Throughout the ages, there have been some truly evil women who have made their mark on history. From ancient queens to modern-day criminals, women have been responsible for some of the most sinister and diabolical deeds in history. Whether they were motivated by power, revenge, or just plain greed, these infamous female villains are some of the most evil women ever to walk the earth.
10- Amelia Dyer
Amelia Dyer is one of the most notorious female serial killers in history. She was born in England in 1837 and was the last of eight children born to a working-class family. She was a nursemaid before she began her reign of terror in the late 1800s.
Amelia Dyer began her criminal career when she became a baby farmer, taking in infants and young children from poor families, caring for them in her home. She charged the families a fee for her services, but instead of caring for the children, she neglected them and eventually murdered them.
It is believed that Amelia Dyer killed 400 babies over the years and disposed of the bodies in the Thames River. She was discovered when a package carrying the body of a young girl was found in the Thames river. She was eventually arrested and tried for the murder of the girl, and she was sentenced to death.
9- Dagmar Overbye
Dagmar Overbye was a Danish serial killer who was active in the early 20th century. She was convicted of murdering nine infants, but is believed to have killed up to 25.
Overbye was born in 1887 in Denmark and had a difficult childhood. Her mother died when she was young, and her father was an alcoholic. She was sent to a workhouse at the age of 12.
The first of Overbye’s victims was her own daughter, whom she strangled in 1909. Over the next few years, she would go on to murder eight more babies, often taking them in as her own before killing them. She would strangle them with a scarf or smother them with a pillow.
In 1912, Overbye was arrested and charged with the murder of her daughter. She was eventually convicted of nine counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison. She died in 1929, most likely from tuberculosis.
8- Mary Tudor
Photo Credit : History of Yesterday
Mary Tudor, otherwise known as “Bloody Mary”, is one of the evil women in English history. Mary was the daughter of the infamous King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. After her father’s death in 1547, Mary became Queen of England and Ireland.
Mary was a staunch Catholic who was determined to bring Catholicism back to England. In her five-year reign, she persecuted Protestants and tried to restore papal authority in the country. Her cruel methods of punishing those who didn’t conform to her religious beliefs earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary”.
Mary was also known for her fiery temper and her willingness to execute anyone who challenged her authority. She had many enemies and was determined to crush them. She executed over 280 Protestants during her reign in an attempt to stamp out religious opposition.
7- Griselda Blanco
Griselda Blanco, also known as “La Dama de la Mafia” (The Lady of the Mafia), was one of the most notorious criminals in history. She was born in 1943 in Cartagena, Colombia, and moved to New York in the 1960s.
Blanco was a master at the art of manipulating people and controlling the drug trade. She quickly rose to the top of the criminal underworld, and at her peak, her drug empire was said to be worth $2 billion. She was ruthless and violent, and her tactics included murder, kidnapping, and torture.
Blanco was also known for her unique style of dress. She often wore extravagant clothing, jewelry, and furs, and she was always heavily armed. Her style was a reflection of her personality: she was a powerful and intimidating woman who was never afraid to show her strength. Blanco was eventually arrested in 1985 and served 20 years in prison. She was deported to Colombia after her release and was assassinated in 2012.
6- Juana Barazza
Juana Barraza is one of the most notorious female criminals in history. She was a Mexican serial killer who was active between 1998 and 2006. Her victims were mainly elderly women who lived alone in Mexico City, and were strangled or bludgeoned to death.
Barraza was born in 1957 and was raised in abject poverty. Her father was an alcoholic and her mother was a prostitute. She began her career as a professional wrestler and was known by the stage name “La Dama del Silencio” (The Lady of Silence). Her wrestling career was not a success, and she eventually became involved in crime.
Barraza’s modus operandi was to break into the homes of elderly women, usually in the middle of the night. She would then assault and strangle the women, and often rob them. She was eventually caught after a neighbor witnessed her leaving the home of a victim and reported it to the police.
At her trial in 2008, Barraza pleaded guilty to 16 counts of murder. She was sentenced to 759 years in prison and is currently serving her sentence in a maximum security prison in Mexico.
5- Darya Saltykova
Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova, commonly known as Saltychikha, is remembered as one of the most evil women in Russian history. Born in 1730, her family was part of the Russian nobility and she was married to a nobleman at the age of 16.
Saltychikha was known for her violent temper and cruelty. She was said to enjoy torturing and killing her servants, subjecting them to beatings and whippings, and even starvation. She was also known for her impulsive behavior and lack of remorse.
In 1762, Saltychikha was accused of murdering 36 of her serfs. Although she denied the charges, her guilt was eventually proven by a court of law. She was sentenced to death, but due to her privileged status, her sentence was commuted to life in prison.
4- Catherine de Medici
Catherine de Medici is often remembered as one of the most notorious and evil women in history. Born in Italy in 1519, she moved to France at the age of 14 to marry the future king, Henry II.She quickly became a powerful and influential figure in the French court and was known for her scheming and manipulation of political figures.
During her reign, Catherine de Medici was known for her ruthless and authoritarian style of rule. She was often described as a “woman of blood” due to her involvement in several political assassinations. She was also infamous for her involvement in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, which saw thousands of Huguenots killed in Paris.
Catherine de Medici’s legacy remains firmly rooted in her reputation as a cruel and unjust ruler. She was widely despised by the French people and blamed for the religious divisions in the country. Her reign was marked by political unrest and religious persecution. Catherine de Medici has become a symbol of oppression and tyranny throughout the centuries and is often referred to as one of the most evil women in history.
3- Katherine Ishikawa
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Katherine Knight is one of the most notorious and evil women in history. Born in 1955 in New South Wales, Australia, Knight was an abusive and violent woman who murdered her partner, John Price, in a particularly gruesome and disturbing way in 2000.
The crime began with a heated argument between the two, which resulted in Knight stabbing Price in the chest with a butcher’s knife.She then went on to skin him, hang his skin from a meat hook, and boil his head in a pot. Following this, Knight wrote a note saying “Taberah nezirem. That’s all I can say”, which translated to “You are going to be cursed”.
Knight was arrested and charged with murder, and was the first woman in Australia to receive a life sentence without parole.She was also found to have a mental illness, which was thought to have been a factor in her violent behavior.
2- Leonarda Cianciulli
Leonarda Cianciulli was a prolific Italian serial killer who has become known as the “Soap-Maker of Correggio” due to her gruesome practice of turning her victims’ corpses into soap. She was born in Montella, Italy, in 1893, and lived a difficult, poverty-stricken life. Cianciulli was married off at the age of sixteen to a man who turned out to be abusive and unfaithful, and she had four children with him.
Cianciulli’s life took a dark turn in the late 1930s when she became convinced that human sacrifices were required to protect her family from some kind of misfortune. She began to target women who were travelling through her town, luring them in with offers of lodging and work. Cianciulli would then murder them and dismember their bodies, using the remains to make soap and teacakes. She claimed to have preserved the fat of her victims and used it to make her soap.
Cianciulli was eventually arrested in 1940 and was found guilty of three counts of murder. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was released after 15 years due to a general amnesty. She died in 1970 of natural causes.
Cianciulli’s case is notorious for its gruesome details and her chilling motive. It serves as a reminder that in spite of her outwardly normal life, some people can have a capacity for evil that is difficult to comprehend. Her story is a chilling reminder that no one is beyond the capacity for evil, and that even seemingly mundane lives can hide dark secrets.
1- Elizabeth Bathory
Elizabeth Bathory is arguably one of the most infamous serial killers in history. The Hungarian noblewoman was born in 1560 to a prominent family and was known for her beauty and intelligence. Despite her privileged background, Elizabeth became a ruthless and sadistic killer.
According to legend, Elizabeth would lure young girls from villages near her castle and torture them in the most gruesome ways. She was believed to have burned them with hot irons, cut them with knives, and even bitten off their flesh. It is said that Elizabeth would then bathe in the blood of her victims, believing it would keep her young and beautiful.
As her reputation spread, rumors of her evil deeds reached the ears of the King of Hungary, who ordered an investigation. He found that Elizabeth had tortured and killed hundreds of young women and girls over the years. In 1610, Elizabeth was put on trial and sentenced to life imprisonment in her own castle.
Although her story is centuries old, Elizabeth Bathory’s legacy still lives on in popular culture today. She is often depicted as a villain in books, movies, and television shows. Her story is also a reminder of the consequences of unchecked power and abuse. In a world where justice is rarely served, Elizabeth Bathory is a cautionary tale of what happens when someone is granted too much power.
