11Mary Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots who was suspected of murdering her husband fled to England for help. Her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, threatened by Mary’s claim to her throne, imprisoned her for 19 years then beheaded her. Elizabeth had no children so Mary’s son ironically became the first king over England, Scotland, and Ireland.
12Mumtaz Mahal
In 1632, a year after the death of Mumtaz Mahal, the Empress consort of the Mughal Empire, her husband emperor Shah Jahan had her body exhumed and brought to Agra. Then he started work on building her a mausoleum. 22 years later the Taj Mahal was finished.
13Isabella of France
Queen Isabella of France; frustrated, humiliated, and tired of her husband; fled England, tricked him to send their son, invaded England with her lover (enemy and fugitive of her husband), and defeated him.
14Anne of Romania
At the age of 16, Queen Anne of Romania fled from the Nazi Germans in 1939 and eventually escaped to the United States. She attended college in New York and worked as a sales assistant at Macy’s department store. In 1943, she volunteered for military service in the French Army, where she received the Cross of war.
15Empress Irene
Empress Irene of the Byzantine Empire, among other things, became empress by winning a beauty contest, after her husband died became the first empress to rule in her own right in Byzantine History, and blinded her own son in order to retain power.
16Queen Christina
The 17th century Swedish Queen Christina surprisingly abdicated her throne. Very bright, and a lover of arts, she almost bankrupt Sweden in her extravagance. Speculators suggest her abdication was a result of her proclivity towards "men's pursuits," wearing men's clothing and refusal to marry.
17Soraya Tarzi
Queen Soraya Tarzi of Afghanistan fought hard to improve the rights of women in the 1920's. She was also the minister of education for Afghanistan and the first Muslim consort to appear in public with her husband. In 1929, her husband was deposed and all their reforms were undone.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
18Empress Consort of Puyi
Isabel Ingram (Right from image) was an American tutor to Wanrong, the Empress Consort of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China. From age 20, she lived in the Forbidden City, where she taught Wanrong the speech, modes, and manners of the West. The two also tried to look like one another and traded clothes.
19Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was the most successful female pharaoh of ancient Egypt. But after her death, her successor destroyed her statues to obliterate her memory.
20Dowager Lüi
Empress Dowager Lüi of the Han Dynasty tortured one of her husband's concubines by hacking off her hands and feet, putting out her eyes, deafening her, and forcing her to live in a pigpen sty.
