Ancient Queen - post modern hero

I'm introducing a story about some of the basest and some of the most noble of human characteristics.  A queen of an ancient civilisation had to make a quick decision under pressure and she would have been aware of the possible dire consequences of her rebellion.  But she stood her ground against the man who was, sadly in this situation, both her husband and the most powerful man in the world at that time.  To comply would have meant loss of her true self and her dignity as a human being, as well as the further enslavement of women to capricious decisions of the authorities.