Empress - Atrocious

: Rumors followed Catherine throughout her life that she maintained a cabinet of deadly toxins, using poisoned gloves, perfumes, and books to silently dispatch her enemies. Ranavalona I : The Cruel Empress of Madagascar

: Wu began her court life as a low-ranking concubine to Emperor Taizong. After his death, she defied tradition by marrying his son, Emperor Gaozong. To eliminate her chief rival, Empress Wang, Wu reportedly strangled her own newborn daughter and framed Wang for the crime. atrocious empress

Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar (1788–1861 CE), often dubbed the "Mad Monarch," preserved her island's isolation through staggering brutality. She heavily utilized the tangena ordeal—forcing suspected traitors to swallow poison and three pieces of chicken skin. If they didn't vomit up all three pieces, they were executed. She also forced thousands of subjects into brutal forced-labor safaris, resulting in the deaths of over a third of her population during her reign. Myth vs. Reality: The Role of Propaganda : Rumors followed Catherine throughout her life that

Cixi was known for her staggering extravagance. She allegedly diverted funds meant for the modernization of the Chinese Navy to build a magnificent Marble Boat at the Summer Palace. Politically, she was a predator; she placed her nephew, the Guangxu Emperor, under house arrest for a decade when he attempted to modernize the government. In the final days of her life, she is rumored to have poisoned him with arsenic to ensure he would not outlive her and undo her legacy. The Architecture of Atrocity To eliminate her chief rival, Empress Wang, Wu

When her nephew, the Guangxu Emperor, attempted to modernize China through the "Hundred Days' Reform" in 1898, Cixi engineered a coup. She placed the Emperor under permanent house arrest on a secluded island and executed his reformist advisors. The Boxer Rebellion

This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later. Bad Girls Of History, How Wicked Were They? - NPR