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I have looked into many historical leaders who have, as a defensive tactic, or by the repercussions of their indulgent or careless actions, factored into some downfall of their nation or empire, such as Hitler, Gorbachev, and some of the nastier Roman emperors.

I am, however, not looking for a ruler who caused this downfall by consequence of their actions or personal protection. I want to know if there are any records of historical rulers throughout any time in the span of known history that (preferably) single-handedly built a town/city/empire and decided, after witnessing some malfunction or horrors within the domain, to destroy what they had built and betray the people they had led.

Any variants are appreciated, but I'm looking for specificity here.

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    Presumably, you don't mean "single-handedly" to be taken literally since it'd be a fairly small town, a miniature city and a minuscule empire otherwise. Also I think that the anytime, anyplace, anywhere qualification will push this into the "too broad" category.
    – Steve Bird
    Nov 20 at 18:41
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    Have you searched on the term "treason"? Or Coup? You've limited this to "single handed" which constrains this to a period of history; the period when someone could personally build a domain. But we've only got very limited records of domains that are small enough to be created and destroyed in less than a human lifespan. Recommend closure to clarify the ... rather odd ... constraints on this question.
    – MCW ♦
    Nov 20 at 18:59
  • Documenting preliminary research will improve both the probability of an answer and the quality of the answer(s) You're asking us to do research on your behalf, but provided no evidence that the question isn't either trivial or impossible.
    – MCW ♦
    Nov 20 at 18:59
  • Opinion based? For instance, Hitler deemed that if Germany was not up to the task that he had pushed forward, it deserved to be destroyed... and his actions certainly ended with its near destruction.
    – SJuan76
    Nov 20 at 19:36
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    Maybe it would help if you gave us an example of something from fiction which you want to know is real. For instance in the legend Coriolanus was a brilliant Roman general, who after serving Rome loyally, was kicked out by the tribunes. He then returned at the head of the armies of the Volscii, who had been his enemies, and sacked Rome. That's believed to be mythical, however. Does that story fit what you're looking for, and by the way why are you looking for it?
    – Ne Mo
    Nov 21 at 0:16

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