11. Giacomo Casanova
Casanova, whose name became synonymous with the term womanizer, was a Venetian trained in his youth in the practice of law. His true pursuit was a career focused on the seduction of women, often the love interests of the various elderly men he developed as patrons. He served the Church for a short time, including composing love letters for a Cardinal in Rome. He tried the military, found it boring, and decided a career as a professional gambler was more to his taste. When that aspiration failed to produce income sufficient on which to live, the musically trained young man decided on a career as a musician. Finally, he treated a member of an influential Venetian family who had suffered a stroke. Although the treatment Casanova prescribed likely had little influence over the favorable outcome, he earned another patron, and an influential position as his clerk.
After further adventures, Casanova went on the Grand Tour of Europe’s capitals, beginning in 1750. The tour led to him becoming known throughout Europe, ostensibly as a wealthy gentleman, but he left in his wake frustrated creditors and husbands angry at being cuckolded. In 1755 he was imprisoned in Venice for crimes against the church. His subsequent escape and successful flight to Paris added to his legend, and he wrote a book about it three decades after the event. He traveled throughout Europe over the course of his life, serving as a spy, duping the wealthy in scams, and enjoying his celebrity. In his memoirs, Casanova described his approach to life. “Cultivating whatever gave pleasure to my senses was always the chief business of my life; I never found any occupation more important”.