The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 2 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Of Queenes that were Murtherers.
IF these and such like cruelties as we have spoken before, be strange and monstrous for men, what shall we then say of wicked and bloudy women, who (contrary to the nature of their sex) addict themselves to all violence and bloudshedding, as cursed Iezabel Queen of Israel did; of whom sufficient hath been spoken before.
Athaliah, Ahabs daughter, and wife to Ioram King 2 Kings 11.of Judah, was a bird of the same feather: for she was possessed with such a spirit of fury and rage, that after the death of her son Ochosias (that died without issue) she put to death all the bloud royall, to wit, the posterity of Nathan, Solomons brother, to whom by right of succession the inheritance of the Crown appertained, to the end that she might install her selfe into the kingly diadem: after this cruell butchery of all the royall male children, except Ioas, who (by Gods providence) was preserved alive, she usurped the Crowne and Scepter of Juda full seven yeeres; at the end of which date, Ioas was exalted to the Crowne, and she not onelyonly deposed, but slain by the hands of her Guard that attended upon her.
Semiramis the Queen of Assyria was a woman of an ambitious spirit, who through her thirst of reigning counterfeited her sex, and attired her Sabellic.selfe like a man to get more authority and reverence to her selfe. She was the destruction of many thousand people, by the unjust war which she stirred up; besides that, she was a notorious strumpet, and withall a murderer of those that satisfied her lust; for still as they came from her bed, some lay privily in watch to kill them, lest they should bewray her villany: it is reported, that she was so shamelesse, that she solicited her owne son to commit incest with her; who in detestation of her filthinesse and cruelty raised a power against her, and conquering her in one great battell, caused her most deservedly to be put to death.
Brunchild (whom Histories call Brunhault) a Queen of France by marriage, Aimon. Nic. Gil. vol. 1.but a Spaniard by birth, was a woman that bred much mischiefe in her age, and that wrought many horrible and death-deserving crimes: for partly with her subtle devices, and partly with her owne hands, she murdered ten Kings of France one after another: she caused her husband to slay his owne brother: she procured the death of her nephew Meroveus, whom against all equity and honesty she had secondly espoused for her husband; for he being hated of his father for that vile incest, and perceiving himselfe in danger of taking, made one of servants thrust him through. After she had committed these and many other foul facts, she went aboutalso to defraud Clotairius the son of Chilpericke, of the right of the Crowne, which pertained unto him, and to thrust in another in his room: whereupon arose great war, in the which as she dealt more boldly and manfully than the condition of her sexe would bear, so she received the due wages of her brave and vertuous deeds for she was taken prisoner, with three of her nephewes, whose throats she saw cut before her face, and after her selfe was set upon a Camell, and led through the hoste three dayes together, every man reviling, mocking, reproaching, and despighting her; and at last by the award and judgement of the Princes and Captaines of the Army she was adjudged to be tied by the hair of her head, one arme and one foot to the tail of a wilde and un… med horse, and so to be left to his mercy to be drawne miserably to her destruction: which was no sooner executed, but her miserable carkase (the instrument of so many mischiefes) was with mens feet spurned, bruised, trampled, and wounded after a most strange fashion: and this was the wofull end of miserable Brunchild.
Edilburga, the daughter of Offa King of Mercia, in England, who was married to Brigthricus King of the West Saxons, was a woman so passing Malmesbur.all the bounds of humanity, and so given to cruelty and other beastly conditions, that she first poysoned divers of the Nobles of the Kingdom: and then having practised this wickednesse upon them, she at length poysoned also the King her husband: for which cause flying over into France unto Charles the Great for fear of punishment among her owne people, when by reason of her beautie it was offered unto her, that she should marry either with the King himselfe or with his son; because she chose the son before the father, married neither the one nor yet the other, but was thrust into a Monastery, where she not forgetting her old trade, playing the harlot with a Monke, was expulsed from thence, and ended her life in great penury and misery.
About the same time that this Edilburga was thus working her feats in Acts and Monuments.England, Irene, another most idolatrous and cruell minded woman, being Emperesse of the Greekes, was as busie for her part at Constantinople. This wicked woman, through the meanes of Pope Adrian, took up the body of Constantine Emperour of Constantinople, her owne husbands father; and when she had burned the same, she caused the ashes to be cast into the sea, because he disannulled images. Afterward reigning with her son Constantine the sixth, son to Leo the fourth, and being at dissention with him for disallowing the worshipping of images, caused him to be taken and laid in prison: who afterward, through power of friends, being restored to his Empire again, at last she caused the same her owne son to be cast in prison, and his eyes to be put out so cruelly, that within short space he died. After this, the said Emperesse as it were triumphing in her cruelty and idolatry, caused a Councell to be held at Nice, where it was decreed, That images should again be restored to the Church▪ but this Councell was after repealed by another Councell holden at Frankford by Charles the Great: and at length this wicked woman was deposed by Nicephorus (who reigned after) and was expulsed the Empire, and after the example of Edilburga above mentioned (being condignely punished for her wickednesse) ended her life in much penury and misery.
Alexius Emperour of the Greekes dying, left behinde him a wicked Sabel. lib. 7. Decad. 1.and cruell woman, his late wife now widow. this widow being exhorted by the Peeres of the Empire to a second marriage, and to that end choice being offered unto her of all the Nobility, to chuse whom she should best affect, notwithstanding refused all: for she was so linked in familiarity with one of her owne houshold called Grifo (who afterward when he came to be Emperour called himselfe Emanuel) that for his love she refused all other matches: with this Grifo this wicked woman entereth a secret and bloudy practise: she consulted with him, that he should bring into the Court a number of his servants secretly armed; which comming in at divers times, and by divers wayes, to avoid suspition, she disposed in the house in secret places, to be ready at her call to execute her bloudy designement. This being thus plotted, she called together the Peeres of the Empire, and demanded of them, if they were content that she should chuse to her husband whom she pleased, and that they would acknowledge him for their Emperour whom she should chuse; when as the Noblemen hereunto consented, supposing that she would have chosen one fitting for her estate, she presently saluted this Grifo, her old adulterous companion, for her husband and Emperour, and commanded them all to swear fealty unto him; which when as they all utterly refused and disdained, the wicked woman forthwith called the bloudy troop prepared for that purpose, and caused them all to be murdered, not one escaping alive. Thus to satisfie her wicked lust, she spared not to spill the bloud of the most part of her Nobility after a most savage and cruell manner: and indeed she injoyed her desire, but behold the issue of it: from this time forward the race of Constantine ceased to sit in the Imperiall throne, and no doubt but Gods vengeance also fell upon her and her wicked husband.
In the yeer of our Lord 700. Gracus the famous King of Poland being Herbutus. Hist. Polon. lib. 1. cap. 6.deceased, the Crowne and Government descended upon his onelyonly daughter Venda, by full consent of the whole Realme. This Venda being of a proud and stately nature, refused to be joyned in marriage with any; saying, That she had rather be a Prince her selfe, and governed by her owne power, than the wife of the greatest Prince in the World. Among many that were suiters unto her, there was one Ritigerus, a noble and mighty Prince of the Theutons; whose suit being not onelyonly denied, but scornefully rejected, and he notwithstanding greatly inflamed with her love, went about to enforce her by strength to his will: but she as valiant as he, raised a great power to withstand his violence: when the matter was ready to come to deciding by blowes, Ritigerus his army perceiving the resolution of Queen Venda, and the danger and losse which was like to arise to them, and that upon so slight an occasion, refused to fight: so that Ritigerus being thus forsaken, for griefe and shame slew himselfe: and Queen Venda returning to Cracovia, and there sacrificing to her gods for her good successe; at last, least her succesfull government should be stained with some disastrous misfortune, and so her pride abated, to prevent this fear, desperately threw her selfe from an high bridge into the River Vistula, and there ended her glorious and proud dayes with a shamefull and ignominious death.
Let every one both great and small learne by these examples to contain themselves within the limits of humanity, and not be so ready and prompt to the shedding of humane bloud, knowing nothing to be more true than this, That he that smiteth with the sword, shall perish with the sword.