The royal gift of healing, which originated in medieval France, was an inextricable part of early modern religious and medical culture. It stemmed from belief in the divine right of
The royal touch (also known as the king's touch) was a form of laying on of hands, whereby French and English monarchs touched their subjects, regardless of social classes, with the intent to cure them of various diseases and conditions.
Tuberculous lymphadenitis (scrofula) was known as the “king's evil” in Europe, where the royal touch was believed to cure the disease until the 18th century. Cervical lymphadenitis is the most common presentation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
17th century
Until the 18th century, many doctors thought the only way to cure the disease was to be touched by a member of a royal family. In both France and England, the kings who were thought to have an inherited miraculous power to cure the illness, touched crowds of infected people.
He introduced a ritual for 'The King's Evil', a colourful name for a condition of swollen and discharging tuberculous lymph glands of the neck, also called scrofula. Edward the Confessor, after touching the diseased patient, ordered that they be maintained at royal expense until they were cured.
Edward was known for his religious faith and people believed that he could cure the sick simply by touching them. This form of healing is called the king's touch.
The duke, who died in 1972 of laryngeal cancer, was visited by the late Queen at his home in Paris on 18 May, shortly before his death on 28 May. It was the only time his wife, the Duchess of Windsor, had hosted the Queen.
1. Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon (604-562 B.C.) The granddaddy of all mad kings is King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian ruler whose first-person account of a seven-year descent into animal-like insanity is one of the most fascinating sections of the Old Testament book of Daniel.
Henry VIII
One of England's most famous monarchs was a foul-tempered, gluttonous, bloodthirsty tyrant who, as well as ordering the executions of two of the women who had the misfortune to marry him, had an estimated 57,000 people executed during his 36-year reign.
“King's Evil”—or scrofula, a tubercular infection of the throat lymph glands and named on the belief that the cure was a touch from a monarch—accounted for an average of around 30 deaths a year between 1629 and 1660.
Gout has been mentioned in ancient Greek history as only affecting rich men. This disease was referred to as the “disease of kings.” Interestingly, when royals like Henry VIII suffered from gout, it became a fashionable condition.
divine right of kings, in European history, a political doctrine in defense of monarchical absolutism, which asserted that kings derived their authority from God and could not therefore be held accountable for their actions by any earthly authority such as a parliament.
The royal orb is a traditional symbol of monarchical power. The royal orb symbolises the earth. Since Hellenic times, the globe has served as a sign of sovereign power.
Throughout the Middle Ages, kings had come to power through conquest, acclamation, election, or inheritance. Medieval monarchs ruled through their courts, which were at first private households but from the 12th century developed into more formal and institutional bureaucratic structures.
Æthelstan (king of England, 925–939)
It is difficult to be certain about the personality of figures from so long ago, but accounts of Æthelstan suggest that he was of devout Christian faith and showed compassion and charity to all.
Much like his brother before him, King John was never meant to take the throne. Being the youngest son of Henry II and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, John wasn't expected to have much in the way of land and titles. He would however go on to be known as England's most hated king.
1. John (r. 1199-1216) Nicknamed 'Bad King John', John I acquired a villainous image that has been reproduced time and again in popular culture, including film adaptations of Robin Hood and a play by Shakespeare.
But even those royals might have been aghast at the actions of Russian czar Peter the Great, who in 1718 had his eldest son tortured to death for allegedly conspiring against him. Peter I, better known as Peter the Great, is generally credited with bringing Russia into the modern age.
Military conquests
Narasimhavarman I is claimed to be one of the Indian kings who never lost on the battlefield to their enemies.
Emperors are generally recognized to be of the highest monarchic honor and rank, surpassing kings.
Among the mourners at the burial were Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, and his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward writes that Diana claimed she had only seen the Queen cry once and it was at Wallis' funeral.
Her marriage to Edward IV produced a total of ten children, including another son, Richard, Duke of York, who would later join his brother as one of the Princes in the Tower.
The Queen was reportedly not a fan of Wallis, and she grew "annoyed" with her at times. Still, she allegedly greatly appreciated that her uncle put so much effort into paying her the "final courtesy" of bowing.