Buzz
While many people fantasize about becoming a king or queen, the reality is far from simple. Despite the obvious perks of wealth and power, monarchs spend their lives in the spotlight, with every action scrutinized and judged by millions. Their central role in a nation often strips them of any true control over their personal time, as their schedules are overwhelmed by political and ceremonial duties that must run smoothly to avoid chaos.
Some rulers handle these overwhelming pressures better than others. While history is filled with capable and successful leaders, it also contains those who faltered under the strain and faced both mental and physical health struggles. The job is undeniably demanding, and many kings found solace in taking on odd or unconventional hobbies. Today, we will explore ten kings who engaged in strange pastimes.
10. Edward II—Digging
Although Edward II is now one of the most despised kings in English history, he was initially adored by his subjects during the early years of his reign. He was an impressive figure: tall, muscular, with long brown hair that cascaded to his shoulders. When he chose to, he could be quite charismatic, captivating audiences with his speeches in Parliament. However, the medieval people had very specific expectations of their monarchs, particularly regarding how they spent their free time.
As divine representatives of God, monarchs were expected to take an interest in the arts, music, feasting, and politics. But Edward was a pragmatic individual. His passions were swimming, sailing, fishing, architecture, and even digging ditches. Throughout his reign, he faced scorn from both writers and courtiers for neglecting his royal duties to enjoy activities like fishing and sailing with peasants on the River Thames or supervising the construction of buildings. During one especially hot summer, he even joined peasants to dig a ditch. While the peasants were likely impressed, his courtiers found it humiliating that a king would lower himself in such a manner.
Edward's 20-year reign was marked by constant turmoil with his court and Parliament, as his authority was repeatedly undermined by the barons. Eventually, he regained his power through a civil war and ruled with a heavy hand. However, his increasingly dysfunctional administration was eventually overthrown through a coup led by his wife and an English knight, who invaded and claimed the throne.
9. Abdulhamid II—Woodworking
The Ottoman Empire stood as one of the last powerful states with a hereditary monarch who played an active political role. The last Ottoman sultan to hold absolute power was Abdulhamid II, who was deposed in a coup in 1909. He remains a controversial figure: His early reign was defined by his progressive political stance, but in his later years, he dissolved the new Ottoman Parliament and sought to return the empire to its conservative roots, all while overseeing the massacre of Armenians and employing secret police.
Interestingly, his daughter authored a book that offers a rare glimpse into the life and personality of this Ottoman ruler. She shares intriguing details about him, such as his struggle with insomnia, which led him to have someone read to him at night. His concerns over his sleeplessness even extended into his waking hours, causing him to avoid engaging with stimulating books that might linger in his mind and keep him from resting. However, his favorite hobby was carpentry, which he turned to as a way of relieving stress. He became quite skilled, even crafting some of the furniture used by his family in private.
Abdulhamid II also had a great love for novels, especially detective stories. Although the first Turkish translations of Sherlock Holmes tales were published in 1908, the sultan had already discovered them years earlier and had them translated by a court scribe, amassing an extensive collection. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife visited Turkey, the sultan invited him and, through his chamberlain, bestowed the Order of the Medjidie upon Doyle in recognition of his accomplishments.
8. Friedrich Wilhelm I—Tall Soldiers
The German state of Prussia gained renown for its highly effective military. Leading up to the Napoleonic Wars, Prussian soldiers were considered the most well-equipped and disciplined in all of Europe. This martial reputation persisted into World War II and beyond, with its origins rooted in the eccentric King Friedrich Wilhelm I—known as the “Soldier King.”
In governance, Friedrich was a competent statesman, skillfully avoiding conflict while reforming the state’s finances and bureaucracy. By the end of his reign, Prussia had become one of the wealthiest and most stable German states. He also implemented profound changes in the Prussian army, leaving his son and successor, Frederick the Great, with the most powerful military in Europe.
However, Friedrich was also an unconventional man with strange hobbies in his personal life. His most bizarre initiative was the formation of the “Potsdam Giants,” a military unit composed of the tallest men in the kingdom. These men were provided with the finest uniforms and accommodations, and their pay was determined by their height, with the tallest earning the most. Friedrich would often have exceptionally tall men kidnapped and forced into service, and diplomats from other nations sent him their tallest citizens as gifts. The project became an obsession for him: Whenever he felt down, he would have the giants paraded before him, sometimes even in his own bedroom when he was ill. He painted portraits of the soldiers from memory. In his later years, he conducted experiments to create taller soldiers, including pairing them with tall women to produce new recruits and sending some men to the stretching rack to increase their height.
7. Olaf Tryggvason—Juggling Knives
The Vikings were a fiercely militaristic society. While their raids may not have been as frequent as portrayed in modern TV shows and films, their culture centered around the pursuit of battle. Even their leisure activities reflected this mindset: Swimming often turned into a competition, and it wasn’t uncommon for one athlete to push his opponent underwater. Wrestling was a popular pastime, as were ball games (unfortunately, the rules of which have been lost to history). When two Vikings had a disagreement, they might resolve it with a duel.
To be a successful Viking king, one had to be an accomplished athlete. There are numerous tales of Viking kings showcasing their athletic prowess, but the story of King Olaf Tryggvason stands out. Olaf had some unique hobbies: He was an expert rock climber, easily scaling the Smalsarhorn in Scandinavia and placing his shield at the peak. When one of his men became stuck halfway up, Olaf allegedly climbed to his side and carried him down under one arm.
Olaf also engaged in other adventurous activities typical of Viking warriors, such as “walking the oars” on a ship while at sea. Perhaps most impressively, he mastered a skill that earned him numerous admirers: He could juggle three knives, keeping one always in the air and catching them by the hilts. This incredible dexterity didn’t just serve him in entertainment, as it also helped him fight with a weapon in each hand and throw two spears simultaneously.
6. Louis XVI—Locksmithing
Louis XVI is remembered today for several significant reasons: he was the last French king before the French Revolution, the only French monarch to be executed by beheading, and a supporter of the American revolutionaries in their struggle against Britain. He and his wife, Marie Antoinette, are often depicted as detached, self-indulgent aristocrats who oppressed France and showed little concern for the welfare of her people.
In truth, Louis XVI was a kind and gentle man. He was well-educated and had a keen interest in the sciences, especially engineering and mechanical arts. He took an active role in modernizing the French navy and, unlike many other French kings of his time, never took a mistress. He was also deeply concerned about the hardships faced by France’s poor, even ordering the removal of bread price restrictions to help make food more affordable for the common people.
However, Louis’s personal passion lay in locksmithing. He was fascinated by locks and kept a collection of various types, from simple devices to intricate, secretive ones. He, like some intellectuals of his era, believed that every man should engage in a manual craft. In the sophisticated and highly public French court, however, such work was seen as the domain of peasants, not kings. As a result, Louis kept his hobby private at first, learning from the court blacksmith behind closed doors. He even had a private workshop built above his library, equipped with anvils, where he could practice his craft. Unfortunately, his secret was eventually exposed, and he became the subject of ridicule in contemporary newspapers and pamphlets, especially due to the implications of a married king spending his spare time tinkering with locks.
5. Henry VII—Tennis
Henry VII is remembered today as a king who was serious and unapproachable. A brilliant strategist, he reformed England’s government, ensuring its prosperity through trade and industry while also reducing expenses. It’s no wonder he became the favorite British monarch of former Chancellor George Osborne. Henry was exceptionally somber, rarely smiling, and dedicated countless hours to his work, always focused on the realm he had taken by force. He was multilingual, skilled in reading and writing, and upheld justice above all else.
In many respects, he was the polar opposite of his son, Henry VIII, who succeeded him. However, they did share one significant common interest: tennis. By Henry VIII’s time, tennis had become a popular pastime among the English elite, and given his athleticism, it’s unsurprising that he enjoyed a match or two.
Though Henry V was the first English monarch known to play tennis, the sport had not yet gained widespread popularity in England by the time of Henry VII’s reign. That didn’t stop him: Over his reign, he had six tennis courts constructed across the country, including one at Westminster, the seat of royal government. His enthusiasm for the game made it a favorite among the royal court, and this fondness for tennis would continue under his successors. Henry played the game regularly and, in his later years, when he could no longer participate, he enjoyed watching matches and betting on them. Between 1493 and 1499, he lost £20 in bets—an amount greater than what an average person might earn in a lifetime.
4. George III—Agriculture
George III, the monarch who saw the American colonies lost, is often remembered as Mad King George. Though he did suffer from mental illness in his later years, he ruled Great Britain for over fifty years, and for the majority of that time, he was a competent and rational king. He took a keen interest in the everyday affairs of his realm and amassed a large collection of scientific instruments, many of which are still displayed today. He was an avid astronomer and funded the construction of the largest telescope of his time. Contrary to the popular view of him as a tyrant, George’s involvement in the American Revolution was driven not by a desire to increase his own power but to protect the rights of an elected Parliament to impose taxes. His goal was the preservation of Parliament, not his own reign.
The moniker “Mad King George” came about only in the final years of his life. For much of his reign, he was affectionately mocked and called “Farmer George” due to his strong interest in farming. He wrote papers on the subject, marked up books, and frequently corresponded with farmers across the country. While many at the time found it unusual, agriculture was the dominant industry in Britain, and George’s attention to it helped stimulate the agricultural revolution happening at the time. Under his rule, the rural population grew substantially, paving the way for the industrial revolution, which was already in motion by the time of his death.
3. Edward VIII—Flying
Edward VIII reigned as king of the United Kingdom for less than a year and was one of the few monarchs in British history who was never formally crowned. His brief reign was overshadowed by concerns that he might ruin the monarchy permanently. Most notably, he insisted on marrying Wallis Simpson, an American who had been divorced twice. At the time, the Church of England forbade remarriage while a spouse was still living, and as king, Edward was also the head of the Church. Despite this, he pursued the relationship with disregard for convention and government matters. His behavior became even more controversial as it emerged that he was likely a Nazi sympathizer. He visited Hitler in 1937 and later confessed that he didn’t think Hitler was such a bad man. After Edward’s abdication, George VI made it clear that Edward would never return to Britain, even threatening to cut off his royal allowance if he attempted to do so.
In his free time, Edward developed a passion for flying. He became the first member of the royal family to fly himself to a public event and even earned his pilot’s license. True to form, he was a somewhat reckless aviator, to the point where his father, George V, tried to forbid him from flying, fearing for his safety. Naturally, Edward disregarded this warning.
Towards the end of his reign, Edward devised a dramatic escape plan to flee the country by plane, even booking a hotel on the continent in preparation. His attempt was thwarted at the last moment by British intelligence, who managed to prevent the flight from taking off. Edward was ultimately forced to abdicate before he could leave the country.
2. Farouk—Collecting Everything
King Farouk, the final king of Egypt, lived a life of excess: He indulged in food, drink, and gambling, and drove his cars through the streets of Egypt at high speeds—painting them red so police would know not to stop him. He kept his palace illuminated while the rest of the city endured a blackout during the war. Farouk seemed to care for little except his own desires. His reign was marred by corruption, and while his court was opulent, the Egyptian people suffered in poverty. In 1952, the Egyptian army intervened and removed him from power, beginning the task of clearing out his enormous personal collection of belongings.
Farouk might have been one of the most excessive hoarders in history. His vast collection included thousands of silk shirts, an entire fleet of Cadillacs, and 50 walking sticks encrusted with diamonds and made of gold. He was particularly fond of French baroque-style furniture, amassing such a tremendous quantity that he earned the moniker 'Louis-Farouk.' His coin collection was one of the most impressive in the world, comprising over 8,500 coins, including rare treasures like the 1933 $20 gold double eagle and all five existing 1913 Liberty Head nickels—some of which would be worth millions today.
What truly astonished people at the time was his enormous pornography collection. While some seminude images were found hidden under his pillow, once the collection was cataloged, it turned out to number in the hundreds of thousands. This likely made it the largest porn collection in the world at the time. When questioned about it, Farouk openly acknowledged his ownership, but was taken aback by the scandal, claiming that they were merely classical works of art.
1. George V—Stamps
Today, the British royal family enjoys some rather ordinary pastimes: The Queen and Prince William are reportedly avid bingo players, and Her Majesty herself enjoys reading mystery novels and tending to her dogs and horses. She enjoys watching horse racing, and when at Balmoral, her Scottish estate, she hosts dances for her staff and neighbors. None of these activities are considered controversial.
George V, Her Majesty's grandfather, had rather unremarkable interests for a monarch: His primary passion was collecting stamps. He began this hobby as a young prince and maintained it throughout his reign, even amidst the turmoil of World War I. What set George’s collection apart was the sheer volume: It consisted of 328 albums, each with 60 pages, adding up to almost 20,000 pages of stamps.
His dedication to the craft earned him the title 'The King of Philately,' with 'philately' being the formal term for stamp collecting. In 1893, he was elected vice president of the Royal Philatelic Society of London. In 1905, while still a prince, he set a new record for the most money ever spent on a single stamp: £1,450, equivalent to around $220,000 today. A courtier once remarked to the prince that 'some damned fool had paid £1,400 for one stamp,' to which George famously responded, 'Yes, I was that damned fool!'
