Charles the Fat, Charles the Bald and Charles the Simple were all ninth century kings of France. Louis the Stammerer was the son of Charles the Bald and father of Charles the Simple.
Louis III ascended to the throne of West Francia aged 15. Tragically, on August 5, 882, at the tender age of 17, he met his demise while in pursuit of a young lady on horseback. As she sought refuge within her father's dwelling, the eager king rode recklessly through a doorway of diminished height, striking his head against the lintel. This unfortunate collision resulted in a fractured skull, ultimately leading to his untimely passing.
David I of Scotland (reigned 1124-1153) gave tax rebates to subjects with good table manners.
Henry II (reigned 1154-1189) was the first monarch to be called "King of England" rather than "King of the English".
King Charles VII, who was assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. Charles I, II, III, IV, V, never existed. No one knows why.
King Tamar (1160-1213) was the first woman king in Georgia’s history. The Georgians didn’t have a word for queen by the time this female became a monarch, so they dubbed her king instead.
John I was King of France and Navarre, as the posthumous son and successor of Louis X, for the five days he lived between 15-20 November 1316. He was the youngest person to become King of France, the only one to be king from birth, and the only one to hold the title for his entire life. He has the shortest reign of any French king.
A 10-year-old Hungarian girl called Jadwiga was crowned King of Poland on October 16, 1384. Her title either reflected the Polish lords' attempt to hinder her future husband from adopting the same title without further act or only emphasized that she was a queen regnant. She reigned for 15 years until her death on July 17, 1399.
In France the declaration "the king is dead-long live the king!" was declared for the first time on the passing of King Charles VII on July 22, 1461. The king's death was announced by the captain of the bodyguard from a window of the state department. He raised his truncheon above his head, broke it and threw the pieces into the crowd exclaiming loudly "Le Roi est mort!" Then he seized another staff and flourished it in the air and shouted "Vive le Roi!"
The tallest English king was Edward IV (1442-1483), whose skeleton measures 6 feet 4½ inches.
Prior to the rule of Henry VIII, English kings were addressed as "Your Grace" or the more common "Your Highness." Henry VIII became the first English monarch to be called "Your Majesty" after he caught word that the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V also referred to himself in that regard.
Oliver Cromwell abolished the position of King of England on March 17, 1649.
King Augustus II of Saxony and Poland (1670-1733) was known as "Augustus The Strong" and used his ten stone valet as a weight in his daily exercises on his palace balcony. He would lift the man over the parapet and stretch and bend his arms back and forth- suspending his "weight" over a 750ft drop.
After the abdication of Charles X on August 2, 1830 , in what became known as the July Revolution, his son Louis XIX became King of France. He abdicated about 20 minutes later.
King Alfonso XIII 1of Spain (1886-1931), was so tone-deaf that he had one man in his employ known as the Anthem Man. This man's duty was to tell the king to stand up whenever the Spanish national anthem was played, because the monarch couldn't recognize it.
Despite his wealth, King Farouk of Egypt (1920-65) was known as The Pickpocket King going so far as to steal a pocket watch from Winston Churchill. A known kleptomaniac, Farouk always took something valuable such as a painting or a piano from whatever member of the Egyptian elite he stayed with,. Upon escaping from Egypt, authorities found the world's largest porn collection at the time among his belongings.
Both the King of Sweden and the King of Denmark laid claim to the title "King of the Wends" until the 1970s, but we are not quite sure who the Wends actually were or where they lived
After King Ananda Mahidol was assassinated, Bhumibol Adulyadej ascended to the throne of Thailand on June 9, 1946. He was the world's longest-serving head of state until his death on October 13, 2016 and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.
Source Dictionary of Phrase & Fable by Nigel Rees
Louis III ascended to the throne of West Francia aged 15. Tragically, on August 5, 882, at the tender age of 17, he met his demise while in pursuit of a young lady on horseback. As she sought refuge within her father's dwelling, the eager king rode recklessly through a doorway of diminished height, striking his head against the lintel. This unfortunate collision resulted in a fractured skull, ultimately leading to his untimely passing.
David I of Scotland (reigned 1124-1153) gave tax rebates to subjects with good table manners.
 |
| David I of Scotland, detail of an illuminated initial on the Kelso Abbey charter of 1159 |
Henry II (reigned 1154-1189) was the first monarch to be called "King of England" rather than "King of the English".
King Charles VII, who was assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. Charles I, II, III, IV, V, never existed. No one knows why.
King Tamar (1160-1213) was the first woman king in Georgia’s history. The Georgians didn’t have a word for queen by the time this female became a monarch, so they dubbed her king instead.
John I was King of France and Navarre, as the posthumous son and successor of Louis X, for the five days he lived between 15-20 November 1316. He was the youngest person to become King of France, the only one to be king from birth, and the only one to hold the title for his entire life. He has the shortest reign of any French king.
A 10-year-old Hungarian girl called Jadwiga was crowned King of Poland on October 16, 1384. Her title either reflected the Polish lords' attempt to hinder her future husband from adopting the same title without further act or only emphasized that she was a queen regnant. She reigned for 15 years until her death on July 17, 1399.
 |
| Jadwiga by Bacciarelli |
In France the declaration "the king is dead-long live the king!" was declared for the first time on the passing of King Charles VII on July 22, 1461. The king's death was announced by the captain of the bodyguard from a window of the state department. He raised his truncheon above his head, broke it and threw the pieces into the crowd exclaiming loudly "Le Roi est mort!" Then he seized another staff and flourished it in the air and shouted "Vive le Roi!"
The tallest English king was Edward IV (1442-1483), whose skeleton measures 6 feet 4½ inches.
Prior to the rule of Henry VIII, English kings were addressed as "Your Grace" or the more common "Your Highness." Henry VIII became the first English monarch to be called "Your Majesty" after he caught word that the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V also referred to himself in that regard.
Oliver Cromwell abolished the position of King of England on March 17, 1649.
King Augustus II of Saxony and Poland (1670-1733) was known as "Augustus The Strong" and used his ten stone valet as a weight in his daily exercises on his palace balcony. He would lift the man over the parapet and stretch and bend his arms back and forth- suspending his "weight" over a 750ft drop.
 |
| Augustus II by Marcello Bacciarelli Wikipedia Commons |
After the abdication of Charles X on August 2, 1830 , in what became known as the July Revolution, his son Louis XIX became King of France. He abdicated about 20 minutes later.
King Alfonso XIII 1of Spain (1886-1931), was so tone-deaf that he had one man in his employ known as the Anthem Man. This man's duty was to tell the king to stand up whenever the Spanish national anthem was played, because the monarch couldn't recognize it.
Despite his wealth, King Farouk of Egypt (1920-65) was known as The Pickpocket King going so far as to steal a pocket watch from Winston Churchill. A known kleptomaniac, Farouk always took something valuable such as a painting or a piano from whatever member of the Egyptian elite he stayed with,. Upon escaping from Egypt, authorities found the world's largest porn collection at the time among his belongings.
Both the King of Sweden and the King of Denmark laid claim to the title "King of the Wends" until the 1970s, but we are not quite sure who the Wends actually were or where they lived
After King Ananda Mahidol was assassinated, Bhumibol Adulyadej ascended to the throne of Thailand on June 9, 1946. He was the world's longest-serving head of state until his death on October 13, 2016 and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.
 |
| King Bhumibol Adulyadej of the Kingdom of Thailand, |
Source Dictionary of Phrase & Fable by Nigel Rees
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