Random Bizarre Obsessions Of Royals In History (15 items)

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  (#5) Ivan The Terrible Got A Kick Out Of Torturing Animals

  Ivan IV was crowned the first czar of all of Russia in 1547. He was an extremely paranoid ruler and had an obsession with maiming and slaying people. With a name like Ivan “the Terrible,” are you really surprised?

  Although Ivan would torture and slay many people throughout his adult life, his fascination with violence began at an early age. As a young boy, Ivan would spend his free time torturing small animals. He would capture birds and mutilate their bodies for fun, including plucking out the birds’ feathers, stabbing them in the eyes, and cutting open their bodies. He would also find stray cats and dogs and toss them off of high places.
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  (#12) Fyodor I Of Russia Liked To Ring Church Bells

  Fyodor I was the last tsar of the Rurik dynasty and the developmentally disabled son of Ivan the Terrible. Ivan and his father had two very different ideas of a good time. While Ivan the Terrible was never one to pass up a good old-fashioned killing spree, his son preferred more tranquil means of fun. Fyodor was very religious and often seen praying. He would visit various churches and monasteries throughout the region.

  His favorite hobby was ringing the church bells to invite in the churchgoers. This led to his very literal nickname of "Fyodor the Bellringer."
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  (#2) Queen Juana I Of Castile Really Liked Spending Time With Her Deceased Husband

  Queen Juana I of Castile, often referred to as "Joan" or "Juana the Mad," was the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Juana married Philip the Handsome of Austria when she was a teen and, soon after, began having children with him. Philip became increasingly unfaithful to his wife, which sent Juana into fits of rage and despair that revealed her delicate mental health.

  When Philip passed in 1506 at the age of 28, Juana’s deteriorating psychological state worsened. She is reported to have caressed and kissed Philip's corpse and did not part with it until it was embalmed and interred in a Monastery near Burgos.

  Soon after, she had the coffin opened again to look at it -  kissing the corpse’s feet. The body and coffin followed her to Torquemada, protected by armed guards under orders not let other women near it. She went on other journeys and had the coffin brought along until she was imprisoned in a palace in 1509, where she remained for the rest of her life.
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  (#7) Louis XIV Had A Lot Of Friends And Enemas

  Louis XIV had the longest reign of any European monarch, ruling France for 72 years. Louis was known as the Sun King, but he had an affinity for sticking things where the sun doesn't shine. Like many other noblemen in his day, Louis XIV frequently used enemas, believing they contributed to good health.

  However, Louis may have taken the colon cleansing a little further than his peers. Louis was reported to have received thousands of enemas throughout the course of his life. According to one historical blog, the water in the enemas was often infused with color and scented with rose, bergamot, and angelica.
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  (#15) King Ludwig II Of Bavaria Really Liked Erecting Castles

  Ludwig became king before the age of 20 after his father's passing. He loved the arts - especially opera and theatre. His love of castles and desire to build them was most likely inspired by the fact that he grew up in the breathtaking Hohenschawngau castle. Ludwig was inspired by the Palace of Versailles, the Grand Trianon palace in France, and the romantic music of Wagner. 

  He began spending much of his time focusing on the design and construction of elaborate fairytale castles. His creations include Linderhof Palace and the Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, which may have been the model for Disney's Cinderella castle. Ludwig also commissioned projects like the Herrenchiemsee - a partial replica of the Palace of Versailles which was never finished.
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  (#6) Czar Peter III Of Russia Spent His Free Time Playing With Dolls

  Czar Peter III was actually born in Germany, but after his parents passed, he was taken under the care of his aunt Elizabeth, the Empress of Russia. Peter had a short-lived rule in the middle of the 18th century before his wife, Catherine the Great, forced him out of power and he was slain. But before this, Czar Peter didn’t seem to care about being the ruler because he just wanted to play with his toys - yes, his toys. According to reports that include Catherine's memoirs, he would spend a lot of time setting up and playing with his toy soldiers rather than face intimacy with his wife. 

  In one account, Czar Peter III charged a rodent with treason and sentenced it to death by hanging - an act Peter performed with a little rope.

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