Empress: Atrocious

A king who executed his rivals was "strong" or "decisive"; an empress who did the same was "hysterical," "bloodthirsty," or "atrocious." Much of the "gore" in their biographies comes from secondary sources written decades or even centuries after their deaths, intended to serve as cautionary tales against female leadership. The Allure of the Dark Empress

Was she atrocious? Her consolidation of power was indeed brutal, relying on fear and surveillance. However, many chroniclers were male scholars who found the idea of a female ruler "against nature," likely inflating her atrocities, say Extra History (4.2.3) .

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So, what drove these women to such extremes of cruelty? In many cases, their "atrocious" behaviour was a reflection of the times—an era of absolute rule where fear was the primary tool of governance. In a brutal, male-dominated world, many of these empresses and queens felt they had to be twice as ruthless to survive. Their gender, rather than their actions, was often the primary reason for being singled out for infamy.

Irene’s hunger for power reached a chilling peak when she ordered her own son, Emperor Constantine VI, to be blinded so she could take his place. He died shortly after from his wounds. A king who executed his rivals was "strong"

In 797, after years of struggle for control over the Byzantine throne, Irene orchestrated a coup. Her son’s supporters were arrested. Then, in the Palace of Boukoleon, she ordered that Constantine be blinded with such savage brutality that he reportedly died from the wounds days later. By Roman law, a blinded man could not rule. Irene became sole empress.

Among the early medieval Merovingian kings of the Franks, Queen Fredegund (died 597 AD) stands out for her legendary brutality. The historian Gregory of Tours depicts her as "ruthlessly murderous and sadistically cruel". A former servant who became queen, Fredegund was accused of orchestrating a series of assassinations to secure her power, including that of her rival, Queen Brunhilda. Her actions plunged the Frankish kingdoms into a long and bloody civil war. Her capacity for "norm-violating cruelty" was so extreme that she became a historical archetype of the "Evil Queen". However, many chroniclers were male scholars who found

Perhaps the most atrocious act of these empresses was not the violence they committed, but the silence they broke. They shattered the greatest taboo of their respective civilizations: that a woman could be as ambitious, as ruthless, and as effective as a man.

Perhaps the most infamous prototype is Valeria Messalina, third wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius. For centuries, she has been the emblem of the empress as a sexual predator and political idiot. The historian Tacitus, writing decades later, paints her as a woman so consumed by lust that she allegedly challenged a famous prostitute to a 24-hour sex marathon—and won.

Her presence guarantees that the stakes are high, ensuring that every interaction is charged with tension and potential danger.