10 of the Worst Womanizers in History

Maharajah Bhupinder Singh Patiala

During the years of British Imperial rule, India was divided up into 562 distinct states, each with their own Maharajah, or ruler. Unsurprisingly, these rulers were a diverse bunch Some were diligent administrators, fair in their methods, while others were incompetent or just downright cruel. Some were modest, while others took full advantage of their positions and enriched themselves at the people’s expense. And some, well, some were just plain kinky, just like the Maharajah Bhupinder Singh Patiala.

Born in 1891 in the state of Patiala, Bhupinder was crowned at the age of just nine following the sudden death of his father. A council ruled in his place until he reached the age of 18, and then he became the youngest Maharajah in India. His ascent was rapid and remarkable. He served with distinction – albeit away from the frontlines – in the First World War, and then went on to assume several key roles within the Raj. With these positions came great wealth, and Bhupinder wasn’t shy about flaunting it.

His banquets were legendary and his appetite was huge. It wasn’t just food he craved in abundance, however. The Maharajah had an insatiable sex drive. He kept a harem of around 500 women, constantly updating its personnel and even transforming individual girls with the help of hairdressers, beauticians and even plastic surgeons. It’s said that Bhupinder followed the London fashion scene avidly and liked to model his harem on the latest trends. His modeled women would be tasked with serving him and his friends in regular, drunken orgies, and, by many accounts, he fathered as many as 88 children through his various liaisons.

The Maharajah’s lust didn’t really slow with age, though he increasingly needed the help of natural aphrodisiacs to perform. He died in 1938 at the age of just 46. The cause of death? According to some observers, Bhupinder simply became bored and lost the will to live, the company of women no longer enough to keep him excited.

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

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