It is believed that there is a woman behind every successful man. Indeed, the course of the history of many states was directly influenced by the beloved of their rulers, while these women were not always their official wives. Some of these ladies were courtesans. Who are the courtesans and why did they have undivided power over their men?
Today the word "courtesan" is most often used in a disparaging sense and, in fact, is a softer version of the concept "prostitute". At the same time, this term initially had the meaning of "courtier", and then began to denote the type of activity of some women. It is wrong to think that a courtesan is just a woman of easy virtue, first of all, it is a muse, a man's devoted friend and his interesting interlocutor.
How did the courtesans differ from other women?
In Renaissance Europe, courtesans had everything that ordinary women lacked - they had a certain power over men, were independent and could manage their own money, unlike honest wives, who were completely and completely dependent on the will of their spouse.
Courtesans are beautiful, intellectually developed and gifted with all kinds of talents, women, the connection with which was prestigious for any man. That is why relations with courtesans were most often established by rich, noble and influential representatives of the stronger sex. Members of the royal family were no exception to this rule, because marriages among the august persons were concluded by calculation, often between relatives. In those days, it was not considered shameful for a man to be married to one woman, but to appear together at official receptions with a completely different one.
Courtesans favorably differed from ordinary women in that, in addition to relationships with men, they were engaged in some kind of parallel activity. Often they were educated people from good families, and they played music, painting, had a penchant for foreign languages, or were talented dancers. This circumstance made them, on the one hand, financially independent, and on the other, expanded their circle of contacts and provided an opportunity to get acquainted with a potential patron.
The most famous courtesans - who are they?
Courtesans not only brightened up the lives of noble men, but also had a direct impact on the course of history. Suffice it to recall such famous courtesans as Cleopatra - the last queen of Egypt, Diana de Poitiers - the companion of Henry II, who eclipsed his official wife Catherine de Medici, and Roksolana - the beloved of Sultan Suleiman. The latter is an almost unprecedented example of a woman who wielded incomparable power in the Islamic world.
Some courtesans married men who were not their clients, but, on the contrary, were below their chosen ones on the social ladder. Thus, they raised the status of their husbands. But more often than not, the courtesan remained unmarried, while never being alone.