20 Mistresses Who Held Powerful Kings in Their Grasp

Madame de Pompadour, the official mistress of King Louis XV, was effectively the ruler of France. She managed the king’s schedule, selected his inner circle, and employed the most famous thinkers and artists of the European Enlightenment. She continues to influence French culture today through the architecture and porcelain she commissioned during her lifetime.

King Henry II of France was so devoted to this woman that he wore her colors—black and white—for most of his adult life. Although she was much older than him, she held a position of authority that completely overshadowed his actual queen, Catherine de’ Medici. She was the one who handled the royal correspondence and even signed official documents under the joint name “Henri-Diane.”

Everyone knows that Henry VIII dismantled the Catholic Church so he could marry Anne Boleyn. But she didn’t just sit around waiting for him to come to her; she stood her ground to secure the throne. Pragmatism forced Henry to reorganize England’s government and religion to meet Anne’s demands.

Born into a modest background, she became Louis XV’s last mistress and restored the French court’s sense of fun and scandal. The king was so captivated by her beauty and charm that he ignored the protests of his daughters and the high nobility. She lived in incredible luxury at Versailles, proving that a woman with enough wit could climb every rung of the social ladder.

This Irish dancer convinced Louis I of Bavaria that she was a Spanish countess. In reality, she used her influential position as a mistress to promote liberal causes. The local residents eventually turned against her and staged riots to protest her influence.

As King Edward III grew older, he fell completely under the spell of this cunning woman, who essentially took control of the royal household. She was accused of sitting alongside the judges and influencing legal matters to serve her own financial interests. Her hold over him was so absolute that she is said to have even removed the rings from the king’s fingers while he lay on his deathbed.

Nicknamed the “queen without a crown,” Barbara controlled the court of Charles II for more than a decade. Known for her fiery temper, she got everything she wanted from Charles. Her many children were granted titles and wealth that surpassed her own.

She was the first woman to be officially recognized as a royal mistress at the French court, in the service of King Charles VII. Her influence helped the king regain his confidence and drive the English out of France at the end of the Hundred Years’ War. She also set a daring fashion trend by wearing low-cut dresses that left very little to the imagination of the courtiers.

Henry IV was so captivated by this woman that he considered annulling his marriage so that she could become queen. Estrées helped keep her husband steady during one of the most violent Wars of Religion France had ever seen.

Even the formidable Napoleon Bonaparte met his match when he fell in love with this Polish noblewoman during his campaigns in Eastern Europe. She used her relationship with the emperor to advocate for the independence and protection of her beloved homeland. Although he had many affairs, she was one of the few who truly won his heart and remained faithful to him, even during his exile.

Nell Gwyn, an English orange seller who became a theater star, was one of Charles II’s favorites. Gwyn steered clear of court politics but fought to keep England close to its people. Charles’s last words were to ensure that Nell would receive the best care after he was gone.

This Venetian woman, who was a fugitive, became Grand Duchess of Tuscany after winning the heart of Francesco I de’ Medici. Their relationship was shrouded in mystery and scandal, with many believing she used black magic to keep the duke under her spell. They ultimately died within hours of one another, leading many to suspect a dramatic plot involving a double poisoning.

King Edward IV kept her as his favorite mistress, and she was said to be “as wise and gracious as she was beautiful.” Jane used her position to ask Edward to spare the lives of those who had fallen out of his favor. After Edward’s death, she was persecuted for her involvement in the dynastic civil war in England.

Sent by the King of France to spy on the court of Charles II, she eventually became one of the English monarch’s most loyal mistresses. She was extremely skilled at political maneuvering and ensured that England’s foreign policy was often aligned with French interests. Her rivals at court hated her for her Catholic faith and her obvious influence over the king’s decisions.

Louison Philips began her life as a devout Catholic but became Louis XIV’s most famous mistress after ousting his former mistress. Her salon was a popular gathering place for some of France’s brightest minds. She gave birth to seven children, who were later legitimized, but she fell from grace after her assassination attempt failed.

Although she was not a mistress in the traditional sense of the word, her relationship with King Edward VIII was so strong that it sparked a constitutional crisis. The king was so determined to be with her that he chose to give up the entire British Empire rather than live without her. This remains one of the most famous examples of a man whose heart completely took precedence over his royal duties.

The Queen of France may have been famous, but it was her friends who ran the royal court. Throughout her life, Marie Antoinette chose favorites who helped her control access to the king. These women wielded immense power through their gifts and favors, which aroused resentment among the other nobles.

One of the famous Mazarinettes, she was a woman with a fiery temperament who eventually became Charles II’s mistress after fleeing an abusive marriage in France. She was known for dressing as a man and for being a champion fencer and gambler. Her presence at court was a constant source of excitement and drama, as she refused to conform to the traditional rules imposed on women.

Probably one of the most powerful women of all time, she began her life as a slave in the Ottoman Empire. She so captivated Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent that she became his lawful wife. Historians broke with tradition by allowing her to remain in the palace with her husband.

Aspasia was the mistress of the ancient Greek leader Pericles. Instead of settling for being merely a decorative mistress, she studied rhetoric and became one of the wisest women in Athens. It is said that she was so intelligent that philosophers like Socrates would visit her home just to hear her speak.