Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/the-20-women-who-ran-entire-kingdoms-from-behind-the-curtain/
History’s official record is crowded with kings, emperors, and warlords. Very few women ever rose to power in the kingdoms and empires of the ancient world, and those who did fought their way through significant barriers, in often violent times. The picture these records paint is deeply incomplete. Ruling from “behind the throne” refers to the practice of exerting significant influence and control over a kingdom or government without holding the official title of ruler, and this was often the case for women who were barred from official power due to societal or cultural norms.
The women on this list span continents and millennia. Some wore no crown. Some wore two. Scattered across history and continents are women who seized, inherited, or maneuvered their way to the apex of political authority, ruling kingdoms, empires, and nations with the same ambition, strategic cunning, and occasional ruthlessness as their male counterparts. Their stories deserve far more than a footnote.
1. Hatshepsut – Egypt’s Pharaoh in Disguise
Upon the death of her husband and half-brother Thutmose II, Hatshepsut initially ruled as regent to her stepson, Thutmose III, who inherited the throne at the age of two. Several years into her regency, Hatshepsut assumed full pharaonic authority. In the seventh year of her regency, she changed the rules and had herself crowned pharaoh of Egypt, taking on all the royal…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-05-27 05:38:00
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