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Louis XIV was the Smelliest King of All Time
Louis XIV was known to be the most powerful King in the history of France, often referred to as the Sun King (le Roi Soleil). He built his power by leading the economic prosperity of France and overpowering local seigneurs scattered across France. His power was said to be so great that he had over 100 servants and seigneurs attend to spectate his dressing and undressing every morning. However, being in close proximity to King Louis must have been horrendous; because he was arguably the smelliest King of all time.
Origins of the Stench
In the 17th century, most Europeans were accustomed to not washing their bodies as they believed that washing or bathing their body in hot water could open pores to let diseases in. With no shower or bathing culture, one can imagine the stench that these people must have produced. Louis XIV was said to have only washed 3 times in his lifetime.
On top of this, the medical procedures that he received over his lifetime gradually added more stink to his already reeking body.
Louis XIV was an avid eater who ate more than 5 meals a day. With his eating habits, Louis XIV developed serious cavities in his teeth from a young age. To solve this problem, his physicians suggested that they extract all of his teeth to prevent any more cavities from developing, to which he agreed. The procedure took place without any anesthetic and one of the physicians ended up accidentally puncturing his palate, resulting in a permanent puncture. Even after the procedure, Louis XIV kept up with his eating habits which resulted in rotting food buildups in his punctured palate. His breath was said to be deadly.
Another consequence of extracting all of his teeth was that he did not have any teeth left to chew his food. Therefore, Louis XIV suffered from serious digestive problems from swallowing food without chewing. This caused Louis XIV to break wind very frequently which filled whatever room he was in with horrendous odor. To deal with his digestive problems, Louis XIV was prescribed with laxatives for years. He would frequently visit the toilet up to 15 times a day due to the laxatives.
Funnily enough, despite the lack of basic hygiene, Louis XIV lived to 77 years and ruled for 72 years. The health defects and failed medical procedures did not shorten his life as he passed away as the longest-reigning ruler to be ever recorded in history.
