Despota, Despot Voda:"As if all this were not enough, we find the most arrant adventurers gaining transient possession of the throne or aspiring to it with some hope of success. The most romantic instance is undoubtedly that of Jacob Basilic, known as Despota, who ruled Moldavia from 1561 o 1563. He was a Greek by birth, who had travelled widely in Europe: at one time had had become a friend of Melanchthon and a convert to Protestantism, at another had had served as a soldier of fortune in the imperial army both in Spain and Italy. This preposterous play actor, who wrote his name in purple ink and reeled off fantastic stories of his imperial Roman descent to the amazed and incredulous boiars of his court, has about him faint reminiscences of Rienzi, though on an altogether lower and more vulgar plane. . . ." (A History of the Roumanians: 60)
Caligula of Turkey, Turkish Caligula: "Once on the throne, Ibrahim proved to be the worst of all Ottoman sultans, a Turkish Caligula. He adorned his beard with diamonds, and had a morbid craving for ambergris, drenching his clothes, curtains and himself with that heady perfume base. When a concubine told him a story about a king who always dressed in sables, Ibrahim decided to become a "sable king," with sables on all his clothing, sables on the walls and curtains of his favorite room, and even sable coats for his cats. Sables on such a scale were hard to come by, so Ibrahim ordered a general collection of sables from every corner of the empire. Most of all, he was obsessed with sex, practicing it daily and indulging in various perversions which are best not mentioned here. These activities caused even the harem to murmur in protest, to say nothing of the government. He quickly got bored with the harem, and developed an insatiable passion for women that did not belong to him. His ambitious mother Kiusem provided a steady supply of attractive young women, and his sultana, Sechir Para ("Sweet Lump of Sugar"), remained his personal favorite by doing the same thing. He went too far, though, when he took an interest in the Grand Mufti of Constantinople's daughter. She rejected his initial offer of marriage, and Ibrahim had the girl abducted. After ravishing her for several days, he sent her back to her father "with scorn and contempt." The Mufti vowed never to rest until Ibrahim was killed." (The Xenophile Historian)
the Mad: "Murad had spared only one brother -- probably in response to the pleas of his mother, Kosem Sultan -- and Ibrahim, known as 'Crazy' Ibrahim, became sultan. . . ." (Finkel: 223)
the Mad Sultan: Ibrahim succeeded his deceased brother Murad IV as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1640. But the 25-year-old Sultan was mentally unstable and incapable to rule. And his mental condition didn’t go unnoticed and he soon came to be referred to as “Ibrahim the Mad”. The Empire was kept relatively stable by his regent mother Kosem Sultan but Ibrahim’s irrational deeds such as having the entire harem drowned, growing influence of his concubines and extravagant lifestyle requiring imposition of new taxes caused a mass discontent with his rule. A conspiracy that was organized by the Grand Vizier and his own mother to depose him in 1647 failed but the “Mad Sultan” was finally deposed by the janissaries one year later. 10 days after his deposition, Ibrahim was strangled.
the Bolter
Imperia de Paris
Imperia La Divina
Lucrezia de Paris
the First Famous Courtesan in Europe
the Queen of Courtesans.
Ines Perez de Castro
Inez de Castro.
Ines of the Swan's Neck: " . . . Her appearance, all the chronicles of the period and the traditions of the country agree, was of almost unearthly loveliness. Tall and slender in figure, she was so graceful as to be constantly compared by the poets and historians to a gazelle, and to have won from them the surname of 'Inez of the swan's neck.' Her perfect features were of Grecian outline, her eyes black and sparkling, her complexion clear and brilliant, and her hair of great length and in color of the palest yellow. . . ." (Davey: 306)
Ines of the Swan's Neck: " . . . Her appearance, all the chronicles of the period and the traditions of the country agree, was of almost unearthly loveliness. Tall and slender in figure, she was so graceful as to be constantly compared by the poets and historians to a gazelle, and to have won from them the surname of 'Inez of the swan's neck.' Her perfect features were of Grecian outline, her eyes black and sparkling, her complexion clear and brilliant, and her hair of great length and in color of the palest yellow. . . ." (Davey: 306)
the Heron's Neck (Por. Coelho de Garca): "Inês Pérez de Castro (ca. 1320-1355) was the daughter of the powerful Pedro Fernandes de Castro, an illegitimate grandson of King Sancho IV of Castile. She arrived in Portugal in 1340 as a lady-in-waiting to her cousin, Infanta Constança of Castile, who was to marry the heir to the Portuguese throne, Dom Pedro (son of King Dom Afonso IV). But immediately the crown prince set his eyes on Inês' “heron neck," he was in love with the noble lady. . . ."
Arista (Aritza, Aiza): "He was so enthusiastic and eager to wage constant war against the Saracens that he hardly rested, or even wished to rest, a single day without carrying the battle to them. Because of his impatience, he acquired the nickname of Arista. Just as the tip of an ear of wheat burns easily when touched by a flame, so too king Iñigo burned with desire to face the Moors whenever he found that they were wiling to stand up against him. He was therefore called Iñigo Arista. . . ." (Nelson: 809)
the Ill-Ruler: " . . . Ingjald Ill-Ruler, when he took the kingdom on the death of his father Anund, sixth in descent from Aun the Old, made a great funeral feast, to which he invited all the neighbouring kings. When he rose to drink the Brage goblet, he vowed that he would increase his kingdom by one half toward all the four corners of the heavens, or die in the attempt. As a preliminary step he set fire to the hall, burned his guests, and took possession of their lands. When he died, about the middle of the seventh century, he was so detested by his people that they would not accept his son, nor any of his race, as his successor. . . ." (Boyesen: 46)
Ioannes XII (Pope).
Pope John XII;
the Bad: "Pope John XIII, like John XII, was a member of the house of Theophylactus. But except for name and family he had little in common with his kinsman. John XII might have been called John the Bad; John XIII was called John the Good. . . ." (Brusher]
the Monster of Wickedness: "The mother of the last Constantine, was regent during her son's minority. Her name was Irene, and she proved herself a monster of wickedness. She obliged the sons of Constantine IV to receive the priesthood, and afterwards ordered them to be murdered. She was singularly cruel towards her own son, who, for attempting to govern by himself when of age, was, by her orders, scourged and confined in the interior of the palace. In 790, he was restored to liberty by the people, when he, in his turn, imprisoned his mother. . . ." (Outlines of Ancient & Modern History on a New Plan: 90)
the Mistress of the Bulgarians: " . . . [T]he legend is clearly indicating that Maria possessed the same title as Peter and that they jointly exercised authority over the Bulgarians. So the epithet 'mistress of the Bulgarians' may not be an empty title dreamed up by a chronicler or propagandist sympathetic to Romanos Lekapenos. It may have been a term actually used, in 927 and subsequently, to denote Maria's position. Admittedly, the Greek legend's pronouncement of the parity, or near parity, of status of Maria with Peter would not have been comprehensible to the vast majority of Bulgarians. But the depiction of Maria besides (sic), and on the same level as, Peter, flanking a cross, would have been a clear declaration of their comparable status. On earlier Bulgarian seals, the ruler is always shown alone." (Davids: 143)
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