Saints were possibly the most condemned and mistreated people during the Middle Ages. It's actually one of the reasons they're considered saints today- they were put through such hell that it often seems a miracle they survived so long. For example, Joan of Arc was burned alive, and then her body was burned two more times, just to make sure she was dead. Saint Francis of Assisi was also disliked, because he demanded that all the monks in his order take a vow of poverty and reject worldly goods. Now he's one of the most famous saints in the world, and there's a good chance that the Franciscan monks are the only order of monks that most of us could name off the top of our heads.
Heroes Screwed Over By The Countries They Bled For
History has a funny way of reminding us that life just sometimes isn't fair. And it's not so much a case of, "why do the good die young," as it is countless cases of, "why do the good get royally screwed over?" Here are ten heroes who had to find that out the hard way . . . and as you will see, it doesn't matter what government system you live under to be royally screwed.
Odysseus, Ithaca
While it's likely that Odysseus lived only in the imagination of the poet Homer, there is at least a slight possibility that the Greek hero may have been real. And archeological discoveries like the site of Wilusa (Troy)-and possibly Ancient Ithaca-suggest to many modern scholars that the Homeric epics are actually the preserved memories of a very real war. If there's even a shred of truth to the legend of Odysseus, then our boy sure got screwed. The King of Ithaca supposedly spent a decade fighting with the Greeks to (most likely) lift a Trojan blockade of Greek trade along the Hellespont. After the Greek victory and sack of Troy, it took Odysseus-who had incurred the wrath of the sea god Poseidon- another decade to find his way home. When Odysseus finally returned to Ithaca-ready to hang up his penis tie and relax-he wasn't exactly congratulated on his hard work. Instead he found the nobles hanging out in his house and doing their very best to sleep with his wife. So the travel-weary Odysseus had to kill a roomful of his ungrateful aristocrats before he could finally kick back and (presumably) enjoy his favorite chair.
Themistocles, Athens
Despite what The 300 may have led you to believe, the Persian invasion was turned back, not at the mountain pass of Thermopylae, but at the naval battle of Salamis. In the narrow straits of Salamis a small Greek navy led by Admiral Themistocles inflicted a crushing defeat on the enormous Persian navy. With their nautical supply-line destroyed, the Persians could scarcely maintain the offensive on land. Unfortunately for Themistocles, many Athenians possessed a rather short memory and the great leader-a little like Winston Churchill- struggled to fit into life post-invasion. Themistocles was blamed for the growing rivalry with Sparta, was accused of treason, and then sentenced to death by his own people. He managed to escape from Athens, but while he was on the run the Athenians made him a scapegoat for all sorts of problems. Athenians questioned everything from Themistocles' sexual practices (with one person referring to him as "Themistocles son of Neocles, a--hole"), to his loyalty. In the end, few choices existed for the exiled admiral. Themistocles sought refuge among his former enemies in Persia, where he lived out the remainder of his days.
Scipio, Rome
Before Scipio took over, Hannibal Barca was mowing down Roman armies like crabgrass-and so it's thanks to him that Rome did not become "New Carthage." He brilliantly attacked the Carthaginian capital, forcing Hannibal to leave Rome alone and defend his own lands for once. His monumental victory earned him the moniker "Africanus" and the adoration of average Romans. But anyone familiar with Roman history should already know that a combination of genius and popularity always inspired hatred in the Roman elites. Scipio's public life was therefore brief. An insecure senate accused him of embezzling funds from the treasury. He aptly retorted that his victories had actually filled that same treasury, but only a public demonstration could save him from retribution. Much of the Scipio family's wealth was confiscated, at which point he voluntarily exiled himself. Supposedly, he wished to be buried in rural Italy away from his family tomb in Rome-the city he once loved, which screwed him over in return.
Crispus, Rome
By all accounts, Crispus was one of history's most dutiful sons. As the son of Constantine I, emperor of the Western half of the Roman Empire, Crispus served his father's interests admirably during the early fourth century A.D. Crispus led Roman armies that defeated both Frankish and Germanic invasions. And when Constantine decided he wanted all of the Roman Empire, Crispus commanded the fleet that helped to win the civil war, cementing his father's position as the sole and undisputed Emperor. Clearly, Crispus was the kind of son that emperors often wish for but never have-talented, humble, and well-liked. All of which makes Crispus' untimely demise at the hands of his father just that little bit more distressing. We can't be sure exactly why Constantine did it, since the terrible father struck nearly every reference to Crispus from the public record. But we do know that in A.D. 326 Crispus was executed (or at least exiled-upon which he committed suicide) by order of his father. It's possible that Crispus was the victim of conspiracy. Constantine's second wife Fausta wanted Crispus' dynastic position for her children, and accused Crispus of seducing her. Curiously though, even Fausta wasn't safe from the emperor: after having his son killed he ordered the execution of his wife by suffocation in an over-heated bath. Given how many horrific methods of execution were used in ancient times, Fausta should probably have considered herself lucky!
Tariq Ibn Ziyad, The Umayyad Caliphate
Tariq-a former slave-continued the Muslim expansion from North Africa to the Iberian peninsula. Along the way, he lent his name-Jabal-Tariq-to the rocky outcrop of Gibraltar, on the coast of southern Spain where he and his men landed in 711 (about 100 years after Muhammad started his religion of peace). Tariq spent the next year subduing the last pockets of resistance and establishing Muslim rule in what is now Spain. Just one problem: Tariq's lightning conquest hadn't been authorized by anyone other than the North African governor Musa Ibn Nusayr. Both Tariq and Musa were recalled to the Umayyad capital, Damascus, to account for their actions. The pair spent a leisurely two years