Queens of Infamy Archives

Queens of Infamy: Isabella of France

Married off at age 12, Isabella put up with her husband’s shenanigans over decades. Eventually, the She-Wolf of France had had enough.

If you underestimate a woman determined to avenge violence against her daughters, prepare yourself to get sacked. On repeat.

History may have pigeonholed her as Renaissance Italy’s most notorious seductress, but it’s high time we give the Duchess of Ferrara a closer look.

In the ancient hot mess known as Judea, a young queen had to navigate a self-destructive royal dynasty and one of history’s worst husbands.

The Portuguese colonizers of West Central Africa learned it the hard way: you mess with the Queen of Ndongo and Matamba at your own peril.

In fraught games of power politics, sometimes the best revenge is not being exiled to die alone on an island in the South Atlantic.

Even the Reign of Terror was no match for a determined young woman with a pug and a prophecy on her side.

In third-century Syria, a widowed monarch dared to be wildly ambitious — and almost brought the Roman Empire to its knees.

When your husband and male heirs are too useless or too dead to rule, you have to take matters into your own poison-gloved hands.

Kings and popes thought she was their pawn. The Merchant’s Daughter begged to differ.