Contrary to the popular opinion, women have not always been referred to as the weaker gender in Africa. In fact, there were many women from history who ruled and gained the respect of their subjects in a way no-one could imagine.

Africa may be known for being many things but poverty and lack of influence should not be one of them. Read about the richest kings in Africa. In history, we had some of the wealthiest and most advanced civilizations in the world. Also, we are a people of resilience and determination.

According to Greek records, the first Amazons were from Libya, consisting of female only troops. In Benin Republic, history shows that there was a time every house had a female warrior to defend the house, very similar to Amazons. All this is testament to the power and strength that women had in ancient times.

Here are some of the most powerful and influential queens in African history:

1. Queen Amina of Zaria, Nigeria

Aminatu was from the Hausa community in Nigeria, the granddaughter of King Sarkin and the daughter of a strong and bold mother who built the capital of Zazzau (Zaria), which formed a part of Hausa land in the 16th century. Amina chose to be a warrior and when her mum passed on, queen Aminatu was given the title of magaijiya. She later became one of the greatest Hausa warriors in history and went ahead to rule for 34 years. Her military skills led to the increase of the borders of Zazzau and she fought hard to grant a safe passage to Hausa traders of that time who moved between kingdoms. She became such a popular princess that she is celebrated as Amina daughter of Nikatau, a woman as capable as a man. Another Nigerian queen you should know about is the courageous Queen Moremi.

2. Yaa Asantewaa of the Ashanti Kingdom, Ghana

Nana Yaa Asantewaa was the queen of Ejisu of the Ashanti Empire which is now part of modern Ghana. It is said that she was quite rebellious towards the British colonialism that she led a war known as the War of the Golden Stool against British colonialism. The Golden Stool was the supreme symbol of the sovereignty and the independence of the Ashanti, a people who inhabited dense rain forests of what is now the central portion of Ghana. The governor in no way understood the sacred significance of the Golden Stool, which according to tradition, contained the soul of the Ashanti. When she saw how disrespectful the white men were being to her people after exiling their king, she said:

“If you men will not go forward, then we the women will. I will call upon my fellow women. We will fight the white men until the last of us falls in the battlefields.” The Ashantis, led by Nana Yaa Asantewaa, fought very bravely.

3. Queen Nzinga of Matamba, Angola

Queen Nzinga or the Amazon Queen of Matamba was an astute diplomat and excelled as a military leader. When the slave-hunting Portuguese attacked the army of her brother’s kingdom, Nzingha was sent to negotiate the peace. She did so with astonishing skill and political tact, despite the fact that her brother had her only child killed.She later formed her own army against the Portuguese, and waged war for nearly 30 years. These battles were a unique moment in colonial history as Nzingha allied her nation with the Dutch, marking the first African-European alliance against a European oppressor. Nzingha continued to wield considerable influence among her subjects despite being forced into exile. Because of her quest for freedom and relentless drive to bring peace to her people, Nzingha remains a glimmering symbol of inspiration.

4. Queen Nandi of the Zulu Kingdom, South Africa

The mother of the great Shaka Zulu, the king of the Zulus, she is is said to have been the secret behind Shaka’s strength which equipped him to extend the borders of the Zulu Kingdom over a period of 12 years. Although she got pregnant with Shaka out of wedlock, she managed to raise him up to be a great king and later had great influence over affairs of the kingdom. She was one of the only queens that refused to bow down to social pressures and showed resilience in everything she did.

5. Makeda, Queen of Sheba

Ethiopia was then represented by a queen, who in some books is referred to as “Makeda” or “Belkis.” She is better known to the world as the Queen of Sheba. This queen is said to have reigned over Sheba and Arabia as well as Ethiopia and during her time, Ethiopia was only second to Egypt in greatness and fame. The queen of Sheba is said to have undertaken a long and difficult journey to Jerusalem to learn from the wisdom of the great King Solomon. Makeda and King Solomon were equally impressed with each other that they bore a son together, Menelik or Ebna la-Hakim, meaning son of the wise, who became the first imperial ruler of Ethiopia.

This African queen is mentioned in two holy books, the Bible and the Quran. The story of the queen of Sheba is deeply cherished in Ethiopia, as part of the national heritage.

6. Queen Ranavalona the First of Madagascar

Queen Ranavalona was the first woman to rule the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar between 1788-1861. She ruled as a dictator and persecuted those who opposed her regime, especially the Europeans whom she was very adamant towards. She ruthlessly reigned for 33 years and managed to preserve the political and culture of the Malagasy people. Because of her reign, she was seen as sovereign and patriotic at heart. Read about the historical Muslim feminist from Sokoto.

7. Queen Cleopatra of Egypt

According to the History Channel, Cleopatra the seventh ruled ancient Egypt as co-regent (first with her two younger brothers and then with her son) for almost three decades. She became the last in a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy, who served as general under Alexander the Great during his conquest of Egypt in 332 B.C. Well-educated and clever, Cleopatra could speak various languages and served as the dominant ruler in all three of her co-regencies. Her romantic liaisons and military alliances with the Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, as well as her supposed exotic beauty and powers of seduction, earned her an enduring place in history and popular myth.

8. Dahia Al-Kahina of Algeria

This queen led the African resistance to the Arab invasions that took place around the year 690. Al-Kahina took it as her personal commitment to ensure that African armies would force Arabs to retreat and reassess their strategies and tactics for the invasion of North Africa. She said that she would rather have seen her land’s destruction rather than give it up to invaders. She fought endlessly and the destruction caused can still be seen till now in North Africa.

9. Queen Nefertiti of Egypt

Queen Nefertiti, meaning 'a beautiful woman has come', was one of the most prominent queens whose paintings have also become a common example of feminine beauty and power. Nefertiti is said to have been a woman of influence and power, she drove a chariot and wasn’t scared of her enemies. She was the mother of the powerful King Tutankhamun and the wife of Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaton. What is known is that the relationship between Akhenaten and Nefertiti was one of history’s first well-known love stories. At the prompting of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, sculptors and artists began to recreate life in its natural state, instead of the rigid and lifeless forms of early Egyptian art.

10. Empress Candace of Ethiopia

In 332 BC, King Alexander tried to invade the Ancient Egyptian kingdom but had to go through Ethiopia. Empress Candace, a dreaded general of her time, commanded that they not pass and Alexander decided to pull back his army based on this, as he could not risk being defeated by the great African Empress. Empress Candace is credited as one of the strongest female military tacticians with great military commanding skills.