Poll: Ruling Nicknames

Malcolm McDowell in Caligula (1979)

LITTLE SOLDIER'S BOOT who: Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Caligula, Roman Emperor (r. 37-41) why: when he was a child, Caligula often accompanied his father Tiberius on military campaigns, outfitted in a children-sized war gear

Anthony Quinn in Attila (1954)

SCOURGE OF GOD who: Attila Flagelum Dei, ruler of the Huns (r. 434-453) why: He was a great threat to the Romans, some of whom believed that Attila was sent from God to punish people for their sins (scourge = whip)

Real Vikings (2016)

BLUETOOTH who: Harald Gormsson Blátǫnn, King of Denmark and Norway (r. around 958-986) why: several possible theories: either he had very bad teeth (i.e. ''blue''), or he was very fond of eating blueberries, which would stain his teeth purple-blue, or the nickname is a corrupted form of the original name, which means ''dark chieftain''

Byzantium: The Lost Empire (1997)

MINUS A QUARTER who: Michael VII Doukas Parapinakes, Byzantine Emperor (r. 1071-1078) why: the country's currency devaluated under his rule

Richard the Lionheart: Rebellion (2015)

LIONHEART who: Richard I Anjou Cœur de Lion, King of England (r. 1189-1199) why: he had a reputation of a great warrior and military leader

Istoriya gosudarstva Rossiyskogo (2008)

BIG NEST who: Vsevolod III Yuryevich Bolyshoe Gnezdo, Grand Prince of Vladimir (r. 1177–1212) why: he had at least 14 children

Michael Pink in Die Deutschen (2008)

ASTONISHMENT OF THE WORLD who: Frederick II Hohenstaufen Stupor Mundi, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1220–1250) why: a lot of his contemporaries were astonished – and sometimes repelled – by Frederick's pronounced unorthodoxy and temperamental stubbornness

Jirí Dvorák in Jménem krále (2009)

IRON AND GOLDEN KING who: Přemysl Otakar II Kral Železny a Zlaty, King of Bohemia (r. 1253-1278) why: his country prospered during his rule

Bogomil Simeonov in Ivaylo (1964)

LETTUCE/CABBAGE who: Ivaylo Bardokva/Lakhanas, Bulgarian Tsar (r. 1278–1279) why: he was the leader of a successful peasant rebellion against the Tsar; it is possible that his commoner roots played a role in him getting that nickname, since cabbage and lettuce were seen as peasant's food

Sveriges historia (2010)

BARNLOCK who: Magnus Birgersson Ladulås, King of Sweden (r. 1275–1290) why: he issued a decree in which he freed yeomen from having to provide sustinence to nobles and bishops, who are travelling through their village (i.e. their barns would remain locked)

Ivan Jevtovic in Put Ruzama Posut (2013)

THUNDERBOLT who: Bayezid I Yildirim, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1389-1402) why: because of his great military prowess; some say that he earned the nickname after his lightning-quick counter attack in the Battle of Kosovo (1389)

Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

DRAGON'S SON THE IMPALER who: Vladislav III Dracula Tepes, Prince of Wallachia (r. 1448; 1456–1462; 1476) why: his father, Vlad II, gained the nickname Dracul (Dragon) because he was a member of the knightly Order of the Dragon, so therefore, Vlad III was called Dracula (Dragon's son); as for the 'impaler' part, his favorite method of execution was impalement on a wooden spike (a practice he picked up from his enemies, the Ottoman Turks)

Basil Rathbone and Ralph Forbes in If I Were King (1938)

UNIVERSAL SPIDER who: Louis XI Valois L'universelle Aragne, King of France (r. 1461-1483) why: his enemies were accusing him of spinning webs of conspiracies and deceit

Ivan Vuckovic in Srpski junaci srednjeg veka (2017)

FIRE-DRAGON WOLF who: Vuk Grgurević Branković Zmajognjeni Vuk, Despot of Serbia-in-exile (r. 1471-1485) why: both tradition and epic poetry gave him the nickname Fire-dragon because of his battle prowess; his real name Vuk literally means Wolf note: the Fire-dragon part is never used without the 'Vuk', hence why his real name also counts as a part of the nickname

História do Brasil (1973)

REDEMPTRESS who: Isabel a Redentora, Princess Imperial of Brazil (r. 1891-1921) why: she actively promoted and ultimately signed the Golden Law, emancipating all slaves in Brazil