Comparison of Ancient Female Rulers

Introduction 

During the ancient times, women rarely took leadership roles in the empires and kingdoms. Since they were rarely chosen by people, they came to power mostly when the king had no sons or by default or when an intelligent queen schemed against her husband. Ruling has, however, never been easy for these women because the earlier civilizations believed that men were a stronger species. Military uprisings and violent attacks on the thrones were therefore made to overthrow the weak women who people believed could not rule. Consequently, these queens and empress were forced to rule like men, with a ruthless and yet intelligence leadership approach. They took control of their armies and military units so that they could address any uprisings that threatened their rule. Wu Zetian of China and Cleopatra of Egypt are a perfect examples of such women. The purpose of this essay is to provide a comprehensive comparison of these two leaders by shedding light on their ascension to throne, achievements and leadership approaches during their rule. 

Ascension to Power 

There is a very big difference in the way these two leaders ascended to the throne. After Ptolemy XII died in 51 B.C., he left the throne to his eldest daughter, Cleopatra, who was eighteen at that time ( Caravantes, 2015 ). At this time, she could not be considered as the pharaoh because according to the Egyptian laws, a female ruler had to have a consort who could either be a brother or a son. Cleopatra therefore married Ptolemy XIII, her 12 year old brother. She took advantage of her brother’s young age to rule alone after dropping the family name and ignoring his role in leadership matters. After three years of ruling Egypt alone, his younger brother together with his advisors aspired against her and had her overthrown from the throne. On the other hand, Wu Zetian started as Emperor Gaozong’s most favorite concubines. As a plot to ascend to the throne, she killed her own infant daughter and blamed the murder on Empress Wang, Emperor Gaozong’s wife ( Rothschild, 2015 ). After the empress was stripped off her title, Wu Zhao took over as the new Empress. She then had Wang and other concubines killed so that she could eliminate any future problems that may threaten her claim to the throne. Whereas Cleopatra ascended to the throne through succession after her father’s death, Wu Zetian became the Empress through schemes that involved manipulative lies, deceit and ruthless murders. 

Mode of Leadership 

Empress Wu Zetian and Cleopatra share a common leadership approach that was built on tyranny and oppression. Empress Wu was considered as a ruthless leader who ruled with an iron fist. During her ascension to the throne, she faced a very strong resistance from the royal family and as such, military revolts emerged. Rothschild (2015) notes that since her leadership was widely resented, Wu Zetian decided to kill government officials, many of the members of the imperial family, and members of the aristocracy. She went on to establish a secret investigative unit that supplied the names of opponents who would then be killed. Similarly, Cleopatra’s leadership was also based on murder plots and power grabs. After she was overthrown by her young sibling brother, she decided to take sole possession of the throne again by teaming up with Caesar. Cleopatra then managed to defeat her brother and had him drowned in River Nile after the battle. In addition to this, she is also said to have married her other younger brother Ptolemy XIV whom she murdered so that she could make her son the co ruler. Moreover, she also orchestrated the murder of her sister who she considered as a rival to the throne. 

Achievements and Personality 

According to Klenke (2011) , both Cleopatra and Wu Zetian were intelligent and well educated women who ruled as talented strategists. During her early childhood, Wu Zetian read many books and received good education from her father. By the time she was 14 years old, her beauty and intelligence enabled her to be selected as one of Emperor Taizong’s Cai Ren. The latter was so impressed with her literacy skills that he decided to make her his secretary. Her knowledge and insight of state affairs were enlarged after she took this responsibility. Similarly, Cleopatra was also renowned for her knowledge and intelligence. She was not only a diplomat, but also an expert royal, skilled naval commander and an orator who was affluent in several languages. She was also well educated in philosophy, mathematics and astronomy. Cleopatra was a persuasive leader who exhibited high levels of intelligence in different domains. These qualities from childhood enabled these two women to become the most renowned female leaders in the history of their empire’s legacy. 

Conclusion 

Wu Zetian and Cleopatra were some of the most controversial leaders in the history of their civilizations. Even though these women ascended to the throne differently, they emerged as stronger and wiser leaders. Both of these rulers were tough, ruthless and tactical during their reign. They eliminated any opposition or threat that may have had the potential of threatening their right to the throne. From the discussion provided above, the reader is able to see how different forms of leadership impacted the outcome of a ruler’s reigning period. 

References 

Caravantes, P. (2015).  Cleopatra: Powerful leader or ruthless Pharaoh? 

Klenke, K. (2011).  Women in Leadership: Contextual Dynamics and Boundaries . Bradford: Emerald Group Pub. 

Rothschild, N. H. (2015).  Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers .