10 Historical Figures Who Epitomized Cruel Leadership
Remember Ivan the Terrible?
Empress Wu Zetian didn’t just climb the ladder, she yanked it up behind her. She went from concubine to the first and only female emperor in China, and once she had power, she protected it with a level of brutality that made every rival think twice about breathing too loudly.
But she’s not the only one. This list is packed with rulers who treated their own courts like personal hunting grounds, from King Richard II, who surrounded himself with yes-men and settled grudges through exile and death, to Pope John XII, whose reign in the Papal palace allegedly turned into a nonstop parade of coercion. Then there’s King John of England, already plotting while Richard I was off in the Crusades, and Prince Ivan IV, who earned “Ivan the Terrible” the hard way.
Here’s the full story of what happens when leadership is just another word for cruelty.
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, torturing, exiling, and executing her enemies. Allegedly, she even strangled her baby."
Wikipedia2. 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 military 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 against whom he held a grudge."
Wikipedia3. 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 sexual relations with both men and women in the papal palace and was said to have raped anyone who refused his advances—even nuns."
Wikipedia
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 eventually became king, but he was responsible for the collapse of his empire after he signed the Magna Carta and immediately went back on his word."
Wikipedia
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."
Wikipedia
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."
Wikipedia
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 committed cruel and sadistic acts, 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."
Wikipedia
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 military force to seize control of the palace."
Wikipedia
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."
Wikipedia
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."
Wikipedia
Wu Zetian’s rise is where the gloves come off, and it sets the tone for how the rest of these rulers treat power like it’s theirs to break things with.
Richard II was busy collecting flatterers and punishing anyone who didn’t mirror his views, which is basically the royal version of cutting off your own options.
While Pope John XII was allegedly making the Papal palace a place of forced encounters, King John of England was doing his own damage by trying to steal the throne and even killing his nephew.
And by the time Ivan the Terrible is ordering nobles handled with terrifying “solutions,” you can see how this whole pattern of cruelty keeps escalating from one court to the next.
Fairy tales might make us think all kings and queens are good, but real history tells a different story. Some royals were truly bad news. These stories teach us why it's important to keep leaders in check and ensure they're doing right by their people.
By learning from the past, we can work towards a future where fairness and kindness prevail instead of cruelty and abuse of power.
By the end, you’re left wondering which one of these thrones was the real trap.
After Empress Wu Zetian’s alleged baby strangling, see the State Department’s urgent call for Americans to leave 14 nations.
