5 great female military leaders of the ancient world

She was a daughter of a powerful pharaoh and an influential queen. Following in her mother's footsteps, Ahhotep had an early interest in politics and warfare. She rode a horse, took an active part in battles and, as a queen, made a lot of important political decisions. Throughout her long life, Ahhotep I had a significant impact on the fate of her country.

Fu Hao was a secondary wife of King Wu Ding, but she is considered the most powerful woman of the Shang Dynasty. She led numerous military campaigns, defeating one of the Dynasty's oldest and most powerful enemies – the Tu-Fang tribe. Besides playing an important role in warfare, Fu Hao was also a loving mother and a priestess.

If you enjoy these facts about female warriors in history, take a look at this article about Genghis Khan, a legendary Mongolian warlord.

Gwendolen's husband, Locrinus, was the king of Loegria. Locrinus divorced Gwendolen in favor of his Germanic mistress. Gwendolen fled to her birthplace, Cornwall. For a few years she had been building an army to revenge on her ex-husband. When their armies finally met, Locrinus was killed. Gwendolen had his mistress drowned and ruled peacefully for 15 years.

Tomyris' kingdom was located in parts of modern-day Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, where she is still remembered and considered a symbol of bravery. According to Herodotus, when Cyrus the Great tried to invade her country, she led her armies into the battle in which the famous conqueror was killed.

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After the death of her husband, Boudica's kingdom was annexed by the Romans. Boudica gathered the Iceni and people from other tribes and led the rebellion against the Roman Empire. Having massacred Camulodunum, an important Roman British town, the Britons were defeated by newly arrived Roman forces. For her bravery and courage, Boudica is considered a British folk hero.