Art, obsession, and identity
Do you believe in curses? Well, even if you don't, this gallery will surely make you wonder!
It is true that many popular curses are nothing but old wives' tales, but some of the world's most famous royal curses are indeed perplexing. You might argue it's coincidence or some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, but the truth is that some royal curses seem really believable!
Curious? Browse through this gallery and get to know the most famous royal curses in history.
French King Louis XIV acquired the Indian diamond in 1688. Afterward, only one of Louis XVI's children survived childhood, and he too died a painful death. The diamond was stolen shortly after Marie Antoinette and the King were arrested.
But the curse of the Hope Diamond didn't end with Louis XVI. Russian Prince Kanitovsky murdered his lover shortly after giving her the diamond. Then, Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey lost his throne after acquiring the precious stone.
There are numerous accounts of hemophilia among European royal families, which, according to scientists, can be traced back to Queen Victoria. This is believed to be a curse passed on to her by her ancestors.
The curse can be traced back to the Coburgs (a German branch of Queen Victoria's family). Legend has it that the Hungarian noblewoman Princess Maria Antonia Koháry (pictured) married into the family. One of her relatives, a monk, was so jealous of her wealth that he cursed the family with the condition.
The Koh-i-Noor is a huge diamond that is now part of the British Crown Jewels. The stone originally comes from the Indian subcontinent and was passed around for many years in the region. Though it seems to have attracted bad luck to those who owned it.
The East India Company won the Anglo-Sikh Wars and claimed the diamond in 1849. The impressive stone was then sent to Queen Victoria.
But they also sent a note with the diamond, which read: "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God or Woman can wear it with impunity."
Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, designed the Strawberry tiara for their daughter Princess Alice to wear on her wedding day. Sadly, Prince Albert died of typhoid fever before walking his daughter down the aisle.
Princess Alice still wore the tiara. Years later, her daughter died of typhoid fever, and so did Princess Alice, 17 years after her father succumbed to the same disease.
In 1937, members of the Hesse ducal family were flying to a wedding when their plane crashed. There were no survivors. The Strawberry leaf tiara was found in the wreckage...
Legend has it that the stone was taken by the Christian ruler of Castile, Don Pedro, when he killed Moorish Prince Abu Sa'id in around 1300.
But then Pedro's half-brother, Henry of Trastamara, attacked Castile, and Pedro asked England for help. Heir apparent Edward, also known as "the Black Prince," got the impressive stone as part of the payment.
It's worth mentioning that the Black Prince's ruby is actually not a ruby: it's a spinel. But a cursed one, of course. Don Pedro died shortly after he got the ruby, the Black Prince died before he could become king, and his son, Richard II, lost his throne and died in his early thirties.
The Grimaldis (the royal family of Monaco) are believed to have been cursed by a witch. Legend has it that a curse was put on Prince Rainier I (pictured) as follows: "Never will a Grimaldi find happiness in marriage."
It turns out, Monaco's royal family has a troubled relationship history. Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III's marriage was marked by infidelity and death, Princess Caroline has been married three times, and Princess Stephanie married twice. Even Prince Albert's marriage has been plagued by rumors. Maybe they are cursed...
There are two version of the Austrian royal curse. One is that the presence of Turnfalken (supernatural ravens) just before something bad happened to a family member was the result of revenge. Apparently, a promise to protect ravens after some of them saved the life of a Habsburg prince was broken.
Another version is that Countess Karolyi cursed Emperor Franz Joseph, saying "May heaven and hell blast your happiness! May your family be exterminated! May you be smitten in the persons of those you best love! May your children be brought to ruin, and may your life be wrecked, and yet may you live on in lonely, unbroken and horrible grief to tremble when you recall the name of Karolyi!" Ouch...
Legend has it that the first ruler of Nepal, Prithvi Narayan Shah (pictured), once offered a hermit a bowl of curd. The hermit drank the curd and then threw up in the direction of the king. Shah moved to avoid the vomit, and as a result the Nepalese royal family was cursed.
It turns out the hermit was the deity Gorakhnath, who didn't like the fact that the king avoided his vomit. The curse laid out that the monarchy would come to a sudden end after 10 generations.
On June 1, 2001, Prince Dipendra entered a room in Narayanhiti Palace and opened fire on most of his family. Nine people were killed in the royal massacre, including his father, King Birendra of Nepal, his mother, brother, and sister. Nepal's monarchy eventually ended in 2008, lasting precisely 10 generations.
Princess Mkabayi Kajama was believed to be cursed. The Zulu blamed her and her twin sister, Mmama, for everything bad that happened, including their mother's death (because she never gave birth to a male heir).
Princess Mkabayi eventually became a regent for her half-brother, Senzangakhona. Mkabayi Kajama was famously ruthless, and so was her nephew, Shaka Zulu, who ascended to power 20 years later.
Mkabayi arranged for the bloodthirsty king Shaka to be murdered. But before he died, legend has it that he cursed his people. "You will never rule this land, it will be ruled by the sparrows, who will fly across the sea and build their nests high up on cliffs." Did he predict the European invaders?
Raja Wodeyar deposed the ruler Tirumalaraja in 1612, and himself became the ruler of Mysore in India. Tirumalaraja's wife, Alamelamma, managed to escape, but was eventually captured.
Legend has it that she threw herself into a river and cursed the family: "May Talakadu be filled with sand and become a barren land/ May Malangi ... turn into a whirlpool/ may the Wodeyars never have children." It turns out, the curse came true to an extent.
"Ever since, the [Wodeyars] have birthed male children only in alternate generations [...] if you observe the [Wodeyar] family tree, six rulers since the 17th century have been adopted sons [nephews]," explains historian Dr. A. Veerappa. But the curse may have come to an end in 2017, when a baby was born in the family.
Masakado, later dubbed "the first samurai," is famous for rebelling against the Japanese government and taking over a couple of provinces. Until the emperor got him killed, of course.
He inspired others to do the same, and the Tokugawa Shogunate (military government) ruled Japan for hundreds of years. The system eventually collapsed in 1868, and everything bad that has happened in the area is blamed on Masakado and the Tokugawa curse.
Sources: (Grunge)
See also:
Could Nostradamus have predicted the fate of modern royals?
The most famous royal curses of all time
Uncovering the intriguing history of the most notorious royal curses
LIFESTYLE Royal families
Do you believe in curses? Well, even if you don't, this gallery will surely make you wonder!
It is true that many popular curses are nothing but old wives' tales, but some of the world's most famous royal curses are indeed perplexing. You might argue it's a coincidence or some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, but the truth is that some royal curses seem really believable!
Curious? Browse through this gallery and get to know the most famous royal curses in history.