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From poisoners to torturers, history has witnessed some truly sinister women. Join us as we count down the most notorious female villains who left their dark mark on humanity. These women committed unimaginable atrocities, from serial killings to mass torture, proving evil knows no gender.
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00:00The police asked Lizzie if she knew anyone who might have killed her mother and father.
00:04She is not my mother, sir, Lizzie responded.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at women who committed the most heinous acts in history.
00:13I can't remember anything.
00:16Jane Topin.
00:17When your goal is to out-kill every murderer in history, then you're not just dangerous, you're evil personified.
00:24That essentially summarizes this evil nurse.
00:26Jane Topin, America's most prolific female serial killer, killed just to see the life drain out of her victim's eyes.
00:36Born a Nora Kelly in Boston, 1854, Jane Topin was initially known as Jolly Jane for her bright and friendly demeanor.
00:43But behind this pleasant personality was a very disturbed woman.
00:46Between 1895 and 1901, she's believed to have killed over 100 people, using her position in hospitals to experiment on patients.
00:54Dubbed the Angel of Mercy, she preyed on the vulnerable and derived some twisted thrill from watching their final moments.
01:01She was finally brought to justice in 1901, after she killed off the entire Davis family of Katamette, Massachusetts.
01:10By 1902, she confessed to 31 murders.
01:13She was declared insane the same year, and committed to a mental health facility where she remained until her death.
01:19Topin was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and spent the rest of her life in a mental hospital.
01:27Daria Nikolaevna Saltikova.
01:29Rich, powerful, and distinctly lacking in empathy, the Saltikova heiress wasn't just a killer.
01:35She was a sadist.
01:36The noble woman was notorious for her vile treatment of her serfs, many of whom didn't live to see justice done.
01:41You see, Saltikova was highly connected with the higher-ups in the Russian court, and evaded investigation until the death tally grew too big to ignore.
01:49And when we say too big, we mean she has a proven body count of around 38, and is suspiciously linked to nearly 100 more.
01:57Based on those numbers, there's no telling how much damage she could have wrought if she hadn't been caught.
02:02Clara Mawerova, also known as the cannibal mother of Kujim, Clara Mawerova subjected her own children to the worst form of torture.
02:10A member of a religious cult, Clara and her sister Katarina were manipulated by Barbola Shkulova.
02:15This nightmare lasted nearly a year until in 2007, when a neighbor's baby monitor picked up a signal of the abuse.
02:22Authorities stepped in, and Clara, her sister, and other cult members were imprisoned.
02:26Shockingly, Barbara, an adult woman posing as a child, appealed and later walked free.
02:32Maria Swannenberg, one of history's most prolific poisoners.
02:36Maria Swannenberg was known to her neighbors in the Netherlands as good mich.
02:39She had a reputation for caring for the sick, the poor, and elderly, but she was anything but good.
02:44Behind this generosity was a woman who had a penchant for poisoning with arsenic and a hunger for money.
02:49Her mother was her first victim, and her father soon followed, all for insurance payouts.
02:54Swannenberg is believed to have poisoned at least 102 people, with 27 confirmed deaths.
03:00Heartbreakingly, 16 of those were her own relatives.
03:03She was eventually caught in 1883 after attempting to poison an entire family.
03:08Sentenced to life in a correctional facility, she died behind bars, another example of a wolf in sheep's clothing.
03:14Rana Valona I
03:15Many know of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
03:18Names linked to tyranny and mass deaths, but few have heard of Rana Valona,
03:22the 19th century queen of Madagascar, whose reign was equally brutal.
03:26For 33 years, Rana Valona ruled with an iron fist, starting off with the executions of her rivals.
03:32Her rule was marked by slavery, isolation, ruthless purges, and a total rejection of foreign influence.
03:38Christians were tortured, enslaved, and even executed for their faith.
03:42One of her most cruel methods, the Tangena trial, a deadly poison test where survival meant innocence.
03:48It's estimated that up to 2.5 million people died under her reign, a massive chunk of Madagascar's population at that time.
03:55Despite the terror she was, Rana Valona died in her sleep.
03:58Miyuki Ishikawa
03:59When someone evil is in a delicate position, the consequences are bound to be devastating.
04:05Japan was reeling from poverty and the aftermath of war when Miyuki Ishikawa worked at a maternity hospital.
04:11Faced with an influx of children born to poor unwed mothers, she devised a means to solve the problem.
04:16Her twisted solution?
04:18Letting numerous infants die from neglect and starvation.
04:21Even more disturbing, sometimes Ishikawa demanded payments from desperate parents in exchange for this deadly help.
04:27The exact number of her victims remains unknown since she operated undetected for years.
04:32Arrested in 1948, Ishikawa was handed a light sentence of 8 years, which was later reduced to 4.
04:39Even worse, Ishikawa wasn't the only midwife committing this evil act.
04:43Isabella of Castile
04:44Isabella the Catholic is often remembered for unifying Spain and funding Christopher Columbus' famous voyage.
04:50But her legacy has a much darker side.
04:52Isabella and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon worked together to make Spain a unified Catholic country.
04:57To do that, they launched the Spanish Inquisition,
05:00a harsh system where anyone who wasn't seen as a true Catholic was punished,
05:04especially Jewish people and Muslims.
05:06In 1492, she also forced Jewish people to either convert or leave Spain,
05:11causing many to lose their homes and livelihoods.
05:13So, while Isabella might be a great queen, she's also a ruler who used religion as a weapon to hurt others.
05:20Catherine Knight
05:20This violent woman was the first woman in Australian history to receive a life sentence without parole.
05:26A woman driven to kill in a way that defies comprehension.
05:30Once you hear what she did, it's easy to understand why.
05:34Catherine Knight's life was steeped in violence right from the start,
05:37and her relationships were just as toxic.
05:40She abused her husband, and at one point, even killed her lover's puppy in front of him.
05:44But the worst happened in 2000 when she murdered her lover, John Price.
05:48When she was arrested, Knight showed no remorse.
05:50Her crime was so disturbing, a judge described it as, quote,
05:54appalling, and she was locked away for good.
05:57This was as bad a case as you got, so she had to go to jail for the term of her life.
06:03Beverly Allett
06:04Beverly Allett started with babysitting gigs, became a nurse,
06:07and then turned into one of Britain's most chilling child killers.
06:11A chilling pattern had emerged from the collapse of 13 children, four of whom had died.
06:15Working at Grantham and Kasteven Hospital, Allett earned the nickname the Angel of Death
06:20after a horrifying spree in 1991.
06:22Over a period of 59 days, four children were killed, and nine were injured all under her care.
06:29Her method of operation was injecting children with insulin or air,
06:32leading to heart failures or death.
06:35She's succeeded in convincing people that she's so caring, why would anyone suspect her?
06:40One suspicious death raised flags, and Allett's horrifying pattern was uncovered.
06:44How no one noticed sooner still haunts many.
06:47Convicted in 1993 of four murders, three attempted murders, and six grievous bodily harms,
06:53she received 13 life sentences.
06:55She remains locked in a high-security psychiatric facility.
06:59Even after sentence when she was seen at Brampton Hospital,
07:03not once has she ever expressed any remorse for what she's done.
07:06Aileen Wuornos
07:07Abandoned as a child and exposed to trauma throughout her youth,
07:10Aileen Wuornos' life was tragic right from the very beginning.
07:14Without stable shelter, she lived on the margins of society,
07:17often relying on sex work to survive.
07:19Between 1989 and 1990, Wuornos killed seven men,
07:23which she later claimed were acts of self-defense.
07:26We do know that he was shot multiple times,
07:28and his victim was found in a secluded area.
07:31Some saw her as a victim of a cruel world,
07:33but prosecutors argued her actions were calculated and motivated by personal gain.
07:38In 1992, she was convicted and received death sentences.
07:42On January the 27th, 1992,
07:45Aileen Wuornos was found guilty of the murder of Richard Mallory.
07:49In 2002, she was executed by lethal injection.
07:53Her cryptic final words left a lasting impression,
07:56and her erratic behavior during her trial drew national attention.
07:59By November 1992, Wuornos had been given a total of six death sentences.
08:06Catherine de' Medici
08:07Serving as the Queen of France from 1547 to 1559,
08:16Catherine de' Medici had enormous political sway over her sons,
08:20the French kings, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III.
08:24They reigned through the French Wars of Religion
08:26and faced problems with a group of Calvinist Protestants called the Huguenots.
08:31It is widely believed by historians that de' Medici attempted to have their leader,
08:36Gaspard II de Coligny, assassinated.
08:39The attempt failed,
08:40and fearing retaliation from the most powerful Huguenots,
08:43de' Medici planned to kill them all before they could take action.
08:47The result was the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre,
08:49which resulted in the deaths of between 5,000 and 30,000 Huguenots.
09:01Gertrude Banaszewski
09:03A teenager named Sylvia Likens and her sister Jenny
09:06made friends with sisters Paula and Stephanie Banaszewski.
09:09When the Likens' mother was imprisoned for shoplifting,
09:12the sisters were sent to live with the Banaszewskis.
09:15Their mother, Gertrude Banaszewski,
09:17soon began a system of abuse against Sylvia Likens
09:20and forced Sylvia's sister Jenny to participate
09:23in response to the Likens' late payments for the kids' boarding and care.
09:27Yeah, Brooke, you know, at the trial,
09:28they called this case the single worst crime
09:31perpetuated against an individual in Indiana's history.
09:34With the help of her children and some neighbors,
09:36Banaszewski tortured Likens for three months.
09:39On October 26, 1965,
09:42Likens' body effectively shut down from the severe mistreatment,
09:45and she died from a combination of injuries,
09:48shock, and malnourishment.
09:49Gertrude Banaszewski was given life in prison,
09:52but was paroled on December 4, 1985.
09:55She remained free until her death in 1990.
09:58And to know that you're responsible for taking someone's life
10:02is real hard to live with.
10:04Carla Homolka
10:05One of the most infamous serial killers in Canadian history,
10:09Carla Homolka worked with her husband, Paul Bernardo,
10:12and killed three girls throughout the early 90s.
10:15Homolka's first victim was her own younger sister, Tammy.
10:18Just two days before Christmas,
10:20Tammy Homolka was drugged and assaulted by her older sister and Bernardo,
10:24and died after choking on her vomit.
10:26Finally.
10:27Check her.
10:29Make sure.
10:32The couple then proceeded to kidnap both Leslie Mahaffey and Kristen French.
10:37Both were horrifically mistreated before they were killed.
10:39After Homolka was arrested, she conned the investigators and tricked them
10:43into believing that Bernardo was primarily responsible.
10:46She testified against him and was given a very lenient sentence in return,
10:51though videotapes later revealed the extent of the atrocities in which she participated.
10:56Homolka was released from prison in 2005.
10:59Since then, she's kept a low profile, going by the name Leanne Thiel.
11:03And for the past two years, she has reportedly lived in this suburb south of Montreal
11:07with her husband and their three children.
11:09Leonarda Cianciulli
11:11Known as the soap maker of Correggio,
11:14Leonarda Cianciulli was a serial killer from Italy.
11:17Cianciulli was devastated after learning that her son was going off to prepare to fight in World War II.
11:22To keep him safe, Cianciulli offered human sacrifices.
11:26She killed three of her neighbors with an axe and made tea cakes out of their remains.
11:31Not only would Cianciulli eat these cakes,
11:33she also served them to visiting guests.
11:35Cianciulli's third victim,
11:37Virginia Caccioppo,
11:39was made into both tea cakes and bars of soap.
11:42What are we doing tonight?
11:43Tonight?
11:44Yeah.
11:45We make soap.
11:47Really?
11:48To make soap,
11:49first we render fat.
11:50Once again,
11:51this soap was gifted to friends and neighbors.
11:54Cianciulli was eventually sentenced to 30 years in prison.
11:57Myra Hindley
11:59In January of 1961,
12:0218-year-old Myra Hindley met a man with a criminal record named Ian Brady.
12:06The two would develop a relationship and would go on to commit what are known as the Moores murders.
12:1127-year-old Ian Brady and 23-year-old Myra Hindley received multiple life sentences for crimes so gruesome they defied belief.
12:20Between July 1963 and October 1965,
12:24Hindley and Brady killed five youths,
12:26the youngest of which was Leslie Ann Downey.
12:29They were kidnapped around the General Manchester area
12:31and forced to endure horrible acts before they were killed.
12:34Three of the five victims have been found buried in England's Saddleworth Moor,
12:39leading to the name The Moores Murders.
12:41The death penalty had been abolished only five months before,
12:44so an angry public knew that neither of them would be sent to the gallows.
12:48The most evil woman in Britain was given life in prison
12:51and died of pneumonia in 2002 at the age of 60.
12:56Marianne Cotton
12:57Not much is known about the criminal career of Marianne Cotton,
13:00who lived in the 1800s.
13:02Document keeping was not a regular practice at the time,
13:05so it's hard to get an exact measure of Cotton's crimes.
13:08But, thanks to some investigative techniques,
13:10it's believed that Cotton took the lives of up to 21 people.
13:14Of these 21 victims,
13:16three were her husbands and 11 were her own offspring.
13:19Marianne made a bit of a living through her time,
13:24killing husbands and children for personal gain,
13:27so that she is my definition of a black widow.
13:29Cotton poisoned most of these people with arsenic
13:32and proceeded to claim their insurance policies for her own self-interest.
13:35Cotton was eventually caught after poisoning her stepson,
13:39Charles Edward Cotton,
13:40and was ordered to be executed.
13:42When you tell people that your very healthy son is going to be dead within a week,
13:46and then he does die within a week,
13:49you're going to lay yourself open to suspicion.
13:52It's possible that Cotton was intentionally given a short rope,
13:55as it did not break her neck.
13:57Instead, she was left to strangle to death.
14:00This Spanish woman is often referred to as a vampire,
14:06owing to the nature of her crimes.
14:08It is generally believed that Marti kidnapped kids off the streets of Barcelona
14:12and put them to work in her brothel.
14:14It's also believed that Marti killed minors
14:24and used their blood and remains in various elixirs.
14:28She then sold these elixirs to the rich,
14:41claiming that they treated dangerous ailments like tuberculosis.
14:44Twelve victims have been linked to Marti,
14:47although it's suspected that she killed many more.
14:49However, some historians defend Marti
14:52and argue that her crimes were not as bad
14:55or as many as the traditional story suggests.
14:58Belle Gunness
14:59There is much about Belle Gunness that we do not know.
15:03For example, the extent of her crimes.
15:05What is known is that Gunness was a serial killer
15:08who most often targeted wealthy men looking for marriage.
15:11She would lure these men to her farm in Indiana,
15:13kill them, and take their money.
15:15Christian Hilkman, Old Budsburg, John Moe, George Berry, and Emil Tell
15:20were all potential suitors who arrived at the La Porte, Indiana farm
15:23with thousands of dollars of cash in their pockets
15:25and were never heard from again.
15:27Many young children also died under Gunness' care,
15:30some of whom carried large insurance payouts that were cashed by Gunness.
15:35Many graves were found on her property containing human remains,
15:38and it's believed that Gunness may have killed up to 40 people.
15:42The press descended like flies upon the grisly scene
15:44and curiosity seekers weren't far behind.
15:47An estimated 16,000 people per day visited the farm
15:50at the height of the media fuhrer.
15:51Gunness' fate is also shrouded in mystery.
15:54While she supposedly died in a fire,
15:56it's widely believed that she faked her death
15:59and fled town with her money.
16:01Rose West
16:02A serial killing couple from the Gloucester area of England,
16:06Rose and Fred West killed at least nine young women together
16:09throughout the 70s and 80s.
16:10It was a huge shock to the people of Gloucester.
16:13The whole thing became a bit of a circus, really,
16:16as far as the press and the media interest.
16:19It was moving so quickly.
16:20There was so much happening.
16:22There were so many developments in terms of bodies being found.
16:25After torturing these people,
16:27the Wests would kill their victims
16:28and bury their remains in their yard and basement.
16:31As a result,
16:32their house would later become known as a house of horrors.
16:36Rose West also acted independently
16:38and killed her stepdaughter, Thrufred, in June of 1971.
16:41West was convicted of 10 homicides in 1995
16:45and, as of 2022, remains imprisoned.
16:48She didn't appear to be upset, disturbed, angry, indignant.
16:53There was no real emotion that I can recall.
16:55Fred West took his own life shortly after being arrested.
16:59Ilse Koch
17:00Throughout World War II and the German occupation of Europe,
17:04Ilse Koch ran various concentration camps with her husband,
17:07Carl Otto Koch.
17:08She worked at Buchenwald from 1937 to 1941
17:11and Majdanek from 41 to 43.
17:15Koch quickly developed a reputation for being sadistic
17:17and inhumanely cruel towards her prisoners.
17:20She relished in the fact that people were starving
17:23and dying all around her.
17:25It was alleged that Koch made artifacts out of her victim's skin,
17:28but this was never proven in court.
17:30Koch subsequently became one of the first Nazis
17:32to be tried for war crimes
17:34and was given a life sentence by the U.S. military.
17:37The Allies took testimonies from prisoners
17:38who had lived in Buchenwald for years
17:40and when they heard the stories of Ilse Koch,
17:43she was arrested for her crimes against humanity.
17:45She was controversially released in 1949,
17:48but was quickly arrested by West German authorities
17:50and sent back to prison.
17:52She took her own life in 1967.
17:55Mary I of England
17:57Daughter of the famous Henry VIII,
18:00Mary I of England became known as Bloody Mary
18:02for her widespread violence aimed against Protestants.
18:06Mary I ruled England and Ireland from 1553 to 1558
18:10and hoped to restore Roman Catholicism
18:13following the English Reformation.
18:14You will do everything in your power
18:16to uphold the Catholic faith.
18:20Do not take away from the people
18:21the consolations of the Blessed Virgin,
18:24their Holy Mother.
18:25She targeted Protestants shortly after her ascension,
18:29despite promising not to do so,
18:31and many fled the country in response.
18:33Heresy laws were eventually drafted against Protestants
18:36and hundreds were burned at the stake.
18:38While Mary I was persistent,
18:40these executions were very unpopular throughout England
18:43and festered anti-Catholic sentiments.
18:46Elizabeth I attempted to undo the damage
18:48that was caused by Mary I following her death in 1558.
18:52I crown thee, Elizabeth,
18:56Queen of England, Ireland, and France.
19:02Amelia Dyer
19:03Proving one of the Victorian era's most infamous criminals,
19:07Amelia Dyer could be one of the most prolific serial killers
19:10in human history.
19:11Back in Victorian England,
19:13people were paid for adopting babies
19:15in a practice known as baby farming.
19:17If you gave her five pounds and the baby,
19:20she would take the baby
19:22and either have it adopted out or raise it herself.
19:26Amelia Dyer turned this into her profession
19:29and adopted numerous children.
19:31She began by keeping them for a time
19:33until they passed of natural causes,
19:36but ultimately turned to disposing of them
19:38shortly after adopting them,
19:40thereby keeping the money without having to raise them.
19:43Saying that the child would be looked after
19:44and they'd be wanting a child for a long time
19:47and it would be loved,
19:48it would be a caring home.
19:50All these things were hitting exactly the right buttons
19:52for a young mom who, you know,
19:54was giving a child up.
19:55One of Dyer's victims was found floating
19:57in the River Thames on March 30th, 1896,
20:00leading to her arrest and eventual execution.
20:03While six victims have been confirmed,
20:06it's believed that Dyer may have killed
20:08up to 400 throughout her life.
20:09Wu Zetian
20:11Between 665 and 690,
20:15Wu Zetian ruled China through her husband and sons.
20:18But she then made world history
20:20and became Empress Regnant in 690,
20:23making her the country's first
20:24and only official female ruler.
20:26Not only did Wu Zetian rock the boat,
20:28in some ways she overturned it.
20:31It would have been a very dangerous thing
20:33to get in the way of Wu Zetian.
20:35She remained in power from 690
20:37until her death in 705.
20:39However, her reign was filled
20:41with violence and bloodshed.
20:43Wu Zetian killed political rivals,
20:45had opponents and dissenters silenced,
20:47and launched many wars to gain territory.
20:50She built an empire
20:51and turned China
20:52into one of the world's most powerful territories.
20:55While this aspect of her reign
20:57is generally praised,
20:58Wu Zetian has long received criticism
21:00for her merciless machinations.
21:02This is a mother killing her own son
21:04so that she can hold on to power.
21:06Griselda Blanco
21:07Born in Cartagena, Colombia,
21:10Griselda Blanco moved to Miami
21:11in the late 1970s
21:13and worked with the Medellin cartel
21:14to import cocaine into the United States.
21:17Griselda entrepreneured the cocaine industry
21:20as we know it.
21:20From the jungle to the street corner
21:22to the nightclub to the household.
21:25My mother did that.
21:26This began a very violent period
21:28in Miami's history
21:29as the city was soon plagued
21:31with gang and drug-related violence.
21:33Hundreds were killed each year
21:35as drugs spilled into the streets
21:36and criminals vied for power.
21:38Legend states that Blanco would order her hitmen
21:41to kill everyone in a room,
21:43not just the intended victim.
21:45She was a psychopath.
21:46She loved killing people.
21:49As a result,
21:51the lives of many innocent people
21:52were claimed during these drug wars.
21:54One of these hitmen,
21:55Jorge Ayala,
21:57is believed to have killed
21:58roughly 40 people alone.
22:00After serving time in prison,
22:02Blanco was shot and killed
22:03on September 3, 2012.
22:06Fusako Shigenobu
22:07In 1971,
22:10communist Fusako Shigenobu
22:11started a militant organization
22:13known as the Japanese Red Army.
22:15While living in the Middle East,
22:17Shigenobu hoped to overthrow
22:18Japanese institutions through the JRA.
22:21This organization proceeded to embark
22:23on a spree of terrorist activity,
22:24like hijacking airplanes,
22:26storming embassies,
22:28and committing the Lode Airport Massacre.
22:30It was the deadliest and most serious terror attack
22:32on an airport to date.
22:34It would have a major impact
22:35on airport security around the world.
22:37In the latter attack,
22:3826 were killed
22:40and a further 79 injured.
22:41Shigenobu was arrested in 2000
22:43and accused of planning
22:45at least one of these terrorist attacks.
22:47The Red Army disbanded soon after.
22:49Shigenobu was sentenced to 20 years in prison
22:52and was released in May 2022.
22:55Fusako Shigenobu apologized for her involvement
22:58in the terrorist organization
23:00following her release on Saturday.
23:03Minnie Dean
23:03Her legend haunts the province.
23:06In Southland,
23:06children are not threatened with the bogeyman.
23:09They are threatened with Minnie Dean.
23:11Capital punishment is abolished in New Zealand.
23:15As a result,
23:16Minnie Dean was the only woman in the country's history
23:18to be executed for her alleged crimes.
23:21Like Amelia Dyer,
23:22Minnie Dean was a prominent baby farmer
23:24who was paid to adopt children.
23:26Minnie died or went missing under Dean's care.
23:29And while she was not found responsible,
23:32some people suspected that she was killing them.
23:34Her downfall came in 1895
23:36when she was finally arrested for the death of Eva.
23:40Following this arrest,
23:41three bodies were found buried on Dean's property,
23:44including Eva's.
23:45One was found to have overdosed on laudanum
23:47and Dean was found guilty of her death.
23:49Minnie's lawyer Hanlon argued
23:51that the deaths were accidental,
23:53that Minnie had no motive,
23:55that she'd been forced to bury the bodies
23:56because she was operating illegally.
23:59There was no evidence, he said,
24:01that the children were ever mistreated.
24:03She was subsequently hanged on August 12th, 1895.
24:08Delphine Lalaurie
24:09A prominent socialite from New Orleans,
24:12Delphine McCarty married physician Louis Lalaurie in 1825
24:15and took her now infamous name.
24:17They were worth a combined total of $4.3 million.
24:22Modern day equivalent, that's about $600 million.
24:25She claimed property at 1140 Royal Street
24:27and lived in a mansion with her family and slaves.
24:30Rumors circulated that Lalaurie treated her slaves
24:33in a sadistic manner.
24:34And this was proven in 1834
24:36when a fire was set at their house.
24:38A 70-year-old woman, a cook,
24:42chained to the stove by her ankle.
24:44I'm understanding she had nothing but a cot to sleep in
24:47and a bucket for her business, but...
24:49The Lalaurie residents experienced violent backlash,
24:52after which Lalaurie fled the city in response,
24:54and various bodies were subsequently found on her property.
24:58Elizabeth Bathory
24:59This Hungarian noblewoman was the subject of some malicious rumors.
25:04Young girls were sent to Bathory in order to learn proper etiquette,
25:07and some died while under her care.
25:09Following an investigation,
25:11Bathory and four accomplices were arrested on December 30, 1610.
25:15Many people testified against Bathory,
25:17but most stories were based on rumor rather than verifiable fact.
25:21She had a girl put into a cage,
25:23and this is in her rooms in Vienna.
25:25Steel cage with kind of spikes, so they say.
25:27It was claimed that Bathory tortured and killed more than 600 girls,
25:31but these numbers were never confirmed.
25:33She was eventually confined to her castle until her death.
25:37However, it's also important to note
25:39that Bathory may have been a victim of political machinations,
25:43and therefore innocent of the crimes levied against her.
25:45The issue remains divisive and ambiguous.
25:48Bathory's crimes were deemed so shocking at the time,
25:51that a decision was made by the Hungarian establishment
25:53to bury the whole sordid affair.
25:56Ilma Griesa
25:57A young volunteer of the SS,
26:00Ilma Griesa acted as a guard at various Nazi concentration camps,
26:04including Auschwitz.
26:05And she owed her infamous nicknames,
26:07the Hyena of Auschwitz and the Beautiful Beast,
26:10to her cruelty and brutality.
26:13Griesa was known to have harassed the prisoners she was ordered to watch,
26:16and she routinely attacked the female prisoners with a whip.
26:19Griesa also helped select the prisoners that would be sent to the gas chambers,
26:23and ultimately executed.
26:24Following the war, Griesa was convicted of war crimes and hanged.
26:28In the process, she became the youngest woman of the 20th century to be executed under British law.
26:34She was 22 years old.
26:36During the trial, when the witnesses claimed that she was the worst SS woman in the camp,
26:40Griesa responded that they were all lying and exaggerating.
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26:58Biljana Plavšić
27:01Between 1996 and 1998, Biljana Plavšić acted as president of Republika Srpska.
27:09Shortly before the presidency, Plavšić played an integral role in the Bosnian War,
27:14which spanned from 1992 to 1995.
27:18During the war, Plavšić endorsed the violent targeting of non-Serbs.
27:21Our leadership, of which I was a necessary part, led an effort which victimized countless innocent people.
27:31It's believed that thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats were killed during the war,
27:36and a further million were forced out of the country.
27:39Plavšić was later indicted for her role in the exodus,
27:42and charged with committing crimes against humanity.
27:45She pled guilty, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison,
27:48but was released early on October 27th, 2009.
27:52The knowledge that I am responsible for such human suffering,
27:58and for soiling the character of my people,
28:01will always be with me.
28:04Do you agree with this list?
28:06Are these the most evil women to ever exist?
28:08Let us know in the comments section.
28:10Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:18Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:20Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:21Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:22Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:23Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:24Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:25Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:26Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:27Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:28Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:29Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:30Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:31Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:32Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:33Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:34Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
28:35Night isn't giving anything away about what has happened.
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