Strange obsessions of royals throughout history
The fundamental problem with a hereditary monarchy is that the line of succession will inevitably have a few clunkers in it. This list is proof!
Many royals with strange tendencies found themselves in positions of absolute power, where their subjects and advisors were too scared to say no to them. This allowed and encouraged them to go to extremes with their obsessions, often with deadly results.
It's time to delve into the dark corners of royal history. Click through the following gallery to learn more about the bizarre obsessions of royals from the past.
Caligula
Caligula reportedly had a marble stall and a house built for the horse, and would invite him to dinners where he was fed oats with flakes of gold. There were even rumors that he made his horse a consul!
Ludwig II of Bavaria
His obsession was one fit for a king. He was fixated on building luxurious castles with fantastical designs. He's responsible for ordering the building of the famous Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, which many believe was the inspiration for Disney's Cinderella castle.
Friedrich Wilhelm I
The requirement to join this special regiment was to be at least six feet (183 cm) tall. He would search for viable candidates and pay men for their tallest son or farmhand. He even tried to stretch men on the rack to make them taller, but only injured or killed them.
Vlad the Impaler
He was known for impaling his enemies on spikes and leaving their bodies on display. Hence the name!
Emperor Qin Shi Huang
He spent a great deal of his time and resources looking for the answer. He would drink potions created by his alchemists, which ironically lead to his untimely death when he drank a potion made of poisonous mercury.
Princess Alexandra of Bavaria
In Alexandra's case, she one day started to believe that she had swallowed a full-size piano made of glass. She began walking very carefully and passing through doors sideways, believing she had to be very careful to not shatter the glass inside her.
Napoleon Bonaparte
He reportedly carried liquorice with him everywhere and ate it daily. He consumed it for both enjoyment and as a treatment for various ailments. He ate so much that his teeth were stained black.
Nero
However, his greatest obsession was killing Christians. He blamed them for the Great Fire and began persecuting them mercilessly. He came up with creatively sadistic ways to dispose of them, such as feeding them to wild animals.
Peter III of Russia
According to the memoirs of his wife, Catherine the Great, he really just wanted to play with his toys. He had a large collection of dolls and toy soldiers and would sometimes bring them into the bed and force her to play too.
Louis XIV
Unlike other noblemen, he is said to have been a bit obsessed. Some sources say he did thousands of enemas in his lifetime!
Ivan the Terrible
It's rumored that his obsession with inflicting pain began at young age, with animals. He would capture birds and torture them, or find stray cats and dogs and throw them from high windows.
Fyodor I of Russia
His favorite activity was ringing the church bells to call in the parishioners. He became known as "Fyodor the Bellringer."
Ibrahim I
It seems he became bored with the hundreds of women in his harem, and became obsessed with the bodies of female cows. He ordered a search for a woman with similar proportions, and apparently found them in a large Armenian woman whom he called "Sugar Cube."
