Princess Alexandra of Bavaria was a noted author and translator in the mid-19th century. She also firmly believed that as a young child she had swallowed a grand piano made of glass.

Joseph Karl Stieler [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Charles VI of France (known, for no reason I’m sure, as The Mad), believed that he was made of glass and would shatter if someone touched him. He had metal bars sewn into his clothing to prevent this tragedy.

This specific fear, known as the glass delusion, was apparently fairly common: Cervantes (of Don Quixote fame) wrote about it, as did René Descartes. And, of course, Blondie.

• Princess Alexandra of Bavaria
• Charles VI of France
• Glass delusion

Categories: Early modern history Health & medicine History Medieval history Modern history Religion & belief Sciences

The Generalist

I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and am curious about most things.