The most famous feuds in history -

What happens when behemoths of their time go after each other? A lot of drama, some chaos and lifelong rivalries. A look at some intense and petty feuds in history.

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Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots -

The feud between Queen Elizabeth I of England and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots is one of the greatest in British history. Both had claims to the English throne, and Mary posed a threat to Elizabeth I (who was Protestant) because Catholics were supporting her.

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Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots -

This was not only a feud between two women over who could rule England, but also between Protestants and Catholics. The feud came to an end when Mary was executed in 1587.

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Van Gogh and Gauguin -

Both the Dutch and French artists were talented and innovative in their works. They were friends who inspired each other, but one incident seemed to have changed the tone between the two.

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Van Gogh and Gauguin -

The story goes that Vincent van Gogh cut off his own ear, but apparently it was actually Gaugain who did so during an argument—with a sword!

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Lord Byron and John Keats -

These two famous English poets feuded over poetic differences, with class differences also playing a part. Byron was upper class, while Keats was a working-class man.

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Lord Byron and John Keats -

"You speak of Lord Byron and me – There is this great difference between us. He describes what he sees – I describe what I imagine – Mine is the hardest task," wrote Keats in a letter to his brother in 1819.

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Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson -

In 1960, John F. Kennedy decided to choose Lyndon Johnson as his presidential running mate. That set the tone for the future. Robert Kennedy clearly resented Johnson for being his brother's choice, but Johnson didn't back down from the position.

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Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson -

Things didn't get better after Johnson became president following JFK's assassination. Their feud came to an end when Robert Kennedy was murdered on June 6, 1968.

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Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci -

The two artists are known to not have gotten along, but not much is known other than there might have been some jealously and competitiveness between the two. There is, however, a story that might offer some insight.

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Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci -

A group of men were discussing a passage from Dante when they asked da Vinci (pictured) to explain it. Michelangelo was passing by and da Vinci said that the fellow artist would explain the passage instead. They exchanged some words and Michelangelo took offense.

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The Hatfields and the McCoys -

The Hatfield–McCoy feud involved two rural families of the West Virginia–Kentucky area. The Hatfields (pictured) were more affluent and more upper class than the McCoys. Both families were violent towards each other.

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The Hatfields and the McCoys -

Reportedly, it all started after the murder of a McCoy family member at the end of the Civil War. Then, a dispute over a hog, and a love interest between members of the two families, among many other events, were reported as causes for their feud. There was also the infamous ambush on New Year's Day 1888, where various McCoys died.

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Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr -

The personal conflict between Alexander Hamilton (pictured) and Aaron Burr started during the US presidential election of 1800, and extended over a number of years.

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Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr -

The feud between Hamilton and Burr (pictured) famously culminated in a pistol duel on July 11, 1804. Hamilton was shot and eventually died from the wounds.

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Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison -

Nikola Tesla (pictured) used to work for Edison. He put forward his ideas on the potential of alternating-current (AC) system as opposed to Edison's direct-current (DC). Edison dismissed Tesla's theories.

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Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison -

Tesla quit, and sold various patents to Westinghouse. Tesla and Edison's individual success is unquestionable, but the feud between the two inventors also went down in history.

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Edgar Allan Poe and Rufus Griswold -

The feud between the two began when literary critic and editor Rufus Griswold published 'The Poets and Poetry of America' (1842) featuring three of Poe’s poems.

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Edgar Allan Poe and Rufus Griswold -

Poe was not happy with Griswold’s review of his poetry. Things got even more tense when Poe resigned from Graham's Magazine, only to be replaced by Griswold. Poe eventually died, but even then Griswold didn't have nice things to say about him in the obituary. Griswold wrote that Poe’s death "will startle many, but few will be grieved by it." Ouch!

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Al Capone and Bugs Moran -

The two Chicago gangsters were fierce rivals. All because Capone wanted to gain control of the entire city, and Irish mobster George "Bugs" Moran refused to allow it. Bugs continued his bootlegging operation in the north of Chicago.

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Al Capone and Bugs Moran -

The feud between the two crime lords became notorious when on February 14, 1929, seven of Bugs' men were killed by men dressed as police officers. Capone denied any involvement, but he was believed to be behind what became known as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

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Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner -

The Nobel Prize-winning authors have pretty different writing styles. Hemingway (pictured) was all for short sentences, while Faulkner was the opposite. So much so that in 1983 he was awarded the Guinness World record for the "Longest Sentence in Literature."

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Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner -

But how did the feud start? Well, Faulkner once said that Hemingway "has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." To which Hemingway responded, "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"

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Jefferson Davis and Joseph E. Johnston -

Confederate President Jefferson Davis (pictured) and General Joseph E. Johnston were on the same side of the Civil War, but hated each other's guts.

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Jefferson Davis and Joseph E. Johnston -

Their feud can be traced back to a common love interest. This, of course, was then exacerbated by the war, and each ended up blaming the other for the Confederate defeat.

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Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

The story of the Dassler brothers is one of classic sibling rivalry. They founded an athletic footwear brand together, Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik ("Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory"), which became famous after Olympic medalist Jesse Owens wore the brand at the 1936 Olympics.

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Adolf and Rudolf Dassler -

The two brothers eventually went separate ways and each founded their own brands. Adolf "Adi" set up Adidas, and Rudolph "Rudi" (pictured) founded Puma.

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Michelangelo Caravaggio and Giovanni Baglione -

The feud between the two Italian painters started when Baglione painted a response to Caravaggio’s 'Amor Vincit Omnia.' Caravaggio accused him of plagiarism, so Baglione went on to paint another version, including an offensive caricature of Caravaggio depicted with the devil's body.

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Michelangelo Caravaggio and Giovanni Baglione -

The feud continued with Caravaggio writing critical poems about Baglione. The two even ended up in court: Baglione accused Caravaggio of libel, and Caravaggio even spent a few days in jail.

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Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh -

The two scientists collaborated in the search for dinosaur fossils in the 19th century. But then things heated up when Marsh tried to get bones from one of Cope’s dig sites.

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Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh -

From then on, the "Bone Wars" was on. The two did whatever they could to get ahead in the game, including destroying each other's dig sites. However, their rivalry was fruitful for science and resulted in the discovery of 136 new dinosaur species.

Sources: (History) (Ranker) (Stacker) (English History)

See also: The biggest family feuds in celebrity history

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