Michael Burgan - Deadly Hearts: Historys Most Dangerous People

His body tied to a wooden rack, a man screams and begs for his life. Spanish soldiers tighten the ropes attached to his arms and legs. They stretch the mans body until he confesses to a crime he didnt commitor until he dies.

In another part of Europe, wooden poles stick out of the ground, their tops sharpened to points. Just below one point, a body lies limp. With the pole piercing his body, the victim dies a slow death.

In Africa, piles of severed hands surround a military officer from Belgium. The soldiers under his command cut the hands from the bodies of rebels they kill, to prove they have not wasted any bullets. One hand means one bullet fired.

These gruesome scenes could have come from a horror movie. But they all actually happened. The deeds described here were carried out under the orders of ruthless people whose actions reflect the evil that humans are capable of.

Over centuries and around the world, there have been leaders with great power who have used cruelty and violence to get what they wanted. Some sought to conquer other lands so they could build great empires and amass personal wealth. Other leaders wanted to squash any threats to their rule from rebels or outside enemies. A few may have been driven by a touch of madness. Some people believed their god, or gods, had chosen them to rule and had given them a divine right to kill in the name of their religions. And some, for reasons that are hard for most people to understand, simply enjoyed seeing others suffer.

Collected here are the stories of sixteen men and women, powerful people with deadly hearts. What forces shaped them? Some lived when violence and cruelty seemed to be just a part of lifeand rulers were expected to get what they wanted. Others believed that mass killing was an acceptable way to take revenge in response to harm done to them or their people.

Whatever their background or the world they faced, these sixteen people remind us that human nature has a dark side that can be unleashed in truly terrible ways. Their stories demonstrate that there is a long history of ruthless people who have wreaked havoc to get what they want. They might also say something about us, the people who are drawn to read about their horrible deeds. Do we read them to try to understand how some people can become so evil? Or perhaps to learn lessons wed like to never see repeated?

Whether empire building or simply displaying a cruel streak, is there any excuse for the actions of people who have been responsible for the deaths of so many? And can we, as a society, prevent the rise of new deadly hearts? Or will the impulse for evil in some people always find a way out?

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

(356 BCE323 BCE)

Royal rulers can often trace their family histories back to many kings. Alexander the Great made an even bolder claim: that through his father, his roots went back to the ancient Greek hero Heracles (often known as Hercules today). He, in turn, was the son of the most powerful of all the Greek gods, Zeus. On his mothers side, Alexanders family tree included the famous Greek warrior Achilles. Alexander did not deny stories that said his true father was the god Zeus himself!

With that background, its no wonder that Alexander the Great believed he was meant to accomplish great things. And he didduring his short life, he created one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. But along with skillfully commanding his troops, Alexander often showed a cruel and ruthless side.

His real father was not a god but King Philip II. Philip laid the foundation for Alexanders military success. As the king of Macedonia, one of several independent states located in what is now the nation of Greece, Philip expanded his countrys army and made his soldiers professionals who pledged their loyalty to him. The Macedonians valued bravery on the battlefield, and the sons of noble families began training for military careers when they were fourteen years old.

Starting during the 350s BCE, Philip used his army to conquer Greek lands south of Macedonia and unite them under his rule. He was off fighting in 356 BCE when Alexander was born in the Macedonian capital of Pella. The young prince quickly showed that he had a sharp mind, and as a teenager he left Pella to study with the great Greek philosopher Aristotle. One of the books Alexander read was the Iliad