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Forbidden love has shaped history in countless dramatic ways. From star-crossed royals to rebellious artists and revolutionary couples, these stories reveal the depths of passion that defied laws, social norms, and even death. Join us as we explore some of the most compelling real-life romances that faced immense obstacles, heartbreak, and sacrifice to keep their love alive against all odds.
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00:00Darkness, suspicion, lies, more lies.
00:04Is this what has become of it?
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for couples throughout history
00:11whose love was prohibited by law or by the people around them.
00:15For this list, we'll be focusing only on real-life forbidden loves.
00:19Where shall I go? What shall I do?
00:22Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
00:26Number 30, Bonnie and Clyde.
00:28When the duo first met in 1930, their attraction to one another was immediate.
00:32However, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow's blossoming relationship was halted by the latter's prison sentence.
00:48Bonnie's mother tried convincing her to move on, but she refused.
00:52After Clyde was released, the two reunited and began their violent spree.
00:56They developed notorious reputations, leading to a manhunt and their eventual execution in 1934.
01:02Fueled by passionate love, the desire to escape poverty, and utter contempt for authority,
01:09Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow united.
01:12Afterwards, Parker's mother still forbade their love.
01:15She had Bonnie buried in a cemetery miles away from Clyde's grave,
01:19with the goal of not letting him have her in death the way he did in life.
01:22Since then, the couple has faced the ultimate karma for the misdeeds they committed together,
01:27being permanently separated from beyond the grave.
01:30You've heard the story of Jesse James, of how he lived and died.
01:35If you're still in need of something to read, here's the story of Bonnie and Clyde.
01:40Number 29, King Frederick VII and Louise Rasmussen.
01:44Class divides have come between more couples than you might think.
01:47King Frederick VII of Denmark learned that the hard way.
01:50After two failed marriages with other royals, he fell for Louise Rasmussen,
01:55a hatter and former ballerina.
01:57Their relationship was immediately disapproved of by the upper class.
02:00Rasmussen was even accused of only entering the relationship for the king's wealth.
02:04They were forbidden from marrying one another,
02:07and it took him establishing a constitutional monarchy for that sentiment to change.
02:11The pair were wed in 1850, but that didn't stop the bourgeoisie from ostracizing Louise.
02:16She was consistently disrespected throughout their marriage,
02:19despite Frederick doing all he could to defend her.
02:22In the end, they were the only ones to truly recognize their love.
02:27Number 28, King Edward II and Pierce Gaveston.
02:30It's been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
02:33While the saying may not have been about banishment,
02:36it rang true for King Edward II and nobleman Pierce Gaveston.
02:39Are you content to banish him the realm?
02:48I see I must, and therefore I'm content.
02:57Instead of ink, I'll write it with my tears.
03:02The two had been close from a young age,
03:05leading Edward I to banish Gaveston in 1307.
03:08It was overturned once his son began his reign,
03:11but their troubles were just starting.
03:13Gaveston was targeted by Parliament,
03:15which resulted in him being deported twice more,
03:17and Edward II gave up some of his own power in exchange for his return.
03:21After defying orders for the third time in 1312,
03:25Gaveston was punished with execution rather than exile.
03:28His demise proved that even with all their naysayers' efforts,
03:31the two could only be separated by death.
03:34My love will never decline.
03:36Is all my hope turned to this hell of grief?
03:40I knock my heart with two piercing words.
03:42Thou from this land, I from myself am banished.
03:47Seeing I must go, do not renew my sorrow.
03:52Was ever a king so overruled as I.
03:55Number 27. Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong.
03:58Through class divides and pre-existing relationships,
04:01their love prevailed.
04:03When Emperor Gaozong first laid eyes on consort Wu Zetian,
04:06they were both overcome with emotion.
04:08To have a woman with such power really threatened the establishment.
04:14However, there were several obstacles preventing them from being together,
04:17including the latter's status and the former's marriage.
04:20Wu soon rose in Gaozong's personal ranks,
04:23and overshadowed everyone from his wife to his previously favored consort.
04:27She had hundreds of members of the ruling family executed.
04:33The violence and reign of terror, you could say, was extreme.
04:40By 660, the pair ruled side by side.
04:43The power soon went to her head,
04:45and she interfered so often that other higher-ups urged Gaozong to leave her.
04:48He refused, and upon his death,
04:51she assumed the role of empress.
04:53Although her legacy was that of a cruel leader,
04:56there's no indication that her love for Gaozong was fake.
04:59But she was not without a conscience.
05:04She was very troubled by what she'd done.
05:09Number 26.
05:11Qais ibn al-Mulawah and Leila al-Ameriya.
05:14Forbidden love isn't a new concept.
05:16It dates back to ancient times,
05:18with couples like Qais ibn al-Mulawah and Leila al-Ameriya being forced apart.
05:22The two first met as children in the 7th century,
05:25where they quickly became close.
05:27However, Leila's father refused to permit a relationship.
05:30Though they couldn't be together physically,
05:32their bond prevailed through art.
05:41Qais, a poet himself,
05:43penned a piece detailing his adoration for Leila
05:45and the brief yet passionate relationship they shared.
05:48Their story went on to become legend,
05:50with a fictionalized version being passed down from one generation to another.
05:54Though they were separated in life,
05:56their tale has kept them connected in death.
06:01Number 25.
06:03Theodora and Justinian I.
06:05Between her reputation as an explicit actress and his status as royalty,
06:09it seemed that the two would be permanently kept apart.
06:12In fact, there was even a law in place
06:14that prevented Justinian I and Theodora from marrying.
06:17It wasn't common for someone as newly posh as Justinian
06:21to marry someone not posh like Theodora.
06:23So Justinian had his emperor uncle change the law so they could marry.
06:28That is romantic.
06:30However, thanks to the emperor's uncle overturning it,
06:33the pair were able to be wed in 525.
06:36Although it was legal,
06:37their bond resulted in outrage from those who disagreed with it.
06:40The two ruled together,
06:42with Justinian often turning to his wife for input.
06:44When she passed from the plague in 548,
06:47the emperor spent the rest of his years alone
06:49rather than take on another spouse.
06:51Considering how strong their love was,
06:54it's hard to believe a single law nearly prevented it entirely.
06:57And their reign is remembered for its legal reforms,
07:00beautiful Byzantine buildings,
07:02and substantial territorial expansion.
07:05Number 24.
07:06Alan Turing and Arnold Murray.
07:08I'm designing a machine
07:09that will allow us to break every message,
07:12every day, instantly.
07:15Not even war heroes are exempt from laws forbidding certain couples.
07:18Despite being instrumental in helping the allied powers win World War II,
07:23less than a decade later,
07:25Alan Turing was treated as a pariah rather than a legend.
07:27The reason?
07:28His relationship with Arnold Murray.
07:30What if I don't fancy being with Joan in that way?
07:38Because you're a homosexual.
07:40Same-sex relationships were illegal in the United Kingdom,
07:43and as a result, both men were prosecuted.
07:46After being convicted in 1952,
07:49Turing was forced to undergo chemical castration.
07:51The punishment was so severe
07:52that he took his own life just two years later.
07:55It wasn't until 2014
07:57that the government awarded him a posthumous pardon.
07:59Now, his passing serves as a reminder
08:02of the brilliant minds that can be lost
08:04when love is heavily criminalized.
08:16Number 23, Clark Gable and Carol Lombard.
08:20They were two of the most beautiful people in Hollywood,
08:22and they were married,
08:24and they had this supposed idyllic life,
08:27so I think that they epitomized the glamour of a lost time,
08:32like a pre-World War II innocence.
08:33If life were like one of their movies,
08:36they may have had a chance at a happy ending.
08:38When Carol Lombard and Clark Gable first met,
08:40they were nothing more than co-stars.
08:42When they met again in 1936,
08:45Lombard was divorced and Gable was still legally wed.
08:48The gossip columnists and the papers in L.A.
08:51were all aware of exactly what was going on
08:55with Lombard and Gable.
08:57They just never wrote about it
08:58because they were under the control of the studio.
09:03Despite that, they entered a relationship.
09:06Gable finalized his divorce and married Lombard in 1939,
09:09and for years, the two were happy.
09:12Their bond was cut short in 1942
09:14when Carol lost her life in a plane crash.
09:17Clark was so devastated by the loss
09:19that when he passed away in 1960,
09:21he was buried next to her.
09:22Though they were prevented from living
09:24the rest of their lives together,
09:25they were at least reunited in death.
09:27Carol Lombard was the love of Gable's life,
09:30and so she was the woman that he could never have again.
09:32He was the woman he could look for
09:34and try to replace and try to possess,
09:36but he could never replace her
09:38because there was only one Carol Lombard.
09:40Number 22, Admiral Lord Nelson and Emma Lady Hamilton.
09:43Now, don't say any more.
09:47Here you are.
09:49There.
09:51Now, I'll tell you all the news
09:52and all the gossip too if you're interested.
09:55First item, the King of England is pleased to elevate
09:57Sir Horatio Nelson to the peerage.
09:59You are now Lord Nelson.
10:00The right match can sometimes occur at the wrong time.
10:04Admiral Lord Nelson and Emma Lady Hamilton met in 1793,
10:08while both in reportedly loveless marriages.
10:11When Nelson returned from war injured in 1798,
10:14Emma and her husband took him in,
10:16where she personally treated Nelson.
10:18It wasn't long after that they began an affair.
10:20When she fell pregnant in 1800,
10:23she traveled back with the admiral to his home,
10:25which led to gossip about their relationship
10:27quickly spreading.
10:28However, as long as Nelson's first wife was still living,
10:31he could never be married to Emma.
10:33This fact meant that they were together
10:35in everything but name.
10:36And when Nelson passed in 1805,
10:39her hopes of becoming his bride were dashed for good.
10:42We must obey the creeds and codes
10:43that we've sworn our lives to.
10:46I know that I must not come back.
10:49And I know that nothing in this world can keep me away.
10:54Number 21, Hans Christian Andersen and Eovard Colleen.
10:58When you're barred from being with the one you love,
11:00sometimes only art can help you heal.
11:03For most of Hans Christian Andersen's life,
11:05being in a gay relationship was punishable by death.
11:08This meant that he had to live with the deep attraction
11:11and fondness he felt for Eovard Colleen,
11:13while knowing it could never come to fruition.
11:15When Hans Christian Andersen wrote The Little Mermaid,
11:18he was 32 years old and he had two love experiences,
11:24but unhappy love experiences.
11:27He expressed his feelings to Colleen personally,
11:29who rebuffed his advances.
11:31It's believed that Andersen used this experience
11:34as partial inspiration for The Little Mermaid.
11:36Just feel like me
11:41And I can be
11:46I love your love
11:51Some have even speculated that the story
11:53is a love letter to Colleen himself.
11:56By the time the repressive laws were overturned,
11:58it was too late for him to enjoy the newfound freedom.
12:01In contrast to his splendid career as an author,
12:05there is this tragic life of a person
12:09who could not get the love
12:11and had to spend his life in lowliness.
12:14Number 20.
12:15Alexander I of Greece and Aspasia Manos
12:18In 1917, Alexander I unexpectedly became king of Greece
12:23after his father, Constantine I,
12:25was exiled during World War I.
12:27Alexander had fallen in love
12:29with his childhood friend Aspasia Manos,
12:31and was determined to marry her
12:32even though she was a commoner.
12:34Why, Harry, I won't have it!
12:36You're a prince,
12:37and you're going to marry a princess!
12:40Initially, his father persuaded him
12:42to wait until after the war,
12:43but by 1919,
12:45Alexander defied him
12:46and married Manos in a secret ceremony.
12:48This wedding caused a huge uproar
12:50as it was done without the archbishop's consent,
12:53which went against the Greek constitution.
12:55The couple was forced to flee temporarily to Paris,
12:58and Manos was never officially recognized as queen.
13:01However, their marriage was short-lived,
13:03as Alexander tragically died in 1920
13:06from an infection caused by a monkey bite.
13:08Animals will do that.
13:10They lack soul.
13:11Number 19.
13:12Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas
13:14The love affair between the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde
13:18and Lord Alfred Douglas began in 1891,
13:21while Wilde was married to his wife Constance Lloyd.
13:24This relationship was illegal,
13:25as same-sex relationships were criminalized
13:28in Victorian England under the Gross Indecency Law.
13:30Not only was their love frowned upon by society,
13:33it was also antagonized by Douglas' father John,
13:36the Marquess of Queensbury.
13:38We will cease to see, Wilde,
13:39or I'll cut you off without a penny.
13:43Because all I wanted your money,
13:45what little you have left from your tarts.
13:48How dare you speak to your father like that!
13:51Determined to end the affair,
13:53John publicly accused Wilde of being gay,
13:56which led to a libel suit.
13:58However, the trial unearthed Wilde's intimate letters to Douglas,
14:01resulting in him being arrested
14:03and convicted of gross indecency.
14:05After serving two years in prison,
14:07Wilde spent his final years in exile,
14:09briefly living with Douglas
14:10before they parted ways forever.
14:12Life cheats us with shadows.
14:14We ask it for pleasure,
14:16it gives it to us,
14:17with bitterness and disappointment in its train.
14:21And we find ourselves looking with dull heart of stone
14:24at the tress of gold-flecked hair
14:26that we had once so wildly worshipped.
14:29Number 18.
14:30Camila O'Gorman and Father Ladislau Gutierrez
14:32Camila O'Gorman was only 23 years old
14:36when she was executed by Argentine dictator
14:38Juan Manuel de Rosas,
14:40simply for falling in love.
14:41O'Gorman was a close friend of Rosas' daughter,
14:44Manuelita,
14:45but after meeting Catholic priest Father Ladislau Gutierrez,
14:48they eloped,
14:49knowing their relationship was forbidden.
14:51The couple settled in a small town,
14:53where they lived as a married couple
14:54under assumed names.
14:55They decided to flee to the northeast of Argentina
14:58and seek asylum as a married couple.
15:00The couple set up a school in the town
15:02and became teachers.
15:04However,
15:04their disappearance became a public matter
15:06after O'Gorman's father claimed
15:08the priest had kidnapped her,
15:09and Rosas was accused by his opponents
15:11of corrupting Argentine women.
15:13This pressured him to quickly find the couple
15:16and set an example.
15:17In 1848,
15:18despite pleas from his daughter,
15:20Rosas ordered their execution,
15:22even though O'Gorman was reportedly
15:24eight months pregnant.
15:25The couple are regarded
15:26as national martyrs in Argentina.
15:29Two lovers who defied a tyrannical ruler
15:31in the name of love
15:32will remain an inspiration
15:34for all oppressed lovebirds around the globe.
15:37Number 17.
15:38Mala Zimetbaum and Edward Galinsky
15:40This tragic love story was set against
15:42the harrowing backdrop of the Holocaust.
15:45Mala Zimetbaum and Edward Galinsky
15:47were both prisoners who met
15:48at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
15:50Despite the unimaginable horrors around them,
15:52they fell in love
15:53and dreamed of a future together.
15:55In early 1944,
15:56Edek started seriously thinking
15:58about escaping from Auschwitz.
16:00Initially,
16:01Edek was supposed to escape from the camp
16:03with Vyaslav Kiler,
16:04with whom he started planning.
16:06They decided that the best way
16:08was to leave the camp disguised as SS men.
16:10After devising a plan to escape,
16:12they managed to do so in June 1944,
16:15with Galinsky dressed as an SS guard
16:17and Zimetbaum posing as a prisoner
16:19being taken to work.
16:20However,
16:21they were caught after just two weeks
16:23and returned to Auschwitz,
16:24where they were sentenced to death.
16:25As they faced the gallows,
16:27Zimetbaum put up a final act of defiance
16:29by attempting to take her own life
16:31before the Nazi executioners
16:32could carry out their orders.
16:34Mala slapped the guard's face
16:35with her bloody hand
16:36and shouted at the guard,
16:38You all shall dearly pay for your deeds.
16:41Then she turned to the assembled prisoners,
16:43trying to encourage them.
16:45I was outside.
16:46The end of the war is nearing.
16:48Be strong and firm.
16:49Number 16.
16:50Mary and Percy Shelley
16:52Born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin
16:54to philosopher William Godwin
16:56and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft,
16:58Mary Shelley is best known
16:59as the author of the classic
17:00Gothic novel Frankenstein.
17:02In her teenage years,
17:04she met Percy Shelley,
17:05a radical poet
17:06who was her father's protege.
17:07Although Percy was married,
17:09the two began seeing each other
17:10and subsequently fell in love.
17:12Their empty covenant
17:12has no power over us.
17:17I fear not of God
17:19or his henchmen on earth.
17:22When he learned of this relationship,
17:24William Godwin was infuriated
17:25and forbade Percy from seeing Mary.
17:28This only led to them eloping to France.
17:30After Percy's wife took her own life,
17:32he officially married Mary,
17:34hoping it would change
17:35her father's opinion
17:36of their relationship.
17:37My choices made me who I am.
17:42And I regret nothing.
17:45Unfortunately,
17:46their marriage was marred by loss
17:48as their first three children died young
17:50and only one survived into adulthood.
17:53Number 15.
17:54Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning
17:56Elizabeth Barrett began writing poetry
17:58at a young age
17:59and by the 1840s,
18:01she was a prominent figure
18:02in the Victorian literary scene
18:03with a large body of work.
18:05It was her poetry
18:06that caught the attention
18:07of her eventual husband,
18:08Robert Browning,
18:09who wrote to her
18:10praising her 1844 collection poems.
18:13This kicked off a correspondence
18:14between the two
18:15that eventually blossomed
18:16into a romantic relationship.
18:18Even before I passed that door,
18:19I loved you
18:20and I've gone on loving you
18:21and I shall love you to the end
18:23and beyond.
18:25You know that.
18:26However,
18:27Barrett was under the watchful eye
18:28of her father
18:29who forbade any of his children
18:30from getting married.
18:32As a result,
18:33she wed Browning in secret
18:34and eloped to Italy,
18:36which led to her disinheritance.
18:38Barrett lived the rest
18:39of her life there
18:39and died in 1861
18:41after a prolonged illness.
18:43Are you afraid, Bob?
18:44Afraid?
18:45Oh,
18:46you will know
18:47I'd rather die with you beside me
18:49than live a hundred lives without you.
18:52Number 14.
18:53Francesca Darimini
18:54and Paolo Malatesta.
18:55The daughter of Guido I
18:57da Paulenta of Ravenna, Italy,
18:59Francesca Darimini
19:00was betrothed
19:01to Giovanni Malatesta,
19:02the son of Malatesta
19:03dei Verrucchio,
19:04lord of Rimini.
19:05The marriage
19:06was purely political,
19:08intended to broker peace
19:09between the two warring families.
19:11However,
19:12Giovanni didn't attend the wedding
19:13and was instead represented
19:15by his younger,
19:16more handsome brother,
19:17Paolo.
19:31Francesca was instantly
19:32captivated by Paolo
19:33and they soon began
19:34a 10-year affair,
19:36despite both being married
19:37to other people.
19:37This affair ended tragically
19:39when Giovanni caught them
19:40in bed together
19:41and in a fit of rage,
19:42murdered them both.
19:43Their relationship
19:44and tragic death
19:45became immortalized
19:46in Dante's Inferno
19:47as a symbol
19:48of love's destructive power.
19:5813. Prince Rudolf of Austria
20:00and Baroness Mary Vetsera
20:02As the only son
20:03of Emperor Franz Josef,
20:05Prince Rudolf
20:06was the heir apparent
20:07to the Austro-Hungarian throne
20:08from birth.
20:09His marriage
20:10to Princess Stephanie of Belgium
20:11started happily,
20:12but deteriorated
20:13following the birth
20:14of their daughter.
20:14After purchasing
20:16Myerling,
20:16an imperial hunting lodge,
20:18Rudolf began an affair
20:19with a teenage baroness
20:20named Mary Vetsera.
20:22Good evening,
20:22your highness.
20:23Good evening,
20:24my love.
20:27Oh, take me away.
20:29Please take me away.
20:30Their relationship
20:31was scandalous
20:31due to their age difference,
20:33Rudolf's marriage,
20:34and the fact that Vetsera
20:35came from a lower noble family.
20:37When Vetsera's family
20:38found out about the affair,
20:39they were reportedly enraged
20:41and disapproved of it.
20:42Perhaps seeing no future together,
20:44Rudolf and Vetsera
20:45made a pact
20:46to end their lives
20:47at the hunting lodge
20:48in what is now known
20:49as the Myerling Incident.
20:51Rudolf convinced the poor girl
20:52that the world
20:53was out to get them
20:54and they needed to die
20:55for their love.
20:56Mary,
20:56who was herself
20:57a melancholy romantic,
20:59she agreed.
21:00Number 12.
21:01Archduke Franz Ferdinand
21:02and Countess Sophie Hotek
21:03After the deaths
21:04of Prince Rudolf
21:05and his father,
21:06Karl Ludwig,
21:07Archduke Franz Ferdinand
21:08became the presumptive heir
21:09to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
21:11As such,
21:12he was expected
21:13to marry a woman
21:13from a European dynasty.
21:15However,
21:16he fell in love
21:16with Countess Sophie Hotek,
21:18a lady-in-waiting
21:19whose family
21:19did not meet that standard.
21:21She was merely
21:22the fourth daughter
21:23of a minor noble Czech family.
21:26Her family's dire
21:27financial conditions
21:28had forced her
21:29to become a lowly ranked servant
21:31for the Archduchess Isabella.
21:34In the eyes of the royalty,
21:36she was ranked
21:36barely above a commoner.
21:38Ferdinand was determined
21:39to marry Hotek,
21:40but he faced resistance
21:42from her mistress,
21:43Archduchess Isabella
21:44and Emperor Franz Josef.
21:45The emperor initially refused
21:47to permit the marriage,
21:48but ultimately relented
21:49amid pressure
21:50from Ferdinand's stepmother.
21:51They were allowed
21:52to marry in 1900
21:53under the condition
21:54it would be
21:55a morganatic marriage,
21:56meaning their children
21:57couldn't inherit the throne.
21:59Their love endured
22:00despite this limitation
22:01until their assassination
22:02in 1914,
22:03which sparked World War I.
22:05Franz Ferdinand uttered
22:07his last words
22:08while clutching
22:09his lifeless wife.
22:10Sophie, dear,
22:12don't die.
22:13Stay alive for the children.
22:15Number 11.
22:16Ines de Castro
22:17and Pedro I of Portugal
22:18Pedro I of Portugal
22:20first wed Constanza of Castile
22:22in 1340,
22:23a union arranged
22:24by his father,
22:25King Afonso IV.
22:26However,
22:27it was Constanza's
22:28lady-in-waiting,
22:29Ines de Castro,
22:30who truly caught his eye.
22:31By 1342 or 1343,
22:34it was an open secret
22:36at the Portuguese court
22:37that the two were engaged
22:39in an extramarital affair,
22:40although Peter and Constanza
22:42did have children
22:44in the early 1340s.
22:46King Afonso
22:46strongly opposed
22:47their affair,
22:48as he feared
22:49Ines' influence
22:50over his son
22:51and viewed her
22:51as a threat
22:52to the kingdom's stability.
22:53After Constanza
22:54died in childbirth,
22:56Afonso urged Pedro
22:57to marry another woman,
22:58but he refused.
22:59Frustrated by his inability
23:01to separate them,
23:02Afonso ordered
23:03Ines' assassination,
23:04which devastated Pedro.
23:06He swore revenge
23:07and even revolted
23:08against his father
23:09for having killed her,
23:11thus creating
23:12a civil war in Portugal.
23:13When he ultimately
23:14became king,
23:15Pedro declared
23:16Ines' queen posthumously,
23:17then hunted down
23:18her killers
23:19and executed them.
23:20Legend has it
23:21he even exhumed
23:22her remains,
23:23placed them on the throne,
23:24and forced the nobles
23:25to pay her homage.
23:26Number 10.
23:27Edward VIII
23:28and Wallace Simpson
23:29What could cause a man
23:31to give up his title
23:32as king of England?
23:33A great love,
23:34of course.
23:35That I have found it
23:36impossible
23:36to carry the heavy
23:38burden of responsibility
23:40and to discharge
23:42my duties as king
23:43as I would wish to do
23:46without the help
23:47and support
23:48of the woman
23:50I love.
23:51In the early 1930s,
23:52before he was crowned,
23:54Edward VIII
23:54met American socialite
23:56and divorcee
23:56Wallace Simpson
23:57with whom he would
23:58eventually begin
23:59a relationship.
24:00He wished to marry her,
24:01but because she had
24:02been divorced,
24:03it was unprecedented
24:04and forbidden.
24:05David, let's stop
24:06all this talk
24:06about marriage.
24:07It frightens me
24:08and I can't see
24:08any good coming of it.
24:10Why?
24:12Your family
24:13will never stand for it.
24:14The prime minister
24:14won't stand for it.
24:15Making a monumental
24:16sacrifice in the name
24:17of love,
24:18he abdicated the throne,
24:20leaving the position
24:20to his brother,
24:21George VI.
24:22Sadly,
24:23not every tale
24:24of forbidden royal love
24:25gets a happy ending.
24:26Queen Elizabeth II's
24:27sister Margaret
24:28was ultimately prevented
24:29from marrying
24:30the divorced man
24:30she loved,
24:31Peter Townsend.
24:32I'm so sorry.
24:35You will love others.
24:38Never.
24:38Number 9.
24:39Alexander I of Serbia
24:41and Draga Masin.
24:43Be warned,
24:43this love story
24:44ends in tragedy.
24:46Alexander Obrinovich
24:47became king of Serbia
24:48when he was only
24:4916 years old.
24:50In 1900,
24:52seven years later,
24:53Alexander shocked the court
24:54when he announced
24:54his intention
24:55to marry Draga Masin,
24:56a widow 12 years
24:58older than himself
24:59who had previously
25:00been a lady-in-waiting
25:01for his mother.
25:02Because of her
25:02lower birth status
25:03and the fact
25:04that she was deemed
25:05too old to produce an heir,
25:06they received strong opposition
25:08from both the government
25:09and wider public.
25:10After going ahead
25:11with their nuptials anyway,
25:12the king and queen
25:13were killed by conspirators
25:14in 1903.
25:16Number 8.
25:17Héloise and Peter Abelard.
25:1912th century French philosopher
25:21Peter Abelard
25:21is known for his theology,
25:23but with the passing of time,
25:24his love affair
25:25with the young maiden
25:26Héloise d'Argenteuil
25:27has become arguably
25:28his most famous legacy.
25:30Tell me what you like to read.
25:32Philosophy?
25:33Science?
25:34Mathematics?
25:36Astronomy?
25:38Theology?
25:39Some.
25:42Romances?
25:43Seven letters still exist
25:44which were passed
25:45between the two lovers,
25:46and this is the basis
25:47of what historians know
25:48of their courtship.
25:49After studying
25:50under his tutelage,
25:51Héloise became pregnant.
25:52Though married in secret,
25:54their nuptials
25:54became public knowledge,
25:56and so,
25:56Héloise was sent
25:57to become a nun.
25:58Her uncle, Foulbert,
26:00then proceeded
26:00to have Abelard castrated.
26:02Disgraced,
26:03the philosopher
26:04became a monk.
26:05Though they would
26:06never meet again,
26:07their correspondence
26:08has gone on
26:08to inspire many lovers.
26:10I've read your poems too.
26:12Mirrors held to truth.
26:14Nope.
26:16Memorable prose.
26:17Number 7.
26:18Richard I of England
26:19and Philip II of France.
26:21Alright,
26:21there isn't a ton of evidence
26:23that Richard the Lionheart
26:24was gay,
26:24but we do know
26:25that he had a curiously
26:26close relationship
26:27with Philip II of France.
26:29You find that charming?
26:30No.
26:30Then why the charming smile?
26:32I thought,
26:32I can't think why,
26:34of when you were
26:35in Paris last.
26:36A contemporary account
26:37stated that the two kings
26:38ate from the same dish
26:39and even shared a bed,
26:41but at the same time,
26:42two men sleeping side by side
26:43didn't necessarily
26:44have queer overtones.
26:46Their relationship
26:47could have been
26:47a fraternal bond
26:48founded in politics
26:49or a case of courtly love,
26:51but considering the fact
26:52that they wound up feuding
26:53in their later years,
26:55a bona fide romantic relationship
26:56doesn't seem so far-fetched.
26:58Either way,
26:59Richard I has since been claimed
27:01as a gay icon.
27:02You haven't said you loved me.
27:11When the time comes...
27:13Number 6.
27:14Dante Alighieri
27:15and Beatrice Portinari
27:25Though there isn't much
27:27concrete evidence
27:28linking these two lovers,
27:30Beatrice Portinari
27:31lived near Dante in Florence
27:32and is widely accepted
27:34by scholars
27:34as the same Beatrice
27:35referenced in his writings.
27:37Not only did Beatrice
27:38serve as Dante's muse
27:39for his work
27:40La Vita Nuova,
27:41but also as the heavenly guide
27:43in his divine comedy.
27:44Portrayed as a powerful,
27:45heavenly figure,
27:47she leads Dante
27:47through Paradiso's
27:49concentric spheres of heaven
27:50until he is finally
27:52face to face
27:53with God.
27:54Was Dante's love
27:55an unrequited one
27:56or was it societal pressures
27:58and proper decorum
27:59that kept these two lovers apart?
28:00We'll never know for sure.
28:02What we do know, however,
28:03is that Beatrice
28:04was married to another man
28:05and Dante to another woman
28:07and that she died young
28:08at the age of 24.
28:09Number 5.
28:11Richard and Mildred Loving
28:12You may be familiar
28:14with this racially charged
28:15tale of forbidden love,
28:16which was adapted
28:17into an Academy Award
28:18nominated film in 2016.
28:20But in case you missed it,
28:22allow us to fill you in.
28:23Richard and Mildred Loving
28:24were happily married
28:25in 1958 in Washington, D.C.
28:28and then went back home
28:29to Virginia.
28:30The only problem?
28:31Mildred was black
28:32and Richard was white.
28:34And while their community
28:35was notably integrated,
28:36interracial marriage
28:37remained illegal.
28:38People had been mixed
28:39all the time,
28:41so I didn't know
28:42any different.
28:42I didn't know
28:43there was a law against it.
28:44Soon after their wedding,
28:45they were arrested
28:46for violating sections
28:47of the Virginia Code.
28:49Their case ended up
28:50in the Supreme Court
28:51and they made history
28:52when they caused the law
28:53prohibiting interracial marriage
28:54to be abolished.
28:56Talk about a love
28:57that can conquer
28:57all boundaries and obstacles.
28:59Do you think that this
29:00brings you closer together?
29:02Yes, I do, I think.
29:05Number 4.
29:06Nicholas II of Russia
29:07and Alexandra Feodorovna.
29:09For Nicholas II,
29:11it was reportedly love
29:12at first sight
29:13when he met
29:13his future wife Alexandra,
29:15formerly known as
29:16Alex of Hesse and Byrine,
29:17the favorite granddaughter
29:18of Queen Victoria
29:19and presumed future
29:20Queen of England.
29:22Walked around
29:22the entire day
29:23in a haze,
29:24not fully conscious
29:25actually of what
29:26happened to me.
29:27The two fell for each other
29:28at the marriage
29:28of Alex's sister
29:29to Nicholas's uncle.
29:31Despite this history
29:32of intermarriage
29:32between their two families,
29:34however,
29:34Alex's German ancestry
29:35made her an unfit match
29:37in the eyes
29:37of Nicholas's father,
29:38Tsar Alexander III.
29:39Though the family
29:40eventually relented,
29:42sadly,
29:42as anyone familiar
29:43with Russian history
29:44will tell you,
29:45there is no happy ending.
29:47Nicholas,
29:47Alexandra,
29:48and their children
29:48were all executed
29:49by the Bolsheviks
29:50in 1918.
29:52Do you remember
29:52Livedia in the spring?
29:57The cherry blossom?
30:04I'm going to take you back there.
30:06Number 3.
30:07Saretsi Hama
30:08and Ruth Williams
30:08In 1947,
30:10Saretsi Hama,
30:11a prince from
30:12the Bechuanaland
30:13protectorate,
30:14now Botswana,
30:15was studying in London
30:16when he met
30:16an Englishwoman
30:17named Ruth Williams.
30:18Despite their
30:19different backgrounds
30:20and the racial tensions
30:21at the time,
30:22they fell deeply in love
30:23and got married
30:24the following year.
30:25We knew that we were
30:25going to upset
30:26our immediate families,
30:28but then at the same time,
30:29we didn't want to
30:30live apart.
30:31Their interracial union
30:32faced strong opposition
30:34back home,
30:34both from Hama's
30:35tribal elders
30:36and neighboring South Africa,
30:37which had just
30:38instituted apartheid.
30:40South Africa banned
30:41the couple
30:41and pressured Britain
30:42to strip away
30:43Hama's chieftainship.
30:44In response,
30:45Britain exiled Hama
30:46to London,
30:47only allowing him
30:48to return home
30:49years later,
30:49after he renounced
30:50the tribal throne.
30:52Hama eventually
30:53led Botswana land
30:53to independence
30:54in 1966
30:55and became Botswana's
30:57first president,
30:57with Williams
30:58as his first lady.
30:59Just the fact that
31:00people were trying
31:01to separate us,
31:02even after we were
31:03married,
31:03they were still
31:04trying to separate us.
31:05Somebody described it
31:06one time as trying
31:07to split the atom.
31:08Number 2.
31:09Napoleon and Josephine
31:10The love story
31:11between Napoleon Bonaparte
31:13and Josephine de Beauharnais
31:14is a well-documented
31:15and tumultuous one.
31:17When the couple met,
31:18Napoleon was immediately
31:19smitten.
31:20But because Josephine
31:21was his elder
31:22by several years,
31:23already had two children
31:24and had previously
31:25been the mistress
31:26of several other
31:26prominent figures,
31:27their partnership
31:28was strongly contested
31:29by his family.
31:30Sire,
31:31I think you should
31:31take all the time
31:32you need.
31:32You will find
31:33a delicate way
31:34of explaining it to her.
31:36Explaining it to her
31:38is not a problem.
31:41I love her.
31:42They were married
31:43nonetheless,
31:43and their love letters
31:44to one another
31:45will go down in history
31:46as some of the most
31:47romantic ever written.
31:49Several years
31:50into their marriage
31:50and following
31:51multiple affairs,
31:52when Josephine
31:53had still not produced
31:54an heir to the throne,
31:55Napoleon divorced her
31:57for the sake of his legacy,
31:58despite still loving her.
31:59Do you doubt it?
32:02Not when you look
32:03at me like that.
32:05Not when we're alone.
32:06Just the two of us.
32:09It's the other people
32:11who frighten me
32:11and spoil everything.
32:13Before we continue,
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32:281. Mark Antony and Cleopatra
32:31Though depictions
32:32of Cleopatra
32:33have varied greatly
32:34in works of fiction,
32:35there is no doubt
32:36about the veracity
32:37of the love
32:38that the Ptolemaic
32:39Queen of Egypt
32:39shared with the married
32:40Roman general Mark Antony.
32:42Their affair
32:43was the cause
32:44of much strife
32:44between regions,
32:45with Octavian,
32:46who was his fellow
32:47triumvir and brother-in-law,
32:49ultimately declaring war
32:50on Antony's mistress,
32:51Cleopatra.
32:52Octavian will burn
32:53the palace tomorrow.
33:02There is debate
33:03among historians
33:04as to how exactly
33:05these two lovers
33:06met their end,
33:07but the most widely accepted
33:09is that they both
33:09ended their own lives
33:10shortly after one another.
33:12Before the film adaptations,
33:14their story
33:14was first immortalized
33:15and made popular
33:16in Shakespeare's famous play
33:17Antony and Cleopatra,
33:18which adheres loosely
33:20to the real-life events.
33:33Which of these
33:34forbidden couples
33:35do you think
33:36has the most tragic story?
33:37Let us know
33:38in the comments.
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