Story of sex, eroticism and pornography XVIII. - Henry IV of France

The scandalous (“porn”) queen, Margaret of Valois

The next French king was Henry IV. († 1610). Son of Henry III. He was known as a notorious womanizer. Henry IV married to Margaret of Valois in 1572. The wedding was followed by a horrific massacre: tens of thousands of Protestants were killed in a massacre known as “St. Bartholomew’s Night”. Then, Henry practically lived as a prisoner with his wife in the Louvre for four years. And as horrible as the wedding was, so did the marriage. Margaret was only truly Henry's wife for the first three years, but she kept lovers from the beginning.

Henry IV.  of France

Henry and Margaret hated and despised each other all along. The queen was extremely intelligent, but also unbalanced and hysterical.Margaret was also a nymphomaniac (here you can read about another nymphomaniac woman, Messalina, who was also wife or ruler). She may have been oppressed by her infertility and sought solace for it. What is certain, that she had sexual intercourse with every prince and butler boy she had ever met. Her adventures also often caused scandal in the relaxed atmosphere of a 16th-century French court. Henry did not trust his wife, considered her as a spy for the royal family. And he was right about that. And Margaret despised her husband, who was a poor compare to the Valois.

Margaret de Valois, wikipedia

In 1576, when Henry escaped from the courtyard, he left not only his opponents there, but also his wife. The marriage was no longer restored, Margaret became embroiled in more and more scandals.

The masculinity of the king

Henry IV’s masculinity is one of a stable fact of French history. But perhaps only a fraction of the legends about him are true. Even then, there is no doubt that many noble women and peasant girls, and sometimes even a nun, spent the night with her. Henry was lovingly called “Vert-Galant” by his soldiers, a “good cock”. This name has also passed into the public consciousness. However, the stories that he was a “sexual athlete” is only partially true. The king was nineteen years old, when he got married at he released from his marriage when he was forty-seven. He and his wife lived separately for twenty-five years, so he had no hope of having legal heirs from each other.

Henry IV’s lovers
Besides several adventures and two unloved marriages, he had only three serious loveful relationships.

Corisande

Henry found a proper companion at the age of thirty. She was Countess Diane de Gramont. The king called this, beautiful and clever widow Corisande. She was also thirty years old, when they met. Henry IV. was not able to spent too much time with Corisande during the years of the Civil War, but he sent her plenty of letters. 

Corisande, lafrancepittoresque.com

He told her everything. He boasted of his military successes to her, but about his illnesses and anxieties in an almost childish way. Over the years, Corisande became from a lover a soulmate.

Gabrielle

In 1590, Henry fell in love with a barely seventeen-year-old aristocratic girl, Gabrielle d ’Estrées. The beauty of the woman was well known. When Henry saw her, he immediately fell in love. At first, however, Gabrielle did not reciprocate the emotions of the thirty-eight-year-old king. However, the girl's family recognized this as a great opportunity. So Gabrielle became the king's lover. But in order to avoid the scandalum she entered into a name marriage with an upscale nobleman. The king in love lavished the girl’s family with estates and plenty of money, and the girl with beautiful jewelry. 

Gabrielle, wikipedia

The king's love did not decrease over the years, and he even decided to marry Gabrielle. The ruler easily separated his lover from her obedient husband, but she had a harder time dealing with her own wife. Margaret didn't oppose the divorce, but she wanted to extort as much money as possible from Henry, furthermore, she did not want the king to marry below rank. So the negotiations dragged on. However, the king had already decided at that time to marry Gabrielle, who gave 3 children to him: Caesar, Catherine, and then Alexander.

In 1599, the king kept two irons in a fire. He waited for the pope to annul his marriage to Margaret. And Gabrielle was already trying on her wedding dress while pregnant. However, fate intervened. Gabrielle died in childbirth in the spring of 1599. Her wedding dress was only given to her at the funeral.

Henriette

The king's pain was sincere and boundless. But he soon found solace. In the summer, as negotiations continued on his new marriage, the king already had a new lover. She was Henriette d ’Entragues, barely 17 years old. Henry, after marrying the fat and dull Medici Mary in 1600, practically lived in bigamy with his wife and lover for several years. In 1601, Mary Medici gave birth to the long-awaited heir Dauphin to the throne, He became Louis XVI. Then Henriette gave birth to a boy for a month. The following year, Henry had a daughter from both women, a few weeks apart. 

Henriette, wikimedia.org

The king loved his children equally, and he raised his heir to the throne together with the royal princes and his descendants born of his lover.

Charlotte

In 1609, fifty-seven years old Henry was considered old when he became “mortally” in love again. The daughter of his old comrade-in-arms. Charlotte, had just turned fourteen. 

Charlotte, wikimedia.org

Henry then noticed the beautiful girl. But she was not a simple court lady, but a girl from an upscale family. Plus, she was a virgin. Therefore, as was the custom of the age, Henry looked around to find a “understanding husband” for her. He chose one of his relatives for this role, Prince Condé Jr.

Prince Condé was one of the most noble lords of France, so no one could object.

Prince Condé, perhaps because of his terrible childhood, he was a clumsy, grimly man. Plus, everyone in the court knew, that he had homosexual adventures (remember how natural this was for the ancient Greeks). The king needed just such a husband!

Prince Condé, wikimedia

However, the young prince unexpectedly rose to self-awareness and refused to play the role intended for him. After the wedding, he took his wife to his country mansion. The king also undertook ridiculous adventures, in order to see Charlotte. Henry even visited the beautiful girl in disguise. The young woman was flattered by the royal attention. Some night she appeared in a nightgown on the balcony of the castle. Even with untangled hair, which according to the morals of the age was synonymous with “half-naked”! Prince Condé hated the king's courtship and simply “kidnapped” his wife. The young couple fled to Brussels, the capital of the Spanish Netherlands. Henry could no longer see his beloved little Charlotte because a few months later, he was stabbed by a fanatical Catholic assassin.

Read about Henry II. of France here!

Story of sex, eroticism and pornography XVII. - Henry III. of France

Henry III. of France was a controversial king.  Let’s see why!

Henry III. of France, an average portrait of him

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

His marriage 

After Henry II. his son, Henry III. († 1589) ruled. He was not brought to the news by his lovers. More like his boyfriends, the infamous "mignons." First Henry III. at the age of 22, he was the fiancé of Queen Elizabeth of England, who was forty-year-old. Later, Anna Jagiellonia, of Poland who was 50 years old. But he was in love with someone else. Henry hoped the Pope would end the woman's marriage. But she, unfortunately, died in her first birth. When Henrik found her, he fainted. 

But after that, he got love marriage. He married Louise de Vaudémont. Her mother hoped that the gentle, humble wealthy Louise would be an obedient bride. And so it became. 

Louise de Vaudemont

wikipedia.org

"Dear" mignons 

However, even though Louise was an ideal wife, she became pregnant once and unfortunately had an abortion. And then she remained barren. Because of the childless marriage, the king was blackened by a number of pamphlets. He was accused of blood feuds, and it was also common for the king to be actually gay. What could have been behind this? 

The royal court was full of young, handsome men. They were called mignons in the royal court, meaning "kind." Various writings in the French Renaissance style detailed the orgies arranged by Henry and the Mignons. Probably none of this was true. It is a fact, however, that the relationship between the ruler and the mignons was not expected. Other kings also had confidants, but they did not caress them or beat them with fists in their anger. They did not exchange gentle-sounding letters with them, nor did they keep their hair in a pendant after their death. 

Henry III. and the mignons

But then what was this whole mignon case at Henry III.? The childless ruler found companions in the minions. They did not have homosexual partners but replaced their unborn children. Henry III. did everything he could to get his "mignons" to marry and make a real marriage. He richly married the minions, and even the wives were chosen by him. 

Despite the name, the mignons were strong, savage, and robust soldiers. Many lost their lives in battle or duel. Henry entrusted them with the most dangerous and confidential tasks, and there were plenty of opportunities to do so. 

The king's strange habits 

Henry's strange habits reinforced the rumors. He excelled at a young age with his special attire. He was prone to eccentricity and liked extravagant attire. For example, she sewed tiny silver skulls on her dress. The dresses were otherwise embroidered with gold and decorated with precious stones and pearls. She had scented necklaces and huge earrings. He even wears earrings in a formal portrait! But there is an exception! Do we see his earrings?

Henry III. of France

wikipedia.org

If it is true that Henry had no physical connection with the "mignons," the courtiers rightly discovered a sign of repressed homosexuality. The king sometimes dressed as a woman at masquerade balls. 

In a country where things are going well, the king is popular and confident; the people forgive many things to the ruler. However, there were significant troubles in the country, and the people saw perversion in all the actions of the ruler. But for sure: if a man today would act and behave like Henry III, they'd say that he is gay. 

And the situation is even more confusing if we look even more closely at the fact that one of Henry's lovers was Veronica Franco, the famous Venetian courtesan! 

Veronica Franco

wikipedia.org

Story of sex, eroticism and pornography XVI. - Henry II. of France

 Early years - Catherine de' Medici 

Henry II. ruled France in the middle of the XVI. century. 

Henry II. of France

alamystockphoto.com

His wife was Catherine de' Medici, who was added to the king at the age of 14. After the large and bright wedding, the marriage of Catherine and Henry was uneventful for a long time. And permanently childless. However, this did not bother any of them for a long time. Especially not Henrik. At the age of 16, he began a relationship with Diane de Poitiers, who was almost 20 years older than him. Then Henry became heir to the throne of France. From then on, Catherine was under high pressure to give birth to offspring. However, in the first ten (!) Years, the attempts were not followed by success. And Catherine feared that the king would part with her and be exiled. 

Yet she tried all the possibilities of medicine at the time. One is more bizarre than the other: 

· She was expecting her husband in bed with cow dung and deer antler, 

· She drank mule urine 

· She drilled holes in her husband's bedroom ceiling and watched him with his lover – like she was watching a live porn movie - she was excited about it and hoped she would get pregnant. 

Catherina de Medici

wikipedia.org

But the ultimate success was taken in the form of vanilla orange pancake called Crѐpe Suzette. This is a well-known dessert to this day. Her husband couldn't resist it anymore. It is said that this stimulated their sex life so much that in the next 13 years, they had 10 children. The survival of the dynasty was thus ensured. Their third son was the later Henry III. of France.

Diane de Poitiers 

Catherine of Medici spent her entire marriage in the shadow of her royal lover, Diane de Poitiers. The king piled Diane with her presents and told her all her worries and joys. Yet Diane was twenty years older than the king! That was a pretty rare thing at the time. 

The reason for this was that Henry lived in the courtyard of Madrid as a small child like a noble hostage. Because of this, he became an evasive, grumpy, inhibitory teenager. Therefore, his father entrusted his upbringing to the young widow of an old general. She was Diane de Poitiers. 

Diane was in her thirties at the time. In the  XVI century, it was a reasonably high age for a woman. She was a tall and beautiful blonde woman. For a long time, she surrounded Henry with maternal care but later seduced her regularly. Today we would say that she was a hot MILF who tied the young king to her with her sexual experience. It is quite understandable that this had a significant impact on Henry. She was his only love, and she remained faithful to him until his death. Although Catherine de' Medici had 11 children, the king always loved only Diane. 

Diane de Poitiers

wikimedia.org

After the king's death 

After 27 years, a lousy marriage Henry II. was fatally wounded in a court knight tournament. Catherine de' Medici, of course, nurtured the ruler in its last days. She didn't even take off her black mourning dress for the rest of his life. But she also had plenty of time to remove Diane de Poitiers from the court and prepare for his son's reign. 

Catherine was obsessed with power and a violent queen. She used every means to preserve her family and her own power. She was considered by many to be a cruel ruler. She even ordered murders to protect her own and his family's power. She also ordered the St. Bartholomew's Night Massacre in Paris. She died on January 5, 1589. 

Maybe if she had had a more satisfying marriage, she wouldn't want to be more masculine than men. 

Read about Henry VIII. of England, who was their contemporary!

Henry VIII's. private life - History of sex, erotica, and pornography XV.

Henry VIII. (1491 - 1547) is famous for many things, such as scandals, wives doomed to death, militant thinking, and campaigns. And of course the most important thing: founding the Anglican Church! Henry foamed life, food, and women. He was a real renaissance man!

Henry VIII. of England

wikimedia.org

However, it is a massive misconception about Henry that he would have been such great sexual desires. He allegedly often could not satisfy the ladies! Nor is there any evidence that he was syphilis. Yet this would not have been surprising given the Middle Ages.

Let's take a look at the King's ladies.

Catherine of Aragon

His first wife was Catherine of Aragon, and this marriage began with love. And for 15 years, he seemed happy. But unfortunately, their children were all stillborn. There was one exception, Mary. However, no heir to the throne was born. And then Henry looked for a fertile lover.

Boleyn Anna

First, Mary Boleyn was the King's lover. We saw this in the film; 'The Other Boleyn Girl.' Mary Boleyn also gave birth to a child for the ruler. However, Henry soon got bored with the gentle Mary. And Anna Boleyn knew full well what she could do to seduce the King. She went to the very end. With the practices what she learned in the French court, Anna mesmerized the King. However, she did not allow sex. She told Henry that he had to marry her. The King then went crazy to take Anna to bed, and the result of this affair, that Henry VIII founded the Anglican Church. Finally, He married Anna Boleyn.

When Anna was crowned Queen in 1533, she was already six months pregnant and gave birth to the later Queen Elizabeth I. After her first successful pregnancy, Anna, unfortunately, had several miscarriages. Henry VIII. ended up the marriage because Anna was accused of incest and treason. However, many said it was just a conceptual lawsuit against her.

Jane Seymour

While 3 years of marriage with Anna three marriage, the King began courting Jane Seymour. Jane behaved virginally and quietly. Henry VIII. was married to her immediately after Anna was beheaded. The fragile new Queen soon gave birth to the expected boy, but shortly she died of cervical fever. The King was very worn out because, according to historical sources, he really loved this woman.

Anna of Cleves

Anna Cleves was the new wife. She lived with the King for only six months. She was an ugly woman, and the King did not want sex with her. But Anna is disgusted Henry VIII. too. The King called his wife as the "Flemish mare." Nevertheless, he sent him in peace and remained friends. The King even donated estates to her!

Catherine Howard

At the age of 16, he became the wife of the 49-year-old King. Henry VIII was so a fat, fussy, and short-tampered man. Catherine surrounded herself with many young men and made her lover a private secretary. This situation is perhaps more understandable if we know that from the age of 11 Catherine was regularly harassed by older men who walked into her room.

Catherine was the wife of the sick Henry VIII less a year. Because she was completely inexperienced and influential in life and politics, she quickly got into a man's net. Therefore, she was also convicted of adultery, so she became the second beheaded wife.

Catherine Parr

Catherine became the wife and faithful friend of an aging and increasingly ill King. She took care of Henry's wounds, but there was no sexual relationship between them. In her, the King found his soul mate. Catherine could even reunite the family. Henry VIII. readmitted his previously denied daughters to the throne. Besides her, the King was finally able to end his life in peace. After the death of Henry VIII, the Queen was able to retain her wealth, rank, and many estates. She organized Henry's funeral, and at the end of Henry VIII's power, she played a significant role in helping young Elizabeth to save adulthood.

Recent research suggests that Henry VIII had several ulcers from injuries. And they caused him terrible and constant pain. Probably that is why he became grumpy, suddenly angry, and cruel in his old age.

Read more about sex in the Tudor Age!

(All pictures are from wikipedia.org and gettyimages!)

History of Sex, Erotica, and Pornography XIV. Sex in the Tudor Age

After France, let's take a look at England now. The best known and greatest king of the Middle Ages was Henrik VIII. in England. Before we get into privacy, let's look at the rules of Tudor sex!

1. Sex is often forbidden

The church has set strict rules for when, where, and how people can have sex with each other. Thus, it was forbidden to have sex on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays, during Lent, Advent, Pentecost, before the major holidays when the woman was menstruating, in the last months before giving birth, for a month after giving birth, and while the mother was breastfeeding. Sex was forbidden for three days before sacrifice, during the day, naked, and in any way outside the missionary pose.

All sexual activity that was not for reproductive purposes was sodomy.

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Henry VIII. of England

in the "The Tudors"

wikimedia

2. Married only

The only sexual activity allowed by the contemporary church was the fulfillment of "marital duty." This approach means that sex's goals within marriage for childbearing.

3. It is mandatory to make a child (especially if you are king!)

For kings and queens, childbearing was a moral obligation. It also served the interests of the dynasty. The marriage was valid only if it was passed away. After the royal couple was married, there were, therefore, witnesses in the bedroom. They waited behind the curtain for the sounds of orgasm because that was the evidence.

wikipedia.org

4. Enjoy life ...!

Doctors were also involved in the issue of sexuality. It was believed that too little sex was not good for a person's health. Also, it can even endanger it. Doctors said that women and men produce a "seed" with which they can create new life. The balance of these is vital in the body. This theory meant that in order to have children, both parties had to breake out their seed, so they had to reach orgasm.

5. ... but don't overdo it!

The church forbade sex so much, among other things, because it feared it could entice people to sin. Many believed that sex made them angry with themselves. And an English bishop claimed that "the filthy desires of the flesh" were harmful to men.

6. Forget contraception!

The church condemned contraception. An exception was if the woman was expected to die in childbirth. The methods of contraception advocated by doctors were sometimes very bizarre. It's hard to imagine anyone taking them seriously. One of the contraceptive ointments, for example, consisted of the following ingredients: poppy, egg white, goose fat, honey, and "female milk."

A popular medical book claimed that an excellent method of contraception is to carry a weasel with severed testicles around her neck.

7. Break the rules!

In XVI. century people lived active sex lives. Adultery was forbidden, but it was widespread. The reason for this was that forced marriages occurred many times among the nobility and the royal family. For example, during Henrik VIII's wife lay pregnant with her first child, and the king courted the married Lady Anne Hastings. And the Spanish ambassador, who reported on the king's departure, blamed Catherine, not the ruler, for making the affair a word!

8. Enjoyment is an expectation

In the Tudor era, women were also expected to enjoy sex. There was also advice on this. It was thought that anyone who felt uncomfortable or unhappy during sex was not fertile. Mutual enjoyment was necessary to get pregnant. Women always had to be ready if their husbands wanted sex. However, it was also crucial for men for their partners to enjoy sex. This made a central question! You can only have a child if the woman also had an orgasm.

wikipedia

"The Tudors"

In summary, whatever the people did, they could only come out of it badly. Notwithstanding, the majority of medieval English thought that sex was worth the risk!

History of sex, erotica and pornography XIII. - Charles VIII. the sexual giant

Sex and marriage were nowhere easy for the kings. These were public affairs. The heir to the throne was a central issue at every royal house. And if a king ascended the throne as a child, he didn't know what to do on his wedding night. It was no different in France in the Middle Ages.

Charles VIII. of France

a flattering portrait

wikimedia.org

Charles VIII. of France, and his early years of and coronation

Pope Alexander VI. and Charles VIII. lived and ruled in the same period.  Charles VIII. lived and ruled in the XV century. He became ill a lot after his birth and spent most of his childhood in bed. He cried over romantic knight stories and loved to hear about the heroic deeds of Charles the Great. He was passionate about describing the Crusades. However, they didn't teach him, so he was almost analphabetic.

His appearance was also disadvantageous: he was a short and slightly distorted man, with a disproportionately large head, six toes, besides, he was speech impaired and often twitched convulsively.

He was thirteen when his father died, and he was crowned in Rheims. However, he ruled on his own only from the age of 21. After the coronation, everyone was shocked that the king showed signs of fabulous sex addiction. He was a sexual giant in terms of both the number of women and his performance. For a few years, he only chased the female staff of his palace, the maids and cooks. When he was 15, he threw himself at the court ladies and young countesses.

The marriage of Charles VIII. of France.

When the Bretons and French were at war for five years, during the wartime, the king was finally able to relive the stories he heard as a child. Beyond that, he was only interested in sex and fucked the peasant girls who were brought to him.  After five years, as requirements of peace was, that he Charles had to married with Anna from Brittany. Anna was 16 years old and did not want to be a wife of Charles VIII. It was not a miracle in terms of the king's appearance. The princess objected and cried on her wedding night. Soon, however, her opinion changed because the king impressed her with his sexual performance. The queen then insisted on daily sex. She fell in love with her husband on her wedding night. None of them knew about it, but behind the curtain, 6 people were hiding and took a note about what had happened on their wedding night. The detailed description can be found today in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. According to the document, the queen was entirely satisfied. Anna soon gave birth to the boy's heir, Orlando, but the king soon tired of her. He preferred to have fun with various princesses.

Anne of Brittany

wikiwand.com

A prostitute who stopped the king Charles VIII.

The main goal of Charles VIII.  was to win a war and occupy the Kingdom of Naples in order to be king of Jerusalem. He had a great desire to take action against the dangerous Ottoman Empire. In the war, first, he reached the city of Lyon, where he only discussed with his generals and had sex with local prostitutes. Soon, however, he fell in love. His attraction was a young Italian woman working as a prostitute. The girl's aunt was her fence. Two French officials even tried the girl and admired her ability. They agreed that this girl was the last chance to prevent war. They were thoroughly taught what they expected of her.

She chose the tactic of playing the virtuous and unattainable woman. The king was forced to visit the girl's house, which stood in the poor quarter, in his magnificent royal chariot and with a beautiful accompaniment. He wanted to impress her, and he succeeded.

From then on, they spent all their time having sex. The king even held cabinet meetings in her aunt's house, in the kitchen, while the king was with his lover. Unfortunately, the name of the girl is not known in history. However, her relationship with the king and the cabinet meetings held in her aunt's house were documented in a letter by Count Belgiojosó to Ludovico Sforza. These letters are still available to researchers to this day! This prostitute had a secret. She realized that the king remained a child all his life and therefore treated him that way. Finally, the king became under her control. It is not clear that did he know that the girl is a prostitute or not, or he knew it but didn’t care.  

Ludovico Sforza

pinterest.com

After a year, Count Belgiojoso took a stand against the king’s scandalous behaviour. Finally, Charles VIII. forced himself to move toward, but he reached just Vienne. The king and his court stopped and camped again. He brought his lover to the camp and resumed their lifestyle. Later, the plague broke out. The king considered the plague as a sign, and he launched his occupation. This war was the first French occupation in Italy, and it was one of the most grotesque wars in Europe.  

 Scandalous fashion

To say a few words about the era: at this time, that is, the XV century, both women's and men's fashion was scandalous and challenging. Mainly in Florence and Venice. The women's clothes were so deep that their breasts would then fall out of it. Therefore, the women painted their nipples red. The men's clothes were almost as fancy as the women's. The men put their genitals in stuffed bags with various ornaments and small bells. When the man saw a beautiful woman and demanded it, his penis immediately stiffed. And because of this, the decorations and bells rang. The loud bell signal meant intense emotions, the "bell ringing" an unstoppable desire. The women competed that if they walked the streets, who would be accompanied by the loudest music. They did everything they could to make them desirable. There were lust and sex in the air. Let us not forget that this was also the age of the courtesans of Venice!

The cheerful and erotic atmosphere was ended when Charles VIII. and the French army occupied Florence and Venice.

The last years of Charles VIII.

When his three-year-old son, Orlando, died, he tried to give birth to a new heir. They tried several times, but Queen Anna remained barren. By the age of twenty-seven, the king was already old and tired, balding, and not so interested in sex. His death was just as grotesque as his whole life. When he went to a knight tournament, he hit his head, lost consciousness, and died an hour later, in April 1489.