Top 10 Insane Rulers
History is filled with stories about rulers who have gone mad while they were in charge, and despite of the fact that they could not rule their kingdom in that state, they were allowed to do it. The fact is that their people suffered more from their insanity than they did, as they took some pretty strange decisions.
There could have been numerous reasons why one would become insane: the pressure of being the ruler, the poor medical cares, and so on. One thing is for certain, and that is that many countries have been ruled by insane people. Let’s take a look at the top ten insane rulers.
Anna ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 – 1740, but she was made Empress by the Supreme Privy Council of Russia, instead of being born to the throne. They did it with the purpose of controlling her after she would gain the position. They believed that their lives would be changed because of it, but they had no idea what she was capable of. The first thing she did was to restore the secret police in order to identify the people who talk bad about her.
Once she did that, she realized that she had full control over the country, and then she started persecuting the aristocrats that put her in that position. One of the craziest things she did was marrying an old prince with her maid because she found out that his ex wife was Catholic. The wedding took place in an ice-palace, and the people who attended it were forced to stay in it for the entire night. You should know that one of the harshest winters from history took place during that time. She died at 47; otherwise she would have probably been in charge for numerous more years.
King George III was the ruler of England from 1760-1820. He suffered from porphyria, a hereditary disease which affected Mary, Queen of Scots as well. The problem was that the ruler became irrational because of the disease. His prime minister, William Pitt the Younger, and the queen ruled the throne for a very long period of time. During that period he was kept in isolation where he was kept behind bars and in straight jackets. It is rumored that he became insane because of the drugs he received for porphyria.
King Charles VI was crowned king of France in 1380. He was 11 years old at that time, and he was a very good king, as he was called Charles the Well-Loved. He then became insane and started acting in a different manner, so his nickname was changed to Charles the Mad. The first incident which showed that he was not mentally sane happened when a spear was dropped while he was travelling with his men. Because of it he killed several of his knights, just because he felt like it.
There were times when he could not recognize his wife and his children, and there were also times when he had no idea who he was. He refused to bathe for numerous months, as he believed that the water would harm him. He spent months believing that he was made out of glass. He died in 1422 as a mad man.
Justin II was Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperor from 565 to 578. He fought wars with Persia and he is known for the fact that he lost a big portion of Italy. Persia overran Syria and took over the fortress of Dara which was a great strategic point. After that happened, he lost his sanity. He named a successor while he was insane: Tiberius II Constantine. It is said that he spent his last days on Earth being carried in a wheeled throne around the palace, biting everyone he encountered. It is said that he ate some of his attendants, and that he order organ music to be played constantly.
Ludwig II was named king of Bavaria, in 1864, and the main thing he did while he was in charge was to design and construct fairy tale castles. He was extremely shy, and it was clear that he was not suited to be a king. He did not like to make public appearances, and he did not spend too much time governing his people. He was accused in 1866 of being insane. It is unknown if he was insane, or if his behavior was due to the fact that he was extremely shy.
The man who declared him insane never examined him, so it might have simply been a rumor. He was removed from the throne by his uncle, and it is believed that the entire plot was created by him in order to become king. The day after the new king was named, he was found dead in a pond. The doctor who declared him insane was found dead as well, most likely in order not to tell on his uncle.
