Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Support our non AI content from £3 on Patreon or YT Memberships for extra videos & bonus content, funded and influenced directly by you! patreon.com/cw/OfficialMedievalMadness
We often imagine the medieval era as a harsh time of cruelty and indifference to suffering and for these monarchs the reputation fits. From ruthless queens to merciless kings and zealots who encouraged violence, these rulers enforced their own bloody codes. Their motives varied. Some waged mass slaughter in revenge, others unleashed mobs that killed thousands of innocent people. In late medieval Italy, certain nobles turned cruelty into spectacle, forcing furriers to swallow hares whole. Conquerors were more direct, seizing city after city and killing opponents and subjects alike. Whether they murdered rivals, or terrorized entire regions, these monarchs left a trail of violence that defined their reigns. Welcome to Medieval Madness.
0:00 Introduction
1:52 Pedro the Cruel
3:02 Vlad the Impaler
4:24 Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi
5:41 Philip IV of France
7:22 William the Conqueror
8:29 Galeazzo Maria Sforza
9:47 Olga of Kyiv
11:07 Andronikos I Komnenos
12:57 Genghis Khan
Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions
Thank you for watching!
SOURCES:
Carlton, G. (Apr 2022) The Story of Olga of Kiev, the Viking Ruler who Brutally Avenged her Husband’s Murder – and became a Saint, all that’s interesting website.
Gajdzis, K. (Oct 2022) Andronikos I Komnenos – Byzantium’s Greatest Tyrant, The History Enquiry, Medium Website.
Lauro, M. (2003) April blood: Florence and the plot against the Medici, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
McMahon, T. (2015) How King Philip IV Took Down the Knights Templar, the Templar Knight Website.
(posted Oct 2011) Pedro the Cruel, the murderous King of Castile, The Look and Learn Blog from (Jan 1978). The Look and Learn Magazine.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. If you are, or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please email us at info@top5s.co.uk
Copyright © 500 AD to 1500 All rights reserved.
Support our non AI content from £3 on Patreon or YT Memberships for extra videos & bonus content, funded and influenced directly by you! patreon.com/cw/OfficialMedievalMadness
We often imagine the medieval era as a harsh time of cruelty and indifference to suffering and for these monarchs the reputation fits. From ruthless queens to merciless kings and zealots who encouraged violence, these rulers enforced their own bloody codes. Their motives varied. Some waged mass slaughter in revenge, others unleashed mobs that killed thousands of innocent people. In late medieval Italy, certain nobles turned cruelty into spectacle, forcing furriers to swallow hares whole. Conquerors were more direct, seizing city after city and killing opponents and subjects alike. Whether they murdered rivals, or terrorized entire regions, these monarchs left a trail of violence that defined their reigns. Welcome to Medieval Madness.
0:00 Introduction
1:52 Pedro the Cruel
3:02 Vlad the Impaler
4:24 Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi
5:41 Philip IV of France
7:22 William the Conqueror
8:29 Galeazzo Maria Sforza
9:47 Olga of Kyiv
11:07 Andronikos I Komnenos
12:57 Genghis Khan
Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions
Thank you for watching!
SOURCES:
Carlton, G. (Apr 2022) The Story of Olga of Kiev, the Viking Ruler who Brutally Avenged her Husband’s Murder – and became a Saint, all that’s interesting website.
Gajdzis, K. (Oct 2022) Andronikos I Komnenos – Byzantium’s Greatest Tyrant, The History Enquiry, Medium Website.
Lauro, M. (2003) April blood: Florence and the plot against the Medici, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
McMahon, T. (2015) How King Philip IV Took Down the Knights Templar, the Templar Knight Website.
(posted Oct 2011) Pedro the Cruel, the murderous King of Castile, The Look and Learn Blog from (Jan 1978). The Look and Learn Magazine.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. If you are, or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please email us at info@top5s.co.uk
Copyright © 500 AD to 1500 All rights reserved.
