The eldest daughter of the ruling queen, Amina was the best rider and archer in sixteenth-century Hausaland, the fertile area between Lake Chad and the Niger River in what is now north-central Nigeria. This “pink-heeled” princess, as legends describe her, defended her lands against invasions by other African tribes who had recently converted to Islam.
A wicked archer who could pick off targets in even the farthest hills, Amina rode a horse named Demon that was said to snort fire. With her armies of more than 20,000 men and women, Amina retook lands that invaders had captured and beyond, claiming territory as far as the source of the Niger River. To protect her states, she built a series of fortresses, the remnants of which still exist. In each village she conquered, she took a lover, discarding him when she moved on to the next town.
When she wasn’t making war or taking lovers, Amina forged trade routes through the Sahara. She reigned as queen for 34 years and is still remembered today thanks to the Nigerian schools and other institutions that bear her name.
Source:
McRobbie, Linda Rodriguez. “Seven Warrior Queens of Antiquity.” Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories From History-- Without the Fairy-Tale Endings. MJF Books, 2013. 31. Print.
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