Nicknames of Historical Personages

Nicknames come in two types, namely cognomens and sobriquets.

Cognomens are fanciful names, usually given by others, that were affixed before or after a person’s name. For example: Ivan IV of Russia is better remembered as “Ivan the Terrible” and William I of England is better known as “William the Conqueror.”

Sobriquets, on the other hand, are names that have become identified with a specific person. Examples include: “Scourge of God” is identified with Attila the Hun, while “The Little Corporal” with Napoleon I (Bonaparte) of France. But in some cases, a sobriquet can replace an individual’s personal name; and that particular individual is instead referred to by this nickname even in scholarly works. An example would be the Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, who is more commonly known by his nickname Caligula.

Many historical personages are given popular nicknames, some of which can be quite interesting and amusing. Let’s look at some of them.

Ivailo (of Bulgaria) “Lakhanas”

Bulgarians slaughters the Byzantines

A swine herder, who led a peasant’s uprising that killed Constantine I in 1277 and ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1278 until 1279. Being a peasant, he was nicknamed after vegetables: one of them was “Bărdokva,” which is Bulgarian for “Lettuce” or “Radish.” He was also called “Lakhanas,” which means “Cabbage.”

Constantine V “Kopronymus”

Byzantine emperor from 741 to 755 AD. Though despotic, he was a capable emperor and military leader. He was also an iconoclast, and therefore received from his enemies, principally the iconophiles, a very insulting Greek nickname “Kopronymus,” literally “Dung-named,” due to his alleged repute of having defecated in the waters of regeneration during his baptism.

Catherine de’ Medici, “The Maggot from Italy’s Tomb”

Read more in History « The History of Pakhtunkhwa The Month of June: History, Holidays and Personalities » “Catherine de’ Medici” (c1555), painting by François Clouet

Born to a wealthy 16th century Catholic Florentine ruling family, she was once a queen and regent of France. She was chiefly responsible for the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572, in which more than three thousand Huguenot Protestants were slain. Her ruthless character has gained her many unflattering nicknames, one of which was “The Maggot from Italy’s Tomb”, coined by the French historian Jules Michelet.

Raymond A. Spruance, “Electric Brain”

United States Navy admiral under whose command won a crucial victory in the greatest naval battle of World War II, the Battle of Midway, turning the tide of the war against Japan in the Pacific. For having exhibited leadership of exceptional intellectual competence and quick thinking skills, he was given the nickname “Electric Brain.”