The Craziest Monarchs Of All Time

1. Ghengis Khan - Mongolia

Image source/ mentalflossGhengis Khan is somebody that everybody has heard of, he has become one of the most famous and terrible Emperors in the entire history of the world. He conquered and created the biggest empire in the world. His army killed hundreds of thousands of people.

2. Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon

Image source/ mytholgian

Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon was the king from 604 to 562 B.C. And he was certainly known for his insanity during his reign. He deemed himself some sort of animal and started acting as such for several years and actually left his palace to go and live in the wild.

3. Emperor Caligula - Italy

Image source/ BrittanicaEmperor Caligula was the Roman Emperor known for being ruthless and blood thirsty. History also paints him as a sexual deviant. Caligula controlled the Empire of Rome for around four years before he was assassinated by (very ironically) his own protection guards - which illustrates his popularity.

4. Timur - Uzbekistan

Image source/ thousandwondersTimur was an Emperor from what is now called Uzbekistan. He sieged cities and conquered cities to then declare himself the leader of the Mongol Empire. He like many Emperors of the time was ruthless and willing to slay anyone to achieve great power and status.

5. Emperor Nero - Italy

Image source/ galleryhistoryHis own mother poisoned her husband so that she was free to marry an emperor. Then Nero after she proved useful to him, ordered the stabbing of his own mother to kill her when the two of them became oppositions and she started to support her stepson when Nero turned against her.

6. Ivan the Terrible - Russia

Image source/ allthatsinterestingHe was justly names, Ivan the terrible. And this name was not given lightly. He was completely crazy, killing and murdering everyone in his wake - including murdering his own son and mother in cold blood, and beating his daughter in law and causing a miscarriage. He murdered around 30,000 people.

7. Emperor Diocletian - Italy

Image source/ ancient originsEmperor Diocletian was the Emperor of Rome. He is known today throughout history as the persecutor of Christians. He actually burned people of the Christian faith alive. He wanted to protect the Roman religion and stop the other influences from weaking the Empire of Rome.

8. Sultan Murad IV - Turkey

Image source/ pinterestSultan Murad carried the weight of being the Emperor of the Ottoman empire from the age of just 11 years old. As he grew he realised how much the empire was in chaos. And he basically killed anybody who threatened the empire in any way or displayed slight disloyalty to it.

9. King Henry VIII - Britain

Image source/ historytodayWe've all heard the rhyme... Henry the Eight was renowned for killing his wives by having them beheaded. This treatment was not reserved for his wives by any means. It is thought that under Henry VIII's reign he ordered the death/ was responsible for killing around 72,000 people.

10. Phalaris - Greece

Image source/ archaicnowHis reign lasted from 570 and 554 B.C in what was then the Greek owned island of Sicily. Phalaris loved to come up with new evil and macabre ways that he could kill or have people killed. He even invented his new method of torture known as the Brazen Bull...

11. Wu Zetian - China

Image source/ hubslgWu Zeitan was a female Emperor and was seen as a rebel figure of China. She was willing to kill absolutely anybody who stood on her way of power. She had two rival women killed AND worst of all she killed her own daughter to blame it on her opposition so that she could ruin their name.

12. Prince Vlad Dracula - Wallachia

Image source/ YfdPrince Vlad went by the name Prince Vlad Dracula as well as Prince Vlad the Impaler. His tyranny was always criticised by fellow European leaders at the time. He fought gruesomely against the Ottoman Empire. He killed countless people and impaled all of the royals.

13. Ranavalona I - Madagascar

Image source/ historyarchivesRanavalona I was also known as the "Mad Monarch of Madagascar." She ruled Madagascar the African island for 33 years and in that time, she killed a shocking 75% of her own population. She became the ruler of the island from a poor family, unlike the majority of monarchs.

14. King Richard III - Britain

Image source/ back2booksKing Richard has been remembered as a villain after Shakespeare featured him as such in his works. In reality, he was much worse. Another thing he is remembered for is killing two rival princes despite the fact that there is concrete evidence that this is true.

15. King John Of England - England

Image source/ PinterestAgain, King John of England may seem familiar to many people not just because of his terrible reign in history but also because of his portrayal as the villain in Robin Hood. Alongside killing many people, he also starved his own wife to death and murdered his own nephew.

16. King Rudolf II - Croatia

Image source/ mentalflossKing Rudolf II like many on this list, has been remembered as a crazy king after his reign. He wanted to supress the Protestants. His campaign of recession led to a war which then lasted a gruelling 33 years and wiped out a lot of Europe's population as a result of it.

17. Joan - France

Image source/ queenslog

Joanna of Castile (known as Juana la Loca) was a queen suffered an entire life being kept imprisoned. For a variety of reasons and deeming her insane she was locked up out of sight. First her mother kept her hostage, followed by her husband and then her own son.

18. George III of England

Image source/ PinterestGeorge III was ruler during a very tense period in History. In Percey Shelley's famous poem Ozymandias he is described as 'an old, mad, blind, despised, and dying king' of which he has come to be remembered. He suffered from mental illness which caused paranoia, hallucinations etc.

19. Carlota - Mexico

Image source/ royalsfanShe married Maximilian who was the archduke of Austria. The two of them rallied support and some supported Maximillian becoming the emperor backed by conservatives and French troops but they failed to win over the Mexican people. She spiralled into a descent of poor mental health and was institutionalised.

20. Ludwig II - Bavaria

Image source/ PinterestLudwig of II Bavaria was deemed a mad king...whether or not he really cannot be truly known. Ludwig was one of Wagner's biggest supports, as well as being a major patron of the arts in general and especially opera. However, he was then filed unfit to rule - without a medical examination.

21. Peter III - Russia

Image source/ archivenowPeter III was said to be a crazy king. Again, that cannot be said in concrete fact, but during his time as Emperor (which was only about 6 months) he did not seem keen to rule. In fact, his ruthless wife took the throne from him, and he actually seemed relieved. He then very mysteriously died.

22. Princess Alexandra Amalie - Bavaria

Image source/ history.comPrincess Alexendra Amalie was medically pronounced as being mentally unwell. In fact, she thought that she had actually swallowed a glass piano. She also displayed OCD tendencies which were not of course recognised for what they were and were instead called 'madness'.

23. Otto - Bavaria

Image source/ PinterestOtto of Bavaria was not exactly given a chance to rule. And so, thankfully unlike many in this list he did not commit bloodthirsty or ruthless acts of power. Sadly, he lived at Fürstenried Palace where he was confined because of his mental illness, and it was decided he was unfit.

24. Juana of Castile - France

Image source/ mentalflossJuana was named 'Joan the mad'. She was married to 'Phillipe the handsome' who she was utterly obsessed with, and many historians believe she was also a necrophiliac. When he died - she could not get over his death and would frequently caress his decaying corpse.

25. Charles VI of France

Image source/ PinterestCharles VI of France also became known as Charles the mad. Historians who have studied him believe that he had schizophrenia which was not understood then. Charles took an army against him, and then fell into a coma and was removed from power and deemed too mad to rule.

26. Carlos II of Spain

Image source/ kingsandqueensCarlos II of Spain had an unfortunate time during his life and his rule. He was born severely disfigured due to inbreeding, and he was thought of as an idiot because he had never been taught anything. He actually considered himself bewitched due to his suffering.

27. Afonso VI - Portugal

Image source/ theroyalhistoryAfonso VI was born disabled, paralysed on his left side as well as mentally disabled. His two other siblings died to which he actually rejoiced as it meant that he would then become king, which he did. He was known for his gluttony and for being extremely savage.

28. Charles IX - France

Image source/ PinterestCharles IX of France could be brutal, his savage actions were taken out on those in his own court sometimes and even his own sister. It was said that he had periods of sadism. During his own rule, it was his mother who took the power and made the decisions for him.

29. Justin II - Byzantine

Image source/ wikipediaJustin II of Byzantine was the Emperor of Rome, who lost a lot of Italy to Persia which did not make him the most popular of Emperor's. He also suffered with voices in his head and would hide under his bed whilst his servants had to play organ music to quell the noises for him.

30. Christian VII - Denmark

Image source/ HistorytodayChristian VII of Denmark was a ruler who everybody thought was completely crazy - sometimes he'd throw food at his dinner guests or randomly slap people in the face whilst they were in the middle of talking for no apparent reason. These were amongst many of his strange ways.

31. Prince Sado - Korea

Image Source / Naked HistoryPrince Sado began his life being hated by his father. He was often shouted at and stopped from going out to court events. With Sado's later insanity, you have to wonder whether his father's cruel treatment pushed him to it. Whatever the reason, Sado assaulted and murdered servants. He died after being locked in a chest for either days.

32. King Eric - Sweden

Image Source / WikipediaKing Eric could be referred to as a little bit paranoid - and it's this paranoia that drove him mad. In his kingdom, it was treason to whisper, laugh or even smile. He even sent his own (innocent) family to prison before murdering them. He disappeared for three days after the murders, and eventually died from poisoned soup.

33. Emporer Qianfei - China

Image Source / TopTenzEmporer Qianfei was the ruler of the Chinee Liu Song dynasty. During his reign, he murdered his brother and put his uncles in cages. If that's not enough, he also created his own concoction of "picked ghost eyes": the eyes he'd scooped out of a man and placed in honey. Nice. He was later murdered by his servants.

34. The Zhengde Emperor - China

Image Source / Assassin's Creed Wiki - FandomThis particular ruler enjoyed risking the lives - and wasting the time - of his military men by sending them on pointless missions. He also seemed to have an imaginary friend named General Zhu Shou, who he ordered about, too. A eunuch was employed to manage his affairs, who was later executed and then cut into pieces.

35. Adolf Hitler - Germany

Image Source / WikipediaCrazy is the nicest thing you could say about Adolf Hitler. This German ruler and leader of the Nazi party started a World War, was responsible for the deaths of 50 million people as well as the running of death and concentration camps. The horrific things that this 'ruler' and his Nazi party did can't be summarised.

36. Henry VI - England

Image Source / Encyclopedia BritannicaHenry VI was already king before his very first birthday, and in his later life, he ended up losing land in a war with France as he battled mental illness. He later had a full mental breakdown and was unable to communicate. The rest of his life consisted of being deposed, exiled, returned to the throne, imprisoned again and then murdered.

37. Elagabus - Roman Empire

Image Source / Encyclopedia BritannicaA 14-year-old newly-appointed-to-the-throne Elagabus decided to use his newfound power to satisfy his base desires: sex sex sex! He disguised himself in order to go to brothels, and he was married at least five times. His legend includes the possibility that he also married men, and was also transgender.

38. Commodus - Roman Empire

Image Source / UNRV.comYou might recognise this name if you're a fan of the movie Gladiator, as Commodus was known as a particularly despicable Roman ruler. But he was even worse than his movie counterpart. He enjoyed fighting in the arena, including animals and injured soldiers to give himself the advantage. He charged the people of Rome for the honour of watching him fight.

39. Ibrahim - Ottoman Empire

Image Source / FactinateIbrahim started out life being imprisoned while his brother ruled the empire. His brother himself went a bit crazy and decided to kill all his brothers - apart from Ibrahim. Ibrahim came to power when his murdering brother died, and he ignored the 'boring' ruling of the empire to spend time with hundreds of mistresses. He nearly bankrupted the empire before being executed.

40. King Farouk - Egypt

Image Source / WikipediaKing Farouk enjoyed a very, very extravagant diet that saw him extremely overweight. His menu plan included 600 oysters a week delivered from Copenhagen. His famous gluttony came alongside his tendencies to steal, including from his subjects. He died after collapsing on a plate of food. Fitting.

41. Anna Of Russia

Image Source / List25When Anna of Russia was given the throne by some old noble people, it was hoped she'd be a ruler without any real power. Instead, she gained that power by wooing guards. She was also a fan of pretty horrid jokes - particularly on those who appointed her to the throne.

42. Ferdinand I of Austria

Image Source / List25Ferdinand I's life was doomed to fail before it had began. He was conceived and born as a result of inbreeding, which meant he had further problems, including barely speaking, having epilepsy and swelling of the brain. It's said the only words he ever said were a demand for dumplings.

43. Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia

Image Source / List25Friedrich Wilhelm I's primary goal was building the biggest and best army. He was obsessed with it on a crazy level. And if you're thinking 'biggest' means the amount of soldiers - nope, it actually means tallest. He liked tall people, and would even encourage - and by that we mean force - tall people to have kids together.

44. Qin Shi Huang of China

Image Source / List25Qin Shi Huang was more than a little paranoid about being assassinated (but you can't really blame a ruler for that). He was so scared of it that he refused to sleep in the same place twice. The crazy thing was that he wasn't just afraid of people assassinating him - he was also afraid of giant sea monsters.

45. Juana I of Spain

Image Source / List25Juana I of Spain was also known as Juana the Mad - which just about sums it up. She was obsessed with the fear of her husband cheating on her - so much so that even after he'd died, she would protect his corpse from other women coming to visit him. She wouldn't even let nuns visit it.

46. Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg

Image Source / List25Maria Eleonora's madness came from her children - specifically, the fact that she really wanted a son and went a little crazy when she had a daughter. The king was happy with a little girl, but Maria? Not so much. She actually tried to kill her daughter more than once (she survived).

47. Fyodor I of Russia

Image Source / List25Another crazy ruler whose madness stemmed from their child, Fyodor I of Russia suffered the loss of his daughter when she died at two years old. Afterwards, he began wandering around the country, ringing every church bell he found. He became known as Fyodor the Bellringer.

48. Queen Maria I of Portugal

Image Source / List25Queen Maria I of Portugal did not take the death of her entire family well (but who would?). When her husband, son and daughter all died, she went insane and began screaming non-stop and also began wearing kid's clothes.

49. Afonso VI of Portugal

Image Source / List25This ruler was sadly left paralyzed on one side of his body due to a disease he had as a child. When he grew up, he became known as a crazy king and on the gluttonous side. He eventually ended up having to be confined, where he would take to pacing about.

50. Sultan Ibraham I - Ottoman Empire

Image Source / FactinateThis sultan wasted no time in almost collapsing the entire empire. He had a particular obsession with extremely fat women, and gave the biggest a government pension. His other pastimes included drowning over 200 members of his harem in the sea and feeding coins to his fish.