10 famous favorites who turned monarchs around as they wanted

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

There is an opinion that men should rule the world. However, history knows the period of matriarchy, and the influence of women on men cannot be ruled out either. How often a representative of the fair sex appeared next to the monarch, skillfully and unobtrusively forcing a man to act as it was beneficial to her. We offer today to recall the most famous favorites in history.

Agnes Sorel

Her beauty was admired by the Pope himself, and Charles VII, whose beloved she was, idolized and showered with expensive gifts. She responded to her king with loyalty and fought tirelessly with his opponents, opened the eyes of Charles VII to those unworthy of his entourage and proposed candidates for top positions. In addition, Agnes Sorel became a trendsetter at court and gave birth to three daughters from the king. True, the end of this lady was very sad: she died shortly after the third birth. According to modern scientists, the cause of death of the favorite was mercury poisoning.

READ ALSO: Agnes Sorel: the first official favorite of the king in the history of France >>

Françoise de Foix Chateaubriand

A great connoisseur of female beauty, Francis I literally forced the Count of Chateaubriand to present his wife to the court, whose beauty was legendary. True, Françoise herself did not see anything wrong in getting to know the king and, despite her husband's protests, went to meet with Francis I. The acquaintance turned out to be very successful for her: she soon became the monarch's mistress, the countess's husband was promoted to company commander, and her three brothers also occupied fairly high positions. Later, the king's mother Louise of Savoy did everything to separate her son from her beloved and contributed to the rise of a new favorite - Anne de Pissleu.

Ann Bolein

She could not be called the first beauty, but Anne Boleyn was smart, charming and rather sweet. When Henry VIII began to show the lady signs of attention, Anna behaved with restraint and sternness. She was not at all tempted by the prospect of becoming the next favorite of the king. And he could not offer her another status, since he was married to Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII was so fascinated by the girl that he decided to annul the marriage. As a result, the king married his beloved.

The influence of the second wife on the king cannot be overestimated: she received ambassadors, actively participated in political life. Anna was also blamed for the harsh reign of Henry VIII. When the king himself lost interest in his wife, he waited for her to recover after another miscarriage and accused him of forcibly marrying him, simply bewitching him. As a result, Anna was executed.

READ ALSO: From love to hate: the woman, because of whom Henry VIII went to conflict with the Vatican, was executed by his own order >>

Diane de Poitiers

She was older than Henry II by as much as 20 years, but she was so pretty that the king was not at all embarrassed by this age difference. He first saw her at the age of seven, and already at 13 he was inflamed with passion for Diana. She became his lady of the heart and, it is claimed, the real queen after the ascension of Henry II to the throne. He did not make a single decision without first consulting Diana. The era of her reign ended only after the death of Henry II. She herself died at the age of 66, without losing her beauty and attractiveness until her death.

READ ALSO: Diane de Poitiers and Henry II: a lifelong royal adultery >>

Roxolana

Until now, there are many versions about how exactly this girl got into the harem, and there is no reliable information about her origin. This whole story is still fanned with speculation and legends. However, one fact cannot be refuted: from a concubine she turned into the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She possessed tremendous influence on the ruler, often demonstrated her tough disposition and did not refuse the opportunity to emphasize her special position. Thanks to her, mosques were built in Istanbul and charitable projects developed, including in Ankara and Adrianople.

READ ALSO: Truth and legends about the beloved wife of Sultan Suleiman: What Roksolana really was >>

Gabrielle d'Estre

She bore the status of the official favorite of Henry IV the Great, enjoyed great respect and love on his part. However, she never used her authority for evil deeds, and therefore enjoyed the location of the entire court. After the king's divorce from Marguerite of Valois, who was never able to give him an heir, Henry IV was going to marry Gabriel. But the young woman passed away due to high blood pressure, which led to a premature birth in her fourth month of pregnancy.

Ekaterina Nelidova

The beloved of the Russian Emperor Paul I, who graduated from the Smolny Institute, had a cheerful disposition and ease of communication. It is argued that this connection was platonic and was based on similar religious beliefs, and therefore even Empress Maria Fedorovna had nothing against the relationship of her husband with Nelidova. The girl quite skillfully used her influence on the emperor, using it, as it seemed to her, for the good. Nevertheless, many of Catherine's relatives held positions at court, and she herself repeatedly had to intercede for innocent people.

Louise de Lavalier

She was never particularly beautiful, but she was so pleasant to talk to and friendly that she could charm anyone. Louis XIV was no exception, completely captivated by Louise's charm. He declared her the official favorite. But the girl herself was desperately ashamed of this title: least of all, she wanted the light to know about her connection with the king. For Louise's sake, the monarch restored and expanded Versailles, presented her with several estates. However, later, Louis lost interest in his beloved, and even humiliated her by placing his new favorite with her and forcing the two ladies to communicate. The meek Louise could not stand such a situation for a long time and simply went to a monastery, where she lived for 36 years.

Marquise de Pompadour

This young lady had a special appeal and dreamed of meeting Louis XV. The married lady did not care too much about her spouse, but after meeting with the king and “taking over” as an official favorite, she became almost the right hand of Louis. He did not like to be involved in politics, and the Marquise de Pompadour gladly began to meet with ambassadors, deal with personnel issues, allocate money for charity, and even was able to launch the production of porcelain. In spite of everything, over time, the king lost interest in his beloved, and even the news of her death in 1764 did not upset Louis XV.

Barbara Villiers

She met and became close to Charles II while he was in exile in the Netherlands. Even the husband of the charming Barbara, Roger Palmer, could not interfere with their romance. However, she did not marry him of her own free will, but she felt real feelings for the king. After the return of Charles II to London, she began to enjoy special influence on the king and skillfully sought from him to make the necessary political decisions. And she even accepted gifts from diplomats in exchange for influencing Charles II. After the appearance of a new favorite with the monarch, she retired to Paris.

"Every woman is born with a dream to become the king's favorite" - this is the phrase that characterizes the state of affairs at the court of the French monarchs. The title of the official favorite of the king allowed the ladies not only to freely dispose of the state treasury, but also to interfere in the political affairs of the country, and even to influence the personal relationships of the royal couple.