10 scandalous queens have proven that well‑behaved women rarely make history. Across centuries, queens, rulers, and empresses broke every rule to claim power, influence, and authority, forever altering the world’s trajectory.
10 scandalous queens: A Brief Overview
10 Queen Ranavalona I: Madagascar
Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar wasn’t dubbed the “mad monarch” without reason. Rumored to have poisoned her husband to claim the throne, she launched a ruthless campaign against anyone who refused to abandon Christianity during her 33‑year reign. Those who resisted were thrown from cliffs, dismembered, or scalded in a gruesome fashion.
Determined to keep Madagascar free from European colonial rule, she lured foreigners to join the Malagasy cause, only to slaughter them in a blood‑soaked spectacle.
After Ranavalona’s death, her feeble successors could do little as Christian missionaries returned with renewed vigor. Three decades later, the final monarch was unceremoniously exiled, and Madagascar fell under French colonial control.
During Africa’s gradual colonisation, the fierce yet sacrilegious Ranavalona managed to keep foreign domination at bay and today stands as a symbol of patriotism in Madagascar.
9 Irene Of Athens: Byzantine Empire
Irene of Athens didn’t merely love power; she went to extraordinary lengths to keep it all for herself. During the great theological schism of the eighth century, Queen Regent Irene seized the Byzantine throne, overturning her husband Leo IV’s “no icons” stance and igniting widespread outrage. She also improved diplomatic ties between the Roman Church and the Orthodox Church.
Even after orchestrating sweeping doctrinal changes, Irene’s ambition remained fixed on the throne. After a turbulent decade sharing power with her son Constantine VI, Irene displayed her ruthless nature by having her son’s eyes gouged out.
She adopted the title of “emperor” and minted coins bearing her name. Nevertheless, Irene was overthrown five years later in 802 by those unwilling to accept a woman on the Byzantine throne, and she died in exile.
Despite her downfall, Irene is remembered for restoring the veneration of icons in the Eastern Roman Empire and is revered as a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church.
8 Queen Nefertiti: Egypt
Ancient Egypt’s famed Queen Nefertiti is legendary for sparking massive cultural upheaval when she and her husband, Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, completely overhauled the empire’s religious framework.
The shrewd Nefertiti held equal footing with the king as they replaced all Egyptian deities, including the chief god Amen, with Aten, the “Sun god,” converting Egypt to monotheism.
They renamed themselves Akhenaten and Neferneferuaten‑Nefertiti and erected a new city dedicated to Aten, boldly defying traditional religious conventions.
Powerful and influential, Nefertiti is believed to have been more eager than Akhenaten to usher in sun worship, nearly achieving divine status throughout the kingdom.
Although religious tides later reverted to the old pantheon after her reign, Nefertiti will forever be celebrated as the pioneer of one of Egypt’s most significant religious revolutions.
7 Queen Didda: Kashmir
When the thirst for power runs unchecked, the line between rational love and authority blurs. In Queen Didda of Kashmir’s case, she eliminated her own grandsons to claim sovereignty.
Fluctuating between benevolence and cruelty, Didda dominated Kashmir’s monarchy for most of the 10th century. The cunning queen seized full administrative control during her husband Ksemagupta’s reign, eventually becoming queen regent for her son and grandsons.
Unwilling to remain a mere adviser, she disposed of all three grandsons using medieval witchcraft and torture, then ruled as monarch for 23 years. The magnitude of Didda’s authority is evident from the coinage of the period, which bears both her name and Ksemagupta’s.
Didda may have been ambitious and ruthless, but she secured the longevity of her dynasty. The region still remembers her as one of its greatest rulers.
6 Queen Nandi: Zulu Empire
For anyone curious about what women with “loose morals” could achieve, Queen Nandi provides the perfect answer. She was the driving force behind the birth of the Zulu Empire.
When Nandi, a Langeni tribe member, was impregnated by Zulu Chief Senzangakhona in the 1700s, tribal elders protested. After giving birth to Shaka, Nandi was relegated to the status of Senzangakhona’s third wife, enduring mockery and ridicule.
Undeterred by the humiliation, Nandi raised Shaka into a fierce warrior who became Zulu chief in 1815. She assumed the title of queen mother, known as Ndlorukazi (“The Great She‑Elephant”).
In classic noir fashion, she wreaked havoc on those who mistreated her and Shaka. Since Shaka remained unmarried, Nandi stayed the power behind the Zulu throne for the rest of her life.
5 Julia Agrippina: Rome
Amid the sea of royal men in the Julio‑Claudian Empire, Julia Agrippina (also known as Agrippina the Younger) was an “emperor maker.” Yet she wasn’t satisfied with merely producing heirs; she craved direct rule.
When Emperor Claudius’s wife Messalina became entangled in an adultery scandal, the power vacuum for the Roman empress opened wide. In a bold and incestuous maneuver, the cunning Agrippina seduced her uncle Claudius to become his fourth wife.
Agrippina persuaded Claudius to name her son Nero—her offspring from a previous marriage—his heir, and she arranged a marriage between Nero and Octavia, Claudius’s daughter with Messalina. Adopting the title “Augusta,” she maintained a firm grip on political and domestic affairs, seeing herself as co‑ruler.
After Claudius allegedly died from poisoned food—an act many attribute to Agrippina—Nero ascended to the throne, reshaping the Roman Empire. However, her son eventually grew tired of her omnipresence, leading to her assassination.
Nonetheless, during an era dominated by male authority, Agrippina proved remarkably influential, earning a reputation as one of the most powerful women of the Julio‑Claudian period.
4 Empress Theodora: Byzantine Empire
Empress Theodora’s early life was far from aristocratic; it was downright scandalous. As a young performer, she gained notoriety for her daring rendition of Leda and the Swan, stripping down to the bare minimum onstage.
Her fate changed when she married Justinian I, heir to the Byzantine throne. Though childless, Theodora became Justinian’s equal partner in power, even having an oath of allegiance sworn to her name.
Theodora was a master at eliminating threats to her position, yet she also garnered support for her advocacy of Monophysitism. She established houses for prostitutes, championed women’s marriage and dowry rights, and expelled brothel keepers from the empire.
Today, Theodora is honored as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, commemorated on November 14. She remains an enigmatic figure—part actress, part shrewd empress, part saint—who lived her life with theatrical flair.
3 Isabella Of France: Queen Of England
Married to the homosexual Edward II, Queen Isabella of England was sidelined in favor of the king’s favorites, Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger. Amid this neglect, Isabella bore Edward’s children, including future King Edward III.
Suppressing years of frustration, Isabella’s emotions erupted into a scandalous affair with exiled traitor Lord Roger Mortimer in 1325. Her fury transformed into a burning desire for vengeance as she invaded England, usurped the throne, and acted as queen regent for Edward III.
Isabella even orchestrated the brutal murder of Edward II while he was captive. However, when Edward III came of age, he dethroned his mother. She spent her final years in retirement, passing away 28 years later.
Despite her downfall, Isabella’s ruthless actions were not in vain. Her compassionate son, Edward III, later ruled England for an impressive 50 years.
2 Queen Fredegund: Merovingian Frankish Empire
Through a series of assassinations, Queen Fredegund reshaped the Merovingian dynasty in the fifth century. Rising from obscurity to become King Chilperic’s wife, she orchestrated the murder of Queen Galswintha and sent Queen Audovera to a convent.
When Galswintha’s sister Brunhilde, Fredegund’s longtime foe, swore vengeance, Fredegund mercilessly killed Brunhilde’s husband and sisters. She also slaughtered all of Chilperic’s other children, ensuring her bloodline occupied the throne.
With Chilperic’s death in 587, their infant son Clotar II ascended, and Fredegund rose to the occasion, battling rebellions and maintaining the kingdom as queen regent.
After Fredegund’s death in 597, Clotar continued her legacy of assassination, eliminating Brunhilde and her descendants, ushering in two decades of peace in the region.
1 Princess Olga: Kiev
In a classic tale of vengeance from the 10th century, Princess Olga of Kiev played the role of Prince Igor’s widowed spouse with ruthless flair. When Igor was murdered by the Drevlyane tribe, the vengeful Olga settled scores in a spectacularly brutal manner, murdering two high‑ranking Drevlyane delegations and ingeniously burning the capital using a Trojan‑horse‑like tactic.
Her powerful, outrageous, and ruthless image of female vengeance cemented her place in public memory. Beyond revenge, Olga reformed governmental structures and reclaimed lost territories.
Olga also harbored Christian ambitions, traveling to Constantinople, adopting the Christian name Helena, and becoming Kiev’s first Christian ruler. Her influence paved the way for Christianity’s eventual establishment in Kiev, and she is venerated as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church today.