Nzinga Mbande, queen of Ndongo and Matamba, located in southwestern Africa, in present day Angola. She lived from 1583-1663, she was an able diplomat and commanded respect from the Portuguese she dealt with. On one occasion, before she was queen, she was supposed to negotiate a treaty with a Portuguese man. He had a chair, while he left a mat for her to sit on. She refused to allow this indignation to set her back, and she had her servants essentially become a chair for her to sit on.
She assumed command when her brother committed suicide when a suitable peace could not be reached with the Portuguese. There was a long struggle with the Portuguese after that, but Nzinga proved a capable leader, making an alliance with another tribe. She managed to hold her kingdom together until she could get an alliance with the Dutch and get reinforcements. After that, she finally got a peace treaty, and spent the rest of her reign defending her throne, resettling slaves recovered from the Portuguese, and having women bear children. She died peacefully. Today, she is remembered in Angola for her political and diplomatic acumen, great wit and intelligence, as well as her brilliant military tactics.