Henry Bolingbroke’s coup of 1399, illegal though it no doubt was, brought to an end Richard’s disastrous reign. At a young age she was married to Maximilian, then the archduke of Austria, and went to live with him in a castle in Italy. Email. From Caligula to the lesser known but no less notorious Elagabalus, these emperors have left their mark on history. History has no shortage of disastrous rulers; this list could easily have been filled with the Roman emperors alone. In much of Western Europe, he is remembered as the epitome of cruelty and rapacity. Class 7PA agrees that King John was the worst king. His subjects pretty much hated him for pursuing alliances with the English, and at one point his nobles even had him arrested. Truthfully, I find some value in giving a population a figurehead to rally around as well as in the benefits of training someone throughout his or her life to become such a leader. I'll choose the Roman Empire here, since it is one the best known empires ever. Some medical historians believe George’s illness, which was characterized by hallucinations, paranoia, general breakdowns and abdominal pains, was caused by the enzyme disorder porphyria, though a retroactive diagnosis remains tricky. All Rights Reserved. Mary’s suspected involvement in the spectacular murder of Darnley on 10 February 1567 was a political mistake of the first order; her marriage three months later to the main suspect, the Earl of Bothwell, was an act of breathtaking stupidity. While not as malevolent as the character in the Shakespeare play of the same name, King Richard III … FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. 1406: James I. The rich and powerful expected their due. If the shock of the pain did not render them immediately unconscious, the person would experience the excruciating sensation of their outer layers of skin, utterly … Topping even his nephew Nero for the crown of cruelest and craziest Roman emperor, Caligula was known for his lavish projects, his sadism and his eccentricity. 1. Henry VIII voted worst monarch in history. The official website for BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed, Try 3 issues of BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed for only £5, From ‘Bad King John’ and the debauched Gaius Caligula to the “useless” Mary, Queen of Scots, historian Sean Lang rounds up nine of the worst kings and queens in history…. Never a strong leader, Henry suffered his first full mental breakdown in 1453, which left him in an incommunicative stupor for more than a year. Ivan promulgated wide-ranging reforms, centralized administration and created the black-clad forerunners of Russia’s dreaded secret police. Mary Tudor and her five stepmothers: what was their relationship like? You can unsubscribe at any time. 20. Succeeded his grandfather Malcolm II as King of the Scots. One of the most eccentric rulers of the European Renaissance, Rudolf II was perhaps the greatest collector of his age and an enthusiastic patron of the arts, sciences and pseudo-sciences. From then on it was Charles who kept his mother imprisoned, creating a fictional world to keep her in isolation. Read along for the greatest men perched on the throne in the history. He gave generous support to the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, helping to lay the foundation of the Scientific Revolution. Leopold’s name is forever associated with the Congolese reign of terror, and that alone justifies his inclusion in this list. He once had his army construct a two-mile floating bridge so he could gallop along it on his horse. Mutilation was also widely used as a punishment for workers who ran away or collected less than their quota. Selecting the top five worst Roman emperors of all time isn't a difficult task, thanks to myriad Roman historians, historical fiction, documentaries, and even movies and television programs, all of which illustrate the moral excesses of many of the rulers of Rome and its colonies. 10 cruellest kings in human history Human history is full of unique people- some people are remembering for their humanity concern and some people are remembering for their inhuman action. Civilization required its creature comforts as well. Royals brought up with great affection, care and vanity do not happen to be great leaders. He crushed the boyars, stealing their lands to give to his own followers; he also condemned millions of Russians to a permanent state of serfdom. In a recent British poll, a group of historical writers chose Henry VIII as the worst monarch in history. This article was first published by HistoryExtra in 2015, Save a huge 50% off a subscription to your favourite history magazine. Fed up with rule, Ivan attempted to resign in 1564 but was convinced to return a year later. No prizes for guessing – it’s Hitler. To start, I have no significant qualms about constitutional monarchies. You have successfully linked your account! If all three pieces were not found in the vomit, the victim was executed. His dying words, according to the writer Suetonius, were an amused commentary on the Roman’s obsession with emperor-worship: “I think I’m becoming a god”. A slow and agonizing punishment, this method traditionally saw the victim gradually lowered — feet-first — into boiling oil, water, or wax (although uses of boiling wine and molten lead have also been recorded).. And the mass murderer and self-proclaimed ‘Emperor’ Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Empire might have featured on this list had his imperial status been internationally recognised, but it wasn’t. John was the youngest and favourite son of Henry II, but he had not been entrusted with any lands and was mockingly nicknamed John Lackland. Compiling ADDucation’s list of the worst dictators and tyrants of all time hasn’t been easy nor fun but we think it’s important to learn from the past. Queen Ranavalona maintained her power by retaining the loyalty of the Malagasy army and imposing regular periods of forced labour on the rest of the population in lieu of taxation. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Charles II attended the trial and burnings, though the executions were probably ordered by someone else. Nearly-rans include the French Emperor Napoleon III, whose delusions of competence led to disaster in Italy, Mexico and finally defeat at the hands of Bismarck, and the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, a ludicrously gauche and immature ruler but not actually responsible on his own for launching Germany, and the rest of Europe, into the First World War. Kings of Judah Bible Good/Bad Kings of Israel Bible All Bad Rehoboam 1 Kings 11‐14 BAD Abijam 1 Kings 14‐15 BAD Nadab 1 Kings 15 BAD Baasha 1 Kings 15‐16 BAD Elah 1 Kings 16 BAD Zimri 1 Kings 16 BAD Omri 1 Kings 16 BAD Ahab 1 Kings 16 BAD Ahaziah 1 Kings 22 BAD Jehoram 2 Kings 1 BAD Jehoram 2 Kings 8 BAD Jehu 2 Kings 3‐9 BAD Ahaziah 2 Kings 8‐9 BAD Ludwig’s castle building left him in increasing debt, though, and in 1886 a group of conspirators filed a medical report (drafted by doctors who had never examined him) that declared the king permanently unfit to rule. The forged texts of the Middle Ages: why Europe’s holy men turned to counterfeiting. William Blake’s painting of Nebuchadnezzar’s bout with madness. The man who initiated the deadliest conflict in human history – World War II – actually started off as a spy. The Worst Child Kings in History. Ivan was in many ways an able ruler, but his ruthlessness, paranoia and taste for blood earn him his place in this list. History is replete with tales of evil people performing evil acts. Sadly they are so many in number that Listverse has been able to feature many top 10 lists of evil humans - men, women, and even children. ... His worst crime was the 1680 auto-de-fe (display of public penance and executions) in Madrid, during which many heretics were burned. The subject of a three-part Shakespearean drama cycle, Henry VI was made king before his first birthday but spent his final decades battling mental illness as his kingdom lost land to France and slid into the chaos of the War of the Roses. Having encouraged Christianity at the start of her reign, Queen Ranavalona changed policy and instituted ruthless persecution of native Christians. The next morning Ludwig and his personal physician were found floating dead in a Bavarian lake under mysterious circumstances, lending credence to one of Ludwig’s most famous statements, “I wish to remain an eternal enigma to myself and others.”. Enjoy. He was deposed by Yorkist forces in 1461, exiled in Scotland, briefly restored to the throne in 1470 but then reimprisoned and murdered the next year. Few queens’ stories are sadder than that of “Juana la Loca,” whose family and rivals colluded to keep her confined in asylums. His reign descended into a game of political manoeuvre between himself and his much more able and impressive uncle, John of Gaunt, before degenerating into a gory grudge match between Richard and the five Lords Appellant, whom he either had killed or forced into exile. There can be no argument on who is going to top the list of most evil rulers in history. However, John made a comeback and had Leo’s supporters punished ruthlessly: one cardinal had his hand cut off and he had a bishop whipped. In 1581 Ivan murdered his own son and heir, striking him with a pointed staff in a fit of rage. WhatsApp. Henry was almost not king however. Please enter your number below. There seems to be a problem, please try again. There are plenty of candidates, especially if we widen it out a bit – after the death of King Solomon the Hebrew kingdom split into two, with the larger northern part called Israel and the southern part Judah. When the Protestants formed a self-defence league, the Hungarians rose in revolt and the Turks launched an offensive, Rudolf shut himself up in Prague Castle and refused to speak to anyone. Pexels. So here we are from the embarrassing to the incredible, Five Korean Kings from History You Didn’t Know You Wanted to Learn About. According to that account, the arrogant king was struck down for his disbelief in the Hebrews’ God, leaving his palace and living in the wild. Leopold’s place in this list results not from his rule in Belgium, but from the crimes committed in the enormous kingdom he carved out for himself in Congo. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! He was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1576, though he was prone to long bouts of deep depression and melancholia and he spent most of his time dabbling in alchemy and astrology. When he was concerned that she might try to flee during a plague outbreak, Charles arranged for fake funeral processions to pass by her lodgings, convincing her to stay put. He was considered as one of the history`s greatest villains. The reign of King John is a salutary reminder that murder and treachery may possibly be forgiven in a monarch, but not incompetence. The list is the ruling kings and queens, appended with a list of others who also badly ruled England. The reasons for this are: ... (I recommend watching the kings and queens of England by Lindsay Koski which has 8 videos, which is 17 minutes max). He died a year later, having laid the foundations for the disastrous Thirty Years’ War that would tear Europe apart within six years of his death. You're now subscribed to our newsletter. It is hardly surprising that the Scots overthrew Mary and locked her up. After a promising start to his reign he seems to have set out specifically to intimidate and humiliate the senate and high command of the army, and he gave grave offence, not least in Jerusalem, by declaring himself a god; even the Romans normally only recognised deification after death. 9 of the worst monarchs in history Vespasian was a genial cove, happily married but with a long-standing mistress – but he could be ruthless with critics and opponents. He obtained the territory by international agreement and named it the Congo Free State; it was not a Belgian colony, but the king’s personal fiefdom. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, and the various kleptocrats of Africa all attest to the fact that tyranny is not a thing of the past. King Hyegong, The Effeminate The 36th king of Silla (one of the three kingdoms which would eventually combine to form Korea), King Hyegong spent most of his time in power fighting off rebellions led by high officials. The office drone doesn't require physical beatings on a daily basis, and even the worst boss doesn't make you literally wipe their butt. His cabinet of curiosities included a dizzying array of human and natural artifacts, organized by genre. Ivan took a vast area of Russia as his personal domain patrolled by a mounted police force with carte blanche to arrest and execute as they liked. He was eventually released after agree… Shows. Nothing justifies any of the atrocities committed by the notorious dictators on this list, but now that they're all said and done, morbid curiosity permits one to study them for even the most gruesome. In modern times, it can be fun to follow the royalty, little girls dream of being princesses, and little boys dream of being kings. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. In doing so, though, they lost their conservative backers. Charles II attended the trial and burnings, though the executions were probably ordered by someone else. Richard might have redeemed himself by prowess in war or administration, but he possessed neither. Admittedly, ruling 16th-century Scotland was no easy task, and it was made harder still for Mary by the stern Presbyterian leader, John Knox, and her violent, boorish husband, Lord Darnley. He was fond of leading capricious military expeditions and liked to give orders to an imaginary double he called General Zhu Shou. The nearly-rans also include the extravagant waste of money and space that went by the name of King Ludwig II of Bavaria; and absentee monarchs like Richard I of England and Charles XII of Sweden – both of them great military leaders who spent much of their reigns away at war, including time in captivity, instead of seeing to the affairs of their kingdoms. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions and privacy policy. From ‘Bad King John’ and the debauched Gaius Caligula to the “useless” Mary, Queen of Scots, historian Sean Lang rounds up nine of the worst kings and queens in history…. He tried unsuccessfully to seize power while his brother Richard I was away on crusade and was sent into exile upon Richard’s return. The story of his making his horse a consul, meanwhile, may have been exaggerated, but it was not out of character. Today best known for Neuschwanstein, the fairy-tale palace he ordered built on a Bavarian hilltop, Ludwig was an enthusiastic patron of the arts. While most of these lunatic rulers can be found in history books, modern history has produced a shocking number of maniacal rulers in just one hundred years. Only gradually did the world learn that it was in fact a slave state in which the Congolese were ruled by terror. So it isn’t an easy list to put together; conversely, the kings and queens below would be considered bad no matter when they ruled. Mary, Queen of Scots: what happened to her ladies-in-waiting? He was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard in AD 41. Kings fans won’t have to worry about not being competitive in the future, though, with a promising team coming together, but let’s look back on the worst moments in Kings’ history… 87 Shares. 10 cruellest kings in human history Human history is full of unique people- some people are remembering for their humanity concern and some people are remembering for their inhuman action. 8 things you may not know about British history. Compiling ADDucation’s list of the worst dictators and tyrants of all time hasn’t been easy nor fun but we think it’s important to learn from the past. This honour was meant for his older Brother Arthur who died suddenly in 1502. Blessed and cursed with, as one historian put it, a willingness to believe almost everything, Rudolf was an equally enthusiastic supporter of astrologers, alchemists and mystics of every stripe. Born Charlotte of Belgium, she was the daughter of King Leopold I and the first cousin of Queen Victoria. If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. His castle complex at Prague featured a vast menagerie of animals, including lions, tigers, an orangutan and a live dodo bird. He’d rather have devoted all his time and energy to satisfying his first love – the thrill of […] Caligula instituted a reign of terror through arbitrary arrest for treason, much as his predecessor Tiberius had done; it was also widely rumoured that he was engaged in incest with his sisters and that he lived a life of sexual debauchery, and this may well be true. Altogether, there were six King James’ but the worst of them was probably James III, who took the throne at nine-years-old and died at age 28. Having escaped, she was mad to throw away her advantage by going to England, where she could only be regarded as a threat, instead of to France, where she would have been welcomed with open arms. Absolute monarchies, by contrast, are much more problematic. 02.08.2014; admin; 0; Facebook; Google+; Twitter; It is a fact that young children cannot be great kings. As Leopold raked in the riches from Congo’s enormous reserves of copper, ivory and rubber, the Congolese were forced to work by wholesale mutilation of their wives and children, usually by chopping off their hands or feet. There were some truly horrible kings in both countries. It would be hard to imagine a stranger life than the one led by Carlota, the first and only Habsburg empress of Mexico. A group of rebels freed Joanna in 1520 and pronounced her sane and fit to rule—but changed their minds after she refused to support them instead of her son and sometime tormentor Charles. The granddaddy of all mad kings is King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian ruler whose first-person account of a seven-year descent into animal-like insanity is … Despite his foibles, though, Ivan’s terribleness made him one of the most respected czars in Russia’s history. Apparently his uncle, who also just happened to be Scotlands governor, did little to negotiate his release. There are plenty of other contenders for worst Roman Emperor – Nero and Commodus for example – but Caligula‘s mad reign sets a high standard. When it comes to Kings (and Queens) of England, there is strong competition as to who can claim the title of being the worst in the nation’s long history. As a ruler, he would withdraw from court from weeks on end, or speak in an inaudible voice. The Biblical story of Nebuchadnezzar’s madness became the framework through which royal insanity was seen in the Judeo-Christian world. A blood-soaked reign, but a misunderstood one. Who was the worst king of Israel? Famously derided by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley as “an old, mad, blind, despised, and dying king,” George III showed his first signs of mental illness in 1765, early in his reign, but did not permanently succumb to his affliction until 1810, a year before Parliament made his son regent. Here, then, is my list of the nine worst monarchs in history…. https://www.britannica.com/list/7-monarchs-with-unfortunate-nicknames Some tyrants have been rehabilitated by history – but not John. Frederick II of Prussia (1712-1786) Rulers have been homicidal, like Nero or Genghis Khan; incompetent, like Edward II; completely untrustworthy, like Charles I; or amiable but inadequate, like Louis XVI of France or Tsar Nicholas II. From Caligula to the lesser known but no less notorious Elagabalus, these emperors have left their mark on history. The Bohemians appealed to Matthias for help, and in 1611 Rudolf was forced to hand power over to his brother. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. John had the support of the powerful German emperor Otto I, who swore to defend John’s title, but John himself was too taken up with a life of drunken sex parties in the Lateran to care too much either way. Here is a ranking of the fiercest females in history, and to watch Elizabeth Woodville (No. After scouring the 'net, we've come across these 10 pampered brats who are the Worst Child Kings and Rulers ever. A blood-soaked reign, but a misunderstood one. China has been plagued with its fair share of questionable leaders throughout its long history, but Fu Sheng is the original and arguably ‘the worst’ tyrannical leader of one of the world’s most consistently powerful nations. Some historians are kinder to Rudolf than in the past, but by any standards he was a disastrous ruler. 10 Most Murderous Kings In History: Part 1. 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