List of queens regnant
Main article:
Queen regnantA list of all known Queens Regnant.
The following is a list of some queens who are well-known from popular writings, although many ancient and poorly-documented ruling queens (such as those from Africa and Oceania) are omitted.
Africa
Kandake was a title for queens, queen mothers, and queens consort in Nubia, but ruling Kandakes may have included
The Modjadji or Rain Queen is the hereditary queen of Balobedu, the people of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The succession to the position of Rain Queen is matrilineal, meaning that the Queen's eldest daughter is the heir, and that males are not entitled to inherit the throne at all. The Rain Queen is believed to have special powers, including the ability to control the clouds and rainfall.
America
- Une' B'alam (ruled c.317)
- Lady of Tikal (ruled 511-527?)
Asia
East Asia
There have been four empresses regnant documented in Chinese history. However Wu Zetian is the only undisputed empress regnant in the Chinese history, the other three being- 元氏，who is just a baby when succeed to the throne as a baby boy to stabilize the country and later abdicated after few months. 文佳皇帝陈硕真 who lead a peasant revolt in 653AD but failed. 西辽承天皇帝耶律普速完 of Liao, who is a regent due to the fact that her nephews are too young, planned to ascend the throne but discovered and killed by her prince consort's father in a Coup d'état. There have been many powerful empress consorts or empress dowagers, some of whom effectively ruled, as noted below. Powerful empress consorts or empress dowagers were de facto rulers, but not de jure empress regnants. A concubine who gave birth to a crown prince also could become empress dowager(太妃）, although her status still was a little lower than an empress dowager who had been the former empress consort which will be known as 太后。
- Wu Zetian 武則天 (ruled 684-705, reigned 690-705) - the sole official Chinese Empress Regnant, the empress consort of Tang Gaozong, the mother of Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong, she established the Zhou Dynasty (also known as Wu Zhou 武周) after dismissing her sons and becoming the Empress Regnant
- Queen Himiko, of Yamatai
- Queen Toyo, of Yamatai
- Empress Jingū (ruled 206–209?) — legendary and possibly mythical; removed from the list of Emperors in the nineteenth century
- Empress Iitoyo
- Empress Suiko (554-628), (ruled 593–628) — first ruling empress
- Empress Kōgyoku (594-661), (ruled 642–645) — formerly Princess Takara (Empress Consort of Jomei)
- Empress Saimei (594-661), (ruled 655–661) - same person as Empress Kōgyoku, second reign under a second name
- Empress Jitō (645-702), (ruled 690–697)
- Empress Gemmei (661-721), (ruled 707–715)
- Empress Genshō (680-748), (ruled 715–724) — formerly Princess Hidaka
- Empress Kōken (718-770), (ruled 749–758)
- Empress Shōtoku (718-770), (ruled 764–770) - same person as Empress Kōken, second reign under a second name
- Empress Meishō (1624–1696), (ruled 1629–1643)
- Empress Go-Sakuramachi (1740–1813), (ruled 1762–1771) — most recent ruling empress
- Alan Gua (ruled ?-970), legendary and possibly mythical
Middle East
- Zugalum (ruled fl. c. 2400)
- Anzaze (ruled about 82/81 to 75 BC, following dates on the coins), she appears on coins together with king Kamnaskires III; it was not common on Ancient coins that king and queens appear together and this fact would support her special status
- Zabibe (ruled c.750-735 BC)
- Samsi (ruled c.735-710 BC)
- Yatie (ruled c.710-695 BC)
- Te'elkhunu (ruled 695-690 BC)
- Tabua
Sulayhid dinasty
- Arwa al-Sulayhi (ruled 1067-1138), she ruled Yemen firstly through her first two husbands and then as sole ruler; she was the greatest of the rulers of the Sulayhid Dynasty and was also the first woman to be accorded the prestigious title of hujja in Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam, signifying her as the closest living image of God's will in her lifetime
Kuru dynasty
The Begums of Bopal were several women who ruled the princely state of Bhopal in Central India in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Sugandha (ruled in 10th century)
- Didda (ruled 980-1003), she ruled first as a Regent for her son Abhimanyu and thereafter as sole ruler in her own right
- Damahaar (ruled before 990) - Damahaar, a Ranin (Queen) of the Aadeetta (Sun) Dynasty, is mentioned by al-Idrisi as having reigned over the Maldives at some time before the semi-legendary King Koimala; there are several other mentions by foreign travelers, mainly Arabs, of queens ruling over the Maldives at various times; these are not always named and their reigns cannot be precisely dated
- Khadijah (ruled 1347-1363, 1364-1374 and 1376-1380)
- Raadhafathi (ruled 1380)
- Dhaain (ruled 1385-1388)
- Anula (ruled 47-42 BC)
- Sivali (ruled 35 BC)
- Lilavati (ruled 1197-1200, 1209–1210 and 1211–1212)
- Kalyanavati (ruled 1202-1208)
Southeast Asia
- Seri Ratu Niharsyah (ruled 1400-1427), the Sultana of Samudera Pasai
- Seri Ratu Ta'jul Alam Shah (ruled 1641-1675) the Sultana of Atjeh (Aceh) Darussalam, formerly known as Puteri Seri Alam the Daughter of The Great Sultan Iskandar Muda, and wife of Sultan Iskandar Thani
- Seri Ratu Keumalat Shah (ruled 1675-1678) the god-daughter of Ratu Ta'jul Alam
- Seri Ratu Inayat Shah (ruled 1678-1688) the god-daughter of Ratu Ta'jul Alam
- Seri Ratu Kamalat Syah (ruled 1688-1699), the god-daughter of Ratu Ta'jul Alam - she was deposed and replaced by her husband under pressure from the Mufti of Mecca
- Queen Somâ (180-90) - The earliest Queen and Leader in Cambodian history.
- Queen Regnant Kambuja-raja-lakshmi (575-580) - Maternal cousin of king Sresthavarman and the daughter of king Viravarman. She was married to king Bhavavarman I. It was through her that he inherited the royal lineage.
- Queen Jaya Devi (680-713) - During her rule, She was faulted in leadership which lead The Chenla kingdom to break into two individual stat but then it record the period to be female-dominated dynasty with the wide range of female successors, totally driving the entire kingdom.
- Queen Regnant Indrani (750) - The heiress to the Kingdom, she was married to Puskarasha, son of Queen Regnant Jayadevi of Chenla, and he afterwards became King.
- Queen Regnant Jayendrabha (750 - 803) - Also known as Jayendravallabha, she was the daughter of Queen Nrpendradevi and Rajendravarman. She was married to king Jayavarman II, who established himself as king of Indrapura in 781.
- Queen Regnant Jyestha of Sambhupura (803-34) - She was the daughter of Queen Jayendra[valla]bha and King Jayavarman II. She described herself as queen of Sambhupura in 803.
- Queen Li (1688) - known ith Queen Li of Samdach Brhat Bhagavathi Sri Parama Chakrapati Kshatriyi. Born as H.H. Princess (Brhat Anak Anga) Li, daughter of H.M. Brhat Bat Machas Brhat Dharmanath Prabhunatha Maha Upayuvaraja Parama Raja – also known as Paramaraja VIII. First married her halfbrother King Pramaraja IX, who was killed in 1672, and secondly married to nephew, King Jaya Jatha III. She was granted the rank of Queen with the title of Samdach Brhat Bhagavathi Sri Parama Chakrapati Kshatriyi in 1688, when she acted as regent for husband.
- Queen Brhat Maha Kshatriyi (1715) - Born as Princess Brhat Maha Kshatriyi, granted the title of Akka Maha Sri in 1700, she was elder daughter of King Jaya Jatha IV. Regent for husband.
- Queen Ang Mey (1835–1841 and 1844–1845) - Also known as Queen Ba-cong-chua or Ksat Trey, she was proclaimed on the death of her father by the Vietnamese faction at court with the title of My-lam-quan-chua in January 1835. She was famous to begin thought of puppet queen to Annam.
- Queen Kossomak Nearieath (1960–70) - she was crowned with her husband King Norodom Suramit after her son, King Norodom Shihanonk's abdication.
- Raja Hijau, the Green Queen (ruled 1584-1616)
- Raja Biru, the Blue Queen (ruled 1616-1624)
- Raja Ungu, the Purple Queen (ruled 1624-1635)
- Raja Kuning, the Yellow Queen (ruled 1635-1649/88), controversy surrounds the exact date of the end of her reign
- Raja Emas Kelantan (ruled 1670–1698 or 1690-1704), thought by Teeuw & Wyatt to be a king, but claimed by al-Fatani to be a queen, the widow of Raja Bakal and mother of the succeeding queen
- Raja Emas Chayam (ruled 1698–1702 or 1704-1707 and 1716–1718)
Spanning Africa and Asia
Spanning Africa and Europe
- Dido (ruled c.814-760 BC), legendary and possibly mythical
Spanning Asia and Europe
- Erato (ruled 12-2 BC, 2-1 BC and 11-12 AD)
- Zarmandukht (ruled 378-384)
- Irene (ruled 797-802)
- Zoe (ruled 1042) - she ruled as empress consort between 1028 and 1050; she ruled as ruling empress only in 1042, jointly with her sister Theodora
- Theodora (ruled 1042 and 1055-1056) - she ruled in 1042 jointly with her sister Zoe; she ruled then from 1055 until her death as sole monarch
Europe
- Jelena Gruba (elected after her husband's death, ruled 1395-1398)
- Dynamis (ruled with her first husband Asander in 47 BC, then 44 BC-17 BC, then with her second husband Polemon I from 16 BC until her death in 14 BC)
- Margaret I (ruled 1375–1412), also Queen of Norway (ruled 1388–1412) and Queen of Sweden (ruled 1389–1412)
- Margaret II (ruled 1972–present)
- Mary I (ruled 1382-1385 and 1386–1395) - was crowned as King of Hungary to emphasize that she was a monarch
- Maria II Theresa (ruled 1740-1780)
- Adelasia of Torres (ruled 1238–1245 or 1246) - eldest child of Marianus II of Logudoro and successor of her brother, Barisone III, was Judge of Logudoro from 1236 and Judge of Gallura from 1238. The Emperor Frederick II married his bastard son Enzo to her and create a Kingdom of Sardinia; the two were married and titled King and Queen of Sardinia, although they had no effective authority over the whole isle. In 1245 or 1246, the marriage was annulled
- Joan the Mad (ruled 1516-1555)
- Wilhelmina (ruled 23 November 1890 – 4 September 1948)
- Juliana (ruled 4 September 1948 – 30 April 1980)
- Beatrix (ruled 30 April 1980 – present)
- Wanda (ruled in 8th century), legendary Queen of the Poles
- Hedwig (ruled 1384-1399) - was crowned as King of Poland to emphasize that she was a monarch
- Anna (ruled 1575-1595)
- Irina (ruled 7 Jan.-21 Feb. 1598 ?) - upon the death of Feodor I on 7 January 1598, it is possible that Irina herself could have taken the throne as the reigning tsarina, rather than a mere consort. Thus she retired (some historians call it an abdication) to the Novodevichy Monastery, where she took monastic vows under the name Aleksandra
- Catherine I (ruled 1725-1727)
- Anna (ruled 1730-1740)
- Elizabeth (ruled 1741-1762)
- Catherine II ("the Great") (ruled 1762-1796)
- Ingeborg (acted and ranked as if she were a queen regnant in 1318-1319) - leading figure in the regency governments in Norway and Sweden between 1319 and 1327. Some writers have asserted that for a year before the Swedish reign of King Magnus IV, her son, she was Sweden's first de facto female ruler. Her position equalled subsequently that of an undeclared queen mother for over 40 years
- Margaret (ruled 1389–1412)
- Christina (ruled 1632 – 5 June 1654)
- Ulrika Eleonora the Younger (ruled 30 November 1718 – 29 February 1720)
- Queen Gwendolen, legendary Queen of the Britons according to Geoffrey of Monmouth
- Queen Cordelia, legendary Queen of the Britons according to Geoffrey of Monmouth
- Queen Marcia, legendary Queen of the Britons according to Geoffrey of Monmouth
- Cartimandua (ruled c. 43 – 69), queen of the Brigantes, a Celtic people in what is now Northern England - she came to power around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, and formed a large tribal agglomeration that became loyal to Rome; she is known exclusively from the work of a single Roman historian, Tacitus, though she appears to have been widely influential in early Roman Britain
- Boudica, queen of the Brythonic Celtic Iceni people of Norfolk in Eastern Britain who, in 61 AD, led a major uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire
- Seaxburh of Wessex (ruled c. 672-675) - she reigned jointly with her husband Cenwalh and, according to tradition, ruled Wessex as Queen for a year following Cenwalh's death in 674
- Ælfflæd of Mercia (ruled 840) - she inherited the throne in 840, when her son Wigstan declined the kingship, appointing his mother as regent. She was deposed from this position by Beorhtwulf of Mercia
- Æthelflæd of Mercia (ruled 911-918) - eldest daughter of king Alfred the Great of Wessex, wife of Æthelred II, ealdorman of Mercia, and after his death, sole ruler of Mercia. While her husband was alive, she signed agreements, leading some to think that she was the real leader. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle styles her Lady of the Mercians (Myrcna hlæfdige)
- Ælfwynn of Mercia (ruled 918) - daughter of Æthelred II and Æthelflæd, styled Lady of the Mercians. Deposed by her uncle, Edward the Elder (4 December 918), who annexed Mercia to Wessex, creating the Kingdom of England
- Matilda (or Maud) of England (named, but she was never crowned because her title was usurped; she was a de facto ruler for a few months in 1141) styled herself as Lady of the English, although Queen of the English was not unknown; she was named heir by her father, Henry I of England, upon securing the loyalty of nobles of the realm, but Count Stephen of Blois contradicted his promise after the king's death and made himself King of England instead; civil war ensued and was ended when the crown was secured to Matilda's (or Maud's) son, Henry II of England, who became the first king of the House of Plantagenet
- Margaret of Scotland, the Maid of Norway (heir 19 March 1286 – 26 September 1290) - she was the daughter of Eirik II of Norway and Margaret, daughter of Alexander III, she died during the sea journey to Scotland before being inaugurated
- Mary, Queen of Scots (ruled 14 December 1542 – 24 July 1567) - she became queen when she was six days old, was crowned at age five, and promptly engaged to the Dauphin of France, the future Francis II
- Lady Jane Grey (ruled 10–19 July 1553) – her cousin Edward VI of England appointed her successor by removing his older half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth from the order of succession as illegitimate heirs; this decision had not been approved by Parliament and was open to questions of its legality; Mary was the heir according to the will of their father Henry VIII of England and was elevated to the throne through popular revolt; nevertheless, without consideration to Celtic queens such as Boudica, Jane is sometimes referred to as England's first queen regnant; she is called The Nine Days Queen because of the brief period of her reign
- Mary I of England (ruled 19 July 1553 – 17 November 1558) - elevated to the throne in accordance with Henry VIII's will, she is generally considered the first queen regnant as Jane Grey's reign was considered null and to this day is disputed
- Elizabeth I of England (ruled 17 November 1558 – 24 March 1603) - she succeeded her childless older half-sister, Mary, and led England to one of its richest periods in history, known as the Elizabethan Age; she never married and died childless
- Grace O'Malley or Gráinne Ní Mháille (ruled mid 16th century-1603) - she was Queen of Umaill, chieftain of the Ó Máille clan and a pirate in 16th century Ireland
- Mary II of England and Scotland (ruled 13 February, 11 April 1689 – 28 December 1694) - co-reigned with her husband William III; they were given the throne by Parliament after the same deposed James II during the so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688
- Anne, Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland and later, Queen of Great Britain and Queen of Ireland (ruled 8 March 1702 – 1 August 1714)
- Victoria of the United Kingdom (ruled 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901)
- Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (ruled 6 February 1952–present)
Oceania
- Maevarua I (ruled before Western contact)
- Teriimaevarua II (ruled 1860-1873)
- Teriimaevarua III (ruled 1873-1888)
Ancient
- Kūkaniloko, 11th Moʻi of Oʻahu, (ruled sixteenth century)
- Kalaimanuia, 12th Moʻi of Oʻahu, (ruled 1600-1665)
- Kamakahelei, 22nd Moʻi of Kauaʻi, (ruled 1770 - 1794)
- Kaikilani, 17th Moʻi of Hawaiʻi Island, (ruled 1575-1605)
- Keakamahana, 19th Moʻi of Hawaiʻi Island, (ruled 1635-1665)
- Keakealaniwahine, 20th Moʻi of Hawaiʻi Island, (ruled 1665-1695)
- Kalanikauleleiaiwi, co-ruler of Hawaiʻi Island along with her brother Keaweikekahialiiokamoku, (ruled 1695-1725)
- Ululani, 7th Chiefess of Hilo
- Kapau-A-Nuakea, 3rd Chiefess of Molokai
- Kamauliwahine, 4th Chiefess of Molokai
- Hualani, 5th Chiefess of Molokai
- Kane'alai, Chiefess of Molokai
Kingdom
- Liliuokalani (ruled 1891-1893 and claimed status as queen until her death in 1917) - was one of many queens of Hawaii; however, she was the only queen regnant of the modern Kingdom of Hawaii established by Kamehameha I in the late eighteenth century
- Teha'apapa I (ruled 1760-1790)
- Teri'itaria II (ruled 1815-1852)
- Teha'apapa II (ruled 1868-1893)
- Teuhe (ruled 1888-1890, she reigned under a rebellion government against her mother Queen Tehaapapa II)
- Teha'apapa III (ruled 1893-1895)
- Tehauroarii (ruled 1881-1884)
- Temaeva IV (ruled 1876-1892)
- Temaeva V (ruled 1892-1901)
- Paetini (ruled around 1842)
- Loi Vakamoa II (ruled around 1861)
- Vaekehu I (ruled 18??-18??)
- Vaekehu II (ruled 1890-1901)
References
External links