Top 10 Most Brutal Empires in History

Throughout history, empires have risen and fallen, leaving behind traces not only of their grandeur but also of the intense brutality they inflicted. In the race for expansion, dominance, and resources, some empires unleashed waves of violence that changed entire regions, if not the world. Many conquered lands by sheer force, imposing their rule through relentless invasions, crushing rebellions, and imposing systems designed to keep populations in check through fear. Some were driven by the pursuit of resources and wealth, others by ideologies or beliefs that demanded submission, often at a brutal cost to those who stood in their way.
The Top Ten
Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire, led by Genghis Khan and his successors, expanded rapidly in the 13th and 14th centuries through highly organized and often ruthless military campaigns. Reports of entire cities being destroyed and civilians being executed were common as they established dominance across Asia and Europe.

Most ruthless conquerors, wanted to rule the whole world. Throughout their conquest, they wiped over 10% of the global population by killing, raping, and destroying everyone and everything against them. Genghis Khan alone is the biggest killer and rapist in history. One in 200 people are descendants of him.

Hands down, this empire truly made a testament of inspiring fear. The only reason it isn't thought so now is because of anti-western centric bias in history curriculums nowadays. Their record of human rights abuses isn't a shady history to them. It was a medal of honor in their minds at the time.

Japanese Empire The Japanese Empire engaged in extensive military campaigns across Asia, particularly during the early 20th century, marked by events such as the Nanking Massacre. Japanese forces conducted brutal occupation policies, including forced labor and experimentation on prisoners of war.

They did many evil things to China, people in the Korean Peninsula, the residents of Nanking (which is part of China), Russia (kicked them out of Manchuria), America, the United States and its territories (Guam, Philippines, etc.), The Netherlands, France, and Britain (British Raj and Malaysia: UK, French Indochina: France, Indonesia: Netherlands). They also took some minor islands from Germany during WWI.

They turned many of the Chinese 'states' nationalist, forced Thailand to join them in the occupation of the British Raj, and persecuted many minorities, just like Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. Truly an evil empire.

British Empire The British Empire expanded across continents through colonization, often enforcing its rule through military power and subjugation of indigenous populations. Exploitative practices like forced labor, land seizures, and cultural suppression were widely documented throughout its colonies.

Genocidal Britain is like the Jeffrey Dahmer of nations.

They have been murdering, torturing, and starving Irish people from the time of Oliver Cromwell to the 1798 Irish Rebellion, to the Great Famine (also known as the Great Genocide), to the Black and Tans, to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, and to killing civilians in Derry (you can Google all of this).

They have driven to extinction countless millions of Native Americans and Indigenous Australians.

They have murdered, starved, and tortured tens of millions of Indians from 1757 to 1947.

Also, Google the Opium Wars, Batang Kali, Boer concentration camps, etc.

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler's leadership from 1933 to 1945, pursued aggressive expansion through invasion and implemented policies leading to the genocide of millions, including the Holocaust. Their actions led to systematic persecution, forced labor, and widespread atrocities in occupied territories.

Nazi Germany should be at number 1 for this because of how bad they were during World War I and World War II. Think about what the Nazis did to more than a million people from countries in Europe. They were responsible for mass killings for what they believed in, which was world domination.

Such a sad time. The Nazis were also responsible for the mass killing of the Jews. It blows my mind that Nazi Germany is not at number 1 when they should be. The Nazis did the worst thing by far that no other empire could imagine or even think to do, and yet they continued to follow through on Hitler's orders.

Belgian Empire The Belgian Empire, especially in the Congo Free State, inflicted severe human rights abuses to extract resources, resulting in the deaths of millions. King Leopold II's policies led to forced labor, amputations, and other brutal methods to enforce production quotas.

The Belgian Congo was called "the heart of darkness" for very good reasons. They were far more cruel and brutal than all the other European empires combined.

If anyone thinks the British, French, and Spanish empires were brutal, then they need to read up about the Belgian Congo. That is horrendous to read about.

They killed 10 million people in Congo via bad slave labor, torture, and killings.

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire maintained control over vast regions from Europe to the Middle East, with instances of severe repression against certain populations, such as the Armenian community. The empire's administration used methods like forced relocation and executions to maintain control over diverse territories.

The Ottoman Empire was ruled by the leader of Islam, the sultan himself. They were so devoted to their religion that they killed, tortured, and enslaved people.

Despite the sultans' utmost cruelty, Muslims from other countries fought for their rights. For instance, Indian Muslims protested against the British for the Sultan during 1919-1924 (the Khilafat Movement).

Of course, the British were bad in their own way, but not as bad as the Ottoman Empire. After all, they ruled since 1299.

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire maintained control in Mesoamerica through warfare and the ritualistic sacrifice of captives. Its social structure relied heavily on tribute and submission from conquered neighboring states, who were often required to supply human tributes.

The Aztec Empire should be much higher.

Their brutal warmongering and enslavement of local indigenous tribes were unparalleled. The deliberate ritualized torture, slaughter, and mutilation of an estimated hundreds of thousands to millions of innocents, including children, is something the world had never seen before or never saw after, besides perhaps in Nazi Germany.

To get an idea, 4,000 to 8,000 people were sacrificed in just 4 days during the opening ceremonies of what today is referred to as the Templo Mayor. This is twice as much as the total number of victims of the Spanish Inquisition spanning 4 centuries.

Timurid Empire The Timurid Empire, founded by Timur (Tamerlane), expanded through campaigns characterized by mass killings and the sacking of cities across Central Asia, Persia, and the Indian subcontinent. Timur's forces were notorious for constructing towers of human skulls as a symbol of his dominance.

The Timurid Empire was one of the most brutal empires in history. Located in Western Asia, spanning from modern-day Iraq to the west to Afghanistan to the east, the Timurids were incredibly cruel to their people. Some even say Amir Timur, the founder of the empire, was comparable to the Mongols.

Soviet Union The Soviet Union, particularly under Joseph Stalin, pursued policies of political repression, including mass arrests, forced labor in the Gulag system, and purges against perceived enemies. These measures led to millions of deaths and widespread suffering among civilians and dissenters.

I traveled to the USSR in 1985. Decades of forced movement of dissidents and "political prisoners" to the gulags, plus a fearsome internal security service, had left the average citizen cowed by authority. Anyone speaking up, especially in East Germany and the Baltic states, was risking a lot. Organized religion was virtually banned, the leaders were homophobic and drunkards. That lasted 72 years, from 1917 to 1989. Now, Putin wants to bring it back.

The Holodomor killed 6 million Ukrainians in a man-made famine. It removed Ukrainian culture from Kuban and caused the Donbass War we have today. This shows a long line of Russification where Stalin would deport many of an ethnicity to Siberia and replace them with Russians to prevent rebellion. Today, 25 percent of Kazakhstan and Estonia and 17 percent of Ukraine is Russian.

Assyrian Empire The Assyrian Empire, known for its military prowess in the ancient Near East, utilized methods such as mass executions, deportations, and the destruction of cities to assert dominance. Its campaigns were marked by documented cruelty, including the enslavement and public torture of captured populations.

The Newcomers

? Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary enforced control over its diverse empire with military interventions and strict political repression, especially in response to nationalist movements. Rebellions were often met with severe reprisals and forced assimilation policies.
? Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate expanded across the Middle East, North Africa, and into Spain, often through military campaigns that met resistance. Methods of control included enforced taxation and imposition of Islamic rule on diverse populations within its borders.

They killed the companions and descendants of its own prophet Muhammad as well as treated the people of Medina badly and killed Ahlul Bayt. They forcefully converted people from other religions to Islam for their personal gains. They used to steal wives of other people and raped Muslim and non-Muslim women equally.

The Contenders
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, primarily through its conquests in the Americas, utilized forceful conversion, slavery, and territorial exploitation. Colonization led to the deaths and subjugation of large indigenous populations, often under the encomienda system.

The Spanish Empire was a very abusive empire, alongside the Japanese, Mongolian, and Roman empires. They would force you to work. If you did not bow to a friar, you could either be jailed or executed. They would whip you while you were working.

The Spanish Empire is a colonial empire, similar to the British Empire. The Spanish and British Empires are the true examples of colonialism.

My God, why isn't this in one of the top slots? They committed genocide on a level that has never been seen before or since and eradicated entire civilizations of South and Central America, all driven by Catholic zeal. You thought ISIS was bad. This is on another level. They even invaded (or attempted to invade) European countries just because they were of a different denomination of the same religion. I would say these guys were many times worse than the Nazis.

Roman Empire The Roman Empire maintained control over its vast territories through military conquest, enslavement, and public executions. Its expansionist policies often led to subjugation and forced assimilation of conquered populations.

The Roman Empire deserves first place. They mistreated their people in many bad, torturous ways that would be illegal today. For starters, they would peel your skin off while you were still alive, set people on fire, and even kill people by beating them to death with sticks.

Of course, they would also make people watch these deaths happen, like in arenas where gladiators fought ferocious animals or other gladiators.

The Roman Empire wasn't as bad as Nazi Germany or North Korea, but they were still very brutal. By far, it was one of the most evil countries in world history.

Russian Empire The Russian Empire expanded across Eastern Europe, Asia, and North America through wars, forced resettlements, and policies that suppressed ethnic groups. Methods of maintaining control included political repression, forced labor, and exile to remote areas like Siberia.
French Empire The French Empire used military conquest and colonial exploitation to expand across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, often enforcing rule through violence and forced labor. Brutal practices, such as the repression in Algeria and forced conscription, marked its colonial administration.

The French Empire, over history, wasn't so bad, but the crimes they committed during Algeria's struggle for independence are astonishing. They would open fire on peaceful protestors and were often too controlling.

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire established a vast network of colonies and trading posts, using slavery and forced labor for resource extraction, particularly in Brazil and Africa. Its colonial rule included severe repression of indigenous populations and brutal punishment for resistance.

In the 1970s, the Portuguese were losing their empire, so they decided that the best way to keep it was to commit genocide throughout Africa. And all to own a fraction of a pebble.

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire in South Asia conducted military campaigns to consolidate power, and at times, heavy taxation and forced conversions contributed to regional tensions. Some emperors engaged in large-scale repression against dissenting groups, including mass executions and punitive measures.
Persian Empire The Persian Empire, particularly during the Achaemenid and Sassanian periods, expanded through warfare and subjugation, imposing heavy tributes on conquered regions. Its centralized rule included suppression of uprisings and at times forced relocations of entire populations.

Although Persia is often considered a tolerant empire for its time, and sometimes rightfully so (especially with Cyrus issuing the Edict of Toleration), it was not tolerant of the people who did not submit to their rule upon conquest. The Achaemenid shahs slaughtered, subjugated, and destroyed the history of entire foreign peoples, completely erased. Herodotus even gives an account of how the Lydians were disarmed, pacified by the Persians, and had their honor and culture erased.

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate exerted control over the Islamic world through conquests, while political purges and violent suppression of sectarian groups were also prevalent. Intra-dynastic conflicts often led to brutal reprisals and strict control over dissenting populations.
German Empire The German Empire, particularly in its colonial rule in Africa, conducted brutal campaigns, including the genocide of the Herero and Namaqua peoples in present-day Namibia. Tactics such as concentration camps, forced labor, and executions were employed to suppress resistance.
Greek Empire The Greek Empire, especially under Alexander the Great, expanded through relentless military campaigns across the Persian Empire and beyond, often with high casualties and large-scale destruction. Enforced Hellenization led to cultural dominance and subjugation of local customs and governance.

Best empire? Just kidding. They were among the most barbaric people of antiquity, who disguised themselves as philosophers and freedom-fighting people, which couldn't be further from the truth. Their philosophy, for example, named women to be corpses which imprisoned the human soul. If that is the kind of philosophy that the West wants to see as their cultural heritage, I will be out.

The Persian vision of freedom contained the ability to enslave whichever people they wanted without having greater forces like the Persians, who in fact forbade slavery throughout their empire's history, to take away the Hellenistic will to be immoral people. It's so absurd how they used to call the Persians barbarians. The Persians freed the Jews from Babylon and helped them rebuild their temple. And the first charter of human rights was created by the Persians too.

What did the hypocritical Greeks do? Giving them credit for having "saved" Western culture and values is straight up wrong and incorrect. And it goes on my nerve to hear people everywhere call Alexander the "great." He doesn't deserve that epithet. There is nothing outstanding about him except his military campaigns, but military achievements are not a measurement of greatness. It's the values and the will to change the world for good that makes people great. Nelson Mandela is GREAT. Martin Luther King is GREAT, and Cyrus THE GREAT was GREAT.

The Greeks murdered people in the most barbaric way as they would execute citizens in public by locking them into an iron bull, boiling them alive, making the screams of the executed scream out the bull's mouth. DISGUSTING!

Italian Empire The Italian Empire, particularly under fascist rule, pursued territorial expansion and occupation in Africa and the Mediterranean. Italian forces were responsible for civilian massacres, forced labor, and repression in colonies like Libya and Ethiopia.

Italy's colonial rule in Libya was brutal. Even before the war for Libya, the Italians committed crimes by creating the so-called Tripoli massacre, where 10,000 Turkish and Arab troops were put in concentration camps and executed.

During WWI, Libyan tribesmen rose up against their colonial rulers, and the Italians didn't fully engage until Mussolini came into power and "pacified" the region by bombing villages. Men, women, and children were executed daily and put in concentration camps. It is estimated that half of Libya's population was killed or "relocated" during that period.

During the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, due to international pressure, Mussolini authorized chemical weapons, and a quarter of Ethiopia's population died during that war.

During WWII, Italy committed atrocities in the Balkans, such as the Domenikon massacre in Greece. The Italians used brutal tactics to quell rebellions in Yugoslavia, executing 50 Yugoslavian civilians for every Italian soldier killed.

Dutch Empire The Dutch Empire expanded through aggressive trade dominance and colonial rule, especially in Asia and the Caribbean, enforcing control with military power. The Dutch East India Company exploited indigenous populations through forced labor, slavery, and severe punishments for resistance.
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, especially under Justinian and other expansionist rulers, maintained its territories through warfare, suppression of revolts, and forced conversions. Punitive measures and public executions were common in maintaining authority over its multicultural subjects.
Ancient Egyptian Empire The Ancient Egyptian Empire conducted numerous military campaigns to expand its borders, using captured populations for forced labor, especially on monumental projects. Egyptian rulers imposed strict control over conquered territories and used punishment to quell uprisings.

They are the greatest empire of all time. Their brutality and cruelty are well documented in the best book of all human history, the Bible.

Serbian Empire The Serbian Empire, at its peak under Stefan DuĊĦan, expanded through military campaigns in the Balkans, often meeting resistance. Control over territories involved warfare, forced tribute, and subjugation of rival ethnic and religious groups.

Those Slavs killed thousands of innocent people - Bosnians, Albanians, Croats, and more. Not to mention, they almost committed a genocide against Albanians if it weren't for the Turks and uprisings.

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