Women across time have been cloistered. Those who have been widowed have especially been stigmatized and often being accused of being the reason of misfortune. Some have been branded witches, many ostracized. But there are a few examples across history of women who have been widowed often early, but who have risen from the depths of trouble and gone on to shape the future of their nations even going on to leave an imprint on world history. Today we look at some of these amazing women across time who stand as shining examples of rising over adversity.
- Hatshepsut: One of the few women to have ruled over Egypt, Hatshepsut is credited as having given one of the most prosperous reigns of Egypt. Daughter to Pharaoh Thutmose I and wife to Pharaoh Thutmose II, she was queen Mother to Pharaoh Thutmose III. Widowed with her son only 2 years old, she assumed the role of a regent initially till she assumed the role of co-pharaoh with him. Her major achievements include the establishment of trade routes. However, she is best known as a prolific builder with construction of the temple complex of Karnak one of her most significant achievements. Her reign is believed to have happened between 1507 to 1458 BC.
- Empress Wu: The first and only empress in the history of China Empress Wu Zhao reigned as Empress Dowager and then empress in the period 665 to 705. Wife of Emperor Ganzong of the Tang Dynasty. Consort Wu had not borne any children out of her period as a consort to the emperor Taizhong and was destined to be confined to a monastery. However, the new emperor Gaozong found favor for her and brought her back thereby setting her on the path to power. A ruthless politician, consort Wu rose in the ranks of consorts till she became empress consort. Following the death of her husband she became empress dowager until she forced her son to accede the throe to her giving her the title by her own right.
- Rani Laxmiba3: Immortalized by the words “khub ladhi Mardni woh thoh Jhansiwali Rani thi”, Rani Lakshmibai was the queen of the princely state of Jhansi. Widowed at an early age, she initially sought the recognition of the British east India company for her adopted son as the new ruler of the state. However, when they refused to do so and attempted to annex the state she rebelled. Going on she became one of the chief protagonists of The Great Rebellion of 1857, Lakshmibai is epitomised leading her women warrior brigade charging horseback with her son tied on her back. Her reign is remembered for her rebellion against the British with her courage being her legacy but also for an otherwise prosperous period.
- Queen Eleanor: Queen Eleanor was queen of North France and England Eleanor is famous as being the mother of Richard the lion heart and empress dowager ruling when he went on his famous crusade. Married to king Louis VI of France initially, her marriage was annulled following which she married King Henry II of England. She estranged from her husband was imprisoned but post his death she rose back to power becoming empress dowager when her son Richard the reigning king went on his famous crusade. Eleanor is credited to have maintained governance in her son’s absence.
- Queen Isabella of Castile: If Christopher Columbus was able to find the new land of America, then credit for that is due to the catholic Monarch Queen IsabelIa. Queen of Castille her marriage to king Ferinand helped pave way to unification of Spain. Subsequent to his death Isabella ruled on and is credited to a prosperous reign which saw lowering of debt and bringing in law and order with lowering of crime. The voyage of Columbus and the discovery of the new land remains one of her crowning glories.
- Empress Matilda: Also known as Empress Maude, she was the widow of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. After his death she was one of the claimants of the English crown of her Father King Henry I. Her quest for the throne led to the age of Anarchy in English history. Her son later ascended the throne as King Henry II. She is credited to having played a crucial role in the shaping of her son’s rule through her astute political advice.
- Catherine of Medici: Daughter to Lorenzo of Medici she was the widow of the French King Henry Duke of Orleans. After the death of her husband, she reigned as the regent queen and was instrumental in the policies of state of her sons King Francis II and Charles. Their reign was embroiled by continuous religious and civil wars. The period clashing with the time of the Huguenots. Catherine is said to have been instrumental in maintaining he administration at this time, even though she is often described as ruthless but also excused for having had to resorted to desperate measures for desperate times.
- Queen Victoria: One of the oldest serving monarchs of England, Queen Victoria is often called the grandmother of Europe. Her reign the Victorian age is attributed as one of the most affluent and prosperous periods of English history marked by great expansion. The period also marked by public morality being a key standard. Crowned queen of England at 16, she plunged into the depth of depression after her widowhood going into seclusion. However, she emerged out of it to greater prominence. The golden and diamond jubilee of her ascensions were celebrated with great festivity as befits a popular monarch.
- Indira Gandhi: Daughter of India’s first Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi was India’s first women prime minister and till date remains the only female prime minister of India. Credited and discredited for hard decisions like the Bangladesh liberation, Pokhran 1 as also the emergency period and suppression of the Khalistan movement, Indira Gandhi stepped out of the shadows of being Pandit Nehru’s daughter to cement her place in Indian history. Married to another parliamentarian Feroze Gandhi, ‘Indiraji’ as she was commonly called later, spent her early years behind the curtains away from the spotlight of politics though never a stranger to it from a very young age. After the demise of her father and husband, Indiraji progressively stepped up her political presence, so much so that she split the congress to factions loyal to her an opposing her, going on to become the recognized congress. She went on to become the Prime Minister of India on and was in power for 3 consequtive terms from 1966 to 1977. The end of which was marked by the emergency. She was tried by the High court of Allahabad for election fraud and found guilty. which verdict was upheld by the supreme court. The emergency was subsequently declared and was inforce till march1977. She lost the general elections that year but came back with a roar in 1980 and went on to stay as the Prime Minister of India till her assassination in 1984, shot at, by her own personal guards in the backdrop of the Khalistan unrest. Her tenure is marked by India’s tumultuous victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war where she helped engineer the split of Pakistan to form the new nation of Bangladesh. Her maneuvering whereby the US assistance to Pakistan was thwarted is a celebrated story in diplomatic circles. she is also credited to having ignored western pressure and conducted India’s first atomic bomb testing in Pokhran.
10.Sonia Gandhi: Wife of India’s youngest Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia hails of Italian descent and had lived in shadows even after the assassination of her husband in 1990. In 1998, she entered politics replacing the then AICC president Sitaram Keshri to become the Prime Minister of India. Congress was sitting in the opposition benches having suffered their worst defeat in the polls till then. Under her leadership the congress led UPA defeated the NDA led by Atal Behari Vajpayee. With the post of Prime minister of India on a platter ‘Soniaji’ declined the offer and instead Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minster of India while Soniaji stayed as the chairperson of UPA. This single act of stepping back propelled her to the list of most powerful women of her time. She subsequently led congress and the UPA to an unlikely second term. However, this term was mired by controversy on account of corruption. She remains active in politics though she has ceded her presidentship of the Congress party. The congress is yet to return to the treasury benches since. In 2017 Sonia made to the list of the most powerful people of the world as ranked by the Forbes magazine. She was ranked 21st overall and 3rd among women.
