When it comes to having a position that comes with extraordinary power, it seems as though being insane is also a job requirement. Some of us would survive when given the role of supreme leadership and maybe most of us would be incompetent at best. But as most of us know, incompetence is not just the worst trait a leader can have because some of them are so disturbed that they are totally dangerous.
In fact, several rulers through history let their powers get into their heads and went mad with it. That’s why in this article, we are going to list down the craziest leaders of all time. Because it turns out that with great power comes great responsibility, sadism, delusion, cruelty, and sexual deviancy.
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Emperor Justin II
Emperor Justin II is the Emperor of Byzantine from 565 to 576. And he reportedly lost his mind near the end of his reign. Emperor Justin II was said to be pushed around the palace on a wheelchair while he was snapping at his attendants as he passed by them. Some story says that he even ate a few of his attendants.
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Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire
Ibrahim, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, is known for having an obsession with fat women to the point where he instructed his men to track down the fattest women possible. It is also said that he drowned his 280 concubines in the ocean when he found out that they had slept with another man. History also say that Ibrahim regularly feeds coins to fish in the palace pool.
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King Charles VI of France
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Anna of Russia
Anna of Russia assumed her place on the throne because of the old nobles who believed that she would be a great figurehead. Anna of Russia was believed to love making cruel jokes especially on the nobles who appointed her.
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Erik XIV of Sweden
Erik XIV of Sweden is known to be insanely paranoid. Reports say that he was known to execute people who laughed in his presence. Erik XIV also believed that he was his own brother for some time. His thoughts and fears caught up to him and it eventually led him to commit suicide by drinking poison. He also accused the entire prominent Sture family of treason for no apparent reason and eventually, he sentenced them all to death and killed one of the family members personally.
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Farouk of Egypt
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Quin Shi Huang of China
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Joana of Castile
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Christian VII of Denmark
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Alexandra of Bavaria
Princess Alexandra of Bavaria grew up thinking that she swallowed an entire glass grand pianowhen she was a child and that the instrument was still inside of her. This resulted in her walking through doors sideways so that it would not damage the piano inside of her. She also had OCD. Alexandra was obsessed with cleanliness that’s why she only wore white clothes.
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Prince Sado of Korea
Prince Sado was also fond of torture, rape, and murder so much so that bodies were being carried out of his palace every day.
His father finally had enough of his vicious behavior and he decided to exile Prince Sado in a rice chest and left him to starve to death.