Hello there most amazing royal subjects…welcome back to Most Amazing Top 10 …. I am Rebecca
Felgate and today we are getting pretty darn regal as we talk about the Top 10 Most Famous
Queens of all time….
Love me a good queen!
10 - Cleopatra who reigned between 51 and 30 BCE.
Ah, good ‘ol Cleopatra – the last queen of Ancient Egypt.
Cleopatra was known for her beauty and as possibly being the reincarnation of Egyptian
Goddess, Isis.
Known for her promiscuity, Cleopatra had sex with many famous men, including Julius Caesar
and Mark Antony.
She allegedly killed herself by encouraging a snake to bite her.
Because of her power, beauty, promiscuity and strangely poetic she became fascinating
to later generations, who constantly depicted her in literature and art, including Shakespeare
who wrote Antony and Cleopatra. 9 – Queen Maria Theresa who reigned from
1740 to 1780.
Queen Maria Theresa was the sole female ruler of the Habsurg dynasty and the last of house
Habsburg.
She fought her right to rule and kept her throne for 40 years.
She ruled Austria , Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Translyvania, Milan, Mantua, Calicia, Parma
and the Australian Netherleands – then the Holy Roman Empire.
She was pretty successful as a queen, making education compulsory in the 18th Century and
doubled the Austrian Army.
Austria usually celebrates Queen Maria…although she did have some downsides and views that
these days we do not find very progressive.
At number 8 – we have Queen Maria Theresa’s daughter, Marie Antoinette who was Queen Consort
between 1774 and 1791.
Unlike her mother, Marie is not considered to have been a good leader.
She actually provoked popular unrest and as a result, she was the last queen of France
before the monarchy crumbled.
Famous for her opulent lifestyle and her infamous phrase: let them eat cake, Marie was married
to King Louis the 15th.
The countries financial crisis was blamed on this woman, and she became known as Madam
Deficit.
Eventually she met the Guillotine in 1793.
7 – Hatshepsut – (HAT SHEP SUT) Who Reigned I Egypt between 1478 and 1458 BCE and
Hatshepsut was the first female Pharaoh of Egypt and the longest reigning female of Egyptian
history.
She was considered to be one of the best rulers Egypt had, focusing on infrastructure.
She built the temple, Deir el Bahri …which is still by and large there today almost 2
thousand years later.
Strangely, despite being a Queen, she was very keen to masculinize herself, asking to
be painted with bulging muscles and sometimes a bearded.
Her mummy was identified in 2007, so part of this famous Queen still exists today.
6 – Mary Queen of Scotts – Reigned between 1542 and 1567
Ah, Mary.
Things were pretty complicated for Mary, making her a very interesting historical figure.
She became queen at 6 days old at was betrothed to Henry the 8ths son, Edward.
The Scots decided this was a bad idea and sent her off to marry the French heir, Francis,
who then became king.
After just 1 year as Queen Consort, her husband died and 18 year old Mary went back to Scotland,
where she married her cousin who was later murdered.
She then married the chief suspect in her husbands murder, the Earl of Bothwell, which
turned her people against her.
She abdicated in 1567 and fled to England, where she did have a claim to the throne.
Her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, locked her up for 19 years but was reluctant to dispose
of her, although she did eventually when Mary was found to be corresponding with a traitor
to the throne.
Next up, while we are talking about her, we may as well get her in a number…at number
5 we have Queen Elizabeth the first who reigned from 1558 to 1603.
Queen Elizabeth was King Henry the 8ths daughter and later a ruthless Queen of England.
She never married and had no heir, becoming known as the famous virgin queen.
She strengthened the Church of England and led the Elizabethan era, during which William
Shakespeare lived.
Because of her long reign, she established a true national identity for Britain.
While some people see her as a feminist icon, she kind of wasn’t …she was quote saying:
I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of
a king, and of a king of England too.
Lol.
Babe.
From Queen Elizabeth the First, to her mother, the jilted Anne Boleyn at number 4… who
was Queen consort for just three years between 1533 and 1536.
Anne Boleyn was the centre of much scandal, making her an infamous Queen.
Firstly, she was the cause of the first ever royal divorce.
King Henry the 8th ditched his wife of over 20 years, Queen Catherin of Aragon.
He had already bedded Anne’s sister, but as Anne refused to become his mistress, the
King strived to marry her.
Sadly, while she did have a girl – Queen Elizabeth- she didn’t produce any sons.
In a bid to find a new wife, he plotted against her and had her head chopped off.
3 - Catherine the Great – Empress of Ruissia from 1762 to 1796
Catherine the Great was Russia’s longest ruler and was known for her expansion of the
Russian empire and her many scandalous affairs.
She overthrew her husband and became empress of Russia.
She had a habit of rotating her lovers, who were often military men.
2 – The second longest reigning Queen in history – Queen Victoria who ruled from
1837 to 1901.
Victoria is famous for her long reign and her happy marriage to her cousin, Prince Albert,
of whom she was devastated and heartbroken when he died, famously wearing only black
from then on.
She was seen as a strong head of state during Britain’s Industrial revolution and her
various jubilees were times of national celebration.
Before we reach number one…of course we need to make a few honourable mentions of
famous Queens without official titles – Ru Paul, the band Queen, Queen Letifah and ultimate
fictional Queen…Cersi Lanister.
Finally, at number one, the longest reigning Queen in history and the most famous Queen
in our generation 1 - Elizabeth II – 1952 - present
Queen Elizabeth became the monarch of England age 26.
65 years later, she is still going strong.
Living through War, upheaval and scandal, Queen Elizabeth has been a rock for many throughout
her time… plus…she made a James Bond Cameo…which will forever hold her in high esteem for me!
I am all about her matching dress suit and hat combos!
I also find her and Prince Phillip very very cute.
So that was the top 10 most famous Queens!
Who is your favourite?