How queens neglected by their husbands took revenge on their crowned spouses

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Every girl dreams of a prince. In fact, over the centuries of human history, living together with the king was not always such a fairy tale as everyone thinks. Queens had to fight drunken husbands, endure marriage not just without love, but without the slightest sign of sympathy. These women had a difficult fate. Crowned ladies often led coups, sometimes killed their faithful, or simply quietly waited until luck finally smiled at them. These women took fate into their own hands and won. Revenge was as sweet as cruel and merciless.

1. Catherine the Great

When the future empress was introduced to her husband, she was still a teenager. The girl was very worried about what her life would be like with a man she had never seen before. Catherine, seeing Peter, calmed down a little. After all, at first glance, he was handsome and stately. Also, the future king was friendly and shy. Unfortunately, things soon didn’t go the way the girl had dreamed of.

Peter III, having grown older, plunged into unrestrained drunkenness. Then he began to suffer from a mental disorder. The monarch was simply obsessed with the war games, the army and the Prussians. Peter could train his toy soldiers for hours. He completely ignored his wife. In addition, the husband also mocked Catherine, flaunting his dirty deeds. Cruel bacchanalia that lasted for weeks were in the order of things. Even Empress Elizabeth, who chose Peter as her heir, could not stand it. She began to despise him. What can we say about Catherine herself.

The girl spent her early years at the Russian court in patient waiting, diligent teaching, and humble obedience. The situation reached its climax when Elizabeth died in 1761 and Peter ascended the throne. The fact that the newly minted, mentally handicapped monarch was completely unfit for rule was clear to absolutely everyone.

Ekaterina took the stage. After years of diligent waiting, she set to work with great zeal. The queen conspired with the elite of the Orthodox Church and the Imperial Guard. Catherine personally helped organize a coup d'etat. With an unwavering hand, taking the country under its full control. She put the hated Peter in prison. Shortly thereafter, he was quietly killed.

September 22, 1761 marked the beginning of the long and glorious reign of Empress Catherine. It lasted until her death in 1796. Catherine made her choice in life, having passed a difficult path, stepping over her own spouse and blood.

2. "French She-Wolf" - Queen Isabella

The young daughter of King Philip the Fair left her native and beloved France at a very tender age. She was only twelve when she was married to the heir to the English throne, Edward.

Queen Isabella's first wedding night was a nightmare. In general, the marriage was quite unexpectedly quite happy for a while. Despite the fact that right at the wedding feast, the husband did not hesitate to show signs of attention to his favorite. He was a haughty and sneaky, albeit incredibly attractive young nobleman, Pierce Gaveston. Gaveston was even presented with jewelry intended for the new queen. Since Isabella was still a child, this neglect did not particularly catch her.

Edward's lover was killed by political opponents in 1312. For some time, the marriage of the crowned spouses was not overshadowed by anything. In the letters that survived, the husband and wife called each other "my heart" and "my dear and beloved ruler and friend." So there is no doubt that some form of love and affection took place between them. In addition, Isabella gave birth to four children for Edward. Happiness was overshadowed by the appearance on the horizon of Edward's new lover. He was Hugh le Despencer, a very cruel and ambitious man. He very quickly seized most of the power in the state.

There is no doubt that the Queen disliked this very much. There is also no doubt that Isabella could not stand the then favorite of her husband Hugh Dispenser Jr., and his dad, who was also called Hugh. The main mistake of King Edward II was that, quarreling with his wife, he completely forgot that she was not just a woman. Isabella was the daughter, sister and wife of the king! She was as proud as she was incredibly beautiful.

After her husband took away part of her land and income, she went in a rage to her homeland to her brother, King Charles IV of France. The Queen took her youngest son with her. Isabella demanded from Edward the complete banishment of the Dispensers, otherwise she would not return. The husband refused. The humiliated and insulted queen plunged into the abyss of a passionate romance with her husband's nemesis, Roger Mortimer. The lover persuaded the offended woman to overthrow Edward II. The two gathered an army and headed for England. Isabella symbolically donned the garment of a widow.

The uprising raised by the lovers was crowned with absolute success. On January 24, 1327, Edward II was forced to abdicate. He was killed shortly thereafter. Isabella's youngest son, Edward III, became king, and Isabella and Sir Mortimer, Earl of March ruled in his place as regents.

Unfortunately, the earl turned out to be as brutal as Gaveston and Le Despencer combined. Edward III, who disliked his mother and was dissatisfied with Mortimer's rule, staged a coup. He overthrew his reckless mother and her lover in 1339. Sir Mortimer was executed. Isabella was sent into exile. After that, the son returned her to the court. The queen's heart turned to religion and charity. She volunteered for a monastery. There she died in 1358. At Isabella's request, the heart of the murdered husband was placed in her coffin.

3. The fourth wife of Henry VIII - Anna of Cleves

Anna was probably one of the most unhappy women in history. She was ridiculed and rejected, called the "Flanders mare." Anna was considered dull, mediocre and ugly. For a long time she was considered doomed to shamefully end her life as an old maid.

It seemed that she unexpectedly managed to pull out a lucky ticket when Henry VIII drew attention to her. The English king was delighted with the highly flattering idealized portrait that Hans Holbein painted. On Henry's side, it was a purely political marriage. In 1539, Anna left her native Germany and went to a meeting, as she hoped, a happy fate.

In England, she was sent to Rochester Castle in Kent. On New Year's Eve, anticipating meeting an attractive bride, Heinrich rushed to meet Anna … He was struck by her ugly appearance, which was completely inappropriate for the portrait. In addition, Anna did not speak English at all. The king was incredibly disappointed. After he left the room of his future wife, he exploded with indignation in front of his ministers: "I don't like her!"

However, they still got married on January 6, 1540. It is not surprising that the wedding night did not go well at all. The next morning, Henry accused Anna of his impotence. The naive newly-made queen believed that the marriage took place. She told her maids of honor: "When he goes to bed, he kisses me, takes my hand and says:" Good night, dear. " In the morning he kisses me with the words "goodbye, dear." Isn't that enough?"

The loving Henry VIII quickly began a hot and passionate love affair with the young beauty Catherine Howard. He began looking for legal ways to annul his marriage to Anna. The Queen was exiled to Richmond Castle. Anna was well aware of the fate of other queens, who did not satisfy Henry. She completely obeyed his wishes, showing no shadow of objection. The marriage was dissolved on July 12, 1540.

Anna may have been completely ugly, but she cannot be denied her intelligence and perspicacity. She supported Henry in everything. They even had a very warm relationship, or she was extremely skillful in making the appearance of them. She did an excellent job of this role. Anna Klevskaya received the honorary title of "sister of the king", as well as castles, other property and very generous maintenance.

In her home in the castle of Hever and at the court, the cordial, friendly woman invariably impressed everyone with her calm and calm face. She was very close to her former stepdaughters Elizabeth and Mary. The quiet Anna outlived both King Henry and all his wives. She did charity work, everyone loved her. The woman died in 1557, leaving her entire fortune to the poor. She was revered, admired. A worthy revenge without anger and blood.

4. Georgian Queen Tamara

Tamara (also known as Tamar) was the only daughter of King George of Georgia. In 1178, he crowned Tamara, "the shining of his eyes," as a co-ruler. When he died in 1184, she became the only "king" of Georgia. She was even called King Tamar.

In 1187, Tamara succumbed to the insistence of her powerful aunt and got married. The Tsarina's chosen one was the Kiev prince Yuri Bogolyubsky. The marriage turned out to be a complete disaster. The husband turned out to be a drunken drunkard. In addition, Yuri had an explosive character and was very violent. After he publicly humiliated Tamara for not being able to get pregnant, she divorced him. The queen was extremely generous, sending her husband into exile and assigning him a generous allowance. Soon Tamara remarried and gave birth to two wonderful healthy children.

Yuri turned out to be vindictive. He was dissatisfied with his position and did not want to leave his ex-wife alone. In an attempt to destroy the woman, he revolted. It was suppressed, and the rebellious ex-husband was once again sent into exile. In 1200, Yuri, at the head of an army of Turkish soldiers, again invaded Georgia, and again he was beaten on his head and driven out. After that, Yuri's traces are lost in history, and Tamara's star flares up brighter and brighter. She is remembered as one of the greatest rulers Georgia has ever known. She died in 1213 and was canonized by the Orthodox Church. To this day, her example continues to inspire women politicians around the world.

5. Caroline of Braunschweig - uncrowned queen

The future King George IV, Prince of Wales, was very different from his father George III. Dandy and mot, he was smart and cunning. The need for money prompted him to get married. Georg was rumored to have been secretly (and illegally) married to Mrs Fitzherbert. This elegant lady, full of grace, was a widow. Also, the prince had a lot of other mistresses.

The marriage was supposed to save his deplorable financial situation. In 1795 it was decided that he would marry Caroline of Braunschweig. The first meeting of the future spouses took place at St. James's Palace. It was just a comedy of mistakes. “She tried very rightly … to kneel before him,” recalled an eyewitness, Lord Malmesbury. “He picked her up (gracefully enough) and hugged her. Without saying a word, he turned, retired to the back of the room, called me over to him and said: "Harris, I'm not well, please bring me a glass of brandy."

Caroline was completely confused and offended. Besides, Georg didn't impress her at all either. The prince was completely different from his portrait. In life he was very fat and not at all as handsome as in the picture.

At the wedding ceremony, things did not go better. The wedding night at Carlton House was even worse. Georg was so drunk out of grief that he lay beside the bed unconscious. It is noteworthy that the couple managed to conceive their only daughter Charlotte in the first days of marriage. Within a couple of weeks, the royal couple began to live separately from each other. Caroline kept her own yard at her home in Blackheath. She adopted orphans and began to have endless romances on the side. They tried to deprive the princess of the title, they were protected from communication with their own daughter. Despite the immoral lifestyle, the people were very sympathetic to the "abandoned" woman. Georg tried to file a divorce, in every possible way to denigrate his wife, but he failed.

King George III died in 1820. George IV was horrified that Caroline would become queen. By all means, he wanted to avoid this. Caroline was even forbidden to attend the coronation. Georg started a lawsuit and tried to prove in court that she was completely unsuitable for the role of queen because of her disorderly lifestyle. The trial became a sensation, the public firmly took the side of Carolina. However, the House of Lords sided with the king. Only the bill was never introduced to the House of Commons.

On July 19, 1821, Caroline attempted to disrupt her husband's coronation by standing at the door of Westminster Abbey. Caroline had to go out of there not salty. She died a month later, without having time to be queen. But she took revenge. During the reign of George IV, as soon as not scolded for this. Caroline's gravestone read: "Here lies Caroline, the wounded Queen of England."

6. Princess Diana - Princess of the People

Lady Diana Spencer joined the royal family as a shy, insecure 19-year-old. It seemed that she was being held captive by her older and more sophisticated husband.

The People's Princess was a hopeless romantic. She needed love. One that would fill her life, give her meaning and purpose. That Charles was not such a great love was obvious from the beginning. During their first interview as a couple, they were asked if they were in love. “What does“in love”really mean? Charles replied ironically, and Diana could only giggle helplessly. Right before the “wedding of the century”, Diana began to doubt. She was convinced that Charles was still obsessed with his former lover Camilla Parker Bowles. The future People's Princess asked her sisters if she should cancel the wedding. “Your face is on the tea towels, so it's too late to change anything,” they replied.

Diana's intuition did not disappoint. A year later, Charles began dating Camilla again. “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a little cramped,” Diana would later say. They were hopelessly incompatible. Charles, in turn, not only ignored his wife, but scolded him terribly. He seemed to envy her popularity.

It was hard for Diana. She was constantly worried, suffered from bulimia and postpartum depression. Her heart longed for the love that she had been looking for all her short and unhappy life.

Gradually, Diana gained strength and found support in this life. When her marriage finally fell apart, she exploited all her strengths and weaknesses. Diana was a star - and she knew it. The princess was secretly interviewed by Andrew Morton for his explosive Diana: Her True Story. This could seriously damage Charles' reputation.

Even twenty years after her death, Diana's legacy is very important to Charles and the royal family. The stars of the family are Diana's friendly and welcoming sons. There are constant rumors that after the death of Queen Elizabeth, Charles' turn will be skipped. Their son, William, will be heir to Diana. A 2017 survey of UK residents found that only 14% of the population believed Camilla could be queen. Only 36% believe that Charles himself brings at least some benefit to the monarchy.

If you are interested in the topic, read our article 4 most famous lovers who changed history