Brutal Facts About The Most Hated Rulers In World History
Sometimes what makes history remember a leader as good or bad is just time and perspective. A number of the rulers on this list started their reigns on a wave of popularity before poor decisions, policies, or attitudes turned the people against them.
Often this came down to the fact that these rulers were capricious and brutal—their fates often equally so. History has served countless examples of hated rulers, so this list really just scratches the surface.
There are some lurid, grisly, and absolutely bizarre stories that go along with rulers who show no mercy to the people they rule.
1. These Boots Were Made for Chaos
Perhaps one of the reasons that Gaius Caligula was so extravagant with his use of power was due to his feelings of inferiority under the shadow of his father, the legendary general Germanicus. “Caligula” was a nickname that meant “
little soldier’s boots". His real name was Gaius Caesar. The insult was quite clear, and so it seems natural that once he was Emperor, Caligula was taken to the corrupting forces of power.
2. Playing the Part
One of the reasons that Caligula became such an unpopular Emperor in Rome was his desire to gain ceaseless personal power—even beyond what was normal for a Roman emperor!
He started to appear in public dressed as gods or demigods, such as Hercules, as a way of pointing to his own self-aggrandizing sense of divinity.
3. But How Bad Was He?
One trend that marks perceptions of rulers throughout history is how they are framed by their successors.
For example, the idea that Caligula was a debauched tyrant was at least partly true, but it was also based on exaggerated accounts from his political enemies.
It turns out that, at least in the early part of Caligula’s reign, he was quite popular with Roman citizens.
He implemented a number of social causes that included paying insurance to citizens whose properties were damaged in fires and reinstating democratic elections. History goes to the interpreter!
4. I’ll Take Popery for 500, Alex
Already having targeted many Protestants in England, Queen Mary I’s marriage to Philip of Spain only served to stoke fears amongst her subjects that England would be put under the rule of the very much Catholic Holy Roman Empire.
Of course, Mary wanted a Catholic England, but she also wanted to maintain her grip on power. So she drafted up the Queen Mary’s Marriage Act through parliament. It stated that although Philip would be given the title “King of England,”
he still always had to act with the consent of Queen Mary, and England did not have to provide Philip’s father, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, with any combat aid. The two shared “co-authority,”
but the terms were pretty clear—this was Mary’s house.
