The Warning Signs Arrived Too Late
History gets real uncomfortable when you already know what’s waiting around the corner. The worst thing about a trap is that it could be laid for anyone: emperors, revolutionaries, soldiers, spies, and leaders were all misled in one way or another, reminding everyone else that trust is a tricky thing. Come with us as we explore 20 figures who never saw their end coming.
1. Publius Quinctilius Varus
In A.D. 9, Publius Quinctilius Varus got reports of unrest among Germanic tribes. So, he diverted his army to deal with it. The thing is, that rebellion was reportedly fabricated by Arminius, a leader whom Varus trusted despite already having gotten warnings about his loyalty. Once the Romans were stretched along the forest, Arminius attacked, destroying three legions in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
2. Pompey
After losing to Julius Caesar in 48 B.C., Pompey fled to Egypt in the hopes that Ptolemy XIII would protect him. Egyptian officials welcomed him alright, a warm greeting that Pompey didn’t pick up on until he was attacked and killed.
3. Julius Caesar
Caesar knew Rome was full of enemies, and sources describe warnings preceding his assassination in 44 B.C. Even with those words in his ear, he entered a Senate meeting where Brutus and Cassius were waiting. The senators crowded around him under the appearance of presenting a petition before drawing their weapons.
4. Odoacer
Odoacer and the Ostrogothic king Theodoric spent years fighting for control of Italy before finally agreeing to share power in 493. The arrangement didn't last, though; Odoacer attended a banquet with his supposed partner in Ravenna, and Theodoric was the one who killed him.
Bernhard Mörlins (B. Moerlins) on Wikimedia
5. Richard II
When Henry Bolingbroke returned to England in 1399, Richard II watched support for his kingship collapse around him. Negotiations eventually brought Richard into Bolingbroke's power, after which he was taken into custody and transported toward London. By September, Richard had lost his crown entirely.
6. Atahualpa
When Atahualpa entered Cajamarca in 1532 to meet Francisco Pizarro, he actually walked in with an enormous Inca army nearby—and little reason to worry about 200 or so Spaniards. Pizarro, however, had hidden cavalry and artillery ready, and as soon as Atahualpa's largely unarmed band was inside, the Spaniards attacked and captured him. Atahualpa offered gold and silver for his freedom, which the Spaniards took before executing him anyway.
7. Henry III
In 1589, Henry III agreed to receive Jacques Clément, a Dominican lay brother who said he had important correspondence for him. Clément was allowed close enough to hand over the so-called letters, and while Henry was reading them, Clément pulled a knife and stabbed him. Henry died the next day.
8. William Wallace
William Wallace was a Scottish resistance leader, one who stayed a wanted man years after his victories against England. But in 1305, he was captured by forces aligned with the Scottish knight John Menteith. He was then delivered to the English, tried for treason, and executed.
11th Earl of Buchan, David Stuart Erskine, on Wikimedia
9. Nathan Hale
American spy Nathan Hale entered British-controlled territory in 1776 disguised as a teacher. It was already risky enough, but a British officer named Robert Rogers pretended to sympathize with the American cause, which encouraged Hale to let his guard down and reveal himself. Rogers then arranged his capture, and Hale was hanged the next day.
10. Crazy Horse
After surrendering in 1877, Oglala Lakota leader Crazy Horse was caught between U.S. officials, interpreters, and rumors about what he actually wanted. At Fort Robinson, he was escorted toward a guardhouse without understanding that authorities planned to confine him there. He resisted once he realized what was going on, but was fatally wounded during the struggle.
11. Toussaint Louverture
Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture negotiated with French commanders long after Napoleon’s forces arrived in 1802. General Jean-Baptiste Brunet invited him to a meeting, all under the guise of safety, but French troops arrested him instead. He was then deported to France and imprisoned, where he died in 1803.
12. Emiliano Zapata
In 1919, Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata was contacted by Colonel Jesús Guajardo. Guajardo pretended that he wanted to abandon the government and team up with Zapata, all the while building credibility before arranging his meeting. Zapata showed up expecting to discuss a defection but was instead greeted by soldiers who opened fire and killed him.
13. Grigori Rasputin
Rasputin was invited to Prince Felix Yusupov's palace in 1916 under seemingly friendly pretenses. However, Yusupov and his conspirators intended to kill Rasputin, who actually entered voluntarily. He never made it out alive, and his body was dumped into the Malaya Nevka River.
14. Augusto César Sandino
Nicaraguan guerrilla leader Augusto César Sandino attended talks and even met with President Juan Bautista Sacasa in 1934. National Guardsmen stopped Sandino's party after it left the palace, however, despite the negotiations that had brought him there in the first place. Men then took Sandino away and executed him, along with several of his companions.
15. Leon Trotsky
Trotsky knew Stalin wanted him dead, and it was especially obvious after gunmen had already attacked his home in 1940. Ramón Mercader nevertheless spent months slinking his way into Trotsky's circle. Mercader eventually arrived with an article he supposedly wanted Trotsky to review, and once they were alone, Mercader attacked him. Trotsky died the following day.
16. Pancho Villa
By 1923, Pancho Villa had retired from warfare, but his renown left him feared by powerful people. While he was driving through Parral, gunmen set up along his route and opened fire on his car. The ambush left Villa dead within seconds.
D.W. Hoffman, an El Paso photographer on Wikimedia
17. Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich traveled through Prague in an open-topped car, and he did it with surprisingly little protection for a guy who was one of Nazi Germany's top officials. Well, Czechoslovak operatives Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš waited for him along his regular route in 1942, and their attack wounded him badly enough that he died eight days later.
Heinrich Hoffmann on Wikimedia
18. Isoroku Yamamoto
Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned an inspection tour in 1943, and his entire itinerary was transmitted by radio. American intelligence intercepted and deciphered his plans, allowing U.S. commanders to track his flight path. Yamamoto left on schedule and was shot down in Operation Vengeance.
撮影： 海軍省Ministry of the Navy on Wikimedia
19. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow had a busy few years escaping police when the law finally arranged an ambush in 1934. A posse concealed itself along the route the duo was expected to travel and waited for their Ford to appear. When the literal partners in crime reached the spot, officers opened fire and ended one of America's most notorious crime sprees.
20. Abraham Lincoln
When Abraham Lincoln attended Ford's Theatre in 1865, he too arrived with remarkably little protection. John Wilkes Booth knew the theater’s layout quite well, and once he learned that the president was there, it allowed him to prepare his approach to Lincoln's box. Lincoln was shot during the performance and died the next morning.
