Top 20 Most Evil Queens in History

#20: Marie Antoinette

1755-1793

Often remembered for the infamous phrase “let them eat cake” (which she likely never said, but whatever), Marie Antoinette became a hated symbol of France’s inequality and royal excess. While not as bloodthirsty as others on this list, her decadence in the face of widespread famine and poverty made her appear cruelly indifferent. She spent lavishly on balls, jewelry, and the extravagant Petit Trianon estate, and all while ordinary citizens starved around her. Her stubborn refusal to reform and seeming disdain for the suffering public helped ignite the French Revolution. Seen by her people as the embodiment of aristocratic arrogance, Antoinette’s downfall was sealed by her own image as an uncaring and out-of-touch queen.

#19: Empress Dowager Cixi

1835-1908

Cixi ruled China from behind the throne for nearly five decades, consolidating power with cunning ruthlessness. She seized control after a coup, and like Marie before her, Cixi’s reign was marked by lavish spending on her own lifestyle while the Qing dynasty crumbled around her. She infamously mismanaged the Boxer Rebellion, secretly supporting anti-foreign militias that led to massive bloodshed and humiliation for China. Critics also claim that she diverted naval funds to build a marble pleasure boat instead of strengthening the fleet, contributing to China’s ultimate defeat by Japan. Known for scheming, manipulation, and political purges, Cixi has gone down in history as one of China’s most feared empresses.

#18: Ælfthryth

945-1000

Also known as Alfrida, Ælfthryth was the wife of King Edgar of England and stepmother to Edward the Martyr, and she is often remembered as one of medieval England’s most heinous queens. Chroniclers accused her of plotting her own stepson’s murder in 978, clearing the way for her own son to inherit the throne. Whether she did or not, the suspicion cemented her image as a scheming and power-hungry figure. Monastic writers, hostile to her influence, portrayed Ælfthryth as a warning against female ambition and corruption. Today, her legacy remains controversial: some historians see her as a victim of misogynistic propaganda, while others uphold her as an early example of political manipulation at court, shaping the archetype of the treacherous medieval queen.

#17: Catherine the Great

1729-1796

Despite her reputation as an “enlightened despot,” Catherine the Great’s ruthless climb to power and iron-fisted rule earn her a spot here. She came to the throne after orchestrating the coup and possible assassination of her own husband, Tsar Peter III. Catherine also constantly rewarded nobles in the face of serfdom, when peasants were often bound to the land under horrific conditions. She also crushed rebellions like Pugachev’s revolt with brutal efficiency, executing thousands. Though she modernized Russia in some respects, Catherine’s reign was marked by manipulation, political purges, and cold ambition. Her charm and intelligence masked the fact that she secured her power through betrayal - and sustained it through oppression.

#16: Cleopatra VII

69-30 BCE

Cleopatra is often romanticized in pop culture, but behind the legend lies a cunning and ruthless queen. She secured her throne in Egypt by allegedly poisoning her brother-husband Ptolemy XIV and eliminating her sister Arsinoe to remove personal rivals. Considered a master manipulator, Cleopatra used people - most famously Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony - to strengthen her own rule. Her ambitions and misguided political maneuvering helped bring devastation to her kingdom, and countless people died as a result of her pursuits. Though undeniably brilliant, Cleopatra was willing to sacrifice family, subjects, and allies alike to maintain her power, leaving behind a legacy as both seductress and schemer.

#15: Teuta

3rd Century BCE

Queen Teuta of the Ardiaei is often remembered as an “evil queen” thanks largely to contemporary Roman accounts, which were a wee biased. After her husband’s death, Teuta acted as regent, aggressively expanding Illyrian power through piracy in the Adriatic. When Roman envoys demanded that she curb these attacks, one was murdered - fueling Rome’s justification for the First Illyrian War. Ancient sources, mostly hostile Roman writers, painted her as a cruel and arrogant woman who threatened the very fabric of Mediterranean trade. However, some modern historians view her as a capable leader defending her people’s independence. Today, her legacy is mixed - vilified in Roman histories yet celebrated in Albania as a symbol of resistance and female strength.

#14: Queen Jezebel

9th Century BCE

Few queens in history carry a reputation as dark as Jezebel’s. A Phoenician princess who became Queen of Israel, she promoted the worship of Baal over the Hebrew God, defying tradition and enraging her subjects. But Jezebel’s evil reputation stems from her cruelty: she orchestrated the murder of prophets, plotted the judicial killing of Naboth to seize his vineyard, and ruthlessly manipulated her husband, King Ahab. She later became a notable figure in The Bible, which portrays her as the embodiment of idolatry and wickedness. And her violent death - thrown from a window, trampled by horses, and then devoured by dogs - was regarded as sheer divine justice. Jezebel remains history’s archetype of the “evil queen.”

#13: Queen Christina of Sweden

1626-1689

Queen Christina was brilliant but notoriously unstable, ruling Sweden with both cruelty and whimsy. Raised as a king rather than a queen, Christina often displayed erratic behavior, like allegedly mocking her subjects, fiercely rejecting political counsel, and indulging in bizarre extravagances. She also ordered the brutal execution of her courtier, Monaldeschi, which took place at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France. Her arbitrary governance alienated her people, and she eventually abdicated for both personal and religious reasons. Though remembered for her intellect and eccentricity, Christina’s reckless abuse of power and chilling cruelty toward those closest to her earned her a reputation for evil.

#12: Queen Livia Drusilla

59 BCE-29 CE

The wife of Emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla was Ancient Rome’s most powerful woman - and perhaps its most devious. Ancient sources accuse Livia of poisoning rivals and even orchestrating the deaths of Augustus’s heirs to ensure the succession of her son, Tiberius. Tacitus and Cassius Dio paint Livia as a master manipulator, working in the shadows while presenting a facade of virtue. Her influence extended for decades, as she skillfully eliminated obstacles to her power, possibly even hastening Augustus’s own death (although this might only be a rumor). Though some historians argue that her evil reputation is exaggerated (or just outright false), Livia endures as a symbol of cold-blooded ambition and lethal political scheming.

#11: Empress Dowager Lü

241-180 BCE

Empress Dowager Lü is undeniably one of the most terrifying figures in Chinese history. After the death of her husband, Emperor Gaozu, Lü seized power as regent and unleashed a reign of cruelty unlike anything the country had seen before. She is infamous for her sadistic treatment of rivals. Perhaps her most famous kill is that of Consort Qi, whom she had viciously mutilated, poisoned, and then thrown alive into a pigsty, calling her “human swine.” Yes, her ruthless manipulation secured her family’s dominance, but at the cost of unimaginable suffering. Empress Dowager Lü’s mix of political brilliance and sheer brutality makes her one of history’s most definitive evil queens.

#10: Empress Zhao Feiyan

32-1 BC

Heading back to the Han Dynasty, Zhao Feiyan and her sister Zhao Hede were born to Imperial servants, but both rose through the ranks to become favoured consorts of Emperor Cheng. Feiyan became Empress, but as neither her nor her sister bore Cheng an Imperial heir, they reportedly went to great and grisly lengths to ensure that no other concubine could produce a son - from forced abortions to infanticide. Upon Cheng’s death, Zhao Hede took her own life, while Zhao Feiyan clung to power for a further five years – until she too took her own life at 31.

#9: Olga of Kiev

890-969

A princess who became a saint, Olga probably has a better reputation than most on today’s countdown – but she also led one of the most brutal revenge missions ever. In the year 945, her husband Igor of Kiev was killed by his enemies, the Drevlians. So, Olga hatched various schemes to settle the score. She had 20 Drevlian messengers buried alive; she had another delegation of 20 burned to death; she attended a Drevlian feast and oversaw the slaughter of 5,000 more; and she supposedly burned down an entire city by lacing pigeons with sulphur. That’s one way to vent your anger.

#8: Catherine de’ Medici

1519-1589

Queen of France between 1547 and 1559, Catherine de’ Medici had some influence over her husband Henry II’s reign, but when he died her powers grew. As Regent, she guided the turbulent rule of her three sons, during a series of Huguenot rebellions. The throne’s increasingly harsh policies are often attributed to Catherine, culminating in the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre – a weeks-long killing spree which resulted in thousands of Protestant deaths. Rumoured links with the Occult also surrounded the former Italian noblewoman, who owned a talisman created by Nostradamus. Master manipulator or blatant witch? You decide.

#7: Mary I

1516-1558

Given that history has dubbed her ‘Bloody Mary’, this queen carved quite a reputation during her five-year reign. Determined to reverse the Reformation instigated by her father, Henry VIII, she sought to reinstate Catholicism across the realm. Almost immediately upon ascending to the throne, Mary had leading Protestant clergymen imprisoned, while hundreds more were forced into exile. She then arranged the execution of over 250 prominent Protestants, forcing many to watch their peers be burned at the stake before suffering the same fate.

#6: Isabella I

1451-1504

As one half of The Catholic Monarchs, Isabella of Spain was a prominent figure behind the Spanish Inquisition, and the expulsion of Muslims and Jews from the country. Alongside Ferdinand II of Aragon, she turned Catholicism into a compulsory faith, forcing up to 200,000 people to convert, or else flee. Those who continued to practice alternative religions in secret were imprisoned, often tormented and sometimes burned alive. And Isabella was keen to see her hard-line policies adopted elsewhere, as she and Ferdinand financed Christopher Columbus and the colonization of the Americas.

#5: Agrippina the Younger

15-59

The fourth wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius, directly following Valeria Messalina who supposedly sought to execute Claudius herself, Agrippina was also Caligula’s sister – so you could say evil was in her blood. She was actually exiled for plotting against Caligula, but returned following his death, and married. Agrippina quickly sought to eliminate her rivals in variously ruthless ways, and in a bid for long-lasting power she persuaded Claudius to adopt her son, Nero. She allegedly poisoned her husband soon afterwards, and Nero became Emperor. But it also ended badly for Agrippina, who was ultimately assassinated by her son. Families, eh!

#4: Irene of Athens

752-803

Assuming power over the Byzantine Empire as Regent for Constantine VI – who was just nine-years old when he inherited the throne – Irene of Athens is remembered for her controversial efforts to restore the worship of religious icons. A divisive figure then and now, maintaining power was everything to her – no matter the cost. When Constantine was old enough to rule, she proved an exceptionally overbearing mother, until he sought to break free from her authority. Their rivalry was ended when Irene framed her son for conspiracy; Constantine had his eyes gouged out as punishment. Brutal.

#3: Fredegund

545-597

Queen Consort with Chilperic I, a sixth-century Frankish king, and Regent for her son Chlothar II, Fredegund rose through the ranks from royal servant, to the King’s mistress, to a cold-blooded murderer ready to kill whenever necessary. Amongst other things, she arranged for Chilperic’s previous wife to be strangled; she started a fierce 40-year feud with that woman’s sister, Brunhilda; and she tried to crush the skull of her own daughter, using a treasure chest. If you got on her bad side, you were usually killed – and often in an unpleasant manner.

#2: Wu Zetian

624-705

Taking control of China after millennia of male rule, and steering the empire through a relatively stable period in its history, Wu could well be judged as a very successful leader. However, her time at the top was drenched in blood. She employed a secret police to find and murder potential opponents, and she had no qualms with attacking her own. She’s heavily implicated in the death of her own infant daughter – who was supposedly strangled so that Wu could frame a rival – and her accusations of witchcraft or treason led to various executions, including those of most of her own family.

#1: Ranavalona I

1778-1861

Also known as the Mad Queen, Ranavalona entered into the Madagascan royal family a commoner, but fought off various claimants to the throne, and eventually ruled for over 30 years. Remembered for her fierce policies, such as banning Christianity, she led an exceptionally harsh regime, characterised by forced labour practices and brutal executions. Cross Ranavalona and you were beheaded, boiled alive, or thrown into a ravine. Estimates say that up to 75% of the Madagascan population died during her reign, through war, disease or by Ranavalona’s own orders.

Are we forgetting any dreadful Queens? Let us know in the comments below!