Kings

As Emperor Maximilian I faced his firing squad, he made a request to the enemy soldiers—and it was utterly heartbreaking.

George II is most famous as the king who died on the toilet—yet this disdainful king's life was far more disturbing than people think.

In 1757, a mentally deranged man tried to assassinate King Louis XV, but was unsuccessful. The bloody punishment returned to the assassin was so severe and disturbing that many historians to this day agree it was overkill.

As the youngest son of William the Conqueror, Henry I was not likely to become king. Nevertheless, he outlived, outfought, or outwitted his older brothers to become the king of England in 1100 CE. Henry proved to be a master politician—but then his demise plunged England into a civil war.

Not all kings lounge in lavish palaces while letting soldiers do the dirty work. These warrior kings got into the muck and did it themselves.

From the Black Death to the Hundred Years War, King Edward III's reign was one of the darkest periods in English history.