Top 10 Worst Decisions That Happened Over 1000 Years Ago

The Fourth Crusade was sold to Christian commoners as an effort to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim control. However, a mix of financial desperation, political maneuvering, and greed led to a dramatic detour. In 1204, Crusaders—deeply indebted to Venice—turned their swords against Constantinople, the greatest Christian city of the East. Over three days, the Crusaders looted its treasures, burned churches, and even defiled the Hagia[a] Sophia. The Byzantine Empire, already weakened by internal struggles, never fully recovered. The sacking permanently fractured relations between eastern and western Christendom, and the empire’s fragmentation left it vulnerable to the Ottoman conquest in 1453. Some historians argue that this single event altered global history, shifting power westward while dividing Christian kingdoms.

In 333 BCE, King Darius III of Persia had one job: stop Alexander the Great at Issus. With a far larger army, Darius seemed poised for victory. His troops applied pressure, threatening to overwhelm the Macedonian flank. But then, Alexander gambled everything on a bold charge straight at Darius. As the Macedonian cavalry smashed through Persian lines, Darius panicked. The so-called “King of Kings” ditched his men, abandoned his family, and fled. Seeing their leader bolt, his army collapsed into chaos. This blunder shattered Persian morale and marked a turning point in Alexander’s conquest. Alexander kept Darius’ mother, wife, and daughters as “honored” guests. Darius tried again to defeat Alexander at Gaugamela, and once again fled. He would go on to be deposed and murdered in a coup.

In 9 CE, Rome thought it had Germania[c] under control. That illusion was fully dispelled when Publius Quinctilius Varus marched three legions into a nightmare of blood and steel. A Germanic ally, Arminius, had informed Varus of a supposed rebellion, and recommended that Varus lead his legions through the dense Teutoburg Forest. Arminius was Roman-educated, and had even served in the army, but in secret, he was plotting against them. With Arminius at their head, Germanic tribes ambushed Varus’ forces. Unable to form proper battle lines, they were slaughtered. Varus, realizing the catastrophe, fell on his own sword, as did many of his commanders. Rome lost 15,000-20,000 men and any hope of conquering Germania.

In 1212, one of history’s most tragic and misguided religious movements took shape. The so-called Children’s Crusade saw thousands of young people and peasants in Europe march toward the Mediterranean, convinced that they were chosen by God to reclaim the Holy Land. Some chroniclers claim that they literally expected the sea to part for them. Their leaders were both shepherds, Stephen of Cloyes[d] in France and Nicholas of Cologne in Germany. Those who didn’t die from starvation or exposure before reaching port were reportedly tricked by merchants and sold into slavery in North Africa, or disappeared from history. The movement remains a blend of legend and reality, symbolizing medieval faith and folly.

The lesson to learn from the tragic arrogance of Inalchuq is to never pick an unnecessary fight. In 1218, Genghis Khan sent a peaceful trade caravan to the Khwarezmian Empire. Inalchuq, the governor of Otrar, accused them of being spies and executed them. When Genghis Khan sent envoys demanding an apology, the Khwarezmian Shah escalated the insult by killing one and humiliating the other two. The Mongol response was swift and apocalyptic. Khan unleashed his full fury, erasing the Khwarezmian Empire from the map. Inalchuq watched his empire burn around him before being dragged before the Great Khan. Legend says molten silver was poured into his eyes and ears, a grizzly execution for one of history's greatest fools.

The mighty Maya weren’t just masters of astronomy and architecture; like modern civilizations, they were also experts in self-sabotage. To sustain their booming population, they cleared vast forests for farming, fuel, and temples. But deforestation intensified droughts, reducing rainfall and leading to failed crops and famine. Around 750–950 CE, the region was hit by some of the worst droughts in 2,000 years, compounding social and political turmoil. By the time the rain finally returned, many once-great Maya cities were abandoned, left as eerie ruins swallowed by the jungle. We should all learn from their mistakes, and try not to continue building societies at odds with mother nature.

The Tang Dynasty was riding high in the 8th century, until they made the fatal mistake of trusting the wrong man. An Lushan, a Sogdian-Turkic general, rose through the Tang ranks. He used his military prowess and charm to manipulate Emperor Xuanzong. An Lushan was showered with titles, riches, and power. He was granted command of the vast army meant to protect China. Instead, in 755, he turned that army against the Tang Dynasty. The subsequent An Lushan rebellion was one of the bloodiest civil wars in human history. The rebellion lasted for eight years, taking the lives of millions and shattering the dynasty’s golden age. The Tang never fully recovered, limping along for another century before collapsing completely.

In 213 BCE, China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang believed that in order to truly unify China, he must unify Chinese thought. To accomplish this, the emperor ordered the burning of books from all rival philosophies and histories. This act of censorship led to the destruction of many works deemed 'subversive.' Only texts on topics like medicine, agriculture, and divination were spared. But the emperor's paranoia wasn't sated by book burnings. In 212 BCE, he allegedly ordered the execution of Confucian scholars, though the exact details remain debated among historians. The loss of countless Confucian and historical texts set Chinese intellectual progress back for generations. Later dynasties were forced to attempt to reconstruct all the knowledge that had been erased by flame.

With the Senate opposing his bid for a second consulship, Julius Caesar made a decision that shattered the Roman Republic. He led his army across the Rubicon River in a flagrant act of war against the Senate. The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” now symbolizes a point of no return, and for good reason. Caesar’s march on Rome ignited a civil war that ended with him being declared dictator for life, a title that lasted only until his infamous assassination. While he never proclaimed himself emperor, his actions paved the way for Rome’s transition from a republic to an empire under his heir, Augustus. The fall of the Roman Republic still echoes through history, a reminder of how one man's ambition can reshape an entire civilization.

The Library of Alexandria, once the crown jewel of ancient knowledge, met its demise through a series of unfortunate events. The first may have taken place in 48 BCE, during Julius Caesar's siege of Alexandria. A fire meant to destroy enemy ships spread to parts of the city, possibly damaging storage facilities associated with the library. Later, between 270 and 275 CE, the city faced invasions and counterattacks that may have inflicted further harm on remaining collections. Yet another blow came in 391 CE when Christians destroyed the Serapeum[h], a temple that may have still housed some texts. While the exact timeline of the Great Library’s demise remains debated, these successive incidents likely eroded the repository of scrolls, resulting in an irreplaceable loss of ancient knowledge.


Did we miss any of the world’s greatest fools from around a thousand years ago? Let us know in the comments below!

[b]duh-RYE-iss
ISS-sus https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Issus
gao-guh-MELLA
[c]jur-MAINY-uh https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Germania
POOBLY-iss kwin-TILLY-us VAH-rus https://youtu.be/FtafK9clSTY?si=u4cyb1i98XQ6eTfQ&t=76
arr-MINNY-iss https://youtu.be/FtafK9clSTY?si=nZ3XBsxYRqkN1Tdn&t=101
TOYTO-bourg https://youtu.be/AF4HJdsF3i0?si=BghMtC-78rVaUWdx&t=3282 https://forvo.com/search/teutoburg/
[d]clwah https://forvo.com/word/cloyes/#fr
cuh-LOAN https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/76/Cologne.ogg/Cologne.ogg.mp3
english names i guess https://youtu.be/GRQj82Trxm0?si=6fmy2uxYB-2UdVGl&t=348
[e]eeenal-CHOOOK https://youtu.be/92-440OR2ik?si=w-bchrNN5pCyyw8d&t=102 https://youtu.be/VtBklsklPwU?si=lGXeuQ8R1dMB7XnV&t=363
oh-TRAR https://forvo.com/search/%D0%9E%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%80/
[f]tawng https://forvo.com/search/%E5%94%90/zh/
anne loo-shan https://forvo.com/search/%E5%AE%89%E7%A6%84%E5%B1%B1/zh/
SOG-DEE-in https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Sogdian
shwen-zoang https://forvo.com/search/Xuanzong/
[g]chee sheux hwong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Qin_shi_huang_pronunciation_2.ogg
[h]sarah-PEE-um https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Serapeum