It wasn’t that long ago when anyone showing clear signs of mental disturbance was shoved into a bleak, windowless cell and labeled a lunatic. Yet, when that same troubled soul wore a crown, society seemed oddly tolerant, allowing the madness to fester behind palace walls. This bizarre double‑standard gave rise to a parade of monarchs whose erratic behavior still baffles historians – welcome to the world of the top 10 royals who truly lost the plot.
Why the Top 10 Royals Were So Unhinged
10 King George III of England
George III is usually remembered as the British monarch who presided over the loss of the American colonies. Yet, tucked beneath that political legacy is a saga of erratic conduct and apparent mental collapse. By the end of his reign, his eccentricities were so pronounced that a Regency was established, allowing his son George IV to rule in his stead while the king was deemed unfit.
Modern scholars suspect bipolar disorder, noting his wild swings between rapid, incomprehensible speech and bouts of uncontrollable crying that could stretch for days. He also suffered from paranoia and vivid hallucinations, reportedly reaching out to shake hands with an oak tree. Oddly colored urine—described as blue, red, or even purple—has led some physicians to propose acute porphyria as a possible cause.
9 Charles VI of France
Charles VI, known as “the Mad,” shared a surprisingly similar trajectory with George III. While his reign is often associated with the triumph at Agincourt, his personal reputation gradually morphed into one of unsettling instability. The king’s mental health deteriorated to the point where he became infamous for two starkly contrasting behaviors.
The first was his famed “glass delusion,” a belief that his entire body was made of fragile glass. He avoided any physical contact, often remaining motionless for hours to prevent breaking himself. The second facet of his condition manifested as violent outbursts, during which he would even turn on his own knights, killing them in fits of rage.
8 Nero
Nero, the infamous Roman emperor, presents a study in contradictions. Some ancient sources portray him as a beloved figure among the plebs, even elevating him to folk‑hero status after his death. Conversely, the elite historians of his time depict him as a cruel, self‑indulgent tyrant whose primary concern was personal pleasure rather than the empire’s welfare.
One of the most chilling anecdotes involves the death of his second wife, Poppaea. After allegedly causing her demise, Nero allegedly had a young commoner who resembled Poppaea castrated, dressed in women’s clothing, and then married him, referring to the youth solely as “Poppaea.” This grotesque act underscores the depth of his depravity.
7 Elagabalus aka Antoninus
Elagabalus, another Roman emperor, ruled for a fleeting period that barely left a dent in the historical record—yet the surviving accounts paint a portrait of unbridled excess. Ascending to the throne as a teenager, his reign was abruptly terminated when he was assassinated at the age of eighteen.
Rather than governing, Elagabalus seemed obsessed with sexual exploits, engaging in relationships with individuals of every age and gender. He would elevate his current lover to high office, and some sources claim he even prostituted himself for amusement. His personal life was a whirlwind of debauchery that shocked the Roman aristocracy.
Adding religious controversy to his already scandalous résumé, Elagabalus attempted to replace traditional Roman worship with the obscure cult of the Syrian sun god El‑Gabal. This heretical move alienated the Roman elite and contributed to the conspirators’ decision to end his life.
6 Mustafa I
Mustafa I, a sultan of the Ottoman Empire during its post‑peak era, earned the moniker “Mustafa the Mad.” His upbringing set the stage for instability: while it was customary for a new sultan to eliminate his brothers to secure the throne, his older brother Ahmed I chose mercy, imprisoning young Mustafa in a windowless cell for fourteen years.
When Mustafa finally seized the throne, his reign lasted a single year before he was once again confined for four more years, only to return to power for another brief year. The relentless cycle of power and isolation eroded his social skills; he became notorious for plucking beards from anyone nearby and scattering his wealth among passing animals.
5 Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, queen consort of Sweden, faced relentless pressure to produce a male heir—a demand she could never fulfill. Her reproductive history was tragic: a miscarriage, a daughter who died within a year, a stillborn son, and finally a healthy baby girl named Christina after multiple failed pregnancies.
Unable to accept a daughter, Maria repeatedly labeled Christina a “monster” and made several attempts to harm or even kill the infant, though she never succeeded. Following her husband’s death, her mental state deteriorated further; she placed the king’s heart in a gilded casket, suspended it above her bed, and compelled Christina to share the same sleeping space night after night beneath the dead monarch’s heart.
In a modern context, Maria’s anguish might have been recognized as a severe psychological disorder, granting her access to treatment. Instead, the era’s harsh attitudes left her to grapple alone with the cumulative trauma of repeated pregnancy losses.
4 Princess Alexandra of Bavaria
Princess Alexandra of Bavaria was a remarkably intelligent woman who shunned marriage in favor of scholarly pursuits, becoming a novelist, essayist, and translator. Despite her intellectual achievements, she wrestled with profound personal anxieties that colored her daily life.
Alexandra was a notorious germaphobe, refusing to wear any clothing except pure white. Even more bizarre, she became convinced that, as a child, she had swallowed an entire glass piano. This delusion compelled her to avoid physical contact, maneuvering sideways through doorways to prevent the frames from touching her, fearing they might shatter her fragile self—eerily reminiscent of Charles VI’s glass delusion.
Her obsessive fears and eccentric habits isolated her socially, yet she persisted in her literary output, leaving a legacy of works that contrast sharply with the turmoil of her private world.
3 Vlad the Impaler
Vlad III, better known as Vlad the Impaler, occupies a notorious place in history as a national hero to some Romanians and a symbol of extreme cruelty to others. His reign was marked by systematic, large‑scale torture and acts that border on genocide.
Beyond his famed penchant for impaling enemies, Vlad cultivated a vampire‑like mythos that inspired Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. He would invite foreign envoys under the pretense of peace, only to impale them alive on stakes, ensuring a slow, agonizing death. He also famously nailed turbans to the heads of captured Ottoman soldiers, forcing them to watch their own humiliation.
2 Nebuchadnezzar II
Nebuchadnezzar II, the celebrated Babylonian king, earned a reputation as the original “crazy royal.” The biblical Book of Daniel recounts that he descended into madness for seven years, living in the wilderness as a cow and subsisting on grass—a condition known as boanthropy.
While many scholars view this account as allegorical or mythic, some propose that a real historical figure, perhaps his successor Nabonidus, might have experienced a similar delusion, blurring the line between legend and fact.
1 Gaius Caligula
It would be impossible to crown any other monarch as the pinnacle of madness before naming Caligula. This Roman emperor epitomizes hedonism, decadence, perversion, and outright sadism—traits that have become synonymous with the name “Caligula.”
His reign blended Nero’s cruelty with Elagabalus’s perversion, amplifying each to grotesque extremes. Stories—though often embellished—detail him sleeping with his sisters and even prostituting them, appointing his horse Incitatus as a priest, converting his palace into a brothel, and ordering guards to hurl unsuspecting spectators into arena pits for his amusement.