10 Times Historical Figures Got Humbled

Throughout history, even the most powerful people have had their “oops” moments when life handed them a big slice of humble pie. Whether it was a botched battle, a public failure, or simply being outsmarted by someone way less important, these historical figures learned the hard way that no one is too great to avoid a little ego-check.

Related: 10 Royal Imposters Who Nearly Got Away with It

10 King Henry VIII Losing a Wrestling Match

King Henry VIII was humbled quite a few times in his unfortunate life. The most famous is probably when the Catholic Church publicly refused to grant Henry an annulment from his wife, Catherine of Aragon. But here’s a story that’s even more humbling.

Though we think of him as an overweight loser today, King Henry VIII of England was actually a stellar athlete in his youth. Eager to show off his skills, the king attended a sporting tournament called the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520. The event was a way to cement a good relationship between Henry and the French king, Francis I. Royalty was meant to watch events like jousting and archery, but Henry couldn’t help showing off his athletic prowess by challenging King Francis to a wrestling match.

He lost in a matter of seconds, as “Francis overthrew the Englishman with… a sort of rapidly executed hip throw.” History doesn’t tell us how Henry reacted. Whether he laughed it off or stormed out in a rage is unknown. However, just two years later, Henry declared war on France. Coincidence? Maybe. But it could also be that Henry didn’t like the taste of humble pie.^[1]

9 Douglas MacArthur Being Fired

General Douglas MacArthur was beloved by the United States after he led the country to victory in World War II.

When America went to war with Korea just a few years later, he seemed a natural choice for President Truman to select as a leader. But MacArthur severely underestimated the Chinese forces backing communist Korea, leading to multiple successful surprise attacks.

He advocated for bombing Chinese cities despite the president’s uncertainty, and ultimately escalated the conflict unnecessarily. His continual failure to adhere to Truman’s rules and understand the seriousness of the conflict ultimately led to his dismissal.

The man who had once been a war hero was now an irrelevant old man, which he acknowledged in a speech to Congress, claiming, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”^[2]

8 Kaiser Wilhelm II Abdicating

Just like how all mothers think their children are the most talented of the bunch, many kings consider their countries to be the most powerful and deserving.

Unfortunately, both these groups tend to only see the good in their dependents. Kaiser Wilhelm II was sure that Germany would be able to make itself a world power in World War I, but was way off base. The country was left in ruins, politically humiliated, and with a destroyed economy.

Even the German military, once one of the most powerful in the world, was dismantled by the end of 1918. Wilhelm was forced to abdicate the throne and fled to the Netherlands with his tail between his legs. The king who had been considered godly just a few years before was now considered a war criminal. He spent 20 years in obscurity, forgotten by his country.^[3]

7 Richard III Being Killed

By all accounts, King Richard II of England was not a pleasant man. He’s most famous for murdering his young nephews in order to secure his claim to the throne. Whether this actually happened or not is up for debate, but all historical records point to the king being a ruthless tyrant even to those closest to him.

Slowly but surely, key members of his court defected to his rival, Henry Tudor. He was finally defeated in battle after being abandoned by most of his own men. Shakespeare portrays him as crying out for a horse, symbolizing his desperation and downfall.

Losing support to Henry, who would eventually come to power and begin the reign of the Tudors, must have stung. But Richard may actually have been glad he died in this final battle rather than suffer the fate his body would endure, being paraded naked and beaten through the streets. He was buried in an unmarked grave, and his remains were found in a parking lot in 2012. Though they now lay in a cathedral, the knowledge of all his body would endure and the shameful interring of his body would certainly have humbled the hunchback king.^[4]

6 Bayezid I Being Used as a Footstool

The fourth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Bayezid I, successfully expanded Ottoman territory throughout the Balkans. He was so aggressive with his campaigns that he earned himself the nickname “Thunderbolt.”

But his good fortune didn’t last forever. In 1402, Bayezid’s army was defeated by Timur. The Mongol conqueror showed Bayezid no mercy, and his humiliation has become the stuff of legends. Rumor has it he was forced to watch his wife serve Timur his dinner as a servant, kept him in a gold cage, used him as a footstool, and even kept him under the table during dinner to eat scraps like a dog.

Reasons for his death are uncertain, but most historians agree he probably killed himself out of embarrassment over his fallen valor.^[5]

5 King Henry IV Grovelling

Throughout history, kings have had absolute power to do whatever they choose. They answer to no one—except, occasionally, the pope.

From 1076 to 1122, medieval European secular rulers fought with the papacy over which group had the right to appoint bishops and abbots. The feud came to a head when King Henry IV of England was excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII for refusing to accept the pope’s authority on the matter. This meant that Henry had lost much of his political legitimacy. In an effort to regain his reputation and bring peace to his nation, Henry trekked across the Alps to stand barefoot in the snow wearing nothing but a sackcloth and begged for forgiveness.

Pope Gregory lifted the excommunication after three days, but the image of a supposedly all-powerful king literally bowing to the church haunted the country for years.^[6]

4 Vercingetorix Being Captured

Revolting against one of the most dominant rulers in human history is not a great idea.

But, of course, the Gallic king Vercingetorix didn’t know this before he led his army in a revolt against Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars. They were trapped by a Roman siege and stood no chance of success, so Vercingetorix surrendered himself. Historians believe he probably did this in order to negotiate a more lenient punishment for himself and allow his people to go free.

Unfortunately, neither of those happened. He was held prisoner for five years, then paraded through the streets in chains as one example of Caesar’s four triumphs. As if it wasn’t bad enough to go from a king and military leader to a common slave, Vercingetorix was publicly strangled at the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

There are probably worse ways to go, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head.^[7]

3 Richard Nixon Resigning

The position of president of the United States of America is one of the most powerful and important jobs in the world. The men who have held office go down in history—whether they want to or not.

In 1972, Richard Nixon won the presidency in an unprecedented landslide victory. He was at a 67% approval rating from the public, but just one year later, that would tumble down to 24%. This is embarrassing enough on its own, but it gets worse. The 37th president was forced to resign in 1974 after the Watergate Scandal, in which Nixon’s administration was caught covering up a bugging break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

The scandal tarnished Nixon’s formerly positive reputation to the point where he was almost impeached and removed from office. To avoid this fate, he resigned from his position before the impeachment proceedings could be completed. Though he was officially pardoned by the next president, Gerald Ford, the sting of being coerced into giving up the presidency and the public humiliation that followed could not have been fun.^[8]

2 Al Capone Going to Prison

Al Capone was the ultimate gangster. The infamous mob boss conducted criminal activities throughout Prohibition Era Chicago for six years, all without ever getting caught. Though he bootlegged, gambled, and even ordered the violent deaths of seven men in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, he evaded justice by paying off cops and slyly never committing his crimes in a way that led back to him.

As one of the most prolific criminals in modern times, it must have stung when, in 1931, Capone was sent to jail. Not for the murders he committed or the money he laundered, and not even for the alcohol he illegally sold. He was locked up for tax evasion.

After spending time in the most infamous prison in America, Alcatraz, Capone contracted syphilis and became mentally diminished. Though he lived for another decade, he was a shadow of his former self and would forever live with the knowledge that the IRS brought him down.^[9]

1 Napoleon Being Exiled… Twice

As one of the most famous historical figures in the world, Napoleon Bonaparte’s ultimate defeat must have stung that much more.

The French Emperor was at his height of power in 1805 and was gunning for more. His first major humbling came in 1812, when his French army famously learned that though you can defeat the Russian army, you can never defeat the Russian winter. One million soldiers died in brutal conditions that showed Napoleon and his men that the elements are stronger than firearms.

This disastrous defeat led to Napoleon’s exile to Elba. Though this was also embarrassing, he was allowed to keep his title of emperor of the small island. He escaped and regained control of France, where he was again defeated at Waterloo (and this time without the convenient excuse of a Siberian winter). This led to his final exile on the remote island of Saint Helena. Here, he didn’t have the benefit of his title and was surrounded by British guards for the rest of his lonely life.^[10]