So were we wrong* on wrong ’uns?
NERO
There’s no doubt the fifth Roman emperor was a despot who orchestrated the deaths of wives and family members, but there’s no evidence he fiddled while Rome burned. Tacitus, a historian from the time, says Nero was actually 30 miles away when the Great Fire of 64AD started – and supported his people with new social housing.
MARIE ANTOINETTE
The French queen was said to have shown how out of touch she was when she uttered: “Let them eat cake” after being told peasants had no bread in a famine. But the phrase came from a story about an ignorant princess who had joked about the starving people in Paris written in 1766, when Marie was only 11. In fact the monarch was known as a generous charity patron.
CAPTAIN BLIGH
Played by Anthony Hopkins and Trevor Howard in films, he is seen as a tyrant who drove the crew of his ship, HMS Bounty, to such despair they were forced to mutiny. But while he had a hot temper, he was among the kindest and most considerate captains of the day, who was actually a good friend to mutiny leader Fletcher Christian.
OLIVER CROMWELL
The ultimate Scrooge, Cromwell is famous for banning Christmas. But he didn’t actually bring that about himself – it was down to the Puritan parliament who felt it had got too drunken and debauched. In 1647, they axed the feast, replacing it with a day of fasting.
IVAN THE TERRIBLE
The first Russian tsar may have got his grim moniker from a mistranslation. He’s called Ivan Grozny in Russian which means “awe-inspiring” or “formidable” in English. But while he was pretty terrible – a bloodthirsty and paranoid tyrant who killed his own son – he was adored by his people.
CATHERINE THE GREAT
Played by Elle Fanning in TV series The Great, rumour had it the 18th-century Russian leader died trying to have sex with a horse or while on the toilet. But Catherine, who modernised the country in an era ruled by men, actually died in 1796, aged 67, after suffering a stroke.
NAPOLEON
The French dictator inspired the phrase “Napoleon complex” for short people who try to compensate by being aggressive. But Boney was 5ft 7in tall, making him above average height for men in France and England in the early 19th century.
KING CANUTE
The 11th century Viking king of England was said to have shown his foolishness by believing he had the power to hold back the tide. But he actually had his throne placed before the rising tide as an example to others. The soaked king told them every creature in the universe was feeble compared to God.