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Who would YOU consider to be the most brutal ruler in history?

We’ve all heard the saying: “History is written by the victors.” Well, it’s a timeless truth if there ever was one. With so much conflict and war throughout mankind, it’s not surprising that many historical figures have been both demonized and worshiped throughout the centuries.

But let’s be honest, a villain, for one, can be a hero for many, and vice versa. And there have been many examples of pure brutality in history, no matter which side you’re on. Many of the stories we have for you could have been exaggerated by political enemies.

The fact remains though that humans can be unimaginably cruel at times. It might be a sad truth, but a truth nevertheless. And then there are brutal rulers like Hitler or Stalin, whose wickedness is universally acknowledged regardless of your political preference.

So on that note, let’s look into the lives of the 6 most brutal rulers in our history!

• Brutal Ruler: Ivan the Terrible

  Ivan the Terrible, AKA Ivan IV Vasilyevich, was the first Tsar of Russia. He became ruler when he was three, and as a mere child, the country was ruled by a regency council.

• Brutal Ruler: Attila the Hun

  Attila became the ruler of the Hunnic empire when his older brother died in 453 AD. Some reports state that he actually murdered his brother himself to sit on the throne. But that might have just been a smear campaign by the Roman Empire.

• Brutal Ruler: Vlad Tepes

  Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, AKA Vlad the Impaler, was known for executing his enemies by impaling them. He ruled mainly from 1456 to 1462 during the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans and was best known for the tales of the ruthless punishments he imposed during his reign.

• Brutal Ruler: Joseph Stalin

  This brutal ruler was the leader of the Soviet Union between 1927 and 1953 and was a Georgian Revolutionary. 

• Brutal Ruler: Genghis Khan

  The rise of this brutal ruler was one of the unlikeliest in history. Even though he was born into a noble family, Genghis Khan and his family were abandoned by their tribe following the poisoning of his father. The years that would follow were challenging for them.

• Brutal Ruler: Adolf Hitler

  This is the last, and probably MOST hated, brutal leader on our list. Adolf Hitler was among the most inhumane dictators in the last 100 years. He was an Austrian-born German politician who rose to power as the commander of the Nazi Political Party.