Can the insane rule? Can insanity be a leadership quality? Scott Rank says yes (well, sometimes) in this fascinating look at
nine of history's most notorious rulers, from the Roman emperor Caligula to the North Korean Communist dictator Kim Jong-il.
Rank paints intimate portraits of these deeply flawed but powerful men, examining the role that madness played in their
lives, the repercussions of their madness on history, and what their madness can tell us about the times in which they lived.
In History's 9 Most Insane Rulers, you will meet:
Insane rulers did not die off with the last of the mad monarchs who inherited their power. Rank also examines the rise to
power of crazed modern rulers, such as Idi Amin, who began as a lowly army cook and rose to the presidency of Uganda, and
Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled Turkmenistan and promoted a bizarre cult of personality around himself.
Both entertaining and illuminating, History's 9 Most Insane Rulers is a must-read for anyone interested in the role insanity
has played in history