10 Crazy Royal Obsessions from History

by Rishika Jain2 years ago

6 Vlad III, the ruler of Wallachia in the 15th century, was known as “Vlad the Impaler.” He loved brutally killing his enemies. In 1462, he pushed back the Ottomans by impaling 20,000 people outside the city of Targoviste for the advancing Ottoman Army to see. When Mehmed II saw this gruesome exhibit, he fled with his army to Constantinople.

Vlad III
Impaled heads on spear brutal ancient execution method (Image to the left), Vlad III Dracula Tepes. Image credit: Shutterstock

Vlad III, the ruler of Wallachia in the 15th century, was also famously known as “Vlad the Impaler.” Do you know why? Vlad loved to impale his enemies in the worst of ways. He skinned, disemboweled, and removed the heads of victims while they were alive, and then staked their bodies into the ground.

Vlad’s obsession with impalement had no boundaries. He showcased his obsession to different emperors to scare them. One such case was when Vlad had another victory over the Ottomans, he had 20,000 people impaled and left them outside the city of Targoviste. When the advancing army of Ottomans saw this gruesome sight of hell on earth, they immediately retreated and fled to the city of Constantinople. (Source)

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7 Juana I, Queen of Castile, loved her husband Philip to the extent that he became her obsession. She loved to spend time with him even after his death. She had his coffin opened multiple times, looked at him, and kissed his feet. She had the coffin to be brought along on her other journeys until she was imprisoned in her palace.

Juana I
Belgian painting (Image to the left), Juana of Castile. Image credits: Louis Gallait/fineartamerica.com via Wikimedia.org, Shutterstock

There is a very thin line between love and obsession, and the Queen of Castile crossed that line. Juana I, the Queen of Castile and wife of Philip, was often referred to as “Joan” or “Juana the Mad.” She was just a teen when she married Philip the Handsome of Austria.

After having a child with Juana, Philip became unfaithful to his wife which affected Juana to the extent that she faced fits of rage and despair. These incidents revealed her delicate mental health.

In 1506, Philip passed away at the age of 28 which worsened the deteriorating psychological state of Juana. She kissed Philip’s corpse and would not allow anyone to separate his corpse from her until it was embalmed and interred in a Monastery near Burgos.

She used to have the coffin opened again to look at him and kiss his feet. She had the coffin brought along on her other journeys until she was imprisoned in 1509 in her palace and spent the rest of her life there. (Source)

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8 Nero, the Roman Emperor, was obsessed with killing, especially in taking out Christians. He was blamed for “The Great Fire” in Rome in July, 64 CE, but he quickly transferred the blame on Christians and had them persecuted. He sadistically killed Christians in creative ways by burning them, crucifying them, or feeding them to wild dogs.

Nero
Statue of Nero. Image credit: Shutterstock

Nero, the Roman Emperor, was obsessed with killing, but he took a special interest in killing Christians. He was crowned in 54 CE at the tender age of 16. He murdered his mother, two wives, stepbrother, and aunt. He married two different men and slept with a Vestal Virgin.

He allegedly was responsible for the “The Great Fire” in Rome in July 64 CE, which destroyed the city. He quickly transferred the blame to Christians to divert attention from himself. He had all the Christians executed and his means of executing them was sadistically creative.

He had them covered in wild beast skin and torn to death by dogs, burned them alive, and crucified them. (Source)

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9 The wife of King Gustavus Adolphus, Emperor of Sweden, Maria Eleonora, wished to give her husband a male heir. When a girl was born instead of a boy, she immediately rejected her and called her a monster. Her obsession got out of control when she tried to kill her daughter.

Maria Eleonora
Maria Eleonora. Image credit: Mrblackmanelakash via Wikimedia.org

The obsession with giving birth to a boy still resides in many parts of the world, and it was common among royals in ancient times. One such case was that of Maria Eleonora, the wife of King Gustavus Adolphus, Emperor of Sweden, who wished to give her husband a male heir like all wives do.

However, her first pregnancy ended with a miscarriage which caused a deterioration of her mental health. She suffered outbursts of rage and grief. When she was pregnant for the second time, a girl was born who died in less than a year and was followed by a stillborn son.

In 1626, Eleonora was pregnant again. Although everyone was convinced it would be a male heir, she gave birth to a girl. The King was delighted to see his daughter and named her Christina, but Eleonora didn’t take it very well. She screamed and called her daughter a monster and tried to kill her daughter multiple times.

After the death of King Gustavus Adolphus in 1632, Eleonora got all haywire and refused to bury his body for more than a year. She used to sleep below a hanging casket containing her beloved husband’s heart. (Source)

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10 Louis XIV, a European monarch who ruled France for 72 years, had a fondness for enemas. He believed it contributed to good health. Enemas became an obsession when he received thousands of enemas in his lifetime. The water in these enemas was infused with color and scented with rose, angelica, and bergamot.

Louis XIV
Portrait of Louis XIV. Image credits: wellcomecollection.org, Shutterstock

In ancient times, enemas were famous as a quick fix for what ails you in your body. It was a widespread fashion to use enemas among the royals and nobles of Europe. The European monarch, Louis XIV, who ruled France for 72 years, took this fashion trend too far.

He was so fond of enemas that he used them regularly. It was taught to be beneficial for health because the shooting of warm liquid through the anus into the rectum helps in human colon cleansing. Louis took thousands of enemas in his lifetime.

He also made sure that the water going inside him wouldn’t be the normal water. To make it look more elite, he used enemas infused with color and scented with rose, angelica, and bergamot. Apparently, he took his strange obsession with colon cleaning a little further than his peers. (Source)

Also Read:
10 Weird Practices in History That Will Make Your Jaw Drop

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