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Quiz about Iconic Women from Africas History
Quiz about Iconic Women from Africas History

Iconic Women from Africa's History Quiz


Here is a tribute to some little-known women who influenced various aspects of the history of Africa. I believe there is a need for more of this type of information today. Thanks for playing.

A multiple-choice quiz by shvdotr. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
shvdotr
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
382,061
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
190
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. This warrior queen, of the Hausa of 16th Century northern Nigeria, ruled a kingdom known as Zazzau (or Zaria). She ruled for 34 years and was a noted warrior until her death past the age of 70. She introduced the cultivation of kola nuts to the area and helped establish the vitality of Hausa trade throughout her and neighboring kingdoms. Who was she? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. This great warrior queen has been referred to by historian John Henrik Clarke as "the greatest military strategist that ever confronted the armed forces of Portugal", as she kept that European power from successfully colonizing Angola for over 40 years, even allying with the Dutch to do so. She died as a warrior in her 80s, never having admitted defeat. Who was she? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This great queen attempted to prevent European seizure of Africa. She was the leader of the last major war by Africans against Europeans to be led by a woman. She led the Ashanti of modern Ghana in 1900 in the "War of the Golden Stool", earning the respect of the British, who referred to her as "the Joan of Arc of Africa." Who was this iconic woman whose name is also applied to the military resistance of the Ashanti against the Brits? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This African warrior queen became queen of the Azna (Hausa people), at the age of 20 and would later be called the "Panther Queen." In 1899 she fought against the French takeover of her capital of Lougou. And, although she had successfully resisted takeovers by the Fulani and the Tuareg, the French would eventually overcome her. Who was this legendary figure? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Egypt - This queen was wife of Amenhotep III, mother of Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV), and grandmother or mother of Tutankhamun. Her father, Yuya, was from Upper Egypt and a non-royal. Who was this long lightly-regarded queen of the 18th Dynasty? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This fifth century woman of Alexandria, the daughter of a mathematician, was herself the world's leading mathematician and astronomer of her time, the only woman who could make such a claim. Before being murdered by a Christian mob in AD 415, she wrote extensively, taught philosophy, and corresponded with and hosted other scholars of her day. Can you name her? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. These two Christian martyrs were executed in Carthage in 203 AD. Who was this pair of women, one a 22-year-old noblewoman and mother of a young child, and the other her slave in her eighth month of pregnancy, whose throats were slashed in the arena along with half a dozen Christian men who were killed by beasts? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This warrior queen was the Berber leader known to the Arabs as "the Priestess" or "the Sorceress." She ruled a kingdom in Numidia (today's Algeria) and, around AD 700, forced the retreat of the Muslims from their eventual conquest of North Africa. Who was this Berber warrior? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. With the title of "Foremost of Women," this lady is recognized as a co-founder of Egypt's First Dynasty. The earliest-known named royal lady of Ancient Egypt, it is unclear whether she was actually the wife of Narmer (Menes) or not. At one time she was even thought to be a male pharaoh. Who is this figure who may have been Egypt's first female pharaoh when she ruled as regent for Djer, Egypt's third pharaoh? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In September of 1916, this lady was crowned "Elect of God, Lion of the Tribe of Judah and Queen of Kings of Ethiopia." She was the first female to rule Ethiopia since Makeda, the Queen of Sheba. At her death in 1930, she was succeeded by her cousin, Tafari Mekonnen, who would become known as Haile Selassie. Who was this empress? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This warrior queen, of the Hausa of 16th Century northern Nigeria, ruled a kingdom known as Zazzau (or Zaria). She ruled for 34 years and was a noted warrior until her death past the age of 70. She introduced the cultivation of kola nuts to the area and helped establish the vitality of Hausa trade throughout her and neighboring kingdoms. Who was she?

Answer: Amina Sukhera

There is a statue of Amina in Lagos, Nigeria, at the National Arts Theater. Also known as Aminatu, she was heir to the throne after her mother, Bakwa of Turunku, wife of the King of Zazzau.

Hatshepsut was a pharaoh of Egypt who ruled for 20 years. Makeda was the ruler we refer to today as the Queen of Sheba (Melinda was not her first name, I just added that to give her the appearance of having two names). Aurelia Cotta was the mother of Julius Caesar.
2. This great warrior queen has been referred to by historian John Henrik Clarke as "the greatest military strategist that ever confronted the armed forces of Portugal", as she kept that European power from successfully colonizing Angola for over 40 years, even allying with the Dutch to do so. She died as a warrior in her 80s, never having admitted defeat. Who was she?

Answer: Nzingha

Queen Nzingha, whose full name is often given as Ana de Sousa Nzinga, overthrew her brother as ruler of Angola because of his ineffectiveness in resisting the Portuguese. Two of her war leaders were her sisters, and among her councillors were two more of her sisters.

Cleopatra and Nefertari were Egyptians, the former being a pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty who tried to ally with Rome, and the latter being a wife of Ramses the Great. Hippolyta was the legendary queen of the Amazons.
3. This great queen attempted to prevent European seizure of Africa. She was the leader of the last major war by Africans against Europeans to be led by a woman. She led the Ashanti of modern Ghana in 1900 in the "War of the Golden Stool", earning the respect of the British, who referred to her as "the Joan of Arc of Africa." Who was this iconic woman whose name is also applied to the military resistance of the Ashanti against the Brits?

Answer: Yaa Asentewa

The "Yaa Asentewa War" ended the resistance of the Ashanti against the British. Yaa Asentewa and her closest advisers were captured and sent into exile in the Seychelles, where she died in 1921. Three years later, Prempeh I, King of Asante, and members of his court were allowed to return to Ghana, which gained its independence in 1957.

Porcia Catonis was the daughter of the great Roman statesman Cato the Younger and wife of Marcus Junius Brutus. Julia Domna was the wife of Roman Emperor Septimius. Artemisia Gentileschi was a 17th Century Baroque painter.
4. This African warrior queen became queen of the Azna (Hausa people), at the age of 20 and would later be called the "Panther Queen." In 1899 she fought against the French takeover of her capital of Lougou. And, although she had successfully resisted takeovers by the Fulani and the Tuareg, the French would eventually overcome her. Who was this legendary figure?

Answer: Sarraounia

Although endowed with magical powers, Sarraounia was unable to finally defeat the French and is said to have transformed into a panther after the fall of her kingdom. Her story lay in the realm of oral history from the end of the 19th Century until revived in the 1980s in the form of a novel and then a popular movie.

Olympias was the wife of Philip II and mother of Alexander the Great. Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates. Zenobia was a Queen of Palmyra who successfully conquered portions of the Roman Empire in the 3rd Century.
5. Egypt - This queen was wife of Amenhotep III, mother of Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV), and grandmother or mother of Tutankhamun. Her father, Yuya, was from Upper Egypt and a non-royal. Who was this long lightly-regarded queen of the 18th Dynasty?

Answer: Tiye

Surviving images from her time show Tiye (also spelled Tiy and Taia) with distinctly African features. As queen and queen mother she had tremendous influence, even communicating directly with foreign rulers. Her role in her son's institution of a monotheistic religion is debated still. Many modern sources place her among the most influential of all of the consorts of the Egyptian pharaohs.

Nefertiti was the chief wife of Amenhotep IV, aka Akhenaton, which would make her Tiye's daughter-in-law. Amarna was the new capital city of Egypt created by Akhenaton and Nefertiti. Ishtar was a Babylonian goddess.
6. This fifth century woman of Alexandria, the daughter of a mathematician, was herself the world's leading mathematician and astronomer of her time, the only woman who could make such a claim. Before being murdered by a Christian mob in AD 415, she wrote extensively, taught philosophy, and corresponded with and hosted other scholars of her day. Can you name her?

Answer: Hypatia

Hypatia was the paid director of the Neoplatonist school in Alexandria. She is believed to be associated with the plane astrolabe and the graduated brass hydrometer, along with one of her students, Synesius of Greece. Her writings and works were destroyed with the burning of the library of Alexandria. Seen as a pagan because of her Neoplatonist philosophy, a Christian mob attacked her on the streets of Alexandria, dragged her from her chariot, killed her and mutilated her body, flaying her and scattering body parts throughout the city.

Semiramis was an ancient queen of Babylon. Andromache was the legendary wife of Hector of Troy. Inkapaduta was an 19th Century Sioux warrior who led a massacre of settlers in Northwest Iowa.
7. These two Christian martyrs were executed in Carthage in 203 AD. Who was this pair of women, one a 22-year-old noblewoman and mother of a young child, and the other her slave in her eighth month of pregnancy, whose throats were slashed in the arena along with half a dozen Christian men who were killed by beasts?

Answer: Perpetua and Felicity

Vibia Perpetua and Felicity are venerated as saints in the Catholic Church, and their feast day is March 7.

Desiderata and Fastrada were wives of Charlemagne. Tituba was a West Indian slave owned by Samuel Parris in 17th Century Massachusetts. She was the first to be accused in the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris were her accusers. Heloise, a French abbess, and Peter Abelard, a priest, were known for their medieval love affair.
8. This warrior queen was the Berber leader known to the Arabs as "the Priestess" or "the Sorceress." She ruled a kingdom in Numidia (today's Algeria) and, around AD 700, forced the retreat of the Muslims from their eventual conquest of North Africa. Who was this Berber warrior?

Answer: Al-Kahina

"Al-Kahina" is the title of this great warrior. Her name has been spelled in various ways, including Daya, Dehiya, Dihya, Dahya and Damya.

Still a controversial figure for her use of the scorched earth policy against the Muslim conquest of North Africa, Al-Kahina may have been a Jewess or a follower of the old Carthaginian religion, or even a Christian. The Arabs believed she had magical powers, including being able to see the future. Before her final defeat, she sent her sons to the Muslim side, where they eventually became great military leaders, joining in the invasion of Spain by the Saracens.

Boudica was the Queen of the Iceni in Britain who fought the Romans. Scathath was a legendary Scottish female warrior who trained Cuchulainn in the "Ulster Cycle." La Galana, or Juana Galan, fought against Napoleon's forces in Spain.
9. With the title of "Foremost of Women," this lady is recognized as a co-founder of Egypt's First Dynasty. The earliest-known named royal lady of Ancient Egypt, it is unclear whether she was actually the wife of Narmer (Menes) or not. At one time she was even thought to be a male pharaoh. Who is this figure who may have been Egypt's first female pharaoh when she ruled as regent for Djer, Egypt's third pharaoh?

Answer: Neithhotep

Another of Neithhotep's titles was "Consort of the Two Ladies," which was the title of a king, the "Two Ladies" being protective goddesses of Egypt. The name, "Neithhotep" means "Neith (an Egyptian war goddess) is Satisfied".

All of the incorrect answers were names of Assyrian kings.
10. In September of 1916, this lady was crowned "Elect of God, Lion of the Tribe of Judah and Queen of Kings of Ethiopia." She was the first female to rule Ethiopia since Makeda, the Queen of Sheba. At her death in 1930, she was succeeded by her cousin, Tafari Mekonnen, who would become known as Haile Selassie. Who was this empress?

Answer: Zewditu

Baptized Askala Maryam, the "Queen of Kings" chose to use the given name Zewditu for her regnal name. She was very conservative, promoting the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and building numerous new churches and temples throughout Ethiopia. Her cousin Tafari served as Prime Minister and instituted many reforms, including the abolition of slavery.

Zog I was King of Albania. Vashti was a Biblical figure and first wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus, who banished her for disobeying him. Melisende was the oldest daughter of Jerusalem's King Baldwin II. She ruled as Queen of Jerusalem after her father's death, reigning from 1131 to 1153 as queen and as regent for her son until 1161.
Source: Author shvdotr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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