Ruthless Queens And Female Rulers

Elizabeth Báthory was a Hungarian noblewoman. She was born in Transylvania in 1560.Báthory became an infamous serial slayer.She used her power to defend herself. She killed servants and peasants for years. Her husband, Count Nádasdy, built his wife a torment chamber called Csejthe Castle.

Báthory also enjoyed feasting on her prey. She often bit and ate pieces of them while they lived. In one instance, she may have forced someone to cook and eat parts of their body. Her actions became so terrible that a trial occurred. She was found guilty on 80 counts but only received solitary confinement in her castle. She died three years later, in 1614.

Irene of Athens.Irene of Athens was a Byzantine empress. She ruled from 797 to 802 CE. She co-ruled with her son for nearly twenty years. Her son became Emperor Constantine VI. Their family relationship ended like a Greek tragedy.

Irene sought total control of the Byzantine Empire. Constantine was an unpopular emperor. Irene led a plot against her son with allies. The plot successfully deposed Constantine and subsequently blinded him.Constantine was blinded.Someone gouged his eyes on his mother's orders.

Throughout China's long history, only one woman held supreme power. She was Wu Zetian.Wu Zetian was Empress.Much controversy surrounds Wu Zetian's place in history.

Wu Zetian was an usurper by nature. Her reign featured political fighting and killings. She reportedly removed many Tang dynasty members to keep her status as empress and protect her siblings. Rumors claim she killed her mother and ordered two grandchildren to commit suicide for disagreeing with her.

Mary I did not get the nickname "Bloody Mary.She was a Catholic queen in a Protestant country. Mary I became queen of England in 1553. She was the first true queen of England, but her five-year reign was short.

Mary I started a war against Protestantism during her rule. Hundreds of Protestants died for heresy. The usual punishment for heresy in England was burning at the stake, and Mary ordered the burning of over 300 Protestants.Mary I burned over 300 Protestants.This made Mary I very unpopular in England. Her fight with Protestantism became the main part of her time as queen.

Queen Isabella co-ruled Spain with King Ferdinand II from 1451 to 1504. Her reign involved oppression. The notorious Spanish Inquisition began during her rule. She helped expel Spanish Jews and Muslims from the kingdom. In 1492, the same year she sponsored Columbus's trip, she ordered all Jewish citizens to either convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Jews from across the country were brought to the Spanish court.The Spanish Inquisition.The Spanish Inquisition began during her rule. She helped expel Spanish Jews and Muslims from the kingdom. In 1492, the same year she sponsored Columbus's trip, she ordered all Jewish citizens to either convert to Catholicism or be banished from the country. Jews from around the country were brought to the Spanish court.Jews from around the country were brought to the Spanish court.Doña Isabel de Castilla I told people to either join the Catholic Church or face expulsion immediately.

Columbus found the New World. He then started killing and enslaving people in Isabella's name. His New World trips caused the wiping out of the Arawak people.The Arawak people.This action ended millions of other Native peoples. This dark legacy follows both Columbus and Isabella today.

Queen Ranavalona I.Ranavalona ruled Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. European views colored much of what we know about her. Ranavalona remained a fierce leader who acted to protect her crown and kingdom.

After her husband, King Radama I, died, she quickly took over as ruler. She had her uncle executed.She executed her uncle to keep her position. Some accounts claim she killed his mother through extreme hunger to avoid breaking a rule about killing noblewomen.She eliminated his mother using starvation to keep from violating a decree about spilling noblewomen's blood.

Many stories about Princess Olga of Kyiv lack truth. We know she was a Ukrainian princess and the first female ruler in Russian history. She became queen regent.Olga of Kyiv served as queen regent.Olga became queen regent in 945 CE after Igor I was killed. Since their son was too young, she was crowned queen for him. She sought revenge for her husband's death. Olga ordered the men responsible captured and executed using scalding water.

Olga did not stop there. In her anger, she ordered the hundreds of people from the men's tribe taken as revenge for her husband. Some accounts suggest Olga buried the tribe leaders alive and planned to burn their entire town down. One story says she tricked the tribe leaders into a retreat, then locked them in a bathhouse and burned it.

After her revenge ended, Olga focused on Orthodox Christianity. Despite her past, she became the first person of Russian heritage to receive sainthood from the Orthodox Church.

Fredegund of Soissons.Fredegund was queen consort to King Chilperic I, who ruled from 561 to 584 CE. Fredegund came from humble beginnings. She quickly gained power in the small Frankish kingdom. She convinced Chilperic to leave his first wife and kill his second, securing her close bond with the king.

Galswintha's sister, Brunhild, was enraged when she learned of her sister's death. Brunhild married Sigebert I, the king of Austrasia and half-brother to Chilperic. A fierce fight started between the two queens. Fredegund ordered Sigebert's successful elimination.

Agrippina the Younger.Agrippina the Younger was ambitious, like Roman rulers. She became the first empress of Rome. She spent much early life trying to remove her predecessors. She believed she and her son had a birthright claim to the empire. She manipulated her uncle Claudius into changing Roman laws about marriage so they could wed.

Mystery surrounds Claudius's death. Some sources say Agrippina killed him. She ruled Rome with her son Nero starting from that point.She ruled from 49 to 54 CE.Nero tired of her manipulations and forced her out of power. She tried to organize political opponents against her son, and he expelled her.

After Mary, Queen of Scots, died,Queen Elizabeth I.Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister on the English throne. Elizabeth ended the oppression of England's Protestants. Then, she began oppressing the country's Catholics.

Law abolished the Catholic Church in England under Elizabeth. A new church replaced it, led by the English monarch. Any support for the Catholic Church became an unlawful offense. Catholics faced property confiscation, beatings, imprisonment, or execution.

When Catherine the Great first arrived in Russia, no one knew this German princess would rule all of Russia. She married Tsar Paul III, an unpopular leader. Paul III clashed with the Orthodox Church. His wife wrote in memoirs that he was a feeble-minded drunkard.

Catherine took a lover, Grigory Orlov. Together, they courted the military leadership and overthrew her husband. She was a skilled horse rider and personally led14,000 soldiers.She deposed the czar. Then, she wore a male uniform and declared herself empress of Russia.

Cleopatra is one of the most famous rulers of the ancient world. She was known for her cunning and beauty. Cleopatra was born around 70 BCE. She took the throne of Egypt in 51 BCE after her father, Ptolemy XII, died. Her brother's advisors made her flee the country soon after.Isabella of France.

Cleopatra sought aid from Julius Caesar. With the Roman army's help, she conquered Egypt. Caesar reinstated Cleopatra.Cleopatra as queen of Egypt; the rest is history.Cleopatra returned as queen of Egypt. The rest is history.

Isabella of France.Isabella of France had a complex relationship with her husband, King Edward II of England.Their relationship ended due to opposing politics and a loss of trust between them.Edward kept male favorites close, often as advisors. Hugh Despenser the Younger became the king's chamberlain in 1318. He immediately pushed Isabella out of the king's influence. Edward favored Despenser over Isabella, so the two rarely met. Eventually, Edward fought Charles IV of France, Isabella's brother. Isabella's lands were taken, and she left for France.

Edward kept male favorites close, often as advisors. Hugh Despenser the Younger became the king's chamberlain in 1318. 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.In 1318., and he immediately pushed Isabella out of the king's influence. Edward favored Despenser over Isabella, making them rarely together. Edward eventually fought Charles IV of France, Isabella's brother. Edward took Isabella's lands, and she left for France.

Edward refused to return her land and remove the Despenser. She and her brother invaded England and deposed the king. Edward III became the ruler of England.

Rani Lakshmibai, the Indian warrior queen of Jhansi, joined the 1857 revolution against British oppression right after they deposed her. She received training as ahorseback rider and sword-wielder.She trained from a young age. She quickly joined the fight for India's freedom.

British civilians died several times during this time. The British claim Rani oversaw these killings, and she died fighting them. India views her today as a hero against tyranny.