17 Women Who Absolutely Dominate HERstory

Born Lydia Kamakaeha, Queen Lili’uokalani was the last reigning monarch of Hawaii before abdicating in 1895. In its long history, she was the only woman to ever rule the Hawaiian monarchy.

Queen Lili’uokalani became the heir apparent to her brother, the king, in 1877–after the death of her younger brother. Throughout her reign as Crown Princess and Queen, she steadfastly fought against increasing American influence and eventual U.S. annexation using peaceful resistance, opting to preserve the culture and lives of her subjects, rather than preserve her own rule.

Hedy Lamarr was one of the most famous movie stars in Austria, as well as a renowned scientist and inventor. In fact, her inventions would prove to be invaluable during the second world war.

After a brief yet controversial stint in film stardom, she and composer George Antheil discovered how to guide torpedoes using radio waves and frequency hopping technology, which avoided any possible axis jamming. Unfortunately, she was repeatedly told by the U.S. Navy that she could better support the war effort by using her celebrity to sell war bonds, rather than using her mind to invent technology to help save U.S. ships and ensure torpedoes can reach their destinations. Silly men.

Born a slave in New York in 1797 to the name Isabella Baumfree, she escaped slavery with her infant child in 1826. Two years later, she became the first woman to win custody of her son in court against his white slave owner. In 1843, she gave herself the name Sojourner Truth.

She was most famous for her speech, "Ain't I A Woman?," which was given at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851. She spent her time supporting abolition of slavery and promoting women's rights across the United States. At a time when being a woman, especially a black woman, was cause in itself for violence and hatred, Sojourner Truth spoke out for her people as well as her gender. It seems she spoke the truth more than she searched for it.

Also known as Tamar the Great, King Tamar of Georgia reigned as King from 1184 to 1213 CE. In 1178, her father, King George III, proclaimed her his heir and co-ruler.

With his death, she faced significant opposition from the aristocracy, but was able to quell this opposition and soon won wars against the Seljuk Turks and consolidated an empire in the Caucuses that would dominate the area until the Mongol invasions roughly twenty years after her death. She is the only female ruler in European history to be proclaimed "King" and is celebrated as a saint in Greek Orthodox culture and as a popular hero and feminist role model in modern Georgia.

A samurai warrior princess of the 12th century CE, Tomoe Gozen is known to history as an exceptional warrior of strength and bravery, as well as a woman of exceptional beauty.

She led successful military campaigns within her clan of Minamoto, after helping to drive the Taira clan into the Western provinces of Japan. She reportedly took the heads of more than one famous Samurai of the time, including Uchida Ieyoshi, Hatakeyama Shigetada, and Honda no Moroshige. She is literally the most famous female samurai of all time.

This warrior princess was the niece of Kublai Khan and great-great-granddaughter of Ghengis Khan. She was considered a great warrior and thinker, whose advice was even sought after by her father, the Mongol Emperor of China.

It is said that any man who wanted her as a wife would have to wrestle her and win. If they lost, they would have to pay her in horses for the trouble. She acquired 10,000 horses by beating suitors in wrestling matches. Her skills in combat and military tactics was unprecedented, to the point of helping her father in many successful military campaigns. Her greatness and deeds were written about by many historical writers at the time, including Marco Polo.

Amelia Earhart was an early aviation pioneer, author, and women's rights activist. She is most famous for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean as well as for her famous disappearance.

To this day, Amelia Earhart is considered a very positive role model for women around the globe. Especially at the time, she constantly broke all preconceptions of womanhood proving her equality through sheer tenacity. Her ultimate goal was to circumnavigate the world via airplane, famously disappearing over the central Pacific Ocean in 1937 while attempting the historic flight. It is still widely talked about, as the mystery behind her disappearance has only deepened with time.

Known as the "First Lady of Civil Rights" and the "mother of the freedom movement," Rosa Parks is most famous for her refusal to move to the back of the bus, as was the law for black people at the time in 1955 Montgomery, Alabama.

As an active member and administrator of the NAACP, she became one of the leading figures of civil disobedience in protest to racial segregation in the United States, inspiring millions to do their part and fight for the freedom that all citizens deserve to enjoy. Since then, there are two Rosa Parks Days, one commemorating her birthday on February 4th, and another commemorating the day of her protest: December 1st.

Also known as Saint Hildegard and Sybil of the Rhine; Hildegard von Bingen was born around 1098 and died in 1179. She is perhaps the most famous woman in all of medieval history.

During her lifetime, she made great strides in many areas of study, proving herself to be a renaissance woman, before the renaissance even began! As a Benedictine abbess, she made herself known throughout Europe as a writer, philosopher, composer, theologian, botanist and healer. She even invented her own language, dubbed to history as Lingua Ignota. Truly, there is no subject that she did not illuminate with her light. It is said that even kings came to gain insight through her wisdom.

Canonized as a Roman Catholic saint for her part in the Hundred Years' War in France, Joan of Arc is celebrated as a feminist hero as well as a military leader in France.

She's most famous for helping lift the siege of Orleans (1428-29), which led to the coronation the new French king, lifted morale, and ultimately, paved the way for French victory. Unfortunately, before victory, she was captured by English forces, put on trial, and burned at the stake in 1431 at the age of nineteen. She is known as the Maiden of Orleans and was canonized for her defense of Catholic Christendom in 1920.

Born in 1840, Yaa Asantewaa was the Queen Mother of the Ashanti Empire, which is now part of Ghana. She is most famous for her role in the War of the Golden Stool, a successful rebellion against the British Empire.

After a few years of civil war and internal turmoil caused by the British in the first place–including the deportation of their King and much of their government officials. The British commander of the Gold Coast, Frederick Hodgson, demanded a sacred relic and symbol of the Asante nation, The Golden Stool. A secret meeting was held, where she ultimately became the leader of the Asante uprising in 1900, culminating in The War of the Golden Stool. They eventually lost, and Yaa Asantewaa was captured by the English, dying in captivity in 1921.

From 911 to 918 CE, English Mercia was under the rulership of a woman. And so it flourished. It was said that Æthelflæd (Aethelflaed) was a brilliant tactician; and after the death of her husband, ruled Mercia as the Lady of the Mercians.

Daughter of King Alfred the Great, who practically invented English kingship; Æthelflæd married Æthelred, Lord of Merica in the 880's CE. She and her husband ruled Mercia under the kingship of her brother, King Edward the Elder. When Æthelred died, she took over rule of Mercia entirely and was known for her military prowess. It is said that King Edward the Elder was only able to win his military campaigns, because he could count on Æthelflæd, the Lady of Mercia, to back him up.

Nancy Wake was a New Zealander who made a big name for herself during the Second World War as a Special Operations Executive in the UK and a member of the French Resistance.

Known as the White Mouse to the Gestapo, Nancy Wake was a courier for the French Resistance with a five-million franc price on her head for her ability to elude capture and complete her missions. She later escaped to England and became a British spy. In 1944, Wake parachuted back into France to bolster the resistance in France and even led successful raids against German Installations. She was described as putting "the men to shame by her cheerful spirit and strength of character."

Also known as Jeanne de Belleville and the Lioness of Brittany, Jeanne de Clisson was a Breton noblewoman of Brittany in the 14th century who, after the unjust execution of her husband, became a pirate of the English Channel.

As the story goes, she swore vengeance against the French king for this "cowardly murder." She sold her estates, raised a loyal army, and waged war against France, taking castles that were once held by her husband. Eventually, she escaped to England with her sons where she outfitted three warships with black hulls and red sails, and dubbed them the Black Fleet. For years, she and her crew sailed along the English Channel, disrupting French shipping and attacking the French navy. She even took part in military campaigns on the side of the British.

This sixth century Byzantine empress was a low-born actress who climbed her way to the top of the Roman world in Constantinople. She was said to have extraordinary wit and political acumen. One time, she literally saved Constantinople itself from collapse.

When the soon-to-be Emperor Justinian I wanted to marry her, the laws of the time forbade it; however, after the death of Empress Euphemia, his aunt, he changed the law himself to allow the marriage. During the Nika Riots, Theodora convinced her husband to stay in the capital and not abandon the city to ruin, saving the entire empire from collapse. Afterward, she and her husband revitalized the city and the empire, starting a golden age of Byzantium. Some historical accounts even named her as Empress-regent and Justinian her co-regent.

Ching Shih was a famous Chinese pirate who, at one point, controlled the China Sea by force, mustering a navy large enough to defy and defeat the Qing Dynasty's naval fleets in the early 19th century.

Her late-husband was essentially Chinese pirate royalty, and assembled the Red Flag Fleet, one of the largest pirate fleets in Chinese history. After he died in Vietnam, Ching Shih navigated herself through his relatives and rivals, proving herself invaluable to all of them and gaining their respect. She even reinforced the Red Flag Fleet and increased its size. Her fleet went undefeated against all opposing forces. The Chinese, British, French, and Portuguese navies all fell before her might. It wasn't until the Chinese government offered amnesty and a settlement did she retire–with her loot– and open a gambling house.

Perhaps the most famous queen of the High Middle Ages, Queen Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558 to 1603 and effectively put England on the map as a European power.

Daughter to the famed King Henry VIII, she proved herself worthy of her father in many ways. Elizabeth introduced a tolerance to English governance that let the hostile factions tearing England apart be at peace and let prosperity to follow. English drama flourished under her rule, with playwrights like William Shakespeare gaining popularity. Queen Elizabeth saw England through the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 which would herald the decline of Spanish power and the rise of English naval dominance. History is so favorable of her rule, her reign is known as the Elizabethan Era and is largely scene as a golden age of English history.