10 Historical Figures Who Epitomized Cruel Leadership

Remember Ivan the Terrible?

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• March 29, 2024

When we were kids, we thought all kings and queens were like the ones in fairy tales—kind and fair rulers who cared about their people. But as we grow up and learn about real history, we find out that some of them were pretty awful.

Disney movies made us believe that most royals were good, but the truth is that many were mean and did terrible things to their subjects. As we look back at history, we see a bunch of kings and queens who were just plain nasty.

Some of them were cruel and selfish, and they ruled their kingdoms with an iron fist. Remember Ivan the Terrible?

He was as bad as his name suggests, terrorizing people left and right. And then there's Vlad the Impaler, who was known for being extremely brutal.

Think of Caligula, who was infamous for his wild parties and crazy behavior, or Nero, who was a total control freak and did whatever he wanted, no matter who got hurt. These rulers remind us that power can corrupt people, turning them into monsters.

Their stories show us why it's important to keep leaders in check and not let them do whatever they want. So, while fairy tales might make us think all kings and queens are heroes, history tells a different story—one where some royals were anything but noble. This is a list of the 10 most cruel:

1. Empress Wu Zetian

"Empress Wu Zetian started as a concubine. After the king died, she married his son, and when he died shortly after, she became the first and only female emperor in China. She ruthlessly protected her position, and she tortured, exiled, and executed her enemies. Allegedly, she even strangled her baby."

2. King Richard II

"King Richard II was a victim of his circumstances according to Shakespeare, but in reality, he was an extremely vain and self-important man. He had no prowess in war tactics or administration and only associated with people who parroted his views. His only notable actions were political maneuvering with his uncle and killing or exiling those he held a grudge against."

3. Pope John XII

" Pope John XII began ruling the Papal States on the Italian Peninsula in 955, and it didn’t take long for his subjects to realize that he was a complete sex fiend. He had sex with both men and women in the papal palace, and was said to rape anyone who refused his advances — even nuns."

4. King John of England

"Depicted as a villain in Robin Hood stories, King John of England attempted to steal the throne from his brother, Richard I, while Richard was fighting in the Crusades. Nothing got in the way of his hunger for power, as he even killed his nephew while trying to obtain it. He did eventually become king, but he was responsible for the collapse of his empire after he signed the Magna Carta and immediately went back on his word."

5. Prince Ivan IV Vasilyevich

"Prince Ivan IV Vasilyevich was known as “Ivan the Terrible” for good reason. Growing up in the dangerous court of Moscow conditioned him to be a violent and cruel young man who loathed the nobles — he even had one of them eaten alive by his dog."

6. Henry VIII of England

"One of the more famous names on this list is Henry VIII of England, the man who went through six wives, two of whom he had beheaded. He caused conflict in many ways — he attempted to get his first marriage annulled, broke away from the Church, executed those who got in his way, and banished his daughter."

7. Gaius Caligula

"Despite having incestuous relations with his sister, Gaius Caligula’s reign as Roman Emperor started well in 37 A.D.But as time went by, he did cruel and sadistic things, such as poisoning his family members. He didn’t tolerate others making fun of his (supposedly bad) looks and outlawed the mention of goats around him. He was stabbed to death by the Praetorian Guard in 41 A.D."

8. Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar

"Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar took the throne after her father saved the king’s life; the king adopted her and married her to his son as a show of thanks. She was the first of his wives, so her children would have been the rightful heirs to the throne.But after she couldn’t produce any children and her husband died, she forced her way to power by using a military force to hold down the palace."

9. Elizabeth Báthory, a countess from the Kingdom of Hungary

"Elizabeth Báthory, a countess from the Kingdom of Hungary, was supposedly a serial killer who mutilated, burned, starved, imprisoned, and cannibalized hundreds of girls in her castle."

10. King Leopold II of Belgium

"During his reign from 1865 to 1909, King Leopold II of Belgium obtained territory in Congo. He called it the Congo Free State to make people think he had eliminated slavery there, but in reality, he forced its people into slave labor and used mutilation as punishment. Around 10 million Congolese natives died before he was forced to hand over control of the land to the Belgian government."

Fairy tales might make us think all kings and queens are good guys, but real history tells a different story. Some royals were really bad news. These stories teach us why it's important to keep leaders in check and make sure they're doing right by their people.

By learning from the past, we can work towards a future where fairness and kindness rule instead of cruelty and abuse of power.

Damjan