AHC/WI: A monarch nicknamed "The Worst"

Of course who can forget James II, a.k.a. Seamus a Chaca ("James the Shit").

But realistically, the only way I could see a "Worst" happening would be in later historiography, following a string of terrible kings with the same name as a joke; e.g. "Queen Alice was followed by Bob the Bad, Bob the Worse and Bob the Worst." Only after the entire house was safely dead, of course.
 
There was a Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg called Henry the Evil, although Wikipedia doesn't say why.

All I could find with a short google query was this "....Henry the Elder, also known as the Quade (old time word for bad/evil) or the Böse (contemporary word for evil)...family feud....."

Geschichte der Lande Braunschweig und Lüneburg
by Wilhelm Havemann link


He was apparently in good/bad company, some of his family member were the Child, the Fat, another the Quade and the Odd (actually Wunderlich, hard to accuratly translate)
http://regiowiki.hna.de/Welfen
 
I say have George IV to take the style of Geore IV of Hanover when others recognized it being moved from an electorate to a kingdom. Then have the British joke about George the First being George the Wurst. Perhaps because of German accents (Which he did not have, but German speakers might use. Obvious, I suppose... ) or because of his mouth being full when talking about it.
 
One interesting thing is when you get competing appellations.

For example, Peter the Cruel of Castile was called Peter the Law Enforcer/Avenger by his supporters.

While his killer was Henry the Fraticider to them, and Henry the Gift Giving to his supporters.
 
One interesting thing is when you get competing appellations.

For example, Peter the Cruel of Castile was called Peter the Law Enforcer/Avenger by his supporters.

While his killer was Henry the Fraticider to them, and Henry the Gift Giving to his supporters.

For me, Henry VII Tudor will always be Henry the Usurper.
 
English Republic propoganda against Charles 1st labeled him the worst and the name stuck. As England remained a republic there was no chance of any king being worse although some protectors came close.:D
 
Charles II of Spain

Charles II of Spain had the nickname of el Hechizado ("The Bewitched") and frankly, I don't think "The Worst" is that far away. He's basically proof of what happens when your family tree isn't just Bent its almost circular (Hmm. Anyone want to do a TL where Charles II is his own ancestor?!?)
 
Charles II of Spain had the nickname of el Hechizado ("The Bewitched") and frankly, I don't think "The Worst" is that far away. He's basically proof of what happens when your family tree isn't just Bent its almost circular (Hmm. Anyone want to do a TL where Charles II is his own ancestor?!?)
Marrying his mother? :eek: Not even the pharaohs(who wed their sisters à la Targaryen).

BTW, abut deprecating nicknames, you have Ferdinand VII, "the Felon King"
Alfonso Fróilaz, "the Hunchback" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_Fróilaz
Fruela II "the Leper"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruela_II_of_Asturias
 
But realistically, the only way I could see a "Worst" happening would be in later historiography, following a string of terrible kings with the same name as a joke; e.g. "Queen Alice was followed by Bob the Bad, Bob the Worse and Bob the Worst." Only after the entire house was safely dead, of course.
George the First was always reckoned
Vile, but viler George the Second.
And what mortal ever heard
Any good of George the Third,
But when from earth the Fourth descended
God be praised the Georges ended.
-- Walter Savage Landor
 
King Richard III
:rolleyes:
Only if one believes the Tudor propaganda...

On the other hand, despite the possibility of reprisals, when they heard about Richard's death at Bosworth the city council of York placed in their official records a statement that “that on this day was our good king Richard piteously slain and murdered to the great heaviness of the city”.
 
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Does being nicknamed the devil count as worst, if so there is:
Vlad II of Wallachia (Romanian: Vlad Dracul)
The "Dracul = Devil" fact is only true of later Romanian. To Vlad II and his contemporaries, it would have simply meant "dragon".
 

FrozenMix

Banned
Before William the Conqueror was called that, he was known as William the Bastard.

Also, Charles the Bewitched of Spain was notably aptly named.
 
:rolleyes:
Only if one believes the Tudor propaganda...<snip>

You don't need propaganda. The bodies of the young princes were found during excavation work being done in 1667 under a walled-off stairway in the Tower of London. The skeletons discovered were of the size of the two princes and were wearing finery dating back to the fashions of their time. I rather think that we can give the thoroughly politically disinterested Stuart dynasty the benefit of the doubt. The Wars of the Roses had been over for nearly 200 years.

The "Dracul = Devil" fact is only true of later Romanian. To Vlad II and his contemporaries, it would have simply meant "dragon".

Reported

For Vampire Apologia:eek::mad:
 
And by the same token, were any monarchs nicknamed "the Best"? The superlative aspect of it is tricky.

I just remembered John II of Portugal, "The Perfect Prince".

And how to forget his neighbors to the west, the Catholic Monarchs. Today we look at Catholic purely as a religious denomination, but the word's original meaning is "Universal", "Whole", "Absolute".
 
I don't think Christian the Tyrant (Denmark) has been mentioned here yet.

There's also Stefan Uroš the Weak (Serbia.)

Not to mention Henry the Impotent.
 
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