Marriages are said to be made in heaven. However, some unions have served and are serving purely earthly purposes. They united empires, prevented wars, and changed the world, for better or for worse.
Here are the ten most influential marriages in history.
10. Cleopatra and Mark Antony
Mark Antony was one of the most powerful military leaders in the entire Roman Empire, but like many men, he had a weakness for beautiful women. And Cleopatra was one of the most beautiful women in the world. At the same time, she was also very smart: she knew 9 languages, studied astronomy and was one of the best mathematicians of her time.
They fell in love with each other and got married, although the Romans were very unhappy with the fact that Mark Antony left his Roman wife for a foreigner.
As a result, Cleopatra became the ruler of Egypt, Cyprus, Crete and Antioch (Syria). However, due to the confrontation with the political enemy of Mark Antony - Octavian - Cleopatra and her lover were forced to flee back to Egypt.
Mark Antony, who did not want to become a prisoner of Octavian, committed suicide. Upon learning of this, Cleopatra ordered her servants to get a poisonous snake - an asp. Then the queen of Egypt put on luxurious clothes and put the snake to her chest. When they found her, she was already dead.
9. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
The 32nd President of the United States and his wife played a huge role in bringing the country out not only from the Great Depression, but also from World War II.
His New Deal aimed at overcoming the economic crisis of 1929-1933. and her civic advocacy have influenced America for the better. In 1939, the popularity of the First Lady surpassed that of her husband: 67% of US citizens rated her performance as "good", while Franklin Roosevelt received 58% of the approval ratings. Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the founders of the UN.
However, this marriage contained many problems under the surface, the least of which was sexual incompatibility. According to some reports, Eleanor was a lesbian. Despite this, the couple stayed together for political reasons, leading America to a brighter future.
8. Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
The long 24-year marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon is directly responsible for the break with the Roman Catholic Church.
Henry VIII was looking for a way to divorce Catherine, with whom mainly girls were born (only one daughter survived), and the only son did not live even six months. Moreover, all the attention of the king was absorbed by the maid of honor Anne Boleyn. But he could not annul the marriage, since Catherine did not agree to this, and the Pope did not give his favor.
As a result, the King of England decided to secede from the Catholic Church in order to get what he so passionately wanted. The English parliament adopted a number of laws, according to which the power of the Pope was no longer valid in the country, and the king was now in charge of all church affairs. In 1534, Henry VIII was proclaimed the supreme head of the English church.
7.Anne-Marie Tousse and Helen Faasen
These two are not princesses, not politicians, or even great generals. If you meet these women on the street, you will probably pass by without looking back, because there is nothing unusual about them. Except for one fact.
Anne-Marie Tous and Helen Faasen are the first lesbian couple in world history to legally marry. Their union laid the foundation for changing marriage laws around the world.
6. Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell
Lucy was an American women's rights activist while Henry was a businessman who heard her speak at a lawmaking event. Although their wedding, played on May 1, 1855, featured no celebrities or a super lavish banquet, it was a landmark event for the 19th century West.
The fact is that Lucy kept her last name in marriage, without taking her husband's last name. This event went down in history and laid the foundation for women's suffrage in the future. Henry's relinquishment of his “family rights” was also unheard of at the time, and made their marriage one of the first truly equal partnerships in the West.
5. Margaret and Denis Thatcher
Usually a strong woman stands behind a successful man. But here, it seems, the situation was the opposite.
The Iron Lady, who became Britain's first female prime minister, has made tremendous strides in politics. However, she repeatedly wrote that she could not have done as much as she did without her husband, who was always by her side.
4. Bill and Hillary Clinton
One of the most influential couples in modern history was remembered not only by the scandal with Monica Lewinsky's soiled dress, but also by that loyalty to her husband, which was retained (perhaps outwardly) by the First Lady of the United States.
In politics, Hillary has held many important posts - from the head of the operational committee on health care reform to the Senator in New York and the US Secretary of State under Barack Obama. She adheres to an active anti-Russian position and opposes the policies of the current US President Donald Trump.
3. Raisa and Mikhail Gorbachev
Once this couple from the USSR charmed the world. It was not a political union, but the strongest love marriage. Mikhail and Raisa got married while still students.
However, after graduating from the institute, Gorbachev's political career went, as they say, uphill. And when he became the first person of the then not Russia, but the USSR, Raisa Gorbacheva became the First Lady of a new type.
She did not remain in the shadow of her husband, but actively appeared in public, traveled with Gorbachev on trips abroad and was a trendsetter of the all-Union scale. It was Raisa Gorbacheva who opened the Burda fashionable house in Moscow. Foreign publications wrote about her "Communist lady with Parisian chic." She received the awards "Woman of the Year", "Woman of the World" and "Lady of the Year".
You can have different attitudes to the activities of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, as well as the first and last president of the USSR. However, it is undeniable that he and his wife largely influenced the world politics of the 90s of the XX century.
2. Maria and Pierre Curie
Let's talk about marriage chemistry. And physics. Working side by side in Paris, the Curies were pioneers in the study of radioactivity, without which we would not have X-rays, radiotherapy, and by the way, no nuclear reactors. Maria is still one of the the smartest women in the history of the world.
The names of Mary and Pierre Curie have reached a truly cosmic scale. One of the craters on Mars, asteroid 7000 Curie and a crater on the far side of the Moon are named after them.
1. Abraham and Sarah
While some people do not believe these two famous historical figures ever existed, it is impossible to deny the influence of their marriage. The union of Abraham and Sarah produced many children who laid the foundation for the three major religions of the world. Without Abraham and Sarah, Judaism, Christianity and Islam could not exist today.