historical loves – Virtual Workers of America

The story is full of love and heartbreak. Some of these stories have remained through time and their protagonists have acquired a kind of immortality. But what do we really know about love? What drives us to fall in love?

Many personalities have written about love and its ‘magical’ effects. Without going too far, for example, the illustrious Oscar Wilde said: “The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death.” And it is that this feeling has been the reason for moving and passionate stories, but also for authentic war conflicts and personal dramas. Literature and history in equal parts are full of fiction and real events that began with what seemed like a simple crush and ended up changing the course of a country and marking the cultural world for life.

Of course, we can consider all this from a much more rational perspective. According to the scientific community, vasopressin and oxytocin are the main hormones that cause this state. Different brain regions are activated when we experience this feeling of ‘love’ (up to 12 are calculated), reducing anxiety and negative behaviors and attitudes. Everything is reduced, therefore, to a chemical reaction in our brain, although that vision takes the fun out of falling in love.

Despite these empirical demonstrations, the truth is that love seems inaccurate to us and, like Wilde, a complete unknown. In any case, romantic love is universal and therefore existed, exists and will exist. The exploits of its protagonists and their stories of passion that, in many cases, changed the course of history will continue to inspire thousands of people. Fairytale loves are known, real, passionate, frustrated, hidden… and centuries after their stories took place or were written, we still want to hear them and we are moved by their endings, whether they are happy or tragic.

In this gallery, we present you some of the most emblematic couples that history has left us. Romances that, although they went out in the hearts of lovers, continue to beat in ours.

Hadrian and Antinous

In Tivoli, near Rome, the love of one of the most famous homosexual couples in ancient history arose. Hadrian (76-138) and his young erómeno, Antinoo (110? -130) shared tastes and hobbies until the latter “fell into the Nile”, explained Hadrian and drowned. Special “The Science of Love”

Cleopatra and Mark Antony

This painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema painted in 1885 shows the two lovers in their first meeting, in Tarsus. The ship was considered Egyptian territory and their appointment had a political basis: mutual support against their enemies. After the first interviews Marco Antonio (83-30 BC) decided to stay and live in Alexandria, near Cleopatra (69-30 BC) and of course, love was born… Special “The Science of Love”

Dante and Beatrice

Henry Holiday depicted in this painting the meeting between Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) and Beatrice (Beatrice Portinari, 1265-1290). However, the first meeting of these two lovers occurred when they were nine and eight years old respectively. They were neighbors, but they barely coincided and spoke to each other, which did not prevent him from feeding the writer’s mind to write his two masterpieces, The Divine Comedy and The New Life. Special “The Science of Love”

Pedro I of Portugal and Inés de Castro

Politics and love have never been good allies. And if you don’t ask Pedro I of Portugal (1320-1367) and Inés de Castro (1325-1355), who saw her passion cut short by the desire of the lover’s father, Alfonso IV. The latter, seeing that the future King Ferdinand I of Portugal was a fragile child while the bastard children of Doña Inés were more robust and in the future would claim their monarchical rights, decided to cut his losses and end the love interest. Special “The Science of Love”

Juana La Loca and Felipe El Hermoso

Two of the most famous lovers in the history of Spain have been Juana La Loca (1479-1555) and Felipe el Hermoso (1478-1506). For Francisco Alonso Fernández, in his Personal History of the Habsburgs, Juana, the third daughter of Isabel and Fernando (the Catholic Monarchs), suffered from a case of fantasy schizophrenia or fantasiophrenia. Special “The Science of Love”

Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Vahan

Buried in the well-known Taj Mahal in the Indian city of Agra are Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631) and Sha Jahan (1592-1666). In fact, the construction of this gigantic mausoleum began when Ella Mahal died giving birth to the couple’s thirteenth child, just after she made her husband promise that she would never marry again. Special “The Science of Love”

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare’s tragedy has been one of the most famous love stories in the world. The rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulletos ended the lives of these two lovers. Juliet was betrothed to a man she did not love, and as an escape, she drank an elixir that would give her the appearance of being dead and later escaped with Romeo. However, the latter, unaware of Juliet’s plan, thought that she had indeed died and decided to die too. When Juliet woke up and saw Romeo’s lifeless body, she plunged a dagger into her heart to be reunited with her lover.

Diego Marcilla and Isabel de Segura

They are one of the most emblematic couples of Spanish romance. ‘Los amantes de Teruel’, two young people in love since childhood and who for financial reasons could not be together. Isabel de Segura was a wealthy girl, quite the opposite of Diego Marcillo. Isabel’s father gave the boy 5 years to improve his situation and then marry his daughter. However, this task took longer than expected and when she returned, Isabella had been forced to marry another man. According to the story, Diego died for love and at her funeral Isabel gave him one last kiss before also dying on her body.

Paris and Helen of Troy

This is another of the most mythical love stories with an unfortunate outcome. Helena was the most beautiful woman in the world and was married to the king of Sparta. When she met Paris, a Trojan prince, they went mad with love. Helena fled to Paris, but her feat only sparked one of the best-known conflicts in history, the Trojan War. The Greeks took victory thanks to the well-known Trojan horse and killed Paris. Helena returned unhappy with her husband to Sparta.

Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed

After her divorce, Diana began a new life in search of her happiness. One day she met Dodi Al Fayed, a man (also divorced) who apparently awakened love in Diana again. The couple shared different trips and meetings and were persecuted by the media and paparazzi. Unfortunately, this did not have a happy ending, because as is well known, a traffic accident ended the love story.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

One of the most prominent and controversial modern couples of the 1960s. Both were married with children when they began their romance. In 1969 they decided to get married and start a life together. Their relationship and philosophy of life inspired thousands of people. One of the most popular fruits of the pair was undoubtedly the Imagine theme.

Liu Guojiang and Xu Chaoqing

At just 19 years old, Liu Guojiang fell madly in love with Xu Chaoqing, a widow and also ten years older than him. Xu’s marital status in China did not allow him to be with another person. However, the couple escaped from their oppressive society and lived together in a cave in the mountains. In that place, isolated from everything and everyone, they had no electricity, not even food. In the second year of living on the mountain, Liu began digging steps for a ladder with his hands so that his wife could easily descend the 1,550-meter drop of altitude on the mountain. This work lasted for more than 50 years.

Salvador Dali and Gala

Salvador Dalí and his wife Gala starred in one of the most particular love stories of the moment. This relationship was marked by mutual inspiration, free love and the absence of conjugal relations. It is not one of the typical references of romantic love, but the truth is that it is said that the strong artistic attraction between the two was the pillar that united and sustained the famous couple.

Sissi from Bavaria and Francisco José

This story dates back to 1853, when Emperor Franz Joseph met Sissi of Bavaria. Francisco José was about to meet Sissi’s sister, whom he supposedly should have married, but by chance, he ended up falling in love with the fifteen-year-old Sissi. Despite this beautiful story, the truth is that Sissi did not have a happy marriage, as she could barely spend time with her busy husband. However, the empress, she decided to take advantage of the time and was trained and interested in state affairs. Her knowledge and her liberal ideas contributed to the fight for equality of the Hungarian people and managed to have Franz Joseph consecrated King of Hungary.

Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas

It is one of the best known homosexual stories. The relationship between the famous writer with Lord Alfred Douglas was one of the biggest social scandals of the time. It was precisely this love that led Wilde to prison, since in England homosexual relations were considered a criminal offense until 1967. Wilde, married with two children, was tried and convicted in 1895 for indecency and sodomy.