Jump to content

Royal mistress

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 109.252.100.41 (talk) at 05:33, 16 October 2021 (→‎Sweden). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A royal mistress is the historical position of a mistress to a monarch or an heir apparent. Some mistresses have had considerable power; such mistresses have sometimes been referred to as the "power behind the throne". The prevalence of the institution can be attributed to the fact that royal marriages were until recent times 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.

In European history the children of mistresses were not typically included in the line of succession, except perhaps when secret marriages were alleged. During the Monmouth Rebellion, for example, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth supported his claim to the thrones of England and Scotland by alleging that his mother had been secretly married to Charles II.

Royal mistresses in English history

Royal mistresses in Scottish history

Royal mistresses in British history

Royal mistresses in European history

Belgium

France

Russia

Spain

Sweden

=== Austria

Italy

Netherlands

  • Alicia von Bielefeld (Netherlands)
  • Hélène Grinda (Netherlands)
  • Susanna Diehl (Netherlands)
  • Keetje van Raamsdonk (Netherlands)
  • Dorothea van Dijck (Netherlands)
  • Willemijn Hendriks (Netherlands)
  • Klaasje Vos (Netherlands)
  • Hendrica Maria Bohnenkamp (Netherlands)
  • Gerritje te Hope (Netherlands)
  • Charlotte de Muynck (Netherlands)
  • Lena van Staalduinen (Netherlands)
  • Aaltje de Leeuw (Netherlands)
  • Willemina Baauw (Netherlands)
  • Amalia Veronica van Appel (Netherlands)
  • Paulina Susanna Cornelia Hoynck van Papendrecht (Netherlands)
  • Maria Johanna Liebertina Temminck (Netherlands)
  • Willemina Martina (Mien) Wenneker (Netherlands)
  • Nel Timmermans (Netherlands)
  • Elisabeth van Bork (Netherlands)
  • Geertrude Duplessis (Netherlands)
  • Sophia Teixeira de Mattas (Netherlands)
  • Alice Louise van Hemert (Netherlands)
  • Fien de la Mar (Netherlands)
  • Mies van Bemmel (Netherlands)
  • Johanna van Gelder (Netherlands)
  • Émilie Ambre (Netherlands and Luxembourg)
  • Juliane Karoline Philippine Baronnesse von der Goltz (Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mary Scott". Oxford dictionary of national biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 5 May 2010.

Further reading

  • Friedman, Dennis. (2003). Ladies of the Bedchamber:The Role of the Royal Mistress. UK: Peter Owen Publishers. ISBN 0-7206-1244-6
  • Powell, Roger. (2010). ROYAL SEX: Mistresses and the Lovers of the British Royal Family. Amberley. ISBN 1-84868-212-3
  • Carlton, Charles. (1990). Royal Mistresses. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-00769-6
  • Cawthorne, Nigel. (1994). The Sex Lives of the Kings and Queens of England: from Henry VIII to the present day. Prion. ISBN 1-85375-139-1