The 20 Most Evil People In History Who Lived Rich

When it comes to the worst of the worst, we hope and expect that they spend their days hiding in a hole or living in squalor — at least until they are caught. But the truth is that there are many horrible people throughout history who had the wealth to live in luxury throughout their lives. While some of these people may have gotten retribution eventually, until then, they lived like kings.

1. KIM JONG II

Kim Jong II was leader of North Korean from 1994 until 2011. His leadership placed North Korea under one of the most repressive governments in the world. The people of North Korea starved through a famine in the 1990’s while Kim Jong II wasted $300 million a year in personal expenses. He portrayed the people of North Korea as being happy and prosperous in order to push away Western intervention.

2. POL POT

Pol Pot was a signature fellow in that he ordered a genocide of his own people. He came to power in Cambodia in 1975, and for four years he caused the deaths of millions. It is believed that 25 percent of the population of Cambodia died due to his executions and policies. Many were forced to work to death or starved to death as part of his forced labor projects.

3. H.H. HOLMES

H.H. Holmes was one of the first people to ever be given the title of serial killer. He was the first people to ever be documented as a serial killer. He was not someone that most people would expect since he was a millionaire in the late 1800s. He lived a very lavish lifestyle that hid the fact that he was killing people in the hotel that he owned. He eventually confessed to 27 murders.

4. LEOPOLD II

King Leopold II ruled Belgium from 1865 until 1904. However, it was not his rule over Belgium that places him as inherently evil, but his rule over the Congo. Belgium colonized the Congo and created the Congo Free State. Despite the name, it was basically a way for Leopold to exploit the riches of the Congo through any means necessary. Through the rubber trade anywhere between one million and 15 million people died, and many more were mutilated.

5. ADOLF HITLER

Most people are aware that Hitler wrote Mein Kampf before he became ruler of Germany. However, it may come as a surprise that it was a huge success in Germany. It allowed him to have mansions and all the money and luxuries that he could want. The book was eventually made to be required reading in Germany which meant that the money just kept coming in. The money and fame allowed him to take control of Germany.

6. MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE

Maximilien Robespierre led the French Revolution and eventually came to power. He decided that terror was the way to maintain power over the people and focused on public executions. He guillotined thousands of people publicly for little reason at all during a period known as the “Reign of Terror.” He was so prolific in his desire to use the guillotine that people joked he would end up beheading the executioner once all of France was dead.

7. IVAN THE TERRIBLE

Ivan the Terrible was Czar of Russia from 1547 to 1584. He was prone to episodic rages that only got worse with age, including killing his own heir. He perpetuated the Massacre of Novgorod because he feared that the wealthy of the city were planning to defect. Thousands were brutally killed. It was a strategy that would be repeated whenever he conquered new territory.

8. IDI AMIN DADA

Idi Amin Dada was President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He is believed to have killed more than 500,000 people, including archbishops, foreign investors and anyone who opposed him. He was also known to rape any pretty girl he saw. His rule was characterized by political repression, corruption and endless human rights abuses. War caused him to flee into exile in 1978.

9. JOSEF STALIN

Stalin ruled Russia from 1922 until 1952 and used that time to live an extravagant lifestyle. He used the money of Russia to buy himself whatever he wanted, even as he people starved and struggled to make ends meet. It was during this rule that millions of people lost their lives, either directly through his orders or indirectly due to his corrupt policies.

10. GENGHIS KHAN

Genghis Khan ruled the Mongolian Empire from 1206 to 1227 and was a ruthless conqueror. He was said to be a generous and beneficial leader to those who were his friends and allies. To his enemies he was especially cruel. In one instance, his wife was kidnapped by a few Tartars, and in response to the actions of a few men, Genghis killed all the Tartars. He was known to torture his enemies by pouring molten metal on their extremities.

11. SADDAM HUSSEIN

Saddam Hussein was the leader of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. He had lavish palaces throughout the country, and for many years it was believed that he was trying to build up the country. Instead it was discovered to be a complete facade, and while Saddam lived in luxury, his people lived in squalor. He was a brutal dictator who was eventually found guilty for crimes against humanity and hanged in 2003.

12. MOBUTU SESE SEKO

Mobutu Sese Seko came to power in Congo through a coup of the democratically elected government. He killed anyone he thought might be a threat to his rule and tortured those who had been loyal to the previous government. He siphoned money away from the country and increased the country’s debts while his own wealth increased. His own wealth grew $5 billion, which was comparable to the country’s debt at the time.

13. ATTILA THE HUN

Attila the Hun ruled the Huns from 434 to 453. He was a master of battle and despised the Roman Empire. To that end he rampaged across Rome and killed anyone in his path. He was so ruthless that he was considered by many to be a punishment from God, which is how he earned the nickname “Scourge of God.” When he was happy he was known to be a great party host and lived a lifestyle befitting a ruler.

14. MAO ZEDONG

Mao Zedong came into power in China at the end of World War II, and he stayed in power until 1976. Despite the fact that he was the Chairman of the Communist Party, there was a large discrepancy between what he had and what the Chinese people had. He worked his people to death and many were so poor that they starved to death anyway. It is believed that 70 million people died because of his rule.

15. TALAT PASHA

Talat Pasha was one of three Pashas who ruled the Ottoman Empire during the early 1900’s. He was Minister of the Interior and Minister of Finance from 1914 until 1917 when he became Grand Vizier. He is considered to be the main perpetrator of the Armenian genocide which began in 1915. Millions were killed through brutal means, and much of the Armenian population was wiped out.

16. BENITO MUSSOLINI

Benito Mussolini made himself the fascist totalitarian dictator of Italy in 1921. He created a completely repressive government and had a militia that maintained brutal control over the country. Benito also had a stranglehold over Libya and eventually conquered Ethiopia. Civilians in both countries were imprisoned and killed by the thousands in order to maintain control or in response to imagined slights.

17. MUAMMAR GADDAFI

Gaddafi ruled Libya from 1969 until his death in 2011 during the Libyan Civil War. Under Gaddafi’s rule the people suffered, unemployment reached 30 percent and there was widespread corruption. So much corruption, in fact, that it was later discovered that Gaddafi was the richest person in the world with assets of $200 billion. He was so hated by the people that his body was displayed in a freezer for days after his death so people could travel to see him.

18. BASHAR AL-ASSAD

Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and has been since 2000. It is estimated that he is worth over $1.5 billion. This is a hefty sum for a man that rules over a country where the people make $2,000 per capita. The country has disintegrated into civil war and corruption with no end in sight. The reason Bashar has so much money is through some very creative accounting with Russia and Sweden.

19. VLAD DRACULA

Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler was Prince of Wallachia from 1456 to 1462. He was known for his cruelty and vile practices. He is said to enjoy impaling his enemies and then eating among their corpses. He was said to devise horrible tortures for men, women and children. He would destroy entire villages, burning or impaling all of the inhabitants. His death count stands somewhere between 40,000 and 100,000.

20. ELIZABETH BATHORY

There are conflicting accounts of the mysterious life of Elizabeth Bathory. Some believe her to be one of the most evil women to live, having tortured hundreds of servant girls to death. She lived through the wealth and prestige of her family at Csejte Castle. However, there are some historians who believe that the gruesome rumors were just made up by her rivals. She never went to trial because of her status, but was condemned to house arrest.