About Greek Queens

One of the most wonderful things about history is the rich diversity you'll find spread out over the ages. That's especially true when you have a history as lengthy as the Greek civilization. With a culture that can be measured not in decades or centuries but millennium, the Greeks have also had their share of female rulers and royalty who have helped shape their history and, consequently, ours.

History

The most notorious of the Greek queens is the mythological Hera. Both wife and sister to Zeus, Hera sat at the head of a pantheon of powerful females, including the warrior Athena, the huntress Artemis, the great beauty, Aphrodite, the virgin Hestia, and the motherly Demeter, all her daughters or sisters. While there's a number of different version of the myths, one thing that they all have in common is the idea that Hera is not one to be crossed. Powerful and vengeful, she demands respect and worship. Those who disobey, pay a price usually worse than death.

Gorgo was a queen of Sparta in the 5th and/or 6th century B.C., and is one of the many Greek rulers acknowledged by her contemporaries and followers for her wise, sage rule. The daughter, wife and mother to a king of Sparta, she gave counsel to kings and generals alike.

There was a Cleopatra who ruled Macedon and Epirius around 330 B.C. Her father was murdered at her wedding (to her uncle), and after the death of her husband she not only went on to rule in her own right but to decline marriage proposals from a number of worthy suitors but to publicly dispute the bitter allegations that were made against her after her refusals. She was eventually assassinated.

Arsinoe II was a ruler not only of Thrace and Macedonia, but her ambitions brought her to the Egyptian throne as well, in the neighborhood of 281 B.C. Arsinoe was not above murdering rivals whether they be stepsons, brothers, husbands, or a combination of several.

In the early 1800s, the style of the Greek court was redone and renewed under the watchful eye of socialite queen Amalia of Oldenburg. Her reign ended in exile. Frederica of Hanover was the queen consort of Paul I, the king during World War II and the Greek Civil War. As outspoken as she was beautiful, she was responsible for an extensive network of camps that were designed to provide food and shelter for the orphans of the war.

Misconceptions

One of the biggest misconceptions is that women throughout history took second place to the male counterparts. History shows us, however, that many Greek women were powerful in their own right. They ruled their countries as their kings went off to battle, they argued politics and military strategy with the best of the male senators and generals. Countless women have shown that they are strong, intelligent, determined and more than capable rulers in their own right. It's also sometimes thought that Greek queens were, well, Greek. Many members of the royal families came not only from the different provinces of Greece, but from Egypt and later Germany, Prussia and Constantinople.

Significance

Many of the women who ruled as queens in Greece have left their own, unique imprint on the world long after their death.
Helena of Constantinople was not only the mother of Constantine I, or Saint Constantine, but she was a saint in her own right. Legends say that it was she who discovered remnants of the True Cross, and history says that she often gave gifts and alms to those less fortunate and was the picture of Christian spirit in her devotion, unselfishness and love for her son.

Irene of Athens styled herself an emperor rather than an empress, and brought back an adoration of images that revolutionized Christian worship. The study of such powerful women who took control of entire countries well before the women's lib movement is both enlightening and inspiring, a true testament to the courage of the human spirit.

Function

Throughout history, the term queen has not always referred to the figurehead we know now. One of the most famous, or perhaps infamous, queens of Greek descent is Theodora, the 6th-century daughter of a hippodrome bear trainer and an actress. Theodora went on to be one of the most powerful women in the Byzantine Empire, as well as an outspoken participant in all matters legal, economic, military and spiritual. She was instrumental in passing many laws that expanded the rights of women, and she often opposed the views of her husband, Justinian. In spite of their monumental disagreements, Justinian was still said to have wept at her funeral.
Many female rulers have done their political maneuvering in the shadows of sons or husbands, and through them their influence has played out across history.

Theories/Speculation

Stories have existed about some of these women for thousands of years, passed down through generations of historians and storytellers such as Plutarch, Xenophon and Polybius. Often the line between history and legend gets blurred, interpreted from writing centuries old. Some stories are told well after the death of those involved, some are handed down through family members who have told the stories personally. Several of these women, such as Helena, cross between history and religion. Their lives are documented as both.

It's also impossible to tell what intrigues these women orchestrated behind the scenes. Perhaps some day a trove of writing will be discovered, detailing the lives of women long dead, whose influences undoubtedly live on. Until then, we can only guess at the true impact they have had on the world we live in today.