5 monarchs who made history thanks to their strange hobbies and passions

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Perhaps, everyone dreamed of becoming a special reigning special one. But many people forget that being the ruler of an entire country is not so easy. However, monarchs also treat their duties differently. And while some are completely immersed in state affairs, others are calmly distracted (sometimes to the detriment of state affairs) by their favorite activities, and sometimes very strange ones.

1. Edward II

Despite being one of the most despised kings of English history today, Edward II was loved by his people early in his reign. On top of that, he was quite good-looking: he was tall and muscular, and he also had long brown hair that fell to his shoulders. In addition to all this, he possessed incredible charisma and made an indelible impression on those around him with his speeches in parliament. But as it turned out, medieval people had their own ideas about monarchs, especially when it came to their free time.

For some reason, it was accepted that a person in power must necessarily be interested in music, art, celebrations and, of course, politics. Edward, being a practical person, gave his preference to swimming, sailing, fishing, architecture and ditching. Throughout his reign, he was repeatedly criticized by his courtiers and writers for one simple reason that he could jump off the spot at any convenient time, abandoning his political duties, and go sailing or go fishing with the peasants. One particularly hot summer, watching the construction, the king without hesitation went down into the ditch, helping the peasants to dig it further. And if ordinary people were pleasantly surprised, appreciating the monarch's act in full, then the nobles were clearly displeased, not even trying to hide it. As a result, all twenty years of his reign were accompanied by eternal disputes and conflict situations with his courtiers and members of parliament, who tried in every possible way to limit his power.

2. Abdulhamid II

Needless to say, the Ottoman Empire was once one of the last powerful states that had a hereditary monarch who played an important role in politics. Abdulahmid II was just such a person. Despite the fact that he was dethroned in 1909 during a coup d'état, the sultan left an indelible mark on history. He is currently a highly controversial figure. In the early years of his reign, he adhered to a progressive policy, but in later years, Abdulahmid, having dissolved the new Ottoman parliament, tried to return the empire to its original conservative origins, while observing the Armenian massacres and the actions of the secret police.

Later, his daughter published a book in which she outlined interesting facts about the Ottoman ruler. For example, it became known that he was an excellent carpenter who made most of the furniture for his family. And yet, he loved very much when they read to him at night before going to bed. In addition, he was an avid fan of detective novels and one of his favorite books was the story of Sherlock Holmes, which he ordered to translate to his scribe. It is also worth noting that when Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife arrived in Turkey, the Sultan, as a sign of immeasurable gratitude for the author's skill, presented the Order of the Majidie to the writer through his chamberlain in honor of his merits and achievements.

3. Frederick Wilhelm I

From time immemorial, Prussia was famous for its unsurpassed army, and its soldiers were some of the best, disciplined and well equipped in all of Europe, especially during the Napoleonic wars. And it is not at all surprising that this German state has acquired an unshakable military reputation, which has survived not only during the Second World War, but also after it. By the way, it is worth noting the fact that it goes back to the period of the reign of King Frederick William I, who was nicknamed "the soldier king". Frederick was a wise and effective statesman who knew how to avoid conflicts and wars, reforming not only the finances of the state, the bureaucracy, but also the army (later he handed it over to his son and successor Frederick the Great). And it is not at all surprising that at the end of his reign, Prussia became one of the most stable and wealthy states in Germany.

But outside of political activity, Frederick was a very strange man with no less strange hobbies. One of his brainchildren was the Potsdam Giants Project, a military unit made up of the tallest men in the kingdom and beyond. These soldiers had special privileges: they had not only better living conditions and uniforms in the Prussian army, but also increased pay, which depended on growth: the taller a soldier was, the more he received. Obsessed with his ideas, the king went from one extreme to another and often resorted to kidnapping the tallest guys and men, forcibly pouring them into his squad, and this despite the fact that diplomats from other countries sent him tall young people as gifts. But this was not enough for the king. He not only arranged demonstrative admiration for his giants when he felt sad, but painted portraits of some soldiers from memory. In a later period, Wilhelm began to be attached to various kinds of experiments in the hope of "bringing out" much taller soldiers. It got to the point that he forced them to copulate with tall women, and even sent some guys on stretching in order to increase their height.

4. Olaf Triggwason

Despite the fact that the Vikings were a very militaristic people, nevertheless, they did not make raids as often as it was customary to show in modern films and various kinds of programs. Undoubtedly, their whole life revolved around the pursuit of battle, but in their free time they played games, because sport was an integral part of their world. And according to some sources, in order to become a successful ruler, the Viking king had to be an experienced athlete.

There are many different stories to this effect. But one of the most famous is about King Olaf Triggwason, who was an excellent climber. The story goes that the fearless Viking king easily climbed Mount Smalsarhorn (Scandinavia) and, ascending to the top, erected his shield there. Once, one of his followers got stuck halfway, and then Olaf, without hesitation, made his way to him and, taking his arm, went down with him back to the ground. In addition to rock climbing, he was fond of "rowing" while swimming, but his greatest achievement was juggling. His trick with knives aroused delight and bewilderment, striking the amazed audience, because how is it, three knives are thrown into the air, two other handles return to their hands, and the third remains soaring. This dexterity made Olaf an almost invincible warrior. He was able not only to fight, holding a weapon in both hands, but also to throw two spears at the same time.

5. Louis XVI

Louis XVI was not only the last French monarch before the start of the French Revolution, but also the only king in France who was beheaded. In addition, this man supported the American revolutionaries against Great Britain. Together with his wife Marie-Antoinette, he was often portrayed as self-centered aristocrats who terrorized France without caring for her. But in fact, Louis was a gentle and educated person interested in various kinds of sciences, and in particular engineering and mechanics. He personally helped to rebuild the French fleet and, unlike other modern kings of France, never surrounded himself with mistresses, remaining faithful to his wife. Concerned about the plight of the French poor, he ordered the lifting of restrictions on the price of bread in an attempt to make food cheaper for the common people. But in free from political and state affairs, the king was attached to his favorite plumbing. Fascinated by the castles, he surrounded himself with various kinds of devices: from the simplest and cunning to the most complex with secrets.

He, like some scholarly minds of that time, was inclined to believe that every person should have been engaged in some form of manual labor. However, in a public, refined and sophisticated, and sometimes completely pretentious French court, such an occupation was viewed as the work of peasants, and not of noble people, especially kings. Due to differences of opinion and opinions, Louis practiced his favorite craft privately, honing his skills and craftsmanship with the court blacksmith behind closed doors. Above his library, he set up a workshop with anvils, where he spent most of his free time. Unfortunately, the secret was soon revealed, and the French monarch was ridiculed in all the newspapers and brochures of that time, they say, it is not appropriate for a married king to spend his free time on locks, and not on his wife.

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