15. Empress Catherine the Great of Russia had dozens of lovers during her colourful life, and her last great love was four decades her junior
Tales of Catherine the Great’s colorful sex life have been hugely exaggerated over the years. Above all, her political opponents would spread gossip and rumor, painting her as an immoral nymphomaniac, and many of these tales are still told to this day. That said, however, there’s no denying that Catherine was a strong, independent woman who knew what she wanted, including in the bedroom. According to most estimates, the Empress had 22 lovers over the course of her life, many of them much younger than herself. In fact, her last lover, Count Zubov, was a massive 40 years her junior.
By the standards of the day, it was certainly not uncommon for a monarch to have several lovers. However, Catherine scandalized large parts of Russian society since she took lovers like a male ruler would. Even though she aged herself, she liked her men to be in their 20s. But she didn’t just use them as young playthings. Catherine treated her many lovers well, rewarding them with palaces, high military ranks and cash. Moreover, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that by the 1780s, her male favorites were more court companions than bed buddies.