87) Ankhesenpepi II “Pepi lives for Her” Birth and Death Dates Unknown She was the daughter of Nebet and Khui and mother to Pharaoh Pepi II of Ancient Egypt. Ankhesenpepi II was the wife of Pharaoh Pepi I—and after he died, she married Merenre Nemtyemsaf—her nephew and another Pharaoh. She ruled Egypt as regent for…
75) Khaemweset The First Egyptologist Born: c1281 BC, Memphis, Egypt Died: c1225 BC He was the best-known son of Ramesses II after Pharaoh Merneptah. Khaemweset was the fourth son of the Pharaoh and his wife Isetnefret. His life’s work was preserving and protecting monuments and temples that his people had built previously and saving the…
62) Peter Carl Fabergé Jeweler & Mastermind behind the Fabergé Eggs Born: 30 May 1846, Saint Petersburg, Russia Died: 24 September 1920, Lausanne, Switzerland Original Name: Karl Gustavovich Fabergé In 1870, he inherited his father’s jewelry business and continued to craft jewelry, decorative works of art, and furniture. His work soon became famous around the…
61) Mikhail Romanov First ruler of the Romanov Dynasty Born: 22 July 1596, Moscow, Russia Died: 23 July 1645, Moscow, Russia Better Known as: Tsar Michael of Russia Ascended the throne at age sixteen after being chosen to rule. He ruled from 1613 to 1645. Mikhail was chosen to rule in part because of his…
49) Jeanne Bécu Better known as the Comtesse du Barry or Madame du Barry Born: 19 August 1743, Vaucouleurs, France Died: 8 December 1793, Paris, France Mistress for Louis XV—she became his official mistress following the death of Madame de Pompadour in 1768 (after being hastily married off to the Count Guillaume du Barry to…
48) Jeanne Poisson The Marquise de Pompadour, better known as Madame de Pompadour Born: 29 December 1721, Paris, France Died: 15 April 1764, Paris, France Mistress for Louis XV of France. She was much more than just a “mistress” though with some claiming she was the de-facto prime minister. Jeanne was blamed for France’s loss…
“Good people be civil–I am the Protestant whore!” 47) Nell Gwyn “Whores to Market!” Born: 2 February 1650, London, England Died: 14 November 1687, Pall Mall, London, England Alternate Spelling: Nell Gwynne Mistress for Charles II of England. She is one of his better-known mistresses and was known both in her own time and now…
46) Barbara Villiers Palmer It takes a strong woman to be despised, feared, and hated; and by today’s standards, she doesn’t deserve it Born: 27 November 1640, Westminster, London, England Died: 9 October 1709, Chiswick, London, England Mistress for Charles II of England and the Lady Castlemaine. She was equal parts hated, despised, and feared…
45) Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart She’s Better Known as the Marquise de Montespan or Simply Madame de Montespan Born: 5 October 1640, Lussac-les-Châteaux, France Died: May 27, 1707, Bourbon-l’Archambault, France Mistress for Louis XIV of France She first met the king in the early 1660’s as a member of the Queen’s household but she…
44) Diane de Poitiers Mistresses Get it Done Born: 9 January 1500, Saint-Vallier, France Died: 25 April 1566, Anet, France Mistress for Henry II of France. She was basically queen without the title while the real queen (Catherine de Medici) was forced to the sidelines. Diane was a patron to poets and the arts. The…