History loves to show us that the universe isn’t always fair, and the phrase “heroes screwed” could sum up the tragic fates of the ten figures we explore below. From ancient myth to modern warfare, these men (and one imperial son) fought for their countries, only to be tossed aside, scapegoated, or erased.
How These Heroes Got Screwed
Across centuries and continents, governments have a knack for turning their most devoted defenders into convenient victims. Below, each story unpacks the bitter irony of loyalty turned on its head.
10 Odysseus
While Homer’s Odyssey may be poetry, archaeology hints that the Greek hero could have been real. Excavations at Wilusa (the site of Troy) and the possible location of ancient Ithaca suggest the epic preserves memories of an actual war. If Odysseus ever walked the earth, his résumé reads like a nightmare for any patriot.
He spent ten grueling years battling Greeks to lift a Trojan blockade of Hellespont trade, then endured another decade of Poseidon‑induced wanderings before finally sighting home. When he finally set foot in Ithaca, he didn’t get a hero’s welcome. Instead, a band of aristocratic suitors had turned his palace into a love‑infested brothel. To reclaim his throne, Odysseus slaughtered the ungrateful nobles—a brutal climax that left him the very thing he’d fought for: a kingdom in tatters.
9 Themistocles
Most remember the Persian invasion as a heroic stand at Thermopylae, but the real turning point was the naval clash at Salamis. There, a tiny Greek fleet under Admiral Themistocles shattered the massive Persian armada, crippling their supply lines and forcing a strategic retreat.
Despite his brilliance, Themistocles fell out of favor in a city that quickly forgot its savior. Accused of stirring rivalry with Sparta, labeled a traitor, and even mocked for his private life, he was sentenced to death. He escaped, only to be cast out by the very people he saved. Seeking refuge, he fled to Persia—the very empire he’d helped defeat—where he spent his final days as an exile.
8 Scipio Africanus
Scipio’s daring campaign against Carthage earned him the title “Africanus” and the adoration of ordinary Romans. Yet triumph sowed the seeds of his downfall. The Senate, ever wary of popular generals, accused him of embezzling state funds—an irony given that his victories had actually filled the treasury.
Facing relentless political attacks, Scipio voluntarily exiled himself, choosing a modest burial far from the city he once loved. The very nation he helped secure turned its back on him, proving that glory on the battlefield does not guarantee safety at home.
7 Crispus
Crispus, the beloved son of Emperor Constantine I, proved himself a capable commander. He led Roman forces to repel Frankish and Germanic invasions and commanded the fleet that secured Constantine’s claim over the whole Roman Empire.
Despite his achievements, Crispus vanished from the historical record in 326 AD. Constantine ordered his execution—some historians whisper of a conspiracy involving his second wife, Fausta, who allegedly accused Crispus of seduction. After Crispus’s death, Constantine also ordered Fausta’s execution, sealing a tragic family saga of betrayal and murder.
6 Tariq Ibn Ziyad
Born a slave, Tariq led the Muslim conquest from North Africa into the Iberian Peninsula, giving his name to the iconic Jabal‑Tariq (Gibraltar). After a swift, wealth‑generating campaign, he and his superior Musa Ibn Nusayr were summoned back to Damascus to answer for their unauthorized conquest.
Both men spent years traveling east, but the political fallout proved fatal for Tariq. While Musa died imprisoned, Tariq was stripped of rank and died a forgotten commoner, his legendary feats eclipsed by the very empire he helped build.
5 Yue Fei
When the Jurchen forces of the north displaced the Song dynasty in the early 1100s, General Yue Fei rose to the occasion. He drove the invaders back, recapturing lost territories and earning the hope of restoring the Song throne.His success angered the interim Song ruler Gaozong, who coveted imperial power. Accused of plotting a coup, Yue Fei was imprisoned and executed, his loyal tattoo—“repay the nation with utmost loyalty”—etched forever as a tragic reminder of a hero betrayed by his own court.
4 Robert Rogers
Rogers founded the colonial Ranger corps in 1755, fighting alongside the British against the French in the Seven Years’ War. His irregular tactics made him a valuable asset, but also a financial headache—Britain paid him erratically.
After the war, Rogers tried his hand at authorship in England, then offered his services to George Washington during the American Revolution. The fledgling United States, wary of his British ties, imprisoned him as a spy. He escaped, rejoined the British, and later returned to England, where debt and obscurity forced him toward the poorhouse.
3 Comte de Rochambeau
Jean‑Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, the Comte de Rochambeau, commanded the French forces that tipped the American Revolution in favor of the colonies. After the war, he reluctantly accepted a Marshal’s rank, only to fall ill and resign.
During the French Revolution, his past ties to the monarchy made him a target. Imprisoned for a year, he survived thanks to the fall of Robespierre. He later regained some respect under Napoleon, but his career illustrates how shifting political winds can turn yesterday’s hero into today’s scapegoat.
2 Lazare Carnot
Lazare Carnot, the “Organizer of Victory,” was the technical mastermind behind the French Revolutionary Army’s resurgence. He doubled the army’s size, trained raw recruits, and oversaw victories that halted the pan‑European alliance.
After Napoleon’s fall, Carnot’s role in the regicide of Louis XVI made him a pariah. He spent his final years exiled in Poland and Germany, dying in 1816—another brilliant mind sidelined by the very nation he saved.
1 Georgy Zhukov
Imagine Eisenhower, Patton, and Roosevelt fused into one Soviet commander—that’s Georgy Zhukov. He steered the Red Army through every major WWII clash against Nazi Germany, draining the enemy’s resources and securing victory.
When the war ended, Stalin grew jealous of Zhukov’s popularity. After Zhukov refused to punish staff who looted German valuables, the secret police targeted him. He was demoted to a remote Ural district—akin to assigning Patton to guard a garbage dump. Though he later returned as Minister of Defense, he spent his final years under quasi‑house arrest, his legacy repeatedly erased before being restored after Khrushchev’s death.
These ten stories reveal a bitter truth: loyalty does not guarantee gratitude. Heroes may win battles, but they can still be royally screwed by the very nations they bled for.