Page 16 - All About History - Issue 19-14

Kings & Queens

Hall of Fame

MAD MONARCHS
Kings, queens and emperors wield great power, but this can be too much for some

– discover ten leaders whose position was a detriment to their mental health

Ivan IV
HENRY VI
RUSSIAN 1530-1584
ENGLISH 1421-1471
Ivan IV was the first to
Henry became the king of
crown himself tsar of
just nine months and grew Russia, but he is more
shy, withdrawn and pious commonly known as Ivan
unable to control the polit the Terrible. Although a
strong leader who expanded
plotting rife in medieval E
Russian territory, he was
mental breakdown lasting
known for his fits of rage,
one of the many sparks of which many believe were a
Roses, during which Henr result of the poor treatment
the Yorkists, won back his he received at the palace
following the death of his
deposed a second time in
mother when he was just
his forces had been defeat seven. His terrifying acts of
the king was found hiding brutality frequently astonished his own people, such as when
having suffered another m his army sacked Novgorod in 1570, in which up to 12,000
people died. His behaviour became increasingly erratic
Henry’s illness was episod
during his reign and one particularly violent outburst saw
Lancastrian cause relied
him kill his son with his own hands and beat his pregnant
heavily on his strong- daughter-in-law
willed wife, Margaret
of Anjou. Henry
eventually died in
captivity – possibly
at the hands of his
enemies – and the
Wars of the Roses
would finally be
brought to a close when
Henry Tudor triumphed a
the Battle of Bosworth, go
become Henry VII.
It is suspected that Joanna’s
husband’s death brought on
many dormant symptoms of
her mental illness
ALIGULA ROMAN 12-41 CE
rguably the most debauched leader of the Roman Empire,
aligula became emperor at the age of 25. A moderate ruler for
he first six months of his reign, he then became increasingly
adistic, as illustrated by the time he reportedly ordered a
ection of the Colosseum’s crowd to be thrown into the games
JOANNA OF CASTILE
rena and eaten by animals because he was bored. While CASTILIAN 1479-1555
there is no evidence that he actually made his horse Joanna succeeded to the thrones of Castile in 1504 and
consul, he frequently killed and tortured for Aragon in 1516, uniting the two crowns, a crucial step
‘Caligula’ amusement and behaved very erratically. toward the formation of modern Spain. However, she
was a Perhaps unsurprisingly, Caligula was the held little real power and was manipulated by both her
father and husband before their deaths. Her son Charles
nickname meaning first Roman emperor to be assassinated, was made co-monarch in 1517 and within three years had
‘little boot’, given but plans to restore the old Republic out Joanna confined to a convent. Although she remained a
by soldiers while the of the fledgling Empire failed and his titular queen, she was imprisoned for the rest of her life,
young nobleman was uncle, Claudius, was soon named the during which time her condition deteriorated. ‘Joanna the
Mad’ probably suffered from a severe clinical depression
on campaign in next emperor. brought about by her 35-year confinement.
Germania

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