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.

Sultan Ibrahim I Wanted A ‘Wild Heifer’ Woman

Ibrahim I was born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman empire. Afraid of having his throne usurped, Ibrahim’s older brother slew all of his younger brothers except for Ibrahim because he found him to be of no threat due to his lack of mental stability. Ibrahim I was obsessed with lust, had a large harem, and ordered his men to search for a unique kind of woman: one who was made in the manner of “a wild heifer.” 

They found such a woman and gave her a nickname that translates literally to “piece of sugar.” 

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.

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.

Napoleon Loved Him Some Licorice

Most people know about Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor and military leader that conquered a majority of Europe in the 1800s. There are many well-known facts and myths about Napoleon, but the man with a complex also had some lesser-known quirks. One of which being his addiction to – wait for it – licorice.

Napoleon carried the stuff with him everywhere he went and reportedly ate it daily. He used it for pleasure as well as treatment for a wide variety of ailments, consuming it in lozenges. Napoleon ate so much licorice that his teeth became stained black.