What the famous historical beauties really looked like: Buckingham, de Bussy, Suleiman the Magnificent and others

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

Human beauty is one of the most subjective characteristics. Sometimes it depends more on personal charm and charisma. Therefore, often historical figures, remembered by contemporaries as famous handsome men and heartthrobs, look very mediocre in portraits and disappoint descendants. In this review, there are five men who, each in their own era, could serve as a model of attractiveness. Images created during the life of famous beauties will help evaluate their appearance from the point of view of the 21st century.

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham

Thanks to the talent of Alexandre Dumas, the image of this politician, who lived at the beginning of the 17th century, remained in the memory of descendants as a courageous and noble seeker of love. In fact, the strength of his charm was such that not only queens, but also kings fell at the feet of a young nobleman. Thanks to the patronage and special attitude towards him of the aged James I, King of England and Scotland, a young man from a poor, albeit noble family, was brought closer to the court. The king called him Stini - short for St. Stephen, whose face, according to the Bible,.

Buckingham's rise was truly enchanting. Over the five years of his "career", he received many government positions: equestrian, chief judge of the visiting session, Lord Steward of Westminster, Lord Admiral of England. In fact, Buckingham became the head of the British government. The next ruler of England, Charles I, inherited from his father and his beloved favorite, however, according to historians, this family inclination brought the country more trouble than good. It is Buckingham who is believed to be the culprit of the unsuccessful bloody wars with France and Spain. In the portraits of that era, George Villiers looks like an elegant and refined courtier, however, whether he can be considered an incredibly handsome man is a rather controversial question.

Louis de Clermont, lord de Bussy d'Amboise

The image of this character in Alexandre Dumas is highly embellished, but one cannot be taken away from him - this courtier, poet and duelist was really considered one of the most beautiful men of his era. The number of his love victories could only compete with the number of duels in which he very effectively dealt with rivals. It is interesting that at one time de Bussy was a fairly popular poet. In romantic poems, he glorified the art of love and especially the observance of the secrecy of relationships. However, in life, the señor ruined the reputation of many ladies, telling right and left about his exploits. The story with Françoise de Meridor, wife of Count Charles de Monsoreau, chief hunting duke of Anjou, was also not very beautiful. De Bussy boasted of this victory in a letter which, after a few hands, reached the Duke of Anjou. He showed it to her deceived husband, and as a result, an experienced womanizer fell into a trap prepared for him.

Louis XIV de Bourbon, "The Sun King"

Of course, in the case of royal persons, it is difficult to judge whether the monarch was really handsome or whether the ladies fell at his feet out of selfish motives. However, it is this ruler who is described by his contemporaries as shining and incredible. He is one of the famous historical lovers and it is believed that most of his victories on this front, at least in his youth, were truly deserved. The king of France and Navarre ascended the throne at the age of four and reigned for 72 years. They began to compare him with the sun in his youth, when at carnivals the young talented ruler performed in theatrical ballets the role of the luminary and the sun god - Apollo.

Sultan Suleyman

The tenth sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who lived at the beginning of the 16th century, is considered the greatest ruler of his dynasty. In the case of eastern heroes-lovers, it is even more difficult to talk about personal charm or beauty, since the concubines from their thousands of harems hardly had the right to choose. In conditions of fierce competition, these women were forced to attract the attention of their only master by any means, and the birth of heirs became a reward for the winners in this most interesting game. The fact that the image of this particular ruler remained in culture in a romantic halo is the result of a love story with a favorite and concubine, who later became his legal wife. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, also known as Roksolana, over the past 100 years has become one of the most popular heroines of love lyrics and female TV series. The image of a courageous and noble sultan also acquired many positive features that this medieval ruler could hardly possess.

Grigory Orlov

Another famous favorite who has achieved success in life through personal charm and dedication. In the middle of the 18th century, at the imperial court, the Most Serene Prince was considered the main ladies' man. Until the age of 25, he managed to become the hero of many novels, some of which reached the public, but this only added popularity to the young rake. So, for example, the scandalous story with Princess Kurakina attracted the attention of the young crown princess Ekaterina Alekseevna to him. The future empress brought the handsome officer closer to her, and it was this favorite who later became an important figure in her struggle for the throne. Even after the completion of this novel, the settled Grigory Orlov remained a friend and adviser to Catherine II.