Notorious women of the world

[Part 2 ]

The stories given here may be true or false, or a combination of both. They are reproduced to illustrate how the world rotating itself can in its bounces throw up some strange and weird characters. Included here is a female who knew what she was doing. She knew that she was going contrary to norms and was conscious of it so much so that she wished to be buried with her face turned downwards.

Anyway, I will be giving only the names and brief data about the women focusing only on very mentionable or unmentionable facts about them. You will note that most of the data swirl round famed dynasties of Europe.

First comes Queen Catherine of Russia, noted for a numerous lovers and who killed her husband Emperor Paul with their aid. The original source describes her as a woman who began life as a woman of discipline “but soon, at the age of 23 turned into a ruthless terror who suffered no remorse about her many misdeeds”.

She died of a heart attack in November 1796. One of her last lovers was Plato Zubov who was eliminated by her later. Perhaps the narrator could not be exaggerating when he records that she got so recoiled with him later that she fed her pet dogs with his corpse.

Royal dynasties

German by race, with not a drop of Russian blood in her, her earlier name was Fredricka and the bond is illustrative of how entangled the royal dynasties of Europe had become.

Her last lover had been Potemkin who extended the Russian borders up to Crimea, Caucasus mountain ranges and the Black Sea, for which services he was paid five crore roubles while the queen never chased away any good looking man who caught her fancy.

Next is Lola Montez also called the ‘Spider Queen'. Gifted with a fabulous figure she cast her spell on a horde of famous and infamous men including king Ludwig of Bavaria who had to abdicate because of her. Born in 1818, she is Irish and began to be called ‘Spider’ because of the way she meddled in politics and aligned cunning episodes like a spider. She was known as the most outrageous woman of her times and enjoyed the embraces of a list of lovers whose names she herself could not remember.

She too was of many an inter-racial combination. Born in Limerick, she was Irish by birth and lived her youth in Calcutta where her father captained the British East Indian Army. From India, this young woman with a fabulous figure was sent back to Britain for her education but she soon wove her way into high society and even mastered the tarantula dance captivating many an onlooker.

It was a highly erotic dance that was responded always with catcalls and hisses. She earned notoriety after she hit a security chief with her horse whip when she was intimidated at entry to a special enclosure at a theatre performance intended for the Russian Czar.

Astounding career

This was followed by many social misadventures, extremely crude. All this culminated with her exposing her beautiful bosom to the Emperor at a preview of a play. The Emperor was Ludwig 1 of Bavaria who had a softness for pretty women. Their connection led to many uproars as a university revolt but Lola made headway in her amorous adventures even embroiling an Eastern figure, the Nepalese ambassador, Prince Jang Bahadur.

Her astounding career ended with world tours, she always performing her tarantula dance that received boos and catcalls due to the bawdy nature of the dance that involved a search for a tarantula all over her fantastic body. At the end of it all she settled in America in a Methodist hotel where she died as a pauper on a pile of old newspapers.

Now we come to Queen Christina of Sweden, daughter of king Gustavus, owning many peculiarities as she wished to act as a male. She ruled Sweden for 10 years committing many a barbarous act as the brutal killing of Monaldesco, her chief equerry. She had many lovers, both male and female.

Now we are closer home, to the Punjab valley. The notorious one this time was named Govind Kavur, one of the most beautiful women among the ruling families of Punjab. Full of carnal desires, going to the extent of signalling men from the roof of her palace and living very promiscuously her life ended miserably as a seller of milk and cow dung cakes.

Back to Roman times, to the wife of Augustus Caesar. Livia was an extremely cruel and ambitious woman, yet very beautiful too. She wedded Augustus while pregnant by another. She killed her family to fulfil her political ambitions.

Plebian society

Now to America and plebian society, to Bonnie Parker, a twin of Robin Hood who loved good clothes, fast cars and killed and killed to achieve her wants. Together with her lover she let loose a reign of terror in South West America. After a dramatic life of robbery and murder she died on the highway after being subject to a police raid.

Back to crowns and thrones and to England. Caroline, uncouth and rude was the wife of George 1V, yet so despised by him that he forbade her attendance at his coronation.

We have already dealt with Suparnika of Sri Lanka. We back to England where a wicked sorceress had fled from Ireland. A beautiful woman she married four times, three of her spouses dying in mysterious circumstances.

The fourth delved into her sorcery yet she evaded the law due to some high links.

Then there was an incorrigible daughter of a shoemaker. Developing into a hardened criminal despite parents who tried to reform her, Mary Frith became a noted enemy of society. She wished that she be buried with face down so, that in her own words, she seemed as preposterous as in life.

Now comes a witch again, this time from France. Name, She was Voisin. Famed for black magic and witchcraft and finally drawing attention of the French court and even the king, Louis 14th. She owned 57 types of poison. Details of her death are unknown.

Messalina of the Roman Empire, Cora Pearl of Paris, Unity Mitford of England, a fanatic devotee of Hitler, Belle Starr and Belle Guinness, American outlaws and Pamela Singh of India born as late as 1962 could be still roaming the earth.