Random Most Ruthless Queens And Female Rulers (14 items)

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  (#1) Elizabeth Báthory

  • Dec. at 54 (1560-1614)

  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. Eventually her conduct became so appalling that a trial was held. She was convicted on 80 counts but only sentenced to solitary imprisonment within her castle. She perished three years later, in 1614.
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  (#2) Wu Zetian

  • Dec. at 81 (624-705)

  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. 
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  (#3) Irene of Athens

  • Dec. at 51 (752-803)

  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. 
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  (#4) Mary I of England

  • Dec. at 42 (1516-1558)

  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. 
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  (#5) Doña Isabel de Castilla I, Queen Isabella I

  Queen Isabella co-ruled Spain with King Ferdinand II 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. 

  As for Columbus, he soon discovered the New World and immediately started slaying and enslaving people in Isabella's name. His expeditions to the New World directly led to the eradication of the Arawak people and the end of millions of other Native peoples, a dark legacy that follows both him and Isabella to this day. 
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  (#6) Ranavalona I

  • Dec. at 83 (1778-1861)

  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 I, 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.
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  (#7) Olga of Kiev

  • Dec. at 79 (890-969)

  There is a lot of mystery surrounding Princess Olga of Kiev, 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 I, 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. 

  She didn't stop there, however. In her fury, she ordered the hundreds of people from the men's tribe to be taken out in retribution for her husband. Some accounts suggest that Olga had the tribe leaders buried alive, and that she devised a plan to set their entire town ablaze. One story suggests she fooled the tribe leaders by inviting them to a retreat, then locked them in a bath house and burned it down. 

  Whatever really happened, Olga devoted herself to Orthodox Christianity shortly after her vengeance was complete. Despite her past, she eventually became the first person of Russian heritage to receive sainthood from the Orthodox Church. 
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  (#8) Fredegund

  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. 

  Galswintha's sister, Brunhild, was furious when she learned of her sister's demise. She was the wife of Sigebert I, the king of Austrasia and half-brother to Chilperic. A fierce rivalry erupted between the two queens, and Fredegund ordered the successful elimination of Sigebert.
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  (#9) Agrippina the Younger

  • Dec. at 44 (15-59)

  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. 
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  (#10) Elizabeth I of England

  • Dec. at 70 (1533-1603)

  After Mary, Queen of Scots, was ended, Queen Elizabeth I 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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  (#11) Empress Catherine The Great Of Russia Organized A Coup Against Her Husband

  When Catherine the Great first arrived in Russia, no one knew that this relatively unimportant German princess would one day rule all of Russia. She was eventually married to Tsar Paul III, who was an unpopular leader in Russia. He had run afoul of the Orthodox Church, and even his own wife wrote in memoirs that he was a feeble-minded drunkard. 

  Catherine took on a lover, Grigory Orlov, and together they were able to court the country's military leadership and overthrow her husband. She was a talented horseback rider and personally led 14,000 soldiers to depose the czar. Afterwards, she donned a male uniform and declared herself the empress of Russia. 
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  (#12) Isabella of France

  • Dec. at 66 (1292-1358)

  Isabella of France had a complicated relationship with her husband, King Edward II of England. Their relationship would end over their opposing politics and a breakdown of trust in each other.

  Edward was known to keep male favorites close to him, often as advisors. Hugh Despenser the Younger became the king's chamberlain in 1318, and he immediately began to push Isabella out of the king's sphere of influence. Edward began to favor Despenser over Isabella, to the point that the two were rarely ever together at all. Eventually Edward faced conflict with Charles IV of France, Isabella's brother. Isabella's lands were confiscated, and she left for France.

  After Edward refused to return her land and get rid of Despenser, she and her brother invaded England and deposed the king. Their son, Edward III, was then named as ruler of England.
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  (#13) Cleopatra

  • Dec. at 39 (68 BC-29 BC)

  Cleopatra is one of the most famous rulers of the ancient world, renowned for her cunningness and beauty. Born around 70 BCE, she ascended to the throne of Egypt in 51 BCE after her father, Ptolemy XII, passed. Unfortunately, her brother's advisors forced her to flee the country shortly after. 

  Cleopatra went to Julius Caesar for aid and, with the help of the Roman army, managed to conquer Egypt. Caesar reinstated Cleopatra as queen of Egypt, and the rest is history. 
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  (#14) Rani Lakshmibai

  • Dec. at 30 (1828-1858)

  The Indian warrior queen Rani of Jhansi is known for joining the revolution against British oppression in 1857, shortly after they deposed the queen. Rani was trained as a horseback rider and sword-wielder from a young age, and she was quick to join the fight for India's freedom. 

  Several slayings of British civilians occurred during this period, and whether or not Rani was involved is disputed. The British certainly believe she oversaw the slayings, and she ultimately perished fighting against them. She is viewed today as a hero in India against tyranny. 

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