11. Princess Joan of Kent was the most beautiful woman in all of 14th century England and ended up married to two men at the same time
According to contemporary observers, Joan of Kent was almost certainly “the most beautiful woman in all the realm of England, and the most loving”. Such natural beauty and kindly disposition helped earn her the nickname ‘the Fair Maid of Kent’, plus it won her the hand of Edward of Woodstock, the son and heir of King Edward III of England. Despite this, their marriage in 1361 shocked many. For, while Joan was undeniably attractive, plus she was of aristocratic stock, she was 31 years-old at the time of the wedding. Plus, she was a mother of four. But above all, she had not only been married before, but she had been married to two different men at the same time!
Joan was just 12 when she married for the first time. She fell in love with a knight by the name of Thomas Holland. He was 26 and had no great personal wealth. Since her parents would have been against their union, the pair wed in secret. Soon after, Thomas went away to war. Shortly after that, the son of the Earl of Salisbury asked for her hand in marriage. Perhaps believing Thomas would be killed in battle, she accepted. Thomas did return, however, prompting a legal tussle over who was Joan’s legal husband. In the end, Thomas won, and he and Joan went on to have four children. Thomas died young and, despite her history of bigamy, Joan won the heart of the prince, becoming the first-ever Princess of Wales.