Royal marriages were generally pre-arranged, and the success of the union could be something of a lottery given the rampant inbreeding, political factions and intrigues of court life. Nonetheless, a number of royal consorts made names for themselves through brilliance, ruthlessness or chance. Infamy seems easier to come by than glory, and this list might help you understand why the shrewd Queen Elizabeth I was happy to remain a virgin queen. | |
1. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-)
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on 10 June 1921) is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He is the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the oldest-ever male member of the British royal family. But that doesn’t make Prince Philip any less prone to making mistakes in public. Notorious for his outspoken opinions and making all sorts of funny but cringeworthy gaffes, he is loved and loathed in equal measure. Despite avoiding large-scale scandals, he unwillingly attracted controversy when Mohammed al-Fayed accused him of orchestrating the car crash that killed his ex-daughter-in-law, Diana and al-Fayed’s son, Dodi. Most recently the Prince caused a stir by asking a group of women at a community centre in London who they sponge off. Incredulous British citizens were quick to point out the hypocrisy of this statement, however harmless its intention, coming from a man whose entire lifestyle is funded by the public. During the same week, he also impatiently snapped at a photographer at an RAF commemoration, prompting laughter. After all this is a guy well into his nineties and maybe people should leave him alone, but that doesn’t necessarily justify a lifetime of sexist and racist insults. Does he even know what he’s doing? Whatever the answer, his buffoonery has provided the perfect foil to his wife’s straight-laced demeanor, infuriating and entertaining the masses for more than sixty years.
2. Marie Antoinette (1755-1793)
The extravagant queen might have been infamous, but she really wasn’t that bad. Marie Antoinette became synonymous with decadence and the unfortunate focal point for the French Revolution.
As the fifteenth child of prodigious procreators Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, at 14-years-old she was shipped off to France for a politically motivated wedding and became the Queen Consort of France in 1774. She was completely different from her husband, it was like the hottest cheerleader in the team had met the geekiest boy in the school. Seven years into their marriage it was discovered that they hadn’t actually had sex because they didn’t know how to… that’s how clueless they were (seven years!). Marie Antoinette’s brother was dispatched to act as a kind of Habsburgian Dr Phil, clearly his advice worked and she went on to have four kids. Though the royal couple became closer, Marie Antoinette was plagued by gossip and scandals, which she chose to ignore. Meanwhile, outside the palace gates France was growing restless and had chosen its scapegoat. Dubbing her “Madame Deficit” she was blamed for all the country’s misfortunes and her family paid for it with their lives. Despite the indignities heaped upon her before her death – she was even falsely accused of sexually abusing her own son – she went to the guillotine calmly. Marie Antoinette has been forever immortalised as the symbol of class conflict.
As the fifteenth child of prodigious procreators Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, at 14-years-old she was shipped off to France for a politically motivated wedding and became the Queen Consort of France in 1774. She was completely different from her husband, it was like the hottest cheerleader in the team had met the geekiest boy in the school. Seven years into their marriage it was discovered that they hadn’t actually had sex because they didn’t know how to… that’s how clueless they were (seven years!). Marie Antoinette’s brother was dispatched to act as a kind of Habsburgian Dr Phil, clearly his advice worked and she went on to have four kids. Though the royal couple became closer, Marie Antoinette was plagued by gossip and scandals, which she chose to ignore. Meanwhile, outside the palace gates France was growing restless and had chosen its scapegoat. Dubbing her “Madame Deficit” she was blamed for all the country’s misfortunes and her family paid for it with their lives. Despite the indignities heaped upon her before her death – she was even falsely accused of sexually abusing her own son – she went to the guillotine calmly. Marie Antoinette has been forever immortalised as the symbol of class conflict.
3. Jang Ok-Jeong (1659-1701)
Little known in the West, Jang Ok-Jeong is the most infamous female of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty and she was the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom. She is only known to be a first cousin once removed of a tradesman named Jang Hyeon and no records of who her father was. However, there are rumors that her father was Jo Sa-seok ( Queen Dowager Jaeui's second cousin), because Ok-jeong's mother (Madame Yoon) was his well known mistress.
She was a lady-in-waiting for the Queen Dowager and having caught King Sukjong’s eye, Lady Jang became his concubine. The court was rife with political factions and this led her into constant conflict with Queen Inhyeon and the King’s mother.The King was delighted when she gave birth to his first son and she was elevated to the title Jang Hui Bin (Royal Noble Consort) securing her child’s future as King Gyeongjong. However, she became jealous and tyrannical, which was somewhat of a turn off for the King. She succeeded in usurping the Queen for just five years before the tide turned against her and suspected of murdering Queen Inhyeon – well it doesn’t look good when you’re caught shooting arrows at an effigy of your rival, whilst praying for her death, in a shamanistic temple made for that purpose – she was executed with poison. Sukjong finally realized that even the most powerful man in the kingdom could not outwit ambitious femme fatales, so he passed a decree prohibiting future concubines from becoming Queens Consort.
Nevertheless, since she was the mother of the Crown Prince, she was given the posthumous title "Lady Oksan, Great Concubine of the Palace".
She was a lady-in-waiting for the Queen Dowager and having caught King Sukjong’s eye, Lady Jang became his concubine. The court was rife with political factions and this led her into constant conflict with Queen Inhyeon and the King’s mother.The King was delighted when she gave birth to his first son and she was elevated to the title Jang Hui Bin (Royal Noble Consort) securing her child’s future as King Gyeongjong. However, she became jealous and tyrannical, which was somewhat of a turn off for the King. She succeeded in usurping the Queen for just five years before the tide turned against her and suspected of murdering Queen Inhyeon – well it doesn’t look good when you’re caught shooting arrows at an effigy of your rival, whilst praying for her death, in a shamanistic temple made for that purpose – she was executed with poison. Sukjong finally realized that even the most powerful man in the kingdom could not outwit ambitious femme fatales, so he passed a decree prohibiting future concubines from becoming Queens Consort.
Nevertheless, since she was the mother of the Crown Prince, she was given the posthumous title "Lady Oksan, Great Concubine of the Palace".
4. Guildford Dudley (1535-1554)
Guildford Dudley is England’s most forgotten male consort, perhaps because he was only in that role for nine days. Husband to 15-year-old Lady Jane Grey, the tragic figure of Tudor History, he is famous for being an all round good-for-nothing, spoiled brat. Perhaps modern accounts have been a little unfair to Dudley since he was just as much a victim of his family’s machinations as Jane was, but he had the completely opposite personality to his intelligent and calm young wife. He was handsome but vacuous, more interested in power than politics or religion, a kind of 16th century version of Shrek’s Prince Charming.
Whilst Jane was reluctant to claim the crown after her cousin Edward’s death, Jane’s new hubby took to the role straight away, insisting on being called King, despite his wife’s flat refusal. He threw a hissy fit, after all, he was the arrogant son of the most powerful man in England, the Duke of Northumberland, and used to getting his own way. Despite their initial rocky start the couple became close after they lost power and were sentenced to death in what could be called an intense week by anyone’s standards. An inscription of the name ‘Jane’ was found engraved in the wall of his prison chamber, hopefully dedicated to his Mrs and not his mother who had the same name!
Whilst Jane was reluctant to claim the crown after her cousin Edward’s death, Jane’s new hubby took to the role straight away, insisting on being called King, despite his wife’s flat refusal. He threw a hissy fit, after all, he was the arrogant son of the most powerful man in England, the Duke of Northumberland, and used to getting his own way. Despite their initial rocky start the couple became close after they lost power and were sentenced to death in what could be called an intense week by anyone’s standards. An inscription of the name ‘Jane’ was found engraved in the wall of his prison chamber, hopefully dedicated to his Mrs and not his mother who had the same name!
5. Roxelana (1502-1558)
The Ottoman Empire had it’s own femme fatale to contend with. Roxelana was the Cinderella of the Harem; she entered Suleiman the Magnificent’s harem at the age of 15 as a Ukrainian slave and rose through the ranks to become his wife. She gained the nickname Hurrem meaning “Joyful One” for her high spirits and storytelling abilities and it is thought that the Sultan fell in love with her for her character as much as her beauty.Roxelana instantly became the object of Suleiman’s infatuation, attracting the jealousy of rivals, not least Mahidevran who was his senior consort and mother to the Sultan’s heir. At times the harem must have resembled The Real Housewives of New Jersey as the tensions mounted and finally an incident turned physical resulting in Mahidevran’s banishment from the palace along with her son Mustafa. The way was now clear for Roxelana to cement her grip on power and she went about manipulating the Sultan, effectively becoming his chief minister and has been blamed for the murders of Grand Vizier Ibrahim and Mustafa (who was way too popular for her comfort) in order to secure the throne for her own sons. More shockingly, Suleiman became monogamous. In an astonishing break from tradition, she even convinced him to liberate and marry her, as concubines were seen as property and could not marry until set free. It was a canny move as it meant her sons became the legal heirs, though it was her daughter Mihrimah who did the most for the family name.
6. Anne Boleyn (1501-1536)
Anne Boleyn is the Tudor consort everyone still talks about, though she was already infamous by the time she became Henry VIII’s second queen. Known by Catherine of Aragon’s many supporters as a harlot and a “goggle-eyed whore”, her detractors also liked to point out probably imaginary defects like a sixth finger on her hand, mole on her neck, and other attributes of a witch. By all accounts she was more striking than beautiful and her dark eyes were the stuff of legend, she must have had something about her for Henry to choose her over her sister, his previous mistress who was considered the beauty of the family. Henry was certainly a smitten kitten, his courtship of Anne lasted longer than their tempestuous marriage. As an intelligent, spontaneous and feisty woman, Anne was an unlikely feminist for her times. The opinionated diva just couldn’t stay in her place – the area where consorts do embroidery with their ladies-in-waiting and nod their head in agreement to everything a man says – which was exciting in a mistress but a PR disaster as a wife. The fact that she didn’t produce a male heir sealed her fate, at that point it didn’t matter if the rumors about her affairs were true. In May 1536 the mole on her neck became the least of her worries as an executioner removed it from her once and for all. Anne left an impressive legacy, she was the direct cause of excommunication from the Catholic Church and brought Britain a reformed religion and she was mother to the legendary Queen Elizabeth I.
7. Isabella of France (1295-1358)
Isabella known in Medieval Europe as the “She-Wolf of France”, was Queen of England and the wife of Edward II. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre. Queen Isabella was notable at the time for her beauty, diplomatic skills, and intelligence.. She was the only Queen of England to have ordered the execution of the King. The probleme was that Edward II was famously handsome and he also had predilection for men, expecially for one of his noblemen, Piers Gaveston.
The queen arrived in England at the age of 12 and she supported Edward during these early years, forming a working relationship with Piers and using her relationship with the French monarchy to bolster her own authority and power. After the death of Gaveston at the hands of the barons in 1312, however, Edward later turned to a new favourite, Hugh Despenser the younger, and attempted to take revenge on the barons, resulting in the Despenser War and a period of internal repression across England. Isabella could not tolerate Hugh Despenser and by 1325 her marriage to Edward was at a breaking point.Travelling to France under the guise of a diplomatic mission, Isabella began an affair with Roger Mortimer, and the two agreed to depose Edward and oust the Despenser family. The Queen returned to England with a small mercenary army in 1326, moving rapidly across England. The King's forces deserted him. Isabella deposed Edward, becoming regent on behalf of her son, Edward III. Many have believed that Isabella then arranged the murder of Edward II. Isabella and Mortimer’s regime began to crumble, partly because of her lavish spending, but also because the Queen successfully, but unpopularly, resolved long-running problems such as the wars with Scotland.
In 1330, Isabella’s son Edward III deposed Mortimer in turn, taking back his authority and executing Isabella’s lover. The Queen was not punished, however, and lived for many years in considerable style—although not at Edward III’s court—until her death in 1358. Isabella became a popular "femme fatale" figure in plays and literature over the years, usually portrayed as a beautiful but cruel, manipulative figure.
The queen arrived in England at the age of 12 and she supported Edward during these early years, forming a working relationship with Piers and using her relationship with the French monarchy to bolster her own authority and power. After the death of Gaveston at the hands of the barons in 1312, however, Edward later turned to a new favourite, Hugh Despenser the younger, and attempted to take revenge on the barons, resulting in the Despenser War and a period of internal repression across England. Isabella could not tolerate Hugh Despenser and by 1325 her marriage to Edward was at a breaking point.Travelling to France under the guise of a diplomatic mission, Isabella began an affair with Roger Mortimer, and the two agreed to depose Edward and oust the Despenser family. The Queen returned to England with a small mercenary army in 1326, moving rapidly across England. The King's forces deserted him. Isabella deposed Edward, becoming regent on behalf of her son, Edward III. Many have believed that Isabella then arranged the murder of Edward II. Isabella and Mortimer’s regime began to crumble, partly because of her lavish spending, but also because the Queen successfully, but unpopularly, resolved long-running problems such as the wars with Scotland.
In 1330, Isabella’s son Edward III deposed Mortimer in turn, taking back his authority and executing Isabella’s lover. The Queen was not punished, however, and lived for many years in considerable style—although not at Edward III’s court—until her death in 1358. Isabella became a popular "femme fatale" figure in plays and literature over the years, usually portrayed as a beautiful but cruel, manipulative figure.
8. Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204)
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe during the High Middle Ages and a member of the Ramnulfid dynasty of rulers in southwestern France. She became Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right while she was still a child, then later Queen consort of France (1137–1152) and of England (1154–1189). She was the patron of literary figures such as Wace, Benoît de Sainte-Maure, and Bernart de Ventadorn.
As Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, the charming and tenacious woman went on mother of eight children. Two of her sons would go on to rule England with the help of her political maneuvering: Richard the Lionheart and John of Magna Carta infamy. Not exactly the shy and retiring type, when her first husband Louis VII went on crusade, Eleanor decided to go with him taking along 300 maids in wagons, much to the Pope’s displeasure. Accused of incest with her uncle, the doomed two-year journey was the beginning of her estrangement from her husband, and their marriage was annulled a few years later. Wasting no time, thirty-year-old Eleanor married 18-year-old Henry Plantagenet Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou, who became King Henry II of England in 1154,, she’d already had a fling with his dad so she clearly had the royal inclination for keeping it in the family.
The marriage was tempestuous but fruitful; their offspring would rule in England and parts of Europe for the next 330 years. Eleanor died at the age of 82 having been involved in various revolts and intrigues (including against her husband and sons), travelled extensively and left a legacy of “courtly love” as part of her cultural renaissance.
As Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, the charming and tenacious woman went on mother of eight children. Two of her sons would go on to rule England with the help of her political maneuvering: Richard the Lionheart and John of Magna Carta infamy. Not exactly the shy and retiring type, when her first husband Louis VII went on crusade, Eleanor decided to go with him taking along 300 maids in wagons, much to the Pope’s displeasure. Accused of incest with her uncle, the doomed two-year journey was the beginning of her estrangement from her husband, and their marriage was annulled a few years later. Wasting no time, thirty-year-old Eleanor married 18-year-old Henry Plantagenet Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou, who became King Henry II of England in 1154,, she’d already had a fling with his dad so she clearly had the royal inclination for keeping it in the family.
The marriage was tempestuous but fruitful; their offspring would rule in England and parts of Europe for the next 330 years. Eleanor died at the age of 82 having been involved in various revolts and intrigues (including against her husband and sons), travelled extensively and left a legacy of “courtly love” as part of her cultural renaissance.
9. Wu Zetian (624-705)
Wu Zetian, the first and only Empress of China, was a consort twice before hitting the big time. She was originally a concubine to Emperor Taizong. When Taizong died and was succeeded by his heir Gaozong in 649, Wu already had her foot in the door. However, two women stood in her way: Empress Wang and Gaozong’s senior concubine, Consort Xiao. Clearing the way for her rise to power, Wu allegedly strangled her own infant daughter and blamed Wang, and it wasn’t long before she had her two rivals murdered in the most grisly way possible. Now she was Empress Consort her political career began in earnest, engineering treason charges for her opponents, summoning them to the throne room and making them kill themselves in front of her. She was living the Tang dynasty version of a Tarantino film. The Emperor started to get ill, (some historians believe Wu poisoned him) and when he died, she didn’t like her son’s way of doing thing so she reverted to tried and tested old habits by forcing him to commit suicide. Not impressed with her other son’s leadership either, she secured the help of her lover, a Buddhist monk, who had found a scroll asserting that the next Buddha would be female. That didn’t happen, but the self-appointed Empress Wu founded the Zhou dynasty.
10. Nefertiti (1370-1330 BC)
Nefertiti is the poster girl for hot young revolutionary queen consorts everywhere. As Pharaoh Akhenaten’s chief wife, she helped to establish the cult of Aten, the sun god, and promoted Egyptian artwork that was radically different from its predecessors. Nefertiti was one of the most powerful women to have ever ruled and her husband went to great lengths to demonstrate her as his equal. In many reliefs she is shown wearing the crown of the pharaoh, driving a chariot or smiting an enemy. Together they were Egypt’s most famous power couple, the Brangelina of their day. Other than smitin’ n’ fightin’, the good-looking queen (her name means “the beautiful one has come”) was future King Tutankhamun’s stepmother… kind of. In a set-up that was normal in those days, her husband started to take other wives, including his sister with whom he fathered the legendary King Tut. Nefertiti was as mysterious as she was beautiful, disappearing from all depictions after 12 years. Some scholars believe she died, while others speculate she was elevated to the status of co-regent, equal in power to the pharaoh, and began to dress herself as a man. Akhenaten was followed as pharaoh by Smenkhkare, who may have been Nefertiti, and the recent possible discovery her tomb supports this theory.
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