In the 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors tore into the New World of South America. Francisco Pizarro an illiterate, peasant soldier who conquered Peru was perhaps the most ruthless of these soldiers of fortune. In 15 years he and his
In the 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors tore into the New World of South America. Francisco Pizarro an illiterate, peasant soldier who conquered Peru was perhaps the most ruthless of these soldiers of fortune. In 15 years he and his
Field Marshal Idi Amin became president of Uganda in 1971. To the rest of the world he was a show man whose extravagance was exceeded by his talent for comic buffoonery. But, behind the grinning face
Ivan the Terrible waged a 40 year war on his own country; Russia. Thousands were slaughtered and he devised cruel sadistic punishments in his personal torture chamber. Ivan the Terrible watched prisoners boiled and even
In southern Russia at the turn of the last century Stalin excelled as a bank robber, agitator and sometime assassin. Forever in and out of jail the violence and paranoia which would mark him out
When Nero became Emperor in 54AD, Rome was at the zenith of its power. The imperial legends had carved out an empire that had stretched from the banks of the Rhine to the deserts of
Pol Pot was a leader who showed his people no mercy. As ruler of Cambodia, he was responsible for killing nearly 2 million people; that’s a quarter of the country’s population. In his four year
From the mountainous ancient kingdom of Wallachia and what is now modern Romania, a man emerged who would excel himself in devising innovative methods of torture and mass murder. In a bloody 6 year reign, the ruler of
In 1482, in a monastery in central Spain a Catholic monk was appointed to the Spanish Inquisition. From this day Torquemada would begin a career renowned for it’s cruelty and persecution. As head of the
In 1916, the bloated castrated body of a man was dragged from the freezing waters of a river in St. Petersburg Almost beyond recognition, he was later identified as the most notorious monk in history. Gregory
When Hitler came to power, he promised his people a brave new world and a bright new future. He persecuted gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled. He oversaw a campaign of industrialised slaughter which killed over
When Caligula became emperor there was celebrations in Rome. It would seem as a new golden age, after the dark years of Emperor Tiberius. But Caligula would lead a life of debauchery and brutally murder
In 1189, King Henry II was dying. His empire, covering all of England and vast areas of France was crumbling. What eventually broke the ageing king though was not the rebellion that threatened his kingdom,
In the 5th century, one man brought terror and destruction to millions of people across Europe. Attila the Hun and his bloodthirsty barbarians tortured, raped and murdered all who stood in their way. According to