Dear gentlemen, beware while reading the next lines because we are presenting you the list of 10 most evil female rulers in history! And you ladies, you should be careful too! It’s a thin line between good and evil!
So, do you think that your wife is nagging too much or that you can’t stand your girlfriend’s -hormones gone wild- episodes anymore? Maybe your stubborn sister and the overprotecting mother are going on your nerves too often? And your mother-in-law? Then, this article is definitely what you need! ’’Oh, good! It could be worse!’’- you might say after you read it! Wondering why? Well, in front of you is one pretty nasty and deranged group of women who were capable of anything to satisfy their needs. Mel Gibson would have been really surprised if he asked himself what (these) women want! We are sure that in this case, he would be running for his life! So, you better be satisfied with all women in your life. Who knows what, or who is awaiting you around the corner!
If you are still not interested who are these wicked women, and you are more into dictators, we are recommending you a great article about 10 biggest countries ruled by dictators. If not, you are free to continue reading this one!
Although a teeny-tiny amount of evil exists in every woman – we would all agree – it is not an easy task to find the evilest one. Even harder is to make a grade scale for evilness! However, we have compiled a list of most evil female rulers in history, according to the information gained from the Encyclopedia Britannica. We also consulted the public opinion via various websites and articles are written by authors that asked themselves the same question. Before you dare to catch a glimpse of what’s next, you should know that history is a two-edged sword. Everything is not as it seems, and one must have a critical approach to every obtained information! Therefore, we can give these women a benefit of the doubt, while reading about their alleged evilness! So, let’s get started with our list of most evil female rulers in history.
10. Messalina Valeria
Born: before 20 AD
Died: 48 AD
Do you want to read a juicy story? The ancient gossip about scandalous women that really deserved a place in our list of most evil female rulers in history? Messalina Valeria was her name. She was the third wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius and pretty young at the time of their wedding in 38 AD. In the beginning, things were good between those two; she even bore him a daughter Octavia and a son Britannicus. The only problem was that in the spare time she was attending some strange parties, better known as orgies! She was a nymphomaniac. Yeah, you read it well. As the years were passing by, her insatiable appetite for men and enormous sexual desire messed up her conscious and judging. Messalina gained the reputation for promiscuity because of her lesions with more than 100 men and because she was spending evenings working at a local brothel, probably undisguised. By controlling her husband, who allegedly wasn’t aware of her many adulteries, she became very influential. Like a true predator, devious and greedy Messalina killed and exiled a great number of innocent people through her plots and conspiracies. One of them cost her life! In an attempt to overthrow her husband by marrying her lover Gaius Silius, she was killed by her husband’s centurion. As a revenge, heartbroken Claudius ordered a damnatio memoriae, so that her name would be removed from history. Being related to the Caligula and Nero, it’s not a mistake to say that insanity runs in the family, right?
9. Agrippina the Younger (Julia Agrippina)
Born: 15 AD
Died: 59 AD
You can never trust a woman who had a double canine in her upper right jaw, although it’s a sign of a good fortune! Read what’s below and you will see that we are right. Agrippina that’s up next in our list of most evil female rulers in history, had that extra canine, but it seems that good fortune was not her thing. Maybe because she was violent, domineering and by all means bad women? In 49AD she, her sister Livilla tried to form a plot to kill their brother Caligula in order to help their sister’s widower, Lepidus, become the new Emperor. You think that’s strange? The worst is yet to come! Her second marriage was just a financial boost for her political influence. Remember Emperor Claudius, Messalina’s husband? Well, he was an Agrippina’s husband too! Her third lucky charm, to be correct. Although their marriage was incestuous and immoral – considering that she was his niece – Claudius, being such a pushover, arranged their marriage to be a matter of the public interest. Her son Nero, who was adopted by Claudius, probably had been suffering from the Oedipus complex. Mother and son worked as a well-matched team in the number of deadly conspiracies. Alltogether, she poisoned two out of her three husbands and executed or extorted all her opponents and potential rivals for the Emperor’s hand in marriage. All that, for her and her son’s benefit. Unfortunately, her beloved son didn’t know how to appreciate her struggle! The beginning of Agrippina’s end can be set in a time when her son started to date, in her opinion, inadequate maidens. According to various written sources, Nero was very creative when it comes to finding the most appropriate way to get rid of his mother. In the end, he did it! Blood is thicker than water, after all.
8. Mary I of England (Mary Tudor)
Born: February 18, 1516 – Greenwich, England
Died: November 17, 1559 – London, England
Have you heard a story about Bloody Mary, the evil woman number 8 in our list of most evil female rulers in history? No, not the story that involves ghosts, candles, mirrors and revelations of the future. We have another story in our mind. The story that starts on February 18th, 1516, at the English Royal Palace in Greenwich on the banks of the River Thames; the story about the fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, her life, and her deeds. You’re certainly familiar with the controversial life of Mary’s father-Henry VIII-a royal womanizer, and more importantly his bloodthirsty reign. Well, with Mary not being a legitimate male heir, Henry – eager to remarry – sends her away when she was nine, to the border of the Wales given her court. Next three decades of her life were mosaic made of failed engagements, bad health, and battle for the throne and recognition in English court. She lived in the shadow of religious ambiguity regarding Protestantism and Catholicism, and her father’s marriages. Finally, after the death of her half-brother Edward VI, at the age of 37, she got sovereign over England and Ireland. It’s when Mary gained the epithet bloody! During five years of her time in power, she persecuted the Protestants, intentional to re-establish the supremacy of the Catholic church. Mary is guilty as charged for execution by burning of almost 300 prominent Protestants and exile of 800. That’s a reason ‘good’ enough for her to be on our list of 10 most evil female rulers in history. Evidently, Mary was a bitter and cruel woman! Whose fault is that? The question remains, whether these horrible deeds represent her true loyalty to the dogmas of the Catholic Church or, they are subconscious revenge because her father neglected her for others. Nevertheless, to gain a male heir, she marries Prince Philip of Spain and unfortunately suffers from the false pregnancy syndrome, two times. In addition, her husband left her. She died from ovary carcinoma at the age of 42 on November 17th, 1558. Our strongest recommendation is to prepare yourself a strong drink, perhaps Bloody Mary, before you click the Next button!
7. Empress Zhao Feiyan and Consort Zhao Hede
Born: 32 BC; /
Died:1 BC; 7 BC
Until now we have witnessed how vicious one woman can be. Now, the time has come to see how malicious two women can be. So, meet two evil sisters, the older Empress Zhao Feiyan and the younger Consort Zhao Hede that rank 7th in our list of most evil female rulers in history. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that those two beauties dazzled the great Emperor Cheng of the Chinese Han Dynasty. Considering their humble origins, they accomplished a lot becoming the imperial consorts. As they set their feet on the court, the blood-spilling begun! In pursuance of power and throne, they removed Empress Xu and Consort Ban, accusing them of witchcraft. Soon after, Feiyan became empress. However, when Feiyan gained the title she lost Emperor’s affection in favor of her sister Hede. Once Feiyan’s initial jealousy was not on their way, the sisters buried their hatchets. During the next decade, they had many unsuccessful attempts to give the Emperor an heir. They even committed adultery with other men in order to get pregnant. To make things worse, they were the masterminds of many tactics that included abortions, poisonings, and assassinations of other Emperor’s concubines and their infants. Even the sudden death of Emperor Cheng is under the veil of secret. Allegedly he died from a stroke, but the story behind is that Consort Hede gave him a dose of aphrodisiac that he couldn’t handle. Consort Zhao Hede killed herself shortly after. Empress Zhao Feiyan had a similar destiny considering that she also committed suicide, after being demoted to a commoner due to the exposure of her and her sister’s evil deeds.
5. Catherine de’ Medici (Catherine de Medicis)
Born: April 13, 1519 – Florence, Italy
Died: January 5, 1589 – Blois, France
It’s not a mistake to define Catherine, the next one in our list of most evil female rulers in history, as a pretty ambitious mom, considering that three of her sons were kings of France and two daughters were married to one. Not to mention that she had five children more in her marriage with the Duke of Orléan, later known as King Henry II of France. For 26 years of their marriage, she lived in a shadow of his mistress Diane de Poitiers. Nevertheless, she never gave up, and one might say that her time has come after the sudden death of her husband. After that, the Italian gal from Florence, well educated and thick-skinned due to life without parents, became the most powerful woman of the sixteenth century France. During three decades of her power, she ruled through her sons as regent and their closest adviser. The Nostradamus and the Ruggeri brothers were her pals, and therefore some associate her suspicious acts with the Occult. Although responsibility for starting the French Wars of Religion in 1562 cannot be attributed to her, the Huguenot massacre of St. Bartholomew can. Despite what some historians are saying in her defense, the woman was in charge through her son Charles IX, at the time. More than three thousand Protestants were killed that week, starting the night of 23-24 August 1572. The prosecution was spreading through the France late into the autumn. To make things worse, the massacre started only a few days after her youngest daughter’s wedding with Huguenot – Henry III of Navarre. It’s not hard to imagine that a vicious mother planned all this and thus lured Huguenots to come to her doorstep. So, there’s nothing left to be said except that she was a product of selfish ambition, a cold and calculating woman who used her children as a tool in gaining the power and legitimacy. And now, let’s see who else we have in our list of most evil female rulers in history.
4. Isabella I of Spain (Isabella the Catholic)
Born: April 22, 1451 – Madìrgal de las Altas Torres, Castìle
Died: November 26, 1504 – Medìna del Campo, Spain
What one must do, to be remembered as an evil ruler? Is persecution of thousands ‘good’ enough? Isabella I a.k.a. Isabella of Castile and Aragon that ranks 4th in our list of most evil female rulers in history was a self-proclaimed purifier of Roman Catholic faith who is together with her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon, responsible for the expulsion of more than 40 000 Jews who refused to convert to Christianity. Of course, they had the Pope’s blessing, since they were given the title ‘’The Catholic monarchs’’. Moors suffered the same destiny, considering the 1492 fall of the Muslim Kingdom of Granada to the ‘Catholic Monarchs’ hands, thus ending the Reconquista. For infidelities who stayed in Spain, they initiated Spanish Inquisition, the Tribunal of Holy Office that operated in Spain and all Spanish colonies and which was responsible for torture and death of more than 2000 Jews. Therefore, her other deeds, like sponsoring Columbus’s first voyage remains a little bit in the shadow of her controversial fight for the supremacy of her religion.
3. Jiang Qing (Chiang Ch’ing, Lan Ping, Li Jinhai)
Born: March, 1914 – Zhucheng, Shandong Province, China
Died: May 14, 1991 – Beijing, China
Hold on tight because we are jumping to the XX century. The third place on our list of 10 most evil female rulers in history belongs to Jiang Qing, the Chinese celebrated actress, better known as Madame Mao. She was the fourth wife of Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party and founder of the People’s Republic of China. Wondering why Jiang is on this list? Well, she was on the mission with an explicit goal – to promote Mao’s Communist ideology. It seems that she got it all wrong when it comes to understanding the term – promote! During the decade of the Cultural Revolution, she got rid of their political rivals without slightest hesitation! As for her supporters – the radical Communist leaders – she gathered them in a group known as the Gang of Four. Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao and Madame Mao were the brains of the operation that resulted in persecution of more than 700 000 people, including more than 30 000 of them who were persecuted to death. Following Mao’s death in 1976, she was arrested together with her accomplices. After initial death sentence, a few years later she was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1991, she killed herself.
2. Ranavalona I (Merina Queen, Ramavo)
Born: 1778 – Ambatomanoina
Died: August 16, 1861 – Rova of Antananarivo
It’s not easy to find right words to describe the rule of Ranavalona I, the Queen of Madagascar that’s up next in our list of most evil female rulers in history. Perhaps lunatic and erratic, would do the job. However, since history is written by the victors – European colonialist in this case – we could give a girl break! After all, she has preserved cultural heritage by insisting on tradition and by banishing Christianity far from the island. But where’s smoke, there’s fire! So, let’s take a peek into the XIX century Madagascar and life of one controversial queen! Our list of her deeds begins with the ridiculous 50 000–participants buffalo hunt, organized by Ranavalona herself, where roads and camps were built on the way, and a total of 10 000 people died due to starving and disease. In addition, no buffalo was harmed. Next in the line is some pretty gruesome method of execution that involves flaying your skin off while you’re alive. Other methods were equally horrible. Also, it seems that she didn’t have a good relationship with her in-laws, nor with the rest of her family, including her husband. Considering his death at the age of 36, and shortly after her coronation, one can assume that she has done her dirty work well. Her former lover is neck-speared because he didn’t want to do the ridiculous test of faithfulness, which included swallowing and throwing up chicken skins. To all appearances, she favored French fashion and men -one especially- despite her animosity toward Europeans. Jean Laborde -her favorite slave – is a mastermind of the industrial revolution that resulted in the production of weaponry, ammunition, and gunpowder. That’s how she kept the French and British forces off the island. Moreover, Ravalona’s restoration of slavery, which was the foundation of the state’s economy, caused many deaths. More than a 50 percent of the island’s population died due to the life under poor circumstances! As for Ranavalona – she died peacefully, in sleep, at the age of 83. And now, let’s see the number one in our list of most evil female rulers in history.
1.Wu Zeitan (Wu-hou, Wu Zao)
Born: AD 624 – Wenshui, China
Died: December 16, 705 – Luoyang,China
The cruelest female ruler on our list is definitely the Empress Wu Zeitan, a Chinese sovereign who interrupted the rule of the Tang dynasty and restored the Zhou dynasty. Her beauty, intelligence, and intriguing mind seduced both the Emperor Taizong and his son Li Zhi. Concubine with a serpent’s heart and wolf’s nature overcame all obstacles in her life. How, one might ask? The list of her vicious acts and ruthless deeds is endless. Perhaps being the first and only female emperor in Chinese history is too great a burden to bear? Her right hand was the spies, in other words – secret police that carried out interrogations, tortures, and killings of her potential rivals. She even set the copper mailboxes in front of the government buildings in order to inspire people to file a complaint against one another. Wu massacred vast part of the imperial family because she got scared of losing her power. She is responsible even for the death of her son, as well as her daughter who was strangled, believe it or not, by her! Because of this unimaginable crime, and the others that are as terrible as this one, the Empress Wu deserved the first place on our list of 10 most evil female rulers in history!
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