These scandalous African queens changed history
In the histories of Africa, it is believed that well-mannered women rarely make history while those that take the bull by horn sometimes categorized being outrageous. Overview of scandalous African queens.
Over the centuries, there have been African queens, empresses, and rulers who challenged traditional roles and behavior to possess the power, influence, and authority that have changed the course of history forever.
The list below, according to history, proved three scandalous African queens that change history.
3. Queen Nefertiti of Egypt
In the history of Ancient Egypt, Queen Nefertiti became famous for causing substantial cultural upheaval. One of the scandalous African queens and her husband, Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, completely changed the religious structure of the empire.
The insightful Nefertiti had equal status with the king when they replaced all Egyptian gods, including the chief deity of Amen, with Aten – ‘sun god’ – and converted the Egyptian religion to monotheism. Their names were changed to Akhenaten and Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti. They also built a new city honoring Aten, boldly trampling on traditional religious conventions.
The mighty Nefertiti, believed to be more of Akhenaten, who sought to introduce sun worship, almost gained the status of a goddess in the entire kingdom. Although religious movements reversed in favor of the old gods after her reign, Nefertiti will forever remain known as the pioneer of one of the most remarkable religious revolutions in the history of Ancient Egypt.
2. Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar
The Queen of Madagascar, Ranavalona I, did not have the disgusting nickname “Mad Monarch” in vain. Suspected of poisoning her husband in order to gain the throne, she launched a fierce campaign against those who refused to renounce Christianity during her painful 33-year rule.
Those who disobeyed orders were thrown off the rocks, dismembered, or brutally scalded. In the quest to keep Madagascar free from European colonialism, she called on foreigners to join the Malagasy people, after which she ordered them killed in the worst possible way.
However, after Ranavalona’s death, her unwilling successors could do little. Thirty years later, the last monarch was unceremoniously expelled, and Madagascar became a French colony. During Africa’s gradual colonialism, the sacrilegious but formidable Ranavalona managed to contain foreign domination…
1. Queen Nandi Zulu Empire (South Africa)
Queen Nandi, the last on our list of scandalous African queens, was the one who stood at the origin of the Zulu Empire. When Nandi, a member of the Langeni tribe, was impregnated by a Zulu chief, Senzangakhona, in the 1700s, the elders of the tribe cried out wickedly.
After the birth of a child, Shaka, Nandi acquired the low status of the third wife of the Senzangakhona, faced with mockery and ridicule. Despite the humiliating swing, Nandi raised a fierce warrior from Shaka. He became a Zulu chief in 1815.
Nandi became the queen mother known as Ndlokazi “The Great She Elephant”. In an unusual style, she wreaked havoc among those who mistreated her and her son, Shaka. Since Shaka remained unmarried, Nandi ironically remained the force behind the throne of the Zulu Empire throughout her life.
