List RulesVote up the historical royals who may have overreacted.
Kings and queens wield a lot of power - and sometimes, they let that power go to their heads. Just look at the petty figures of historical royalty who started wars over minor slights, or publicly snubbed people for upsetting them. Queen Victoria ignored her daughter Beatrice for months after Beatrice said she wanted to get married, and the Queen Mother was so angry at Wallis Simpson that she pretended the divorcee dating her son didn't exist. One king put a mouse on trial, while another ordered his soldiers to whip the sea when his bridge collapsed.
Petty moments could also hurt royals. When Queen Anne's former friend leaked secrets about the monarch, it ruined Anne's reputation for centuries. Maybe that's why so many historical kings and queens gave into their pettiness.
When Queen Victoria's Daughter Beatrice Wanted To Get Married, She Stopped Talking To The Princess For Months
Queen Victoria had nine children. She relied on her daughter Beatrice as a companion after her other children married. But when Beatrice wanted to get married, Victoria stopped talking to her for months.
Victoria didn't want Beatrice to marry, preferring that her daughter remain by her side. When Prince Henry of Battenberg began to woo Beatrice, Victoria objected. And when Beatrice said she indeed wanted to marry Henry, Victoria completely stopped speaking to her daughter. For months, Victoria only communicated with her child by note.
The queen's pettiness didn't stop Beatrice; she married Prince Henry anyway.
The Queen Of Sweden Rejected Her Own Daughter For Not Being A Son
In the early 17th century, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg married into the Swedish royal family. Eager to give her husband heirs, Maria Eleonora rejected her fourth child simply for being born a girl.
In 1626, King Gustavus Adolphus was thrilled to have a daughter. “She is going to be clever, for she has taken us all in," he said after everyone first thought the baby was a boy.
But Maria Eleonora was horrified. “Instead of a son, I am given a daughter, dark and ugly, with a great nose and black eyes," she shouted. "Take her from me, I will not have such a monster!”
After the queen's rejection, the baby nearly perished twice - once when a ceiling beam fell on her cradle, and another time when she fell down the stairs. Some even believe Maria Eleonora was behind the attempts on her daughter's life.
King George IV did not get along with his wife Caroline. After separating from her and trying to get a divorce, George decided to publicly humiliate her.
The couple married in 1795 and only spent two nights together before they separated. George spent years trying to divorce Caroline, but the only legal grounds for divorce were proving that she committed adultery. When George's plots to put his wife on trial for adultery failed, he simply rejected her.
In 1820, when George became king, he turned Caroline away from his coronation. The event took place at Westminster Abbey in 1821. When Caroline showed up, the guards at the door turned her away for not having a ticket. Queen Caroline passed just three weeks later.
King Peter III of Russia loved to play with toy soldiers. Not much for ruling, he forced his wife, Catherine, to dress in a military uniform and carry out drills. He also had a nightly ritual of playing with his toys.
When a mouse chewed on one of Peter's toy soldiers, the king was furious. He caught the offending rodent and put it on trial. Peter declared the mouse guilty of treason, building a miniature gallows to hang the convicted crook.
Catherine saw her husband as an idiot and removed him from power, taking control of Russia and becoming Catherine the Great.
Genevieve Carlton
