There have been multiple shocking historical massacres that shocked the world. Nations have been painted in the blood of innumerable innocent victims overpowered by ferocious and greedy rulers. The most brutal massacres and human slaughters that have occurred in the past were under the leadership of great kings and rulers. Whatever the reason or cause, these shameful acts of mass murders only prove that man can be worse than a monster. These shocking massacres that occurred in history our history have completely shocked the world and will shock you too.
Here are 15 Famous Massacres That Shocked the World
- Boston Massacre
A deadly riot took place in Boston on March 5, 1770, that later became famous in history as the Boston massacre. A large group of unarmed colonists were fired upon by the British soldiers. A former slave named Crispus Attucks was among 5 of the men killed that day. This incident was later used by propagandists to fight for independence from England.
- Peterloo Massacre
An unbelievable and unfair massacre took place on August 16, 1819, at St Peter’s Field in Manchester, England, when around cavalry attacked 60,000 peaceful and pro-democracy protestors. Around 18 people died in the attack.
- Ludlow Massacre
The Ludlow massacre took place in 1914 in Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, 1914. It was inflicted by the Colorado National Guard against striking coal miners and their families. Unfortunately, the coal miner families endured the burden of most casualties. Around 21 people died in this massacre including women and children. This massacre was orchestrated by John D. Rockefeller Jr. who was a billionaire industrialist and a part owner of this company.
- Wounded Knee Massacre
This massacre received this peculiar name because of where it took place. On December 29, 1890, around 150-300 Lakota Indians were massacred by the United States Army troops in the Wounded Knee area of South Dakota. This battlefield was declared a US National historic landmark in 1965.
- Wilmington Massacre
Daily Record was a black-owned newspaper operating in the Wilmington area in North Carolina. On the 10th of November in 1898, an armed mob of white supremacists burned down their offices. These rebels opened fire on African American citizens right in the streets. As many as 300 residents of African Americans lost their lives in this massacre.
- Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
Another devasting massacre that took place in India at the Jallianwala Bagh area in Amritsar, Punjab in 1919, shook the country from its roots. The British troops open fire at thousands gathered for a peaceful protest on a public ground. They were protesting the arrest of their pro-Indian independence leaders and over 500 people lost their lives.
- Lisbon Massacre
The Lisbon massacre on April 19, 1506, was a mass murder committed by the roving mobs of Catholics of hundreds of people believed to be Jews. They were murdered by being tortured, and burnt, leading to the deaths of 2000 people. A German woodcut that survived the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and the fire at Torre do Tombo National Archive depicted the happenings of the genocide.
- Cholula Massacre
Hernan Cortes (1485 – 1547) was a ruthless Spanish leader who wanted to conquer Mexico. He, along with hundreds of Spanish conquistadors and Tlaxcalan allies slaughtered hundreds of unarmed Aztec noblemen. Within hours, thousands of Cholulans were killed and this massacre is one of the deadliest ones in history. 5-6000
- Massacre of the Rhineland Jews
A series of mass murders were conducted by mobs of German Christians during the People’s Crusade from April to October 1096, killing the Rhineland Jews. Around 12,000 Jews were massacred in this anti-Semitic event in Europe that later resulted in the unfortunate Holocaust.
- Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
Thousands of Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) were slaughtered by the Roman Catholic nobles and other citizens during the summer of 1572. This mass murder was plotted by Catherine de’ Medici (1519 – 1589). The death toll was estimated to be between 5000 to 30,000.
- Massacre of the Latins
An unbelievable and deadly massacre of the Latins happened in 1182 by the Eastern Orthodox population of Constantinople of their Roman Catholic neighbours. It was as if they had gone on a killing spree, killing almost 60,000 people. This massacre further worsened the relations between the Western and Eastern Christian churches.
- Asiatic Vespers
The Asiatic Vespers is perhaps the first deadliest genocide recorded in the history of humanity before the Middle Ages. It is believed that under the leadership of King Mithridates VI, ruler of the kingdom of Pontus (132 – 63 BCE), the loyal forces slaughtered around 80,000 Roman and other Latin-speaking people residing in Western Anatolia. The slaughter continued for several years and became known as the Asiatic Vespers. This slaughter also provoked the First Mithridatic War (89 – 85 BCE) that occurred between the Kingdom of Pontus and the Roman Republic.
- Chios Massacre
This one is one of the most tragic acts of genocide ever committed in history. Approximately 120,000 Greeks were brutally killed on the Greek island of Chios in 1822 by Ottoman troops during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829).
- Yangzhou Massacre
This is one of the biggest single-day mass murder that took place in Yangzhou in 1645. The Qing dynasty forces massacred 300,000 innocent civilians under the leadership of Dodo and Prince Yu. The details were found written on a late-Qing woodblock.
- Hamidian Massacres
The Hamidian massacre was a genocide inflicted upon the Armenians by the Ottoman forces between 1894 to 1897, resulting in the deaths of 300,000 people. This carnage was ordered by Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918) and so, it got its name from this ruler.
The world today continues to shiver at the memories of these devastating bloody murders. These massacres are events that are best buried in the past as they are too shocking to think of.
