secondary wife of Itzamnaaj B’alam II, a Mayan king.

Although a secondary wife, left no heir. She may have Lady Eveningstar, also called been his daughter or sister, Ik’Skull, bore a son. She may and she ruled for more than 20 have ruled the kingdom in her years and carried full royal own right until the boy, Yaxun titles, which was uncommon B’alam IV, was old enough to for women. rule on his own. She died in Lady K’abel, or Lady 751. Waterlily Hand or Lady Snake Lord, was uncovered in 2012 A NEW ROLE in the ancient royal Maya city During the 7th and 8th cen- of El -Waka. She was turies, women shifted roles in etched on a 7th-century stela the Mayan kingdom from as dressed in royal clothing wives and mothers to playing and holding a warrior’s shield. critical roles in spiritual and According to National courtly life. Sculptures found Geographic, she ruled the at Naachtun depict both kings Wak, or Centipede kingdom, and queens as conquering between 672 and 692. She held heroes. Archaeologist Kathryn the title of kaloomte, or Reese-Taylor from the supreme warrior, which gave University of Calgary has iden- her authority over the king. tified at least 10 different royal Ix Wak Chan Ajaw was the women from four Maya city daughter of the king of Dos states, including Calakmul. Pilas in what is now central “Women are not sidebars,” . She arrived in Reese-Taylor says in Discover Naranjo, just west of the bor- magazine, “but significant der with modern Belize, to actors in their own right.” marry its king. He died shortly thereafter, leaving her in OTHER MAYAN QUEENS charge. Ix Wak Chan Ajaw Lady Yohl Ik’nal took the launched eight military cam- crown at in 583 paigns in five years, taking war when King B’alam I died and to her enemies and winning. “Women are not sidebars, but significant actors in their own right.”

— Archaeologist Kathryn Reese-Taylor GUSTAVO JERONIMO/CREATIVE COMMONS WOMEN IN HISTORY | POWERFUL WOMEN Wu Zeitan, Empress Consort Wu Wu is the sole officially recognized empress regnant of . She was also called Wu Zhao, Empress Wu or Tian Hu.

FROM CONCUBINE TO EMPRESS CONSORT Wu started out as the con- cubine of Emperor Taizong and, after his death, she mar- ried his ninth son and succes- sor, Gaozong, becoming empress consort in 655. She may have been shy in public, but behind the scenes, the Ancient History Encyclopedia calls her the real power. She was ruthless. She killed enemies, and possibly even her own children in her efforts to accumulate and consolidate her grip on China’s . When Gaozong had a stroke in 660, Wu became administrator, effectively the emperor’s equal. She kept the title until Gaozong’s death in 683, when PUBLIC DOMAIN her third son, Li Zhe, assumed the throne as Emperor rade entirely and moved to LEGACY Zhongzong. His reign lasted a make herself empress regnant Wu generally receives mere six weeks, however, of the new Zhou dynasty. But praise for her effective gover- when his misbehavior result- court life was as fractious as nance and protection of ed in Wu deposing him in ever, and Wu’s reliance on the China, but there’s a lot of favor of her youngest son, Li secret police and romantic scorn for the bloody way in Dan. affairs would prove to be her which she seized — and kept Even though he carried the undoing. In early 705, Wu bat- — power. She reformed the title emperor, it was no secret NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM / PUBLIC DOMAIN tled illness and the warring education system and the that Wu still held the power. factions at court. This would military. Culturally, her own She dropped the pretense of Dan, ruling as Emperor or meetings with officials. eventually result in her remov- literary works survived as do hiding behind a screen or cur- Ruizong, never moved into the al from power and the resto- the works of her court, which tain and issued commands to imperial apartments and did EMPRESS REGNANT ration of the . She was a focus of literary creativ- her son directly in public. Li not attend imperial functions In 690, Wu dropped the cha- died later that year at age 81. ity. WOMEN IN HISTORY | INDIAN QUEEN Maharani Ahilyabal Holkar Ahilyabal was born in 1725 in the village of Chondi, where her father taught her to read and write.

Legend says that Malhar Rao Holkar, lord of the Malwa territory, stopped in her vil- lage on the way to Pune. He saw the girl, 8, in the temple and, captivated by her piety, brought her to Holkar territo- ry as a bride for his son, Khanderao Holkar. She mar- ried Khanderao in 1733

REIGN Khanderao was killed in the siege of Kumher in 1754. After the subsequent deaths of

Khanderao’s father and only INDIA POST son, Ahilyabal became queen in 1767, supported by the Holkar army. She personally CHARITY lead the army into battle Ahilyabal is known for her against those who sought to humility and her practice of plunder her kingdom or defy donating her public wealth to her rule. charitable works inside and She also endeared herself to outside of her kingdom. She her people by holding daily built dozens of temples, ghats, audiences to hear their trou- wells, rest houses, roads and bles. forts. Ahilyabal notably Ahilyabal established the improved Hindu sacred sites textile industry in her capital at Kashmir, Mathura, Dwarka, city of Maheshwar, and sup- Rameshwar and Ayodhya. ported the rise of farmers and merchant classes. She encour- LEGACY aged a flourishing culture of The city of Indore named its poetry, music and the arts, airport and university after playing host to the famous Ahilyabal, as well as an annu- Marathi poet Moropant and al award for gallantry. The the Sanskrit scholar Khushali Republic of India issued a Ram. stamp in her honor in 1996. Ahilyabal ruled peacefully There are also numerous until her death in 1795 at the roads, parks and other infra- age of 70. She was succeeded structure named after her, by her military commander, and many popular movies Tukoji Rao Holkar I. and books chronicle her life. CREATIVE COMMONS WOMEN IN HISTORY | AN ANCIENT MYSTERY Queen Musa of She started out as a During their reign, tensions ran high with . slave, but ended up a went so far as to send his queen. Musa, also adopted son, Gaius, to invade . After a tense exchange of known as Thermusa, correspondence, a second is one of only three peace treaty was signed, mak- ing the king of women to rule in Parthia and returning Phraates Iranian history. She IV’s sons. The historian Flavius was queen of the Josephus alleges that Musa from married Phraates V, which angered the Parthian . 2 B.C. to 2 A.D. It’s not known how true that is, but the fact is the nobility EARLY LIFE did rise up against them after Musa was a Roman concu- only four years. They were bine of Phraates IV (37-2 B.C.), deposed and executed or driv- a gift from the Roman emper- en into . or Augustus after a treaty in which the Parthians acknowl- LEGACY edged Roman control of Today, we see Musa mainly while the Romans on coinage and in conspiracy recognized the theories. She appears, along River as the border of its with Phraates V, on the lands. of her time, which still exist in museums around the world. REIGN Some say she was the daugh- Musa became Phraates IV’s ter of Julius and favorite wife, and gave birth to , who was gotten rid a son who would become of by being sent to Parthia. Phraates V. She convinced Others even claim she’s a can- Phraates’ IV to send his other didate for Mary, the mother of sons, Vonones I, Phraates and Jesus Christ. Karen, to Rome as hos- tages. In 2 B.C., in the absence of any other succes- sors, Musa poisoned Phraates V and made herself and Phraates V co-rulers of the Parthian empire. ARAB LEAGUE / PUBLIC DOMAIN CREATIVE COMMONS WOMEN IN HISTORY | POWERFUL WOMEN

GEVORK NAZARYAN/ ANCIENT HISTORY ENCYCLOPEDIA CREATIVE COMMONS Queen Erato of Armenia Before Musa was given Erato, which is Greek for ter Erato to preserve the Erato in the face of a full- Augustus installed V, beautiful, was the daughter of Artaxiad blood line. fledged war with Rome, a Herodian prince and dis- to Phraates IV in a deal Tigranes III and was born and She had a daughter with Tigranes IV and Erato tant relative of the Artaxiad that sealed the fate of raised in either Rome or Tigranes IV who went on to acknowledged Roman rule Dynasy, on the throne. Armenia, depending on the marry King Pharasmanes I of and were allowed to remain Armenia’s nobles later Armenia, Queen Erato year of her birth. She may be Iberia. in power by Augustus. restored Erato back to the ruled the land with viewed as one of the last Though they ruled with Tigranes IV was killed in bat- throne to co-rule with hereditary rulers of Armenia. Roman leave, neither Erato tle some time about 2 B.C., Tigranes V from the new capi- her brother-husband nor Tigranes IV were fans of and Erato abdicated her tal of . They may King Tigranes IV. FIRST REIGN Rome. The pair instead throne and went into political have married, which would WITH TIGRANES IV leaned toward Parthia for exile. have made her queen con- Erato would rule as a Tigranes III died sometime support, and Rome and sort. The pair was overthrown Roman client queen from 10 before 6 B.C. In 10 B.C., the Parthia competed for influ- SECOND REIGN again in 12, after which B.C. to 2 B.C., and again from Armenias put Tigranes IV on ence over Armenia. WITH TIGRANES V Augustus put Vonones I, son 6-12 with the Herodian the throne who, in Hellenistic After Phraates V pulled In 6, the Armenians mur- of Phraates IV of Parthia, on Prince Tigranes V. custom, married his half-sis- support for Tigranes IV and dered King Artavasdes III and the throne of Armenia. WOMEN IN HISTORY | SCANDINAVIAN RULER Queen Margaret I of Margaret I was to King Haakon VI of , queen of , and later ruled in her own right as Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. She was an adroit ruler who intended to unite .

EARLY LIFE Margaret was the youngest daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark, born in 1353 on Soborg Castle. She was betrothed to King Haakon VI of Norway at age 6, but the Nordic power struggles kept the actual ceremony at bay for four more years until the pair was finally wed in in 1363. Some time after the wed- ding, Margaret was taken to Akershus in Oslo Fjord, where she was raised by the noble- woman Merete Ulvsdatter, JEBULON / CREATIVE COMMONS daughter of . Norway and Denmark the next with Margaret ruling in his Margaret continued to be the REIGN year. She then turned to stead until he reached the age effective ruler until her death After her father’s death in Sweden, and was elected sov- of majority. Denmark and in 1412. 1375, Margaret sought and ereign in 1388, cementing her Sweden followed suit in 1396, won the election of her infant rule with the defeat of Albert of and Margaret used it as an IN DEATH son, Olaf, to the Danish throne. Mecklenburg in 1389. opportunity to release the Her sarcophagus, made by He being too young to rule, Treaty of Kalmbach, uniting Lubeck sculptor Johannes Margaret took over as regent. BOGISLAV, OR the three countries in an “ever- Junge, sits in the Haakon died in 1380, and Olaf lasting union.” In fact, this Cathedral near Copenhagen. (and Margaret) succeeded him In 1389, Margaret pro- union or its scraps lasted for Masses for her soul are no lon- in Norway as well. But Olaf claimed her great-nephew and 400 years. ger said regularly, but a special died suddenly in 1387, and grandson of Henry of Eric was crowned king of all bell is run twice daily in com- Margaret was named regent of Mecklenberg king of Norway, three countries in 1397, though memoration. PUBLIC DOMAIN