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(#4) Henry VIII of England
- Dec. at 56 (1491-1547)
Royal Title: King of England
Relatives Killed:
Any royal rivals, including his first cousin once removed, Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. One of the most important nobles in the kingdom and of royal descent several times over, Stafford may have had monarchical ambitions, but Henry nipped that in the bud by executing the duke for treason in 1521.
His brother-in-law (husband of his sister Margaret), James IV of Scotland. The two monarchs were allied for some time until war broke out and Henry's forces defeated - and killed - James at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
Henry also bumped off many other royal cousins who posed a threat to his throne, including Edmund de la Pole in 1513.
Longtime family friend and cousin Margaret Pole, who was hacked to death at an old age.
Two of Henry's wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, who were his eighth cousins. Both were beheaded after being charged with adultery.
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(#5) Agrippina the Younger
- Dec. at 44 (15-59)
Royal Title: Empress of Rome
Relatives Killed:
Allegedly, her uncle and husband Claudius. Agrippina was his fourth wife, and she started jockeying for power soon after their marriage. She started pushing her own son, Nero, to be Claudius's heir, rather than his own son Britannicus; Claudius adopted little Nero and betrothed him to his own daughter.
In 54 CE, Claudius died following a big feast. Rumor had it that Agrippina convinced Claudius's eunuch, who tasted all the imperial food before his master, to poison Claudius's mushroom dish. Other versions of the tale have Agrippina more directly poisoning her husband.
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(#10) Aurangzeb
- Dec. at 89 (1618-1707)
Royal Title: Mughal Emperor of India
Relatives Killed:
His arch-rival, his brother Dara Shikoh. Although Dara was Muslim, he was very interested in finding connections between his faith and Hinduism. In contrast to his extremely devout warrior sibling Aurangzeb, this philosopher prince was very interested in religious plurality. However, Aurangzeb beat Dara in battle, making himself their father's number one choice as successor, and ordered his heretical brother executed.
Another brother, Shah Murad. Murad allied himself with Aurangzeb at one point, but rivalries got the best of the siblings. The emperor got Murad drunk and kept him captive for three years, then executed him in 1661.
His nephew Sulaiman Shikoh, son of Dara. Three years after Dara's death, Sulaiman was imprisoned and allegedly fed opium regularly, which led to the decline of his health. He finally passed away in 1662.
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(#11) James I of Scotland
- Dec. at 43 (1394-1437)
Royal Title: King of Scotland
Relatives Killed:
Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany. James was kept captive for decades in England, but when he returned north to Scotland, he wasn't keen on how much power his royal relatives had seized in his absence. Once he got the throne back in 1425, James captured and executed his troublesome cousin Murdoch.
Walter Stewart, son of Murdoch. He was tried by his peers and executed at the same time as his father.
Alexander Stewart, another son of Murdoch, and Walter's brother, was also killed in 1425.
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(#8) Suleiman the Magnificent
- Dec. at 72 (1494-1566)
Royal Title: Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dubbed "the Magnificent" for his renowned military, cultural, and legal exploits
Relatives Killed:
Several of his sons. The father of multiple heirs, Süleyman experienced a typical imperial problem: his favorite wife, Roxelana, tangled with his other consorts. Once she became Süleyman's number one lady, Roxelana allegedly conspired to oust her husband's sons by other women from the succession in favor of her own sons. In particular, she wanted a prince named Mustapha out of the way; once he became sultan, he'd probably kill his half-brothers (her own sons), as was customary.
In 1553, he supposedly forged a letter implicating Mustapha in a rebellion against his father. Süleyman wasn't sure how to punish him, but Roxelana likely urged him to have his son killed. Süleyman ordered Mustapha dead, making Roxelana's son Selim heir to the throne.
This story has a violent postscript. Several years later, Mustapha's brother Bayezid clashed with Selim, who defeated him in battle. Bayezid and his sons were later strangled to death in 1561.
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(#2) Herod the Great
Royal Title: King of Judea
Relatives Killed:
His wife, Mariamne. Herod wasn't born a Judean; he was the Roman pick to rule the province of Judea. He married into the Judean royal family - in this case, by wedding a princess named Mariamne. This union was supposed to lead to peace, but it didn't really have that effect. Herod was intensely possessive of Mariamne and, after accusing her of adultery, executed her in 29 BCE, along with Mariamne's mother.
His surviving sons by Mariamne, Alexander and Aristobulus. These two boys arguably had a better claim to the throne than Herod. Herod and his eldest son by another wife, Antipater II, heard that these two princes wanted Herod dead to get vengeance for their mother. Antipater continually poured poison in Herod's ears, so much so that he had the boys strangled in 7 BCE.
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About This Tool
Historical facts tell us that not all rulers in real life are the handsome, strong, and benevolent kings described in fairy tales. Most rulers in history have carried out cruel executions to consolidate their status and maintain the rule of the royal family. Many royal families Members have also been cruelly treated because of the strengthening of the imperial power, such as Peter the Great, who once cruelly executed many people, including his son Alexei for treason.
Regardless of whether these cruel rulers were born like this, or the lofty status that drove them to do some despicable things, their actions have more or less promoted the course of history. The random tool introduced 13 historical rulers who killed their own relatives.
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