During the 16th century, the Queen of Zaria captured lovers from the kingdoms she conquered. Her ruling power cannot be compared to what we expect a current woman to do. She was an extraordinary woman.
She broke a lot of norms during that period. Some writers in history question her death during special occasions. But that did not affect her focus and determination to change Zazzau. The queen herself was a strong woman.
Amina was born in 1533 in the Hausa tribe, which is currently called Zaria. She was privileged to be born in a wealthy and noble family, in ancient Nigeria. Her family was very productive when it came to trade. They manufactured and sold kola, salt, leather products, and at times they imported metals. All the family members were involved in selling jobs, to gain experience. In the absence of one, the business could continue, normally not to lose its frequent customers.
The queen while a teenager trained with the Zazzau military warriors. She learned a lot of fighting skills. Her mother died in 1566, and her younger brother took over the leadership. They followed the tradition of offering Karima the crown. Just after a single complete decade, Karama passed away. The perfect time for Queen in Zaria came, as she was crowned the seat as the ruler.
She gained a lot of love from the citizens in her kingdoms because of her courageous fighting skills. The Zazzau people showed much respect to the Queen. In 1576, there was a great celebration where she has officially crowned the Queen of Zazzau.
Her main role was to get her kingdom enough territory to trade with external countries. She gained access to the Atlantic Ocean, the thing that was fought over for many years. The Queen absorbed Nupe and Kwarafu in the northern regions. It did not come on a silver plate, but she arranged for severe war to reclaim the land. History showed that Amina planned a troop of 20,000 men who battled day and night to secure the land. And after winning, she became much stronger.
The funny thing is that the queen never married. But as she conquered some cities, she grabbed lovers that were handsome. All this story is from the Emirate’s the Northern Kingdom, a book by Sidney Hogben.
Despite taking them and making love to them, she did not cross the spouse line. So this proved that she wasn’t taking sympathy from them so that she could take over their kingdoms. She had the opportunity to get any man she wanted. Amina used the opportunity to the maximum.
There are rumors that Queen Amina has a bridegroom, but it was to remain silent. This means that she had to play some roles just like a normal woman, although she was an autonomous woman.
The male figure in Queen Amina’s life could not kill her to take over. It’s not recommended for a male monarch to assassinate a female lover, but the reverse could happen.
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