She may have been born to Analusian nobles, but Sayyida al Hurra didn’t have an easy start. At just seven years old, she and her family were forced to flee their home to escape the Christian “Reconquista” in Spain. It wouldn’t be something she would forget in a hurry.

After her husband (Abu Hassan al-Mandari, governor of Tetouan) died, Sayyida became the last “al Hurra” (Queen) in Islamic history. With the help of Barbarossa, she built up her own fleet and wreaked havoc on Spanish and Portuguese shipping lines.

Eventually, the Muslim pirate queen upgraded her status by marrying the king of Morocco, but still managed to show who was boss by making him come to her. This is the only time in Moroccan history that a king married away from the capital.