List of mentally ill monarchs

This article lists monarchs who were documented to have mental illness or "madness". Such allegations are not necessarily conclusive, since the documenters might have written from political biases or rumor.

Roman emperors
  • Tiberius (42 BC–37 AD, ruled 14–37 AD). While Tiberius was in his later years in Capri, rumours abounded as to what exactly he was doing there. Historian Suetonius records the rumours of lurid tales of sexual perversity, including graphic depictions of child molestation, cruelty, and especially paranoia. While heavily sensationalised, Suetonius' stories at least paint a picture of how Tiberius was perceived by the Roman senatorial class, and what his impact on the Principate was during his 23 years of rule.
  • Gaius Caligula (12–41 AD, ruled 37–41). Contemporary author Philo of Alexandria recorded that he fell ill soon after becoming emperor, and his subsequent reign was marked by shocking extremes of paranoia, cruelty and megalomania.[1] Seneca the Younger, who once fell foul of Caligula, confirmed his erratic behavior in passing.[2] His successor Claudius neither condemned nor defended his memory, and later historians continued to describe his madness.
  • Justin II (c. 520–578, ruled 15 November 565–574). John of Ephesus, who suffered theological persecution under Justin, wrote that his "mind was agitated and darkened" such that he behaved at times like a wild animal. On the advice of his wife Sophia and the Senate, he adopted the general Tiberius II Constantine as his son and delegated state authority to him.[3]

European monarchs
  • Charles VI of France (1368–1422; ruled 1380–1422), known as Charles le Fou ("Charles the Mad"), suffered from bouts of psychosis, including glass delusion.[4]:514–516
  • Henry VI of England (1421–1471; ruled 1422–1461 and 1470–1471).[4]:586 A breakdown in 1453 caused him to neglect state affairs for more than a year. A Lord Protector was appointed on that and two subsequent occasions to govern the kingdom. The ensuing succession struggles gave rise to the Wars of the Roses.
  • Joanna of Castile (1479–1555; ruled 1504–1555), known as Juana la Loca ("Joanna the Mad"), is believed by historians to have suffered from melancholia, psychosis or schizophrenia.[5]
  • Eric XIV of Sweden (1533–1577; ruled 1560–1568). Developed paranoia and irrational, violent streaks later in his life leading to an erratic rule and the brutal murders of several real or perceived political rivals in the Sture Murders. Eric himself stabbed Nils Svantesson Sture to death.[6]
  • King Philip V of Spain (1683–1746; ruled 1700–24, 1724–46). Suffered from intense melancholia.[7]
  • Ferdinand VI of Spain (1713–59). Like his father Philip V, suffered from melancholia.[8]
  • Queen Maria I of Portugal (1734–1816; ruled 1777–1816), known as Maria, a Louca ("Mary the Mad").[9] Around 1790 Maria's long-expressed anxieties developed into religiously-themed delusions. Her ministers determined that she was insane and appointed her son João to govern the kingdom.
  • George III of the United Kingdom (1738–1820; ruled 1760–1820) exhibited signs of mental disorder, in the form of logorrhea, as early as 1788. He fell into a profound depression after the death of his beloved Princess Amelia, and Parliament delegated his state duties to George, Prince of Wales.[10]
  • Christian VII of Denmark (1749–1808; ruled 1767–1808).[11] Although never completely incapacitated, Christian displayed severe emotional and moral instability, and members of his court and personal staff struggled to build a functioning government around him.
  • Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845–1886; ruled 1864–1886) irritated his ministers with his uncontrolled spending on magnificent castles. With no end in sight, they arranged for a panel of psychiatrists to declare him insane and installed his uncle as regent. Although the ministers were motivated by political concerns, medical explanations have been offered that include frontotemporal dementia, schizotypal personality disorder and Pick's disease.[12][13]
  • Otto of Bavaria (1848–1916; ruled 1886–1913) suffered from depression, anxiety and insomnia throughout his life. In 1886, the senior royal medical officer wrote a statement declaring that Otto was severely mentally ill.[13][14] Otto is believed to have suffered from schizophrenia.[15]

Middle Eastern monarchs

East Asian monarchs
  • Emperor Taishō (大正天皇, Taishō-tennō, 31 August 1879 – 25 December 1926) of Japan, suffered from a variety of neurological disorders, which though at least partially physical in origin incorporated psychological elements as well. Discussion or criticism of an emperor, including that of health issues, remains a controversial subject in Japan for cultural, political, and religious reasons and is referred to as the Chrysanthemum taboo.[19][20][21]

References
  1. Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius
  2. Seneca, Of Consolation, to Polybius
  3. John of Ephesus, Ecclesiastical History, Part 3, Book 3
  4. Tuchman, Barbara (1978). A Distant Mirror. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-30145-5.
  5. María A. Gómez; Santiago Juan-Navarro; Phyllis Zatlin (2008), Juana of Castile: history and myth of the mad queen (illustrated ed.), Associated University Presse, pp. 9, 12–13, 85, ISBN 9780838757048
  6. Dahlström, G.; Swahn, J-Ö (1984). Bra Böckers Lexikon Book nr 7. Bra Böcker AB.
  7. "Philip V of Spain (1683–1746)" in Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/philip-v-spain-1683-1746
  8. "Ferdinand VI | king of Spain". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  9. Roberts, Jenifer (2009). The Madness of Queen Maria. Templeton Press. ISBN 978-0-9545589-1-8.
  10. "King George III: Mad or misunderstood?". BBC News. July 13, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  11. Hatton, R. M. (1957). "Scandinavia and the Baltic". In Lindsay, J. O. (ed.). The New Cambridge Modern History. Volume 7, The Old Regime, 1713–1763 (Reprinted. ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 342. ISBN 978-0-521-04545-2.
  12. Hacker, R; Seitz, M; Förstl, H (October 2007). "Ludwig II. von Bayern – schizotype Persönlichkeit und frontotemporale Degeneration?". Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift. 132 (40): 2096–2099. doi:10.1055/s-2007-985648. PMID 17899506.
  13. King, Greg (1996). The Mad King (A Biography of Ludwig II of Bavaria). London: Aurum Press. pp. 252–255. ISBN 978-1-55972-362-6.
  14. The University Department of Psychiatry in Munich: From Kraepelin and his predecessors to molecular psychiatry. By Hanns Hippius, Hans-Jürgen Möller, Hans-Jürgen Müller, Gabriele Neundörfer-Kohl, p.27
  15. Prof. Hans Förstl, "Ludwig II. von Bayern – schizotype Persönlichkeit und frontotemporale Degeneration?", in: Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, Nr. 132/2007
  16. C. G. Jung, Analytical Psychology (1976) p. 123
  17. تبیان, موسسه فرهنگی و اطلاع رسانی. "معالجه کردن بوعلی سینا / آن صاحب مالیخولیا را". article.tebyan.net.
  18. ""Schizophrenia," Time Magazine, 18 August 1952".
  19. [Herbert Bix, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan. Page 22]
  20. [See Asahi Shimbun, March 14, 2011, among many other reports.]
  21. [ Nagataka Kuroda. "Higeki no Teiou – Taisho Tennou". Bungeishunjū, February 1959.]
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