Artemisia II

Ancient Queen of Caria

A historical narrative of an ancient Anatolian Queen

Discover her life and place in history, and the great legacy she left behind!

queens of history

Brave & Loyal

Boudicca was the queen of the Iceni tribe in ancient Britain.
She is famous for leading a rebellion against the Romans when they first began to settle in Britain in 60-61 AD.
After Boudicca’s husband died, Roman soldiers treated her and her daughters really badly. So, she gathered the tribes and they fought against Roman rule, setting fire to Roman settlements as they went.
In the end, the rebellion was defeated. But Boudicca is still remembered for her bravery.
Queen Wilhelmina ruled the Netherlands during both World War I and World War II.
When Nazi Germany invaded her country at the beginning of World War II, she went to Britain. Everyday, using radio broadcasts, she talked to her people. She encouraged and supported her them while they lived under Nazi occupation.
Her loyalty gave hope to her people during the war.
Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last monarch, and the only queen, of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
She had tried to make new laws to protect her people, but in 1893 a tiny group of businessmen from American and two other countries who were living in Hawaii forced her to give up her Kingdom. They said they would hurt the Hawaiian people if she didn’t.
Even after losing her throne, she always worked peacefully for Hawaii to become a kingdom again.

Wise & Kind

Queen Elizabeth I was Queen of England from 1558 to 1603.
This was when people were beginning to go to two different types of churches instead of one, so there could have been a lot of fighting about which one was right.
She found clever ways to keep England peaceful. During this time England actually had what we call a Golden Age - there was exploration and cultural growth with music, plays, and writing.
Her thoughtful decision-making and care for her kingdom gave her a long and successful reign.
Hatshepsut was one of the most successful rulers of ancient Egypt.
Instead of focusing mainly on warfare, she strengthened Egypt through trade, especially with the land of Punt, which brought wealth and valuable goods.
She also built impressive monuments and temples that improved the country’s prosperity and culture.
Her peaceful and intelligent leadership shows wisdom and care for her kingdom.
Queen Victoria ruled England for more than sixty years during a period known as the Victorian Era in the 1800s.
She was queen in a constitutional monarchy, where the country was ruled by an elected parliament but the monarch is still plays a huge part in important ceremonies.
Victoria also became a symbol of family values for many people in Britain and across the empire, especially through a time of great change during the Industrial Revolution.

Fierce & Strong

Artemisia I was a warrior queen and naval commander who fought for the Persian king Xerxes during the Greco-Persian Wars.
She commanded seventy ships in the famous Battle of Salamis in 480 BC and impressed even her enemies with her courage and intelligence in battle.
Her ability to lead troops and advise a powerful king shows how fierce and strong a leader she was.
Zenobia was a powerful queen of Palmyra in the third century. After her husband’s death, she ruled as regent for her son.
She quickly expanded her power, conquering territories including Egypt and parts of the Roman East. For a while she created a rival empire to Rome.
Her bold ambition and military strength made her one of the most formidable queens of the ancient world.
Ranavalona I ruled Madagascar from 1828 to 1861 and is known for her strong and determined rule.
She worked fiercely to maintain the independence of Madagascar and resisted growing European influence on the island. Her leadership was strict and powerful, and she controlled the kingdom with determination.
Her refusal to submit to foreign powers shows her strength as a ruler.

educational benefits

Stories for learning

Stories are wonderful teaching tools!

Children can connect events, characters, and feelings, and so they can remember historical figures and events more easily.

Stories also stir the imagination and encourage curiosity, encouraging children to think creatively and ask questions.

Education As a Science of Relations

Children naturally form connections between ideas, people, and events to see how knowledge fits into a larger whole.

Our stories of queens strengthen connections with geography, literature, cultural influences, and other famous people from across history.

Books for Children

Introducing the first book in the Stories of Queens series.

Artemisia II invites you to step into the ancient world of Anatolia and discover the life of a remarkable queen. Through her story encounter the courage and leadership of Artemisia, who continued to rule after her husband’s death and led the successful conquest of the Island of Rhodes.

Read of the beautiful Mausoleum of Halicarnassus that Artemisia built, and which is remembered as one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. After Artemisia’s death the book continues to follow the history of the city she ruled; from Alexander the Great’s military campaign fifteen years later to the fall of the great Mausoleum after centuries of standing on the hill, and where you can discover its remaining stones and statues even today.

Learn more

Delve Deeper with Articles

Queen Regnant or Queen Regent?

The Difference Explained.

Queenship is not a single, simple position. There are queen consorts, queen regents, and queen regnants, each with very different powers, responsibilities, and ways of ruling. Many of us may be surprised to discover just how many types of queens exist!

Becoming familiar with these terms helps us to understand how each queen in history was able to reign over her kingdom.

Keep reading