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The main heroines of films are often femme fatales - femme fatales who captivate men with their beauty, and they change the world for the sake of their lovers. But in reality, everything is not always so simple. It is unlikely that only external data helped the women about whom the whole world is talking today to win men’s hearts and, at the same time, write their names into history.
We are in website decided to figure out what the fatal beauties, about whom films are made and books are written today, actually looked like. And, frankly, some beautiful ladies really surprised us.
Matilda Kshesinskaya
Matilda was a prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, but today her name is heard not only because of this. Even a century later, people are discussing her affair with Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future last Russian emperor.
The scandalous film “Matilda” was made about this relationship. main role in which the Polish actress Michalina Olshanska performed.
Bonnie Parker
During the Great Depression, robbers operated in the United States, whose names were included in world history, - Bonnie and Clyde. The two are believed to have met at a mutual friend's house. Bonnie Parker was a simple waitress, and such a life weighed on her. Clyde Barrow seemed to her like exactly the guy with whom she would definitely not be bored. During her lifetime, Bonnie Parker was demonized: in newspapers she was called not only a robber, but also a police killer, although her direct participation was never proven in any of the cases.
In 1967, the film “Bonnie and Clyde” was released, which was subsequently awarded 2 Oscars. The famous American criminal was played by Faye Dunaway.
Lina Cavalieri
Lina Cavalieri is an Italian opera singer who began her career performing in restaurants and ended it on the world's most famous stages. She was one of the first fashion models, and postcards with her photos were sold in all European cities. Russian nobleman Alexander Baryatinsky was in love with Lina Cavalieri, but the emperor did not allow him to marry the singer. Cavalieri married several times after this, but none of these relationships were happy for her.
The image of an opera diva in cinema was embodied by Gina Lollobrigida in the film “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World.”
Praskovya Zhemchugova
Praskovya was a peasant serf of the famous noble family of the Sheremetevs. Even as a child, she discovered an ability for music, which Marfa Dolgorukaya, who took the baby in to raise, helped develop. The son of Count Sheremetev, Nikolai, fell madly in love with Praskovya when she was 16 years old. The young people got married, and this news simply shocked high society. Unfortunately, Praskovya died 3 weeks after giving birth.
The love story of a serf actress and a count is told in the film “Countess Sheremetev”, in which Daria Yurskaya played the main role.
Barbara Radziwill
Barbara Radziwill - Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. Her husband was Sigismund II Augustus, who madly loved his wife. But the mother-in-law, Bona Sforza, did not like her daughter-in-law. They say that it was she who poisoned Barbara a year after she became queen. Sigismund II was inconsolable after the death of his wife and forever quarreled with his mother.
One legend is also associated with the name of Barbara Radziwill: they say that her spirit still wanders through the Nesvizh Castle, where Sigismund once spent seance to see his beloved wife again, at least for a while. Barbara remained in the castle, but made her husband promise that he would also come to Nesvizh to die, and then they could be reunited. Unfortunately, Sigismund met his end in Knyszyn, and now the spirits of the lovers are forever separated.
In 1982, the story of the Polish queen was immortalized in the film “Epitaph for Barbara Radziwill.” The main role was played by Anna Dymna.
Ann Bolein
Anna became the second wife of the English king Henry VIII. Henry was already married when he first saw young Anna at court, but he fell in love with her so much that he obtained a divorce, although in those days it was extremely difficult. Anne and Henry got married, and after that the young queen showed herself not to be the best side. She made scandals for Henry, squandered money from the treasury and gave rich balls. The king was not a good girl either and quickly found a new favorite - Jane Seymour. He sentenced Anne Boleyn to death for adultery.
The sad story of the English queen can be seen in the film “The Other Boleyn Girl.” Anna was played by Natalie Portman.
Wallis Simpson
In 1936, the British King Edward VIII abdicated the throne, all in order to marry twice-divorced American actress Wallis Simpson. When they met, Edward was 36 years old, and Wallis was a year younger. She was then a married lady, and yet the prince confessed his love to her already at the second meeting. The romance developed rapidly, and the lovers did not hesitate to appear on the streets together.
After the death of his father, Edward was proclaimed king, but was never crowned. His relatives offered him a choice: love or the throne, and he chose the first. Wallis and Edward lived together until his death from cancer in 1972.
The film about the love of an American actress and the British monarch was directed by Madonna. In the film “WE. We Believe in Love,” the role of Wallis Simpson was performed by Andrea Riseborough.
Mata Hari
Margaretha Gertrude Zelle, or Mata Hari, was a dancer, courtesan and... spy. Having an unsuccessful marriage behind her, she moved to Paris. There Mata Hari began performing explicit oriental dances and soon became a real star. This allowed her to find a rich patron, and then another and another. Many men wanted to spend time in the company of Mata Hari, and she chose the richest and most influential.
During the First World War, a dancer who continued to lead a bohemian lifestyle and move between several European countries, recruited German intelligence. After some time, she herself offered her services as an informant to the French. In France, she was quickly declassified and charged, and six months later she was executed.
A series of the same name was filmed about Mata Hari, in which Vaina Jokante played the main role.
Queen Victoria
During the reign of Queen Victoria, Great Britain was in its heyday, but that was not the only reason why her subjects loved her. Victoria gradually reduced the influence of the monarchy on the lives of the common people and set an example of a simple life, devoid of all sorts of frills, like a true Puritan. The Queen loved her husband Albert dearly, and he reciprocated her feelings. The couple had 9 children, who later entered into marriage alliances with representatives of royal dynasties throughout Europe. That is why Victoria is called “Grandmother of Europe”.
The film “The Young Victoria” was shot about the youth of the British queen, in which Emily Blunt played the main role.
Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a famous dancer, wife and muse of Sergei Yesenin. She toured the USA and Europe, but still saw teaching as her calling. IN Russian Empire she got there in 1921, when she was offered to open a dance school and help with financing. At the same time, Duncan met Yesenin, who soon became her husband. This union did not last long, and in 1923 the poet filed for divorce, tired of living with a famous dancer, accustomed to being a star in any society.
Several films have been made about Isadora Duncan, and most recently the film “The Dancer” was released, in which Lily-Rose Depp played the main role.
Which famous lady do you think the filmmakers managed to embody best? Who would you add to our list of femme fatales? Write about it in the comments.
A little interesting history. An excerpt from the book by I. Vagin and A. Gluschai “Erotic manipulation”.
Famous courtesans
"If I had known it would end like this, I would have hanged myself." They were like that last words the famous courtesan of the 17th century Ninon de Lenclos - the most charming, most passionate and most seductive woman in France. Although she could not complain about fate!
Until her last breath she retained all the charms of her face and mind. When she was seventy, eighteen-year-old fans fought duels because of her. When she turned eighty, her own grandson fell in love with her. At ninety, she still hosted her lover, the abbot, who was eighty-nine years old.
The queen of courtesans, Ninon de Lenclos, was a devout preacher of free love. She never sold her body; money generally meant little in her life. The all-powerful Cardinal Richelieu, having heard about the charming beauty, sent her a gift of 50,000 francs, hoping to buy her favor in this way. Ninon returned his money and refused intimacy, saying that it was given, but not for sale.
She gave herself only to those who pleased her. She chose her own lovers and was, perhaps, the only woman of her time who independently managed her life. What Ninon proclaimed three centuries ago is now called feminism. She said this: “Even as a child, I often thought about the injustice of fate, which granted all rights to men and completely forgot about us women. Since then I have become a man!”
Male mentality male power spirit, male will and female charm, female grace, female charm - all this was combined in her in an amazing way and amazed her fans with extraordinary ease. But Ninon for a long time remained opposed to legal marriage, which seemed to her an unbearable burden, and continued to turn the heads of her lovers.
Women more often give in to whim than to love, Ninon believed, and therefore, when her whim passed, she easily announced it and just as easily exchanged one lover for another. But she always did it so skillfully that no one dared to accuse her of debauchery. On the contrary, everyone revered her as
great modesty. And this was another secret of the great Ninon’s charm.
“Modesty is everywhere and in everything. Without this quality, the most beautiful woman will arouse contempt from even the most indulgent man,” she preached. Another of her feminine tricks was that she knew how to hide from her lover in time, thus inciting his passion. “Love never dies of hunger,” she wrote, “but it is often killed by satiety.”
The great Moliere himself often visited her Parisian house on Tournelle Street, where she gathered around her not only admirers, but also outstanding people of her time. Along with other writers and philosophers, he wrote down her bright sayings and then introduced them into his texts.
In 1664, Moliere read his Tartuffe in the salon of the Maiden de Lenclos. The Duke de La Rochefoucauld, who was one of her enthusiastic lovers and admirers of the talent of the courtesan-philosopher, also enjoyed the favor of Ninon for a short time.
Brilliantly educated, Ninon de Lenclos was a brilliant conversationalist who skillfully distinguished talents. She was already eighty-nine years old when she recognized the future famous French philosopher Voltaire in a ten-year-old boy. And not only did she guess right, but she also left him two thousand francs in her will to buy books.
Noble dukes, marquises, counts, marshals, at Ninon's request, ended up in her bed and, at her own request, were expelled from there. The "Sun King" himself Louis XIV was fascinated by her and wanted to see her at his court. But Ninon refused, ironically noting that for hypocritical speeches one must have a forked tongue.
At ninety years old, Ninon de Lenclos had a face that rivaled the faces of young girls in freshness and beauty. At fifty-five years old, she gave birth to a girl as perfect in beauty as herself. The baby soon died, and her father, a certain high-ranking person, out of despair ordered the little fairy to be embalmed and placed her in his office under a glass cover. Maybe it really was a little fairy? It is no coincidence that there was a strange rumor about Ninon that she had been bewitched by some wizard.
Herself Ninon laughingly asserted that “by the age of forty, my age had completely faded from my memory.” And about beauty she said this: “Beauty without charm is like a hook without bait.
“They said that when Ninon was still very young, a strange old man all in black came to her house. Having retired with Ninon, he offered her a choice of power, untold riches or eternal beauty. Ninon chose beauty. The old man touched her shoulder with a gilded wand and disappeared. So it really happened or is it all an invention of envious people - who knows? But the beauty of Ninon de Lenclos, indeed, did not disappear until her death.
Ninon de Lenclos left behind valuable advice for men on how to win in love. Here are some of them.
I have noticed that with those who have struck your heart, you are timid. I tell you on behalf of women: any of us would prefer a little harsh treatment over excessive caution. Men, deluded on this score, miss more hearts than virtue saves. The more timid the lover shows, the more our pride strives to spur him on; the more respect he shows for our resistance, the higher the demands we place on him
yourself.
We would like to say to men: "Oh, be sorry, don't think us so virtuous; you are simply making us tired of our own chastity. We are constantly trying to hide that
the fact that you allowed yourself to be loved. Create such a situation that the woman can say that she gave in only by succumbing to violence or from surprise; convince her that you underestimate her, and I will guarantee that her heart will be given to you. A little more determination on your part will help you both find the necessary ease." Remember what La Rochefoucauld said: "A reasonable man, when he is in love, looks like a madman, but he cannot look like an idiot."
"The Life, Letters and Epicurean Philosophy of Ninon de Lenclos"
THE MYSTERIES OF LUCRETIA BORGIA
In world literature and cinema, there is probably no woman who would be called a fatal beauty more often than Lucretia Borgia.
All modern erotic "horror" films are baby talk compared to what they were real life Roman courtesan Lucretia Borgia. It seems that Satan himself embodied himself in this femme fatale and revealed to the world a complete collection of monstrous vices. Even the most depraved imagination would not be able to give birth to such an insane mystery.
The epitaph on the grave read: “Here lies Lucretia, daughter, wife and daughter-in-law of Alexandra.” Yes, yes, there is no error. As they say in the commercials - “3 in one bottle”...
The odious figure of Pope Alexander VI appears to us from the bloody fog of the Middle Ages, like a devilish obsession. Fate decreed that, thanks to family ties, the insignificant Spanish nobleman Rodrigo Lenzuoli Borgia - vain, depraved, greedy - under the name of Alexander VI in 1492 sat on the papal throne. His mistress Rosa Vanozzi moved to Rome with him - expectant mother Lucretia Borgia.
In addition to the bed, they were connected by the secret seal of a common crime: the murder of Rodrigo’s former mistress, Elena, Rosa’s mother. In such a monstrous way, the daughter got even with her mother for the murder of her father: at one time, because of Rodrigo, Elena poisoned her husband in cold blood.
Rosa gave her lover three sons and a daughter, Lucretia.
By the age of eleven, Lucretia had perfectly mastered the science of coquetry and deftly began to lure handsome young men into her network. But things didn’t go beyond the first date: mysteriously, all her chosen ones found themselves struck to death by a blow from a dagger.
The curtain of bloody crimes opened unexpectedly: the killer turned out to be Rose's brother, Caesar.
Passionately in love with his sister, he demanded reciprocity from her and achieved his goal. After some time, her other brother, Francesco, also found herself in her bed. From this incestuous relationship with her brothers, Lucrezia gave birth to a daughter, who was immediately given to be raised in the wrong hands and was soon forgotten about.
After this scandalous incident, the brothers were sent to study at different universities - Pisa and Padua. And Lucrezia, like a true courtesan, began to lavish her sinful affections on her father, receiving in return gold, jewelry and magnificent outfits. Sixty-year-old Rodrigo diligently hid his vicious relationship with his daughter in order to maintain the external decency that prevailed at the papal court.
To divert attention, he twice married off his daughter. Lucretia poisoned her first husband herself, her second
wisely fled from her. So at the age of 15, Lucrezia remained a “straw widow” with a very decent
condition. In addition, she constantly received huge amounts of money from her father. The brothers Caesar and Francesco, who returned to their native nest, were forced to give in to their father - such an opponent was beyond their strength. But the quick-witted Lucretia was found here too; she decided to retire to a monastery for a while, where
continued her visits with both brothers. She played with fire and received incredible pleasure from it. Finally, Caesar's mind was so overcome by jealousy that in a fit of rage he killed his elder brother.
By that time, Rodrigo Borgia was already called Alexander VI and sat on the papal throne. His beloved son Caesar and his beloved daughter Lucretia virtually dominated the throne with him for eleven years. Lucrezia gave audiences to the cardinals and took part in all
political and church affairs, opened her father’s correspondence, signed orders, punished the guilty and rewarded the favorites. Their entertainment included balls, masquerades, feasts, orgies with poisoning and murder as dessert...
In order to entertain Lucretia, the decrepit Alexander once even ordered to be brought into the Vatican courtyard
two mares and four wild stallions. The spectacle was a success!
Lucretia married for the third time and was widowed for the third time thanks to her brother's sharp dagger. Some time later, she gave birth to a boy, whom Alexander recognized as his son. Before she even reached twenty-two years old, Borgia had already changed her husband four times. Lucretia's fourth marriage somewhat limited her dissipation. Her husband took her to his domain, where Lucrezia was surrounded by eminent artists, poets, and scientists who flatteringly admired her charms. They painted her portraits on huge canvases, composed poems about her, and sang eulogies to her. For this, Lucretia secretly rewarded them with her caresses.
Probably, the famous medieval poet Ludovico Ariosto, who dedicated an entire chapter in the poem “Furious Roland” to Lucretia, was most kind to her. It began like this: “But what can we say about Lucrezia Borgia? Like a flower that grows and rises in fertile soil, so her beauty, her virtue, her happiness and high fame, ever increasing, will make you admire her. She was not yet born, but Meanwhile, I already revere the one next to whom other women will be like tin in comparison with
silver, copper versus gold, dark poppy versus rose, pale willow versus evergreen laurel, and painted glass with precious stones..."
Lucretia was given only 39 years of earthly life. Where she went after death - to hell or to heaven, no one knows...
“Women are created to be loved, not to be understood,” noted Oscar Wilde, who understood the feminine essence better than many men. The most famous women have written their names in history forever. And although some of them do not seem to us to be fatal beauties, and they really did not possess unearthly beauty, they were remembered for centuries.
The Roman Valeria Messalina went down in history as the most dissolute mistress, while being the wife of the emperor, she became a symbol of lust and fornication. Messalina lived in the 1st century AD and died at the hand of her husband at the age of 23. She wanted to enthrone her young lover Gaius Silius. Historians also claim that at that time she was already seriously affected by syphilis, so death at the hands of her husband was a beautiful - and quite successful - end to her dissolute life.
According to her contemporaries, she was much more dissolute than Emperor Nero, who was famous for wild orgies, children's harems and the imperial palace turned into a brothel...
The Egyptian queen Cleopatra is one of the wisest mistresses, but she is far from beautiful in appearance. Cleopatra is perhaps the most scandalous character Ancient world. The night of love with the queen cost the man his life, however, this did not reduce the number of people who wanted to experience the full passion of the fatal beauty.
Each man was determined to conquer Cleopatra with his strength and skill, and in the morning not only to remain alive, but also to become her legal husband and king of Egypt. But Cleopatra was uncompromising: she did not leave any of her lovers to live.
Egyptologists call Cleopatra not only a supporter of free love, but also an experienced fellatrix (fellatio from the Latin fello - to suck), or, more simply, Cleopatra gave an amazing blowjob. Perhaps it was for this reason that the ancient Greeks gave her the name Meriohane - translated from Greek. - “open-mouthed”, “one that opens its mouth wide”; "wide-short"; "the woman with ten thousand mouths." Cleopatra was also called Heilon - "Thick-lipped".
Despite the good makings of a real ruler, Cleopatra most of all loved to indulge her desires. And the desires of their heroic lovers. Cleopatra always knew perfectly well what exactly a man wanted from her, what he wanted to see her as. For Caesar she was smart and modest, and for Mark Antony she was a frantic hunter of carnal pleasures.
The Greek hetaera Phryne was truly beautiful. She was a model, and Aphrodite was sculpted and painted from her. She was eventually sentenced to death penalty in Athens for "pernicious influence on the most enlightened citizens of the republic." But during the execution, when her clothes were torn off, both the judges and the public saw her perfect body, she was acquitted, because they considered that in such a “ divine body a debauched soul cannot dwell.”
Thais of Athens is a daring hetaera who seduced Alexander the Great. She went down in history as an unapproachable beauty, even though she was a prostitute. She lured Macedonsky by the fact that she did not want to sell him her body for any wealth or gifts. “If you penetrate my heart, you will conquer me and the whole world,” she said to the great conqueror.
The Chinese Empress Wu Hu of the Tang Dynasty introduced the custom of “licking the lotus stamens” into court etiquette, which symbolized the advent of an era of female superiority. Wu Hu demanded that all government officials and visiting dignitaries show their special respect for Her Imperial Majesty through cunnilingus. Thus, ancient paintings depict the empress holding up her dress, and a dignitary, kneeling in front of her, kissing her genitals.
In Chinese stories of the 18th-19th centuries you can read about a romantic and comfortable chair. Large landowners used this device quite widely. It was a folding chair with automatic gripping devices for arms and legs, when a woman was placed in this chair, the grips worked and fixed her arms and legs, and the chair itself folded out, turning into a miniature bed. Such chairs were banned during the rule of the Manchus.
Scheherazade became famous for her intelligence. After each act of love, she told her master a fairy tale, which she interrupted in the middle interesting place. The Sultan initially wanted to send her to the lower harem, as a wife who no longer satisfied him, but he never did, because she was a tireless storyteller, and no one could tell him such stories. Scheherazade and her book of fairy tales “A Thousand and One Nights” is a folk legend about that same brilliant dreamer who was the most desirable wife of the Sultan for exactly 1000 nights. What happened to her afterwards is unknown. According to some sources, she died from some kind of infectious disease.
Bloody Countess Alzhbeta Bathory became the muse of the painter Caravaggio, his model and goddess. According to legend, she had an unearthly beauty and had the face of a young girl until her death, and all because she tortured and killed young girls, and then bathed in their blood. She killed about six hundred women, among whom were not only maids and peasant women, but also women of noble birth. Bathory is credited with making monstrous mechanisms. Among them is a metal coffin with spikes inside; the spikes do not penetrate deeply into the body, they only cause bleeding. In this case, the victim slowly dies from blood loss.
The Bloody Countess had several thousand painful tortures and devices in her arsenal. In 1611, at the age of 50, Alzhbeta Bathory was tried, and then an angry crowd staged lynching - the countess was walled up in the wall of her castle in the Lesser Carpathians. According to another version, the widow Bathory was slandered because she was richer than the king, and he wanted to take away her lands and gold. Where her five children disappeared after her death is also unknown, but the untold wealth of the widow Bathory went royal family. She went down in history as the most beautiful woman in Europe with unfading youth, and in Hungary, to attract tourists, she is still called a vampire, not inferior in the number of atrocities and cruelty to Vlad the Impaler, the prototype of Count Dracula.
The voluptuous Marquise De Pompadour, the favorite of the French King Louis XV, is still considered one of the most tireless and skillful mistresses. The secret of her passion is celery. Her daily menu included two strongest aphrodisiac- chocolate and celery root. In the morning the lady drank a cup of hot chocolate with celery root powder, and during the day she ate a salad of celery, apples and walnuts. It is not known for certain whether she knew about the stimulating effect of these products, but she had sex five to ten times a day and with different partners. By the way, in many countries, peasants placed a bunch of celery at the head of the bed on their wedding night.
The Marquise de Pompadour (Jeanne Antoinette Poisson) was predicted at the age of nine that she would have a relationship with the king himself. Its origin is not known exactly. According to one version, she was not from a wealthy family at all, but she was very lucky to find a patron in the person of a nobleman. Her meeting with King Louis XV took place at a masquerade. The king was intrigued by the behavior of the girl who hid her face under the mask, and when she took it off, it completely defeated the monarch. Further progress towards the goal was not easy, but Jeanne still achieved her goal, becoming the official favorite of the king. She continued her vigorous activity - she took up the development of art, becoming the greatest patron for many writers and artists of that time. Until her death, the Marquise de Pompadour remained for Louis not just a lover, always brilliant and original, but also a friend, which is very rare.
Despite the fact that at the time of her meeting with Napoleon, Josephine was no longer young (she was over thirty), her appearance remained admirable. Being an imperious ruler for the others, he gave her all his most tender feelings. The secret of her success was that she was not just a beautiful woman, she was an excellent listener, and always approved of all the actions of Napoleon, no matter what he did, she said that he made the right decision.
These women changed the lives of not only the men who found themselves next to them, but also world history. For their sake, they abandoned the throne and created new churches.
Elena the beautiful
The story of Helen of Troy was told by Homer in the poem “The Iliad”. Known as the "girl of 1000 ships", Helen of Troy is considered one of the most beautiful female characters in literature.
Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, fell in love with Helen and kidnapped her. The offended Greeks gathered a large army led by Menelaus' brother, Agamemnon, to return Helen.
An armada of 1,000 Greek ships crossed the Aegean Sea and arrived in Troy. For nine whole years the city remained impregnable, until the Greeks resorted to cunning. They built a large wooden horse with Greek soldiers inside. Despite warnings to the Trojans, “Beware of the Danaans who bring gifts,” the Trojans accepted the horse as a gift.
After waiting until nightfall, the Greeks dismounted and opened the gates of Troy to let in the army of Menelaus. Troy was destroyed. Helen returned safely to Sparta with Menelaus and received the nickname “Trojan,” becoming a fatal symbol of the destruction of the Hellenic era.
Guinevere
Legends about the beautiful Guinevere were written by Sir Thomas Malory in the book “The Death of Arthur” (1485) The wife of the legendary King Arthur. Daughter of King Laudergrance, who ruled Camlard. The image of Guinevere is considered the first image of a Beautiful Lady in the literature of the Middle Ages.
Thomas Malory described Guinevere as very beautiful woman. Naturally, her beauty captivated not only King Arthur. Lancelot, one of Arthur's knights, was madly in love with Guinevere. This is eloquently evidenced by his action: he was the only one who stood up for the queen when she was accused of poisoning Sir Patrice.
The insulted Arthur went after Lancelot and Guinevere, leaving Mordred, his nephew, as governor. Having achieved nothing, Arthur was forced to return to his homeland.
In the absence of the king, Mordred decided to seize power by overthrowing Arthur. He called the Saxons for help and met Arthur on the coast with an army. Everyone died in the battle. Mordred was struck down by the king, but Arthur himself was mortally wounded. Dying, he asked Sir Bedivere to throw the sword Excalibur into the lake. The dying Arthur was taken by sorceresses in a magical boat to Avalon.
Cleopatra
Queen Cleopatra was smart, powerful, strong, charming, insightful, daring, ambitious and a femme fatale. She was admired and admired by many to this day. A brilliant politician and strategist, she skillfully used feminine charms to achieve her goals. For example, in order to please the sophisticated Julius Caesar, she ordered that she be wrapped in rags and thrown at his feet. Caesar was shocked by this act - the ruler of Egypt herself found herself at his feet! But the love and political relationship between Cleopatra and Caesar turned out to be objectionable to the Romans - it is believed that Caesar, having contacted Cleopatra, signed his own death warrant.
Who: Jewish princess, daughter of Herodias and Herod Boethes, stepdaughter of Herod Antipas Herod Antipas ruled in Judea, which became a Roman province in 6-7 AD.
At the age of 50, Herod fell in love with the wife of his brother Herodias and he married her. John the Baptist did not like this method of choosing a companion; he criticized the marriage of Herod and Herodias. Herodias was very powerful and vindictive, and the answer to the reproaches of John the Baptist was not long in coming.
A feast was held in honor of Herod's birthday. Herodias sent her daughter Salome to perform a fiery Syrian dance. According to legend, the guests and Herod were so bewitched by her dance that after performing it, Herod exclaimed: “Ask what you want!” On the advice of her mother, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist as a gift.
The image of Salome is the first image of a femme fatale in the biblical story.
Valeria Messalina
Valeria Messalina was born in 25 AD and belonged to the highest patrician power. At the age of 14 she was married to Emperor Caligula's uncle, Claudius. He was considered a fool, he was middle-aged, had a limp and had two divorces behind him. But Claudius fell in love with Messalina so much that he believed her unconditionally and turned a blind eye to her many lovers.
In 41, Caligula is killed and Claudius becomes emperor and Messalina becomes empress. And then there was no stopping her - balls, feasts, numerous lovers and squandering the treasury of the Empire. But Claudius was still condescending towards her adventures.
Meanwhile, Messalina fell in love “for real.” Her chosen one was one of the young and noble handsome men, Gaius Silius. He was horrified by her persecution, feeling that it was no longer about an empty affair - that the empress was now “all serious.”
To such an extent that she orders the best furniture from the imperial palace to be transferred to Silius's house! Mesallina completely lost her head and decided to become Guy’s wife, giving Claudius a marriage contract to sign. The emperor signed the document without looking at what was in it and left to improve his health.
Left alone in Rome with Silius, Messalina celebrated the wedding with the frightened groom, observing all the ancient rituals, like a “decent woman.” It is unknown how long the holiday would have lasted if one of the drunken guests had not seen the approaching imperial cortege. Began trials, who did not spare a single lover of Messalina. They did not even spare the cunning Mnester, who claimed that he was only following the emperor’s order to obey his wife in everything.
Anne Boleyn is the second wife of Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was born into the wealthy but not noble family of Thomas Boleyn. Anne's mother, Lady Elizabeth Howard, came from an old noble family of Howards.
Since childhood, Anna's parents planned for their daughter a high position at court. She received an excellent education at home: she sang, danced well, mastered musical instruments. Fluent in French and Italian, composed poetry and music. At the age of 7, Anna was sent to be raised at the court of the French queen, where she mastered the art of flirting and learned the principles of court intrigue.
At this time, a serious rift occurred between Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. The king dreamed of an heir, but Catherine, due to her age, was unable to give birth to a boy.
The Duke of Norfolk decided to “help” in a delicate situation and Anne Boleyn returned to England to become the king’s concubine and strengthen her uncle’s position at court. Anna skillfully flirted with Henry, not letting him near her body, increasingly inflaming the king’s passion.
The girl did not want to be just a concubine, she wanted to become the queen of England. Anne hinted to Henry that he would get everything only if he divorced the queen and made her his wife. But circumstances played against the union, because Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess and the dissolution of the marriage meant that Henry was going against Charles V and the Vatican.
The situation required a strong-willed decision, Anna urged the king to sever relations with the Vatican and create his own - the Anglican Church. Henry VIII broke off relations with the Roman Catholic Church, declared himself head of the Anglican Church, and declared his marriage to Catherine of Aragon invalid. Anne Boleyn achieved her goal - she became the wife of Henry VIII and the Queen of England.
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen", daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII was afraid to leave his country without a strong king, but his fears were not justified - Elizabeth I became such a king.
She reigned for 45 years, and this period in English history is called the “Golden Age”. The only queen who chose a country as her husband. As she liked to say, “I am married to England.” During her reign, William Shakespeare worked, Francis Drake performed round the world travel, and the Spanish Armada ceased to be invincible.
Elizabeth's path to the throne was not easy. Typically, the successor to the English throne is the eldest male descendant of the reigning monarch. Henry VIII died, leaving behind Edward VI. Edward reigned briefly, from 1547 to 1553, and left no heirs. By right, the throne could go to either Mary (the future Bloody Mary) or Elizabeth. But Elizabeth's time had not yet come, and Mary became queen.
In 1554, Elizabeth was imprisoned by Bloody Mary. Due to her illness, Mary became very suspicious; she saw conspiracies everywhere, one of which accused Elizabeth. In addition, the ardent Catholic Mary was disgusted that Elizabeth was a Protestant. In a word, Maria did everything to poison her stepsister’s life. But at this time the “iron” character of the future queen was formed.
During her reign, there was the so-called “cult of Elizabeth” or the cult of the Virgin Queen. Most often she was depicted as Venus, Circe, Aphrodite, in order to maintain the halo of a divine queen.
Despite this image, the queen had many admirers. She was wooed by Thomas Seymour (husband of Catherine Parr), Duke Robert Dudley (according to historians, she pushed his wife down the stairs to woo the queen), King Philip II of Spain (after refusal, he sent the Armada to England, the matter ended complete defeat Spanish ships), Archduke Charles of Austria and Duke of Anjou.
Catherine II Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst-Everskaya is the real name of Empress Catherine II. Daughter of Prince Christian Augustus and Joanna Elizabeth. Some historians say that Sophia's real father was Frederick the Great. It was he who recommended Princess Sophia as a wife to the heir to the throne Peter, when he learned that Elizabeth Petrovna was looking for a bride for her son.
Thus, the German princess ended up at the Russian court. At baptism she received the name Catherine. She was trained best teachers so that she becomes a worthy wife to the Russian Emperor. Sophia (now Ekaterina) has mastered the Russian language perfectly, Russian history, the history of Orthodoxy and sought to learn as much as possible about Russia, which she perceived as a new homeland.
In 1762, Catherine organized a palace coup and overthrew Peter III, becoming empress. The time of her reign is called the “golden age of the Russian nobility.” Catherine was a supporter of the Enlightenment, loved to read French educators and corresponded with many of them, including Voltaire.
Under Catherine, favoritism reached its peak. Her favorites included Prince Potemkin, Zavardovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. There were 21 official favorites in total. She helped each of them make a career.
But almost everyone, after the termination of relations, was either expelled from Russia without the right to return, or dismissed, or, on Catherine’s orders, close favorites were mutilated.
One of these people was Alexander Mamonov. He fell in love with Princess Elizaveta Shcherbatova and intended to marry, which he reported to Catherine. Catherine agreed, arranged a luxurious wedding, and two weeks later ordered the soldiers to take revenge on Mamonov. He was tied to a chair and gagged, and the soldiers abused the young countess, after which they whipped her until she was completely deformed. Lizanka miraculously survived. Count Mamonov took his sick wife abroad, never to return to Russia again.
Evita Peron (real name Maria Eva Ibarguren Duarte de Peron) went down in history as the wife of President Juan Peron and the first lady of Argentina.
They met in 1944 at a charity event in the city of San Juan. The evening was dedicated to the earthquake victims. That evening, Evita approached Colonel Peron and told him the words that changed her life. “Colonel,” she said, touching his sleeve. - What do you want, girl? - he said without turning his head. - Thank you for existing.
It started with these three words new life Evita Peron. It is then that the colonel will understand what kind of woman he got - fanatically devoted to him and his ideas, the “mother” of the Argentine people.
Evita had enormous power over Juano Peron - it was she who insisted that he become head of government. After painstaking work, in 1946 Juan Peron actually became President of Argentina. As First Lady, she was extremely popular among the poor and disadvantaged.
De jure she did not hold a single position in the government apparatus; de facto she was the Minister of Health and Labor. Evita worked like a clock, helping her husband retain the presidency. The foundation she headed built schools, hospitals, nursing homes and housing. She perceived the Argentine people as her children. Probably because she couldn’t have them due to illness.
After Evita's death, Juan Perón's political fortunes turned away. The rating was rapidly falling, the dictatorship of the president set teeth on all levels of society, and without the support of his wife he did not last long. In 1955, three years after Evita’s death, a coup took place in the country and Juan Peron hastily left the country that his wife loved so fanatically.
Lola Montes
The life of this femme fatale was short - only 40 years. Over the years, she managed to conquer Franz Liszt, Honore de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas Sr., and was able to become the favorite of the Bavarian king Ludwig I, for the sake of Lola he abandoned the throne.
Lola Montez's real name is Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert. Her parents moved to India, where her father was to serve. In India he contracted cholera and died. Elizabeth's mother did not grieve for long and married the commander, James Craigie, and Elizabeth was sent to James's relatives in Scotland. Years in someone else's family, and later in a boarding house, turned out to be a difficult ordeal for the girl. Having grown up, Elizabeth ran away from the boarding house with Lieutenant Thomas James to Ireland, and from there to India.
Thanks to her natural charm and artistry, she was able to attract the attention of the elite in Calcutta, but this was not enough for her. In India she took dance lessons. Later, Elizabeth went to England to visit her husband's relatives, but on the way she met Lord Lenox, and never returned to India. The flighty beauty went to Seville, Spain, to continue her dance training. Like Mata Hari, she invented a past for herself - now she was a Spanish widow and took the pseudonym Lola Montes.
In June 1843, Lola made her debut in London on the stage of the Royal Theatre. Incendiary Spanish dances coupled with the erotic movements of the East caused a storm of delight. Future life Lola Montes resembles a kaleidoscope. Her phrase “What Lola wants, Lola gets” became a catchphrase. What did the young girl want? Of course, money beautiful life and glory. At different times, Franz Liszt and Balzac were among her fans, and one of the best theater critics in France died in a duel because of Lola, having managed to draw up a will in her name. After this incident, Lola Montes had to leave France and she goes to Bavaria.
Ludwig I, King of Bavaria, was captivated by Lola's beauty and spontaneity. Just 6 weeks after they met, he gives her a luxurious mansion, and she walked with a cigar through the streets of the capital of Bavaria, trying to equalize men and women with her example.
In February 1848, Lola paid for her behavior. A crowd of students attacked her, but Lola, threatening them with a pistol, miraculously escaped. For the sake of his beloved, Ludwig could not come up with anything better than closing the university. There were a lot of dissatisfied people, Ludwig canceled the decree, and on March 19, 1848 he renounced the crown in favor of his son Maximilian.
Queen Margo
Marguerite de Valois, French princess, daughter of King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici.
Queen Margot - Beautiful lady Renaissance. Beautiful, smart, educated and with a sense of humor. The wife of Henri de Bourbon, their union was supposed to cement the two French royal houses, and ease tensions between Catholics and Huguenots. At the wedding, which took place in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the groom was forced to stand outside because he was not a Catholic. Six days later, Catholics begin to massacre the Huguenots in protest.
Lan Ke (Empress Cixi)
The girl was born in 1835 into a noble but impoverished Manchu family. At birth she was given the name Lan'er (Orchid). The life story of the empress, who elevated the eunuch Li Lianying and ruled giant China with an iron fist for almost half a century, resembles more a myth than real biography. By the end of her life, her full official title was: Merciful, Happy, Beneficent, Gracious, Main.
Lan Ke was known as a beauty; her typically Manchu appearance was complemented by her lively personality. As a concubine of the fifth, lowest rank, she was able to become the Empress of China. Lan Ke knew how to take advantage of her unenviable position.
Receiving little money, Lan Ke spent it on singing, drawing, and other lessons. most gave it to the eunuch Li Lianying, who helped her in the palace. Eventually, she attracted the attention of Emperor Sanfen, and became the chief concubine. She entered into the confidence of the Emperor's first wife Tsi'an. But Lan Ke's position was still precarious, and she decided to strengthen it by giving birth to a boy, Tongzhi. But this was not enough for the ambitious Cixi.
During the Opium Wars, the emperor, Qian and Cixi hid in the provinces, fearing persecution by enemy troops. There was an accident with Xiangfeng, which Cixi is blamed for. While walking on the lake, Xianfeng was getting into Cixi's boat and "accidentally" fell into the water. After this he fell ill and died.
From this moment on, Cixi becomes the regent of Tongzhi. In 1837, Tongzhi dies (the murder was organized by Cixi) and Lan Ke achieves his goal - to become the sole ruler of the Chinese Empire.
Usually, when mentioning the cruelty of monarchs, only male names, But..
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But history knows facts about rulers whose names have become synonymous with fury and mercilessness.
This review features 5 women's historical figures, remembered for their cruel acts.
Duchess Olga
IN AND. Surikov. Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor.
Duchess Olga. Ruled Rus' in the 10th century. She is remembered for her categorical revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband, Prince Igor.
After the murder of the prince, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to her with a proposal for a future marriage with their prince Mal. The chronicle indicates that Princess Olga ordered the matchmakers, along with the boat on which they arrived, to be thrown into a hole and buried alive.
The vengeful widow did not stop there. She immediately asked me to send her best husbands Drevlyans, they willingly agreed. Upon arrival, the guests were invited to swim in the bathhouse, where everyone was burned.
Then the princess went to the place of her husband’s death in order to, according to custom, perform a funeral rite - a funeral feast. About 5 thousand drunk Drevlyans were killed.
And to complete her revenge after winning the battle with the Drevlyans, Olga, instead of tribute, asked the residents of Iskorosten for three doves and a sparrow from each yard. Having left the city, Olga gave the order to tie a piece of sulfur to each bird and release it. Of course, the birds returned home and the city burst into flames.
Bloody Mary (Mary I Tudor)
Queen of England Mary I Tudor.
Mary I Tudor History remembers it more as Bloody Mary. In England, not a single monument was erected to her, and the people of the country celebrated the day of her death as a national holiday.
The merciless queen was known as a fanatical Catholic fighting against Protestants. Maria mocked noble people she disliked with particular cruelty, cutting off their genitals and then forcing them to eat them. After this, the queen herself watched as the victims, tortured half to death, were burned at the stake.
During the reign of Bloody Mary, more than 3,000 clergy were deprived of their positions, and another 300 lost their lives at the stake. During the uprisings, people were tortured, beheaded, and burned. Many fled outside England. All the atrocities committed by Maria I stopped only with the onset of her death.
Chinese Empress Ci Xi
Chinese Empress Ci Xi, who reigned for 50 years.
An intelligent, perspicacious and merciless woman was able to go from a low-ranking concubine to an empress. Tsy Xi. A 16-year-old girl weaved intrigues, bribed eunuchs and did not disdain anything in order to get into the chambers of the Chinese emperor.
After the birth of the heir (according to some versions, who was not even their son at all), Ci Xi immediately took the leading place in the harem, despite the fact that the ruler already had a wife. Over time, the woman strengthened her influence on the emperor and informally took part in the government of the country.
After his death, Ci Xi became regent. The woman brutally suppressed uprisings and pursued an aggressive policy towards neighboring and Western countries. Rumor has it that the empress had many young lovers, whom she ordered to kill after the nights spent. Over the course of 50 years of rule, this woman ruined the country and left only negative memories of herself.
Isabella of Castile - Queen Inquisitor
Isabella of Castile. 1490
She zealously supported the medieval struggle against heresy in the 15th century Isabella of Castile(ruler of Castile and Leon, which later became part of Spain).
During the years of her reign, the Queen-Inquisitor “gave the go-ahead” to the burning of more than 10,000 people and the torture of almost 100,000 more. As the ruler herself noted, all her deeds were committed in the name of faith, for which she was nicknamed Isabella the Catholic.
Landowner Daria Saltykova
Sadistic landowner Daria Saltykova.
Although this woman was not one of the rulers, the extent of the crimes she committed was enormous. landowner Daria Saltykova(Saltychikha) personally tortured to death several dozen serfs.
Having become a widow at the age of 26, Daria Nikolaevna received 600 serfs into her possessions. Soon she began to have fits of uncontrollable anger. The landowner often beat her maids with a log, allegedly for misconduct. In addition, Saltychikha starved people, burned their hair, and left them naked in the cold.
Numerous complaints from people about her atrocities had no response from the authorities, since the landowner generously paid off. Only when Catherine II ascended the throne was Saltykova’s case set in motion.
It was established that 138 peasants were tortured in her village, most of whom the landowner killed herself. The empress changed her death sentence to eternal exile to the Ivanovo Convent. Did not enter the room where Daria Saltykova was placed sunlight, and she was not allowed to talk to anyone.
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