Queen Amanirenas is known as the Queen with one eye (or the one-eyed Candace) since her fierce determination and skill led to the successful defense of her kingdom against the world-dominating armies of the Roman Empire.
It was during this time that she also lost her eye which became a symbol of her strength and resilience.
The title Candace or Kandake means Queen or Queen mother of the ancient African empire of Kush (modern-day Sudan).
The Story
For most monarchs, having Roman legions smash your armies, absorb your great cities, and kill your heir would be disheartening and it often meant you’re being conquered. This was the case around 24BCE.
The Kingdom of Kush – modern-day Sudan also referred to as Nubia, was a powerful thriving kingdom thanks to precious metals and lucrative trade routes whose main competitor was Egypt, until under the rule of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony.
Egypt was captured by the Romans led by Emperor Augustus Caesar.
After defeating Egypt, Augustus’ next target was the Kingdom of Kush.
Kandake Amanirenas, described as having ‘courage above any woman’, had become Queen of Kush after the death of her husband, Emperor Teriqetas who had died in battle.
She took over and ruled her nation and people diligently and fought back with all her nation had.
Over the next three years, the Romans were prevented from reaching Meroe (a key city in Kush) and were gradually forced to retreat back to the new ports. So ferocious was Amanirenas in her attacks, often leading from the front, she earned the respect of her enemies who nicknamed her ‘One-eyed Candace’ from accounts of the eye she had lost in battle against the Romans.
Ultimately, Amanirenas made the war too costly for the Romans, and after a climactic but unsuccessful final assault, the sides sat down to negotiate peace. Representatives were sent to Augustus, and a treaty was signed some five to seven years after the war first began. The deal secured the independence of the Kingdom, saw the Romans abandon much of the territory they had occupied and Amanirenas did not require to pay any tribute.
These substantial and rare concessions show that Augustus recognized that Kush was strong, organized, and willing to fight for its independence. Amanirenas forced Augustus to reevaluate his priorities and struck the critical first blow. Rome however, did not immediately give up ambitions to incorporate Kush into the Empire, the Kushites would again defeat a Roman invasion a decade or so later. Amanirenas ultimately ensured her people and the Romans would have a stable and largely peaceful relationship based on trade in the years that followed.
