Gay kings that had wife that became the ruler
13 LGBTQ royals you didn’t learn about in history class
The Dutch monarchy made international news last week after announcing that royals can marry a lgbtq+ partner without giving up their right to the throne. But while the Netherlands, which in 2001 became the first country to legalize gay marriage, has paved the wave for a queer royal to officially wear the crown, LGBTQ people have long been doing so unofficially.
While it’s difficult to assign up-to-date labels to figures from the past, there were notable leaders from centuries — even millennia — ago, who crossed sexual and gender boundaries. Some were celebrated by their subjects, others vilified.
In light of the Dutch monarchy’s recent announcement and in honor of LGBTQ History Month, which is celebrated in October, here are 13 queer royals you didn’t learn about in school.
Emperor Ai of Han (27 - 1 B.C.)
Made emperor of the Han Dynasty at age 20, Ai was initially well received by his subjects but eventually became associated with corruption and incompetence. He was also widely known to have been romantically emotionally attached with one of his ministers, Dong Xian, though both men were married to women.
In the “Hanshu,” or
I was surprised that we were kings. When I was in my teens and first study about gay history, it made instinct to me that we were authors, actors and musicians. But I for some reason didn’t expect to perceive that we’d also on occasion been dukes, sultans, princes — rulers of the world. Maybe it was some sort of internalized homophobia that made me think that while sick creatures like me might have been celebrated, we’d never really led people or made major, civilization-swaying decisions. But we did, and I came to relish these figures’ inspiring and often silly or sexy lives. Here’s my get on five lesbian rulers for anyone else who has trouble believing we could be great.
Alexander the Great
This is that elusive affair between ancient Greek males of similar age and (nearly) similar social status. Alexander the Fantastic became king of Macedon, a northern state in ancient Greece, in 336 BCE. Before setting out to establish an empire, the ambitious twenty-something and his lover, Hephaestion, ran a nude race in honour of the eminent lover-heroes Achilles and Patroclus. Hephaestion became invaluable to Alexander in his conquest of the Persian Emp
7 British Monarchs Who May Have Been Gay
For centuries men lived in one sphere and women in another and they would reach together for marriage and having children. It seemed that the sexes co-existed mainly to proceed the human race. Love and sex can be very different factors but, when put together, they can yield the most electric sensation. This was no different for kings and queens who were fasten to their favourites. There are several British monarchs who may have been gay. In truth, six kings – and one queen are thought to have been same-sex attracted, members of what we now summon the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi- and transexual) community. They include:
William II of England
The son of William the Conqueror, who took the throne of England in 1066, was known as William Rufus because of his red hair (‘rufus’ meaning red). William II became King of England in 1087 and was often described as ‘effeminate’ and with a keen interest in fashionable young men.
William II of England drawn by Matthew Paris. Photo Credit: © Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Edward II of England
Perhaps the most well-known of the homosexual kings, Edward II became King of England in 1307. He spent much of
5 gay British Kings and Queens from history
Centuries before homosexuality was made legal between consenting adults in 1967, the ‘love that dare not speak its name’ was viewed as a sin in England, particularly by the church, and technically punishable by death.
It is not surprising that many gay and fluid monarchs kept their devote lives with members of the same sex a closely guarded secret.
1. William II of England: Reign 1087 – 1100
Known as ‘Rufus’ due to his ruddy complexion and red hair, the third son of William the Conqueror became King of England in 1087 and is assumed to hold been gay or multi-attracted . Described by historians as both ‘effeminate’ and ‘boorish’, as well as creature a devil-may-care soldier, his temperament swung between extremes of calmness and belligerence.
The Anglo-Norman king, who never married or sired children, was capable of both wise governing and acting with contentiousness. Unlike other monarchs of the period, William lacked religious piety and is said to have indulged in sexual vices that shocked his council.
His death while hunting in the New Forest when he was shot by an arrow, has led to the suggestion he may have been murdered by
The scandalous love stories of the Tudor period, particularly those surrounding King Henry VIII and his six wives, have left the subsequent Stuart period in the dark – at least when it comes to the public consciousness.
With seven monarchs and two Lords Protectors, however, the period spanning 1603 to 1714 had some incredibly salacious and downright shocking sex scandals.
James I
Following the death of the last Tudor monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, her Stuart cousin King James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne.
James’s sexual preferences would likely be described as bisexual or gay today. He was quite public with his very tactile relationships with handsome men, launch with Esmé Stuart.
Nonetheless, James married the fifteen-year-old Princess Anna of Denmark, and this union led to several children, including sons Henry and Charles.
Their marriage also produced the dynastically-important Elizabeth, later known as ‘the Winter Queen’, from whom the Hanoverians descended to succeed the Stuarts.
Following the move down to England, James struck up a relationship with a very aesthetically-pleasing young gentleman named Robert Carr, who became his ‘favourite’ for some yea