Who was the most bloodthirsty & cruel monarch in history?

Answer 1

So many to choose from................and, of course, many would point the finger towards legendary candidates such as Genghis Khan, Vlad the Impaler and Nero.

However, for my money, you have to move to the modern age, where the slaughter was carried out on an industrial scale.

1. Pol Pot's regime was responsible for the deaths of over one million people (Link 1)

2. The scale and inhumanity of Heinrich Himmler's "Sonderbehandlung" is still absolutely mind-boggling to me (Link 2)

3. Idi Amin is estimated to have killed around 300,000 people during his regime in Uganda (Link 3)

However, your question, (now I've read it again), relates to monarchs. So my vote goes to Leopold II of Belgium whose pillaging of the Congo basin led to the deaths of between 5 and 15 million people and also resulted in the publication of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". (Link 4)

Answer 2

Since you want a monarch, I would have to go with Ivan the Terrible. In 1581, he beat his own daughter, while she was pregnant, for wearing immodest clothing. He then got into an argument with his son over this incident and "accidentally" killed him. Prior to that, he had the entire city of Novgorod destroyed. It is believed that between 30 and 40,000 people were massacred. The official death toll was put at 1,500 important people and about the same number of lesser people. Ivan gets my pick as the most cruel monarch.

Answer 3

The way they teach history every one seems bloodthirsty. Monarchs aren't known for there benevolence you know.

Answer 4

Attila the Hun

Answer 5

Tamerlane erected a pyrimid consisting of 50,000 skulls. All in a days work.

Answer 6

JAPAN Emperor Hirohito,who died at age 89,sent millions to invaded Asia in WW2 and caused misery to millions others including U.S gi...but never martial court because of U.S policy...

Answer 7

I want to say Hitler, but Saddam was pretty blood thirsty and Bin Laden is up there too.

Answer 8

God