NIGERIA IN HISTORY: QUEEN AMINA OF ZAZZAU — WARRIOR QUEEN WHO WASN’T FORGOTTEN

🇳🇬 NIGERIA IN HISTORY: QUEEN AMINA OF ZAZZAU — WARRIOR QUEEN WHO WASN’T FORGOTTEN

🔥 Long ago, there was a woman who ruled the northern part of what is now Nigeria. She later became one of the most prominent figures in Nigerian history.

Her Royal name was Queen Amina of Zazzau, and she ruled the territory that is now Kaduna State, Nigeria. Her exploits were told and retold long after her death.

📍 WHERE?

Zazzau is in what is now Kaduna State, Nigeria, centered on modern Zaria.

📅 WHEN?

This was pre-colonial Nigeria, and the 15th/16th century.

👑 WHO WAS QUEEN AMINA?

Long before Nigeria became a thing in 1960, the area was broken up into kingdoms, city-states and empires. One of the Hausa states was Zazzau, whose capital was in what is now Zaria.

In Hausa traditions, Amina was a royal person who went out and conquered, and gained fame and infamy with her deeds of war.

She wasn’t just another royal woman – she went out and got herself known as connected to many battles.

⚔️ THE WOMAN WHO FUGHT WARS

Hausa and other traditions hold that she was a great and successful warrior queen, who led expeditions beyond her capital.

Her military campaigns are said to have brought Zazzau’s influence and authority far and wide.

Some traditions hold that her armies went as far as the modern Nupe and Kwararafa areas. Others say her influence was so great that other Hausa states like Kano and Katsina paid tribute to her.

These tales helped give her the reputation as one of the most fearsome and influential Hausa Queens of all time.

🏰 LEGEND OF THE WALLS OF AMINA

Part of the legacy of Queen Amina are the Ganuwar Amina (the Walls of Amina).

This refers to the old earthworks that are found around many of the old Hausa towns and cities.

It is believed that these were built by Queen Amina’s armies, as part of the fortifications of the many Hausa towns and cities.

But historians note that not all of the ancient walls that bear her name were actually built by her.

🌍 A GREAT TRADE CROSSROADS

It must be born in mind that Zazzau was a major trading centre. It was a crossroads between northern and southern Nigeria, and was strategically located to control trade across the region.

A queen who could project her power and military might into her neighbours’ territories could gain influence and control of trade in the area.

And so Queen Amina’s story lives on, not just as a local legend, but as part of Hausa and Nigerian history.

👸 BUT HOW LONG DID SHE RULE?

It has been calculated that Queen Amina reigned for 34 years. But it is not known for sure when she ruled.

Some historians place her in the 15th century, while others put her in the 16th century.

The stories of Queen Amina and her military successes and rule may not have all the answers, but they help jog our memories that long before Nigeria became a colony of Britain, and before it became an independent nation(state), there were already powerful and influential kingdoms and empires in the area.

And long before the modern Nigerian nation-state came into being, there were already women as influential and powerful as men.

🔥 WHY SHOULD NIGERIAN(S) CARE ABOUT QUEEN AMINA?

Because women such as her were not an anomaly in history. Even before Nigeria became a British colony, women played important roles in administration, war and the arts.

It helps us to remember that the land we now call Nigeria had a rich and vibrant culture long before 1960.

Queen Amina is just one of many such people whom we should remember and try to learn about.

But are there enough people who know and care about Nigeria’s rich and wonderful pre-colonial history?

💬 LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS

Would you like Nigerians to learn more about the pre-colonial kingdoms and their peoples?

Should Nigeria’s history of queens, warriors, merchants and rulers be taught in schools?

Tell us in the comment section below. 🇳🇬

📚 Note: this article is based on Hausa oral traditions and historical accounts. The actual reign of Queen Amina and some of her exploits are still debated by historians.