xz5) History's 10 Most Ruthless Queens and Brutal Rulers

 History's 10 Most Ruthless Queens and Brutal Rulers

1: Countess Elizabeth Báthory Of Hungary Was History's Most Prolific Female Slayer

Born in Transylvania in 1560, Báthory was a Hungarian noblewoman and infamous serial slayer. She used her position of power to defend herself from the consequences of her actions, and she spent years slaying servants and peasants. Her husband, Count Nádasdy, went so far as to build his wife a torment chamber, Csejthe Castle. 

She also had a habit of feasting on her prey. She would often bite and eat chunks of them while they were still alive, and in one case may have even forced someone to cook and eat some of their own body. 

2: Byzantine Empress Irene Of Athens Gouged Her Son's Eyes Out To Retain Her Power

Irene of Athens was a Byzantine empress who ruled from 797 to 802 CE, though she co-ruled with her son for nearly two decades before ruling in her own right. Her son was Emperor Constantine VI, and their familial relationship ended in a way fit for a Greek tragedy. 

Irene was an ambitious woman, and she sought full control over the Byzantine Empire. Constantine was also an unpopular emperor, so Irene led a conspiracy against her son with the support of her political allies. Constantine was successfully deposed and subsequently blinded by gouging on his mother's orders. 

3: Empress Wu Zetian Of China Was Willing To Eliminate Anyone To Stay In Power, Even Her Own Family

Throughout China's long history, there was only one woman who ever held supreme power. She was Empress Wu Zetian, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding her place in the history books.

Wu was an usurper by nature, and her reign was marred by stories of political strife and slayings. She is said to have taken out many members of the Tang dynasty to protect her status as empress, as well as her siblings. It is rumored she offed her mother and even ordered two of her grandchildren to take their own lives for speaking out against her. 

4: Mary 1 Viciously Persecuted Protestants, Burning Some 300 At The Stake

Mary I didn't get the nickname "Bloody Mary" for nothing. She was a Catholic queen in a Protestant country, ascending to the throne of England in 1553. She was the first true queen of England, but her short reign only lasted five years. 

She announced a war against Protestantism during her rule, and hundreds of protestants were slain for heresy. The typical sentence for anyone convicted of heresy in England was to burn at the stake, and Mary was responsible for burning over 300 Protestants during her rule. This made her wildly unpopular in England, and her conflict with Protestantism became the defining legacy of her time as queen. 

5: Queen Ranavalona 1 Of Madagascar Slayed Her Way To The Crown

Queen Ranavalona I was the ruler of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861, and much of what we know about her has been colored by the opinions of Ranavalona's European contemporaries. Still, Ranavalona was known as a fierce leader who was willing to do anything to protect her crown and kingdom.

After her husband, King Radama 1, passed, she quickly positioned herself as the new sovereign of the kingdom. She had her uncle executed to protect her position, and some accounts say that she eliminated his mother via extreme hunger in order to keep from breaking a sacred decree about spilling noblewomen's blood.

6: Queen Consort Fredegund Of Soissons Slayed Her Husband's Ex, Then Targeted Her Sister

Fredegund of Soissons was queen consort to King Chilperic I, who ruled from 561 to 584 CE. Fredegund came from humble beginnings but quickly rose to a position of power in the small Frankish kingdom. She convinced Chilperic to leave his first wife and slay his second, ensuring her close relationship with the king was secure. 

7: Queen Isabella 1 Started The Spanish Inquisition And Sponsored The Conquest Of The New World

Queen Isabella co-ruled Spain with King Ferdinand 2 from 1451 through 1504, and her reign was marked by oppression. The notorious Spanish Inquisition began during her rule, and she was instrumental in the effort to expel Spanish Jews and Muslims from the kingdom. In 1492, the same year that she sponsored Columbus's fateful journey, she also decreed that all Jewish citizens either convert to Catholicism or be banished from the country. Jews from around the country were brought to the Spanish court to either pledge their faith to the Catholic Church or else be expelled on the spot. 

8: Princess Olga Of Kiev Burned Her Political Enemies Alive As Queen Regent

There is a lot of mystery surrounding Princess Olga of Kyiv, and many of the stories about her may be apocryphal. What we do know is that she was a Ukrainian princess and the first female ruler in Russian history. She became queen regent in 945 CE after her husband, Igor 1, was slain. As their son was too young to rule, she was crowned queen in his stead. One of her first acts was to seek revenge for her husband's demise. By her orders, the men responsible were captured and executed using scalding water. 

9: Empress Julia Agrippina Of Rome Regularly Tried To Overthrow Her Son

Agrippina the Younger was an ambitious person, even as far as Roman rulers go. She was the first empress of Rome, although she spent much of her early life trying to depose her predecessors. She believed she and her son had a birthright claim to the empire, and manipulated her uncle Claudius into changing Roman laws about familial marriage so that the two could wed. 

Claudius's demise has been surrounded by mystery, and some sources claim Agrippina offed him. Together with her son, Nero, she ruled Rome from 49 to 54 CE. Eventually Nero grew tired of her manipulations and forced her out of power. She attempted to organize political opponents against her son, and he had her expelled. 

10: Elizabeth 1 Of England Took Issue With Catholicism

After Mary, Queen of Scots, was ended, Queen Elizabeth 1 succeeded her half-sister on the English throne. Elizabeth ended the oppression of England's Protestants, and then immediately set about oppressing the country's Catholics instead. 

Under Elizabeth, the Catholic Church in England was abolished by law. It was replaced by a new church with the English monarch at the head, and any support for the Catholic Church was considered an unlawful offense. Catholics could have their property forfeited or be beaten, imprisoned, and even executed.

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