yet another great queen of Africa, Queen Amina of Zazzau. Just like
Amanishakheto of Nubia, Nzingha of Angola, or Ranavalona I of
Madagascar, Amina was a strong queen who loved her people. Though some
argued that queen Amina didnt no die. Nobody knows about her death.
Because she disappeared.
Queen Amina (also known as Queen Aminatu), was the elder daughter of
Queen Bakwa Turunku, the founder of the Zazzau Kingdom in 1536. Some
scholars date Queen Amina's reign to about 1549, as heir apparent
after the death of her mother. This medieval African kingdom was
located in the region now known as the Kaduna State in the
north-central region of Nigeria, capital at the modern city of Zaria.
Zaria (aka Birnin Zaria) was named after Queen Amina's younger sister
Zariya, and is where the Royal Palace of Zaria resided.
Queen Amina of Zazzau was born around 1533 in the province of Zazzau,
in modern-day Nigeria. Zazzau refers to the Zaria emirate which is a
traditional state with headquarters in the city of Zariain Kaduna
state in Nigeria. Zazzau was one of the seven Hausa city-states which
dominated the subsaharan trade after the collapse of the Songhai
Empireat the end of the 16th century. Its wealth was due to the
commerce of leather, textile, horses, salt, kola, cloth, and metals
imported from the East.
As a toddler, Amina was already attending state business on her
grandfather, the king's laps. At the age of 16, Amina was seen as a
potential contender to her mother's throne (Magajiya), the queen Bakwa
of Turunku.
Amina started to learn the responsibilities of a queen from her
mother: taking part in daily assemblies with high dignitaries of the
kingdom. Even though her mother's reign had been one of peace and
prosperity, Amina chose to learn military skills from the warriors.
Queen Bakwa died around 1566, and the Zazzau kingdom was governed by
her youngest brother Karama. During the reign of her brother, Amina
emerged as principal warrior of the kingdom's cavalry. Her military
successes brought her wealth and power. When her brother died after
ten years of reign, Amina was crowned queen of Zazzau in 1576. During
her reign, which lasted 34 years, she expanded her kingdom's
boundaries down to the Atlantic coast, she founded several cities, and
personally led an army of 20,000 soldiers to numerous battles.
However, her focus was not on annexation of neighboring lands, but on
forcing local rulers to accept vassal status and allow Hausa traders
safe passage.
During her reign, she commanded the construction of a defensive mural
around each military camp that she established. Later, those camps
evolved into prosperous cities within those walls, and some can still
be seen today in northern Nigeria. Those cities are known as walls
'ganuwar of Amina' or 'Amina's walls'. It is believed that Amina died
in the town of Altagara in1610. Today, Amina is remembered in Nigeria
as 'Amina, rana de Yar Bakwa ta San' (Amina, daughter of Nikatau,
woman as capable as a man). The introduction of kola nuts into the
region is often attributed to Amina. Amina is celebrated across the
Hausaland as a great warrior queen who was born to rule, and led
thousands of soldiers to war. Amina's achievement was the closest that
any ruler had come in bringing the region now known as Nigeria under a
single authority.
Zaria is home to Ahmadu Bello University, the largest university in
Nigeria and the second largest university on the African continent.
The university is very prominent in the fields of Agriculture,
Science, Finance, Medicine and Law.
Source: http://afrolegends.com/2014/01/17/queen-amina-of-zazzau-the-great-hausa-warrior-ruler-born-to-rule/
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