Women Who Made History

She commanded armies and built warships. She was ruthless with rivals and quick to eliminate traitors. She spoke at least nine languages, received diplomats, and negotiated with kings. Her story has provided material for countless novels and films, and the myth of Cleopatra lives on.

The first woman who made history in Western civilization, who believed she had a divine mission and saved France during the dark days of the Hundred Years War, was a girl from a simple background who defied all the institutions of the day.

In an era dominated by men, Queen Elizabeth I was the only woman. She ruled England for 45 years, laying the foundation for the British Empire, and when she died in 1603 she gave her name to an entire epoch: the Elizabethan Age.

At the age of 14 Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst a princess from a minor German aristocratic family, journeyed to Russia... because she had been chosen to marry Grand Duke Peter, heir to the Russian throne.

Known as the Queen of Hearts during her lifetime, Louise of Prussia had no official political or military power, yet she wielded influence over the men who did - predominantly her husband King Frederick Wilhelm III - and she had the stature and style to become a symbolic figure.

Sophie Scholl is one of the most popular figures of German resistance against Hitler during the Second World War. Photographs show her as a 20-year-old girl; knowing that she was interrogated, tried, and executed for speaking out about the injustices of the Nazi regime.