Top 10 Influential People Who Fell From Grace

Robespierre was a self-styled freedom fighter, pushing for voting rights and the abolition of slavery. He thought himself an "incorruptible, noble figure and, at one point, that may have even been true. Today, he is remembered for little else beyond the guillotine. A key figure in the French Revolution, Robespierre rose to power championing liberty, equality, and fraternity. But once he obtained power, he unleashed the Reign of Terror, overseeing mass executions on an ungodly scale. One such unfortunate was the famously corrupt libertine queen, Marie Antoinette, herself thrown down from a lofty, haughty perch. By the end, even Robespierre's allies feared him. Branded a tyrant, he was arrested and executed without trial, by the very machine he had once used to reshape France.

As World War I took off, Colonel Pétain could have retired. Instead, he continued his career, rising to general. At Verdun, he helped the French find victory from the jaws of a 9-month slog. He was France's greatest hero. A few decades later, his reputation exploded. When the Nazis conquered France, they installed Pétain as head of the Vichy government. As the chief French collaborator, he betrayed his own people. After the war, he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. Charles de Gaulle intervened, reducing the sentence to life in prison. Pétain died there in 1951.

He almost single-handedly shaped the atomic age before being buried by it. Lewis Strauss was a powerful figure in American science and politics. He was chair of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, playing a key role in the development of nuclear weapons. But hes also infamous for his behind-the-scenes role in the downfall of J. Robert Oppenheimer. After the war, Lewis accused Oppenheimer of being a national security risk. Strausss influence began to unravel when he was nominated as Secretary of Commerce in 1958. The Senate hearings were brutal. All of his grudges and behind-the-scenes manipulations were exposed on the floor of the U.S. Senate. His nomination was rejected, publicly and humiliatingly. In trying to destroy Oppenheimer, he doomed himself in the eyes of history.

Once celebrated as a global icon of democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi was a darling among human rights activists the world over. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her nonviolent resistance against Myanmars military dictatorship. After spending years under house arrest, she was finally elected to power. Her global reputation fell to pieces once she was in office. Critics accused her of doing little to stop the militarys violent persecution of the Rohingya minority. Some critics even accused her of defending her military's actions, which the UN has called a possible genocide. Her international support collapsed almost overnight. In a cruel twist of fate, Suu Kyi was eventually overthrown by the same military she once opposed. She remains in custody today.

Aaron Burr is mostly remembered for shooting Alexander Hamilton. That gunshot, though, was just the starting pistol on the downfall of the Vice President of the United States. After his term as Jefferson's VP, Burr headed west and cooked up a scheme somewhere between a land grab and a full-blown rebellion. The details are murky, but he was accused of trying to raise an army, take land from Spain, and maybe even carve out his own little country. He was arrested and tried for treason, barely escaping conviction. The scandal tanked his reputation. His name became synonymous with betrayal. In American history, Burr is second only to Benedict Arnold, the Revolutionary War general who literally switched sides.

He won the presidency in a landslide - one of the most one-sided in U.S. history. But Richard Nixons paranoia and deep-seated insecurity led him to overreach - and to record the whole thing. Nixon had a long, complicated political career, rising from modest beginnings to the highest office in the land. But his legacy was sealed by Watergate, a political scandal involving a break-in at Democratic headquarters and a sweeping cover-up. As evidence mounted, the Senate uncovered the existence of secret White House tapes. When the Supreme Court granted access to the Justice Department, Nixons presidency unraveled. Facing near-certain impeachment, he became the first U.S. president to resign. Once seen as a political mastermind, Nixons name became synonymous with scandaland a presidency in flames.

Some leaders fall into ignominy. Charles I fell from his throne almost directly into his coffin. As King of England, Charles believed in the divine right of kings. He ruled by Gods will, he said. The people had no divine right to self-governance through Parliament. Toss in some Catholic vs. Protestant internecine conflict, and you have all the ingredients to a revolution. His reign sparked a civil war, divided the country, ending with him on trial for treason against England. Unsurprisingly, the king was swiftly found guilty. In 1649, Charles became the first European monarch to be publicly executed. His royal head rolled, and the monarchy itself was abolished. For a few short years, England tried its hand at being a republic.

He was born into royalty, elevated to emperor of China at just two years old. By the time he died, Puyi was just a gardener in a Beijing courtyard. The last emperor of China, he ruled the Qing Dynasty in name only. By the time he was six, the Xinhai Revolution was in full force, ending the monarchy through his forced abdication. But his story just gets worse and worse. In 1932, he allied himself with the Japanese, becoming their puppet ruler in Manchuria. After World War II, he was captured by the Soviets, repatriated to China, and re-educated by the Communist Party. Once the Son of Heaven, he spent his final years psychologically broken, a symbol of the humility instilled by the Communist regime.

He was the richest man in Rome, but all his money couldnt buy him glory. Crassus, a key player in the First Triumvirate alongside Caesar and Pompey, wanted a legacy to match his fortune. He set his sights on the Parthian Empire, believing it would be easy to conquer. It wasnt. He led his army across the desert, hoping to plunder Parthias cities. Instead, he found 10,000 Parthian cavalry troops waiting at Carrhae. Exhausted and dehydrated, his legions were annihilated. Crassus tried to negotiate a peace; he was murdered for his efforts in one final humiliation. Thousands of his men fled into the desert and died. Thousands more were enslaved. Crassuss legacy became that of a man whose arrogance cost his men everything.

He crowned himself emperor, reshaped Europe, and wrote his name into history with cannon fire. Napoleon Bonaparte rose from obscure Corsican roots to become one of the most powerful men in the history of the world. But power has a shelf life, especially when poisoned by unchecked ambition. After years of dominance, Napoleons luck ran out thanks to a brutal Russian winter. His disastrous campaign was followed by complete defeat at Leipzig. He was exiled to Elba. From there he eventually orchestrated an escape and another bite at the dictatorial apple. Then came Waterloo, where his final attempt to reclaim glory was crushed for good. Sent to the island of Saint Helena, he died mostly alone, far from the empire he once ruled.

History is replete with arrogant fools who fell from their lofty perches into permanent ignominy. Did any fall off of our list? Let us know in the comments!