Because unbridled power is funny. Because megalomania is real, and serious. Because anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of. Because since the beginning of human history, countless men have enjoyed a degree of power that is both frightening and unhealthy. We call them tyrants. We call them warlords, despots, czars, kings, conquerors, princes, emperors, caesars, khans, kaisers, autocrats, dictators, barons, fuhrers, dukes, popes, lords, monarchs, potentates, rulers and sultans.
They rule with an iron fist. They crush rebellions, give rousing speeches, and consolidate power. They make snap judgments and write their own law codes. They torture, debilitate, and destroy. They sire heirs and even declare the right of prima noctis. They sweep down from the steppes, mountains, hills, and plateaus. They invade and storm in. They strike fear into the hearts of the citizenry. They create cults of personality. They cross Rubicons. They lay siege, levy taxes, and leave trails of destruction. They scorch earth. They stage coups. They win Pyrrhic victories and install puppet governments. They foster genocides, bloodbaths, trails of tears, and death marches.
Tyrants are among the most fascinating people to ever walk this earth. They possess money, power, and fame, and wield them with gusto. They live on the edge of insanity, and often well past it. While inspiring devotion, love, fear, hate, and respect, they’re planning a glorious death or sneaky escape, just in case things go south.
Tyrants are remembered because they are important. They shift the sands of time and write the pages of history. All of our lives have been profoundly affected by these remarkably crazy men and women. Yet despite their wealth and supremacy, many of them were deeply troubled. They all knew their time on this earth was short, and although some reached for the moon in spite of this, others took their own lives at the end of a rope. These are the men that shook the earth’s foundations, the mighty Atlases of humanity.
Because I am so wretchedly fascinated by these weirdos and warlords, I have devoted a blog entirely to tyrannical appreciation. I am going to give concise biopics on as many tyrants as I can research, for the entertainment of whomsoever comes. I am going to introduce material that will surprise and disturb you. I will write with the savagery of Genghis Khan, research with the tactical prowess of Napoleon, and examine these madmen with the consuming obsession of Ivan the Terrible. I hope you enjoy it.
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