Forbidden love can alter history. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most notable romantic couples in history who defied societal and familial objections to be together.
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00:00Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most notable romantic
00:08couples in history who defy societal and familial objections to be together. We'll be skipping
00:14mythical duos like Guinevere and Lancelot, or Paris and Helen.
00:1920. Alexander I of Greece and Aspasia Manos
00:27In 1917, Alexander I unexpectedly became King of Greece after his father, Constantine I,
00:34was exiled during World War I. Alexander had fallen in love with his childhood friend,
00:38Aspasia Manos, and was determined to marry her even though she was a commoner.
00:43By Harry, I won't have it! You're a prince, and you're going to marry a princess!
00:49Initially, his father persuaded him to wait until after the war, but by 1919, Alexander
00:54defied him and married Manos in a secret ceremony. This wedding caused a huge uproar
00:59as it was done without the archbishop's consent, which went against the Greek constitution.
01:04The couple was forced to flee temporarily to Paris, and Manos was never officially recognized
01:09as queen. Their marriage was, however, short-lived, as Alexander tragically died in 1920 from
01:15an infection caused by a monkey bite.
01:1819. Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas
01:24The love affair between Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas began in 1891.
01:30While Wilde was married to his wife, Constance Lloyd, this relationship was illegal, as homosexuality
01:35was criminalized in Victorian England under the Gross Indecency Law. Not only was their
01:40love frowned upon by society, it was also antagonized by Douglas' father, John, the
01:46Marquise of Queensbury.
01:47You will cease to see, Wilde, or I'll cut you off without a penny.
01:51All I want is your money. What little you have left from your tarts. How dare you speak
01:59to your father like that?
02:00Determined to end the affair, John publicly accused Wilde of being gay, which led to a
02:05libel suit. However, the trial unearthed Wilde's intimate letters to Douglas, resulting in
02:10him being arrested and convicted of gross indecency.
02:13After serving two years in prison, Wilde spent his final years in exile, briefly living
02:18with Douglas before they parted ways forever.
02:21Life cheats us with shadows. We ask it for pleasure, it gives it to us, with bitterness
02:26and disappointment in its train. Then we find ourselves looking with dull heart of stone
02:32at the tress of gold-flecked hair that we had once so wildly worshipped.
02:3718. Camila O'Gorman and Father Ladislao Gutierrez
02:41Camila O'Gorman was only 23 years old when she was executed by Argentine dictator Juan
02:47Manuel de Rosas simply for falling in love. O'Gorman was a close friend of Rosas' daughter,
02:53Manuelita, but after meeting Catholic priest Father Ladislao Gutierrez, they eloped, knowing
02:58their relationship was forbidden.
03:00The couple settled in a small town where they lived as a married couple under assumed names.
03:04They decided to flee to the northeast of Argentina and seek asylum as a married couple. The couple
03:10set up a school in the town and became teachers.
03:12However, their disappearance became a public matter after O'Gorman's father claimed the
03:17priest had kidnapped her, and Rosas was accused by his opponents of corrupting Argentine women.
03:23This pressured him to quickly find the couple and set an example. In 1848, despite pleas
03:28from his daughter, Rosas ordered their execution, even though O'Gorman was reportedly eight
03:33months pregnant.
03:34The couple are regarded as national martyrs in Argentina. Two lovers who defied a tyrannical
03:40ruler in the name of love will remain an inspiration for all oppressed lovebirds around the globe.
03:4617. Marla Zimitbaum and Edward Galinsky
03:50This tragic love story was set against the harrowing backdrop of the Holocaust. Marla
03:54Zimitbaum and Edward Galinsky were both prisoners who met in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
04:00Despite the unimaginable horrors around them, they fell in love and dreamed of a future
04:04together.
04:05In early 1944, Edek started seriously thinking about escaping from Auschwitz. Initially,
04:11Edek was supposed to escape from the camp with Vyacheslav Killer, with whom he started
04:15planning. They decided that the best way was to leave the camp disguised as SS men.
04:20After devising a plan to escape, they managed to do so in June 1944, with Galinsky dressed
04:25as an SS guard and Zimitbaum posing as a prisoner being taken to work. However, they were caught
04:31after just two weeks and returned to Auschwitz, where they were sentenced to death.
04:36As they faced the gallows, Zimitbaum put up a final act of defiance by attempting to take
04:40her own life before the Nazi executioners could carry out their orders.
04:44Marla slapped the guard's face with her bloody hand, and shouted at the guard,
04:48"'You all shall dearly pay for your deeds.' Then she turned to the assembled prisoners,
04:53trying to encourage them.
04:55"'I was outside. The end of the war is nearing. Be strong and firm.'"
05:0016. Mary and Percy Shelley
05:02Born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin to a philosopher, William Godwin, and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft,
05:09Mary Shelley is best known as the author of the classic gothic novel Frankenstein. In
05:13her teenage years, she met Percy Shelley, a radical poet who was her father's protege.
05:19Although Percy was married, the two began seeing each other, and subsequently fell in
05:22love.
05:23"...The government has no power over us. I fear not of God or his henchmen on earth."
05:33When he learned of this relationship, William Godwin was infuriated and forbade Percy from
05:38seeing Mary. This only led to them eloping to France. After Percy's wife took her own
05:42life, he officially married Mary, hoping it would change her father's opinion of their
05:46relationship.
05:47Unfortunately, their marriage was marred by loss, as their first three children died
05:59young and only one survived into adulthood.
06:0215. Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning
06:06Elizabeth Barrett began writing poetry at a young age, and by the 1840s, she was a prominent
06:11figure in the Victorian literary scene, with a large body of work. It was her poetry that
06:16caught the attention of her eventual husband, Robert Browning, who wrote to her praising
06:20her 1844 collection, Poems. This kicked off a correspondence between the two that eventually
06:26blossomed into a romantic relationship.
06:27"...Even before I passed that door, I loved you. And I've gone on loving you. And I shall
06:32love you to the end, and beyond. You know that."
06:36However, Barrett was under the watchful eye of her father, who forbade any of his children
06:40from getting married. As a result, she wed Browning in secret and eloped to Italy, which
06:46led to her disinheritance. Barrett lived the rest of her life there, and died in 1861 after
06:51a prolonged illness.
06:52"...Are you afraid, ma?"
06:54"...Afraid? Oh, you will know I'd rather die with you beside me than live a hundred lives
07:01without you."
07:0214. Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta
07:05The daughter of Guido I da Palenta of Ravenna, Italy, Francesca da Rimini was betrothed to
07:11Giovanni Malatesta, the son of Malatesta d'Averrucchio, Lord of Rimini. The marriage
07:17was purely political, intended to broker peace between the two warring families. However,
07:22Giovanni didn't attend the wedding, and was instead represented by his younger, more handsome
07:27brother, Paolo.
07:28"...Can a good thing come from a bad thing? Paolo the groom. Is this a good thing? Yes,
07:38I think. And what is the bad?"
07:41Francesca was instantly captivated by Paolo, and they soon began a ten-year affair, despite
07:46both being married to other people. This affair ended tragically when Giovanni caught them
07:50in bed together, and in a fit of rage, murdered them both. Their relationship and tragic death
07:56became immortalized in Dante's Inferno as a symbol of love's destructive power.
08:0413. Prince Rudolf of Austria and Baroness Mary Wetzera
08:13As the only son of Emperor Franz Josef, Prince Rudolf was the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian
08:19throne from birth. His marriage to Princess Stephanie of Belgium started happily but deteriorated
08:25following the birth of their daughter. After purchasing Meierling, an imperial hunting
08:29lodge, Rudolf began an affair with a teenage baroness named Mary Wetzera.
08:33"...Good evening, your highness. Good evening, my love. Oh, take me away, please, take me
08:41away."
08:42Their relationship was scandalous due to their age difference, Rudolf's marriage, and the
08:45fact that Wetzera came from a lower noble family. When Wetzera's family found out about
08:50the affair, they were reportedly outraged and disapproved of it. Perhaps seeing no future
08:55together, Rudolf and Wetzera made a pact to end their lives at the hunting lodge in what
08:59is now known as the Meierling Incident.
09:02Rudolf convinced the poor girl that the world was out to get them and they needed to die
09:05for their love. Mary, who was herself a melancholy romantic, agreed.
09:1012. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Countess Sophie Hotek
09:15After the deaths of Prince Rudolf and his father, Karl Ludwig, Archduke Franz Ferdinand
09:20became the presumptive heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. As such, he was expected to marry
09:25a woman from a European dynasty. However, he fell in love with Countess Sophie Hotek,
09:30a lady-in-waiting whose family did not meet that standard.
09:33She was merely the fourth daughter of a minor noble Czech family. Her family's dire financial
09:40conditions had forced her to become a lowly ranked servant for the Archduchess Isabella.
09:46In the eyes of the royalty, she was ranked barely above a commoner.
09:51Ferdinand was determined to marry Hotek, but he faced resistance from her mistress, Archduchess
09:55Isabella, and Emperor Franz Josef. The emperor initially refused to permit the marriage,
10:01but ultimately relented amid pressure from Ferdinand's stepmother. They were allowed
10:05to marry in 1900 under the condition it would be a morganatic marriage, meaning their children
10:11couldn't inherit the throne. Their love endured despite this limitation until their assassination
10:16in 1914, which sparked World War I.
10:19Franz Ferdinand uttered his last words while clutching his lifeless wife.
10:23Sophie, dear, don't die. Stay alive for the children.
10:2811. Inês de Castro and Pedro I of Portugal
10:32Pedro I of Portugal first wed Constanza of Castile in 1340, a union arranged by his father,
10:39King Alfonso IV. However, it was Constanza's lady-in-waiting, Inês de Castro, who truly
10:45caught his eye.
10:46By 1342 or 1343, it was an open secret at the Portuguese court that the two were engaged
10:53in an extramarital affair, although Peter and Constanza did have children in the early
10:591340s.
11:01King Alfonso strongly opposed their affair, as he feared Inês' influence over his son
11:06and viewed her as a threat to the kingdom's stability. After Constanza died in childbirth,
11:11Alfonso urged Pedro to marry another woman, but he refused. Frustrated by his inability
11:17to separate them, Alfonso ordered Inês' assassination, which devastated Pedro.
11:22He swore revenge and even revolted against his father for having killed her, thus creating
11:28a civil war in Portugal.
11:29When he ultimately became king, Pedro declared Inês queen posthumously, then hunted down
11:34her killers and executed them. Legend has it he even exhumed her remains, placed them
11:39on the throne, and forced the nobles to pay her homage.
11:4310. Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson
11:46What could cause a man to give up his title as King of England? A great love, of course.
11:51"...that I have funded it possible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to
11:58discharge my duties as king, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the
12:06woman I love."
12:08In the early 1930s, before he was crowned, Edward VIII met American socialite and divorcee
12:13Wallace Simpson, with whom he would eventually begin a relationship. He wished to marry her,
12:18but because she had been divorced, it was unprecedented and forbidden.
12:21"...David, let's stop all this talk about marriage. It frightens me and I can't see any good coming
12:26of it."
12:27"...Why?"
12:28"...Your family will never stand for it. The prime minister won't stand for it."
12:32Making a monumental sacrifice in the name of love, he abdicated the throne, leaving
12:36the position to his brother, George VI. Sadly, not every tale of forbidden royal love gets
12:41a happy ending. Queen Elizabeth II's sister Margaret was ultimately prevented from marrying
12:46the divorced man she loved, Peter Townsend.
12:49"...I'm so sorry. You will love others."
12:54"...Never."
12:559. Alexander I of Serbia and Draga Martian
12:59Be warned, this love story ends in tragedy. Alexander Obrinovich became King of Serbia
13:05when he was only 16 years old. In 1900, seven years later, Alexander shocked the court when
13:10he announced his intention to marry Draga Martian, a widow 12 years older than himself
13:15who had previously been a lady-in-waiting for his mother.
13:18"...The fact is, I prefer older women. My tastes have swung from young, empty-headed
13:24meringues to seasoned entrees well basted by life."
13:28Because of her lower birth status and the fact that she was deemed too old to produce
13:33they received strong opposition from both the government and wider public. After going
13:37ahead with their nuptials anyway, the king and queen were killed by conspirators in 1903.
13:428. Héloïse and Peter Abelard
13:46Twelfth-century French philosopher Peter Abelard is known for his theology. But with the passing
13:51of time, his love affair with the young maiden Héloïse d'Argentouil has become arguably
13:55his most famous legacy.
13:57"...Tell me what you like to read."
13:59"...Philosophy, science, mathematics, astronomy."
14:04"...Theology?"
14:06"...Some."
14:08"...Romances?"
14:10Seven letters still exist where he passed between two lovers, and this is the basis
14:14of what historians know of their courtship. After studying under his tutelage, Héloïse
14:19became pregnant. Though married in secret, their nuptials became public knowledge, and
14:23so Héloïse was sent to become a nun.
14:25Her uncle, Fulbert, then proceeded to have Abelard castrated. Disgraced, the philosopher
14:30became a monk. Though they never would meet again, their correspondence has gone on to
14:34inspire many lovers.
14:36"...I've read your poems too."
14:38"...Mirrors held to truth."
14:40"...Nope. Memorable prose."
14:437. Richard I of England and Philip II of France
14:47Alright, there isn't a ton of evidence that Richard the Lionheart was gay, but we do know
14:51that he had a curiously close relationship with Philip II of France.
14:55"...You find that charming? Now, then why the charming smile?"
14:58"...I thought, I can't think why, of when you were in Paris, Mars."
15:02A contemporary account stated that the two kings ate from the same dish and even shared
15:06a bed, but at the time, two men sleeping side-by-side didn't necessarily have homosexual overtones.
15:12Their relationship could have been a fraternal bond, founded in politics, or a case of courtly
15:17love. But considering the fact that they wound up feuding in their later years, a bona fide
15:21romantic relationship doesn't seem so far-fetched. Either way, Richard I has since been claimed
15:27as a gay icon.
15:28"...You haven't said you love me."
15:37"...When the time comes."
15:396. Dante Alighieri and Beatrice Portinari
15:42"...E si incontrarono tra una di queste case ad una festa. Lui la vide, vede questa bambina
15:48con un vestito rosso, fuoco, e lui se ne innamorò perdutamente."
15:52Though there isn't much concrete evidence linking these two lovers, Beatrice Portinari lived
15:56near Dante in Florence and is widely accepted by scholars as the same Beatrice referenced
16:02in his writings. Not only did Beatrice serve as Dante's muse for his work, La Vita Nuova,
16:07but also as the heavenly guide in his divine comedy.
16:11"...Portrayed as a powerful, heavenly figure, she leads Dante through Paradiso's concentric
16:16spheres of heaven, until he is finally face-to-face with God."
16:21Was Dante's love an unrequited one? Or was it societal pressures and proper decorum that
16:26kept these lovers apart? We'll never know for sure. What we do know, however, is that
16:30Beatrice was married to another man, and Dante to another woman, and that she died young
16:35at the age of 24.
16:375. Richard and Mildred Loving
16:39You may be familiar with this racially-charged tale of forbidden love, which was adapted
16:43into an Academy Award-nominated film in 2016. But in case you missed it, allow us to fill
16:48you in. Richard and Mildred Loving were happily married in 1958 in Washington, D.C., and then
16:53went back home to Virginia. The only problem? Mildred was black and Richard was white, and
16:58while their community was notably integrated, interracial marriage remained illegal.
17:03People had been mixing all the time, so I didn't know any different. I didn't know there
17:08was a law against it.
17:09Soon after their wedding, they were arrested for violating sections of the Virginia Code.
17:13Their case ended up in the Supreme Court, and they made history when they caused the
17:17law prohibiting interracial marriage to be abolished. Talk about a love that can conquer
17:22all boundaries and obstacles.
17:24Do you think that this brings you closer together?
17:27Yes, I do, I think.
17:304. Nicholas II of Russia and Alexandra Feodorovna
17:34For Nicholas II, it was reportedly love at first sight when he met his future wife, Alexandra,
17:39formerly known as Alex of Hesse and Bayrein, the favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria,
17:45and presumed future Queen of England.
17:47Walked around the entire day in a haze, not fully conscious, actually, of what happened
17:51to me.
17:52The two fell for each other at the marriage of Alex's sister to Nicholas's uncle. Despite
17:56this history of intermarriage between their two families, however, Alex's German ancestry
18:00made her an unfit match in the eyes of Nicholas's father, Tsar Alexander III.
18:05Though the family eventually relented, sadly, as anyone familiar with Russian history will
18:10tell you, there's no happy ending.
18:12Nicholas, Alexandra, and their children were all executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
18:18Do you remember Levadia in the spring?
18:21No.
18:24The cherry blossom.
18:30I'm going to take you back there.
18:323. Tseretse Hama and Ruth Williams
18:35In 1947, Tseretse Hama, a prince from the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana, was
18:42studying in London when he met an Englishwoman named Ruth Williams. Despite their different
18:46backgrounds and racial tensions at the time, they fell deeply in love and got married the
18:50following year.
18:51We knew that we were going to upset our immediate families, but then at the same time, we didn't
18:56want to live apart.
18:58Their interracial union faced strong opposition back home, both from Hama's tribal elders
19:03and neighboring South Africa, which had just instituted apartheid. South Africa banned
19:07the couple and pressured Britain to strip away Hama's chieftainship. In response, Britain
19:12exiled Hama to London, only allowing him to return home years later, after he renounced
19:17the tribal throne. Hama eventually led Bechuanaland to independence in 1966 and became Botswana's
19:23first president, with Williams as his first lady.
19:26Just the fact that people were trying to separate us, even after we were married, they were
19:31still trying to separate us. Somebody described it one time as trying to split the atom.
19:352. Napoleon and Josephine
19:38The love story between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine de Beauharnais is a well-documented
19:43and tumultuous one. When the couple met, Napoleon was immediately smitten, but because Josephine
19:48was his elder by several years, already had two children, and had previously been the
19:53mistress of several other prominent figures, their partnership was strongly contended by
19:57his family.
19:58I think you should take all the time you need. You will find a delicate way of explaining
20:02it to her.
20:03Explaining it to her is not a problem. I love her.
20:09They were married nonetheless, and their love letters to one another will go down in history
20:13as some of the most romantic ever written. Several years into their marriage, and following
20:17multiple affairs, when Josephine had still not produced an heir to the throne, Napoleon
20:21divorced her for the sake of his legacy, despite still loving her.
20:25Do you doubt it?
20:29Not when you look at me like that. Not when we're alone, just the two of us.
20:36It's the other people who frighten me and spoil everything.
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20:541. Mark Antony and Cleopatra
20:57Though depictions of Cleopatra have varied greatly in the works of fiction, there is
21:01no doubt about the veracity of the love that the Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt shared with the
21:06married Roman general Mark Antony. Their affair was the cause of much strife between regions,
21:11with Octavian, who was his fellow triumvir, and brother-in-law ultimately declaring war
21:17on Antony's mistress, Cleopatra.
21:19Octavian will burn the palace tomorrow.
21:25We must decide how to end this.
21:29And when.
21:30There is debate amongst historians as to how exactly these two lovers met their end, but
21:34the most widely accepted is that they both ended their own lives shortly after one another.
21:38Before the film adaptations, their story was first immortalized and made popular in Shakespeare's
21:44famous play Antony and Cleopatra, which adheres loosely to the real-life events.
22:02Which of these tales of forbidden love resonated with you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
22:15I just wondered if you do.
22:17Yeah, I know. You.
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