Women's History Month
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
Women Rulers of the World
Women's History Month |
Throughout history and around the world, many women have ruled their countries. There are also many women leaders today. In many cases, the queens alive and in power today do not actually rule their countries; they are symbolic rulers only and are not listed here. Instead, here is a list of actual female rulers, the countries in which they rule or ruled, and the dates they reigned.
| Country | Name | Reign |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | President Isabelita Perón | 1974-1976 |
| Lesser Armenia | Queen Zabel | 1219-1226 |
| Bangladesh | Khaleda Zia | 1991-1996 |
| Bermuda | Premier Pamela Gordon | 1997-1998 |
| Bermuda | Premier Jennifer Smith | 1998-present |
| Bolivia | Prime Minister Lidia Gueiler | 1979-1980 |
| Burundi | Prime Minister Sylvie Kinigi | 1993-1994 |
| Byzantium (Roman Empire) | Empress Theodora | 1055-1056 |
| Cambodia | Queen Kossamak (joint ruler) | 1955-1960 |
| Canada | Prime Minister Kim Campbell | 1993 (4 months) |
| Central African Republic | Prime Minister Elizabeth Domitien | 1974-1976 |
| China | Empress Wu Chao | 655-705 |
| China | Empress Tsu-Hsi | 1875-1879 |
| China | Empress Tsu-Hsi | 1898-1908 |
| Dominica | Prime Minister Mary Eugenia Charles | 1980-1995 |
| Denmark | Queen Margaret | 1387-1412 |
| Denmark | Queen Margrethe II | 1972-present |
| Egypt | Queen Hatshepsut | 1501-1498 b.c. |
| Egypt | Queen Eje | 1351-1350 b.c. |
| Egypt | Queen Arsinoe II (joint ruler) | 279-270 b.c. |
| Egypt | Queen Berenice | 81-80 b.c. |
| Egypt | Queen Cleopatra VII | 51-50 b.c. |
| Ethiopia | Empress Waizero | 1916-1930 |
| France | Prime Minister Edith Cresson | 1991-1992 |
| Great Britain | Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey) | 1553 (9 days) |
| Great Britain | Queen Mary I | 1553-1558 |
| Great Britain | Queen Elizabeth I | 1558-1603 |
| Great Britain | Queen Mary II (joint ruler) | 1689-1702 |
| Great Britain | Queen Anne | 1702-1714 |
| Great Britain | Queen Victoria | 1837-1901 |
| Great Britain | Queen Elizabeth II | 1952-present |
| Great Britain | Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher | 1979-1990 |
| Guyana | President Janet Jagan | 1997-present |
| Haiti | Provisional President Erita Pascal-Trouillot | 1990 |
| Haiti | Prime Minister Claudette Werleigh | 1995-1996 |
| Hungary | Queen Mary | 1382-1387 |
| Hungary | Queen Elizabeth | 1439-1440 |
| Hungary | Queen Maria Theresa | 1740-1780 |
| Iceland | President Vigdis Finnbogadóttir | 1980-1996 |
| India | Prime Minister Indira Gandhi | 1966-1977 |
| India | Prime Minister Indira Gandhi | 1980-1984 |
| Ireland | President Mary Robinson | 1990-1997 |
| Ireland | President Mary McAleese | 1997-present |
| Israel and Judah | Queen Athaliah | 842-837 b.c. |
| Israel and Judah | Prime Minister Golda Meir | 1969-1974 |
| Italy | Queen Theodelinda | 590 |
| Italy | Queen Joanna I of Naples | 1343-1381 |
| Italy | Queen Maria of Sicily | 1377-1402 |
| Italy | Queen Joanna II of Naples | 1414-1435 |
| Japan | Empress Suiko Tenno | 593-628 |
| Japan | Empress Kogyoku | 642-645 |
| Japan | Empress Jito | 686-697 |
| Japan | Empress Gemmyo | 703-724 |
| Japan | Empress Koken (abdicated) | 749-758 |
| Japan | Empress Shotuku-Koken | 764-770 |
| Lithuania | Prime Minister Kazimicra Prunskiene | 1990-1992 |
| Madagascar | Queen Ranavalona I | 1828-1861 |
| Madagascar | Queen Rasoaherina | 1863-1868 |
| Madagascar | Queen Ranavalona II | 1868-1883 |
| Madagascar | Queen Ranavalona III (deposed) | 1883-1896 |
| Netherlands | Queen Wilhelmina (abdicated) | 1890-1948 |
| Netherlands | Queen Juliana | 1948-1980 |
| Netherlands | Queen Beatrix | 1980-present |
| New Zealand | Prime Minister Jenny Shipley | 1997-present |
| Nicaragua | President Maria Liberia Peres | 1984-1985 |
| Nicaragua | President Violeta Barriosde Chamorro | 1990-1997 |
| Norway | Queen Margaret | 1387-1412 |
| Norway | Prime Minister Groharlem Brundtlandt | 1981 and 1986 |
| Pakistan | Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto | 1988-1990, 1993-1996 |
| Philippines | Maria Corazon Aquino | 1986-1992 |
| Poland | Queen Hedwige | 1384-1399 |
| Poland | Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka | 1992-1993 |
| Portugal | Queen Maria I | 1777-1816 |
| Portugal | Queen Maria II | 1826-1828 |
| Portugal | Queen Maria III | 1834-1853 |
| Portugal | Prime Minister Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo | 1979 (149 days) |
| Roman Empire | Empress Irene | 797-802 |
| Russia | Queen Tamara | 1184-1212 |
| Russia | Empress Catherine I | 1725-1727 |
| Russia | Empress Anna Ivanovna | 1730-1740 |
| Russia | Empress Elizabeth Petrovna | 1741-1762 |
| Russia | Empress Catherine II (The Great) | 1762-1796 |
| Rwanda | Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana | 1993-1994 |
| St. Lucia | Governor-General Pearlette Louisy | 1997-present |
| Scotland | Queen Mary Stuart (executed) | 1542-1567 |
| Seminole Nation | Betty Mae Jumper | 1960-1969 |
| Spain | Queen Dona Urraca | 1109-1126 |
| Spain | Queen Juana I | 1274-1307 |
| Spain | Queen Juana II | 1328-1349 |
| Spain | Queen Dona Blanca | 1425-1441 |
| Spain | Queen Isabel I (joint ruler) | 1474-1504 |
| Spain | Queen Catalina de Albret | 1481-1512 |
| Spain | Queen Isabel II | 1833-1868 |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Anula | 47-42 b.c. |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Sivali | 35 b.c. |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Lilavati | 1197-1200 |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Kalyanavati | 1202-1208 |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Lilavati (restored) | 1209-1212 |
| Sri Lanka | Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike | 1960-1965 |
| Sri Lanka | Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike | 1970-1977 |
| Sri Lanka | President Chandrika Kumaratunga | 1994-present |
| Sweden | Queen Christina (abdicated) | 1632-1654 |
| Sweden | Queen Ulrica Eleonora (abdicated) | 1718-1720 |
| Tonga | Queen Salote Tubou III | 1918-1965 |
| Turkey | Prime Minister Tansu Çiller | 1993-1996 |
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