List of historical people portrayed as villains

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of historical people who have been portrayed as villains in works of fiction.

Many writers of fiction have looked to history to furnish characters and story lines. Some historical figures were bandits or murderers. When these criminals appear in fiction, few quarrel with their villainhood.

On the other hand, some figures may be cast as a villain by virtue of reputations as tyrants, dictators, or because as leaders they pursued policies now considered misguided. Here, one writer's villain may well be another person's hero. In some cases, the reputation given a historical figure by a widely circulated fictional treatment may come to overshadow that figure's historical reputation.

It may be possible for an actual historical figure to become so shrouded in legend that some uncertainty may be generated concerning the actual events of their life. Finally, a historical figure of some notoriety may be used as a namesake or an anagram of a wholly fictional character, just to signify that this character is a villain.


Contents

[edit] Criminals

[edit] Military leaders

[edit] Monarchs

[edit] Politicians

[edit] Religious figures

[edit] Scientists

[edit] Traitors

[edit] Other Villains

[edit] See also

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