[tps_header]From ancient past, several great dynasties have come up to rule over different parts of the world. These dynasties have given various rulers, some great some insignificant, for the world to talk about. Some of these rulers were so famous that the world talked about them for centuries after them. Among these famous rulers, though mostly were kings, there were also some queens, whether great rulers or not but surely famous. These queens showed the world that women too have acumen to head a state.
Five famous queens are:[/tps_header]
[tps_title]RAZIA SULTAN[/tps_title]
Razia succeeded her father Iltutmish to the sultanate of Delhi in 1236. She was appointed the heir – apparent to the throne by his father, but the Muslim nobility appointed her brother as the sultan after Iltutmish`s death. Razia became the sultan of Delhi after her brother was assassinated after six months. She was trained to lead armies and administer kingdoms from childhood, and was an efficient ruler. She also managed to keep the opposing nobles, who were wary of a woman ruler, in check.
However, she could not keep the Turkish nobility in check for long and was defeated in battle against her brother. Both she and her husband died after fleeing from Delhi after being defeated.
[tps_title]CATHERINE THE GREAT[/tps_title]
Catherine the Great was the most renowned and the longest ruling female leader of Russia. She came to power following a coup d`etat when her husband Peter III was assassinated. Russia, under her reign became larger and stronger than ever. Under her reign, Russian empire expanded much with conquests and diplomacy. She reformed the administration of Russian provinces and many new cities and towns were founded on her orders. She continued to modernize Russia along Western European lines. As a patron of arts, she presided over the age of Russian Enlightenment when, Smolny Institute, the first state – financed higher education institution for women in Europe was established.
[tps_title]QUEEN ELIZABETH I[/tps_title]
Elizabeth I became queen of England and Ireland in 1558, succeeding her elder sister Queen Mary I and was the last ruler of Tudor dynasty that was established by her grandfather Henry VII. Because, she never married, she is also sometimes called the Virgin Queen. She established an English Protestant Church, of which she became the Supreme Governor, thus continuing the process which her father, Henry VIII, has started. This religious establishment later became the Church of England. And though older historians idealized her reign, made her a heroine and called her rule, a golden age; modern historians have a more complicated view. Many believe that she was not such a great queen, and in ‘Tudors’, a novel by G.J. Meyer, she is portrayed as someone worried only about her survival.
[tps_title]QUEEN VICTORIA[/tps_title]
Queen Victoria was the queen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. She also held the title of Empress of India. She inherited the throne at the age of 18 and at that time the country had already become a constitutional monarchy. Her reign is called as Victorian era and was marked by industrial, military, cultural, political and scientific changes within United Kingdom and great expansion of British Empire.
[tps_title]CLEOPATRA[/tps_title]
Cleopatra was a queen of Egypt, and was a member of Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Macedonian Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander`s death. She initially ruled jointly with her father, then with her brothers, eventually becoming the sole ruler. She bore a son to Julius Caesar and her grip on throne was solidified due to support of Rome. After Caesar`s assassination, she sided with Mark Antony against Augustus Caesar. After both Antony and she was defeated at the Battle of Actium by Augustus` forces, both of them committed suicide.
She had fascinated Western culture for long by the tales of her beauty.
