9. King Ludwig I of Bavaria Lost His Throne Because of Lola Montez
In the 19th century, Eliza Gilbert was an Irishwoman who, as a child, earned a reputation for being wild, quick-tempered, and unruly. She reportedly ran through the streets naked as a child and even took the wig off a senior man at church. Eliza Gilbert grew up in multiple boarding schools before eloping at the age of 16 and becoming a professional dancer in India. When her marriage ended five years later, she took the exotic stage name Lola Montez and danced throughout Europe, eventually into the hearts and courts of European nobility.
She had an affair with the pre-eminent composer Franz Liszt, and also was known to such iconic figures as Alexander Dumas and the eponymous writer George Sand. However, she would go down in history for the wiles that she played on King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her a noblewoman. He reportedly asked her in public if her breasts were real, so she took off her clothes to prove that they were. She became so influential in his court that he would scarcely make any decisions without her advice or consent. She used her influence to advance reforms aimed against conservativism and particularly against the Jesuits. His relationship with her was so egregious that in 1848, popular displeasure at him forced him to abdicate.