100 Interesting Facts about Kings

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76Smoke signal

Smoke signal

Abuse of the smoke signal is known to have contributed to the fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty during 8th century BC. King You of Zhou had a habit of fooling his warlords with false warning beacons in order to amuse his queen. When an actual rebellion occurred, no one came to the aid of the king.


77. During World War 2, King Christian X of Denmark was one of the only rulers of an occupied country who refused to go into exile for his own safety. He took daily rides through Copenhagen unattended to show he was not afraid.


78. King Mithridates of Pontus had a flock of ducks who consumed poisonous plants and didn't die (thus making them useful for creating antidotes); however, their blood, meat, and eggs could kill you if you ingested them


79. In 1315, a small change in climate caused a great famine in Northern Europe which was so grim that one day even the king of England was left without bread


80. King Cambyses II of Persia used cats to invade Egypt. Knowing that cats held a high place in Egyptian society, the king brought hundreds of cats into his front lines. As a result, Egyptian archers refused to fire on his felines, fearing that they would injure the animals.


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81King Ingjald

King Ingjald

King Ingjald in honor of his ascension to the throne, invited the neighboring kings to a feast then vowed to enlarge his kingdom by half or else die. When the other leaders were drunk, Ingjald burned down the building and claimed their domains for himself, fulfilling his vow overnight.


82. The concept of a zombie apocalypse is four thousand years old. In the heroic epic about him, Gilgamesh, the mythical king of Uruk spurned the advances of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. She became enraged and threatened to "Raise the dead who will outnumber the living and devour them."


83. Just 5 years after its invention, the smallpox vaccine was sent throughout the world by the King of Spain, stored in 22 orphans. The developer himself, Edward Jenner wrote, "I don’t imagine the annals of history furnish an example of philanthropy so noble, so extensive as this."


84. When Alexander the Great asked the philosopher Diogenes why he was sifting through the garbage, Diogenes responded,"I am looking for the bones of your father but I cannot distinguish them from the bones of his slaves."


85. According to legend, Canute, the 11th Century Viking King of England, Denmark and Norway, once commanded the tide to halt. His intent was to prove a point to members of his privy council that no man is all-powerful, and we all must bend to forces beyond our control, such as the tides.


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86Charles VI

Charles VI

Charles VI of France suffered from such debilitating mental illness that he forgot his own name, his children, his wife and his identity as king. He periodically believed that he was made of glass and tried to prevent himself from breaking.


87. French revolutionary soldier Jean Bernadotte had "Death to Kings!" tattooed on his chest. He later went on to become King of Sweden and Norway.


88. King Alexander of Yugoslavia refused to do public events on Tuesdays because 3 members of his family had died on Tuesdays. When he finally did begin a state visit on a Tuesday, he was assassinated.


89. King Zog of Albania was the only national leader in modern times to return fire during an assassination attempt.


90. A Siamese King once fought his brother on the back of elephants in a duel to the death proclaiming "Let us fight the elephant battle for our own honors. No future kings will do what we are going to do."


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91King Henry IV

King Henry IV

In 2010, King Henry IV of France's head was found preserved in the attic of a retired tax collector.


92. During his Indian campaign, Alexander the great encountered a tribe that hadn't discovered fire yet.


93. After defeating the Persians, Alexander The Great started dressing like them and took two Persian wives.


94. The last Roman ruler of Britain, Magnus Maximus, married the daughter of a Welsh leader, thereby becoming the ancestor of several Welsh dynasties and kings up to 500 years later.


95. There is a 9th century Germanic 'Bible' which presents Jesus as a warrior-king.


96Ahmed Zogu

Ahmed Zogu

In 1938, the Muslim King Zog of Albania opened Albania's borders to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. He also reportedly survived 55 assassination attempts.


97. Lucifer, as referred to in the book of Isaiah, was actually a Babylonian king.


98. French was the mother tongue of every English king until Henry IV (15 April 1367 – 20 March 1413 ).


99. The decision of 18-year-old King Michael I of Romania to carry out a coup against the Nazi ally and Prime Minister, Ion Antonescu, in 1944 is thought to have ended World War 2 early by as much as 6 months.


100. King Abdullah II of Jordan is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, also once made a cameo in Star Trek.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Unfortunately many of the facts I actually know are incomplete or totally wrong. What a pitty many of them haven’t even been checked.

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  2. Love your posts!! But please double check or perhaps refrase fact nr. 97 (Lucifer one). In Isaiah, Lucifer wasn’t a “Babylonian king”. The Babylonian king was mocked at and compared to Lucifer for his pride and fall from grace.

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