Love can move mountains, and it’s successfully changed history many times. History has always been interesting, and the way countries form, go to war, and become independent have all been affected by people falling in love. Come with us and see how love totally altered history, and see everything from countries gaining powerful rulers, to countries falling apart.
Stalin Lost His Love
Joseph Stalin started out as a young man who committed crimes because he couldn’t afford school. He became compassionate, kind, and loving when he met his wife. When she died, he was heartbroken and tried to end his life. Then he became the Stalin we know now. He lost his heart and became cruel, even wiping out his wife’s entire family.
Henry VIII Banished A Good Woman
When Henry’s older brother died, he married his widow, only to banish her years later after their children kept passing away. He then fell in love with Anne Boleyn, and the decision rocked the nation. He broke away from the church and forever altered the nation’s history. He later beheaded his wife, and their daughter Elizabeth became the nation’s greatest ruler.
Cleopatra And Marc Antony
First, Cleopatra fell in love with Caesar. After he was assassinated (changing history the first time), she fell in love with Marc Antony. It ultimately led to war between Egypt and Rome, and Cleopatra committed suicide after Antony died so she wouldn’t be taken. This ultimately led to the end of the Roman Republic.
Queen Victoria And Albert
The marriage was strong, and their bond not only reinforced the monarchy and reshaped the entire Victorian era, but it also changed how people saw royal relationships. The public perception of the monarchy became much more positive as a result. For instance, they popularized religious family traditions like gift giving. Albert also helped her during her mother’s death and the potato famine. His support helped her become a better ruler.
Kyoto Was Spared
In the 1920s, the governor/general of the Philippines went on a honeymoon with his wife, and they went to Kyoto. After falling in love with the city, he became a Secretary of War twenty years later. Because of this, he was privy to private information about potential bombing targets. Number one was his beloved city. Sending a memo to the President to protest the choice, the President chose to agree, and other cities were hurt instead.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin and his loving wife changed the fight for civil rights. The two were lifelong partners and never gave up on the struggle. In the end, legal discrimination against minorities was ended, and public housing, hiring, and education all improved. In addition to this, he was the youngest person to get the Nobel Peace Prize. Because of his work, voting rights barriers were eliminated as well. Coretta supported him throughout their marriage and became an activist herself.
Adolf Eichmann Was Captured
Adolf’s son had a Jewish girlfriend. He didn’t know this, so he bragged about his father and said horrid things to her about his father finishing the job. Obviously, this caused issues with the pair, and his girlfriend’s father had been a survivor of the Holocaust. Because his son used the same name, his girlfriend’s father, Mossadd, helped capture Adolf. It was the first trial to be televised and let people hear the atrocities.
Pol Pot
Like other dictators, Pol Pot had a heart for love. He used to be a teacher and fell in love. She didn’t feel the same way and left him for his long-term political rival. He was so devastated that his heart hardened to love, and his hatred of his rival became a hatred for democracy. After hearing traditional stories about fighting in the jungle and meeting Marxist revolutionaries, a maniac was born.
Marvel Comics
In the 1930s, Martin Goodman and Jean had just finished their honeymoon. They were going to take the Hindenburg back home, but instead, they decided to fly on a plane so they could sit together. When they got back, they launched Marvel Comics. Another way Jean changed the future of Marvel is that she hired her cousin Stanley Lieber, otherwise known as Stan Lee.
King Edward VIII
King Edward fell in love with a woman named Wallis. The pair grew closer even though she was married. After his father died and he became king, she divorced her husband and he chose her over the throne and abdicated. Because of this, his brother took the throne and then, eventually, Elizabeth II, who was the longest reigning monarch.
Mildred Loving
In the 1950s, Mildred Jeter became Mildred Loving when she and her fiancé traveled to Washington, D.C. to be married. Mildred was African-American as well as Native American, and Richard was white. The couple was arrested weeks after they went home to Virginia. In the end, they challenged this legally, won, and paved the way for legalizing interracial marriages.
Madame Pompadour
The king’s official mistress, Madame Pompadour, had significant influence over the king, impacting France’s politics and the arts. She was considered an unofficial minister and advisor. She also supported the Treaty of Versailles. Unfortunately, she also had influence during the Seven Years’ War, and it led to France suffering a defeat.
Grace Kelly
Grace was an actress who later married the Prince of Monaco. She left a beautiful legacy by transforming the Red Cross, founded AMADE, and was an extremely philanthropic person. She is considered a person who changed history with her dignity and kindness. She taught people that royals can exhibit grace and empathy.
PG-13
Lucas and Spielberg divorced when they were working on the Indiana Jones series. They realized later that they took the scenes in the movie to the extreme and saw that the violence and gore was far too much for children. Instead of the MPAA rating it initially had, they changed it to PG-13.
Napoleon And Josephine
Napoleon fell deeply in love with Josephine, but decided to take a page from King Henry VIII. Desperate to produce a male heir, he divorced Josephine. Though they remained friends, he married Marie-Louise. She was an Austrian, and thus the marriage solidified an alliance. She gave birth to the King of Rome. However, his divorce led many to think he was weak, leading to the weakening of the French Empire.
Love’s History
Love has significantly altered history; through this influence, countries have changed, people’s rights have changed, and entire empires have been formed and lost. Through our list, you can see how falling in love created some of the most significant moments in our world’s history. Thinking about it, you can also see how modern couples may be affecting the future.
