22. Gabrielle de Estrees
For Gabrielle de Estrees becoming a mistress to the king was an undeniable fate. Her family expected her to join the family business and become a courtesan. As she grew up, it became clear that she was not necessarily the smartest girl in school so she decided to hone her feminine wiles instead. All of her hard work came in handy when she caught the eye of King Henry IV in 1590. Her blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale complexion caused the king to fall in love. Nevermind that he already married to Margaret of Valois and had multiple mistresses to keep him company. Gabrielle managed to develop an extremely close relationship with the King, much to the dismay of his wife and other mistresses. They were together much of the time and she even went as far as to accompany him to the battlefield while heavily pregnant.
Henry actually partially owes his reign as King to Gabrielle, as she convinced him to renounce his Protestant beliefs in favor of Catholicism. Until that point, there had been push back from the Catholic League about having a king that did not practice the Catholic faith. Once declared king, Henry and Gabrielle had a total of 4 children together, the majority of which ended up being legitimized. The king petitioned the Catholic church for an annulment of his marriage to Margaret so that he could marry Gabrielle instead. Unfortunately, fate did not end up being kind to the couple any longer as Gabrielle passed away suddenly due to eclampsia. Some theorize that she may have been poisoned in order to cause the condition, but no one has been able to prove that.