It’s long been believed that women are less combative than men – more likely to sue for peace than go to war.
But a study reveals queens have been 39 percentage points more likely than kings to wage war over the centuries.Researchers set out to test whether there was more peace under female or male rule.
US experts analysed mainly European kings and queens between 1480 to 1913 – covering 193 reigns in 18 countries.
The study included Britain’s Elizabeth I, who famously defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, Catherine the Great, who made
Russia a formidable power in the 18th century, and Isabella I of Castile who helped Spain dominate the world in the 15th and 16th centuries.Researchers found that when a state was ruled by a queen it was more likely to participate in conflict than if it was led by a king.