A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial
title of the
extramarital lover of a
monarch or an
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy,
companionship, and advice in return for security,
titles, money, honours, and an influential place at the
royal court. Thus, some royal mistresses have had considerable power, being the
power behind the throne.
The institution partly owes its prevalence to the fact that royal marriages used to be conducted solely on the basis of political and
dynastic considerations, leaving little space for the monarch's personal preferences in the choice of a partner.
The title of royal mistress was never official, and most mistresses had an official reason to be at the court, such as being a
lady-in-waiting or
maid-of-honour to a female member of the royal family or a
governess to the royal children. However, their real position was most often an
open secret,
and there was no real division between formal and informal political power in the early French court.
From the
15th century onward and most importantly in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, chief mistresses gained a semi-official title (
French: ''
maîtresse-en-titre'', literally "official mistress"), which came with its own assigned
apartments in the
palace. 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").
In
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, the children of mistresses were typically not included in the
line of succession, except when
secret marriages were alleged. They were however regularly given titles and high positions in the court or the army.
In Bavaria
*
Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig I ...
(1821–1861), mistress of
Ludwig I.
In Belgium
*
Arcadie Claret (1826–1897), mistress of
Leopold I;
*
Caroline Bauer (1807–1877), mistress of Leopold I;
*
Sybille de Selys Longchamps (born 1941), mistress of
Albert II;
*
Caroline Lacroix (1883–1948), mistress of
Leopold II.
In Bohemia
*
Agnes of Kuenring (circa 1236 – flourished 1261), mistress of
Ottokar II.
In Denmark
*
Sophie Amalie Moth
Sophie Amalie Moth, Countess of Samsøe (28 March 1654 – 17 January 1719) was the officially acknowledged royal mistress of King Christian V of Denmark. Together they had six acknowledged illegitimate children, all of whom bore the surname G ...
(1654–1719), mistress of
Christian V.
In England
*
Edith the Fair
Edith the Fair ( ang, Ealdgȳð Swann hnesce, "Edyth the Gentle Swan"; c. 1025 – c. 1066), also known as Edith Swanneck,Her first name is also spelled Ealdgyth, Aldgyth, ''Edeva'' or Eddeva, and sometimes appears as ''Ēadgȳð'' and ''Ēadgif ...
(circa 1025 – circa 1066), mistress or ''
more danico
The phrase ''more danico'' is a Medieval Latin legal expression which may be translated as "according to Danish custom", i.e. under Medieval Scandinavian customary law.
It designates a type of traditional marriage practiced in northern Europe d ...
'' wife of
Harold Godwinson;
*
Alice Perrers
Alice Perrers, also known as Alice de Windsor (circa 1348 –1400) was an English royal mistress, lover of Edward III, King of England. As a result of his patronage, she became the wealthiest and most influential woman in the country. She ...
(1348–1400), mistress of
Edward III;
*
Jane Shore (circa 1445 – circa 1527), mistress of
Edward IV;
*
Elizabeth Blount
Elizabeth Blount (// – 1540), commonly known during her lifetime as Bessie Blount, was a mistress of Henry VIII of England.
Early life
Blount was the daughter of Sir John Blount and Catherine Pershall, of Kinlet, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. S ...
(
circa 1498/
circa 1500/
circa 1502 – 1540), mistress of
Henry VIII;
*
Mary Boleyn (1499–1543), mistress of Henry VIII;
*
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key f ...
(1500/1501–1536), mistress and later wife of Henry VIII.
In France
*
Agnès Sorel (1422–1450), mistress of
Charles VII;
*
Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and famil ...
(1500–1566), mistress of
Henry II;
*
Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan
Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan (; Madame de Montespan; 5 October 1640 – 27 May 1707) was the most celebrated '' maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XIV, by whom she had seven children.Lisa Hilton, ''A ...
(1640–1707), mistress of
Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
;
*
Louise de La Vallière
Françoise ''Louise'' de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours, born Françoise Louise de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière, Mademoiselle de La Vallière (6 August 1644 – 7 June 1710) was a French noblewoman and the first mistress ...
(1644–1710) mistress of Louis XIV;
*
Isabelle de Ludres
Marie-Élisabeth "Isabelle" de Ludres, Marquess of Ludres (1647 – 28 January 1726) was a French noblewoman and lady-in-waiting, known for being the mistress of Louis XIV, King of France between 1675 and 1676.
Early life
Marie-Élisabeth ...
(1647–1726), mistress of Louis XIV;
*
Marie Angélique de Scorailles (1661–1681), mistress of Louis XIV;
*
Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), mistress of
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
;
*
Madame du Barry (1743–1793), mistress of Louis XV;
*
Marie Walewska (1786–1817), mistress of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
.
In Great Britain
*
Lucy Walter (circa 1630 – 1658), mistress of
Charles II;
*
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine (née Barbara Villiers, – 9 October 1709), was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of Eng ...
(1640–1709), mistress of Charles II;
*
Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth
Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth (5 September 1649 – 14 November 1734) was a mistress of Charles II of England.
Early life
Louise was the daughter of Guillaume de Penancoët, Seigneur de Kéroualle (d. 1690) ...
, mistress of Charles II;
*
Nell Gwyn (1650–1687), mistress of Charles II;
*
Moll Davis (circa 1648 – 1708) mistress of Charles II;
*
Hortense Mancini (1646–1699), mistress of Charles II;
*
Arabella Churchill (1648–1730), mistress of
James II;
*
Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester (1657–1717), mistress of James II;
*
Elizabeth Villiers (1657–1733), mistress of
William III;
*
Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, mistress of
George I;
*
Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, mistress of
George II;
*Mary Scott, Countess of Deloraine (1703–1744), mistress of George II;
*
Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth (1704–1765), mistress of George II;
*
Maria Fitzherbert (1756–1837), mistress of
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
;
*
Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey (1753–1821), mistress of George IV;
*
Grace Elliott
Grace Dalrymple Elliott (c. 1754 – 16 May 1823) was a Scottish courtesan, writer and spy resident in Paris during the French Revolution. She was an eyewitness to events detailed in her memoirs, ''Journal of my life during the French Revo ...
(circa 1754 – 1823), mistress of George IV;
*
Mary Robinson (1757–1800), mistress of George IV;
*
Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford (1759–1839), mistress of George IV;
*
Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham (1771–1861) mistress of George IV;
*
Dorothea Jordan (1761–1816), mistress of
William IV before his accession to the throne;
*
Lady Susan Vane-Tempest (1839–1875), mistress of
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second chil ...
;
*
Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923) mistress of Edward VII;
*
Lady Randolph Churchill (1854–1921), mistress of Edward VII;
*
Lillie Langtry (1853–1929), mistress of Edward VII;
*
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick (1861–1938), mistress of Edward VII;
*
Alice Keppel (1868–1947), mistress of Edward VII;
*
Agnes Keyser
Agnes Keyser, DStJ, RRC (11 July 1852 – 11 May 1941) was a humanitarian, courtesan and longtime mistress to Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom. Keyser was the wealthy daughter of a Stock Exchange member. She remained with the King un ...
(1852–1941), mistress of Edward VII;
*
Freda Dudley Ward (1894–1983), mistress of
Edward VIII;
*
Thelma Furness, Vicountess Furness (1904–1970), mistress of Edward VIII;
*
Wallis Simpson (1896–1986), mistress and later wife of Edward VIII;
*
Dale Tryon, Baroness Tryon (1948–1997), mistress of
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...
, then-
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...
;
*
Camilla (born 1947), mistress and later wife and Queen consort of
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...
, then-
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...
.
In the Habsburg monarchy
*
Katharina Schratt (1853–1940), mistress of
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until ...
.
*
Baroness Mary Vetsera (1871–1889), mistress of
Crown Prince Rudolf.
In Italy
*
Rosa Vercellana
Rosa Vercellana, 1st Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda (3 June 1833 – 26 December 1885), commonly known as ‘Rosina’ and, in Piedmontese, as La Bela Rosin, was the mistress and later wife of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy. Despit ...
(1833–1885), mistress and later wife of
Victor Emmanuel II
en, Victor Emmanuel Maria Albert Eugene Ferdinand Thomas
, house = Savoy
, father = Charles Albert of Sardinia
, mother = Maria Theresa of Austria
, religion = Roman Catholicism
, image_size = 252px
, succession ...
.
In Portugal
*
Maria Peres de Enxara (1210–1279), mistress of
Afonso III.
In Romania
*
Magda Lupescu (1899–1977); mistress and later wife of
Carol II.
In Russia
*
Anna Mons
Anna Mons (russian: Áнна Монс, link=no; 1 January 1672, Moscow – 15 August 1714) was a royal mistress of Peter the Great.
Royal mistress
In 1691, during one of his visits to the German Quarter, young Peter I of Russia became ena ...
(1672–1714), mistress of
Peter the Great;
*
Catherine I of Russia
Catherine I ( rus, Екатери́на I Алексе́евна Миха́йлова, Yekaterína I Alekséyevna Mikháylova; born , ; – ) was the second wife and empress consort of Peter the Great, and Empress Regnant of Russia from 1725 u ...
(1684–1727) mistress and later wife of Peter the Great;
*
Anna Lopukhina (1777–1805), mistress of
Paul I;
*
Maria Naryshkina (1779–1854), mistress of
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome
* Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of A ...
;
*
Catherine Dolgorukova (1847–1922), mistress and later wife of
Alexander II.
In Scotland
*
Margaret Erskine (1515–1572), mistress of
James V.
In Spain
*
Isabel Osorio (1522–1589), mistress of
Philip II;
*
Bárbara Rey (born 1950), actress, Miss Spain, vedette and mistress of
Juan Carlos I.
*
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (''née'' Larsen; born 28 January 1965) is a German-born Danish entrepreneur.
Early life
Corinna Larsen was born on 28 January 1964 in Frankfurt, Germany to a German mother, Ingrid Sauer, and a Danish father, ...
(born 1964), mistress of Juan Carlos I.
In Sweden
*
Hedvig Taube (1714–1744) mistress of
Frederick I.
In the Netherlands
*
Émilie Ambre (1849–1898), mistress of
William III.
See also
*
Concubinage
*
English and British royal mistress
*
Favourite
*
Issue (genealogy)
In genealogy and wills, a person's issue is all their lineal descendants.
Lineal descendants
''Issue'' typically means a person's lineal descendants—all genetic descendants of a person, regardless of degree. Issue is a narrower category than he ...
*
Legitimacy (family law)
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ' ...
*
List of French royal mistresses
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
Maîtresse-en-titre
*
Royal bastard
Reference
Further reading
*Friedman, Dennis. (2003). ''Ladies of the Bedchamber:The Role of the Royal Mistress.'' UK: Peter Owen Publishers.
* Powell, Roger. (2010). ''ROYAL SEX: Mistresses and the Lovers of the British Royal Family. ''Amberley.
*Carlton, Charles. (1990). ''Royal Mistresses.'' Routledge.
*Cawthorne, Nigel. (1994). ''The Sex Lives of the Kings and Queens of England: from Henry VIII to the present day.'' Prion.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Mistress
History of Europe