Author

Leonor Solans

Leonor Solans is an artist living in Granada, Spain.
www.leonorsolans.com

Articles by this author

Malika VI: Sayyida Al-Hurra
History
When she governed the Moroccan coastal city of Tétouan, the Spanish accused her of organizing piracy, while at home she won respect from both Moroccans and post-1492 Andalusian émigrés. On land and sea, hers was a life charted by crisis.

Malika V: Nur Jahan
History
Wife and mother, businesswoman, fashion designer, real estate developer, garden plan-ner, philanthropist devoted to women, battle commander, tiger hunter: For the woman with a royal name meaning “Light of the World,” those were all part of Nur Jahan’s main job—running the Mughal empire.
Malika IV: Hürrem Sultan (Roxolana)
History
Though her Turkish name Hürrem meant “laughing one,” she proved better at breaking barriers —ﬁrst by marrying the sultan, and later by directing more of the Ottoman Empire’s affairs than any woman before her.
Malika III: Shajarat Al-Durr
History
First woman to claim an Egyptian throne since Cleopatra, Shajarat Al-Durr won an Ayyubid sultan and then a crusader war; founded a Mamluk dynasty and ruled as sultana de facto far longer than de jure— until her storied, violent end.

Malika II: Radiyya bint Iltutmish
History
Deftly symbolizing an aggrieved citizen’s quest for justice, the rightful heir to the Sultanate of Delhi donned a red robe on the eve of battle. She won the people’s support for four years of prosperous rule, but her rivals proved insatiable.