Who Ruled in Year X

African women in power · year lookup

Who ruled in 1640 CE?

1 documented African woman ruler in these records held office in 1640 CE.

1640 CE falls in the 17th century CE. See this era on the timeline

Documented history In office this year

Nzinga Mbande

Sovereign of Ndongo and Matamba

1624–1663 Ndongo & Matamba Central Africa

Nzinga inherited Ndongo’s throne in 1624 and later established power in Matamba, using diplomacy and warfare amid Portuguese expansion and the Atlantic slave trade.
Sources
1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Ana Nzinga, Queen of Ndongo
2. UNESCO — Njinga Mbandi: Queen of Ndongo and Matamba

Before 1640 CE

Contested reconstruction Office ended about 41 years earlier

Amina of Zazzau

Sarauniya of Zazzau in historical tradition

15th or 16th century Zazzau West Africa

Hausa chronicles and oral tradition remember Amina as a ruler and military leader of Zazzau, but surviving sources disagree over whether she belongs to the 15th or 16th century.
Sources
1. Ahmadu Bello University scholar — History and Folklore: Amina Sarauniyar Zazzau
2. AfricaBib — The Zazzau Tradition on Queen Amina: History or Myth?

After 1640 CE

Oral tradition Office began about 176 years later

Nandi kaBhebhe

Queen mother in the Zulu kingdom

from 1816–c. 1827 Zulu kingdom Southern Africa

Nandi became a central royal woman and adviser after Shaka’s accession in 1816; much of her political biography survives through Zulu oral evidence recorded later.
Sources
1. African and Black Diaspora — Queen Nandi ka Bhebhe
2. University of Zululand repository — Royal women of the Zulu monarchy

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