4 Queens Who Committed Horrific Acts of Evil

These bloodthirsty queens were ruthless

A painting of Queen Isabella I by Juan de Flandes, c. 1500–1504 (Wikimedia Commons)

Throughout history, men have held positions of power much more than women. But female rulers are more common than you might think, and there have been plenty of queens who went down in history for the wrong reasons. They abused their power and committed horrific acts of evil during their reigns.

1. Queen Fredegund

A painting of Queen Fredegund murdering Queen Galswintha by Auguste Couder, c. 1826 (Wikimedia Commons)

Queen Fredegund was the wife of King Chilperic I, who ruled over Neustria (the northern part of modern France) from 561 to 584. Following the king’s death, she served as her son’s regent for fifteen years.

Fredegund was a beautiful and ambitious woman. Many believed she was responsible for the death of Queen Galswintha, the king’s previous wife, which led to a bitter feud with Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia, who was Galswintha’s younger sister.

Fredegund attempted to kill Brunhilda and her family multiple times. On one occasion, she sent a cleric to Brunhilda’s court and instructed him to assassinate the queen. When the cleric was caught, he was sent back to Fredegund, who then punished him by cutting off his hands…