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Henry VIII (1491-1547) -

One of England’s most infamous monarchs, Henry VIII was a bloodthirsty tyrant who ordered two of his six wives be executed. In fact, he had an estimated 57,000 people executed during his 36-year reign.

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Henry VIII (1491-1547) -

Additionally, his extravagant lifestyle and fondness for foreign wars brought England to the verge of bankruptcy on several occasions.

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King Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909) -

King Leopold II committed considerable crimes in the Congo. He obtained the territory by international agreement and named it the Congo Free State (CFS). However, it wasn't a Belgian colony, but the king's personal monarchy.

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King Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909) -

As Leopold raked in the riches from the Congo's enormous reserves of copper, ivory, and rubber, the Congolese were ruled by terror. Mutilation was widely used as a punishment for workers who ran away or collected less than their quota.

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Ivan IV (1530-1584) -

Commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, the first tsar of all of Russia lived a life in constant danger thanks to a rivalry with the nobility. This gave him a lifelong hatred of nobles, which resulted in his ruthlessness.

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Ivan IV (1530-1584) -

Taking the land of nobles, he also condemned millions of Russians to a permanent state of serfdom and had many massacred as well. Ivan even beat up his own pregnant daughter-in-law and killed his son in a fit of rage.

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Mary I (1516-1558) -

The eldest daughter of Henry VIII was never meant to ascend the throne. However, Henry’s son, Edward VI, died young, and after the very brief reign of Lady Jane Grey, Mary became queen. But it wasn't a happy period for England.

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Mary I (1516-1558) -

A fanatic Catholic, Mary sought to bring England back into the fold of the Catholic Church. She had over 280 religious dissenters burned during her five-year rule, earning her the nickname Bloody Mary.

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Gaius Caligula (12–41 CE) -

While there are many horrible Roman rulers, Caligula's mad reign still sets a high standard. He set out specifically to intimidate and humiliate the senate, by killing senators and making his horse a consul.

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Gaius Caligula (12–41 CE) -

On top of that, Caligula used the treasury for lavish and useless spectacles, and instituted a reign of terror against the Roman people.

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King John (1166–1216) -

King John of England was a bad administrator and warrior, who lost all the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France.

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King John (1166–1216) -

Ironically, he was nicknamed John Lackland because he wasn't expected to inherit significant land. Losing land must've really made the nickname stick!

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Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) -

One of the most hated French monarchs in history, Austrian Marie Antoinette was wedded to the French king Louis XVI.

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Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) -

She believed that the French Bourbon monarchy had been ordained by God, and therefore she opposed the idea that she was equal to her subjects.

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King Richard II (1367–1400) -

King Richard II alienated the nobility and kept his friends close. He then taxed his people unfairly and seized land belonging to other nobles.

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King Richard II (1367–1400) -

Not happy with that, he also ended up in confrontation with Parliament over his demands for more money. He was later deposed by his cousin Henry IV.

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Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar (1778-1861) -

At a time when the Europeans had colonies around the world, Queen Ranavalona was able to keep Madagascar free. However, she maintained her power by retaining the loyalty of the Malagasy army and imposing regular periods of forced labor on the rest of the population instead of taxation.

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Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar (1778-1861) -

Having encouraged Christianity at the start of her reign, she later changed policy and instituted a ruthless persecution of Christians. It has been estimated that the population of her kingdom was halved during her reign.

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Charles X (1757-1836) -

Charles X was a deeply unpopular monarch who ruled over France for almost six years. He became the leader of the ultra-royalists, a radical monarchist faction within the French court that affirmed rule by divine right.

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Charles X (1757-1836) -

The French monarch also initiated the Conquest of Algeria, which blinded his subjects from the domestic affairs of the kingdom.

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Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) -

Ruling 16th-century Scotland was no easy task, and Mary showed none of her cousin Elizabeth I's political skill in defusing religious conflict.

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Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) -

Then, Mary's suspected involvement in the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley, seemed even more clear when she married the main suspect, Lord Bothwell, three months later. No wonder the Scots overthrew Mary and locked her up.

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Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) -

Elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1576, Rudolf II tore up the religious agreement that for the past 20 years had kept Germany's Catholics and Protestants in peace.

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Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) -

Embarking on a crusade to eradicate Protestantism from German towns and villages, he laid the foundations for the disastrous Thirty Years’ War.

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Edward II (1284-1327) -

Son of Edward I, Edward II was nothing like his father and relied heavily on the advice of his unpopular favorite, and suspected lover, Piers Gaveston. He was eventually forced by Parliament to agree to a number of humiliating restrictions on his power, including Gaveston’s execution.

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Edward II (1284-1327) -

After being defeated at the Battle of Bannockburn and losing the Duchy of Gascony in France, Edward’s wife Isabella turned against him. She invaded England with her lover, Roger Mortimer, and forced Edward to abdicate in favor of his son.

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Henry VI (1421-1471) -

The son of the warrior king Henry V and Catherine of Valois, the timid Henry VI was mentally ill and unsuited to be king. However, it was his destiny.

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Henry VI (1421-1471) -

During his time on the throne, Henry lost all the territory conquered by his father. The country also descended into the bloody conflict known as the Wars of the Roses.

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Richard III (1452-1485) -

Often described as cruel and ambitious, Richard III seized the throne following the death of his brother, Edward IV. Before he could do that though, there was the little matter of Edward’s children, Edward V and Richard. Both were imprisoned in the Tower of London and later mysteriously disappeared.

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Richard III (1452-1485) -

However, Richard's reign didn't last long, as he was killed in the Battle of Bosworth, fought against his rival Henry Tudor. This brought an end to the Plantagenet dynasty.

See also: The royal weddings that changed European history

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