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The Great Villains of History

Unmask the ruthless ambition and twisted egos behind history’s most infamous villains, from seductive spies to bloodthirsty tyrants.
 
 
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great professor I’ve watched several of this professor’s courses, and I honestly feel like I’ve learned more from them than from all the YouTube videos I’ve watched combined.
Date published: 2026-02-17
Rated 1 out of 5 by from This course superficially covers these villains. They give you enough information to make shallow and sometimes misinformed decisions on who these people were. I'm not a fan of these "best of" lectures. There are plenty of other courses to choose from where one can get a much deeper and historically accurate picture of these villains.
Date published: 2026-02-15
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Fun Topic, Informative Show Glad to see something see and its a good one! well done GCP. This is a well made lecture/show with a fun topic and smart show.
Date published: 2026-02-15
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Awesome lectures! Awesome and very informative lectures. I have learned a lot from each one. Recommended to people interested in the subject.
Date published: 2026-02-14
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The Great Villains of History

Trailer

Just What Is a Villain Anyway?

01: Just What Is a Villain Anyway?

Your journey begins with a psychological inquiry into the dark side of the human heart. From Satan’s defiant rebellion in Paradise Lost to modern criminal masterminds, what makes a villain tick—and why are we drawn to stories of evil? To dig deeper, reflect on the Marquis de Sade’s libertinism and the American Fred Crisman’s life of intrigue.

33 min
Brainwashed into Villainy: Cult Leaders

02: Brainwashed into Villainy: Cult Leaders

One hallmark of a good villain is his or her ability to inspire followers. Here, you’ll dive into how cult leaders exert psychological dominance through charisma and manipulation. Professor Spence explores the dark psychology of Peter the Hermit and his crusading mobs, Charles Manson’s deadly “family,” and Jim Jones’s apocalyptic Kool-Aid.

32 min
The Worst of the Worst: Serial Killers

03: The Worst of the Worst: Serial Killers

Continue your study of history’s most chilling criminals with a look at a trio of serial killer psychopaths. Learn the story of Gilles de Rais’s fall from Joan of Arc’s ally to demonic child torturer, delve into Albert Fish’s cannibalistic horrors, and turn to the terror of David Berkowitz, the infamous “Son of Sam” killer.

31 min
Going Old-School: Tyrant Style

04: Going Old-School: Tyrant Style

Step back 500 years for a profile of three Renaissance-era tyrants: Vlad III of Wallachia (a.k.a. Dracula), Henry VIII of England, and Ivan the Terrible of Russia. Each of these rulers wielded absolute power through cruelty, paranoia, and violence, and they secured their thrones amid an atmosphere of treachery and oppression.

33 min
A Villain to His Own People: Traitors

05: A Villain to His Own People: Traitors

Shift your attention from tyrants to traitors—those who betrayed their country or cause by aiding the enemy. Professor Spence examines three such figures: Alcibiades, an ambitious Athenian who defected to Sparta; Guy Fawkes, an anti-establishment Catholic plotter in England; and Alger Hiss, an American diplomat who spied for the Soviets.

32 min
Conquering Heroes—or Villains?

06: Conquering Heroes—or Villains?

History is written by the victors, and history is filled with conquering “heroes” whose violence was driven by ego or greed. This lecture surveys the lives of three such villain-heroes: Attila the Hun, Tamerlane, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Trace their exploits and consider their legacies in the history books today.

33 min
Women Can Be Villains Too: The Femme Fatale

07: Women Can Be Villains Too: The Femme Fatale

We’re all familiar with the “femme fatale” archetype—dangerous, seductive women often linked to murder—but their stories are often distorted by legends, rumors, and even misogyny. Here, you’ll separate fact from fiction as you consider the stories of Lucrezia Borgia, Elizabeth Báthory, and Catherine the Great.

31 min
No Free Lunch—or Is There? Freebooters

08: No Free Lunch—or Is There? Freebooters

Step into the world of bandits, pirates, and thieves! From the conquistador Francisco Pizarro to the swindling American schemer Bully Hayes to the psychotic baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, this lecture exposes the ruthless cunning, legendary luck, and high crimes of these notoriously ambitious “freebooters.”

32 min
Villainy for Profit: Dirty Money

09: Villainy for Profit: Dirty Money

They say money is the root of all evil, and for evidence look no further than this lecture that uncovers the sinister side of staggering wealth. Basil Zaharoff peddles death through arms dealing, John D. Rockefeller ruthlessly monopolizes the oil industry, and Armand Hammer peddles Soviet secrets.

34 min
From Rags to Rascals: Self-Made Villains

10: From Rags to Rascals: Self-Made Villains

What does it mean to be a villain? How do villains conceive of themselves? Consider how a trio of scoundrels—cult founder Aleister Crowley, serial conman Ignatius Trebitsch Lincoln, and adventurer and intelligence asset Dr. Hermann Erben—forged identities through shocking spectacles.

34 min
Devoutly Sinful: Religious Villains

11: Devoutly Sinful: Religious Villains

Servants of the dark arts are particularly villainous. Jump into the world of zealots, mystics, and self-styled satanists in this eerie exploration of the lives of Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada, the Russian mesmerist Grigory Rasputin, and the profiteering showman Anton LaVey.

33 min
“Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”

12: “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”

The 20th century is rife with totalitarian dictators who reshaped nations by seizing absolute power. Among them, Professor Spence introduces the terrible reigns of Vladimir Lenin, Benito Mussolini, and Romania’s King Carol II, the “Playboy Dictator.” From personal ambition to social revolution, see how they left a trail of ruin in their wakes.

35 min
Hitler and the Third Reich

13: Hitler and the Third Reich

Continue your study of totalitarian tyrants with the archetype of modern villainy: Adolf Hitler. Examine the theories for what motivated him, trace his rise from the ashes of World War I, and then confront the morbid fascination that continues to surround the 20th century’s ultimate villain.

34 min
Equality for All or Just Stalin and Trotsky

14: Equality for All or Just Stalin and Trotsky

Round out your study of the 20th century’s political villains. Here, you will contrast the communist villainy, mutual hatred, and tantalizing conspiracies of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Compare Stalin’s revolutionary fervor with Trotsky’s outsized ambitions—all against the backdrop of terror, famines, and iron rule.

35 min
Can’t Trust Them: Scoundrels

15: Can’t Trust Them: Scoundrels

In this lecture, take a look at three brazen, larger-than-life scoundrels who exploited human weakness without remorse. Go inside the opium empire of Kenji Doihara, witness the financial swindles of Serge Rubinstein, and dive into the blackmail factory of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

35 min
Tyranny Never Gets Old: New-School Tyrants

16: Tyranny Never Gets Old: New-School Tyrants

The 21st century has already seen its share of post-colonial tyrants who drenched their nations in blood. Witness as Idi Amin butchers rivals in theatrical fashion, Muammar Gaddafi zigzags through oil-fueled madness, and Pol Pot enacts a genocide while chasing utopia—exposing the cruelest side of absolute power.

35 min
Ultimate Turncoats: Spies Turned Traitors

17: Ultimate Turncoats: Spies Turned Traitors

Revisit the world of treason through the motives of M.I.C.E. (money, ideology, compromise, and ego). Professor Spence profiles the passport fraud of William Joyce (“Lord Haw-Haw”), the intelligence defector Kim Philby, and the greedy CIA traitor Aldrich Ames. See how their twisted motives forged unforgettable acts of disloyalty.

35 min
Battle Wasn’t Violent Enough: War Criminals

18: Battle Wasn’t Violent Enough: War Criminals

In matters of war, dictators and tyrants are not the only villains. Survey the administrative violence committed by the likes of the Nazi Heinrich Himmler, the Malayan war criminal Tomoyuki Yamashita, and the Realpolitik advocate Henry Kissinger, each of whom chose indifferent pragmatism over morality.

35 min
The Worst-Kept Secret Police

19: The Worst-Kept Secret Police

Peer into the shadows of the secret police, quiet bureaucrats who ruled through fear rather than outsized displays of power. Your study includes Feliks Dzerzhinsky, founder of Cheka; Erich Mielke, head of the Stasi; and J. Edgar Hoover, the infamous first director of the American FBI. Review their instruments of oppression.

37 min
Crime Never Pays? Criminal Masterminds

20: Crime Never Pays? Criminal Masterminds

Turn now to a trio of criminals who built empires of vice. This lecture’s arch-criminals include Joseph Silver, the human trafficker suspected of being Jack the Ripper; Arnold Rothstein, the New York master of gambling, loan sharking, and bootlegging; and Pablo Escobar, the Colombian cocaine king.

35 min
Classical Corruption: Bad Romans

21: Classical Corruption: Bad Romans

Go back to ancient Rome, where the lives of Nero (the infamous fiddler), Commodus (a self-styled Hercules in the gladiatorial ring), and Julian the Apostate (who led a pagan revival) demonstrate there is nothing new under the sun. Watch as these narcissists lead the eternal city into its darkest descent.

33 min
Secrets and Lies: Femme Fatale Spies

22: Secrets and Lies: Femme Fatale Spies

Enter the world of seduction and betrayal with this second lecture on femme fatales, whose sexuality (allegedly) transformed espionage into a game of danger and desire. Meet Mata Hari, the dancing double agent; Yoshiko Kawashima, the cross-dressing Manchu pawn; and Elizabeth Bentley, the Yankee courier and “Spy Queen.”

35 min
Wild, Wild Villainy: Outlaws of the Old West

23: Wild, Wild Villainy: Outlaws of the Old West

Nearly everyone in the world has heard the legends of the American Wild West: the gunslingers and outlaws who are the stuff of legend in dime novels and western films. Look beyond the usual suspects to study three villains who defied the mythic stereotypes: Joaquín Murrieta, Alferd Packer, and Arthur Rochford Manby.

34 min
Imperialism’s Dark Side

24: Imperialism’s Dark Side

Round out your course with an examination of ruthless imperialists whose ambitions stained history with blood: Cecil Rhodes, the architect of Britain’s expansion in Africa; King Leopold, II, the Belgian tyrant over the Congo; and Emperor Hirohito, Japan’s wartime divine ruler.

40 min

Overview Course No. 30750

The arc of history is filled with villains: tyrants, traitors, scoundrels, and cold-blooded killers. From Nero and Napoleon to Mata Hari and Charles Manson, the “bad guys” command our attention, bring excitement to the history books, and fill the airwaves with tales of true crime. But what makes a villain anyway? And why do their stories so capture our imaginations?

The Great Villains of History takes you into the riveting world of charisma and crime, evil and opportunity, ambition and bloodshed. Taught by esteemed Dr. Richard B. Spence, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Idaho, these 24 lectures tell the stories of more than 70 villains from Ancient Rome to Jeffrey Epstein, exploring not just what they did, but why they did it—and what their choices reveal about the darkest corners of the human heart.

Drawing from vivid historical accounts, Professor Spence spans eras and archetypes, from femme fatales and freebooters to dictators, war criminals, secret policemen, and criminal masterminds. He introduces you to such infamous figures as Lucrezia Borgia, accused of murder by poison amid family intrigue; Heinrich Himmler, the architect of Nazi terror; and Pablo Escobar, the cocaine kingpin and killer of the first order.

Whether it’s the calculated oppression of a Stasi leader, the bloody rise of a totalitarian dictator, or the charismatic power of a swindler, Professor Spence dissects evil without glorifying it, bringing you on a journey across history and into the deepest recesses of the human mind.

About

Richard B. Spence
Richard B. Spence

A key theme is that human history, behavior and reality are governed not by what we know but by what we believe.

INSTITUTION

University of Idaho

Richard B. Spence is a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Idaho. He holds a PhD in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he also taught as a visiting assistant professor. His research areas include Russian and military history, espionage, occultism, secret societies, anti-Semitism, and true crime. He is the author of several books, including Trust No One: The Secret World of Sidney Reilly and Secret Agent 666: Aleister Crowley, British Intelligence and the Occult. He has also been a contributor for HISTORY.

By This Professor

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