Who Ruled in Year X

African women in power · year lookup

Who ruled in 1897 CE?

1 documented African woman ruler in these records held office in 1897 CE.

1897 CE falls in the 19th century CE. See this era on the timeline

Documented history In office this year

Khesetoane Modjadji III

Third Rain Queen in the Modjadji lineage

c. 1895–1959 Balobedu queenship Southern Africa

The third Rain Queen’s long tenure crossed the turn of the 20th century; modern sources broadly agree on 1959 as its end but vary slightly on the accession year and spelling of her name.
Sources
1. National Museum Publications — Modjadji, Mofumahadi wa Pula
2. South African Cooperative Governance — Balobedu queenship lineage

Before 1897 CE

Oral tradition Office ended about 2 years earlier

Masalanabo Modjadji II

Second Rain Queen in the Modjadji lineage

c. 1854–1894/95 Balobedu queenship Southern Africa

The second ruler in the Modjadji lineage is known through Balobedu oral history and later written records; published chronologies place her accession in 1854 and the transition to her successor in either 1894 or 1895.
Sources
1. National Museum Publications — Modjadji, Mofumahadi wa Pula
2. South African Cooperative Governance — Balobedu queenship lineage

After 1897 CE

Documented history Office began about 3 years later

Yaa Asantewaa

Ohemaa and regent of Ejisu

1900 Asante — Ejisu West Africa

As Ohemaa and regent of Ejisu, Yaa Asantewaa became the principal leader of the Asante war against British rule in 1900; she was not an Asante queen regnant.
Sources
1. British Museum — Yaa Asantewaa collection biography
2. UNESCO — General History of Africa, Volume VII

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