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I have been pondering for some time of making a series of leaders both male and female, to account for the lack of such genders among the 18 original cultures chosen by Firaxis. Being a female gamer, I do prefer to have female leaders, as I am sure some of you male gamers out there would prefer to have male leaders.
I am looking for help in creating these leaders, primarily artists who can create the leader images, but also researchers who can help me find some of the missing pieces, or perhaps better options than some of these I have found.
So far, I have a nice list of leaders to add to the mix, such that players, both male and female, can play a leader who is their chosen gender. I will list the leaders I propose to add, the gender of each leader and an explanation of who they are, if I felt it was needed (some are extremely famous)
Egypt: Ramessess II (Male) - One of the most famous ancient Egyptian leaders
England: James I (male) - famous for the King James Bible OR Winston Churchill - nuff said!
Rome: Aggripina (female) - wife of Caesar Claudius, she was given allegiance and obedience by captured Celtic warriors, not her husband.
Greece: Arsinoe II (female) - daughter of Ptolemy I, she was a powerful figure in both Greece and Egypt OR Dora Bakoyiannis (female) - a present day member of Greek parliament, first and only female member
France: Joan of Arc/Jean d'arc (female) - duh
ORCatherine de Medicis - Adding her to the list of possible leaders for France after a bit of research on her proved that she was not part of the Italian leadership, but France! OR Elenor of Aquitane - wife of Louis VII, lead a group of 300 women to assist in the second crusade. Also, she successfully managed to convince the papacy that her marriage to Louis was invalid, and thus had it anulled even after bearing several children. However, after this anullment, she married Henry II of England, so perhaps not as good of a choice for France.
Germany: Angela Merkel (female) - present day first female chancellor of Germany ORConsors Regni Empress Beatrix of Upper Bourgogne of the Holy Roman Empire - Sovereign Countess of Upper Burgundy and Franche-Comté 1148-84 in succession to her father, Reinald III of Burgundy, and married Friedrich I Barbarossa (1122-90), who became Emperor in 1155. As Empress she devoted much of her time to Burgundy and ruled the realm rather independently, using the title of 'Domina Dux'. She was succeeded by son Otto I, and lived (1140-84).
(I am starting to lean towards Beatrix, now that I've found her. She reigned independantly, and is an historical figure, rather than modern day)
Maria Theresa of Austria - (May 13, 1717 – November 29, 1780) was the first and only female head of the Habsburg dynasty. She was Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and ruler of other territories from 1740 until her death. She also became the Holy Roman Empress when her husband was elected Holy Roman Emperor. She was one of the so-called "enlightened monarchs" (also refered to as "enlightened despots"). She was one of the most powerful rulers of her time, ruling over much of central Europe.
India: Indira Ghandi (female) - Prime Minister of India for many years
USA: Rebecca Ann Latimer Felton (female) - first female US Senator, only held for 1 day unfortunately OR Rhoda Fox Graves (female) - first female to hold a seat in the US Senate for more than 1 day
Spain: Francisco Franco (male) - Fascist leader of Spain from 1930 till 1975 OR Charles V - Also known as Charles Quint - Very powerful and famous spanish king.
Mongolia: Prime Minister Tuyaa Nyam-Osoryn (female) (1999, held office less than a year) - not exactly a Mongol horde leader, but definitely a female leader of modern Mongolia OR Mandukhai Khutan (female) - the only known female leader in Mongolian history. I am leaning towards Mandukhai...
Aztec: Queen Iztacxilotzin of Quauhtitlan - Don't know much about her yet, but she was apparently an independant ruler within the Aztec empire.
Inca: Mama Huaco, Mama Ocllo, and Mama Anahuarque (Leaning towards Mama Ocllo presently, but might change my mind after I find pages about the other two)
China: Empress Wu Zetian (Wu Chao), 625-705
Japan: I am trying to decide between these 7 female Japanese leaders... If someone could do me a favor and look them up, then post relavent info or links to relavent info, I would be grateful
Empress Suiko Tenno 593–628 - The first empress and with her prime minister, established the 17 articles of constitution that were followed for an extremely long time in Japanese society. She was devoutly buddhist and spread buddhism throughout Japan. She also brought about closer ties with China, which made for a very peaceful era. (seriously considering this one)
Empress Kogyoku 642–645,
Empress Jito 686–697,
Empress Gemmyo 703–724,
Empress Koken (abdicated) 749–758,
Empress Shotuku-Koken 764–770 - A renegade among Empresses, she had complete power and nearly ended the direct line of succession by allowing a buddhist priest to act as her advisor, and wished him to succeed her. She resulted in an end to independant Empresses as a result of her ploy, at least for 1000 years. Her actions eventually resulted in a law being written in the Meiji era preventing independant female leadership.
Empress Toshi-ko 1762–1771
Mali: Amina Sarauniya Zazzua (female), c.1533-c.1610 (Nigeria) - Unfortunately, not Malinese. If you can find a Malinese female leader, please tell me.
Arabia: Co-Ruler al-Sayyida al-Hurra Malika 'Arwa bint Ahmad al-Salayhiyya of Yemen - The wife of al-Mukarram Ahmad (1067-84), she was joint ruler with her mother-in-law Queen Asma. After her husband's death she became ruler in her own name, having the Friday's Prayers said in her name. She lived (1047-1137).
Persia:
During the Sassanid Dynasty (224-651), Iran (Persia) had two Queen Regnants, Pourandokht (PRD) and Azarmidokht (AZD), who ruled for about three years (629-632).
PRD started her ruling as the first Iranian queen regnant in Ctesiphon (in Persian: Tyssfoon) on May 20, 629 and tried to revive the sovereignty of Sassanid dynasty. The reign of PRD, whose name means [successor girl] and it is also synonymous to [a girl with a rosy face], become contemporary to Abu-Bakr and Omar caliphates. In ancient books and resources she is described as a wise, just, and a good-natured woman. PRD is quoted in a letter to her army writing, [A monarch, regardless of being a queen or a king, must defend his or her land and treat the people with justice].The outstanding characteristics of PRD were even undeniable to the first Iranian epic poet, Ferdowsi (935-1020). Despite his patriarchal attitudes, Ferdowsi, in his masterpiece of the Book of Kings or Shahnameh, noted PRD's justice and the welfare that farmers enjoyed during her reign. Sadly, after 16 months, when preparing for the deployment of her army to confront the invader Arabs, PRD got sick and passed away in Ctesiphon in 631.
AZD, the sister of PRD, ruled Iran as the second queen regnant from 631 to 632 when Hormuz V took over. There is not much information available on the life story of AZD. It is, however, reported that General Farrukh-Hormuzd (GFH) who was the governor of Khorassan, according to historian Tabari, or prince of Azarbaijan, according to Armenian sources, aspired to the crown and attempted to secure it by proposing a marriage to queen AZD who refused the proposal. GFH was the father of Rostam-e-Farrokh Zaad (590-636), who became the first Iranian famous commander-in-chief few years later.
Alternately, I could use Homa Shahrzad, but I am leery of adding a potentially mythological leader. Though, if I am not mistaken, Shahrzad (Sheherazad) was one of the female Persian leaders in CivII, or perhaps Babylonian?
In Ferdowsi's epic Book of Kings or Shahnameh, there is also a mythological reference to yet another Queen Regnant named Homa Shahrzad who ruled over 32 years.
As it turns out, while I was reading about the Inca, I discovered that the leader Firaxis included for the Inca is also semi-mythological, just like Shahrzad. I am -very- tempted to include her, as a result.
Russia - covered by Firaxis (the only one)
If anyone can convert pictures of these people into the 3D models for the diplomacy screen (is this even necessary?), please post here on who you'd like to work on. Furthermore, if you wish to help me find the missing leaders, please do so. Lastly, if you want to take up a particular leader as your pet project, let me know who you want, and I'll mark that down.
Little known fact, Sri Lanka is the only country in the modern world to have elected 3 women to their highest offices, 2 prime ministers and 1 president (I'm not sure of what the distinction between the offices is, honestly). Runners up are New Zealand, Bangledesh, Ireland, The Phillipines, Lithuania, São Tomé and PrÃncipe, and Finland, each with 2 elected females. (Well, at least selected, if not elected. Some of the leaders were 'acting' or interim, sort of like if we in the US had a female VP, and the president died)
I am looking for help in creating these leaders, primarily artists who can create the leader images, but also researchers who can help me find some of the missing pieces, or perhaps better options than some of these I have found.
So far, I have a nice list of leaders to add to the mix, such that players, both male and female, can play a leader who is their chosen gender. I will list the leaders I propose to add, the gender of each leader and an explanation of who they are, if I felt it was needed (some are extremely famous)
Egypt: Ramessess II (Male) - One of the most famous ancient Egyptian leaders
England: James I (male) - famous for the King James Bible OR Winston Churchill - nuff said!
Rome: Aggripina (female) - wife of Caesar Claudius, she was given allegiance and obedience by captured Celtic warriors, not her husband.
Greece: Arsinoe II (female) - daughter of Ptolemy I, she was a powerful figure in both Greece and Egypt OR Dora Bakoyiannis (female) - a present day member of Greek parliament, first and only female member
France: Joan of Arc/Jean d'arc (female) - duh
ORCatherine de Medicis - Adding her to the list of possible leaders for France after a bit of research on her proved that she was not part of the Italian leadership, but France! OR Elenor of Aquitane - wife of Louis VII, lead a group of 300 women to assist in the second crusade. Also, she successfully managed to convince the papacy that her marriage to Louis was invalid, and thus had it anulled even after bearing several children. However, after this anullment, she married Henry II of England, so perhaps not as good of a choice for France.Germany: Angela Merkel (female) - present day first female chancellor of Germany ORConsors Regni Empress Beatrix of Upper Bourgogne of the Holy Roman Empire - Sovereign Countess of Upper Burgundy and Franche-Comté 1148-84 in succession to her father, Reinald III of Burgundy, and married Friedrich I Barbarossa (1122-90), who became Emperor in 1155. As Empress she devoted much of her time to Burgundy and ruled the realm rather independently, using the title of 'Domina Dux'. She was succeeded by son Otto I, and lived (1140-84).
(I am starting to lean towards Beatrix, now that I've found her. She reigned independantly, and is an historical figure, rather than modern day)
Maria Theresa of Austria - (May 13, 1717 – November 29, 1780) was the first and only female head of the Habsburg dynasty. She was Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and ruler of other territories from 1740 until her death. She also became the Holy Roman Empress when her husband was elected Holy Roman Emperor. She was one of the so-called "enlightened monarchs" (also refered to as "enlightened despots"). She was one of the most powerful rulers of her time, ruling over much of central Europe.
India: Indira Ghandi (female) - Prime Minister of India for many years
USA: Rebecca Ann Latimer Felton (female) - first female US Senator, only held for 1 day unfortunately OR Rhoda Fox Graves (female) - first female to hold a seat in the US Senate for more than 1 day
Spain: Francisco Franco (male) - Fascist leader of Spain from 1930 till 1975 OR Charles V - Also known as Charles Quint - Very powerful and famous spanish king.
Mongolia: Prime Minister Tuyaa Nyam-Osoryn (female) (1999, held office less than a year) - not exactly a Mongol horde leader, but definitely a female leader of modern Mongolia OR Mandukhai Khutan (female) - the only known female leader in Mongolian history. I am leaning towards Mandukhai...
Aztec: Queen Iztacxilotzin of Quauhtitlan - Don't know much about her yet, but she was apparently an independant ruler within the Aztec empire.
Inca: Mama Huaco, Mama Ocllo, and Mama Anahuarque (Leaning towards Mama Ocllo presently, but might change my mind after I find pages about the other two)
China: Empress Wu Zetian (Wu Chao), 625-705
Japan: I am trying to decide between these 7 female Japanese leaders... If someone could do me a favor and look them up, then post relavent info or links to relavent info, I would be grateful
Empress Suiko Tenno 593–628 - The first empress and with her prime minister, established the 17 articles of constitution that were followed for an extremely long time in Japanese society. She was devoutly buddhist and spread buddhism throughout Japan. She also brought about closer ties with China, which made for a very peaceful era. (seriously considering this one)
Empress Kogyoku 642–645,
Empress Jito 686–697,
Empress Gemmyo 703–724,
Empress Koken (abdicated) 749–758,
Empress Shotuku-Koken 764–770 - A renegade among Empresses, she had complete power and nearly ended the direct line of succession by allowing a buddhist priest to act as her advisor, and wished him to succeed her. She resulted in an end to independant Empresses as a result of her ploy, at least for 1000 years. Her actions eventually resulted in a law being written in the Meiji era preventing independant female leadership.
Empress Toshi-ko 1762–1771
Mali: Amina Sarauniya Zazzua (female), c.1533-c.1610 (Nigeria) - Unfortunately, not Malinese. If you can find a Malinese female leader, please tell me.
Arabia: Co-Ruler al-Sayyida al-Hurra Malika 'Arwa bint Ahmad al-Salayhiyya of Yemen - The wife of al-Mukarram Ahmad (1067-84), she was joint ruler with her mother-in-law Queen Asma. After her husband's death she became ruler in her own name, having the Friday's Prayers said in her name. She lived (1047-1137).
Persia:
During the Sassanid Dynasty (224-651), Iran (Persia) had two Queen Regnants, Pourandokht (PRD) and Azarmidokht (AZD), who ruled for about three years (629-632).
PRD started her ruling as the first Iranian queen regnant in Ctesiphon (in Persian: Tyssfoon) on May 20, 629 and tried to revive the sovereignty of Sassanid dynasty. The reign of PRD, whose name means [successor girl] and it is also synonymous to [a girl with a rosy face], become contemporary to Abu-Bakr and Omar caliphates. In ancient books and resources she is described as a wise, just, and a good-natured woman. PRD is quoted in a letter to her army writing, [A monarch, regardless of being a queen or a king, must defend his or her land and treat the people with justice].The outstanding characteristics of PRD were even undeniable to the first Iranian epic poet, Ferdowsi (935-1020). Despite his patriarchal attitudes, Ferdowsi, in his masterpiece of the Book of Kings or Shahnameh, noted PRD's justice and the welfare that farmers enjoyed during her reign. Sadly, after 16 months, when preparing for the deployment of her army to confront the invader Arabs, PRD got sick and passed away in Ctesiphon in 631.
AZD, the sister of PRD, ruled Iran as the second queen regnant from 631 to 632 when Hormuz V took over. There is not much information available on the life story of AZD. It is, however, reported that General Farrukh-Hormuzd (GFH) who was the governor of Khorassan, according to historian Tabari, or prince of Azarbaijan, according to Armenian sources, aspired to the crown and attempted to secure it by proposing a marriage to queen AZD who refused the proposal. GFH was the father of Rostam-e-Farrokh Zaad (590-636), who became the first Iranian famous commander-in-chief few years later.
Alternately, I could use Homa Shahrzad, but I am leery of adding a potentially mythological leader. Though, if I am not mistaken, Shahrzad (Sheherazad) was one of the female Persian leaders in CivII, or perhaps Babylonian?
In Ferdowsi's epic Book of Kings or Shahnameh, there is also a mythological reference to yet another Queen Regnant named Homa Shahrzad who ruled over 32 years.
As it turns out, while I was reading about the Inca, I discovered that the leader Firaxis included for the Inca is also semi-mythological, just like Shahrzad. I am -very- tempted to include her, as a result.
Russia - covered by Firaxis (the only one)
If anyone can convert pictures of these people into the 3D models for the diplomacy screen (is this even necessary?), please post here on who you'd like to work on. Furthermore, if you wish to help me find the missing leaders, please do so. Lastly, if you want to take up a particular leader as your pet project, let me know who you want, and I'll mark that down.
Little known fact, Sri Lanka is the only country in the modern world to have elected 3 women to their highest offices, 2 prime ministers and 1 president (I'm not sure of what the distinction between the offices is, honestly). Runners up are New Zealand, Bangledesh, Ireland, The Phillipines, Lithuania, São Tomé and PrÃncipe, and Finland, each with 2 elected females. (Well, at least selected, if not elected. Some of the leaders were 'acting' or interim, sort of like if we in the US had a female VP, and the president died)
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