Anna Nzinga
Here was a woman who was worthy of the title queen. Also helps that she was one, in what is now Angola. The country certainly lucked out by having her on hand to rule in the 1600s when the Portuguese came calling, looking to exploit the country and enslave the population. But Queen Nzinga proved to be as formidable a negotiator and ruler as she was a warrior, keeping the European powers at bay (if not completely out) and building her kingdom into an economic force to be reckoned with. One of the most famous stories about her was that during one of her meetings with the Portuguese authorities, they refused to provide her with a chair, so she had one of her people drop on his hands and knees, while she sat on his back. And despite many attempts to capture or kill Nzinga, she died peacefully of natural causes when she was in her 80s.
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