The Bizarre Silence Of The Ottoman Emperors

historical-nonfiction:

It was considered unseemly for the sultan to speak too much. To allow the ruler to communicate without speaking, a form of sign language was introduced, which was used by his advisors and eunuchs.  As a result, the Ottoman Emperor spent most of his day surrounded by complete silence.

Mustafa I (1591 - 1639) found this impossible to bear and tried to have it banned, but his viziers refused to allow it. Mustafa I ended up going insane and was seen throwing coins into the sea for the fish to spend.