1. Mary I of England

Mary I was an infamous Queen of England and Ireland from 1553 until her death in 1558. Regarded as one of the most wicked Queens in history, Mary I was was religiously fanatic and hence executed people who she thought are heretics. Her attempt to restore to the Church the property confiscated in the previous two reigns was largely zeroed by Parliament, but during the five years of her reign, she had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian persecutions.

2. Fredegund of Soissons

Fredegund was the queen of Soissons and the wife of Chilperic I, the Merovingian Frankish king of Soissons. Regarded as one of the most wicked Queens in history, during her reign, Fredegund encouraged her husband to set aside his first wife, Audovera, and to murder his second wife, Galswintha. Galswintha’s murder engendered a violent animosity between Fredegund and Brunhild and an irreconcilable feud of more than 40 years’ duration between the respective families. Fredegund was also responsible for the assassination of Sigebert in 575 and made attempts on the lives of Guntram, Childebert II, and Brunhild.

3. Queen Irene of Athens

Irene of Athens was a Byzantine queen to Emperor Leo IV from 775 to 780. Considered as one of the most wicked Queens in history, during her reign as queen, Irene, after observing that several revolts tried to proclaim her son, Constantine, as sole ruler in the early 790s, she staged a conspiracy in which her supporters gouged out her son’s eyes, maiming him severely. He was jailed and passed away shortly afterwards. With him out of the way, Irene declared herself sole ruler.

4. Agrippina the Younger

Agrippina the Younger was a Roman empress. Regarded as one of the most wicked Queens in history, she is notorious for her ruthlessness, ambitiousness, violence, and dominance. Although she was physically a beautiful and reputable woman, various ancient historians accuse Agrippina of poisoning her husband, Claudius.

5. Ranavalona I Of Madagascar

Ranavalona I was sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. After declaring herself as queen of Madagascar after the death of her young husband, Radama I, Ranavalona adopted a policy of isolationism and self-sufficiency, reducing economic and political ties with European powers, and taking stringent measures to get rid of the small but growing Malagasy Christian movement initiated under Radama I by members of the London Missionary Society. Dubbed as one of the most wicked queens of all time, during the 33 years of her dictatorial reign, Ranavalona used the combination of regular warfare, disease, difficult forced labor, and harsh trials by ordeal using a poisonous nut from the Tangena shrub, causing a high death rate among both soldiers and civilians, with Madagascar’s population reducing from 5 million in 1833 to 2.5 million in 1839.