The empress, like many other rulers at the time, legitimized her reign through Buddhism, portraying herself either as a ...

He also expressed a desire to create a Roman senate comprised solely of women. There Is Even More to the Emperor’s Story Elagabalus became emperor with the help of his grandmother, Julia Maesa ...

Here, series presenter Rana Mitter tells the story of Wu Zetian, the female Emperor. Only one woman has ever sat on China’s throne as Emperor in her own right. That woman was Wu Zetian (624-705 ...

Although some were allowed more freedom than others, there was always a limit, even for the daughter of an emperor. Not much information exists about Roman women in the first century. Women were ...

Once in place, he was fairly successful, but his poor taste in women would prove his undoing. Nobody expected Claudius to become emperor. Although he was the only surviving heir of Augustus and ...

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's Hindu wife demonstrated her devotion by wanting to commit sati after his death. She continues to be a little-known historical figure. This is Aurangzeb's Hindu wife, who ...

Even though the Empress Dowager Ling’s rule was problematic and short — resulting in her assassination — she laid the foundation for other, more successful female rulers across medieval East Asia.