Queen Victoria Threw Shoes at British Soldiers
In contrast to the Middle Eastern cultural perspective that throwing a shoe at somebody is a mortal insult, there is a belief in other parts of the world that throwing a shoe at somebody brings good fortune. In Middle Ages Europe, a belief developed that shoes are good luck. Text dating back centuries references shoes being thrown at newly married couples to wish them good fortune in their new life together. The medieval belief that throwing shoes at somebody brought good luck lasted into the modern era.
For example, Queen Victoria threw her shoes at British soldiers in 1854 as they headed out for the Crimean War, to wish them well. Her Majesty also wrote in her diary that shoes were thrown into the doorway of Balmoral Castle when it was completed in 1855, for good luck. It was a continuation of another long held belief, that shoes brought good fortune to homes. For centuries, well-worn shoes were placed in the rafters or inside the walls of homes that underwent renovations, in the belief that doing so wards off witchcraft and evil spirits.