Royal Deaths from Cholera

compiled by Susan Flantzer

Cholera is a bacterial infection of the small intestine. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and muscle cramps may also occur. Diarrhea can be so severe that it leads within hours to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Prevention methods against cholera include improved sanitation and access to clean water. In the past, because of the lack of clean water and proper sanitation, cholera outbreaks and epidemics were frequent. Today, cholera is rare in the developed world.

Of course, without modern medical diagnostic tools, it was impossible to accurately diagnose illnesses and so this does not purport to be a complete list. Until the development of antibiotics and other drugs, it was impossible to successfully treat many infectious diseases. Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist, physician, microbiologist, and pharmacologist, developed Penicillin, the world’s first antibiotic in 1928. Antibiotics are only effective against diseases caused by bacteria. They are not effective against diseases caused by viruses.

All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

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King Charles X of France

  • Born: October 9, 1757 at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
  • Parents: Louis, Dauphin of France (son of King Louis XV of France) and Maria Josepha of Saxony
  • Married: Princess Maria Teresa of Savoy
  • Died: November 6, 1836, aged 79, at Strassoldo Palace in Görz, Austrian Empire, now in Italy
  • Buried: Kostanjevica Monastery, now in Pristava, Slovenia
  • Unofficial Royalty: King Charles X of France

King Charles X was the last King of France from the House of Bourbon. He was a brother of the ill-fated King Louis XVI but Charles escaped the French Revolution and fled to Great Britain. When Napoleon was overthrown in 1814, Louis XVIII, Charles’ brother was formally made King of France. Charles succeeded his brother but was forced to abdicate in 1830 and Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans became King of the French. Charles spent the remainder of his life in exile. He escaped a cholera epidemic in Germany in 1835, only to die from the disease a year later.

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Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia

  • Born: May 8, 1779 at Tsarskoye Selo near St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Parents: Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (Empress Maria Feodorovna)
  • Married: (1) Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1796, marriage annulled in 1820 (2) Joanna Grudzińska in 1829
  • Died: June 27, 1831, aged 52, at the Governor’s Palace in Vitebsk, Russia, now in Belarus
  • Buried: Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Wikipedia: Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia

Konstantin was Governor of the Kingdom of Poland, which was controlled by Russia. He arrived in Vitebsk, then part of the Kingdom of Poland, on June 15, 1831, became ill with cholera on June 26, and died fifteen hours later. From 1830 – 1832, there was a serious cholera epidemic in Russia that caused unrest among citizens, peasants, and the military throughout the Russian Empire.

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