10 Historical Backstabs That Backfired Big Time

You probably know him from his movie role.300He played the severely deformed Spartan seeking peer acceptance. When Leonidas rejected him, Ephialtes changed his cloak from crimson to black and led Xerxes’s men through a hidden pass to flank the Spartans. The movie includes some true story elements; much of it is made up.This is the point of deviation from history in the picture.This shows the point of deviation from history in that picture.

Ephialtes was not Spartan, nor was he disfigured. Sources offer no mention of it. He was just an average person who saw a chance to get rich fast by hurting his Greek comrades.

Like the film, he offered Xerxes and led some men around the Greek army to win. Leonidas, disappointed, said of the betrayal, “You there, Ephialtes, may you live forever.”

In a way, he did. Today, the word "ephialtes" means "nightmare," referencing treachery many centuries later. But his life did not last long.Ephialtes means "nightmare," referencing treachery unforgotten centuries later.His mortal life did not last long.

His riches plan failed when the Persian fleet sank at Salamis and the expedition ended at Plataea. Fearing revenge, he ran north to Thessaly, but Greek leaders at Pylai put a bounty on his head. Athenades killed him, not for the bounty. Still, the grateful Spartans rewarded Athenades.The Spartans still rewarded Athenades..

By the 5th century CE, the Roman Empire had seen worse days. The western part of it was especially bad; the east still had life. Barbarians, corruption, and famine made the empire ready for plunder. Warlord Attila entered.

The Hun king swept through western Europe, robbing what is now France. A group of Visigoths, Saxons, Alans, and Romans, led by Roman general Flavius Aetius, stopped the invasion at the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields.Battle of the Catalaunian FieldsThis happened in the summer of 451 CE. He barely stopped another Hunnic attack into Italy the next year.

Flavius Aetius rewarded his great service to Rome with treachery from the emperor.Valentinian III. Believing Aetius planned to put his son on the throne instead of Valentinian’s firstborn, the emperor planned to kill the last great Roman general. He called the general in and accused him of fake charges of drunkenness and disobedience, which Aetius denied. Valentinian and a court chamberlain Heraculis killed the general. After the emperor thought about the act, one source says a courtier apparentlysaid to him:

You just cut off your right hand with your left.

The bad prediction came true; Valentinian’s time ended. Less than six months later, two of Aetius’s subordinates got revenge on Valentinian and Heraculis. They attacked and killed the emperor and his chamberlain in broad daylight at the Campus Martius. Many nearby guards did not move to help Valentinian.

Think of the Renaissance; Florence, Italy, comes to mind first. Though a republic in name, the city operated under the Cosimo de Medici ruled Florence as the real leader for 30 years until he died in 1464.Cosimo de Medici ruled Florence as the actual leader for 30 years until he died in 1464.

Pope Sixtus approved removing the Medicis from power and promised to work with whomever ousted them. The plan was simple: assassinate Lorenzo, the current ruler, and his younger brother Guiliano. They planned to kill the siblings at once and attack outside the city walls. However, the brothers did not cooperate and kept separating during the planned attacks. After months of waiting (and seeing Guiliano wouldn't be at the feast), the plotters attacked the Medicis during Mass at the last minute.Francesco Pazzi killed Guiliano at the scene, stabbing him 19 times. Lorenzo escaped the ambush with only a small neck wound. During the attack, Jacopo Pazzi was supposed to stir up the city against the Medicis. Soon, he saw the Pazzi family greatly underestimated public support for the Medicis. An angry mob dragged Francesco from his bed and hung him with other conspirators. Jacopo fled but was captured and executed with many family members. Death alone was not enough punishment for Jacopo.They planned to knock the Medicis from their power.

Pope Sixtus supported removing the Medicis. He promised to work with anyone who took them out (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). The plan aimed to kill Lorenzo, the current ruler, and his brother Guiliano. They planned to finish the brothers at once and strike outside the city walls. The brothers resisted and kept separating during the planned attacks. After months of waiting—and seeing Guiliano would miss the feast they planned—the plotters attacked the Medicis during Mass.

Guiliano died there, stabbed 19 times, with Francesco Pazzi delivering the final blow. Lorenzo escaped the ambush with only a small neck wound. During the attack, Jacopo Pazzi Jacopo Pazzi intended to rally the city against the Medicis. Soon, he saw the Pazzi family underestimated the public support for the Medicis. An angry mob dragged Francesco from his bed and hung him with other conspirators. Jacopo fled the city but was caught and executed with many family members. However, death did not stop the punishment for Jacopo.

They dug up Jacopo’s body from the Pazzi family tomb and reburied him outside the city walls. Local children unearthed the remains, dragged Jacopo back through the city, and threw him into the Arno River.

The Pazzi Conspiracy to destroy the Medici family failed badly. The scheme actually strengthened the Medicis' control over Florence. Surviving Pazzi family members also faced banishment from Florence. Pope Sixtus showed little sympathy for the Medicis when he died a few years later, with an envoy remarking:

Today at 5 o'clock His Holiness Sixtus IV left this life—may God forgive him!

Toyotomi Hideyoshi aimed to be emperor of China, not just unify Japan. He started by conquering Korea in 1592. Tens of thousands of battle-hardened samurai swept through the peninsula, reaching Seoul in just 19 days. However, the invasion stopped because they could not secure a reliable supply route.

The cause of the breakdown involved one outstanding Korean admiral namedYi Sun-sin.he inflicted a series ofcatastrophic defeats.upon the Japanese fleet. Yi achieved dazzling victories with few losses (not bad for someone with no prior naval experience). Great acclaim brought jealousy, and Won Gyun, another officer, wanted Yi’s position because he was involved ina plot.to remove Yi from command.

When Yi was imprisoned for disobeying orders that would have sent his fleet into a trap, Won took charge. In his sole naval battle as commander, he fell for a trick by his Japanese counterpart and lost almost all of the Korean navy's warships, keeping only 12. The unlucky commander did not live through the battle, but Yi's allies in court convinced the king Yi was innocent.

After Yi returned to his post, orders told him to sink the few remaining ships. Instead, Yi took the fleet's remnants and won his biggest victory, even though he faced more than ten-to-one odds. A year later, Yi died in the final fight. He led from the front and took a stray bullet. As he died below deck, his nephew put on his armor to take his place and see the victory through.

Yi Sun-sin died a hero.his statue.stands in the Korean capital.Won Gyun’s tomb.is much simpler.

The eldest son ofAlexander the Great's bodyguard.and later ruler of Egypt. Ptolemy Ceraunus (also written as Keraunos) did not get the Egyptian throne; his younger brother Philadelphus ruled as Ptolemy II.

Ceranus means “thunderbolt,” a note on his impatient nature. After losing his inheritance, he joined another Alexander successor, Seleucus (pictured), to overthrow another Alexandrian, Lysimachus, and claim his land. After Lysimachus fell, Seleucus and Ceraunus met at a temple to pay tribute to the gods and plan their next move. Impatient Ceraunus stabbed his patron in the back and took Lysimachus’s kingdom.

To finalize the deal, he offered to marry Lysimachus's widow, his own half-sisterArsinoe.(Inbreeding was popular among the diadochi). She agreed if her children survived. At the wedding, Ceraunus showed you cannot fool a kid—even with kids involved—and killed two of his nephews. Arsinoe fled to Egypt, where she married her full-brother Ptolemy II, a third time.

Treachery might have given Ceraunus a crown, but it did not help him keep it. His shady actions created many enemies and few friends. He stopped the first threats to his throne, but the disorder brought an army ofGalatians.(Celts who moved to Asia Minor) swarmed in.

Ceraunus refused to help neighboring tribes, signing his own death warrant. His allies became enemies and joined the Galatian king Bolgius. Battle defeated Ceraunus; victorious Celts mounted his head on a spear. This marked an ignoble end for an ignoble career.

Lü Bu was a legendary ancient Chinese general and warrior. His fighting skill matched his skill at betrayal. During theThree Kingdoms.he was one warlord fighting for control after theHan Dynasty's.fall.

Actual historical sources about his life were written much later. They have not yet been fully translated into English. Much of his story comes from the 14th-century novelThe Romance of the Three Kingdoms., a version showing the events. Take this item with caution.

Lü Bu started as an officer for a magistrate namedDing Yuan.. Lü Bu became Ding Yuan's adopted son. When the warlord Dong Zhuo appeared, Lü Bu seized the chance to betray his adopted father for the best horse and a place with Dong Zhuo. Lü Bu cut off Ding Yuan's head and became Dong Zhuo's foster son. He served his new master well for a time.

The novel suggests Lü Bu's wandering eye led to an affair with one of Dong Zhuo's maids, causing a split between father and adopted son. Actual histories do not mention this. Still, a novel needs a romantic side plot. Whatever the truth, Lü Bu did what he did best: hebetrayed.He killed his adopted father.

Dong Zhuo was a brutal warlord. China did not mourn his death much. Lü Bu moved from warlord to warlord for years. Two subordinates caught him sleeping and brought him to another great warlord, Cao Cao. When Lü Bu complained about his tight bonds, Cao Cao, who knew trickery well, said binding a tiger must be tight.

Lü Bu asked for his life, offering to serve Cao Cao. Liu Bei advised against it, which Lü Bu called 'big ears.' Those ears ignored Lü Bu's pleas for mercy, and the tiger died strangled by Cao Cao's orders.

Marcus Junius Brutus.Marcus Junius Brutus is famous for the plot to kill Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BCE. He formed a group with his brother-in-law Gaius Cassius Longius to stop Julius Caesar from ending the Roman Republic. Some plotters acted out of personal anger or ambition, but this group saw itself as liberators.

The plotters struck in the Theater of Pompey, which Pompey built.Pompey.The Great (Caesar’s old ally, turned son-in-law, turned enemy). Julius Caesar suffered 23 stab wounds, but no one struck the final blow, and we do not know if he said his last words.Caesar spoke his last words.The story of Caesar’s last words is not as dramatic as people think.

Brutus messed up by leaving Caesar’s right-hand man Mark Antony alive. The conspirators badly misjudged public reaction to Caesar’s murder. Caesar’s populist actions gave him public support, so the news of his death was not well received. The Senate House burned, and the Liberators fled the city.

Brutus and Cassius raised an army in Greece, but Mark Antony and Octavian—Caesar’s nephew and heir—defeated them over two battles at Philippi.Two fights at Philippi happened.

Cassius killed himself after the first battle. He wrongly thought Brutus lost too, and everything ended. Brutus met the same end the next day with the army's leftovers. The final blow was that the Roman Republic they fought for did not last long. Augustus, who became Octavian, took power after winning a fight against Mark Antony.

In 1582 CE, the fearsome Japanese warlord...Oda Nobunaga.Oda Nobunaga was close to unifying Japan. Hearing about a siege stalling in the west, he ordered his top general, Akechi Mitsuhide, to gather his troops. While Oda stayed at the Honno-ji temple in Kyoto, Akechi made his move. Akechi turned on his master andOda Nobunaga crushed the few followers he had.Oda had soldiers ready. Losing the fight, Oda burned the temple and took his life. Akechi’s forces killed his eldest son and heir, Nobuatda, shortly after.

Historians debate why Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed Oda Nobunaga. Some suggest Oda killed Akechi’s mother. Oda treated his subordinates badly. The sacrilegious temple burning demanded revenge. Oda even asked Akechi to stop if he got too harsh. That last reason seems weak.

Akechi likely saw a chance to take power and seized it. This time period had many sudden betrayals, and Akechi’s turn was neither the first nor the last during the Sengoku period.

Oda Nobunaga was gone. Akechi Mitsuhide thought he would finish what his master started and rule Japan. But he had only a week for his gains. News of Oda’s death sparked action from another subordinate.

Toyotomi HideyoshiUnder Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi rose from a peasant carrying Oda’s sandals to become his top subordinate general. Oda’s “little monkey” acted fast. He ended the siege by offering lenient terms to the castle commander. Hideyoshi then turned his army to face his treacherous former colleague.

A few days later, Toyotomi’s forces broke Akechi’s troops atYamazakiAkechi fled the scene. A bandit leader killed him less than a month after Akechi betrayed Oda Nobunaga while fleeing the country.

Artabanus (sometimes written as Artapanus) commanded thePersian King XerxesArtabanus served Xerxes’s personal guard and acted as one of his most trusted advisors. After the Greek expedition failed and a costly building program emptied the empire’s money, people targeted Xerxes.

A conspiracy involved Artabanus, Xerxes’s son-in-law.Megabyzus, and a scheming court eunuch named Aspamitres plotted to kill Xerxes and blame the eldest son, Darius. Megabyzus became angry because Xerxes would not punish his daughter for wandering. Artabanus lost trust in the king. Aspamitres had his own motives.

The plotters promised loyalty to each other; the plan worked perfectly. Artabanus likely struck the coup de grâce, though the exact details are unknown. The unfortunate Darius was executed by his younger brother Artaxerxes for his "crime," despite strong denials. We do not know if Artaxerxes truly believed his brother was guilty or acted for self-interest.

The old group regrouped to kill the new king, not satisfied with one murder. Artabanus soon learned that vows mean little among backstabbers. Megabyzus sold out both Artabanus and Aspamitres to gain favor with Artaxerxes. Artabanus faced swift execution while Aspamitres wasleft to rot:

Aspamitres took part in the murders of Xerxes; Dariaeus faced cruel death.

Ottoman sultanOsman II’s nickname is "the young," so his story likely lacks a happy ending. The 13-year-old sultan took the throne, replacing his uncle Mustafa. Secret plans showed Mustafa was declared mentally unfit and locked in his palace room. His teenage replacement had grand plans too big for his inner circle.

Osman was not impressed with the performance ofthe JanissariesThe elite personal guard of the sultan, drawn from Balkan subjects, replaced them with a new army made from Anatolian peasants during a campaign. He also planned to move the capital from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to Damascus, focusing more on the empire's eastern half. The Janissaries, led by Davud Pasha, moved fast and toppled the teenager once they learned of the plan.

Osman wasunceremoniously seizedand dragged through the city like a common thief. Hostile crowds showed little sympathy for their ruler’s troubles. Mustafa, severely malnourished and dehydrated from captivity, was found and returned to the throne. Davud Pasha ordered Osman's execution, but the former sultan fought the attempts. They took him to a dungeon in Yedikule (the fortress of seven towers) to await his end. For his betrayal, Davud Pasha received a plum post in the new government:Grand Vizier.

Osman kept fighting his captor's death attempts. A cavalry officer named Kalendar finally subdued him by squeezing his crown jewels, killing him in the process. The palace's chief armorer strangled the weakened Osman, ending his life in the most painful and humiliating way. They sliced off one of his ears as proof he was dead.

The defiling of a sultan got an answer. All ringleaders involved in Osman’s death faced consequences.met sticky ends. Davud Pasha's time at the top ended in weeks. He acted too quickly by killing the sultan without the new ruler's approval. He was quickly arrested and got his comeuppance. Kalendar's time was also short, and his end was worse. After his execution, they did not give him a proper burial. Instead, they threw his body into the Bosphorus like a dead dog.