Queen Nzinga

Born Nzinga Mbande in 1583, this Angolan queen was less about tea parties and more about tactical warfare. She took the throne first of Ndongo, then Matamba, at a time when the Portuguese were looking to expand their influence (read: enslave everyone) along the African coast.

Nzinga quickly demonstrated an aptitude for both diplomacy and devastating military strategy. She initially attempted to negotiate with the Portuguese, even converting to Christianity and taking the name Ana de Sousa, a shrewd move for political leverage that she shed when it no longer served her. One famous anecdote has her refusing to sit on a mat on the floor during negotiations, instead having a servant kneel to form a human chair, establishing her equal footing.

For over 40 years, Queen Nzinga fought tooth and nail, forging alliances, offering sanctuary to escaped slaves, and leading her forces against European encroachment. She was a master of guerrilla warfare, a shrewd politician, and a symbol of African resistance, dying peacefully in 1663 at the ripe old age of 80, having successfully defended her kingdoms' independence during her lifetime.