Why did kings have so many mistresses?

It was pretty common for kings to have a mistress in those days, in part because marriages were arranged for political gain and not personal companionship.

Which king had the most mistresses?

King Charles II was famous for his womanising, having more mistresses than any other monarch during his reign.

Why could kings have mistresses but queens couldn t?

Love between husband and wife was a desirable outcome, but not a necessity. Now a king might take a mistress, and there was very little his wife could do. A queen could usually *not* take a lover, since that would call into question the legitimacy of any children she might bear.

Were any kings faithful to their wives?

It's impossible to say for certain, but William I, Edward I and George III are believed to have been completely faithful to their wives. Henry VI similarly chose not to stray but seems to have had relatively limited interest in his wife, to the extent that her pregnancy reportedly came as a surprise to him.

Why did French kings have official mistresses?

The purpose of royal mistresses emerged due to the fact that a king's marriage was for political purposes only. However, many kings defied this expectation by marrying their mistresses. Usually, this was done as a morganatic marriage, which meant that the woman couldn't acquire the title of Queen Consort.

What Happened To His Mistresses & Children?

Did medieval kings sleep around?

Such fascination with the alleged sexual exploits of political leaders is often assumed to be a modern phenomenon: modern voters like their politicians to be faithful to their wives, but medieval kings could have as many mistresses and bastards as they pleased. Many medieval rulers did enjoy extremely active sex lives.

What are a king's mistresses called?

A chief mistress was also sometimes called a maîtresse déclarée, or "declared mistress". An unacknowledged, less important royal lover was known as a petite maîtresse ("little mistress").

What is a female king called?

A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns suo jure (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king; or a queen regent, who is the guardian of a child monarch and rules pro ...

What is a kings second wife called?

King Henry IV and King James II had first wives who died before they became king so their second wives were their Queen Consort.

Did kings sleep with brides?

While the symbolic right appears to have existed, no firm evidence suggests the physical practice of taking a bride's virginity on her wedding night ever actually occured in antiquity.

How common were STDs in medieval times?

Before the advent of modern medicine, people's lack of awareness and understanding of STDs contributed to the widespread transmission of the infections while few or no treatments were available to treat the conditions. In medieval times, syphilis and gonorrhoea were two of the most prevalent STDs in Europe.

What did men wear to bed in medieval times?

The night shirt was once simply a shirt. And the shirt was an undergarment. In medieval times, the absence of vests and underpants meant that the long shirt served as the base layer: all things to all men as it were.

Why was Louis wife unpopular with the people of France?

She was married to the future King Louis XVI of France when she was just fourteen. Marie Antoinette soon became unpopular, gaining a reputation for excessive spending on fashion, gambling and other indulgences. It was also rumoured, when she gave birth to her first child in December 1778, that Louis was not the father.

Why didn't Louis XVI consummate his marriage?

Seven years after their wedding, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette had still not consummated their marriage. The queen had abandoned the marriage bed because the king, who suffered from phimosis, could not 'honour' her, and she drowned her boredom in entertainment and games.

What did the French do to their royals?

France's monarchy ended with the French Revolution.

The monarchy was then formally abolished in 1792. King Louis and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were imprisoned and eventually executed by guillotine.

Which king married with her mother?

Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Homer related that Oedipus's wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death.

Did kings and queens sleep in the same bed?

Within this hallowed bedroom would be a grand sized bed that, oddly, would not serve as the king and queen's actual bed. In fact, the king and the queen often had their own separate bedrooms, and this bed would only be used for official royal business.

Which king married with his sister?

Akhenaten first married Nefertiti, who was renowned for her great beauty, but had no sons so he then married his sister in an effort to have a son. Hawass said it would take several months to reveal more details about the identity of the Tutankhamun's mother.

How common was it for kings to have mistresses?

It was pretty common for kings to have a mistress in those days, in part because marriages were arranged for political gain and not personal companionship.

Why can't you touch the royal family?

Why can't you touch the royal family? Although there is no formal law that forbids future monarchs from showing affection, Queen Elizabeth II set a precedent that encouraged royals to keep their hands to themselves. This is why you rarely see Prince William and Kate Middleton smooching in public, or even holding hands.

Did kings ever marry their daughters?

To keep the royal bloodline pure, kings often married within their family, a sister or half sister, for example. In a few cases, they married their daughters, although it is not clear whether or not these marriages were true conjugal unions.

Who was the most promiscuous king?

The most promiscuous monarch of modern times was Edward VII, the son of Queen Victoria, famous for being the longest-serving Prince of Wales owing to his mother's longevity.

Who was the kindest king of all time?

Æthelstan (king of England, 925–939)

It is difficult to be certain about the personality of figures from so long ago, but accounts of Æthelstan suggest that he was of devout Christian faith and showed compassion and charity to all.

Who was the cruelest king of all time?

How many concubine can a king have?

The former were chosen to become concubines after formal processes, like queens, among daughters of noble classes. The latter were selected from among court ladies. King Taejong laid the foundation of the system of concubines so that a king could have three gantaek concubines.