List of female monarchs

This is a list of current and former female monarchs regardless of title, including queens regnant, empresses regnant, pharaohs and monarchs by other titles (grand duchess, princess, etc.). Consorts, such queens consort (i.e. spouses of male monarchs) are not included, see list of current consorts of sovereigns. Female regents are not included, see list of regents.
The following is an incomplete list of women monarchs who are well known from popular writings, although many ancient and poorly documented ruling monarchs (such as those from Africa and Oceania) are omitted. Section 1 lists monarchs who ruled in their own right, such as queens regnant. Section 2 lists legendary monarchs. Section 3 lists monarchs who ruled in their own right, but had no official legal recognition while in power. Section 4 lists various female rulers who were referred to with the title "Chieftainess." Regents, such as queens regent, are not monarchs and are not included in this page. Page does include claimants and anti-rulers whose recognition among their subjects and legitimacy as monarchs is disputed.
The Canary Islands are Spanish territories of North Africa.
Peraza family
Kingdom of the Canary IslandsThe title of "King/Queen of the Canary Islands" was included in the list of titles and honours of the Spanish Crown.
The first verified female monarch of Egypt is Sobekneferu of the Twelfth dynasty. However, queens from earlier periods such as Neithhotep, Merneith and Khentkaus I held powerful positions and may have ruled Egypt in their own right, but the archaeological evidence is ambiguous. Many of the Ptolemaic kings co-ruled with their queens. However, Arsinoe II, Berenice II, Arsinoe III and Cleopatra I are considered monarchs by Sally-Ann Ashton, but not by Tara Sewell-Lasater.
Orango
Canhabaque
Baoule
Mali Empire
Akure Kingdom
Daura
The title "Kabara" was used by female monarchs who ruled over the Hausa people in the Middle Ages. A line of matriarchal monarchs is recorded in the Kano Chronicle that ends with the reign of Daurama in the 9th century. These queens reigned from c. 700 to c. 1000.
Federation of Nigeria
Ifẹ
Igala Kingdom
Igodomigodo
KumbwadaKumbwada has been ruled by women for at least six successive generations.
Ondo Kingdom
Oyo Empire
Zazzau
Lingeer's leadership activities were carried out at the highest tier, as a co-monarch.
Dominion of Sierra Leone
Koya Temne
Kpa Mende
Mbunda Kingdom
Kingdom of kongoThere were two female monarchs during Kongo Civil War.
LuvaleNhakatolo [pt] or Nyakatolo is the hereditary queen of Luvale.
Kanem–Bornu Empire
Bambao
Itsandra
Bajini
Ambohidratrimo
Menabe
Bemihisatra
Bemazava
Antankarana
Angoche Sultanate
Sultanate of Ifat
Shilluk Kingdom
Tanganyika
Unguja
Pemba Island
Tumbatu Island
Kua
Mikindani
AmaMpondomise
Lobedu people
The Modjadji or Rain Queen is the hereditary queen of Lobedu, the people of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The succession to the position of Rain Queen is matrilineal, meaning that the Queen's eldest daughter is the heir, and that males are not entitled to inherit the throne at all. The Rain Queen is believed to have special powers, including the ability to control the clouds and rainfall.
Union of South Africa
Coba
Ecatepec
Palenque
Tepetlaoztoc
Toltec Empire
Toniná
Tzacoalco
Mixtec
Pusilha
El Perú
La Florida
Naranjo
Tikal
Eastern Kingdom of Women [zh]In Tibet, there was Nüguo (Chinese: 女國, lit. "Kingdom of Women"), also known as Dong nüguo (Chinese: 東女國, lit. "Eastern Kingdom of Women"), related to the tribe Sumpa. Several queens regnant of there were recorded in Chinese history books.
Wuman
Assacani
Dominion of Pakistan
Gilgit
Kanhaiya Misl
Soomra dynasty
Hanthawaddy
Sandoway
Waithali
Laihka State
Pasig
Kingdom of Maynila
Sultanate of Sulu
Hariphunchai
Pattani
Lanna
There were many chiefdoms on Timor, but according to the hierarchy among the Timorese domains, the ruler of Sonbai of West Timor, the ruler of Wehali of Central Timor, and the ruler of Likusaen (today: Liquiçá) of East Timor were three paramount rulers of Timor.
Liquiçá
Gileadite
Nabatea
TripoliThe County of Tripoli was an autonomous state.
Bāzu
Qedarite
Tanukhids
Seleucid Empire
Palmyrene Empire
AntiochThe Principality of Antioch was an autonomous state.
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Caria
Dardania
Heraclea Pontica
Pontus
Olba Kingdom
Prusias ad Mare
Saltukid dynasty
Trebizond
Sulayhid dynasty
Marcomanni
Kingdom of Hereti
Sabir people
Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus
Blue Horde
Khanate of Qasim
Agder
Burgundian Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands
Austrian Netherlands
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Picts
With the fall of the Serbian Empire after 1355, for a period Albania were ruled by local chieftains. In the 14th and 15th centuries Ottoman Empire conquered the sovereign Albanian principalities.
Illyria
Odrysian kingdom
Byzantine Empire
Kingdom of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
FrankokratiaLatin Empire was disestablished in 1261, but Latin states in Greece, also known as Frankokratia, continued to recognize Latin emperors in exile as their overlords until 1383.
ThessalonicaTwo Byzantine empresses reigned with autonomy in Thessalonica.
Polis
Ostrogothic Kingdom
Sardinian medieval kingdoms
Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Naples
Italian States in the Napoleonic Era [it]Napoleon I appointed his brothers and sisters as puppet rulers of the Client States of the French Empire.
Italian States from the Congress of Vienna to the Unification of Italy [it]The Italian duchies restored by the Congress of Vienna became fully sovereign because the Kingdom of Italy was not restored.
TransylvaniaThe Principality of Transylvania was an autonomous state.
Duklja
Rarotonga
Bora Bora
Huahine
Raiatea
Rapa Iti
Rimatara
Tahiti
Nuku Hiva
Hilo
Ko'olau
Molokai
Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi Island
Kauaʻi
Kingdom of Hawaii
Uvea
Women written in italics in the list of Kuba Kingdom rulers:
The following names all come from a regnal list written in 1922, which is partially based on native traditions and older regnal lists, but also contains additional names of Coptic and Nubian origin, the latter due to its association with the word "Aethiopia" in ancient and Biblical texts. Claimed dates follow the Ethiopian calendar.
The list of Carib Queens were:
The leaders of the 1878 St. Croix labor riot were:
The female chiefs, Murogo and her female descendants, worked for the Ankole kings for several generation in the Ibanda area.
Between the 1204 and 1352, Bengal was a province of the Delhi Sultanate.
Swedish Estonia
Russian Estonia
Swedish Finland
Norwegian Iceland
Thutmose III of the New Kingdom of Egypt conquered Canaan.
Thutmose I of the New Kingdom of Egypt conquered Nubia.