He also fundamentally reformed the Prussian army, leaving his son and successor, Frederick the Great, the strongest army in Europe. By the end of his reign, Prussia was one of the richest and most stable German states. In government, Friedrich was an effective statesman, avoiding war and reforming the state’s finances and bureaucracy. Prussia developed a martial reputation which survived into World War II and beyond, and it had its roots in the eccentric King Friedrich Wilhelm I-often called the “Soldier King.” In the era leading up to the Napoleonic Wars, Prussian soldiers were the most well-equipped and disciplined in Europe. The German state of Prussia was famous for its effective army. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife visited Turkey, the sultan actually summoned him and, through his chamberlain, presented Doyle with the Order of the Medjidie in honor of his achievements. While the first Turkish translations of Sherlock Holmes stories were published in 1908, the sultan discovered them years earlier and had them translated by a court scribe, amassing a large collection. He was also a big fan of novels, particularly in the detective genre. He became prolific, even producing some of the furniture that his family used in private. But his favorite pastime was carpentry, which he practiced to relieve his fatigue. His worries about his insomnia entered his waking life, to the point that he avoided reading thought-provoking books in case they ended up sticking in his head, preventing him from sleeping. She reveals some fascinating facts about him, including that he used to like to be read to at night because he suffered from insomnia. Interestingly, his daughter published a book which granted us a unique insight into the life and personality of an Ottoman ruler. He is a controversial figure today: His early reign was marked by his adherence to progressive politics, but in his later years, he dissolved the new Ottoman Parliament and tried to return the empire to its conservative base, while also overseeing the massacre of Armenians and the use of secret police. The final Ottoman sultan to wield absolute power was Abdulhamid II, who was ousted in a coup in 1909. The Ottoman Empire was one of the final powerful states in the world which had a hereditary monarch who played an active role in politics. In the end, he seized his power back in a civil war and ruled with an iron fist until his increasingly dysfunctional government was deposed by an alliance between his wife and an English knight, who invaded and seized the throne. His 20-year reign was dominated by constant conflict with his court and Parliament, and his authority was restricted by the barons on numerous occasions. While the peasants were no doubt impressed, his courtiers were disgusted that a king would humiliate himself in such a way. In one particularly hot summer, he even hopped into a ditch beside some peasants to help them dig. At numerous times in his reign, he was vilified by both writers and courtiers for abandoning his political duties to go sailing or fishing with peasants along the River Thames or overseeing the construction of houses. His interests were swimming, sailing, fishing, architecture, and digging ditches. Edward, however, was a thoroughly practical man. But medieval people had very particular expectations of their monarchs, especially when it came to what they did in their spare time.Īs the enlightened representatives of God, they were expected to be interested in art, music, feasting, and politics. When he wanted to be, he could be very charismatic, impressing people with his performances in Parliament.
He was a beautiful specimen: tall and muscular, with long brown hair that fell to his shoulders. Although he’s one of the most reviled kings of English history today, in his early reign, Edward II was loved by his people.