Catherine the Great (ruled Russia from 1762 -1796)
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This formerly penniless Prussian princess used her wits and cunning de ella to usurp the throne from her hapless de ella husband Tsar Peter. During her reign, she expanded Russia's borders, and, according to Smithsonian Magazine: “spearheaded judicial and administrative reforms, dabbled in vaccination, curated a vast art collection that formed the foundation of one of the world's greatest museums, penned operas and children's fairy tales , founded the country's first state-funded school for women, drafted its own legal code, and promoted a national system of education.”
Hatshepsut (ruled Egypt 1478 B.C. – 1459 B.C.)
The fifth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, Hatshepsut was Egypt's second female pharaoh. The eldest daughter of Thutmose I, Hatshepsut married her half-brother Thutmose II when she was just 12 but when he died in 1479 B.C., Hatshepsut took over as “regent” for her stepson, the infant Thutmose III, before becoming co-ruler. As pharaoh, Hatshepsut “extended Egyptian trade and oversaw ambitious building projects, most notably the Temple of Deir el-Bahri, located in western Thebes, where she would be buried,” according to History.com. After her death de ella, her stepson de ella tried to erase all memory of Hatshepsut — tearing down de ella monuments to her de ella and defacing statues and almost succeeded in erasing her de ella from history until the 19th century when archeologists first found mention of the queen of her.
Empress Dowager Cixi, (effectively ruled China from 1861 – 1908)
Cixi started off as a lower-rung concubine to the Xianfeng emperor, but she had the good luck to bear his only son. After Xianfeng's death, when her son was just 6, Cixi orchestrated a coup grabbing power from a council of elders. During her reign, Cixi, quelled several rebellions and, according to Britannica.com, “Schools were created for the study of foreign languages, a modern customs service was instituted, Western-style arsenals were constructed, and the first Chinese foreign service office was installed. Internally, an effort was made to end governmental corruption and to recruit men of talent.”
Elizabeth I (ruled England from 1558-1603)
The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the “Virgin Queen” vowed early on in her teens to never marry. Coming to power after her half-sister Mary, Elizabeth I “established Protestantism in England; she defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588; maintained peace inside her previously divided country; and created an environment where the arts flourished,” according to Biography.com.