An Ancient Chinese Prince Was History’s First Serial Killer
Prince Liu Pengli (2nd century BC) was a member of China’s Han Dynasty, and the first serial killer in recorded history. In 144 BC his cousin, Emperor Jing, appointed Pengli to govern the city of Jidong and the surrounding district. That was terrible news for the good people of Jidong, who would be ruled by Pengli for the next 23 years.
He preyed upon his subjects, killing them for kicks and giggles. Pengli probably would have liked Ramsey Bolton from Game of Thrones, because like that fictitious character, the real life Pengli liked hunting human beings for sport. At least 100 people were murdered by Pengli for his amusement, and the actual number of victims was probably much higher.
Pengli’s psychotic reign terror lasted for over two decades, during which his subjects were too scared to leave their homes at night. It only came to an end after one of his subjects finally screwed up the courage to travel to the imperial capital, where he complained to the emperor. Because justice was illusory throughout most of history, Pengli got off light: he was not executed, but was simply stripped of his rank and banished.
As described by Han historian Sima Qian: “Liu Pengli was arrogant and cruel, and paid no attention to the etiquette demanded between ruler and subject. In the evenings he used to go out on marauding expeditions with twenty or thirty slaves or young men who were in hiding from the law, murdering people and seizing their belongings for sheer sport. When the affair came to light … it was found he had murdered at least 100 or more persons. Everyone in the kingdom knew about his ways, so that the people were afraid to venture out of their houses at night. The son of one of his victims finally sent a report to the [Han Emperor], and the Han officials requested that he be executed. The emperor could not bear to carry out their recommendation, but made him a commoner and banished him to Shangyong“.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources & Further Reading
Ancient History Encyclopedia – The Great Jewish Revolt of 66 CE
Ancient Origins – Francois L’Olonnais: Cunning and Cruel Pirate and Flail of the Spanish
Ancient Origins – The Sicarii: The Jewish Daggermen With a Thirst For Roman Blood
Beller, Susan Provost – Battling in the Pacific: Soldiering in World War II (2007)
Civil War Saga – Child Soldiers in the Civil War
DK – The Crime Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (2017)
Encyclopedia Britannica – Attila: Biography, Battles, Death, & Facts
Encyclopedia Britannica – Tiberius: Roman Emperor
Following Hadrian – The 115 AD Earthquake in Antioch
Hurricane Science – 1839 Coringa Cyclone
Irish Times, May 22nd, 2017 – Passchendaele: A Killing Field of Mud
Listverse – 10 Nightmares Lurking Just Behind History
Middle East Panorama – The Qarmatians (Al-Qaramita)
National Park Service, Fort Smith Historic Site – Rufus Buck Gang: A Time to Die
Newsela – Nice Things To Say About Attila the Hun
Rowen, Herbert H. – John de Witt: Statesman of the “True Freedom” (1986)
Vintage News – Charles II of Navarre Was Burnt Alive By Accident
Way of the Pirates – Francois L’Olonnais
Weatherford, Jack – Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World (2005)