The 20 most controversial women in history

It's disgraceful what passes for controversy these days. From the media storm created last week, you would think Sarah Palin was the first moose-shooting anti-abortionist to ever take the world stage. Come to think of it, she probably is. But to really get tongues wagging back in the day you had to have a reputation for incest, torture, murder and stealing from the destitute.

Here, the top women leaders with reputations for raising hackles.

1. Messalina (c17-48)

If a man is successfully promiscuous, he’s regarded as a bit of a chap. A woman with voracious sexual appetites is seen as a trifle easy. It’s an unfair dichotomy that’s as old as well as old at least as the story of Messalina. The wife of famously stuttering Emperor Claudius she was thought - even by the famously licentious standards of the Roman Empire - as a trifle fast, doing much of her networking in the horizontal position. A slight bigamy mix-up proved to be her undoing and Claudius’s next wife ensured that Messalina’s name would be a byword for slappers forevermore.

From the Times archive: Claudius the God and his wife Messalina

2. Boudicca (birth unknown-61)

The warrior of East Anglia made herself extremely unpopular with the Romans when she led a campaign against them following the death of her leader husband Prasutagus. She was finally defeated around AD 61, and is thought to have poisoned herself to avoid capture.

From the Times archive: The statue of Boadicea

3. Joan of Arc (c1412-1431)

Obviously a fruitcake, like any number of religious martyrs, Joan was burned by the English, then burned some more and then thrown into the Seine just so no-one could grab any relics. She still ended up a saint though, so that was a waste of an afternoon. (Picture: Jeanne d'Arc and the archangel Michael, Eugene Thirion)

From the Times archive: Joan of Arc is canonized

Click through for incest, murder and Carla Bruni

4. Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519)

Lucrezia Borgia has a bad reputation, but as with so many bad girls, the facts don't entirely bear it out. She was the daughter of a powerful Renaissance Valencian who became Pope Alexander VI, and her family became a symbol of the ruthless politics and sexual corruption of the age, with decadent parties and rumours of murder and poisonings. Lucrezia herself was cast as femme fatale, although considering that she was married three times in political alliances, it may have been a role foisted upon her. Her first husband accused her of incest, she had an affair with her brother-in-law and was rumoured to use hollow ring to poison drinks. But perhaps the biggest slur on her character: Buffalo Bill named his gun after her.

From the Times archive: Lucrezia Borgia - The chameleon history turned into a viper

5. Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

Obliged to remain single in order to dangle the possibility of an alliance by marriage beneath the noses of England’s many enemies, even when she was very old and (let’s be honest) had let herself go a little bit, Henry VIII’s other daughter inherited from her sister a country riven by religious division and permanently on the brink of war. Who can blame her if she made sexy cabana boys of the island nation’s leading privateers and aristocrats?

From the Times archive: Queen Elizabeth and her defenders

6. Mary I (1516-1558)

Mary Tudor was, like her father Henry VIII, deeply embroiled in the religious feuds and schisms that tore apart 16th Century Europe. She almost certainly sent 300 or so Protestants to their deaths, but plenty of her contemporaries did similar or worse. None of them get called Bloody Mary by schoolboys though.

From the Times archive: The burning of women

7. Marie Antoinette (1755-1793)

France’s famously frivolous queen has been undergoing a reputation renovation of late. Lady Antonia Fraser’s 2002 book unearthed a misunderstood Austrian archduchess much different from her cake-pushing, sheep-tending image. Sofia Coppola helped the process along with her 2006 film, portraying the queen as more silly teen than conniving noble. In truth, the queen gambled, she shopped, she rode horses and was only occasionally tempted to meddle in the politics of her era. Perhaps a little like some members of our own dearly beloved royal family today?

From the Times archives: The Execution of the Queen of France

8. Catherine the Great (1762-1796)

Like Messalina, she was widely criticised for her fondness of a bit of harmless bedtime action, which probably led to the terrible canard about her dying as a result of some..ahem.."horseplay". She was, it has to be said, suspiciously easygoing when it came to the punishment of her husband’s assassins. Perhaps he’d been leaving wet towels on the bed again.

From the Times archive: Catherine the Great

9. Queen Ranavalona I  (c 1782-1861)

Credit this Merina queen of Madagascar (the Bloody Mary of Madagascar) with ingenuity. Not satisfied with the typical methods of persecution, she had Christians trussed up like chickens and repeatedly thrown off cliffs; cloaked in bloody skins and set upon by hounds; or placed in pits which slowly filled with boiling water until the prisoner was parboiled. Westerners called her the Wicked Queen Ranavalona and the Female Caligula but her people saw her as a bulwark against colonialism.

From the Times archive: The funeral of Radama, King of Madagascar

10. Tsaritsa Alexandra (1894-1917)

The last Tsartisa of Russia raised eyebrows by forming a close relationship with Rasputin, a Siberian mystic who had a reputation as a philanderer. The Times in 1917 described him as exercising "for several years a sinister influence over Russia".  She was murdered in July 1918 following the Bolshevik revolution.

From the Times archive: Grave warning to the Tsar

11. Jiang Qing (aka Madame Mao) (1914-1991)

The actress who married Chairman Mao Zedong was the deputy director of China’s bloody Cultural Revolution and formed the infamous Gang of Four, proponents of the ideological cleansing and social upheaval. Soon after Mao’s death, the radical gang was arrested and in the early 1980s Qing was tried for subverting the government. She was defiant at her trial. She represented herself and famously told the court, "I was Chairman Mao's dog. I bit whomever he asked me to bite" – a Chinese version of “just following orders”. She did however discover the actress Joan Chen; without her "Twin Peaks" would never have been the same.

From the Times archive: Jiang Qing 'killed to recover love letters'

12. Indira Gandhi (1917-1984)

Sure there was a little fast practice during her 1971 election campaign. But hey, everyone was cheating, and you had to cheat better to win. Indira Gandhi didn’t worry about the rules too much, she had a country to run. Prefiguring the Caitlin Moran white-streaked up-do by almost half a century, she had little time for democracy but her personal style was fabulous.

From the Times archive: Supreme Court blow for Indira Gandhi

13. Eva Peron (1919-1952)

Rising from distinctly inauspicious beginnings, Eva Duarte pursued a show business career before marrying Juan Peron, soon to be president of Argentina. She lent her prodigious charisma to his campaigning efforts, took government office herself and rapidly became the focus of a cult of personality. Her popularity led to her being declared Spiritual Leader of the Nation and Evita (‘Little Eva’) was encouraged by popular acclaim to stand for election as Vice President. In her thirties she began to suffer from cancer and in many of her later public appearances she was held upright by a wooden frame which was disguised by a substantial fur coat. The Perons have been somewhat simplistically characterised as fascists, which has understandably been carried with it a rather unpleasant connotation since the 1940s, and Evita has since been held responsible for the composition of some fairly annoying songs but nothing should distract us from the essential fact that she was, in her own way, a political idealist who cared as much about the Argentine poor as she did for herself.

From the Times archive: Senora Peron's last journey

14. Margaret Thatcher (1925-     )

While fans might say she applied a much-needed and painful corrective to the parlous state of British politics at the beginning of the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher was understandably quite unpopular with union leaders and the left in general. The matters of Poll Tax, the Falklands and her seeming desire to stay in office forever earned her the label of Iron Lady, divided the country and changed the course of British politics forever. Thatcher nevertheless commanded extraordinary popular support. Her successors, Major and Blair, adopted policies more or less identical to Thatcher’s but neither of them were ever made the subject of a Billy Bragg or Elvis Costello hate song. 

The Times archive: The Times profile: Margaret Thatcher by Julian Critchley

15. Winnie Mandela (1936-      )

The ex-wife of Nelson Mandela emerged as a leading figure against apartheid during his imprisonment. But her endorsement of necklacing – placing a gasoline filled tyre around an opponent's neck and setting it alight – along with her controversial body guards, convictions for fraud and implication in killings tainted her reputation. Now divorced from Nelson, the “mother of the nation” is both admired and reviled.

From the Times archive: 'Handle with care': the label South Africa has stuck on Mrs. Mandela

16. Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007)

If there’s one thing that people like less than a successful woman, it’s an attractive successful woman. That’s might be why Bhutto is singled out in the murky world of Pakistani politics as being particularly corrupt. She was twice removed from office, went into exile and, after returning to Pakistan once corruption charges were dropped and was assassinated two weeks before the general election. Her legacy is still debated but what is true is she rocked a headscarf that little bit more stylishly than any of the others.

From the Times archive: Bhutto daughter put under house arrest

17. Imelda Marcos (1929 - )

The former first lady of the Philippines was famed for her excesses - and penchant for expensive shoes - while her fellow countrymen struggled to survive. She told Camilla Long in 2006: “I have a duty to dress up and be a star. I’ll spend two hours at it when I’m visiting the poor.”

From the Times archive: Imelda Marcos to step down

18. Carla Bruni (1967-    )

Can you imagine, as Cherie Blair strolled into the White House, President Bush declaring: "Yo Blair, good choice!"? It seems just that happened when French president Nicolas Sarkozy introduced the US President to his wife Carla Bruni. The Texan told Sarkozy: "I can see why you married her." Then there was the visit to UK and the never-ending media accolades, remarking on her ability to dress fashionably for her state trip (stop presses: Model looks good wearing high-end fashion labels). Then there was the small matter of the relationship with the philosopher, and then the child with his son, all her other conquests (Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, among others), the ho-hum attitude toward monogamy and the suspiciously well-timed release of her latest music CD. And who says she lowers the tone of the French presidency?

19. Hillary Clinton (1947-     )

Was it the fact that she stayed with her husband after his Lewinsky White House 'indiscretion', or the never-ending rainbow parade of pantsuits on the presidential nomination campaign trail? Or could it have been the crying, the forced smile as she endorsed Obama or the fact she doesn't seem to be able to go anywhere without her daughter in tow? Whatever it is, while she has hundreds of thousands of supporters, many other people find her quite annoying.

20. Sarah Palin (1964-     )

If Palin compares herself to a pitbull with lipstick, what's left for critics to say? Unlike the political foes of old, opponents these days are careful to steer clear of personal issues such as her unwed pregnant daughter. Instead they concentrate on her fiercely anti-abortion stance (even in instances of rape or incest), her promotion of Creationism as a school subject and her dismissal of her ex-brother-in-law from the state police. While the political and media scrutiny is intense, at least Palin can take solace (if a pitbull needs to) that at least she won't be guillotined or burned at the stake if it all goes south for her party.

Contributed to by Jennifer Howze and Michael Moran

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Comments

[Gipsy]

Oh Jarrad! At least you still have your well developed biceps to oil and your tan to top up. (just to really confuse anyone who wasn't around a month or so ago).

[Jarrad]

At this point it seems that Caitlin has forgotten all about me...obviously her initial excitement at the idea has long since faded and she's moved on to more pressing matters.

It's upsetting and I don't really like to talk about it. I feel somewhat used. After all, it seems like only yesterday that we were all imprisoned by the American government before staging an unlikely escape.

(I imagine the vast majority of people reading this will be thinking "What the hell.....?")

[L]

Hmmmm. I believe what recently got my back-up was this comment on the article about the woman who's husband was a paedophile: "Now that really is bad news. However, illustrates the folly and wrong headedness of placing hands-on child sexual abuse in the same category as Internet downloading, under the collective term "paedophile". "Some 30% (exaggeration) of child porn viewers go on to abuse." What about the other 70%?"

You may see yourself as winding up self-important middle England, whereas it seems to me that you are rather self-important, and deluded.

[Gipsy]

I think that KM is just a bit busy with real life, I don't think she's gone anywhere.

[LM]

(Didn't mean M-J conversation, meant plethora of Sarah Palin articles).

[Sho]

(not sure about dull... I'm enjoying the Mary Jane convo)

[LM]

Hey Gipsy - do you think KM has left too, along with J, or is just not interested in the (rather dull) recent subjects?

[Andrew Milner]

Out of idle curiosity, what was your point, L san? Because all you achieve is to provide me a second opportunity to wind up self-important Middle England. When you’re a Times Editor you can decide which submissions are included, until then…

[Andrew Milner]

Out of idle curiosity, what was your point, L san? Because all you achieve is to provide me a second opportunity to wind up self-important Middle England. When you’re a Times Editor you can decide which submissions are included, until then…

[Kat]

Comments far better than Blogg!

[Weaselwords]

And Elizabeth Bathory - who clearly didn't worry too much about what other people determined "controversial"...

[Weaselwords]

Catherine de Medici should be on the list, I reckon. Better candidate than Carla Bruni, anyway.

[Lucy]

Nice one, Jarrad!

Personally, I write all my newspaper articles to PhD standard. Yet sadly, unlike so many others who know how to do it better, the Times ain't paying me for them yet. Wonder why?

sylvia plath ? virginia woolf ?
controversial for sure !!

[Jo]

Very good points from Jarrad, his list may be better than the actual list.

I am not sure why Palin or Bruni are on the list as they don't have a legacy yet unlike many of the others.

I echo calls for the addition of Cleopatra and would also like Livia on the list. I feel she is far more controversial than Messalina as she may have murdered most of the Imperial family to get her son on the throne, as well as being a leader in her own right as the first Empress.

[Gipsy]

Jarrad is there room in your harem for one more?

I love that list. Especially number 8.

[LM]

Well, Caitlin is also a genius as previously proved on AM. The subject matter of most AM discussions recently has been a bit under par (IMO) and many of the more regular commentors have gone quiet but I do think "20 most controversial women ever" & including Mrs Palin is just a bit sad really (even if intended as tongue-in-cheek).

[L]

Jarrad, you are a genius!
I agree with everything you've just said, especially all the "How DARE the Times print such rubbish, blah blah blah I will now solely read the Telegraph blah blah blah" type comments. On the main pages, I personally am tired all the people slagging off Caitlin's articles, as if she was writing serious pieces, and any comments by Andrew Milner.

[Pat from Texas]

Y'all do get your knickers in a twist over nothing, don't you?

[LM]

Jarrad -

I think I love you, are you available or still dreaming of torrid online affair with Caitlin?

[Jarrad]

How about a list of things I'm sick of reading on newspaper comment boards?

1. "Pointless article/poor journalism/how much did you get paid to write this/how The Times has lowered itself"...as if every article MUST be desperately serious and written to PhD level.

2. "Anything that refers to Labour as "ZaNuLabour".

3. "Personal attacks on the intelligence or gender of the author/swearing.

4. Americans telling the British that they don't understand America/how to spell ENGLISH words/slagging off Britain.

5. Pedants correcting grammar or spelling.

6. People saying that the Alpha Mummy blog is sexist for focusing on women - the clue is in the title.

7. Comments that say "Who on earth is Russell Brand/Jade Goody/Kerry Katona?" that come after a long interview with Russell Brand/Jade Goody/Kerry Katona.

8. People who treat harmless lists that are clearly intended to be fun as the Dead Sea Scrolls and demand to know why they've wasted their time reading them.

[Florentius]

Sarah Palin is VERY controversial because she's not a hard-core leftist. Apparently, that's seen as essential for a woman to be praised on the American political scene.

And GASP! she's a mother of five! In these days of demographic death-spiral in Europe when declining fertility rates and aging societies are all the rage, how dare she have so many children!

[George]

The Empress Theodora (500-548), wife of Emperor Justinian. Without her, Justinian would have fled Constantinople during riots and lost his throne. No Justinian, no wasting of Imperial resources to reclaim the Western Empire so that the Empire was still recovering when Islam came out of Arabia and confronted a greatly weakened Empire...who knows what would have happened?

[Gipsy]

Very good point on Emmeline Pankhurst and Aisha. Definitely should be on there.

Can't agree with Rosalind though. She was an amazing and inspiring scientist, but this is a list of leaders.

[Lizzie, New York]

I think Rosalind Franklin, who discovered DNA in an era when most women were still chained to the kitchen sink, and who was robbed of credit for many decades by her colleagues, is a lot more controversial. There are still those who deny her crucial role in unlocking the blueprints of life; Crick and Watson admit they stole her work to deduce that it was a double helix. She was famously prickly - as you might be if you had to put up with having your work stolen! - but it is more likely a combination of misogyny (people simply couldn't believe, or didn't want to, that a woman had been pivotal) and the desire of others to claim all the credit themselves. She died of cancer caused by all the time she spent using X-rays in her experiments, a martyr to science.

I also vote for Emmeline Pankhurst, a hero who won the vote for women!

I also wonder why you did not cover Aisha, favoured wife of the Prophet Mohammed. Some say the marriage, made at 9, was consummated that year (very likely not true, sources indicated 14+, adult in those days). What is clear is that it was a political match to shore up the alliance with her father Abu Bakr, who became Caliph after the prophet died making Aisha a key figure in the Sunni/Shia split. During her marriage Aisha fell in love with her husband and went on to command the Islamic armies, thus disproving any notion that Muslim women do not kick ass, or that their prophet would disapprove!

Surprised not to see Cleopatra.

Frankly you should not be allowed on a list like this unless you have been dead at least 20 years. You cannot truly measure a living person's influence on history because you don't know what else they might still do.