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Horrible Histories Specials #12
Rotten Rulers
"Rotten Rulers" gives you the lowdown on the world's most loathsome leaders. From bizarre tsars and evil emperors to crazy kings an queens, people all around the world have suffered at the hands of their rulers for centuries. Whether they're nutty or nasty, fa or foul, those in charge rarely get it right. Want to Who gave the job of high priest to a donkey? Who choked to death while eating a crow? Who celebrated victory by eating his enemy's head? Read on for the power-crazed president who still rules from the grave and find out about the suffering slave who was ordered to collect 500 kilos of spider webs for his boss. Meet Genghis the Mongolian murderer and discover just how terrible Ivan really was. History has never been so horrible.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2005
33 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Terry Deary
819 books812 followersA former actor, theatre-director and drama teacher, Deary says he began writing when he was 29. Most famously, he is one of the authors of the Horrible Histories series of books popular among children for their disgusting details, gory information and humorous pictures and among adults for getting children interested in history. Books in the series have been widely translated into other languages and imitated.
A cartoon series has been made of the series of books and was shown on CiTV for a period in 2002.
The first series of a live-action comedy sketch show of the same name was shown on CBBC in 2009 and a second series is due.
Terry is also known widely throughout children and adult reading groups alike for his True Stories series (see below for series list).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of Sunderland in 2000. His numerous accolades also include the Blue Peter "Best Nonfiction Author of the Century" Award in the U.K.
-Wikipedia
A cartoon series has been made of the series of books and was shown on CiTV for a period in 2002.
The first series of a live-action comedy sketch show of the same name was shown on CBBC in 2009 and a second series is due.
Terry is also known widely throughout children and adult reading groups alike for his True Stories series (see below for series list).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of Sunderland in 2000. His numerous accolades also include the Blue Peter "Best Nonfiction Author of the Century" Award in the U.K.
-Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 20, 2023
قدرت متمرکز در دست یک انسان،اغلب همانند گشوده شدن دروازه ای از جهنم می ماند،جهنمی که در درون یک ذهن منفرد قرار دارد و جهان را در تصویر خود باز می سازد.
June 8, 2025
کتاب فرمانروایان فرومایه یه تجربه‌ی فوق‌العاده بود! تری دیری مثل همیشه با سبک خاص و طنز تاریک خودش، کلی واقعیت عجیب، جالب و بعضاً واقعاً ترسناک درباره فرمانروایان مختلف تاریخ رو روایت می‌کنه. چیزهایی توش خوندم که هیچ‌وقت توی کتاب‌های رسمی پیدا نمی‌کنی! هم خنده‌دار بود، هم شوکه‌کننده، و هم آموزنده. اگه می‌شد بیشتر از ۵ ستاره داد، قطعاً ۶ ستاره بهش می‌دادم. هرکسی که به تاریخ علاقه‌منده، باید این کتابو بخونه.
June 22, 2025
1/10 book of my 2025 re-reading challenge 💫
12-year-old me was really up to something
It was a great time to finish this book that I found in my childhood library.
12-year-old me was really up to something
It was a great time to finish this book that I found in my childhood library.
March 14, 2015
I will be scarred for life. You have no idea how violent and devastatingly WEIRD rulers could be in the past. Seriously.
September 17, 2018
This was more like a 4.5 but so close to 5, I had to give it that! Another fantastic Horrible Histories book. There were so many facts and things I never knew - I certainly learned something! A few bits I didn’t like but, for the most part, a brilliant instalment in a favourite series of mine. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
October 6, 2019
A classique
April 10, 2024
How did they come up with such horrifying ways to torture and kill people. I’m truly baffled.
June 19, 2020
I actually learned a surprising amount from this book. For example, in the AD 900s, the grand vizier of Persia travelled with a library of 117,000 books carried by camels that were trained to walk in alphabetical order. Although he also said that the earth is flat, which I’m hoping was a joke but which either way is a dangerous one to make, especially when educating kids.
So basically, the main vibe that I was left with here was that there were a lot of cool facts and information that would definitely keep a kid entertained, but at the same time I’m not too sure how much we can trust it. It’s a shame, because I’ve always found the information to be spot on in Horrible History books before.
Mostly, though, it’s just a timely reminder that power corrupts and that people are terrible. After all, there are quite a few rotten rulers still knocking around today. Sinister.
So basically, the main vibe that I was left with here was that there were a lot of cool facts and information that would definitely keep a kid entertained, but at the same time I’m not too sure how much we can trust it. It’s a shame, because I’ve always found the information to be spot on in Horrible History books before.
Mostly, though, it’s just a timely reminder that power corrupts and that people are terrible. After all, there are quite a few rotten rulers still knocking around today. Sinister.
May 8, 2018
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Original review:
=============
This here was a mighty excellent book. What I did was pick it up, utilized my powers of vision, and set it down. Of course I read the whole thing, why did you ask (did my attempt at mind-reading work)?
The end result? I rather liked it! It was written to appeal to the gruesome subconscious and that is. Exactly. What. It. Does. This is the only way to learn history, save for those MILLIONS of other ways. I do not have sources for that statistic. Do not ask for them. What does this book do? It imputes knowledge into your mind (by way of a very distinguished fashion), which, in turn, makes you knowledgeable. I forgot where I was going with this. I growing tired of my review. This is of course pretty much the end of the same, then. In summary, this was a great book. You'll love it. You're welcome.
Ugh… I forgot. The book was well written. There. Finis.
Ugh again. Why did I only give it four stars, you ask? Because, my dear inquisitive mortal, I wanted to. Oh ho, some of you dare oppose my force of will. Very well, such will be rewarded, though poorly. I did not consider it amazing. There. Now you are satisfied.
And, yes, I've got a tile loose right now and I picked right now to write a review. Same old story. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Ah, well, let's hope that this is just another insignificant little article of text, manifested unto you by my personal WORK AND TOIL . Ta ta!
Original review:
=============
This here was a mighty excellent book. What I did was pick it up, utilized my powers of vision, and set it down. Of course I read the whole thing, why did you ask (did my attempt at mind-reading work)?
The end result? I rather liked it! It was written to appeal to the gruesome subconscious and that is. Exactly. What. It. Does. This is the only way to learn history, save for those MILLIONS of other ways. I do not have sources for that statistic. Do not ask for them. What does this book do? It imputes knowledge into your mind (by way of a very distinguished fashion), which, in turn, makes you knowledgeable. I forgot where I was going with this. I growing tired of my review. This is of course pretty much the end of the same, then. In summary, this was a great book. You'll love it. You're welcome.
Ugh… I forgot. The book was well written. There. Finis.
Ugh again. Why did I only give it four stars, you ask? Because, my dear inquisitive mortal, I wanted to. Oh ho, some of you dare oppose my force of will. Very well, such will be rewarded, though poorly. I did not consider it amazing. There. Now you are satisfied.
And, yes, I've got a tile loose right now and I picked right now to write a review. Same old story. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Ah, well, let's hope that this is just another insignificant little article of text, manifested unto you by my personal WORK AND TOIL . Ta ta!
July 4, 2022
So, interestingly with this edition of my HH journey, this took a slightly different approach to history and instead focused on the people instead of the events and focused on those people in a lot more detail.
I enjoyed reading about all the different people that over the course of human history have gone down in notorious fashion, and there were quite a few people that I had not heard of at all which was a little bit of a treat for me. It was also still full of the traditional humour of HH books so it didn’t ever come across as too gory or not suitable for the demographic that would be wanting to read it.
I think if more books were written like this about people that aren’t so well known, then history ends up being a lot more interesting for everyone involved.
I enjoyed reading about all the different people that over the course of human history have gone down in notorious fashion, and there were quite a few people that I had not heard of at all which was a little bit of a treat for me. It was also still full of the traditional humour of HH books so it didn’t ever come across as too gory or not suitable for the demographic that would be wanting to read it.
I think if more books were written like this about people that aren’t so well known, then history ends up being a lot more interesting for everyone involved.
February 22, 2018
I fondly remember these books and still enjoy the BBC TV show as my guilty pleasure! I bought two of this series secondhand to give to my old primary school and decided to give them a quick read myself. As always they're a fun and informative read and are as accurate as they can be in a book for kids. I like how since I was a child they've started to include a lot more from histories outside of Europe and the US, meaning I got to learn something too as this wasn't included as much a decade+ ago. If you're thinking about giving this to your kids then 100% go for it! Kid friendly and something they should enjoy.
June 25, 2025
“Rotten Rulers didn’t have to get their hands dirty when they tortured and killed. Who did the bloody beheading, shocking shooting and horrible hanging? Not the ruler. It was the ruled.
Rotten Rulers can only win when the ordinary people do the cutting and the killing, the chopping and the lopping.
Ordinary people – like you and me. Mr and Ms Ordinary.”
I'm just gonna process that for a minute.
Rotten Rulers can only win when the ordinary people do the cutting and the killing, the chopping and the lopping.
Ordinary people – like you and me. Mr and Ms Ordinary.”
I'm just gonna process that for a minute.
March 1, 2019
That is good
a good book and I think one of the best yet out of all of them but I think everyone should try to read the hole series because they are very fun to read unlike other boring books
a good book and I think one of the best yet out of all of them but I think everyone should try to read the hole series because they are very fun to read unlike other boring books
October 21, 2024
Paljon infoa huonoista johtajista. Lapsillinen, mutta se on pitkälti näissä tarkoituksenakin. Kirjasta tuntui kuitenkin loppuvan puhti loppua kohti eikä lopussa ollut enää mitään hirveän shokeeraavaa toisin kuin alussa.
May 7, 2020
This was so fun to read! It was such a captivating read and I enjoyed it
March 5, 2023
Always thoroughly enjoyable reading for mommy-son time. Though some particularly gruesome bits do need to be glossed over!
October 30, 2016
793 - 2016
February 5, 2017
Good, but it felt a bit disorganized.
December 22, 2024
Young me would have been all in on this book. Historical tidbits told in a humorous fashion is my jam. Adult me noted a couple misstatements which made me wonder if there were other errors. I would still wholeheartedly recommend this to kids since it's the kind of book that can spark an interest in learning more. I loved the end when Deary pointed out that rotten rulers maintain their position with the complicity of the average citizen.
September 12, 2014
This non-fiction book catalogues the most notorious “rotten rulers” of the past. From unstable monarchs to vile emperors, this book details these rulers’ dastardly and frankly ridiculous deeds. For example, we learn about Emperor Caligula of Rome (AD 12-14), who was so distraught by the death of his sister, he ordered everyone not to take a bath. Those who disregarded his command were sentenced to death.
This was an engaging and humorous read from start to finish. This is a refreshing take on history and its inception in the mainstream has resulted in more access to history for children. Children will relish this book and its series as it focuses on the gruesome and in some cases trivial aspects of history, which may not be explored in the classroom. Its humour is contagious as are the illustrations. This is suitable for upper key stage 1 and beyond and can be read at the book corner for children’s pleasure. This will in no doubt prove to be the foundation that sparks children’s interest and curiosity in history.
This was an engaging and humorous read from start to finish. This is a refreshing take on history and its inception in the mainstream has resulted in more access to history for children. Children will relish this book and its series as it focuses on the gruesome and in some cases trivial aspects of history, which may not be explored in the classroom. Its humour is contagious as are the illustrations. This is suitable for upper key stage 1 and beyond and can be read at the book corner for children’s pleasure. This will in no doubt prove to be the foundation that sparks children’s interest and curiosity in history.
October 27, 2014
In my quest to complete my Horrible Histories series I bought this book; I'd never read it before and I was extremely excited to read it. Little did I know how disappointed I was going to be with it.
The book didn't flow as well as I felt other Horrible Histories had. The themes normally have some connection to link them together but this one felt a little chunky. The usually flawless series also had some printing errors such as spelling mistakes and in game for Tsar Ivan VI of Russia, there were too many numbers listed so the answers didn't make sense. It also included a section on what school kids had written in their schoolwork which I just felt was odd.
Having said that it was packed full of fascinating stories and covered a huge range of rulers from across the globe including leaders from modern times, right back to rulers in BC years. Children would learn a great deal from this book.
It was interesting and funny but let down by mistakes.
The book didn't flow as well as I felt other Horrible Histories had. The themes normally have some connection to link them together but this one felt a little chunky. The usually flawless series also had some printing errors such as spelling mistakes and in game for Tsar Ivan VI of Russia, there were too many numbers listed so the answers didn't make sense. It also included a section on what school kids had written in their schoolwork which I just felt was odd.
Having said that it was packed full of fascinating stories and covered a huge range of rulers from across the globe including leaders from modern times, right back to rulers in BC years. Children would learn a great deal from this book.
It was interesting and funny but let down by mistakes.
July 29, 2011
Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated books published in the UK by Scholastic. They are designed to get children interested in history by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or unpleasant. They are exceptionally well loved by my history loving children
January 29, 2012
Full of little-known facts about many of the rulers of world history. Some facts I had known, but many I did not know yet. Entertaining, bound to keep a kid interested in history.
April 18, 2012
awesome
April 23, 2017
opinião aqui :)
October 31, 2014
This book is pat of the Horrible Histories series. This book explains rulers of the past in a very amusing manner.
March 3, 2015
Great book! Full of gossip, the historical kind of gossip.
January 28, 2017
Weird in a good way!
September 18, 2023
Simplesmente incrivel
September 30, 2025
love a good horrible histories book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews