Did you know about these ruthless queens in history?
I don’t know about you, but I remember most of my history books from school. I remember I was so fascinated to read them from cover to cover, learn new things, and brag about what I learned to my parents at every family dinner.
Of course, they were full of stories about great and influential leaders, but the majority, if not all, were most likely men. It would appear that men have ruled the world from Alexander the Great and Napoleon to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and all those in between. And while it might have been true for the most part throughout history, it’s not 100% true.
There were also a couple of ruthless queens in history who were seen as even worse than the male rulers. Unfortunately, history classes and school textbooks don’t mention their stories, or at least not in depth. I guess that depends on the manuals and, of course, the school. Pop culture’s very specific focus on particular historical events and the basic world history curriculum makes it (almost entirely) male.
You don’t trust me? You have to read the following lines and make an opinion of your own.
Wu Zetian
I decided to begin the list of ruthless queens in history with Wu Zetian, who was the only woman strong enough to hold the dynasty of Tang together for many decades.
Wu Zetian was the only female emperor in Chinese history. However, gaining power wasn’t simple, and keeping it was even more difficult. The mid-600s marked the start of the Tang Dynasty. For the period, Tang leaders were reasonably progressive in how they treated women.
Opportunistic by nature, she began as a former emperor’s concubine, and she took full advantage of that. She was the preferred concubine of two different dynastic emperors in her early years. She gave birth to many sons during this time.
Wu was bold enough to accuse the emperor’s wife of planning to murder her daughter when she attempted to have her removed. After chaos broke out in the palace, Wu was made empress.
But what made her one of the most ruthless queens in history? Besides taking advantage of everything she could, after her husband had a stroke, Wu stepped into the power void. She established a loyalist covert police force. They started eavesdropping on other political figures. Soon, they were informing Wu of everything that happened in the palace.
Because of that, she began ordering the execution of numerous alleged dissidents. Others were targeted by intricate and ruthless assassination schemes.
She also made sure the former wife of the emperor was “eradicated,” and soon after her husband died, she made one of her sons the new emperor. This was her way of controlling things from behind the emperor.
Even though she was disliked at the throne and considered one of the most ruthless queens in history, she accomplished two important tasks that were crucial for the Tang Dynasty and the nation: she worked to elevate women’s status within the dynasty, and she hired scholars and academics to hold important government positions.
She improved the functioning of the Tang Dynasty and brought about a period of cultural growth that would benefit greater China for centuries.
Tomyris
I bet that most of you haven’t heard of Tomyris, and I don’t blame you because it was quite challenging for me to find information about her either. So, why did I add Tomyris to the list of ruthless queens in history?
Cyrus the Great used an iron grip to rule the Achaemenid Empire in the sixth century BC. He continues to be honored by academics and historians as one of the most potent Persian kings in history. He regularly overthrew other empires and enslaved other peoples throughout the region.
His reign was long and violent, and he won battle after battle. Everyone was terrified by tales of his cruelty and military savvy. “Ok, but what about that woman Tomyris you mentioned above? Tell us about her.”
There was a strong woman named Tomyris who managed to knock him down. Unfortunately, not many people are aware of her incredible story today. During Cyrus’s reign, a group of Scythian peoples known as the Massagetae inhabited Central Asia. They were proficient riders and made excellent use of the strong animals in both mass migration and combat.
Fighting off everyone who was standing in his way, Cyrus took the life of Tomyris’s son. A grieving mother asked for compensation and answers regarding her son’s death, but Cyrus refused any requests.
Because she didn’t receive any answer from Cyrus, Tomyris challenged the Persians to a battle, and Cyrus accepted. Outnumbered by the Massagetae soldiers, Cyrus realized he was going to lose the battle. And he did. Tomyris took his life with her own sword.
Some may think she was a ruthless queen, but I’d say she was a mother seeking revenge for the death of her beloved son.
Amanitore
Moving forward to Egypt, one of my favorite places, where queens and kings were widely known and studied in school too. While Cleopatra, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Sobekneferu are among the most popular ones, there is one of the most ruthless queens in history who is also from Egypt, but not many people in 2025 know about her.
The ancient city of Meroe was located in the Kush kingdom of the Nubians. Located in the center of modern-day Egypt, Meroe was governed by a succession of warrior queens who were known as Kandake.
Due to Meroe’s close ties to the larger Kush kingdom, the warrior queens were frequently the sisters or female cousins of the Kush emperors and kings.
These powerful women were free to establish their own goals, attack adversaries, and command armies in combat in Meroe. Over the centuries, Meroe had several strong female leaders. Amanitore, a warrior, was unquestionably the most well-known of these women. From the year before Jesus’ birth until AD 20, she ruled Meroe with strength and wisdom.
According to legend, she even made some people kill themselves so she could keep her share of the kingdom. Alongside King Natakamani of Kush, Amanitore ruled over the building and repair of more than 200 pyramids during her reign. She will be remembered as the final great builder of the Kush empire in this way.
There is also one small detail that added to her status as one of the most ruthless queens in history. According to Greek and Roman sources, Amanitore was also probably the “one-eyed Nubian queen” who fought a violent dispute with the Romans for five years.
Nzinga Ana
I don’t know how many history books mention in detail what happened in Africa, especially regarding women living there. That’s why I am here—to share new or interesting details about various civilizations around the world.
Who was Nzinga Ana, and why is she considered one of the most ruthless queens in history? She took control of the Ndongo kingdom. The strong kingdom was located in what is now Angola, a country in southwest Africa.
For years, Portuguese slave traders had been raiding the region. Occasionally, they would trade with nearby kingdoms and purchase slaves to transport to the New World. If slaves opposed this, they would simply kidnap, capture, and steal innocent people to transport them to America.
Nzinga wanted to put an end to this situation, but instead of fighting the Portuguese, she did a smarter thing: she made them her allies. But the peace didn’t last longer than two years.
The Mbundu people were once more subjected to Portuguese slavery. Nzinga was furious and gave her subjects the order to head further west. They established a new government in Matamba after arriving there.
Nzinga became furious as Portuguese invaders seized Ndongo. In a fresh display of force against the Portuguese, she joined forces with pro-slave Dutch merchants.
She then began organizing raids against Ndongo in order to slay Portuguese soldiers and sailors as well as their unlucky African allies. Nzinga had success in Matamba but was unable to overthrow Portugal’s power in the region.
Ranavalona
Who knows the story of Ranavalona? Following the sudden passing of her husband, she took the throne of Madagascar in 1828. She quickly destroyed her opponents to gain control, making her one of the few ruthless queens in the history of the island. She implemented strict isolationist policies during her 33-year rule.
She terminated important agreements with European countries, including Great Britain, and stopped Madagascar’s trade with its neighbors in Africa. Ranavalona used the tangena poison to make dissenters undergo lethal loyalty tests; the majority of them perished.
The cruel Fanompoana system, which forced the impoverished to perform lethal manual labor to pay taxes, was also extended by Ranavalona. She persecuted missionaries and converts and outlawed Christianity in the 1850s. Even her son tried to overthrow her because of how harsh her rule was. No wonder she is considered one of the most frightening and ruthless queens in history.
Madagascar’s population had been cut in half by the time of her death in 1861. The island’s recovery was delayed for decades by the long-lasting damage caused by Ranavalona’s rule.
For my research regarding these notable women in history, I dove into a bunch of historical materials I found at the public library. I also had fun searching for books on Amazon, eBay, and even at some lovely thrift bookstores in my neighborhood. But I found one that piqued my interest, and I also recommend it to you.
Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di, by Kris Waldherr, written by Kris Waldherr, presents the royal life and especially what it was like for women back then.
However, if you’re interested in a light reading, written in a modern approach but with a historical base, I’d go for Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World, also available on Amazon for $13.29 in the paperback edition.
Do you know any other ruthless queens in history who are worth mentioning? If there is interest in the topic, I could write a second part of the article and add even more notable women who are frequently overlooked by the history books. Drop a comment below and tell me what other topics you’re interested in.
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