Countess Elizabeth Báthory Of Hungary Was History's Most Prolific Female Slayer
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Born in Transylvania in 1560, Báthory was a Hungarian noblewoman and infamous serial slayer. She used her position of power to defend herself from the consequences of her actions, and she spent years slaying servants and peasants. Her husband, Count Nádasdy, went so far as to build his wife to his torment chamber, Csejthe Castle.
She also had a habit of feasting on her prey. She would often bite and eat chunks of them while they were still alive, and in one case she may have even forced someone to cook and eat some of her own body. Eventually her conduct became so appalling that a trial was held. She was convicted on 80 counts but only sentenced to solitary imprisonment within her castle. She perished three years later, in 1614.
Byzantine Empress Irene Of Athens Gouged Her Son's Eyes Out To Retain Her Power
Irene of Athens was a Byzantine empress who ruled from 797 to 802 CE, although she co-ruled with her son for nearly two decades before ruling in her own right. Her son was Emperor Constantine VI, and their familial relationship ended in a way fit for a Greek tragedy.
Irene was an ambitious woman, and she sought full control over the Byzantine Empire. Constantine was also an unpopular emperor, so Irene led a conspiracy against her son with the support of her political allies. Constantine was successfully deposed and subsequently blinded by gouging on his mother's orders.
Empress Wu Zetian Of China Was Willing To Eliminate Anyone To Stay In Power, Even Her Own Family
Throughout China's long history, there was only one woman who ever held supreme power. She was Empress Wu Zetian, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding her place in the history books.
Wu was an usurper by nature, and her reign was marred by stories of political strife and slayings. She is said to have taken out many members of the Tang dynasty to protect her status as empress, as well as her siblings. It is rumored that she offended her mother and even ordered two of her grandchildren to take their own lives by speaking out against her.