10 Real Life BRUTAL Revenge Kills
advertisement
VOICE OVER: Peter DeGiglio
WRITTEN BY: Aidan Johnson
Revenge is a dish best served brutal. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at history's most personal and targeted revenge kills, rather than indiscriminate ones. Our countdown of brutal revenge kills in history includes Leon Trotsky, Pierre Picaud, The 47 Ronin, and more!
10 Brutal Revenge Kills in History
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at history’s most personal and targeted revenge kills, rather than indiscriminate ones.
Trotsky
Leon Trotsky was a Russian revolutionary and the right hand of Vladimir Lenin, the first dictator of the Soviet Union. They were both famous for instigating a democratic revolution, turning it into a dictatorship when they lost the first election, letting the Germans invade Russia, and then failing to invade Poland. When Lenin died, he named Trotsky his successor, but Stalin had already snuck himself into power, banishing him. He began to oppose Stalin’s regime from abroad, which ground his gears so much that in 1940 he sent an assassin to murder Trotsky in his home in Mexico. The agent used an ice pick as a weapon, went for the head, and Trotsky died in hospital a day later.
Leo V
Byzantine emperors often had bizarre and unusual deaths. Leo V the Armenian, emperor from 813 to 820, is famous for how he died. During his reign, he divorced the sister-in-law of his commander Michael, causing him to begin a revenge plot, seeking to assassinate Leo. Whispers reached Leo and he imprisoned Michael on Christmas Eve, then attended service in a chapel. Michael’s co-conspirators disguised themselves as a choir, surprising Leo. Poor lighting meant they mistook the priest for the emperor, allowing Leo to grab a heavy cross. The assassins got the better of him, dumping his remains in the snow, along with Michael’s key, meaning he was crowned emperor with the handcuffs still on.
Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos ruled the Byzantine Empire for two years. He was one of the worst tyrants in Roman history, with his last action being an attempt to arrest the rebel Isaac Angelos. This failed, and Isaac took shelter in the Hagia Sophia, which was currently the center of public demonstrations opposing Andronikos. They proclaimed Isaac emperor, and Andronikos attempted to flee but was captured, and brought to Isaac, who handed him over to the people. They strung him to a post and beat him for three days straight. He lost teeth, hair, and an eye in addition to having boiling water poured on him. They then hung him by his feet, where two soldiers had a competition to see whose sword could plunge deeper.
Jeanne de Clisson
Also known as “the Lioness of Brittany,” Jeanne was a French and Breton noblewoman whose husband was executed by the French King Philip VI in 1343. This caused her to sell her land, raise an army, and begin to wreak havoc upon the French forces in Brittany. She attacked a castle and a garrison, then turned three merchant ships into war vessels. She then turned to piracy and began decimating French commerce ships in the English Channel. She also attacked and burned coastal cities along Normandy. Eventually, the French sunk her fleet, but she miraculously survived after floating for five days and continued piracy for another 13 years.
Frank Eaton / Pistol Pete
Frank Eaton, more famously known as Pistol Pete, was a gunslinger from the 19th century, whose tail is perfect for a Western plot. At the age of eight, his father was shot to death by former Confederates for his abolitionist opinions. There were six men responsible, who were part of a group called “the Regulators.” His father’s friend told him, “My boy, may an old man’s curse rest upon you, if you do not try to avenge your father,” teaching him how to use a gun. When he was 15, he outshot a Fort full of military soldiers. He became a deputy at 17, and got revenge on his father’s killers one by one, finishing them off by 1887.
Pierre Picaud
Pierre Picaud was the real-life inspiration for the monumental work of literature “The Count of Monte Cristo.” In 1807, he was engaged to a wealthy lady, but three of his friends got jealous and had him falsely imprisoned, claiming he was an English spy. During imprisonment, he befriended a wealthy Italian who told him the location of his treasure in Milan. Picaud was released in 1814, acquired the treasure, and then returned to Paris under a false name. The following 10 years were spent plotting revenge against his former friends. He finished them off one by one and was eventually arrested by the police after his success.
Eliahu Itzkovitz
Eliahu Itzkovitz was a Jewish man from Romania, whose family was killed in front of him inside a concentration camp in World War II. When this happened, he vowed to avenge his family, but was unable to find the murderer initially. He then enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces, where he learned his family’s killer, a man named Stănescu, had joined the French Foreign Legion. He deserted the IDF, joined the legion, and tracked down the killer in French Indochina. He joined the same battalion as Stănescu and eventually got his revenge during a patrol. Itzkovitz was court-martialed by the IDF for desertion, spent a year in prison, and then lived the rest of his life, dying in 2015.
Olga of Kiev
Olga of Kiev is arguably the most brutal Saint to ever exist. Her husband, Igor, was killed by a nearby tribe called the Drevlians. They then tried to get Olga to marry her husband’s killer, which she accepted. This was a ruse, as she then had the first messengers buried alive, the second burned, and then invited them to have a large feast where they killed her husband. The Drevlians became intoxicated, and she had 5,000 of them murdered. Then she laid siege upon the city where her husband died, attached sulfur and cloth to birds, set them aflame, and then burned the entire city. She killed and enslaved most survivors, forcing the remaining to pay her tribute.
Akku Yadav
Akku Yadav was many things, none of them nice. Coming from Nagpur in India, he ruled a crime syndicate, which bribed the police to let him have free reign over the city. Amongst his many crimes were more than 40 cases of sexual assault. In 2004 he was arrested for his own protection, and the court was going to release him. Upon hearing this, hundreds of women stormed the courthouse, where Akku insulted a woman he had previously assaulted. This sparked outrage, causing 200-400 women to throw chili powder and stones in his face, and then stab him at least 70 times.
The 47 Ronin
Asano Naganori was a Japanese Daimyo who was forced to commit seppuku in 1701 for failing to kill a rival, Kira Yoshinaka, after he insulted Naganori. His loyal samurai, who in the absence of a master became Ronin, swore vengeance for his death. They spent two years plotting, eventually storming his castle and killing Kira. The ronin then surrendered and were condemned for their murder. Due to popular support of the ronin’s loyal endeavor, they were forgiven execution and instead allowed to regain their honor through the act of seppuku. This story has been widely influential. Many pieces of media have adapted their heroic tale in the centuries since.
Were there any legendary tales of revenge you thought should be on this list? Let us know in the comments!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at history’s most personal and targeted revenge kills, rather than indiscriminate ones.
Trotsky
Leon Trotsky was a Russian revolutionary and the right hand of Vladimir Lenin, the first dictator of the Soviet Union. They were both famous for instigating a democratic revolution, turning it into a dictatorship when they lost the first election, letting the Germans invade Russia, and then failing to invade Poland. When Lenin died, he named Trotsky his successor, but Stalin had already snuck himself into power, banishing him. He began to oppose Stalin’s regime from abroad, which ground his gears so much that in 1940 he sent an assassin to murder Trotsky in his home in Mexico. The agent used an ice pick as a weapon, went for the head, and Trotsky died in hospital a day later.
Leo V
Byzantine emperors often had bizarre and unusual deaths. Leo V the Armenian, emperor from 813 to 820, is famous for how he died. During his reign, he divorced the sister-in-law of his commander Michael, causing him to begin a revenge plot, seeking to assassinate Leo. Whispers reached Leo and he imprisoned Michael on Christmas Eve, then attended service in a chapel. Michael’s co-conspirators disguised themselves as a choir, surprising Leo. Poor lighting meant they mistook the priest for the emperor, allowing Leo to grab a heavy cross. The assassins got the better of him, dumping his remains in the snow, along with Michael’s key, meaning he was crowned emperor with the handcuffs still on.
Andronikos I Komnenos
Andronikos ruled the Byzantine Empire for two years. He was one of the worst tyrants in Roman history, with his last action being an attempt to arrest the rebel Isaac Angelos. This failed, and Isaac took shelter in the Hagia Sophia, which was currently the center of public demonstrations opposing Andronikos. They proclaimed Isaac emperor, and Andronikos attempted to flee but was captured, and brought to Isaac, who handed him over to the people. They strung him to a post and beat him for three days straight. He lost teeth, hair, and an eye in addition to having boiling water poured on him. They then hung him by his feet, where two soldiers had a competition to see whose sword could plunge deeper.
Jeanne de Clisson
Also known as “the Lioness of Brittany,” Jeanne was a French and Breton noblewoman whose husband was executed by the French King Philip VI in 1343. This caused her to sell her land, raise an army, and begin to wreak havoc upon the French forces in Brittany. She attacked a castle and a garrison, then turned three merchant ships into war vessels. She then turned to piracy and began decimating French commerce ships in the English Channel. She also attacked and burned coastal cities along Normandy. Eventually, the French sunk her fleet, but she miraculously survived after floating for five days and continued piracy for another 13 years.
Frank Eaton / Pistol Pete
Frank Eaton, more famously known as Pistol Pete, was a gunslinger from the 19th century, whose tail is perfect for a Western plot. At the age of eight, his father was shot to death by former Confederates for his abolitionist opinions. There were six men responsible, who were part of a group called “the Regulators.” His father’s friend told him, “My boy, may an old man’s curse rest upon you, if you do not try to avenge your father,” teaching him how to use a gun. When he was 15, he outshot a Fort full of military soldiers. He became a deputy at 17, and got revenge on his father’s killers one by one, finishing them off by 1887.
Pierre Picaud
Pierre Picaud was the real-life inspiration for the monumental work of literature “The Count of Monte Cristo.” In 1807, he was engaged to a wealthy lady, but three of his friends got jealous and had him falsely imprisoned, claiming he was an English spy. During imprisonment, he befriended a wealthy Italian who told him the location of his treasure in Milan. Picaud was released in 1814, acquired the treasure, and then returned to Paris under a false name. The following 10 years were spent plotting revenge against his former friends. He finished them off one by one and was eventually arrested by the police after his success.
Eliahu Itzkovitz
Eliahu Itzkovitz was a Jewish man from Romania, whose family was killed in front of him inside a concentration camp in World War II. When this happened, he vowed to avenge his family, but was unable to find the murderer initially. He then enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces, where he learned his family’s killer, a man named Stănescu, had joined the French Foreign Legion. He deserted the IDF, joined the legion, and tracked down the killer in French Indochina. He joined the same battalion as Stănescu and eventually got his revenge during a patrol. Itzkovitz was court-martialed by the IDF for desertion, spent a year in prison, and then lived the rest of his life, dying in 2015.
Olga of Kiev
Olga of Kiev is arguably the most brutal Saint to ever exist. Her husband, Igor, was killed by a nearby tribe called the Drevlians. They then tried to get Olga to marry her husband’s killer, which she accepted. This was a ruse, as she then had the first messengers buried alive, the second burned, and then invited them to have a large feast where they killed her husband. The Drevlians became intoxicated, and she had 5,000 of them murdered. Then she laid siege upon the city where her husband died, attached sulfur and cloth to birds, set them aflame, and then burned the entire city. She killed and enslaved most survivors, forcing the remaining to pay her tribute.
Akku Yadav
Akku Yadav was many things, none of them nice. Coming from Nagpur in India, he ruled a crime syndicate, which bribed the police to let him have free reign over the city. Amongst his many crimes were more than 40 cases of sexual assault. In 2004 he was arrested for his own protection, and the court was going to release him. Upon hearing this, hundreds of women stormed the courthouse, where Akku insulted a woman he had previously assaulted. This sparked outrage, causing 200-400 women to throw chili powder and stones in his face, and then stab him at least 70 times.
The 47 Ronin
Asano Naganori was a Japanese Daimyo who was forced to commit seppuku in 1701 for failing to kill a rival, Kira Yoshinaka, after he insulted Naganori. His loyal samurai, who in the absence of a master became Ronin, swore vengeance for his death. They spent two years plotting, eventually storming his castle and killing Kira. The ronin then surrendered and were condemned for their murder. Due to popular support of the ronin’s loyal endeavor, they were forgiven execution and instead allowed to regain their honor through the act of seppuku. This story has been widely influential. Many pieces of media have adapted their heroic tale in the centuries since.
Were there any legendary tales of revenge you thought should be on this list? Let us know in the comments!
