A Royal Gambling Story
- Driving Through History With Lincoln Highway’s Legacy - November 28, 2023
- Does D.A.R.E. Increase Drug Use? - November 21, 2023
- Reverse-engineering Insect Brains to Create Robots - December 14, 2022
It is common practice to disregard the preferences of kings and queens, which are also referred to as their fondness for sins in some circles. There are not many textbooks that explain how the king of the Tudor dynasty came perilously close to emptying the bell tower of London’s oldest church, where Richard Nixon obtained campaign finance, or what Marie Antoinette learned from her mother. These are all topics that are of great historical significance.
Since we’re going to be talking about the Middle Ages, it’s only right that we point out that the powerful people who lived during that time didn’t have access to the option to download the TonyBet mobile app. If they had, they probably would have won a lot more money than they did. We dug deep into history to find the few individuals who were known to gamble the most while they were in positions of power, and we were successful in our search.
Gambling Bells During the Reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII was a tumultuous monarch who was infamously known for his inability to make decisions. In spite of the fact that he was an avid gambler himself, he twice renounced his membership in the Roman Church, was responsible for the deaths of two of his wives and made it illegal for gaming companies to exist. The monarch boasted that he was England’s greatest gambler, which was only partly true given the fact that he participated in almost every type of gambling that was available during his reign. Among the most well-liked games were those involving playing cards, dice, and backgammon. As evidenced by the speed with which he racked up new obligations, Lady Fortune was not on his side.
Some people believe that the king or queen did not act above their station during the games and even took part in the activities alongside the commoners. However, this does not imply that he valued his subjects because he frequently held jousting games, feasts, and balls, all of which were extremely harmful to the peasants.
This is because the peasants were unable to attend these events. The entire value of the bells from St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Tower of London was once staked on a single roll of the dice by Henry VIII, and he ended up losing the wager and losing the bells. On the other hand, the winner was prevented from making use of his reward because of time constraints. After he was executed for high treason, the bells in the cathedral were not moved from where they had been before his execution.
From Europe, Charles II
Charles II had just turned 15 years old when the English Revolution took place. The monarchy was overthrown, the king was murdered, and a sizable reward was put up for the head of the man who was supposed to take over. Charles II was forced to remain in France under cover of darkness for a period of time that exceeded eight years. During the time he was forced to live in exile, the young heir to the throne developed an interest in playing video games. During the period known as the Restoration, Charles II ascended to the throne of England after the monarchy was successfully revived. Gambling, which was later made legal throughout the kingdom of England and quickly became a popular pastime among the country’s aristocrats, was brought to England by him and he was the one responsible for its introduction.
King Louis XIV of France loved to gamble
Louis XIV ruled with absolute power, which was evident in everything he did, including his addiction to gambling. This power was reflected in everything he did, including his gambling. As a direct result of the “sun king,” gambling evolved into an expensive pastime for France’s upper class.
Card playing took the place of most other forms of recreation at the Palace of Versailles because the moralists were concerned that they would not be able to exert control over other forms of recreation. At least three times per week, the royal apartments were available for card parties; however, the courtiers desired more opportunities, so they planned additional meetings. The autocrat and his wife would put on croupier show quite frequently in order to maintain the guests’ level of amusement.
Marie Antoinette’s Gambling activities
Let us spend the next half-century luxuriating in the splendor of Versailles. A figure who was both controversial and fascinating, Marie Antoinette was the wife of King Louis XVI of France. Despite the fact that she was an Austrian royal descendant and a foreigner in France, she considered France to be her home country.
Marie Antoinette was held in low regard by the courtiers, so the queen was always looking for ways to relax and divert her attention from the situation at hand. She participated in a variety of activities, including horse races, ball games, and hunting, but she spent the majority of her time simply playing. Marie Antoinette’s mother taught her how to play cards when she was a young child. She did this because Marie Antoinette’s mother believed that if her daughter did not have a natural talent for card games, the family would soon go bankrupt.
Marie Antoinette became known as a daring player during this time period. This was largely due to the fact that the stakes were significantly higher in Vienna compared to Versailles. As a direct consequence of this, she quickly racked up a substantial amount of gambling debt. Louis XVI forbade his wife from participating in gambling activities in order to stop her from depleting the royal treasury.
Before calling it a day, she made every effort she could think of to convince her husband to let her play for just one more round before they went to bed. The king was convinced, and as a consequence, he yielded to the pressure and gave his queen permission to play cards at the royal table for the very last time. The previous competition lasted for a total of three days.