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00:00queens wear crowns but some royal mistresses held the real power behind closed palace doors these
00:05women controlled kings influence laws decided marriages and even shaped wars without ever
00:10sitting on the throne a mistress who overruled the queen in court appointments another who dictated
00:15foreign policies from the bedroom and women whose influence terrified royal families more than
00:20rebellion ever did these weren't affairs of passion they were alliances of power so which
00:25royal mistresses ruled kingdoms from the shadows there are 12 women who are more powerful than the
00:30queen herself at number 12 we have madame de pompadour de france d'antoinette pausanne marquise de
00:36pompadour rose from bourgeois roots to become king louis the 15th official a tresantia more than a
00:42royal favorite she became his close confidant an advisor introduced at versailles ball by a wealthy
00:47patron she quickly captivated the king and displaced his previous mistress even after their romantic
00:52relationship ended around 1751 she remained indispensable known as the king's friend
00:58pompadour's political influence was exceptional she orchestrated court appointments controlled
01:02patronage networks and shaped national policy on her own contemporary observers noted that she
01:07effectively played the role of prime minister participating in key decisions in diplomatic
01:11matters she supported france's entry into the seven years war and then helped manage foreign relations
01:17particularly with austria culturally she left an enduring legacy a major patron of enlightenment
01:22thinkers and the arts she sponsored encyclopedias encouraged the rococo aesthetic and founded the
01:28severa porcelain factory her refined tastes defined the artistic direction of the french court queen marie
01:34lidzinska though nominally more prominent was politically passive pompadour's personal charm and
01:39strategic mind often eclipsed the queen's presence through intellect influence and resilience pompadour
01:45became the most powerful woman in france during louis the fifteenth reign by eclipsing even the queen
01:50at number 11 we have lady elizabeth cunningham written elizabeth cunningham marchioness cunningham was
01:55the last chief mistress of king george the ninth a well-connected irish noble she began to captivate the
02:01prime region around 1819 and cement her hold when he became king in 1820 known in different obligatory
02:08names among commentators she quickly supplanted the marchioness of hertford as george's confidant notably
02:14king george was estranged from queen caroline during the infamous 1820 divorce trial caroline was
02:20banned from court and george could openly entertain cunningham instead he reportedly grew besotted with
02:25elizabeth according to contemporaries giving her priceless jewelry and estates when his coronation
02:30took place july 1821 without caroline george was frequently seen nodding and smiling at lady cunningham
02:37her influence was both personal and political as the king's confidant she interceded in patronage
02:42for example the duke of wellington noted she maneuvered to obtain favors and positions for her
02:47relatives cunningham was nicknamed vice queen for wielding the king's ear at arlton house key
02:52episodes include her role in the tangled royal marriage saga george relied on her counsel when
02:57pressing parliament to dissolve his marriage with caroline she escorted him on travels and isolated him
03:02from unfriendly relatives though queen caroline was technically on the throne cunningham's presence
03:08defined the 1820 to 1830 court next we have arkady clara of belgium arkady was the long-term mistress of
03:15king leopold ii of the belgium of english spanish descent she became leopold's lover in the early
03:201840s and remained so until his death in 1865 because queen louise of orleans died in 1850
03:27arcady effectively served as the king's constant female companion during his widowhood leopold even
03:32arranged a clandestine marriage for her to a stable master and acknowledged their two illegitimate
03:37sons as his own her very presence was a scandal in the salons openly discussed the king's mistress
03:43with the queen gone arcady attended court events leopold built her a lavish townhouse and though
03:49she held no formal power she influenced the king's domestic affairs he showered her with estates
03:54secluded positions for relatives for example arcady's son was ennobled and created a belgium
04:00count after her death in essence arcady rose to the station of de facto first lady of belgium during
04:06critical moments she often took precedence over distant relatives her influence was personal rather than
04:10policy driven she maintained leopold's favor and bore him heirs whom he provided according
04:15to belgium historians arcady's story reflected the king's devotion she was part of his inner circle
04:20supervising his household and playing hostess but the queen could not coming up a romanian mistress who
04:25ruled beside a king italian favorite who became a secret queen and a russian woman whose intimacy
04:31shaped an empire and number nine we have elena magna lupesco of romania elena lupesco was the
04:36mistress and later morgan matic wife of king carl ii of romania a romanian aristocrat by birth
04:41lupesco met carl in 1924 when he was crowned prince by the early 1930s she had become his
04:47intimate companion and her influence on romanian politics grew steadily king carl was estranged from
04:53queen helen under lupesco's influence he systemically replaced ministers with her favorites and indulged in
04:59corruption after carl reclaimed the throne in 1930 lupesco effectively became queen in all but name
05:05historians describe carl and lupesco as quote the power couple who manipulated the romanian state
05:11pasco accompanied carl on foreign trips and sat beside him at court receptions pushing for his
05:16authoritarian policies crucially she was blamed by the far right for encouraging carl's unpopular
05:22alliances contemporary critics even labeled her the ruler of romania accusing her of profiting from
05:28royal bribes and engineering government dismissals despite never holding office lupesco's informal
05:33power was palpable according to one account she was the power behind the throne as carl sought her
05:39counsel on foreign policy and leadership changes key moments include 1938 establishment of a royal
05:44dictatorship carl abolished political parties and suspended the constitution at lupesco's insistence
05:50with her often sitting in on royal cabinet meetings next we have rosa versolana of italy rosa
05:56versolana known affectionately as la bella rosa was the long-time mistress and later the wife of king
06:01victor emmanuel ii of sardinia orphaned young rosa met crown prince victorio at age 14 and soon
06:07attracted his ardor he installed her at court as his companion even though the queen remained in the
06:11king's bed over two decades rosa became inseparable from victoria after queen maria's death in 1855 rosa's
06:19influence only grew in 1869 victor emmanuel married her in a secret ceremony and in 1877 by public
06:26morgomatic nuptial rights he conferred on her the title of countess of murafiori and fontana fredda
06:32and legitimized her two sons rose's influence was unique though without official rank she shaped the
06:38king's personal and private life she managed the royal household and patronized charities politically
06:43however rose's role was muted she avoided over involvement in state matters and the king's
06:48ministries publicly downplayed her significance nonetheless as his wife and mother of his children
06:52rosa effectively outranked any queen and filled the role similar to a queen consort key episodes
06:58reflecting her status include the constitutional crisis in 1860 when victoria emmanuel had to delay
07:03his marriage ceremony to rosa to avoid domestic backlash her very presence symbolized the kingdom's
07:09modernity challenging traditional norms at number seven we have katherine dolkoraki of russia
07:14countess ekaterina mikhailovna the rookie was the secret mistress of czar alexander ii of russia
07:20a daughter of a general she caught the czar's eye in the 1960s as his empress maria became
07:25increasingly distant by the early 1870s catherine was alexander's confidant she accompanied him on
07:31travels entertained his guests and even saved his life during an 1866 assassination attempt in 1880
07:37alexander promised to marry her and after empress marie's death he married catherine more dramatically
07:42in 1880 declaring her princess yurievskaya during her decade-long affair catherine exercised subtle
07:49influence contemporaries accused her of pushing alexander towards liberal reforms for example
07:54by encouraging him to end serfdom and abolish corporal punishment some claim she even advocated
07:59for more radical policies or at least sympathize with modernizing ministers others suggest catherine
08:04simply enjoyed alexander's trust the empress wrote that the emperor was entirely in power of this girl
08:10whom he treated like a second wife alexander indeed made catherine the patroness of charity and gave her
08:16lavish jewels but also he insulated her from government scandal key moments include alexander's
08:21final years he often spent evenings discussing state affairs with catherine instead of officials
08:26including influencing the laura melakov constitution ironically catherine's influence
08:30ended with the czar's assassination in 1881 and she was widowed almost immediately still ahead a dancer
08:36who toppled a bavarian king a polish noblewoman who influenced napoleon's map of europe and a prussian
08:42mistress who governed like a queen next we have lola montez of bavaria eliza rossana gilbert known as lola
08:49montez was an irish american dancer who became king ludwig first of the various most dramatic mistress
08:55arriving in munich in 1846 she quickly enthralled the 53 year old king with her exotic beauty and wit
09:01ludwig lavished her with title countess of lansfield and unprecedented privileges she banned catholic clergy
09:07she disliked and demanded ludwig's support for her liberal causes during the turbulent revolutions of
09:131848 lola's influence reached its zenith she held courtly sway over ludwig persuading him to fire his
09:20conservative minister and even close the university of munich because students mocked her bavarian
09:25newspapers rallied against lola's regime blaming her for the king's erratic governance in fact for over
09:31a year lola effectively ran the kingdom's social scene welcoming foreign liberals and authors to munich
09:36salons this emigree of tyronese also propelled bavaria toward anti-clerical policies she openly
09:42championed liberalism and attacked jesuits provoking outrage in catholic barrier her direct intervention
09:47in state affairs unheard of for mistress led to street demonstrations in march 1848 amid rising unrest
09:54ludwig abdicated in favor of his son famously citing lola's influence as a factor though her reign was
10:00brief it was a visceral example of a royal mistress overriding a queen consort as queen theresa
10:06a placid queen was sidelined at number five we have countess maria waluska of poland countess maria
10:10waluska was a polish noblewoman who became emperor napoleon the first mistress at the height of his
10:16power a passionate patriot maria accepted napoleon's advances in 1807 partly to influence him on behalf
10:22of poland she soon bore him a son alexander maria used her position to lobby napoleon most notably she
10:28pressed him to establish a polish duchy a neutral polish state during his reorganization of europe several
10:33sources credit her with helping to persuade napoleon to create the duchy of warsaw in 1807
10:39restoring polish hopes after the country's partitions in effect as napoleon's intimate she became an
10:45informal diplomat for polish interest beyond politics maria was a cultural muse she managed
10:51napoleon's country estates when he was away and he entrusted her with his letters and confidential
10:56documents one contemporary said she sought to influence his eastern policy and help move him to
11:01create the duchy of warsaw after napoleon divorced josephine and married marie louise maria quietly
11:07resigned her role and eventually married a polish count in 1816 key moments include her recurring
11:12meetings with napoleon at talleyrands her influence was indeed real but it was centered on the treaty of
11:18telc maria waluska's influence was subtle but symbolically significant next we have wilhelmina
11:24countess of lichtenau of russia wilhelmina enki later countess von lichtenau was the official
11:30mistress of king frederick william ii of prussia introduced the future king as a commoner in 1767
11:35she became his lifelong companion when he ascended the throne in 1786 frederick william showered her
11:41with wealth and titles eventually creating her countess of lichtenau crucially belhelmina exercised
11:46real political influence she advised the king on domestic and more policy and managed a court salon
11:51frequented by ministers and diplomats historians agree that she was politically active in an influential
11:56in policy in russia in practice she functioned much like a queen the king relied on her judgment
12:01to fill positions negotiate with allies and curate the court's cultural projects for example she
12:05directed the interior decoration of the marble palace in potsdam according to her taste during
12:10the 10th 1790s belhelmina often relayed the king's directives to generals and dignitaries her dominance
12:17is underscored by the fact that queen fredericka louisa was sidelined she rarely influenced state
12:22politics and affairs reports from berlin countess circles describe wilhelmina as the true power behind
12:28the throne one controversial episode was her alleged involvement with reactionary ministries seeking to
12:33control the king's mind regardless with frederick william favoring her above all wilhelmina effectively
12:39outranked the queen consort between 1786 and 1797 next a danish court consort who broke royal law
12:46versailles most notorious beauty and the final favorite who calmed the volatile emperor at number three
12:52we have anna sophia reventlow of denmark anna sophia reventlow was a mistress of king frederick
12:57the fourth of denmark frederick the fourth had publicly acknowledged her as a mistress making
13:02charlotte one of denmark's most unconventional royal mistresses as the king's mistress she wielded
13:07influence simply by proximity frederick openly favored her over queen louise staging hunts and
13:12entertainments to please charlotte she bore frederick two daughters and he lavished upon her grand
13:18estate in the title of countress of frederick's home charlotte's influence was chiefly personal
13:22in 1706 her affair with the courtier forced frederick to publicly legitimize her children by
13:27marrying him though the marriage was unrecognized by the church ultimately her presence prompted
13:32frederick the fourth to flout bigamy laws and to risk international scandal culturally she patronized
13:37danish salons in literary circles along with the queen blurring the lines of power between court women
13:43by 1708 public and clerical pressure compelled frederick to repudiate charlotte in favor of his
13:48next mistress nonetheless during those few years when charlotte helen effectively outranked the
13:52queen in the king's elections she had the opportunity to petition frederick on behalf of her relatives her
13:57case though predating the 18th century by a small margin underscores the outsized role of a royal
14:03mistress and what they could play next we have madame du barry of france jean becu conteste du barry became louis
14:09the 15th matrice on titra after pompadour's death a celebrated beauty of humble origins she won the
14:16king's passion in the late 1760s du barry moved into the newly widowed king's apartment and quickly
14:21became his chief confidant and influence though not as publicly active as pompadour contemporary
14:26accounts show du barry's suede court affairs she aligned against minister chanzo revealing chanzo's
14:31schemes to louis and hasting his dismissal in 1770 the king thereafter allowed to bury into state
14:37councils despite her lack of official role she used her influence judiciously once charged with
14:42only caring for spectacle and fashion she nonetheless ensured that louis the 15th's
14:46decisions reflected her favorites interest politically she remained aloof but her intimate
14:51access gave her soft power ministers and nobles vied for her favor culturally she continued the
14:56opulent style of pompadour's court sponsoring salons and the arts in some du barry for several years was
15:02the dominant woman of her size she outranked the absent queen and even the dauphin du barry's
15:07tragedy was the king's death his successor mary entranet banished her from court but during louis
15:12the 15th final years she had wielded the sway of a queen securing offices for allies impacting high
15:18politics through the king's ears and at number one we have princess anna lupakina of russia princess
15:23anna petrovna lupakina was the secret mistress of emperor ball the first of russia at 18 she caught
15:29the attention of the middle-aged emperor during court fall in 1789 empress maria feodorovna initially
15:36attempted to expel anna from the court but her letter backfired and incited paul's jealousy
15:41prompting him to bring anna to saint petersburg and shower her with honors her rapid rise illustrates
15:47her influence the emperor rewarded her father the reign prince and made anna a lady of bedchamber
15:52anna herself was granted the order of saint john and naval ships were named after she gathered power
15:56at court until 1801 when she pragmatically agreed to marry a family friend securing protection from
16:02public scandal anna's impact on the monarchy was more personal than political contemporary
16:06sources suggested her calm temperament soothed paul's volatile nature making her a quote-unquote
16:11remedy against court intrigue indeed one historian notes her influence on paul was beneficial like
16:17diverting paul's attention anna also indirectly allowed the empress more freedom for a brief period
16:21she held exceptional standing as paul's confidant she outranked noble rivals and influenced
16:26the emperor's decisions on appointments in that sense she eclipsed even empress marina on a personal
16:31level at least for a time with this we in today's video we'll be back with a new video shortly until
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