#jindan kaur

[husn-e-bahar]

Chand-Tikka from the collection of Maharani Jind Kaur (The Last Queen), wife of Maharajah Ranjit Singh (Punjab)

Source: Bonhams

[post-impressionisms]

Ladies Who Run the World -->

"You philosophers are lucky men. You write on paper and paper is patient. Unfortunate Empress that I am, I write on the susceptible skins of living beings." -- Catherine the Great

Maharani Jindan Kaur, the last Sikh ruler of Lahore (1817-1863), who fought British rule in India. Before fighting the British presence in India, she fought the previous Jalla regime to see her brother Jawahar Singh installed as the Wazir. She won the popularity of the army generals, who later put her on the Dehli throne. She proclaimed herself as regent and ruled in place of her son, and worked to bring the army officials and civil administration together. (x) Portrait by George Richmond, oil on canvas, 1896. 

Empress Catherine II of Russia (1729-1796) the supposedly 'liberal' princess from a small German province who added the territories of present day Lithuania, Belarus, and the Crimea to the Russian Empire, as well as participating in the partition of Poland with Austria and Prussia. She seized power from her husband by leading the royal guard against him in his country estate, declared him a threat to Russian Orthodoxy and therefore unfit to rule, and proceeded to rule until her death. (x) Portrait by Feodor Rokotov, oil on canvas, 1763. 

Queen Pomare IV of Tahiti (1813-1877), became ruler of Tahiti at only age fourteen. She fought against French imperialism in Tahiti and even beseeched the British to intervene against the French, and nearly caused an Anglo-French war in the Pacific as a result. Eventually, Tahiti became a French protectorate, and she continued to rule under French administration. Her last name, Aimata, means 'eye eater', referring to the custom wherein the ruler eats the eyes of defeated foes. (x) Portrait by Charles Girarud, oil on canvas, 1851.

Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603). Her forty-six year reign of England is considered a golden age, although the Roman Catholic portion of England never favored her. A brilliant politician, exploration and the arts flourished under her reign. It was under her that the Royal Navy defeated the famed Spanish Armada. (x) Portrait attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, oil on canvas, 1600-1602.

Pharaoh Hatsheput of the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom period in Egypt. She ruled as Pharaoh, a male title, in place of her stepson, Thutmose III, who grew to resent her later in life, and later had most portraits of her destroyed. She wore the full headdress, kilt, and sometimes the fake beard of the pharaoh as well. Like many Egyptian rulers, she was regarded as a deity, and the engravings on her throne declared her "the Perfect Goddess, Lady of the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt) and 'Bodily Daughter of Re' (the sun god)." (x) Unknown artist, limestone, 1473 A.D.-1458 B.C. 

Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (1353-1412) founded the Kalmar Union, which unified Northern Europe for over a century, with control centered in Denmark. When Swedish nobles rebelled against her reign (and that of the Swedish king's), she gathered an army and invaded Sweden. (x) Detail from her tomb in Roskilde Cathedral, Roskilde, Denmark. 

Empress Theodora I of the Byzantine Empire (497-538), was not of royal blood, but was actually an actress when her future husband Justinian met her and fell in love with her beauty and intelligence. She became a patrician and then empress. Many historians credit her with making many of the political decisions during Justinian's reign; she convinced her husband to stay behind and face rival political factions who were rioting when he was tempted to flee. She was also responsible for passing some of the earliest laws to protect the rights of women and girls. (x) Detail from mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, sixth century A.D. 

Queen Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504), was a staunchly Catholic woman who had to face a civil war in her lifetime. Her marriage to King Ferdinand solidified Catholic rule and unified Spain. She was the one who pushed for Christopher Columbus' exploration of the Americas and advocated for just treatment of Native Americans, although this policy unfortunately did not extend to Jews living in Spain. (x) Portrait attributed to Antonio del Rincon, oil on canvas, fifteenth century.