From John The Babymaker to Charles The Bald, the nicknames given to these leaders spoke volumes about their traits, as well as how much they were loved or hated.
Do you have a nickname you wish would just go away? It’s probably not as bad as you think, at least compared to these royal doozies. Whether or not they deserved the epithets given, that’s up to history to confirm or deny. One thing’s for sure: medieval guys perfected the art of the nickname and they sure had a weird sense of humor and irony.
Charles The Bald
Constantine The Dung-Named
Harald The Lousy
Eirick The Priest-Hater
John The Babymaker
William The Greatest Debauchee Of The Age
Henry The Impotent
Bermudo The Gouty
Sebastian The Virgin King
Boleslaw The Wry Mouth
Wilfred The Hairy
Ugolina The Cannibal
Baldwin The Leper
Richard “Queen Dick”
Robert The Cuckhold
Harald The Bluetooth
Ethelred The Unready
Albert The Peculiar
Claudius The Stutterer
Robert The Little Beagle
Piero The Unfortunate
Roderic The Last King of The Goths
Vseslav The Werewolf
Lulach The Foolish
Justinian The Slit Nose
The royal titles and nicknames assigned to these leaders spoke volumes about their defining traits, not to mention how much their subjects respected - or despised them. Most of them are also pretty hilarious.
While you’re here, check out the origins of the nickname Smart Aleck and find out what the heck the medieval dancing plague was.
