BEST Female Leaders for Civ VII?

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Gameplay is extremely important, of course. Though, Firaxis often takes creative liberty with how they pair LUA designs with historical figures. I remember them once saying they make designs first and match history to it second.

I just want to emphasize Civ's platform for education.

That's true. Menelik wanting to settle on every hill tile and Robert wanting to be friends with his neighbors and "liberate" them, instead of Simon Bolivar, come to mind.

 

[AntSou]

I have my "occupation" on my profile set to "spreading Greek culture," and I once got a DM about it asking how one would do so.

 

[dagriggstar]

As a thought exercise I thought I'd see if I could pick 16 realistic base game factions with 50% female leaders.

8 male leads - France, Germany, China, America, Mali, Ottomans, Persia, Arabia

England - Victoria
Russia - Catherine
India - Ahilyabai Holkar (Thanks this thread)
Japan - Hojo Masako / Empress Genmei
Indonesia - Tribhuwana
Inca - Mama Ocllo (Coya)
Matamba - Veronica (Obviously can go for the more well known Nzinga/Ndongo here, either way this is the newcomer slot)
Egypt - Hatshepsut

I've gone with 4 European, 4 Asian, 4 Mediterranean/Mid-East, 2 American and 2 African choices.
Mama Ocllo is probably the most left field choice, but I think there's enough information around to craft a leader around her and she seems to fit the power behind the throne archetype. Also with the short-lived nature of Incan history, there isn't a massive amount of potential leaders to choose from, so for a change of leadership I'm not sure who else one could pick there.
England/Russia have a couple of options, I just went with a preference here.

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

As I said before, I want that one back for "Charles V leads Spain and Germany", which is one of the few actually justifiable cases XD.

Margrethe I (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) and Canute (Norway, Denmark, England) are also good candidates for multi-civ leaders.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Mama Ocllo is probably the most left field choice, but I think there's enough information around to craft a leader around her and she seems to fit the power behind the throne archetype. Also with the short-lived nature of Incan history, there isn't a massive amount of potential leaders to choose from, so for a change of leadership I'm not sure who else one could pick there.

Huyana Capac? I initially wanted Huyana Capac over Pachacuti for Civ 6. Unless you mean there isn't a massive amount of potential female leaders? I think the Maya are the best option when it comes to indigenous female leaders from America.

Margrethe I (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) and Canute (Norway, Denmark, England) are also good candidates for multi-civ leaders.

I'd rather them lead just Denmark.

 

[pineappledan]

One hilariously awesome thing you could do with the Inca is have Pachacuti, or some other Sapa Inca's Mummy be the leader. When they died, Inca did not lose their titles or possessions, and continued to hold political power. It was the job of their panaca, their female relatives, to take care of, transport, interpret the will of the inca, and convey his wishes, sort of like mediums.

So you could maybe have "Pachcacuti" technically be the leader in the civ select screen, and when you get into the game it's Pachacuti's daughter (name escapes me) talking and acting as the leaderhead, with Pachacuti's mummified body on a litter in the background? That would also be heckin' educational for @Hellenism Salesman

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

One hilariously awesome thing you could do with the Inca is have Pachacuti, or some other Sapa Inca's Mummy be the leader. When they died, Inca did not lose their titles or possessions, and continued to hold political power. It was the job of their panaca, their female relatives, to take care of, transport, interpret the will of the inca, and convey his wishes, sort of like mediums.

Not going to lie, when I first saw that I thought you were talking about his actual mother, but just in a British accent. Then I realized what you actually meant by mummy.

 

[Zaarin]

One hilariously awesome thing you could do with the Inca is have Pachacuti, or some other Sapa Inca's Mummy be the leader. When they died, Inca did not lose their titles or possessions, and continued to hold political power. It was the job of their panaca, their female relatives, to take care of, transport, interpret the will of the inca, and convey his wishes, sort of like mediums.

So you could maybe have "Pachcacuti" technically be the leader in the civ select screen, and when you get into the game it's Pachacuti's daughter (name escapes me) talking and acting as the leaderhead, with Pachacuti's mummified body on a litter in the background? That would also be heckin' educational for @Hellenism Salesman

Not sure I'm down for that, but I can't deny it would be hilarious.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Not sure I'm down for that, but I can't deny it would be hilarious.

That would be the perfect way to get both Nefertiti and Akhenaten.

 

[Zaarin]

That would be the perfect way to get both Nefertiti and Akhenaten.

What, Akhenaten dragging around Nefertiti's mummy? (The available records are sparse, but Nefertiti seems to have predeceased her husband--but with enough ambiguity and just enough evidence to the contrary to keep alive the possibility that she outlived him as Pharaoh Neferneferuaten. We should be thankful we know as much as we do about an entire period of history that was deliberately and thoroughly purged from history. )

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

What, Akhenaten dragging around Nefertiti's mummy? (The available records are sparse, but Nefertiti seems to have predeceased her husband--but with enough ambiguity and just enough evidence to the contrary to keep alive the possibility that she outlived him as Pharaoh Neferneferuaten. We should be thankful we know as much as we do about an entire period of history that was deliberately and thoroughly purged from history. )

I meant the opposite, as a joke though.
I'd much rather have Hatshepsut, if we were to have a female ruler, and Akhenaten.

 

[Patine]

Inca - Mama Ocllo (Coya)

Mama Ocilo Coyo, other than her likely existence, seems to be yet another leader whom most major factors about her are mostly mythologized, unfortunately, although not as egregiously and sensationally as some, and thus there may be a bit more truth than to, say, Gilgamesh or Dido, as we tend to know them.

 

[Patine]

One hilariously awesome thing you could do with the Inca is have Pachacuti, or some other Sapa Inca's Mummy be the leader. When they died, Inca did not lose their titles or possessions, and continued to hold political power. It was the job of their panaca, their female relatives, to take care of, transport, interpret the will of the inca, and convey his wishes, sort of like mediums.

So you could maybe have "Pachcacuti" technically be the leader in the civ select screen, and when you get into the game it's Pachacuti's daughter (name escapes me) talking and acting as the leaderhead, with Pachacuti's mummified body on a litter in the background? That would also be heckin' educational for @Hellenism Salesman

Mummification SEEMS to have had a different purpose in Inca society, completely, than in Egyptian society, and there is no hard evidence any Sapa Incas or other high ranking figures, or their direct female royal relatives, were ever mummified. In fact, there are theories it was more akin to Jainist self-mummification or the, "incorruptible saint," idea, and may likely have come from the aclahuasi (an order of educated, wise female record keepers and brewers of the sacred drink who educated Inca princesses and were compared by Spanish to nunneries because of mandatory virginity) and other such people or groups. The history and purpose behind Inca, and other Andean, is not at all clear.

 

[Zaarin]

Mama Ocilo Coyo, other than her likely existence, seems to be yet another leader whom most major factors about her are mostly mythologized, unfortunately, although not as egregiously and sensationally as some, and thus there may be a bit more truth than to, say, Gilgamesh or Dido, as we tend to know them.

Since the game makes no reference to throwing herself into a pyre over spurned love, which was almost certainly an invention of Virgil's, most of the game's assumptions about Dido--a Tyrian princess who founded a colony in North Africa that would become Carthage--are probably true (though her name was probably אלשת, ʾilʾiššot, Hellenized Elissa, with Dīdō, "beloved," being an epithet). Gilgamesh, on the other hand--what we have reasonable certainty on is that he rebuilt Uruk's walls. Hmm, maybe it's Gilgamesh who should have the Georgian spirit.

 

[Zaarin]

Mummification SEEMS to have had a different purpose in Inca society, completely, than in Egyptian society, and there is no hard evidence any Sapa Incas or other high ranking figures, or their direct female royal relatives, were ever mummified. In fact, there are theories it was more akin to Jainist self-mummification or the, "incorruptible saint," idea, and may likely have come from the aclahuasi (an order of educated, wise female record keepers and brewers of the sacred drink who educated Inca princesses and were compared by Spanish to nunneries because of mandatory virginity) and other such people or groups. The history and purpose behind Inca, and other Andean, is not at all clear.

I am not an expert on Andean societies, but it was my understanding that the Spanish destroyed most (all?) of the royal mummies because "something something idolatry." Which is not to say the Spanish didn't completely misunderstand the Quechuan practice, but I don't think they misunderstood the identity of the mummies?

 

[Patine]

I am not an expert on Andean societies, but it was my understanding that the Spanish destroyed most (all?) of the royal mummies because "something something idolatry." Which is not to say the Spanish didn't completely misunderstand the Quechuan practice, but I don't think they misunderstood the identity of the mummies?

I've just read reevaluations on the mummies' identity and purpose, but probably don't know more hard facts, here, than you do.

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

Going by the current zeitgeist of this thread (not that I approve of it), some additional female leaders:
Isabella of France - England
Roshanara Begum - Mughals
Al-Khayzuran - Arabia/Abbasids
Kösem Sultan - Ottomans
Turkan Khatun - Khwarezm
Jind Kaur - Punjab

Ingeborg - Norway, Sweden
Euphemia of Rügen - Norway
Yaa Asantewaa - Akan/Ashanti
Rasad - Arabia/Fatimids
Lalla Aicha - Touggort
Töregene - Mongolia, China(?)
Mangammal - India/Madurai
Sitt-al-Mulk - Arabia/Abbasids
Sada Kaur - Punjab

 

[pineappledan]

Was just reading about the history of Nepal and Devaladevi would be a good pick.

Malla queen regent of the 14th century who ruled on her own for 25 years. A Bengali army invaded and destroyed the capital of Bhaktapur. She led the rebuilding effort and selected a husband for her granddaughter who ended up leading the Kathmandu valley into a golden age of stability and prosperity. So she’s sort of a Jayavarman VII character.

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

Was just reading about the history of Nepal and Deladeva would be a good pick.

Malla queen regent of the 14th century who ruled on her own for 25 years. A Bengali army invaded and destroyed the capital of Bhaktapur. She led the rebuilding effort and selected a husband for her granddaughter who ended up leading the Kathmandu valley into a golden age of stability and prosperity. So she’s sort of a Jayavarman VII character.

I like this because not only is she an interesting character but we'll get a Nepali civ into the bargain as well. Here's hoping she and Arwa al-Sulayhi feature in Civilization VII

 

[pineappledan]

Yaa Asantewaa - Akan/Ashanti

Wait, does this mean you think Yaa Asantewaa would be a bad pick? What’s wrong with her? Yet another case of a woman being in charge precisely when things are at their worst; the proverbial glass cliff of empires, but she is still widely respected. Unlike other empresses, like Lili'uokalani, when backed up against a wall she didn't just bend over and take it. And unlike someone like Cixi she didn't actively make everything worse. I always figured her prominence in Ashanti history was our best bet to get a different west African civ than Mali/Songhai/Ghana.