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Monarchs who abdicated

  • NapoleonNapoleon crowned himself emperor with a replica of Charlemagne's crown. The pope had just anointed him.
  • Edward VIIIEdward VIII, King of the United Kingdom, ended his reign with a voice on the radio. On the night of the 11th of December 1936 he spoke to listeners around the world. He told them he had found it "impossible to carry the heavy burden of…
  • Nicholas IINicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, carried a large dragon tattooed on his right forearm. The artist was Hori Chiyo, and the tattoo was a souvenir of the young heir's visit to Japan. That same journey nearly ended in disaster. At…
  • Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was born during a ball in Ghent in 1500. He ruled more of the world than any Christian monarch before.
  • Philip V of SpainA singer performed every night to calm Philip V of Spain. Farinelli's arias eased the king's manic depression.
  • Wilhelm IIWilhelm II, the last German Emperor, spent much of his adult life holding a pair of white gloves in his left hand. The gloves made that arm look longer than it was. He reigned from 1888 to 1918 over a country that had become Europe's…
  • Mary, Queen of ScotsWhen Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded, her auburn hair turned out to be a wig. Underneath she had short grey hair.
  • Henry IV, Holy Roman EmperorEmperor Henry IV stood barefoot in the snow for three days in January 1077. He was begging a pope to forgive him.
  • DiocletianRetired emperor Diocletian answered a plea to return in 308 by talking about his cabbages.
  • Carol II of RomaniaCarol II of Romania fled in 1940 as gunmen fired on his train. It carried 30 truckloads of his fortune.
  • Louis BonaparteNapoleon made his brother Louis king of Holland, and Louis refused to send troops for the Russia invasion.
  • Charles IV of SpainNapoleon forced Charles IV of Spain and his son to abdicate at Bayonne in 1808.
  • Joseph BonaparteJoseph Bonaparte hid on a ship under a false name while British officers searched it three times.
  • Richard II of EnglandRichard II of England was born in the Archbishop's Palace of Bordeaux on the 6th of January 1367. Contemporary sources claimed that three kings were present at the birth: "the King of Castile, the King of Navarre and the King of Portugal".…
  • Alfonso XIIIAlfonso XIII was carried on a silver tray to Spain's prime minister, already a king.
  • Louis Philippe IBefore he became king of France, Louis Philippe I lived above a Boston oyster house.

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