A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial
title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
of the
extramarital lover of a
monarch
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
or an
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy,
companionship, and advice in return for security,
title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
s, money, honours, and an influential place at the
royal court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...
. 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
A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
or
maid-of-honour to a female member of the royal family or a
governess
A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...
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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, 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, 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.
Lists of royal mistresses
*
List of French royal mistresses
*
List of Russian royal mistresses and lovers
*
List of Swedish royal mistresses
Austria
* Margareta von Edelsheim (d.1522) and Anna von Helfenstein, mistresses of
Maximilian I
*
Johanna van der Gheynst (1505-1541) and
Barbara Blomberg (1527-1597), mistresses of
Charles V
*
Kateřina Stradová (1568-1629), mistress of
Rudolf II
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...
*
Maria Wilhelmina von Neipperg (1738-1775), mistress of
Francis I
* Livia Raimondi, mistress of
Leopold II
*
Katharina Schratt (1853–1940) and
Anna Nahowski (1860-1930), mistresses of
Franz Joseph I
*
Mizzi Kaspar (1864-1907) and
Baroness Mary Vetsera
Baroness Marie Alexandrine "Mary" von Vetsera (19 March 1871 – 30 January 1889) was an Austrian nobility, Austrian noblewoman and the Mistress (lover), mistress of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria. Vetsera and the crown prince were found dead ...
(1871–1889), mistresses of
Crown Prince Rudolf
Belgium
*
Caroline Bauer (1807–1877) and
Arcadie Claret (1826–1897), mistresses of
Leopold I
*
Caroline Lacroix (1883–1948), mistress of
Leopold II
*
Sybille de Selys Longchamps (born 1941), mistress of
Albert II
Denmark
*
Helena Guttormsdotter (fl. 1205), mistress of
Valdemar II
*
Cecilia
Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.
History
The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for g ...
(d. aft. 1459), mistress and later wife of
Eric of Pomerania
*
Edele Jernskjæg (d. 1512), mistress of
John I
*
Dyveke Sigbritsdatter (1490-1517), mistress of
Christian II
*
Karen Andersdatter (d. 1673),
Vibeke Kruse (d. 1648) and
Kirsten Madsdatter (d. 1629), mistresses of
Christian IV
*
Anne Lykke (1595-1641), mistress of
Crown Prince Christian
*
Margrethe Pape (1620-1684), mistress of
Frederick III
*
Sophie Amalie Moth (1654–1719), mistress of
Christian V
*
Charlotte Helene von Schindel (1690 - 1752), mistress of
Frederick IV
*
Charlotte Amalie Winge (fl. 1766) and
Else Hansen (1720-1784), mistresses of
Frederick V
*
Støvlet-Cathrine (1745-1805), mistress of
Christian VII
*
Frederikke Dannemand (1792-1862), mistress of
Frederick VI
*
Louise Rasmussen (1815-1874), mistress and later wife of
Frederick VII
Egypt
*
Bilistiche (b.280BCE), mistress of
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
*
Agathoclea (247-202/3BCE), mistress of
Ptolemy IV Philopator
Ptolemy IV Philopator (; "Ptolemy, lover of his Father"; May/June 244 – July/August 204 BC) was the fourth pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 221 to 204 BC.
Ptolemy IV was the son of Ptolemy III and Berenice II. His succession to the throne was ...
*
Barbara Skelton (1918-1996), mistress of
Farouk
Germany
*
Bianca Lancia (1210-1248), mistress and possible last wife of
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI, Holy Roman ...
*
Clara Elisabeth von Platen (1648-1700), mistress of
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover
*
Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz (1675-1694), mistress of
John George IV, Elector of Saxony
*
Wilhelmine Dorothee von der Marwitz (1718-1787), mistress of
Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
* Katharina Werner, mistress of
Louis I, Grand Duke of Baden
*
Karoline Jagemann (1777-1848), mistress of
Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Bavaria
*
Aleid van Poelgeest (1370-1392), mistress of
Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
*
Agnes Le Louchier (1660-1717), mistress of
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
*
Maria Caroline Charlotte von Ingenheim (1704-1749), mistress of
Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
*
Josepha von Heydeck (1748-1771), mistress of
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
*
Diana Rabe von Pappenheim (1788-1844), mistress of
Jérôme Bonaparte
*
Lola Montez (1821–1861), mistress of
Ludwig I of Bavaria
*
Jane Digby (1807-1881), mistress of
Ludwig I of Bavaria and his son
Otto of Greece
Otto (; ; 1 June 1815 – 26 July 1867) was King of Greece from the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed in October 1862.
The second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ott ...
Brunswick
*
Eva von Trott (1505-1567), mistress of
Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
*
Anna Rumschottel (fl.1528), mistress of
Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
*
Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse
Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse (3, 7 or 9 January 1639 – 5 February 1722), was a French noblewoman, who became firstly the mistress and later wife of George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, George William of Brunswick, Duke of Lauenburg and P ...
(1639 - 1722), mistress and later wife of
George William, Duke of Brunswick
*
Maria Antonia Branconi (1746-1793), mistress of
Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick
Hesse
*
Barbara Christine von Bernhold (1690-1756), mistress of
Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
*
Helena Martini (1728-1803), mistress of
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis VIII (German: ''Ludwig''; 5 April 1691 – 17 October 1768) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1739 to 1768. He was the son of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Margravine Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
...
*
Charlotte Christine Buissine (1749-1781),
Rosa Dorothea Ritter (1759-1833), and
Karoline von Schlotheim (1766-1847), mistresses of
William I, Elector of Hesse
Prussia
*
Catharina von Wartenberg (1674-1734), mistress of
Frederick I
*
Wilhelmine, Gräfin von Lichtenau (1753-1820), mistress of
Frederick William II
Württemberg
*
Wilhelmine von Grävenitz (1684-1744), mistress and bigamous wife of
Erbhard Louis
*
Countess Franziska von Hohenheim (1748-1811), mistress and wife of
Charles Eugene
Italy
*
Rotruda of Pavia (d.945), mistress of
Hugh of Italy
*
Isabella Boschetti (b.1502), mistress of
Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua
*
Claudia Colla (d.1611), mistress of
Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma
Ferrara
*
Stella de' Tolomei (d.1419), mistress of
Niccolò III d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara
*
Laura Dianti (d.1573), mistress of
Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara
Milan
*
Agnese del Maino (1411-1465), mistress of Duke
Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447) was the duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan from 1412 to 1447. Reports stated that he was "paranoid", but "shrewd as a ruler." He went to war in the 1420s with Romagna, Republic of Florenc ...
*
Giovanna d'Acquapendente, mistress of Duke
Francesco I Sforza
*
Lucrezia Landriani, mistress of duke
Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Naples
*
Lucrezia d'Alagno (1430-1479), mistress of
Alfonso V of Aragon
*
Trogia Gazzella (1460-1511), mistress of
Alfonso II of Naples
Alfonso II (4 November 1448 – 18 December 1495) was Duke of Calabria and ruled as King of Naples from 25 January 1494 to 23 January 1495. He was a soldier and a patron of Renaissance architecture and the arts.
Heir to his father Fe ...
Florence
*
Lucrezia Donati (1447-1501), mistress of
Lorenzo de' Medici
Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (; 1 January 1449 – 9 April 1492), was an Italian statesman, the ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic, and the most powerful patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Lore ...
*
Fioretta Gorini (1453-1478), mistress of
Giuliano de' Medici
Giuliano de' Medici (28 October 1453 – 26 April 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty) and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. As co-ruler of the Florentine Republic, with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, he complemented his broth ...
*
Taddea Malaspina (1505-1559), mistress of
Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence
*
Bianca Cappello (1548-1587), mistress and later wife of
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Savoy
*
Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes (1670-1736), mistress of
Victor Amadeus II
*
Anna Canalis di Cumiana (1680-1769), mistress and later wife of
Victor Amadeus II
*
Laura Bon (1825-1904), mistress of
Victor Emmanuel II
*
Rosa Vercellana (1833–1885), mistress and later wife of
Victor Emmanuel II
*
Eugenia Attendolo Bolognini (1837-1914), mistress of
Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I (; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination in 1900. His reign saw Italy's expansion into the Horn of Africa, as well as the creation of the Triple Alliance (1882), Triple Alliance a ...
Norway
*
Tora Mosterstong, mistress of
Harold Fairhair, mother of
Haakon the Good
*
Borghild Olavsdotter (fl.1115), mistress of
Sigurd the Crusader
*
Bjaðǫk, 12th century mistress of
Harald Gille, mother of
Eystein II of Norway
*
Inga of Varteig (1183/5-1234/5), mistress of
Haakon III, mother of
Haakon IV
Poland
*
Sulisława (d.1294) mistress and later wife of
Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerania
*
Esterka mistress of
Casimir III the Great. He married another mistress:
Krystyna Rokiczana (d.1365)
*
Katarzyna Telniczanka (1480-1528), mistress of
Sigismund I the Old
*
Barbara Radziwiłł (1520-1551), mistress and later wife of
Sigismund II Augustus
*
Urszula Meyerin (1570-1635), mistress of
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632
N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...
*
Jadwiga Łuszkowska (1616-1648) and
Rozyna Małgorzata von Eckenberg (1625-1648), mistresses of
Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and claimant of the thrones of Monarchy of Sweden, Sweden and List of Russian monarchs, Russia. Born into the House of Vasa as a prince ...
*
Marie Françoise Catherine de Beauvau-Craon (1711-1786), mistress of
Stanisław Leszczyński
*
Magdalena Agnieszka Sapieżyna (1739-1790) mistress, and
Elżbieta Szydłowska (1748-1810), possible wife of
Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...
Augustus II the Strong
* 1694–1696 Countess
Maria Aurora von Königsmarck
* 1696–1699 Countess
Anna Aloysia Maximiliane von Lamberg
* 1698–1704
Ursula Katharina of Altenbockum, later Princess of
Teschen
* 1701–1706
Maria Aurora von Spiegel
* 1704–1713
Anna Constantia von Brockdorff, later Countess of Cosel
* 1706–1707
Henriette Rénard
* 1708
Angélique Debargues, French dancer and actress
* 1713–1719 Maria Magdalena of Bielinski, Countess of Dönhoff then Princess Lubomirska
* 1720–1721 Erdmuthe Sophie of Dieskau and of Loß
* 1721–1722 Baroness Kristiane of Osterhausen and of Stanisławski
Portugal
*
Madragana (b.1230), mistress of
Afonso III
*
Inês de Castro (1325-1355), mistress and later wife of
Peter I
*
Teresa Lourenço (b.1330), mistress of
Peter I, mother of
John I
* Inês Peres, mistress of
John I
* Maria Soares da Cunha, mistress of
Alfonso V
*
Brites Anes (b.1460) and
Ana de Mendonça (1460-1542), mistresses of
John II
* Francisca Clara da Silva and Maria da Cruz Mascarenhas, mistresses of
Peter II
*
Paula de Odivelas (1701-1768) and
Luísa Clara de Portugal (1702-1779), mistresses of
John V
*
Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos (1797-1867), mistress of
Pedro I of Brazil
''Don (honorific), Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of ...
*
Gaby Deslys (1881-1920), mistress of
Manuel II
Romania
*
Doamna Velica (fl. 1601), mistress of
Michael the Brave
Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...
*
Marițica Bibescu (1815-1869), mistress and later wife of
Gheorghe Bibescu, Prince of Wallachia
*
Elena Văcărescu, (1864-1947), mistress of
Ferdinand I
*
Magda Lupescu (1899–1977), mistress and later wife of
Carol II
Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, ...
.
Spain
*
Aldonza Ruiz de Ivorra (1454-1513), mistress of
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...
*
Isabel Osorio (1522–1589) and
Eufrasia de Guzmán (fl.1592), mistresses of
Philip II
*
María Calderón (1605-1678) and María Manrique, mistresses of
Philip IV
*
María del Pilar Acedo y Sarriá (1784-1869), mistress of
Joseph Bonaparte
*
Elena Sanz (1844-1898), mistress of
Alfonso XII
*
Carmen Ruiz Moragas (1898-1936), mistress of
Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...
*
Bárbara Rey (b.1950) and
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (b.1964) mistress of
Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...
Castile and León
*
Jimena Muñoz (d.1128), mistress of
Alfonso VI of León and Castile
Alfonso VI (1 July 1109), nicknamed the Brave (''El Bravo'') or the Valiant, was king of Kingdom of León, León (10651109), Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia (10711109), and Kingdom of Castile, Castile (10721109).
After the conquest of Toledo, Spai ...
*
Gontrodo Pérez (1105-1186), mistress of
Alfonso VII of León and Castile
*
Rahel la Fermosa (1165-1195), mistress of
Alfonso VIII of Castile
Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (El Noble) or the one of Las Navas (el de las Navas), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at Alarc ...
*
Urraca López de Haro (1160-1230), mistress and later wife of
Ferdinand II of León
*
Aldonza Martínez de Silva (d.1236), mistress of
Alfonso IX of León
Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death.
He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the University of Salaman ...
*
Mayor Guillén de Guzmán (1205–1262), mistress of
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...
*
Eleanor de Guzmán
Leonor (Eleanor) de Guzmán y Ponce de León (1310–1351) was a Castilian noblewoman. After about 1330, she became the long-term mistress and favourite of Alfonso XI, with whom she had the illegitimate son Henry "the Fratricidal", future first ...
(1310-1351), mistress of
Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ...
*
María de Padilla (1334-1361), mistress and posthumous wife of
Peter of Castile
Sweden
*
Hedvig Taube (1714–1744), mistress of king
Frederick I of Sweden
Frederick I (; 28 April 1676 – 5 April 1751) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1720 until his death, having been prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and was also Landgrave of Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Kassel fr ...
United Kingdom
*
Ehrengard Melusine von der Schulenburg, mistress of
George I
*
Henrietta Howard, mistress of
George II
*
Dorothea Jordan, mistress of
William IV before his marriage and accession
*
Freda Dudley Ward and
Thelma, Viscountess Furness, mistresses of
Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
*
Camilla Shand, mistress, and later wife and queen, 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.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
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 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...
*
Maria Fitzherbert
*
Mary Robinson
*
Frances Twysden
*
Grace Elliott
*
Isabella Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford
*
Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second child ...
*
Hortense Schneider
*
Giulia Beneni
*
Susan Pelham-Clinton
*
Lillie Langtry
Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer.
Born on the isla ...
*
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick
*
Agnes Keyser
*
Alice Keppel
Alice Frederica Keppel (''née'' Edmonstone; 29 April 1868 – 11 September 1947) was an aristocrat, British society hostess and a long-time mistress (lover), mistress of King Edward VII.
Keppel grew up at Duntreath Castle, the family seat of ...
*
Lady Randolph Churchill
Other countries
*
Eudokia Angelina (1173-1211), mistress and later Empress of
Alexios V Doukas of Byzantium.
*
Agnes of Kuenring (circa 1236 – flourished 1261), mistress of
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278 ...
*
Barbara Edelpöck (d. 1495), mistress of
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
*
Angelitha Wass (d. aft. 1521), mistress of
Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia
*
Marietta de Patras (d.1503), mistress of
John II of Cyprus
*
Fotini Mavromichali (1826-1878), mistress of
Otto of Greece
Otto (; ; 1 June 1815 – 26 July 1867) was King of Greece from the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed in October 1862.
The second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ott ...
*
Émilie Ambre (1849–1898), mistress of
William III of the Netherlands
William III (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk''; English: ''William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis''; 19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until ...
*
Katarina Konstantinović (1848-1910), mistress of her cousin
Mihailo Obrenović, Prince of Serbia
*
Draga Mašin (1867-1903), mistress and later wife of
Alexander I of Serbia
*
Marie Juliette Louvet (1867-1930), mistress of
Louis II of Monaco
See also
*
Concubinage
Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
*
Favourite
A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In Post-classical Europe, post-classical and Early modern Europe, early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated signifi ...
*
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 '' ...
*
Maîtresse-en-titre
*
Royal bastard
A royal bastard is a child of a reigning monarch born out of wedlock. The king might have a child with a Mistress (lover), mistress, or the legitimacy of a marriage might be questioned for reasons concerning succession.
Notable royal bastards in ...
References
Further reading
* 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. .
* Friedman, Dennis (2003). ''Ladies of the Bedchamber:The Role of the Royal Mistress''. UK: Peter Owen Publishers. .
* Hermann, Eleanor (2004). ''Sex with Kings:500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge''. USA: HarperCollins Publishers.
* Powell, Roger (2010). ''ROYAL SEX: Mistresses and the Lovers of the British Royal Family''. Amberley. .
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History of Europe