#royal mistress

[jeannepompadour]

Portrait of Louise de Keroualle by Simon Verelst, late 17th century

[venicepearl]

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey (née Twysden; 25 February 1753 – 23 July 1821) was a British Lady of the Bedchamber, one of the more notorious of the many mistresses of King George IV when he was Prince of Wales, "a scintillating society woman, a heady mix of charm, beauty, and sarcasm".

[classic-art-favourites]

Sketch for a Portrait of Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher, 1750.

[you-belong-among-wildflowers]

Notorious Women - The de Nesle Women

It is perhaps unsurprising that the daughters of Armande Félice de La Porte Mazarin would go on to live equally infamous lives. Armande was well-known throughout the French aristocracy for challenging the Vicomtesse de Polignac to a duel for daring to sleep with her lover. Of her six daughters, four would go on to become the mistress to Louis XV. Though the sisters were once close in their youth, jealousy would ultimately tear them apart. The tension came to a head when Marie Ann forced the King to banish her sister, Louise, from court. Before retiring to a convent , Louise, was last seen on her knees begging the Louis XV to reconsider. Marie Ann would later face criticism for reportedly forcing her sister, Diane, to participate in three ways with herself and the King.

[thaliajoy-blog]

The nine mistresses of Aegon IV. The letter A can stand both for Aegon...or for Adultery, like the famous Scarlet Letter.

They're all inspired by portraits or pop representations of royal mistresses - notable exceptions being Megette and Bellegere.

The position of the letter "A" on these ladies is important as to what relationship they had with Aegon.

Falena's is on display on a pretty ornate necklace but also half-hidden by her bodice - a sign of both pride and of an attempt at discretion.

Megette's is on her belt - quasi a sign of possession on Aegon's part ; it's also on her belly (and Megette is the woman who gave him the most children). That relationship was probably one of the most unequal he had, since she wasn't a noble and was kept by him in a place, until she was sent away by Viserys.

Cassella's in on a choker around her neck - this relationship was also unequal and possibly non consenting, since she was a hostage at court and he kept her in his own chambers. Cassella came back traumatized from the experience and seemed to have been mad and delusional for the rest of her life. So a relationship that "chocked" her.

Completely different for Bellegere Otherys ; she wasn't a court mistress but an independant woman with a ship and a business, and she had other lovers besides Aegon - so the letter "A" is set on a necklace that hangs from her belt, showing her casual attitude to him.

Both Barba Bracken and Melissa Blackwood wear it around their neck, but around a loose string : they are openly royal mistresses and have a relative control over their position (it doesn't choke them).

Bethany Blackwood's is on a necklace close to her neck, with several string. Bethany was groomed into her position and had great expectations put on her, and she ultimately tried to get free when she had her affair with the kingsguard Terence Toyne. Her necklace represents that relation she didn't want and which emprisoned and chafed her.

Jeyne Lothston was also a pretty young girl when she became Aegon's mistress (she was fourteen), and there are some disturbing things about this, like the possibility that he was her father (by his first mistress Falena Stokeworth), and even that Aegon bedded the both of them together. So the "A" letter is very close to her throat,hanging from a collar that is tight around it, and accompanied by the same bat brooch her mother wore.

Serenei of Lys' necklace with the "A" is rather loose and falls on her stomach : Serenei is a woman in control of her relationship and not "chocked" by it (she was also thought to be older than Aegon & a sorceress like her daughter Shiera) - but she does die in childbirth as a result of the relationship.

[millamountbatten]

Alice Keppel (née Edmonstone), a mistress to King Edward VII and the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla.

(late 1890s - early 1900s)

[henryfitzempress]

Favorite royal mistress: Alice Perrers.

[lechatdenuit]

Napoléon & Maria Walewska / 3

Napoléon ve Maria'nın ilişkisi kesinlikle olabilecek en kötü şekilde başlamıştı. Fakat Napoléon'un yaptığı bu korkunç şeye rağmen, Maria zamanla ona gerçekten aşık oldu. Bu kötü başlangıca rağmen ilişkileri oldukça romantik bir şekilde ilerliyordu. Maria Napoléon'u yaptığı herşeye rağmen affetti ve kendisini onun için feda etti.

Maria, artık ülkesi için değil, sadece Napoléon'un sevgisi için yaşıyordu.

Napoléon da onu çok seviyordu. Hayatında ilk defa bir kadının onu prestiji, şöhreti, maddiyatı veya gücü için değil, gerçekten kendisi olduğu için sevdiğini hissediyordu. Maria'nın fedakar ve sevgi dolu kişiliği onu derinden etkilemişti. İlk defa bu denli masumiyet dolu bir kadınla ilişki yaşıyordu.

Napoléon şüphesiz sevilmesi zor bir karakterdi. Özellikle kadınlara karşı acımasızdı. Fakat Maria, belki saflığından, belki fedakarlığından bu vahşi adamı tüm kalbiyle sevmiş ve onu bazı konularda değiştirebilmek için elinden geleni yapmıştı.

Napoléon ona birbirinden güzel hediyeler gönderiyor, onu bir zamanlar Joséphin'e yaptığı gibi aşk mektuplarına boğuyordu.

Napoléon ile neredeyse tüm kıta Avrupasını dolaştılar. Maria, bu adamın diğer metreslerinden farklıydı. Çok daha ayrı bir yeri vardı. Hatta Napoléon gittiği yerlerde onu Polonyalı karısı olarak tanıtıyordu. Tabi ki bunlar bizim biricik keyf-i hatunumuz olan Joséphin'in kulağına çoktan gitmişti.

Napoléon imparatoriçesine kendisinin hayatındaki tek değerli kadın olduğunu söylese de kurnaz Joséphine olanları çoktan anlamış ve Varşova'ya gelebilmek için kocasına mektup yazmıştı. Fakat Napoléon Polonya başkentinin biricik karısı için fazla soğuk olduğunu savunarak bunu reddetmişti. Joséphine ise yeni rakibi hakkındaki herşeyi açıkça takip ediyordu.

Bu sırada Maria Napoléon'dan hamile kaldı. İmparator, sevgilisinin en iyi şartlarda bakılması için onu Paris'e yolladı. Fakat Maria düşük yaptı. Bu yıkıcı olaydan sonra, neşesinin biraz olsun yerine gelebilmesi için Napoléon'a Avusturya'da eşlik etti.

Bu süre içinde Napoléon artık büyük aşkı Joséphine'den boşanmaya karar vermişti. Ona bir varis doğurabilecek, soylu bir kadın arıyordu.

Maria'nın kocası ve arkadaşları bu durumu ögrenince, onun imparatoriçe olabilme şansını hayal ettiler. Kim bilir, belki Napoléon Polonya'yı bırakın özgür kılmayı, İmparatoriçesinin memleketi olarak maddi desteğe bile boğabilirdi.

Maria de biraz olsun ümitlenmiş ve Napoléon'un karısı olmanın hayallerini kurmaya başlamıştı.

Avusturya'dayken Maria yine hamile kalmıştı. Bu sefer oğlu Alexandre doğmuştu.

Maria artık imparatorun sadece en sevdiği metresi değil, ikinci çocuğunun annesiydi. Bu çocuğu imparatoriçe Joséphine de şahsi olarak görmüştü. Joséphine, artık Napoléon ile olan ilişkilerinde Maria'nın varlığını tamamıyla kabullenmişti.

Maria ise Joséphin'e düşmanlık beslemiyor, aksine saygı duyuyordu. Fakat bu onu Napoléon'u sevmekten ve kıskanmaktan alıkoymuyordu.

Onun en büyük hayali umutsuz olsa da, bir gün Napoléon ile evlenebilmekti.

Fakat Napoléon hiç de Maria ile evlenmek istermiş gibi görünmüyordu.

Joséphine ile ona delicesine aşık olduğu için evlenmişti. Fakat bir imparator olarak bir dahaki evliliği, soylu ve politik koşullarca uygun olmalıydı. Maria gibi bir kontesle değil, eğer olabilirse bir prenses ile evlenmek istiyordu.

Bunun için Rus Çarı Aleksander'a danışmış, uygunsa çarın neredeyse çocuk yaşta olan kız kardeşi ile evlenmek istediğini belirtmişti. Fakat çar oldukça inatçıydı. Napoléon'a kısa bir süreliğine büyük bir sempati duymakla beraber, ona kardeşini vermemeye kararlıydı. Annesine danışacağını söylemiş, sonra annesi de bu duruma karşı gelince konu kapanmıştı.

Fakat Çar bunu Napoléon'a söylemeye kalmadan, Napoléon Avusturyalı imparatorun kızı olan prenses Marie Louise ile düğün hazırlıklarına başlamıştı bile.

Peki ya Walewska?

[calisources]

𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒, 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒.

All sentences have been taking from different media and literature, movies and more regarding the topic of mistresses and favorites, mostly in the setting of royal court but can also be adjusted to other time periods. Change names, pronouns, locations as you see fit. Some of these include foul language, so beware. Implications of cheating are also in these.

You are my king, Niko, and I need you.

Everything I say is obeyed; everything I want is given to me.

You are such hard work to seduce, Niko.

She wanted to sit ON him, not next to him.

Never underestimate the power of a woman's intuition.

Behind every great king, there is a great queen. And behind them, there is a mistress.

The King is allowed to have as many favorite as he pleases.

A queen is never without her secrets.

A woman's beauty is her greatest weapon, use it wisely.

Rules are meant to be broken, especially by queens.

Queens do not beg for love, they command it.

Have as many bedwarmers as you wish, but I am your wife and you will not humiliate me.

A queen's grace can disarm her enemies.

He will grow tire of you, as he does with the others.

Having an ugly mistress is therefore a fatal mistake.

When a man takes a mistress, he doesn't turn around and divorce his wife.

Finding out that you are not your lover’s only lover hurts.

But a mistress can do interesting thing with food. Shall I describe them?

You will come back to the castle with me.

I-I'm not your responsibility.

You are mine. They gave you to me, remember? And I want to keep you. 

Your Grace---I am a virgin.

I realize that, and it pleases me. You do not doubt that I can be gentle with you?

They say you grow tire after the first night. No mistress last longer than a night with the king.

I know what you are trying to do, but do not think to take the King away from me. Let him play with you.

Done being sore yet, by chance?

From a mistresses’s perspective, taken men are low maintenance. All they want is sex, sex, sex. 

Do not take it harshly. It’s only flesh. And a body wants what it wants.

Kings have mistresses, Queens have secrets and they die with them.

To be the mistress of a married man is to have the better role.

The role of a mistress if make a man’s mood change and send him happy to his wife.

Don't be mad at a hoe for doing what she does best, besides it's not her that owes you that loyalty.

It was not a request. I will take you to bed and make you mine.

My wife has no interest in my bed, butb I assure you, my bed has interest in you.

 Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men's nurses. 

I don't want her to know the truth about us.

They know about us and they do not care. My wife does not mind to share.

As long as I do my duty, I am allowed to do who I please.

This absurd jealousy.

A mistress should be like a little oasis, refreshing and exciting, away from the mundane realities of life

The bedchamber is where political alliances are sealed, and where empires are born.

A king may rule a nation, but a woman's allure can conquer the king.

Behind every great king, there are the whispers of his mistresses.

The allure of a mistress lies not only in her beauty, but in her ability to manipulate.

A mistress must be both lover and confidante, juggling passion and secrecy.

In the court of kings, a mistress can become more powerful than a queen.

He is one of his favorites, and everyone knows it. You must become his favorite too.

In the arms of a mistress, a king can escape the weight of his crown.

I want more than this. You cannot offer me more than secret meetings and a warm bed. People whisper.

You can be my wife here. 

If I desire to marry someone else, would I be allowed or you would not let me?

I'll take you as my only mistress. I won't have a thought or an affection for anyone else.

I call Mary my English mare, because I ride her so often.

He cannot give you his true heart... for *I* have that in my keeping.

You can't have 3 people in a marriage!

Seduce me. Write letters to me. And poems, I love poems. Ravish me with your words. Seduce me.

You've taken her honor!

I swear to your grace, someone else was there before me.

They say all his liaisons are soon over. He blows hot, he blows cold.

Sometimes I believe you will grow tire of me. But then I find you here in my bed.

If I cannot please the King, will he kill me?

You must not touch me, for Caesar’s I am.

Everyone knew she was his queen and wife in anything but name.

You will have this orgasm if it’s the last thing I do.

What happened to the art of seduction? A woman enjoys being seduced.

I will not be the laughing stock of the realm. A woman who can only be a lover, never a wife.

I found her a very beautiful young woman with a very sweet and yielding disposition, She confessed to great admiration for Your Majesty. Should I, arrange ...?

If you put the Queen aside for this affair, the kingdom will fall apart.

If you seek Your Grace, you know where to find him.

I trust his mistress more than I trust any man on this table.

My husband is extremely jealous. Wants me sent to a nunnery.

I am with child. It is His Majesty's child.

Slow down so I can see how you do it.

Think of this as training. For your future husband’s pleasure. And mine.

should like to be your wife in every way.

I was wondering if you'd like to become my mistress.

You like to board other men's boats.

You know perfectly well what the King desires and what he shall have.

I saw with my own eyes how attentive he is to you.

My only satisfaction is that in frustrating you, I hasten your fall from the King's good graces.

Any man is weak against a maiden’s magic. Alluring and sweet. Like spring.

I make you this promise. When we are married, I will deliver you a son.

I have yet to decide whether to make your bedmate a head shorter.

So you can have your lovers and I have my own, but at the end, we return to one another. 

If you are not careful and a bastard is conceived, you will be ruined.

Everything will change for her. That kiss is her destiny and fortune.

So, what about this girl, this putain, the king's whore? Why doesn't somebody just get rid of her?

Have any of the women you've bedded with lied about their virginity?

Pretty, witty Nell, don’t forget you are mine until I say so.

Do you seriously expect me to be the first Prince of Wales in history not to have a mistress?

I will teach you many things, how to please a man and in turn, you will be my eyes and ears in court.

I thought you wished for us to be over.

How can I when you plague my mind at every turn.

Let me have you, at least once. Many women would consider it an honor.

[venicepearl]

Luísa Clara de Portugal (known as "a Flor da Murta" 1702–1779) was a Portuguese courtier. She was the royal mistress of King John V of Portugal, with whom she also had a child, Maria Rita Gertrudes de Portugal. Two novels have been written about her.

[classic-art-favourites]

Madame du Barry by Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, 1782.

[crossdressingdeath]

I really feel like male Robin should've been allowed to S support Chrom. Not even for gay reasons (...a little for gay reasons), just because the concept of Robin being Chrom's not-so-secret lover who everyone politely ignores (because really if it wasn't for the necessity of a legal heir Chrom would never have gotten married to anyone else so the queen went into this knowing that she was never going to be Chrom's actual love so it's not really cheating anyway) delights me. As does the concept of Lucina never being told about this and going back in time and seeing them and just going "...This answers so many questions". Imagine what that would be like. Not only is the Antichrist a really nice guy but he is also sleeping with your dad and apparently everyone except you knew this, including your mother, who is really shockingly okay with this situation. Now you're even more conflicted about killing him.

[hiraeth-doux]

so the royals allowed the gossip mill to run wild for weeks, throwing the sick woman under the bus, huh? nice, classy

[wonder-worker]

"[Alice Perrers] requested that she be buried in the parish church of Upminster, St Laurence, before the altar of the Virgin Mary. Alice seems to have had an affinity with Mary through her life; a seal of hers from c. 1374 shows an image of the Virgin Mary and child, her tabernacle seized in 1377 had an image of the Virgin Mary on it, and now she wished to be buried before Mary’s altar."

-Gemma Hollman, "The Queen and the Mistress: The Women of Edward III"

[racefortheironthrone]

did the madam mistresse- the ones with the title gifted by the king- of French court have her own ladies? Separate to the queen

If you're referring to the maitresse-en-titre, I don't think so. Quite often, she was one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting.

But I would ask @goodqueenaly for more on this.