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If a man believes himself to be a
frog should we treat him as a frog? What
if that man is a king?
The Bourbon dynasty came to power in
Spain in 1700 with the accession of Philip V, grandson of Louis XIV of
France. Initially Philip brought
French-inspired reforms to a declining empire, fostering Atlantic trade and
administrative efficiency. However, his reign, the longest in Spanish history
at 45 years, was marred by his severe mental instability. This affliction manifested itself in profound
melancholy, hallucinations, and bizarre delusions.
The most infamous delusion
attributed to Philip was his conviction that he had transformed into a frog.
During one severe episode in the spring of 1727, he reportedly leapt about in
the palace garden croaking. At other
times he attempted to ride horses he saw woven into tapestries, unable to
distinguish delusion from reality. Contemporaries
noted his screams and self-inflicted bites during his frequent fits.
Besides thinking himself a frog,
Philip had many other delusions. He often imagined himself dead, refusing to
move for fear of shattering like glass—particularly believing his legs were
fragile and would break if he walked. In another hallucination, he claimed his
feet were of unequal sizes, rendering mobility impossible.
Paranoia fueled fears of poisoning
via clothing, lead him to wear the same filthy shirt for months, while
neglecting personal hygiene, allowing his toenails to grow so long they impeded
walking. He had an aversion to water and sunlight. Philip was convinced that the sun was
following him and plotting to incinerate him at the first opportunity. Insomnia reversed the king’s schedule; he
slept by day, conducting council meetings at night. He isolated himself from courtiers, who had
to endure his animal like howling.
The king suffered religious
obsessions, including the notion that abdicating might save his soul. These
delusions peaked in the 1720s and 1730s, prompting his brief abdication in 1724
to his son Louis I, ostensibly for spiritual retreat but driven by his mental
decline. Louis's untimely death from smallpox forced Philip's return, deepening
his melancholy. His evident madness eroded royal authority, fostering court
intrigue and policy stagnation.
In an age without psychiatric
intervention, Philip's frog-like leaps and glass-legged fears painted a tragic
portrait of a king untethered from reality.
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