- Photo:
- irisphoto1
- Shutterstock.com
The Weirdest Things Historical Royals Have Collected
Many historical royals were born with an abundance of expendable income along with plenty of free time. And although some have been content to collect the standard piles of jewels and properties, other royals have amassed more bizarre collections.
Here are the weird royal collections that cater to some noble folks' eccentric personal tastes - and fit right in with their often strange real-life stories.
- Photo:
- Godfrey Kneller
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Everyone needs a hobby, and when you’re king you can do pretty much anything you please. Peter the Great of Russia, who ruled from 1682-1725, enjoyed amateur dentistry. And by “amateur,” we mean he had no idea what he was doing. He loved pulling other people’s teeth so much he would accidentally remove healthy ones in his zeal.
His collection of various molars and bicuspids yanked from the mouths of his unfortunate subjects remains to this day in his “Chamber of Curiosities," which includes pickled animals, human body parts, and deformed fetuses.
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Philippe de Champaigne
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Charles II of England kept a number of ancient Egyptian mummies not for educational or entertainment purposes, but to gather their “dust” (made up of dried skin and whatever else one might find on a desiccated corpse) and rub it all over his body. He believed that by doing so he could acquire some “Ancient Pharaoh Greatness” for himself, which actually wasn’t an unusual belief for the time.
He also paid gravediggers to bring him cadavers so he could use their skulls to make an alcoholic concoction called "The King's Drops," which he prepared in his personal laboratory.
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Thomas Lawrence
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
George IV of Great Britain was an 18th century Lothario whose rule might best be described as “extravagant,” both in stylistic choices and spending policies. His conquests tended to be of the female variety rather than on the battlefield, as he was known to “pull every trick known to man in order to persuade women to go to bed with him.” To commemorate the times they succumbed to his advances, he kept locks of hair from the heads of his sexual partners as mementos (which was actually something people did at the time).
And to elevate his collection from the rest, he went above and beyond by filling a snuffbox with another type of hair taken from one of his mistresses - a follicular clump of the pubic variety.
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Samuel Theodor Gericke
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
The Potsdam Giants may sound like a minor league baseball organization, but in fact it was an 18th century Prussian military unit made up solely of exceptionally tall men who were recruited (willingly or otherwise) from various nations. The man responsible for assembling and commanding all these lengthy soldiers was King Frederick William I, who himself was 5 feet, 3 inches tall.
In a pretty obvious case of overcompensation, he became obsessed with collecting gigantic men and would resort to buying or taking them (even scouting for biggish babies) to bolster his ranks. He treated his troops like toys, showing them off to foreign dignitaries and painting portraits of them while they marched at his command, led by a live bear.
More money than sense?- Photo:
There are so many instances of Roman Emperor Caligula’s debauched escapades that it’s easy to miss some of his less salacious shenanigans. Like the time he was waging a war and signaled to his men to take on the enemy, then suddenly decided it was a great time to start a seashell collection.
Instead of carrying on with the incursion into Britain, he ordered his troops to gather up the nicest clams and whatever else they could find on the seashore. He had the shells transported back to Rome, where he displayed them.
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Bain News Service
- Wikimedia Commons
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
It's not unusual that England’s Queen Mary collected a large assortment of expensive trinkets and baubles. What was remarkable is that she acquired many of them via petty larceny. She was a confirmed kleptomaniac who wouldn’t just take goods from the shelves of the local antique dealer, but would also make off with items from the homes of friends and acquaintances.
Her servants were fully aware of her penchant for pilfering and did their best to keep her at bay. If she managed to sneak some contraband past them and was incriminated later, however, they would return the property with a note that claimed there had simply been a “misunderstanding.”
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Ferdinand von Piloty
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Castles and royalty often go hand in hand, but King Ludwig of Bavaria might have built a few too many. That isn’t to say Ludwig’s projects weren’t impressive. His architectural achievements were so extravagant they are referred to as his “fairytale castles,” and one in particular inspired Walt Disney’s creation of Sleeping Beauty’s Palace.
Unfortunately, spending his nation's funds on a collection of whimsical buildings led him to accrue debt and breed discontent.
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Photo:
"His Majesty Farouk I, by the grace of God, King of Egypt and the Sudan" (full title) was deposed during his nation’s 1952 revolution, and spent the remainder of his days exiled to Italy. In his haste to avoid getting the Mussolini treatment, he left behind a majority of his most prized possessions. When the people got a look at what he was storing behind the walls of his residence, they were a bit disgusted to find an excessive number of expensive suits, rare stamps and coins, jewels, and luxury vehicles. Oh, and he also was reportedly hiding the world’s largest collection of explicit material at the time.
It’s hard to place a number on the vastness of smut, but it was too large to fit under a mattress (although a photo album was in fact found under his pillow).
More money than sense?- Photo:
Ibrahim I, the 18th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, collected fine furs, and his appreciation of animal pelts would probably qualify as a fetish.
Not only did he wear furs exclusively, but he also decorated everything in sight with them, including curtains and walls.
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Lucas Conrad Pfandzelt
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Peter III of Russia, husband of Catherine the Great, didn’t just collect toy soldiers - he constantly staged mock battles in his bedroom.
He was a mighty general in his personal land of make-believe, and his obsession was such that he once hung a rat for treason after the rodent gnawed the head off one of the wooden conscripts in his wooden army.
More money than sense?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Twocoms
- Shutterstock.com
In addition to her stamp collection, the late queen of England had always surrounded herself with animals. From her beloved corgis to every unmarked swan in the realm, she always had a soft spot for furry and feathered friends. That apparently includeed a sizable colony of bats at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence.
She reportedly loved to chase them around with a net. It was a strictly catch-and-release operation.
More money than sense?- Photo:
When do you have a lot of stamps? When you have so many that you require a full-time employee to manage them all. Officially called the “Royal Philatelist,” a man named Michael Sefi was in charge of the queen’s massive conglomeration of (presumably unlicked) postage, which included the stockpiles her father and grandfather (also rabid stamp enthusiasts) collected over the decades.
The collection is open to the public.
More money than sense?The Duke of Edinburgh was what people call a “twitcher,” which may lead you to believe he suffered from a degenerative nerve disorder. But the term actually refers to someone who travels around the world to cross individual species off their bird-watching list. He was also an avid art connoisseur. To be more specific, he collected cartoons - of the political variety.
By the time he passed, he'd collected nearly a century’s worth of cartoons, many of which were aimed at himself and the royal family. Cartoonist Matt Pritchett of The Telegraph, to show his appreciation for Philip's efforts when the latter retired, drew a plaque surrounded by curtains that read, “Unveil your own damn plaque.”
More money than sense?
