204: Lakshmi Bai The Rani (or Queen) of Jhansi Born: c.1828 (Possibly as late as 1834) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Present-Day India Died: 18 June 1858, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Present-Day India Alternate Name: Lakshmibai or Laxmibai Original Name: Manikarnika Leader of the Indian Mutiny against British Rule in 1857-1858, she was trained as a child in…
203: Isabella II Spanish Queen Who was Elevated to the Position After Her Father’s Death Born: 10 October 1830, Madrid, Spain Died: 9 April 1904, Paris, France For the first ten years of her reign the country was ruled by her mother and a military leader as regents however in 1843 the military man was…
202: Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India From 1837 to 1901 Born: 24 May 1819, Kensington, London, United Kingdom Died: 22 January 1901, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom Christening Name: Alexandrina Victoria (Her parents were not allowed to name their child, instead, her uncle,…
“The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me.” 200: Marie Antoinette Queen Consort of France During her Husband Louis XVI’s Reign Born: 2 November 1755, Vienna, Austria Died: 16 October 1793, Place de la Concorde, Paris, France She is remembered for causing financial…
” I shall be an autocrat: that’s my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that’s His.” 199: Catherine the Great Russian Empress Born: 2 May 1729, Ducal Castle, Present-day Szczecin, Poland Died: 17 November 1796, Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia In Russian: Yekaterina Velikaya Also Known As: Catherine II She was an ethnically…
197: Mumtaz Mahal Empress Consort of the Mughal Empire Born: 27 April 1593, Present-day Agra, India Died: 17 June 1631, Present-day Burhanpur, India Original Name: Arjumand Banu Begum Her common name (Mumtaz Mahal) means “Beloved Ornament [or Jewel] of the Palace.” Her aunt on her father’s side was Nur-Jahan—who also became her mother-in-law and was…
196: Njinga Mbandi Queen of Ndongo and Matamba Born: c.158, Present-day Republic of Angola Died: 1663, Present-day Republic of Angola Also Known as: Nzinga Mbande She defined much of the seventeenth century of what is now the country of Angola. Njinga beat back Portuguese attempts at Colonization with diplomacy, negotiations, and quick thinking. She took…
195: Nur-Jahan The Only Female Acting Empress Regnant of the Mughal Empire Born: 31 May 1577, Kandahar, Present-day Afghanistan Died: 17 December 1645, Lahore, Present-day Pakistan She was the favorite wife of Jahangir (the actual emperor). Nur-Jahan married her first husband aged seventeen, but he was later executed for siding with the emperor’s enemies; leaving…
194: Hürrem Sultan Her name meant The Laughing or Joyful One Born: c.1505, Rohatyn, Poland (Present-day Ukraine) Died: April 1558, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (Present-day Istanbul, Turkey) Also Known As: Roxelana or Roxolana Born Name: Aleksandra Lisosvka After being kidnapped and sold into slavery as one of the sultan’s many concubines, Roxelana rose through the ranks…
193: Mary Stuart And It All Had to do With Religion Born: 8 December 1542, Linlithgow, Scotland (Present-day United Kingdom) Died: 8 February 1587, Fotheringhay, England (Present-day United Kingdom) Also Known As: Mary Queen of Scots (And before you ask—the 2018 Film depicting the rivalry and dynamic between her and Elizabeth I is about 99.8%…