Personality Profile

Idia was the mother of Esigie, the Oba of Benin who reigned from 1504 to 1550. She was portrayed as a great warrior who fought tirelessly before and during her son’s reign as the oba (king) of the Edo people. Following the death of Esigie’s father, Oba Ozolua, Queen Idia was instrumental in securing the title of oba for him. …

Tunka Manin, also known as Tunkamenin born around 1010 AD, was a Ghanaian ruler who reigned from 1062 to 1076 AD. King Bassi was his forefather. Tunka was crowned king because he was the son of the former ruler’s sister, as well as because the Soninke people followed a matrilineal system of inheritance. The Soninke dynasty is thought to have …

Mwamikazi Nidi Ririkumutima Bizama hitanzimiza Mwezi (died 28 July 1917) reigned as Queen Regent of Burundi from 1908 till her death. Ririkumutima was born in the Kingdom of Burundi in the mid-nineteenth century, the third daughter of Chief Sekawonyi of the Watussi Munyakarama clan by his wife Inankinso. Ririkumutima was one of Mwezi Gisabo’s (ca. 1850 – 1908) thirteen wives …

Dihya, also known as Al-Kahina, was a Berber queen and religious and military leader who led indigenous resistance to the Muslim invasion of the Maghreb, also known as Numidia at the time. She was born in the early seventh century and died nearly end of the seventh century in present-day Algeria. Origins and Religion Her given name either of one …

Sobhuza II, also known as Nkhotfotjeni, was born in Mona on 22 July 1899 and died on 21 August 1982. He was Paramount Chief and later Ngwenyama of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch recorded world history. He ascended to the throne as King of Swaziland on December 10, 1899, when he …

Shamba Bolongongo (c. 1600), the 93rd king, who introduced weaving and textile manufacture to his people, he was also the first Kuba ruler to have his portrait carved in wood. Shamba Bolongongo’s portrait established a tradition of such portraiture among the Kuba people. Kuba cultural area The Kuba art is one of the most advanced of all African cultures, and they have …

Twenty-three artists were commissioned by Anheuser-Busch over a 25-year span, to create works for the Legend of the Crown collection. Each painting depicts an African leader and celebrates his or her impact on history. Here are the 30 paintings that were created for the collection. Hatshepsut The Ablest Queen of Far Antiquity (1503-1482 BC) by Dean Mitchell For 33 years Hatshepsut …

Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiye had a son called Akhenaten. Egypt ruled an empire that extended from Syria in west Asia to the River Nile fourth cataract in modern-day Sudan during their reign. In 1887, about 350 tablets known as the “Amarna letters” were discovered near Akhenaten’s new capital, revealing diplomatic correspondence between Akhenaten, his fellow kings in …

Amanitore (circa 50 CE) was a Nubian Kandake, or regnant queen, of the ancient Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë, which was also known as Nubia in ancient writings. Candace and Kentake are two alternate spellings. Amanitore’s throne name is Merkare in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Many Kandakes are depicted as warrior-queens who commanded armies in battle. Although it is unclear whether Kandake Amanitore was …

King Jaja of Opobo was a merchant prince and the founder of the city-state of Opobo in an area which is now Nigeria’s Rivers state. Born in present-day Imo State’s Umuduruoha Amaigbo, he was sold as a slave in Bonny at the age of twelve by Obua Ajukwu of Oguta, who had come to Bonny to buy slaves. Jubo was …