The 20 Most Manipulative Historical Figures

There’s no better place to start than with the master of intrigue. Not only did he write about how to attain absolute power, but he also showed everyone that it’s better to be feared than loved. In fact, his tactics were so simple and so brutal that politicians continue to draw inspiration from him when they want to learn how to manipulate others.

As a self-made queen at a foreign court, she quickly realized that knowledge was her most valuable weapon against her rivals. It is said that she employed a “flying squad” of beautiful women to gather secrets and influence powerful men in the French aristocracy. It is hard not to be impressed by how she managed to maintain control of a divided country for decades, even as everyone set out to underestimate her.

Anyone could have taken advantage of the Russian royal family, but no one would have imagined that an eccentric Siberian monk would be capable of it. The term “manipulate” is probably too weak to describe how he managed, through cunning, to become a close friend of Vladimir and Alexandra. He perfectly embodies how a charismatic outsider can completely dismantle an established system from within.

Richelieu, in a sense, created the secret police to keep his enemies in check and strengthen the king’s power. Under his authority, people were truly afraid to say anything against him, because he always seemed to know what they were going to say. Nothing pleased Richelieu more than seeing powerful families tear each other apart.

While she is often remembered for her beauty, her true talent lay in her ability to persuade the most powerful Roman leaders to do exactly what she wanted. She knew how to make a striking entrance and use her intelligence to forge alliances that allowed Egypt to remain independent far longer than anyone could have imagined. It must be admitted that seducing both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony required a very particular kind of calculated charm.

Serving as Prime Minister to King Henry VIII was no easy task for a man of humble origins. As the king’s right-hand man, Cromwell helped him carry out four divorces and was the architect of the English Reformation. Need to have someone subpoenaed? Thomas knew exactly who to turn to in legal circles.

According to rumor, the wife of the Roman Emperor Augustus was the true ruler of Rome for more than fifty years. Legend has it that she strategically eliminated anyone who stood in the way of her son’s rise to power. If you had lived in ancient Rome, you would have known that getting in her way was a very dangerous game that usually ended badly for the other person.

This French diplomat was so skilled at playing both sides that he served under the monarchy, during the Revolution, and under Napoleon. Talleyrand had a knack for sensing political shifts and throwing himself headlong into the limelight. Talleyrand was a colorful character, capable of betraying his leader one day only to grovel his way back the next.

As the only woman to have ever officially ruled China as an emperor, she had to demonstrate extraordinary intelligence to assert herself within a system designed to exclude her. She used a ruthless secret police force to eliminate any officials who dared to challenge her authority or her right to rule. You will see that her rise to power was marked by meticulously planned maneuvers that left her opponents no room to maneuver.

In a way, he laid the groundwork for all the surveillance states that have existed throughout history. As head of the French police during the Revolution, he compiled files on practically everyone, including his superiors. It was best not to cross this guy, because he always had something to use against anyone who tried to fire him.

She had mastered the art of long-term scheming, spending years ensuring that her son Nero would succeed her as ruler of the Roman Empire. By secretly eliminating her husband, Claudius, once the formalities were complete, she secured—for a time—her place as the most powerful woman in the world. Her story serves as a warning of what happens when one spends one’s life manipulating people who eventually see through one’s schemes.

C.J. Walker did not hesitate to use manipulation to build her multimillion-dollar empire. She crafted a message so compelling that everyone wanted to be as beautiful as she was. One cannot help but admire the way she leveraged social psychology to transform a small business into a revolutionary movement for Black women.

He often claimed that the major issues of the time would eventually be resolved, but he generally resorted to skillful diplomacy first. He goaded his neighbors into declaring war on him so that he could portray himself as the victim while expanding his own territory. It’s quite incredible to see how he single-handedly unified Germany by manipulating the rest of Europe as if it were a giant chessboard.

She not only caught the attention of Henry VIII; she completely altered the course of Western history by refusing to be just another mistress. By dangling before him the promise of a male heir and a legitimate marriage, she forced the king to break with the Catholic Church. This explains how her calculated perseverance made her one of the most influential and controversial figures of the Tudor era.

With only a few hundred men, he managed to overthrow the entire Aztec Empire by exploiting internal divisions and local myths. He convinced various indigenous groups to fight against their own leaders, thereby getting his enemies to do most of the work for him. It is a grim illustration of how someone can use disinformation and psychological pressure to conquer a civilization.

Mary never stopped trying to seize the English throne by leveraging her relationship with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Amid constant family dramas and conspiracies, Mary maneuvered relentlessly. You’ll notice that her maneuvers were often very risky, which made her life incredibly eventful and, ultimately, tragic.

The name Quisling has literally become synonymous with “traitor” because of his Neville Chamberlain-like stance toward Hitler. This Norwegian politician deceived his government into allowing the German invasion by pretending to be on Norway’s side. It is a chilling example of how a person can use political rhetoric to conceal purely selfish and destructive intentions.

She used her reputation as an exotic dancer to gain access to high-ranking military officers and gather intelligence during World War I. While historians disagree on the extent of her knowledge, there is no doubt that she knew exactly how to use her image to get men to confide their secrets to her. You’ve no doubt seen her portrayed as the quintessential “femme fatale”—a persona she had carefully crafted for herself.

He was the king of “deception”; he knew exactly how to exploit the general public’s curiosity to sell tickets to his attractions. He didn’t care if people knew his attractions were rigged; he simply wanted them to spend money so they could form their own opinions. His influence can be seen in modern marketing, where the presentation is often more important than the product itself.

During China’s tumultuous Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi managed, through her political maneuvering, to rise from the status of a mere pawn to that of a queen. From palace coups to foreign invasions, Cixi was able to thwart everyone’s schemes while pursuing her own strategy. You will see that her ability to survive palace coups and foreign invasions makes her one of the most tenacious political figures in history.