Sexy Gay Royals and Warriors From the Past
Article written by Maya Vukovska
Have you heard of those 4 openly gay historic figures?
Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander the Great (not Colin Farrell, but the actual Macedonian king!), Oscar Wilde, Alan Turing, Andy Warhol… The list of important gay men in history whose names we all know can go on and on. But in the hidden corners of the past, there lurk ghosts of many other homosexuals - powerful royals, brave commanders, and lyrical poets whom we know little about. It’s time to fill the gaps in your knowledge of gay history by getting familiar with some of them.
The Grand Master: Phillip I, Duke of Orléan (1640 - 1701)
In the 17th century France, homosexuality was considered a crime, and Louis XIV, the Sun King, was no fan himself of this type of lovemaking. Ironically, his own brother, Phillip was infamous for his preference for men, although he was married twice and had many children! Apparently, homosexuality ran in the family, because their father, Louis XIII was also into guys. But the list doesn’t stop here. Not without a reason the Parisian house of the uncle, César de Vendôme, was labeled “Hôtel de Sodome”!
Phillip and another popular highborn youth, Chevalier de Lorraine, became the founders of a secret gay brotherhood, some of the rules of which included wearing provocative clothing and engaging in bed activities among one another in country houses and brothels. Naturally, the Sun King was furious and shocked by the audacity of his own brother to be one of the Grand Masters of the ungodly brotherhood, and as a punishment, he sent him to Flanders as a solder. Well,
The King and His Favourite(s): James VI (1566-1625)
When the King of Scotland James VI became also King of England and Ireland, not only were two crowns united, but also two hearts. In 1607, a Robert Carr became a gentleman of the King’s bed-chamber, and one of his duties was to spend the nights there. It was no secret that Carr was James’ favorite, whom he’d often touch affectionally in public. His feelings intensified when the object of his desires became interested in a certain lady. The King’s love was so suffocating that at some point Carr refused to sleep in the appointed chamber, which was considered an arrogant act of disobedience. James’ heart was broken. Quite soon though it healed again as a young beauty, George Villiers was introduced to him. The King almost instantly fell for the “handsomest-bodied man in England” as he called him. George substituted Carr as a royal favorite and solidified his position as such until the King’s death in 1625. This is what we call to play your cards right!
A gay warrior in shining armor: Richard I, the Lionheart
He is one of England’s most legendary kings. He was a bully, a beefcake, and, as his nickname suggests, an outrageously brave warrior. But also gay beyond any doubt. He first allied with Phillip II of France for diplomatic reasons, but soon, the two men became very close and literally inseparable - they ate from the same dish and slept in one bed. Some historians claim that was a gesture of trust, nothing sexual about it. Richard reluctantly married, but his wife left him only a few months later without having had sex with him even once.
Despite the passionate love he shared with Phillip, Richard was not the faithful type. During the Third Crusade, he fell in love with a young knight, and so another romance began. If that’s not material for a great mini-series, we don’t know what else is!
The Arabic “Patron of Knowledge” who had his own male harem: Al-Hakam II (915 - 976)
Al-Hakam was a caliph of Moorish Iberia (now Spain) and was famous for two things: his historic improvements in agriculture and road construction, and his audacious homosexuality. Unlike other gay and bisexual rulers, he showed a complete lack of interest in women. Instead, he kept his own entirely male harem. When it was already high time for the caliph to produce an heir, his attendants had to be exceptionally resourceful to trick him into having sex with a woman. The idea they came up with was to dress up a concubine as a boy, cut her hair, and brought her into Al-Hakam’s chambers. The plan worked, and in nine months an heir was born. But because history very often repeats itself, the son Hisham did just like his father and when he grew up, he had a harem of ghulams (young men) all for his own pleasure.