π Historyπ₯ Toplijstπ³ 16 votes
Which British monarch had the most ruthless reign worth grudging admiration?
Britain's throne has seen tyrants, schemers and stone-cold operators dressed in ermine. Some changed the country forever through sheer bloody-minded will. Rank them by who you secretly respect the most.
Put the items in your preferred order.
A
Henry VIII
He broke with Rome, dissolved the monasteries and rewrote English religion because he couldn't get a divorce. Petty? Absolutely. Effective? Terrifyingly so.
B
Elizabeth I
Outmanoeuvred the Spanish, executed her own cousin and ran a surveillance state Walsingham would be proud of. Ruthless in heels and a ruff.
C
William the Conqueror
Crossed the Channel, killed a king and ordered the Harrying of the North that left entire counties as wasteland. Rebranded England by force.
D
Richard III
Two princes vanished in the Tower, the throne mysteriously became his, and Shakespeare did the rest. Misunderstood or murderous? You decide.
E
Queen Victoria
Presided over a quarter of the globe while her armies crushed dissent from Delhi to Dublin. The smiling face of industrial-scale imperialism.
Drag the photo to reorder
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