Sometimes, we don’t always learn the full story about significant historical figures at school. Without the full story, we can often create misconceptions that can villainize people, even though they were never as bad as history made them out to be. Here are 18 times history got the bad guy wrong.
Marie Antoinette
According to History, it was reported that Marie Antoinette said “Let them eat cake” in 1789 when she was told the French had no bread to eat. She became the most hated woman in France, even though she never said this. The quote was seen as being incredibly uncharacteristic of Marie Antoinette.
Cleopatra
Many people associate Cleopatra as a seductress due to her romantic associations with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. However, she was far more than this. Cleopatra was entirely capable of being an effective ruler who governed ancient Egypt; it was Roman propaganda that misrepresented her.
Richard III
In Tudor times, Richard III was vilified by many important people, such as Thomas More, so that they could legitimize their own roles. There are many questions over the crimes he supposedly committed, such as the murder of his nephews. His physical deformations are also exaggerated to help villainize him.
The Rosenbergs
The Rosenbergs were accused of espionage for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. They were executed in 1953, but there are still questions over how guilty they actually were and whether they received a fair trial. The Cold War was a dark period in American history, and the country didn’t want to take any chances.
Alan Turing
Persecuted for being a homosexual in 1952, Alan Turing committed suicide because of this. History painted him as a bad guy because of his sexuality, even though it was his incredible code-breaking skills that cracked the Nazis’ enigma code and ultimately led to the victory of WWII.
Socrates
Socrates was executed in 399 BC due to his threat to the youth of Athens, says The Collector. While the Greeks were relatively free to express themselves however they wished, there were still restrictions, and Socrates crossed the line. His teachings laid the groundwork for Western philosophy but were often misinterpreted during his time.
Joan of Arc
During her lifetime, Joan of Arc was portrayed as a villain and burned at the stake for acts of heresy, even though she led French troops to victory in several battles. In modern times, she’s seen as a saint for her acts of courage.
Galileo Galilei
Galileo was a famous Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer. While he has received plenty of recognition in modern times for his contributions to science, during his lifetime he was sentenced to house arrest due to his support for heliocentrism, the concept that planets revolve around the sun.
Genghis Khan
Even though he was known for being a brutal ruler, Genghis Khan was also able to build a huge Mongol empire that improved trade and communication with the rest of the world. He also gave his people more religious freedom, but he is still seen as a barbarian.
Admiral Husband Kimmel
Admiral Husband Kimmel was blamed for the attack on Pear Harbor. However, later evidence revealed that he wouldn’t have received the necessary amount of intelligence to be able to prepare for the attack. He most likely became a scapegoat due to the public’s anger.
Marie Curie
Thanks to her findings in radiography, Marie Curie received a lot of sexism during her career. In modern times, she’s celebrated for her scientific achievements and the life-changing effects they’ve had on society. However, she was often overlooked in favor of her male counterparts.
Aaron Burr
American Experience writes that Aaron Burr is best known for his duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804, in which Hamilton was fatally wounded. This caused Burr to become vilified in history, and it’s taken away his significant contributions as the third vice president of the United States.
Nero
History has told us many squeamish stories about Nero, such as how he killed his mother and two wives and had very little interest in his role as the emperor of Rome. However, after deeper research into Nero, it’s thought that some of these stories were exaggerated and that he was a competent ruler who was loved by the people of Rome.
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft is often criticized for her unorthodox lifestyle, in which she never married and had a child. This overshadowed her work as both an author and a feminist. She wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, expressing the need for women to be educated and treated equally.
King John of England
King John is best known for being the villain in the tale of Robin Hood. However, recent findings have shown that he was a far more complex human and his reputation may have been exaggerated to fit in with the Robin Hood story.
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate became famous for the trial and crucifixion of Jesus in 30 AD, according to the World History Encyclopedia. He has often been vilified in history because of this, but archeological evidence shows he was a complex administrator who had the task of balancing both Roman laws and Jewish customs.
Alcibiades
Known for his shifting loyalties in the Peloponnesian War, he was often seen as a traitor. After more recent studies on his life, it’s been determined that Alcibiades actually contributed to Athenian success thanks to his military tactics. He was known for having a very flamboyant character and this caused his military presence to be overlooked.
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia has been seen as a villain in history thanks to stories of her slipping poison into political rivals’ food and drink as a way to eliminate them. Many of these claims have come from popular culture and scholars have challenged them by saying she was a patron of the arts and wasn’t the villain everyone thought.
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