Today we wind back the clock to scrutinize some of the most infamous love stories from old times. Even though the past can hardly show us many sugar-coated romances, it holds some painful affairs for sure. Many are the examples of mad love stories which were neither warmly celebrated nor moral at all.  Indeed, Percy Shelley’s scandalous affair with a young girl absolutely shocked the society back in the day. The great poet even tried to trick her into running away with him. And just like any wicked fairy tale, Mary’s stepmother was an evil woman who refused to pay for her education. Surely, this is hardly the only dramatic love story that rose to notorious fame.

King Henry VIII and his countless mistresses are a fitting example of the perfect immorality and shamelessness at that time. Needless to say,  there are even more instances of wrongful affairs or audacious love triangles than you could ever imagine. Surely, Marilyn’s romance with JFK is barely the most extravagant story. From Percy Shelley’s drama with the 15-year-old Mary to King Henry VIII and his hundreds of lovers, today we’ll be traveling back in time to examine more closely the most eccentric romances.

15. King Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn

Well, King Henry VIII led such an outrageous life filled with a whole lot of women as well. Indeed, King Henry was happily married to the wonderful and decent Catherine of Aragon. Unfortunately, Catherine couldn’t give him heirs. All of her pregnancies resulted in stillbirths or spontaneous abortions. And as you may suspect, King Henry VIII had to secure the throne with a true male heir. On the other hand, Ms. Anne Boleyn was a beautiful young lady who seemed to fill the bill. What’s quite interesting is that Anne refused to become his mistress. And so, King Henry annulled his marriage to his first lawful wife, Catherine of Aragon. All in all, Henry had many other women in his life as a good part of them met their deaths as well.

14. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles

The melodramatic love triangle including Prince Charles, his gorgeous wife, Diana, and his mistress Camilla Parker Bowles was quite a complicated scheme. According to rumours, Prince Charles never loved his wife as they barely knew each other. Charles’ obligation as a prince didn’t allow him to marry a woman with a previous sexual knowledge. We’re sure that you can do the math on your own. Diana was a perfect match for him that could fit the bill..and she did. Eventually, there was a storm brewing in their relationship as Charles started cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend Camilla. Indeed, Diana’s horrifying accident allowed Charles and Camilla to finish what they had started.

13. Marilyn Monroe and JFK

Needless to say, Marilyn and JFK’s affair is absolutely one of the most scandalous romances of all time. Rumor has it that their first encounter wasn’t actually at the party dinner held in New York. Anyway, the amazing Marilyn was invited to the special event to honor the President John F. Kennedy. Indeed, Marilyn was late as always but she wasn’t really bothered at all. As a matter of fact, she enjoyed being anticipated no matter the event. All in all, Marilyn’s appearance at the party made the guests stop breathing as she cut the crowd in halves while walking through the fancy hall. Well, it would be safe to say that JFK was pretty excited to meet such a gorgeous blonde in person. Frankly, Kennedy was probably the greatest connoisseur of the woman’s beauty anyway.

12. Antony and Cleopatra

The legendary “Antony and Cleopatra” – isn’t that the greatest love triangle ever? Obviously, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and their spouses had similar interests outside of the great Antony and Cleopatra masterpiece. Perhaps they enjoyed the company of one another so much that they fell for the wrong person. Well, Elizabeth Tayler’s reputation wasn’t a positive one for sure. Indeed, she wasn’t a total stranger to love triangles either. Therefore, we can totally say that Elizabeth loved experiencing new thrills, especially with married men. Previously, she had already wrecked a couple of marriages so she was literally one “skillful” lady.

11. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

What do you know about the celebrated and widely famous Taj Mahal? Isn’t that the ultimate place for love declaration? Indeed, Taj Mahal was actually built with the sole purpose of eternalizing Shah Jahan’s affection for his late wife. Constructed back in the 17th century, Taj Mahal was designated as the final resting place for his treasured wife. He called it Mumtaz Mahal which translates to “Jewel of the Palace”. Although she wasn’t his first wife, it was obvious that he cherished her the most. The construction of the today’s recognized Taj Mahal took about 23 years to complete. Apparently, she was the true love affair of his heart.

10. Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

The handsome Prince of Wales totally broke all stereotypes when he lost his mind over Wallis Warfield Simpson. What was the fuss all about anyway? Well, we’ll tell where the big issue lies. Wallis Simpson was one hell of a beauty, however, this couldn’t justify Edward’s appetite for her. There were great obstacles in front of them. First and foremost, Wallis was an American citizen while Edward was about to be the next heir to the British throne. And as if this was not enough, Wallis was a married woman. Eventually, he became the next heir following the death of his father. Nevertheless, the British government and society grew quite nervous over their eccentric relationship anyway. As a result, the young king abdicated the throne soon after his coronation.

9. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas

The unique romance between Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas is often described as a great love affair which happened so organically. Much like all great lovers, Gertrude and Alice’s first encounter was a casual yet quite an eccentric one. Stein happened to catch feelings for her really fast. Later on, they moved in together. Surely, Alice was more ladylike and feminine while Stein was pretty tough and masculine. In spite of being such a renowned avant-garde writer, Stein had a less delicate presence. Sure enough, their public relationship was definitely a bit cranky at that time. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly warmly greeted by their society.

8. Heloise and Abelard

The renowned Alexander Pope turned the morbid love story of Heloise and Abelard into a genuine masterpiece. The beginning of their romance was pretty deep and intense. They were ridiculously in love with each other but their pure romance was doomed. Abelard was at least twice her age and Heloise’s uncle was furious when he found out about them. As a result, he had him castrated. Eventually, Heloise was sent away as they both entered a monastery. Although they didn’t see each other, they exchanged love letters proving their passionate affair that didn’t last long anyway.

7. Ines de Castro and King Pedro

Ines de Castro was actually the lady-in-waiting for the Portuguese throne back in 1340. As gorgeous and cunning as she was, it didn’t take her long to steal King Pedro’s heart. Although she gave him an heir to the Portuguese throne, it didn’t help her achieve her goals completely. King Pedro’s father was infuriated with their love affair and he had her murdered later on. The dreadful act sparked a civil war between the father and the son who couldn’t make Ines de Castro his lawful wife. What’s really terrifying is that King Pedro exhumed his lover girl as he also built a special royal tomb to monumentalize her spirit.

6. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

The morbid romance between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert sounds like a really modern spin on all these infamous affairs. Unlike many of them, the source of this tragic story was exactly the British Royal Family. As a mighty monarch, Queen Victoria’s reign was one to remember and cherish for years to come. However, the death of her beloved one took a major toll on her psyche and physical health as well. Completely devastated, Queen Victoria’s reign ended in 1901. A little-known fact is that these two were actually cousins who had an impure romance. Indeed, the past has its own wicked stories to tell.

5. Andrew Jackson and Rachel Donelson

Meet the notorious Rachel Donelson whose reputation wasn’t really the most glorious one. Often considered one of the most scandalous first ladies, Rachel’s love life was quite colorful. She was first married to Lewis Robards of Kentucky but their romance didn’t really last long anyway. Eventually, it fell through. Actually, Rachel met the successful Andrew Jackson in a really curious period. At that time he was running for the next president. Although Rachel was through with her ex-man, the official papers showed otherwise.  Her 1st husband never really finalized their divorce as he wanted to use it against Andrew on the Election Day. As a result, Rachel was presented as a woman with loose morals and a mistress still married to him. You see, the society wasn’t really impressed by such immoral love affairs at all.

4. Catherine the Great and Grigory Potemkin

Do you actually have an idea how these two met? Well, then you’d be mind-blown by their first casual encounter. As an empress, Catherine the Great was in an urgent need of guards on duty who had to ensure her safety after his late husband. Perhaps it was exactly Catherine the Great who wanted him murdered. But anyway, Catherine took a liking to her one-eyed guard who happened to be pretty thick and stout. Well, it seemed like this didn’t stop Catherine from taking what she truly desired. Besides, her love life wasn’t really filled with moral and pure romances at all. Honestly, she was never picky when it comes to her lovers either.

3. Czar Nicholas II and Alexandra Federovna

Apparently, the Russian Czar Nicholas II was so smitten with the German beauty named Alexandra of Hess that they were literally inseparable. The young ruler fell so hard for the German Princess of Hess that he couldn’t even keep his hands to himself when being in public. Although he wedded the beautiful princess in a lavish ceremony, their romance didn’t really offer a happy ending. Their society was drowning in poverty at that time which caused many protests which eventually toppled the monarchy. Soon after, Alexandra and Czar Nicholas II were sent to Siberia where they met terrifying deaths.

2. Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. and Anne Spencer Morrow

Meet the skilled aviator, Charles Augustus, who rose to fame after making his first solo flight across the Atlantic ocean. A year later he met the self-conscious Spencer Morrow, a daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. He caught feelings for her quite quickly so their love progressed into a wonderful marriage in 1929. With the support of Charles, the lovely Spencer Morrow started working on her first memoir sharing their “happy life” with the world. Indeed, she became a famous diarist who probably owed the success of her memoirs to the inglorious pages about some side affairs. Well, their fairy tale lost its magic for sure.

1. Percy Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin

Percy Shelley’s wild infatuation with a beautiful gal named Mary Godwin quickly rose to fame hundreds of decades ago. Indeed, pure beauty is quite an obsessive image, isn’t it? Perhaps this is what Percy thought every time he met with her. Although he was one of the most gifted lyrical poets at that time, it didn’t stop him from throwing himself at her. Considered a total cad, Percy even abandoned his pregnant wife, Harriet. Well, the great poet happened to be such a shameless man who eventually caused the death of his wife. Later on, Harriet committed suicide which allowed the two love birds to wed.

Sources: biography.com, dailymail.co.uk, livescience.com, mentalfloss.com