The lack of a child, the loss of a throne: the infertility of the first royal couple of Greece (1833–62)

The first dynasty in Greece after its independence in 1830 was founded in 1833 with Otto, the son of Ludwig I of Bavaria. In 1836 Otto married Amalia, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Oldenburg. The people of Greece anticipated that the marriage would result in an heir to the throne, establishing the new dynasty. The failure of the royal couple to produce an heir was a major reason for their subsequent abdication. For many years both were subjected to repeated examinations by Greek and German physicians, especially Amalia, who

Henry VIII, McLeod syndrome and Jacquetta’s curse

The mental decline of King Henry VIII from being a jovial, charismatic and
athletic young man into an increasingly paranoid, brutal tyrant in later life, ever more
concerned at his lack of one or more male heirs, has attracted many medical
diagnostic theories. Previous hypotheses have included diabetes, syphilis and
hypothyroidism, among others. However, these inadequately explain Henry’s failure
to produce a male heir, despite multiple pairings. The latest postulated diagnoses for

The lack of a child, the loss of a throne: the infertility of the first royal couple of Greece (1833–62)

The first dynasty in Greece after its independence in 1830 was founded in 1833 with Otto, the son of Ludwig I of Bavaria. In 1836 Otto married Amalia, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Oldenburg. The people of Greece anticipated that the marriage would result in an heir to the throne, establishing the new dynasty. The failure of the royal couple to produce an heir was a major reason for their subsequent abdication. For many years both were subjected to repeated examinations by Greek and German physicians, especially Amalia, who was considered to be largely responsible for the infertility.