6. Guilia Farnese
Recognized as one of the most beautiful women of her day, Guilia Farnese is one of the most well-known mistresses in history. Her family married her off at the age of fifteen to a man with connections to the Vatican. It was through those connections that she met Rodrigo Borgia. He later became Pope Alexander VI. Rodrigo fell head over heels in love with young Guilia and took her on as his mistress though he had his own family already. He kept her on as his lover even once he took the title of Pope, which directly contradicts the vow of celibacy that comes with the title.
Guilia was not only beautiful, she was also intelligent. She used her favored position with the Pope to gain her brother a position in the Vatican. She also formed a close relationship with his daughter, Lucrezia. Guilia became pregnant in 1492 though no one knows if the father was her husband or the Pope. Society gossiped about her and she eventually fell out of the Pope’s favor at the ripe old age of 25. Her first husband also died but she did marry again later life. Guilia’s beauty has been the inspiration for art, music, and theatre over the last 500 years.