The most amazing women in history

I don't know what inspired me to do a thread like this but here I go. Throughout history there have been amazing women who have shaped their countries, reached for a destiny that would normally be beyond them or changed the world not on an abstract level but in real terms. We have all heard of Hatshepsut, the woman who portrayed herself Pharoah and usurped her son's throne. We all know of Boudica, the rebel Briton who fought against the advance of the Roman Empire. We know of Joan of Arc who fought against England, and Elizabeth I who inherited a country wrecked with near bankruptcy and sectarian infighting and made it a power to be reckoned with. To most of us Emily Pankhurst is a name that is ingrained from an early age. But how many of us have heard of these women? Great warriors, astute political leaders and liberators of countries.

Ahhotep was a royal woman born into an Egypt conquered by the Hyksos. She played no small part in the liberation that would force the Hyksos out of Egypt and begin the New Kingdom. When her husband was killed (seemingly in battle) she rallied the troops to continue pushing against the conquerors. She was the strength behind the throne of her husband and then later foiled an attempt by Hyksos sympathisers to steal the fragile kingdom. She is honoured in a stele at Karnak: The king's wife, the noble lady, who knew everything, assembled Kemet. She looked after what her Sovereign had established. She guarded it. She assembled her fugitives. She brought together her deserters. She pacified her Upper Egyptians. She subdued her rebels, The king´s wife Ahhotep given life.

Cartimandua was a warrior queen of the Brigantes, a native Briton and a contemporary of the Iceni queen Boudica. She was one of many pro-Roman queens who welcomed, and perhaps even invited, Roman invasion to stop the infighting and the growing power of some of the larger tribes. When Caratacus rebellion failed, he fled to Cartimandua, hoping for sanctuary. But she turned him over the Claudius. Tacitus and history have not been kind to Cartimandua but in her life she fought off a civil war and an anti-Roman rebellion. However, at a time when British tribes were falling to Rome with ease, Cartimandua managed to carve out an alliance with Rome that guaranteed the sovereignty of her tribe.

Æthelflæd was daughter of Alfred the Great who rose to prominence at a critical time for Wessex. Married to a Mercian to ensure an alliance between Alfred's Wessex and the former dominent kingdom (Wessex had been a minor player until the Viking attacks). Æthelflæd was by no means a trophy or a symbol of unity. She signed agreements and was considered an excellent general (something her father was most certainly not) and led the Mercian army into enemy territory and defending her own territory many times (by now Mercia was hers as her husband had been killed in battle). What she did inherit from her father was the skill of supreme administration. Under her leadership the city of Gloucester was refounded.

How come you didn't add your buddy Sarah Palin in that list?

She would have won hands down

I couldn't resist that poke.

Lady Lovelace: Lord Byron's daughter. Many historians cite her contribution with Charles Babbage on his difference machine led to the first computing algorithm, making her a strong candidate for first programmer in history.

Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper: Inventor of one of the most hated, but early and important computer programming languages in history, COBOL.

Rosalind Franklin: biochemist whose contribution to the discovery of the double helix model of DNA was completely ignored until a bit recently. Lost out on winning the Nobel prize thanks to a combination of sexism, the Nobel committee's stupid policy of only awarding three individuals per prize and Crick and Watson's overbearing egos.

And how could I forget Empress Matilda? Daughter of Henry I, father of Henry II. The legal heir of Henry I, England descended into civil war when Stephen claimed the throne (Matilda was the senior heir). Though her reign lasted only a few months, and she is largely not credited as a monarch, a number of towns and cities remained loyal to her and were rewarded by her son. Her real strength lie in the support for her son and how she ended the war by negotiating with Stephen that her son would succeed to the crown above Stephen's own sons.