原文: Top 10 Most Powerful Women in History

The pages of history are littered with the names of powerful men. But from time to time, there have been women who have shone out as being equally powerful as the men in their time - some of whom have even gone on to shape the future of the world as we know it. This is a list of ten of those incredibly powerful women.

Eleanor was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Europe and the world during the High Middle Ages. Eleanor inherited the Duchy of Aquitaine and Poitiers after her father’s death when she was only 15. As a result, Eleanor became an independent ruler in her own right receiving the titles of Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers. Aquitaine was the largest and wealthiest province of France during the 12th century. Unlike many other monarchs and women of the Middle Ages, Eleanor and her family were very well educated. Eleanor is credited for having transformed Aquitaine into one of the largest intellectual and cultural centers in Medieval Western Europe.

Eleanor became Queen Consort to Louis VII of France in 1137. During her marriage to Louis, she participated in the Second Crusade in 1147 and even traveled with her husband to the Byzantine Empire. Eleanor became a key figure in developing trade agreements between Western Europe, Constantinople, and the Holy Land. She eventually had the marriage to Louis annulled in 1152 and in 1154, Eleanor became Queen Consort to Henry II of England.

In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was assassinated for going against King Henry II. Eleanor, among many others, strongly opposed the assassination. This eventually led to the Revolt of 1173-1174 in which Eleanor, three of her sons, and rebel supporters sided against Henry. The revolt failed, however, and Eleanor was imprisoned for sixteen years.

Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful women in the ancient world. She was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and she ruled longer than any other woman in Egyptian history. Hatshepsut was married to her sickly half brother, Thutmose II, and the two of them began to co-rule after the death of their father, Thutmose I, in 1492 BC In 1479 BC, Thutmose II died and Hatshepsut continued to rule by herself until her own death in 1458 BC

It is believed by many Egyptologists and historians that Hatshepsut was one of Ancient Egypt’s most successful monarchs. She commissioned many building projects and reestablished trade networks that had been disrupted by the Hyksos invaders of the Second Intermediate Period. Hatshepsut also led a large-scale expedition to the Land of Punt, a wealthy and sophisticated country to the south of Egypt. Hatshepsut is also believed to have led successful military campaigns in Nubia, the Levant, and Syria during her reign.

Maria Theresa succeeded her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, as empress of the Hapsburg controlled lands of Central Europe in 1740. She made her son, Joseph II, coregent in 1765 after the death of her husband.

In the same year Maria Theresa came to power, Fredrick II of Brandenburg-Prussia initiated the War of Austrian Succession by invading the Hapsburg province of Silesia. Fredrick refused to recognize Maria Theresa as the rightful heir to the throne. He rallied other nations such as Bavaria, Saxony, France, and Spain to side with him and contribute to the conflict. Maria Theresa retaliated by rallying Hungarian arms to her defense. As a result, she was able to repel the invading armies and preserve the Hapsburg state as a major European power. The war officially ended in 1748 with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.

Maria Theresa brought about many economic and political changes to her empire. She increased the size of the army by 200 percent and increased taxes in order to guarantee a steady income for the government, and in particular for the military. She centralized the government by combining the Austrian and Bohemian chancellaries, formerly separate, into one administrative office. She also started what became known as the Diplomatic Revolution in 1756 when she created an alliance with France, a former enemy, to serve as a coalition against the newly allied Prussia and Great Britain. Her reforms and political decisions were successful in strengthening the economy and the state in general.

Maria Theresa was also a participant in the Enlightenment. She strongly promoted education and liberal politics. She founded Imperial and Royal Academy of Science and Literature in Brussels and she supported medical research by demanding that the University of Vienna be given money to make the medical faculty more efficient. Some of Maria Theresa’s civil reforms included the abolition of witch-burning and torture, getting rid of capital punishment, and making education mandatory.

Empress Theodora was one of the most influential and powerful women in the Early Middle Ages. She was the wife of Emperor Justinian I and joint ruler of the Byzantine Empire.

Prior to her marriage to Justinian, Theodora had been an actress and she entertained at banquets for nobles. She also became a courtesan to many of the nobles she entertained. She later converted to Monophysite Christianity and gave up her former lifestyle. She married Justinian in either 523 AD or 525 AD and following the death of Emperor Justin I in 527 AD, both Justinian I and Theodora took control of the empire. Many decisions concerning the government were made by Theodora. For example, 532 AD, resentment over high taxes, religious controversy, and political corruption led to the Nika riot in Constantinople. Fearing for his life, Justinian, tried to flee the city. Theodora intervened and was able to convince her husband to stay. With Theodora’s support, Justinian was able to successfully crush the revolt.

Theodora participated in making Constantinople one of the world’s most sophisticated cities and promoting women’s rights. She had bridges, aqueducts, and churches built. One such building, the Hagia Sophia, built between 532 AD and 537 AD, is considered one of the greatest examples of Byzantine architecture. She had laws passed that prohibited forced prostitution and closed brothels. Theodora also gave women more rights in divorce and property ownership. She gave mothers guardianship of their children, instilled a death penalty for rape, and forbade the killing of a wife who committed adultery.

Theodora died from cancer on June 28, 548 AD She and Justinian are both considered saints by the East Orthodox Church.

Empress Wu Zetian is considered to be one of the most powerful women in Chinese history. She lived during the Tang Dynasty and was born to a wealthy and noble family. She was also very well educated. When Wu Zetian was 13, she was sent to Emperor Taizong’s court to be one of his concubines. After Emperor Taizong’s death in 649 AD, Emperor Gaozong came to power and Wu Zetian was sent off to become a Buddhist nun. Empress Wang, Gaozong’s wife, had come into a power struggle with one of his favorite concubines, Consort Xiao. In order to distract Gaozong’s attention from Consort Xiao, Empress Wang brought Wu Zetian back to the palace to become another concubine to her husband. This plan, however, backfired on Empress Wang. Wu Zetian eventually became one of Gaozong’s favorites and the power struggle between the three women: Wu Zetian, Empress Wang, and Consort Xiao intensified.

Empress Wang and Consort Xiao, former rivals, eventually decided to join forces in order to stop Wu Zetian’s influence over Gaozong. This plan backfired too because in 654 AD, Wu Zetian gave birth to a daughter and her daughter died shortly after. Gaozong and court officials accused Empress Wang of killing the infant. As a result, Gaozong replaced Wu Zetian as his empress. In 655 AD, both Consort Xiao and former Empress Wang were accused of witchcraft and they were both executed on Empress Wu Zetian’s orders.

As empress, Wu Zetian became extremely powerful. Toward the end of Gaozong’s life, she was making virtually all of the major decisions that affected the government. Emperor Gaozong eventually died in 683 AD and Wu Zetian became empress dowager. In 690 AD, Wu Zetian crowned herself Emperor of China and she interrupted the Tang Dynasty by creating her own; the Zhou Dynasty. Wu Zetian is the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor.

Despite her ruthlessness to gain power and having many noblemen and noblewomen killed or exiled in the process, Wu Zetian accomplished many things when she was in power. She influenced the spread of Buddhism in China and eventually made it the official religion; replacing Taoism. She was also successful in lowering high taxes and increasing agricultural production. The Empress died in 705 AD at the age of 80.

Isabella I is considered to be one of the most powerful, yet controversial, queens in Spanish history. She is best remembered for sponsoring Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Western Hemisphere, initiating the Spanish Inquisition, and unifying the remaining independent Spanish kingdoms into one nation. Isabella I co-ruled with her husband, Ferdinand of Aragón, from 1474 up until her death in 1504.

Isabella I, like her husband, was a devout Catholic. Despite the fact that Spain had been a religiously diverse society with Catholics, Jews, and Muslims living together for many centuries, Isabella and Ferdinand believed it was their obligation to make Roman Catholicism the dominant religion of Spain. As a result, in 1478, Isabella and Ferdinand initiated the Spanish Inquisition. Thousands of Jews who had in recent times converted to Roman Catholicism were looked upon suspiciously. It is estimated that as many as 2,000 Jews were tortured, killed, or forced to leave the country during the Inquisition. There were possibly as many as 40,000 Jews who chose to be baptized to avoid expulsion or persecution. The remaining Muslim population in Spain was later targeted. Isabella is known in the Catholic Church as “Servant of God Isabella” as she has achieved the first step towards becoming a Saint.

By the time Isabella and Ferdinand had come to power, the Reconquista was coming to an end. Most of Spain, with the exception of the small Muslim kingdoms under the Nasrid Dynasty in Andalusia, had been unified and brought under Catholic control. However, from 1485 to 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand sought to complete the Reconquista process by conquering the remaining Muslim kingdoms and forcing the Muslim population into exile.

Also in 1492, Isabella sponsored Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the Western Hemisphere. Columbus’s exploration, with Isabella’s support, contributed to the foundation of an overseas Spanish Colonial Empire that would bring great wealth and power to Spain overtime. In other words, Isabella I contributed to making Spain a World Power.

Even though past queens such as Empress Matilda, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary I had all ruled England in their own right, Elizabeth was truly the first crowned queen to successfully rule with absolute power. She never married and has often been referred to as the “Virgin Queen.” Elizabeth is best remembered for bringing the Renaissance to England. She is also remembered for defeating the Spanish Armada and establishing Protestantism in England, replacing Roman Catholicism. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn and she ruled from 1558 until her death in 1603. She was last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty and her reign is known as the “Elizabethan Era.”

Elizabeth was a true intellectual and she was educated by renowned scholar, Roger Ascham. As a student, she studied Greek, Latin, rhetoric, and philosophy; she mastered all of these subjects. Not surprisingly, when Elizabeth came to power, she transformed the English court into a center for poets, writers, musicians, and scholars. She had connections to literary figures such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, and Christopher Marlowe.

Elizabeth also transformed England from a Catholic nation to a Protestant one. Despite her Protestant sympathies, Elizabeth was known to be tolerant of all religions in England. Her reign and religious transformation were highly contested by other Catholic European nations. For years, Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, had felt she was the rightful heir to the English throne. Mary had plotted for Elizabeth to be assassinated for years. As a result, Mary lived much of her life in England under house arrest. Finally, however, enough was enough and Mary was executed in 1587.

Mary’s execution and England’s longtime support for the Protestants in the Spanish Netherlands, was the last straw. In 1588, Elizabeth’s former brother-in-law, Phillip II of Spain, sent out his navel fleet, the Spanish Armada, to invade England, dethrone Elizabeth, and reestablish Roman Catholicism as the official religion. Elizabeth, however, proved to be no shrinking violet; she retaliated and won. The defeat of the Armada left Spain bankrupt and Phillip II humiliated. Elizabethan England, however, moved toward prosperity and gradually replaced Spain as a World Power.

Cixi was probably most powerful woman in China since Empress Wu Zetian of the seventh century Zhou Dynasty. In fact, Cixi may have been even more powerful than Wu Zetian. She was an ambitious and conservative leader. She opposed foreign influence and supported the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Anyway, I place Cixi at third rank on this list. Cixi was a consort of Emperor Xianfeng. After her husband’s death, she acted as regent for her son, Emperor Tongzhi, and later for her nephew, Guangxu. Her rule began in 1861 and lasted until her death in 1908. Cixi was the last empress dowager of the ethnic-Manchu Qing Dynasty and the last empress dowager of China.

Cixi was sent to the Forbidden City in 1851 to be a concubine to Emperor Xianfeng. In 1856, Cixi gave birth to her son and the future emperor, Tongzhi. After the birth of her son, Cixi’s status was elevated in the royal court and she became a consort. Emperor Xianfeng soon died in 1861 and Tongzhi became emperor with Cixi acting as regent. Cixi, in reality, held the real power because she had total control over state affairs. She surrounded herself with good advisors which also contributed to her success in maintaining power.

Internal chaos and foreign challenges plagued China during Cixi’s time. The country was suffering from the aftermath of the Second Opium War as well as the Taiping Rebellion. Cixi appointed General Zeng Guofan to handle the Taiping situation, and as a result, the revolt was successfully crushed. In 1881, she dealt with the concern of too much foreign influence by ending China’s so-called “learn from foreigners” program with the West. As a result, she put a halt to sending Chinese children abroad to study and promoted hostility toward the West.

In 1898, Emperor Guangxu, Cixi’s nephew, felt China needed cultural, political, and political reform so he initiated what became known as the Hundred Days’ Reform. He began turning to the West. Cixi put an end to this by launching a coup and placing Guangxu on house arrest. The resentment toward Western influence continued with the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 in which Western Christian missionaries became targets for attack. The rebellion failed, however, when Western powers intervened and stopped the revolt. Ironically, between 1902 and 1908, Cixi softened her views of the West and began encouraging the modernization of China. I wonder what changed her mind.

Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, I feel, deserves second rank on my list. She ruled over Russia which was and still is the world’s largest country geographically. Catherine is remembered for bringing Enlightenment ideas to Russia as well expanding the empire. Her rule lasted or 34 years, beginning in 1762 and ending with her death in 1796.

Catherine was born in modern day Poland to a minor German prince of the Lutheran faith. In 1744, Catherine, already having mastered the Russian language, moved to Russia to marry Peter III who was heir to the Russian throne. She also converted to Russian Orthodoxy in 1744. The marriage took place a year later and overtime it proved not to be a happy one for Catherine. She saw her husband as arrogant and immature and, finally, in 1762, Catherine conspired with the imperial guard to overthrow her husband in a palace coup. As a result, Catherine was declared Empress of Imperial Russia.

As empress, Catherine continued the process of Westernizing Russia like Peter the Great and Tsarina Elizabeth had done before her. She incorporated Enlightenment ideas into her politics, commissioned art, and created a successful foreign policy. She also expanded the Russian Empire to the Black Sea by defeating the Ottoman Empire in two major wars. Catherine’s empire spanned over three continents: Europe, Asia, and part of North America. It stretched from the Arctic Ocean to the North, the Black Sea to the South, Alaska and the Pacific to the East, and the Baltic Sea to the West.

Catherine reformed the system by creating a legislative commission in 1767, introducing a system of local self-government in 1775, and issuing the Charter to the Nobility in 1785. However, in 1773, a Cossack named Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachev, led a rebellion near the Ural Mountains. This rebellion became known as the Pugachev Rebellion and its followers consisted of Cossacks and discontented ethnic minorities such as Bashkirs, Tatars, Kazakhs, and Kalmyks. Pugachev claimed that he was the long-lost Peter III who some people believed escaped from being murdered eleven years before and sought to reclaim the throne. The revolt infuriated Catherine and it contributed to her changes in policies. Catherine crushed the Pugachev revolt as well as other revolts around the country, placed more restrictions on society, and made serfdom even more prevalent than before. In other words, Catherine wasn’t about to have her power threatened by anyone or anything.

Ok, ranking number one on my list is Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. I would strongly consider Victoria being “the” most powerful woman in history because not only was she the queen of the United Kingdom in her own right, she was head of the vast colonial British Empire.

Victoria’s empire covered 14.2 million square miles, spanning six continents, and controlling countries such as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan as well as many others. Geographically, the British Empire was the largest colonial empire in the nineteenth century and the largest in history. Victoria ruled over 400 to 458 million people during her reign. Victoria inspired a worldwide trend known as the “Victorian Era.” The Victorian Era influenced conservative religious and social attitudes, fashion, and politics in her country as well as in the United States and other nations abroad. Victoria’s reign began in 1837 and ended with her death in 1901. She ruled for 63 years; the longest of any British monarch.

Despite having to share her power with the British Parliament, Victoria still exerted a certain amount of power over political decisions. For example, Victoria played a role in appointing some cabinet ministers as well as a prime minister at one time. She was even responsible for appointing particular ambassadors and bishops of the Church of England. She also consulted regularly with her prime ministers by letter and in person.

Victoria contributed to massive political and social reforms in the United Kingdom as well as in the British Empire. She supported an act of Parliament in 1838 which abolished slavery throughout all colonies in the British Empire. In 1847, she supported the Factory Act which reduced the working day in textile mills to ten hours. Last but not least, Victoria supported the Third Reform Act of 1884, which granted the right to vote to all male householders and effectively extended the vote to most British men.

This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.

Contributor: Mr. Smarty Pants

译文: 历史上最具影响力的10位女性

在中世纪盛期，埃莉诺曾是欧洲乃至世界上最富有也是最具影响力的女性。年仅15岁时，她继承了阿奎丹和普瓦捷的直辖领地，获得阿奎丹公爵夫人和普瓦捷伯爵夫人的头衔，成为了独立的统治者。在12世纪，阿奎丹是法国最大最富有的领地。与中世纪时期的其他统治者以及女性不同，埃莉诺和她的家族都受过良好的教育，她将阿基坦变成了中世纪欧洲西部最大的知识文化中心之一，因而受到了广泛的好评。

1137年，埃莉诺嫁给了法兰西国王路易七世。在与路易七世结婚期间，她参与了1147年的第二次十字军东征，甚至与丈夫一起远赴东罗马帝国。埃莉诺成为了发展西欧、.君士坦丁堡以及巴勒斯坦基督教圣地贸易协定的关键人物。1152年她与路易七世终止了婚姻关系，并于1154年成为了英格兰国王亨利二世的皇后。 

1170年，英国国教大教堂的大教主托马斯·贝克特反对国王亨利二世减弱教士与罗马教廷间的联系，因而遭人暗杀。埃莉诺和其他人一样强烈的反对这次谋杀，并最终导致了1173-1174年叛乱中，埃莉诺以及她的三个儿子和反叛支持者一起联合反对亨利二世。

1740年，玛莉亚．特蕾莎女皇继承父亲查理六世神圣罗马帝国的王位，成为哈布斯堡王朝的女皇，掌权欧洲中心的领土。1756年，在她丈夫去世后，玛莉亚．特蕾莎与儿子约瑟夫二世实行共治。

同年，玛莉亚．特蕾莎上台执政，勃兰登堡-普鲁士的腓特烈二世发动了奥地利皇位继承战争，入侵哈布斯堡王朝的西西里亚领地。腓特烈拒绝承认玛丽亚.特雷莎是王位的合法继承人，并伙同其他国家，如巴伐利亚、萨克森、法国和西班牙与他联合。玛丽亚.特雷莎也联合匈牙利军队防御反击。最终，她成功驱逐了入侵军队并保住了哈布斯堡王朝作为她在欧洲的主要势力范围。1748年，这场战争以爱斯拉沙伯条约的签订宣告结束。

玛丽亚.特雷莎为在本国推动了一系列政治和经济的改革。她在军队的规模上扩大了200%，并提高税收以保证政府的稳定收入，尤其是用于军事方面的收入。她通过联合奥地利和波希米亚人加强中央集权，前者被划分为办事机构。她还与先前的敌人法国结盟，联合发动了1756外交改革，反对新的盟友普鲁士和大不列颠帝国。她的政治决策和外交改革都有效增强了本国经济和综合国力。 

玛丽亚.特雷莎同样参与了启蒙运动，大力推广教育以及政治自由。她在普鲁士建立了皇家科学文化院并通过要求维也纳大学花费大量资金用于更先进的医疗设备以支持医学研究。玛丽亚.特雷莎的一些国内改革包括禁止焚烧拷问女巫，废除死刑，并推行义务教育。

第七位

狄奥多拉皇后

500-548

狄奥多拉皇后是中世纪早期最具影响力的女性之一，她是查士丁尼一世的妻子和皇后，与其共同治理拜占庭帝国。

在她嫁给查士丁尼一世之前，狄奥多拉皇后曾是一名女演员并参加贵族的宴会，因而成了许多她款待过的贵族的情妇。后来她改信基督一性论者的教派并摒弃了之前的生活方式，于523或是525年嫁给查士丁尼一世，527年继查士丁一世离世后，她与查士丁尼一世为帝国的共治者。狄奥多拉做了很多事关国家政府的决定，比如，523年，由于人民对高税收的愤恨，宗教矛盾以及由贪污而引起的君士坦丁堡尼卡暴乱。为保全性命，查士丁一世企图逃离皇宫，而狄奥多拉皇后说服他留下，在狄奥多拉的帮助下，查士丁一世成功镇压了叛乱。

狄奥多拉积极参与推动君士坦丁堡成为世界上最先进的城市之一并倡导女权运动。她修建桥梁，渡槽以及教堂，圣索非亚大教堂就是其中的建筑之一，建于532-537年，被认为是拜占庭风格建筑的成功典范。她通过法律禁止强迫卖淫并关闭妓院，同时在离婚和财产拥有权方面给予妇女更多的权利，她给予母亲监护孩子的权利，判处强奸者死刑，并禁止杀害承认通奸的已婚妇女。

武则天被认为是中国历史上最具影响力的女性之一。她生活在唐代，出生于一个富裕、地位显赫的家庭，同样受过良好的教育。13岁的时候，武则天被唐太宗纳为小妾。649年唐太宗去世后，唐高宗上台执政，武则天按照惯例被送到尼姑庵里当尼姑。唐高宗的妻子王氏，虽然当上了皇后，但又企图削弱丈夫对他最喜欢的小妾萧淑妃的宠爱。于是她将武则天从尼姑庵里带回宫，安排在唐高宗身边当小妾。然而这个计划却与王皇后的初衷事与愿违，武则天最终成了唐高宗最得宠的嫔妃，而武则天、王皇后、萧淑妃这三个女人之间的斗争也达到了白热化的程度。

王皇后和萧淑妃，这对曾经勾心斗角的对手最终决定联合起来以停止唐高宗对武则天的迷恋。然而，这个计划同样也产生了适得其反的效果。654年，武则天产下一女，孩子出生不久后突然夭折，唐高宗和朝廷官员都指责是王皇后杀死了这个婴儿，而武则天则取代王皇后当上了皇后。655年，萧淑妃和前任皇后被指控有巫术而双双按照武则天的指示被处置。

作为皇后，武则天变得极其强势。在唐高宗的晚年，她几乎做了大部分事关国家大事的决定。唐高宗最终于683年逝世，而武则天也顺理成章成了继承王位的遗孀。690年，武则天自封为帝，结束了唐朝的统治时期，改唐为周。武则天是中国历史上惟一一个作为皇帝的女性。

她为巩固政权不择手段，许多仁人志士都被杀害或流放，武则天在位期间，她实现了很多夙愿，她在中国极力推崇佛教并最终将佛教取代道教成为国教，她还成功减少税收并增加了农业的产量。武则天以80岁的高龄于705年逝世。

 

第五位

卡斯蒂利亚女王伊莎贝拉一世

1451-1504

 

 

伊莎贝拉一世被认为是西班牙史上最具影响力，同时也是最有争议的女皇。她以资助克里斯托弗·哥伦布横渡大西洋而被人们所熟知，同时她还创立西班牙宗教法庭，并统一西班牙。伊莎贝拉一世自1474年至1504年过世与丈夫阿拉贡国王费迪南共治。

伊莎贝拉一世与丈夫一样，是一名虔诚的天主教徒。然而，西班牙是一个宗教多元化社会，几个世纪以来，天主教徒、犹太人以及穆斯林长期居住在一起。伊莎贝拉和费迪南坚信将罗马天主教推崇为西班牙的国教是他们义不容辞的责任。于是，伊莎贝拉和费迪南在1478年创立了西班牙宗教法庭。数千犹太人在瞬间全都变成了虔诚的罗马天主教徒，这不禁让人产生怀疑。大约有2000名犹太人在宗教法庭受到了拷问，屠杀或流放，4000名犹太人接受了洗礼以免受驱逐和迫害，而西班牙剩余的穆斯林就成了后来的目标。伊莎贝拉被天主教堂誉为上帝的追随者，天主教女王，这也是她成为天主教圣人的开端。

当伊莎贝拉和费迪南开始上台执政后，收复失地运动终于告一段落。除了少部分穆斯林在安达卢西亚的那斯里德王朝统治下，大多数西班牙人被统一到天主教的门下。然而，1458-1492年，伊莎贝拉和费迪南试图通过战胜剩余的穆斯林王国并将穆斯林流放来为收复失地运动画上句号。 

同在1492年，伊莎贝拉资助克里斯托弗·哥伦布横渡大西洋，在伊莎贝拉的支持下，哥伦布的探险航行奠定了西班牙海外殖民帝国的地位，这为西班牙带来了巨大的财富和长期的世界影响力。换句话说，伊莎贝拉一世为推动西班牙成为世界强国做出了巨大贡献。

 

第四位

伊丽莎白一世

1533-1603

 

 

尽管历史上有许多皇后，比如马蒂尔达皇后、简格雷女王以及玛丽一世都曾凭借自身的头衔统治过英格兰，而伊丽莎白一世则是第一位加冕皇后凭借自己的绝对权利统治英格兰。她终身未婚，因而常被人们誉为“童贞女王”。伊丽莎白一世因推动了英国文艺复兴而为人们熟知，她还击退了西班牙的无敌舰队，在英格兰创建了新教来取代罗马天主教。伊丽莎白是亨利八世和他第二任妻子安妮.博林的女儿，她自1558年起在位一直统治到1603逝世。她是都铎王朝的最后一任君主，她的统治时期被称作是“伊丽莎白时代”。

伊丽莎白的确受过良好的教育，她的老师是著名的学者，阿斯克姆.罗杰。作为罗杰的学生，她学习并精通希腊文、拉丁文、修辞学以及哲学。伊丽莎白上台执政后，毫不意外她会将皇宫变成诗人、作家、音乐家和学者的交流中心，并与威廉.莎士比亚、埃德蒙·斯宾塞和克里斯托弗·马洛这样的文坛巨匠保持联系。

尽管伊丽莎白被认为可以包容英国的所有宗教，但出于对新教的信仰，伊丽莎白还是将英国的国教从罗马天主教转变为新教。她的统治和对国教的转变激起了其他天主教欧洲国教的强烈争议。伊丽莎白的表亲，苏格兰的皇后玛丽多年来一直以为她才是英国王位的合法继承人，所以后来的多年里，玛丽一直在密谋暗杀伊丽莎白。然而，玛丽却在软禁中度过了她的生活，并最终在1587年被处死。

玛丽的处死以及英国长期对荷兰、西班牙新教的支持成了最后一根稻草。1588年，伊丽莎白的之前的姐夫，西班牙国王腓力二世派出了他的海上舰队--无敌舰队入侵英国，想要废除伊丽莎白并将罗马天主教重新定为英国国教。然而，伊丽莎白也毫不退缩地反击，并最终赢得了胜利。无敌舰队的挫败使西班牙破产的同时，也让腓力二世蒙羞不已。然而，在伊丽莎白统治下的英国却走向了繁荣并逐渐取代西班牙成为世界强国。

自公元7世纪武则天建立周朝之后，慈禧可能是中国历史上最有影响力的女性了。事实上，慈禧可能比武则天更具影响力。她是一位雄心勃勃却又保守的统治者。她反对接受国外的影响却又支持1900年的八国联军。无论怎样，我将慈禧列为第三位最具影响力的女性。慈禧是咸丰的皇后，丈夫去世后，她成为了儿子同治的摄政者，后来她侄子光绪又受到她的垂帘听政。1861年，慈禧上台执政直至1908年去世。慈禧是满清王朝最后一位女皇，也是中国的最后一位女皇。

慈禧1851年被送进紫禁城，成为咸丰皇帝的嫔妃。1856年，慈禧生下一子，也就是日后的皇帝，同治。在她产下一子后，慈禧在宫中的地位大大提升并成为了皇后。咸丰皇帝不久后于1861年去世，她的儿子同治继位，受她垂帘听政，由她全盘掌握国家大权，决定国家事务。她的周围有许多善于谏言的贤臣，这也是日后成功维持政权的关键所在。

慈禧统治时期，中国外患内乱不断，整个国家遭受着第二次鸦片战争和天平起义带来的影响。慈禧提拔曾国藩处理天平起义，最后起义被成功镇压了。1881年，她因担忧外国对中国造成的影响过多而终止了与西方之间所谓的“师夷长技以制夷”，并停止将中国留学生送到西方学习并加强了对西方的敌意。

1898年，慈禧的侄子光绪皇帝感到中国急需政治文化改革。因此他发动了我们熟知的百日维新，并又开始向西方学习。然而，慈禧给了光绪当头一棒，她将光绪帝软禁起来从而结束了这场改革。中国对于西方的愤恨随着1900年八国联军持续加剧，以至于将西方基督传教士变成攻击的目标。八国联军溃败，西方势力调停并结束了这场叛乱。然而讽刺的是，1902-1908年间，慈禧开始逐渐改变其对西方的看法并开始鼓励中国现代化。我真想知道是什么让她改变了主意。

凯萨琳娜二世，也被称为凯萨琳大帝，我认为她确实应该在我排列的席位上占据第二位。她所统治的俄国过去乃至现在仍然是世界上领土面积最大的国家。她将启蒙运动的思想引入俄罗斯并不断扩张领土。她的统治自1762年起直至1796年逝世，长达34年。

凯萨琳娜出生于德国（现今波兰）的一个信仰路德教的小公爵家庭。1744年，凯萨琳娜已经掌握了俄语并远嫁给后来继承俄罗斯王位的彼得三世，改信奉正教。这场婚姻持续了一年，凯萨琳那时候并不幸福，她认为她的丈夫傲慢自大又不成熟，于是在1752年与皇宫的侍卫共谋发动政变，给了她丈夫沉痛一击。因此，凯萨琳娜登上了俄罗斯的皇位。

作为女皇，凯萨琳娜继续像彼得大帝和伊丽莎白·彼得罗芙娜女皇一样西化俄国。她将启蒙运动的思想具体表现在她的政治、文化艺术以及成功的对外政策上。她同样在两场重要战争中击败了土耳其帝国，从而将俄罗斯的领地扩张到黑海。凯萨琳那的帝国领土跨越三大洲：欧洲、亚洲以及北美洲，大西洋以北、黑海以南、阿拉斯加太平洋以东以及波罗的海以西。

1767年，凯萨琳娜通过创立立法委员会进行体制改革，并于1775年引进当地政府自治政策，1785年发布了《御赐贵族特权诏书》。然而在1773年，一个名叫普加乔夫的哥萨克人在乌拉尔山附近发动了叛乱，这场叛乱被称作为普加乔夫起义。叛乱的追随者包括哥萨克人以及一些对凯萨琳统治不满的少数民族，包括巴什基尔人、鞑靼人、哈萨克人以及卡尔梅克人。普加乔夫自称他就是消失已久的彼得三世，那个11年前为了逃避谋杀而今重新归来要回王位的人。这场叛乱激怒了凯萨琳娜女王并促使她进行政治改革，她镇压了普加乔夫起义及其他叛乱，制订更多的社会规制约束人们的行为并使农奴制度变得更为盛行。换句话说，凯萨琳娜的政权不会被任何人或任何事动摇。

第一位

维多利亚女王

1819-1901

在我的名单上名列榜首的当属英国女王维多利亚。我强烈的感到维多利亚是历史上最具影响力的女性。这不仅仅因为她是英国的女王，更因为她是大英殖民帝国的统治者。

维多利亚帝国覆盖了1420万平方米的领土面积，跨越六大洲，殖民地遍布世界许多国家，如澳大利亚、加拿大、印度、新西兰、尼日利亚、南非、苏丹等其他国家，大英帝国是19世纪、乃至历史上殖民地面积最大的国家。维多利亚在位期间统治了近4-4.58亿人，她的统治时期在历史上被人们称作是“维多利亚时代”。维多利亚时代对于保守派的宗教信仰、社会态度、流行时尚以及本国政治都造成了巨大反响，甚至连美国和其他国家也深受影响。维多利亚的统治时期自1837年起直至她1901年过世，长达63年，这也是大英帝国统治时期最长的君主。

尽管维多利亚女王与英国议会分享权力，但她仍在政治决策上行使自己的权利。比如，维多利亚曾在任命内阁大臣和首相的问题上发挥作用，她还负责任命特别大使以及英国国教会的主教，并且常常私下以书信等方式与首相共商国家大事。

维多利亚推动了英国乃至整个大英帝国的一系列政治和社会改革，1838年，她支持英国议会通过关于在所有大英帝国的殖民地废除奴隶制度的法案，1847年，支持通过工厂法案，将工人在纺织厂工作时间缩短到十小时。最后，维多利亚女王还支持1884年第三次议会改革，以保证所有的男性户主有投票选举的权利并有效将选民范围扩大到英国绝大多数男性。

这篇文章是遵循GFDL协议（GNU自由文档许可证（GNU Free Documentation License）），文章内容有部分引自维基百科。

作者：Smarty Pants先生