A story of real love through the eyes of yourself. The most famous love stories of all time

Love is like a tree: it grows by itself, takes deep roots into our entire being and often continues to turn green and bloom.
even on the ruins of our hearts.
Victor Hugo

On the eve of the coming spring, let's talk about the most famous love stories of worthy people.

Romeo and Juliet - eternal love

“There is no sadder story in the world than the story of Romeo and Juliet...” Why the great love of these two, by our standards, children (Juliet was 13, her beloved Romeo was two or three years older) became a symbol of love of all times and peoples. What is the power and strength of this feeling of a timeless river?

It is possible that it was sung in the wonderful style of the great playwright William Shakespeare, or perhaps because love was a victim of the eternal squabbles of adults, the voluntary death of the heroes made the crowd shudder and melted the enmity of the hearts of the warring families of Montagues and Capulets... Who knows...

And even if the authenticity of the events described in the tragedy has not been confirmed, who will doubt the reality of the story, because the names Romeo and Juliet have become common names for beautiful, faithful love, and to this day they evoke admiration and admiration for two young hearts.

The love story of Odysseus and Penelope

Another no less famous love story from ancient times, sung by the ancient Greek - the great Homer. It is based on the marital relationship of Odysseus and his wife Penelope - an example of rare sacrifice in the name of love and the female ability to wait in spite of everything...

Odysseus, like a true warrior, leaves his young wife after the wedding and goes to war.

Penelope waited for his return for twenty long years, raised her son alone and during this time rejected marriage proposals from 108 men who, citing the death of her husband, sought to take his place.

Penelope and Odysseus were no less faithful in their sea battles, trials and wanderings, remaining faithful and chaste to their wife. Thus, having met a beautiful witch who tried to seduce him and offered him eternal youth in exchange for his love for her, the hero of Hellas resisted the temptation. And the unfading light of his distant love Penelope helped him in this. And only 20 years later, loving hearts were reunited despite all adversity.

Love To Kings of Great Britain Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

But here is a completely modern love story, worthy of talking about.

In 1930, the Windsor Palace in Great Britain stunned the world with exciting news: the heir to the royal throne, Edward VIII, had abdicated power. The reason was love for a young American and, moreover, a married woman, Wallis Simpson, who was far from being of royal blood.

The royal court was indignant and gave the heir a choice: either power or love for a commoner. Edward VIII, without hesitation, chose fiery love for a woman.

Having divorced their first husband, Walliss and Edward got married and lived for thirty-five years away from their homeland, keeping their love that was so dear to them.

“Love never dies,” wrote 84-year-old Wallis after the death of her husband. “It changes its course, it becomes softer and wider... Love is work. Women must bring their wisdom to the altar of family happiness...”

Alexander Griboyedov and Nina Chavchavadze love story

This worthy love of our compatriot writer Griboyedov for his wife: fleeting happiness in a few months and 30 years of mourning, as a symbol of fidelity and eternal love of a Georgian woman for a Russian writer.

33-year-old Alexander Griboedov, as an ambassador of the Russian Empire, was sent to Persia. On the way, he visited the house of his longtime friend, Prince Alexander Chavchavadze. And from the first minutes his heart was conquered by the daughter of the owner of the house - fifteen-year-old beauty Nina. And the young princess could not resist the great feeling for the Russian writer that surged like an avalanche: “It was like being burned by a ray of sunshine!” she confessed to her friend.

Having gotten married in the fall, the newlyweds went to Persia, and in January of the following 1829, Alexander was brutally killed by a crowd of Islamic fanatics. So short was the moment of captivating love.

Nina Chavchavadze-Griboyedova did not remarry and for almost 30 years, until the end of her days, she did not stop mourning. “The Black Rose of Tiflis” - that’s what they called her in the city, she wrote on her husband’s tombstone:

“Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory, but why did my love survive you?”

The burials of the Griboedovs are located nearby, in the city pantheon of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

You can list and list beautiful stories as a triumph of great love. It's easy to love someone who shares your feelings. Where does love come from and what does it feed on when it is not divided, and sometimes even rejected? However, this does not make the feeling weaker, but perhaps, on the contrary, even more piercing and stunning in its strength.

Elbert Einstein and Margarita Konenkova

The story of this unusual relationship is not a romantically filled hymn of devoted love; it is interesting only because it reveals the only love of a brilliant scientist, which broke his heart.

Einstein fell in love with Margarita Konenkova (nee Vorontsova), the wife of a famous Russian sculptor, at the age of 56, as soon as he saw her. How different young Margarita was from his clumsy wife Elsa with a blurry figure and an exhausted face, whom he never loved, like his first wife Mileva, a Serbian! And here is a chiseled waist, beautiful breasts, graceful position of the hands - in order to preserve this beauty, the woman refused to have children. Her sculptor husband adored and idolized her and silently accepted her decision.

Konenkov the sculptor and his muse-wife Margarita Konenkova.

At first, Margarita treated Einstein as just another amusement; accustomed to constantly cheating on her husband with other men, she prepared herself for another flirtation. But she soon realized that her icy heart was beginning to melt from a hitherto unknown fiery feeling for the great genius.

A year later, Einstein's wife, Elsa, dies, and the shackles of marriage no longer fetter his love for Margot. Both of them don’t even try to hide her frequent visits to Princeton to the scientist’s mansion. And only Margarita’s husband does not seem to notice anything or pretends not to notice.... He is afraid of losing his Margarita - his muse and inspiration. And her caresses and tenderness were enough for many... Incredibly talented, smart, beautiful, she, like a lioness, easily conquered more and more new hearts, becoming the bohemian of America.

This relationship for three lasted a long time. While communicating, Margarita not only truly loved the founder of the theory of relativity, but also her homeland, the USSR, she carried out tasks of the NKVD and learned from him all the secrets of developing the atomic bomb. When Einstein found out about this, he couldn’t even yell at his beloved, he just went to the FBI to ask for mercy for his beloved and helped her return to her homeland.

In the last years before separation, Margarita and Albert.

Upon the return of the Konenkov family to the USSR, the love relationship was put to an end. From that moment on, life for Einstein lost all meaning. He flatly refused to comply with doctors' orders for surgery on his heart, which was no longer able to withstand the cruel finale of separation.

Moreover, the authorities forbade Margarita's correspondence with Einstein, which caused incredible suffering for Albert. He wrote to her throughout the remaining years, but did not even have the opportunity to send letters. Even dying, 76-year-old Einstein could not send a farewell letter to his only beloved, with love in his heart for whom he left this world.

Without much torment, Margarita accepted the news of the death of her distant friend, although she was far from indifferent to him. Soon her husband, a sculptor, also died, and fate treated her incredibly cruelly in her declining years. Aged and unkempt, she lived in oblivion in her house-workshop, often falling into oblivion. Only the memories of her bright, only love for a man with eternally disheveled hair and a thick mustache brought her joy... She was dying of hunger, there was no one next to her except the devoid of virtue, an arrogant and cruel housekeeper who became the mistress here...

In 1980, in the center of prosperous Moscow, the body of an emaciated, once beautiful woman was taken out of a dirty apartment, on whose hand a gold watch, a gift from the Great Einstein, was ticking the last minutes. He personally put them on the wrist of the woman dearest to him when they parted.

Ivan Turgenev and Polina Viardot

The great Russian writer Ivan Turgenev and the famous opera diva of Spanish origin “with a French conscience and spirit,” as the newspapers of those times called her, Polina Viardot-Garcia are a vivid example of a dramatic love full of suffering throughout the writer’s life. Their relationship can rather be characterized as follows: one loved, the other only allowed herself to be loved... but there is no doubt that the friendship was sincere and strong.

In the outwardly inconspicuous, slightly stooped woman with bulging eyes, there really was something rough, gypsy, inherited from her Spanish father, singer Manuel Garcia. But according to contemporaries, as soon as the first notes fell from her voice, a spark ran through the audience, ecstasy seized those listening, and the appearance of the singer herself no longer mattered. Fascinated by the performer's voice, people fell into a kind of prostration, and there could not be one among them indifferent to this person.

Besotted at the first meeting by Polina’s enchanting voice, the Russian writer lost his head, and experienced a similar state for four whole decades until the last days of his life.

Viardot, being married to a man 20 years older than herself, felt only warm sympathy for Turgenev, the commonality of views and interests, the unity of spirit attracted him to him, and then she brought him closer to her, brought him into her home as a friend, a family member , beloved...

Polina Viardot-Garcia not only illuminated the writer’s soul with love, became his muse for many years, inspired his creativity, helped him with translations into French, honing his style, but was also by his side until his last days, dying of cancer far from his homeland. But Ivan Turgenev chose to love with unrequited love and be with her all his life, never having his own family and children.

Poor artist Niko Pirosmani and French actress Margarita

Ah, Margarita again...

“A million, a million scarlet roses...” - who doesn’t know the chorus of this song about the incredibly poignant and unrequited love of a poor artist for a visiting actress. It is also based on real events. Niko Pirosmani is a Georgian artist from a simple family, who lost his parents at an early age, was in constant need, he did not even have the opportunity to buy canvases, and he placed all his creations on walls, boards, and oilcloth on the table. He often made a living by making signs for drinking establishments.

The beautiful French actress Margarita toured the provincial town in which Niko lived and worked, and at the same time the heart of the aspiring artist. Pirosmani fell in love with her passionately, from the first minutes, with all his gut, but, unfortunately, this love did not evoke a reciprocal feeling. The poor artist's heart burned in the flames of passion.

On his birthday (it was spring), Niko Pirosmani filled several carts with fresh flowers and brought them to the windows of the house where Margarita was staying. Armfuls of lilacs, white acacia and snow-white roses (not scarlet) filled the streets of Tiflis with an incomprehensible aroma and laid a thick floral blanket on the square. It remains a mystery where the artist got these flowers...

Margarita’s heart, touched by the spectacle, trembled, she went out, kissed Niko and that’s it... The next day, the actress left the city forever. They didn't see each other again...

Nikola Pirosmanishvili did not become a great artist during his lifetime, his direction of primitivism in painting was not understood, he died at the age of 56, in complete poverty, until his last days, keeping the image of his beloved Margarita in his heart... The artist's works are kept in museums around the world.

Love is a great force that can transform the whole world, make a person better, stronger, higher, it is timeless. According to Turgenev:

“Only by her, only by love does life hold and move.”

And let it singe your wings with its flame at least once in your life! And may you be lucky in love!

And may you be lucky in love!!! Maybe you will be interested in reading about Valentine's Day, about falling in love and love in our lives in the article

Love is a feeling that fills life with meaning and the heart with warmth and joy.

Everyone puts something of their own into love; it largely reflects the life of a generation, the customs and moral principles by which society lives, but it is still individual for everyone. What are the differences between love in the 20th and 21st centuries?

Love in the 20th century

In the 20th century, when society was not yet so computerized, and no one even thought about the possibility of the emergence of social networks, love was not a reason to enter into an intimate relationship, but a reason start a family and get married. Family was the highest value; if a girl was over 20 years old, questions already arose as to why she was not married and had not yet given birth to a child.

Men courted women delicately so that they would not think that their only goal was bed and nothing more. The guys were motivated by serious intentions. To conquer his beloved, beautiful flowers, chocolates, jewelry were used, even if the guy could not afford to go to a cafe, he did everything possible to still invite the girl and conquer her with his generosity. Social principles were such that a man never allowed himself to do anything obscene, he was restrained and courteous, other behavior was considered immoral and openly condemned. Realizing that they live in society, and therefore must follow the established rules, young people never allowed themselves to break them.

Ordinary girls with a gentle disposition and attractive appearance were in fashion; they were loved for their friendliness and tenderness; external characteristics faded into the background. Even if a guy really liked a girl, she could only find out that she had large breasts by looking at her or behind a closed door in the bedroom.

Love of the twentieth century was idealized, it was placed on a pedestal and there was nothing more sacred in life.

Love of the XXI century

In the era of social networks and the dominance of the Internet, people no longer meet on the street, but often make acquaintances through websites. This is how the current generation gets closer, they write about feelings in messages, afraid to say about love in person. Love loses its former value, becoming a tired concept that will not impress anyone, perhaps because a completely different meaning is attached to it. People are used to throwing around the word “love”, calling it ordinary attraction or falling in love, which passes as soon as interest in a person disappears. True love cannot disappear so easily; it transforms into other feelings - respect, affection...

Love has acquired consumer significance, because it, like other goods, has a shelf life (psychologists say three years), because as soon as it goes out, people immediately break up, starting the search for a person who will give them the next euphoric dose of “love.”

In a society where everything becomes a commodity, love loses its former meaning and value. Love can be bought, but people lose their individuality by doing plastic surgery and fitting themselves into certain beauty standards. Gold and oil are rising in price every year, and words of love are taken for granted. Many people try to escape from love, since it gives rise to responsibilities, and in the 21st century it is not fashionable to be obligated to someone.

What are the differences between love in the 20th century and the 21st century?

The life of generations, their moral principles and lifestyle is transmitted through the culture of society. Since literature has faded into the background, cinema and television are how modern society perceives the world. The theme of films is most often love, but which films were watched in the 20th century and which in the 21st? An incredibly beautiful love story in “Gone with the Wind,” “Spring on Zarechnaya Street,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Girl with No Address” and “Funny Girl.”

Romance, embarrassed looks, men who captivate with their courage and determination, and women who are sweet, timid and flirtatious. Today, the center of films is sex; it is where relationships between couples often begin, since, unlike love, it does not give rise to responsibilities. Remember such films as “Sex for Friendship”, “More Than Sex”, “Fifty Shades of Grey”. These film stories show people that physical intimacy is actually simple; intimacy should not be spiced up with any emotions or feelings.

Movie characters only get close after sex, and this once again confirms how much people’s attitude towards love has changed. Aggressive sexual propaganda achieves its goal - men and women cease to be truly close and are unable to feel each other.

Even psychologists put sex at the heart of everything, arguing that only it can become the key to a happy relationship. It is increasingly difficult for young people to get closer to each other; in the virtual world everything is easier. Often, couples break up via the Internet because they do not want to demonstrate their feelings and burden themselves with unnecessary showdowns.

Coming to the fore in the 21st century appearance, if a girl is beautiful, it is easier for her to improve her personal life, even if she has an unpleasant character, since it is important for a guy to have a beauty walking next to him, this elevates him in the eyes of his friends. That’s why modern girls are paying more and more attention to external beauty, this goes beyond visiting gyms; today, adding everything artificial and correcting facial features is the order of the day. It is easier to love the young and successful, but such love has no price, which is why it is bought and sold so quickly.

In the love of the 20th century, everything was special, since much attention was paid to feelings. The lovers treated each other timidly and spoke shyly about love. Intimacy was only a side of love, which was carefully guarded from strangers, but today sex is extolled and valued more than love. They talk and discuss it openly, love becomes rare and is often associated with disappointment and pain. A feeling that is wonderful in every sense becomes a victim of selfishness; people forget that they need not only to receive love, but also to give it in return.

Psychologists say that attitudes towards love will continue to change. Distance marriages will become widespread, in which people will not lose their freedom and meet occasionally.

Yulia Kovalchuk and Alexey Chumakov are one of the brightest examples of a strong family and a successful creative tandem. Agree, in Russian show business almost every day there is news about betrayals, divorces and scandalous antics of stars. But nothing can be said about this couple - they love each other no matter what!

The artists met long before they started dating. They were dating other people at the time, but were able to build warm friendships. Alexey and Yulia often invited each other to their concerts, and afterwards they organized friendly parties. No one could have imagined that such good friends would one day become husband and wife! But the artists fell in love with each other, so it was useless to resist feelings and soon all the fans learned that they were connected not only by friendship, but also by a romantic relationship!

But despite the whirlwind romance and declarations of tender love, Alexey was in no hurry to propose to his beloved. According to Chumakov, he always appreciated “unpredictability” in love. And we believe him - who would have predicted that one day good friends would become a couple? And Yulia very calmly told me that the stamp in the passport does not play any role. Fans of the artists were eagerly awaiting good news and details about the wedding, but the singers simply enjoyed their relationship and built their home. But in the spring of 2014, a miracle happened - Alexey and Yulia tied the knot in Spain. Since then, they have been tirelessly proving: love exists and you definitely have to fight for it!

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The Union of Artists became an example to follow: they did not invent unusual stories for themselves, did not try to advertise their love for the sake of a career, but simply enjoyed each other’s company and built their lives. Now Yulia and Alexey are one of the strongest couples in Russian show business: both have successful careers, and very soon their joint film “I’ll Get Married Urgently” will be released, where they play the main roles - Zhenya and Stas.

According to the plot, Zhenya (Yulia Kovalchuk) is a magazine editor who really wants to get a promotion. She has everything for this, except for one thing - the family audience needs a family leader. Therefore, she had a new task - to get married urgently! And Stas (Alexei Chumakov), a society photographer, decides to help his friend, because he has so many eligible suitors in his file that could be ideal for the role of a spouse. True, Zhenya understands that she cannot take such a step and marry for convenience, and Stas discovers that he is head over heels in love with the ambitious beauty. The film “I’ll Get Married Urgently” can be seen in cinemas across the country from December 31, 2015.

David and Victoria Beckham

The future spouses met at a time when both were at the peak of their popularity: Victoria was a member of the cult group Spice Girls, and David at that time was playing for the Manchester United football club and was fighting to get into the England national team. According to the Beckhams, a spark ran between them from the first minute of meeting, although David had already seen the “spice” on TV and dreamed of meeting in person.

One of the most wonderful moments in the lives of lovers was the news of Victoria's pregnancy. This news was incredibly happy, but at the same time shocking, because the doctors unanimously stated that Victoria would never be able to have children. As life has shown, the couple were able to give birth to not one, but four children: three boys - Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz - and the youngest girl, Harper Seven.

But not everything was smooth in the life of the couple: in 2002, the Beckhams’ happy marriage was threatened due to David’s affair with his assistant Rebecca Luz. Beckham himself swore that this was not true, but only Luss’s imagination. It seemed that the scandal would inevitably lead to divorce, but Victoria’s wisdom and trust helped the family get out of this crisis and start their lives anew. “David swore that he was innocent of anything, I believe him!” - Victoria said, stepping on the throat of not only her pride, but also giving a worthy rebuff to all envious people. After this story, Beckham made a second marriage proposal to the woman he loved, and the couple again took the oath of fidelity and said “Yes” to each other. At the same time, treasured tattoos appeared on the hands of David and Victoria, which translated from Latin mean the phrase “All over again.”

Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde

Stephen Hawking is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, founder and director of the Center for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge and the most famous popularizer of science. The love story of Hawking and Jane Wilde is a truly powerful, pure, frank love that proved to the whole world that feelings can overcome everything, even the most terrible disease.

Stephen and Jane's relationship began shortly before the still unknown young man was given a terrible diagnosis - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which led to paralysis. But Jane was not afraid of her lover’s illness, and in 1965 the couple got married. No one knew how much time was allotted for the lovers, because according to doctors’ forecasts, Hawking would not have lived even a few years. But love and life prevailed over the doctor's opinion: Jane and Stephen lived together for 25 years until 1995, when they announced their divorce. During this time, the couple had three children - a daughter and two sons.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

The love of Kate and William is one of the most enviable stories that the whole world watches every day. And not in vain, because from the very beginning the couple attracted attention not only with royal gestures, but also with disagreements, separations and agonizing anticipation.

Kate and William met at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The prince first saw his future wife in 2002 at a charity fashion show where young Kate participated. After meeting, the couple began to actively travel together, and the press was already talking about a possible marriage, although the lovers themselves called their relationship “friendly.”

Since then, the couple has been plagued by difficulties and separations: reasonable Kate really wanted to create a strong union, but her lover was in no hurry to propose marriage, motivating his actions by the fact that he wanted to maintain his bachelor status until he was 30 years old. Unable to wait any longer, in 2007 the girl decided to break up with the prince, but the separation did not last long: that same year, William returned his beloved and invited her to live at his residence. However, the prince proposed to Kate only three years later, in October 2010, while on vacation in Kenya. The couple already had two children in their marriage: George Alexander Louis and Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

The most talked about and beloved acting couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, got married in 2014, but the road to the altar turned out to be long and difficult for the lovers. At the time of their acquaintance, both actors, to put it mildly, disliked each other: Brad considered his partner in the film “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” arrogant and capricious, and Jolie spoke of him as an arrogant and unpleasant man. But over time, the colleagues found a common language and even more - fell in love with each other. These feelings became a real sensation for the media and a great joy for Pitt and Jolie, but for one person the news about the actors’ romance was shocking and painful: Brad Pitt’s wife, Jennifer Aniston, turned out to be the third wheel. Without waiting for the official divorce of Pitt and Aniston, the lovers' relationship became open and news of Jolie's first pregnancy appeared.

The long-awaited daughter, Shiloh Nouvel, became the first child in the Jolie-Pitt family. In total, there are six children in the family of actors - three natural and three adopted. During the history of their relationship, the couple experienced a lot - from a tsunami of passion to moments of crisis that almost led to a breakup. Brad Pitt was close to his beloved even when Angelina had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer.

“My wife is sick. She was constantly nervous about problems at work, her personal life, her failures and problems with her children. She lost 15 kg and weighed about 40 at 35 years old. She became haggard, constantly cried and lashed out at everyone and everything. She slept poorly and fell asleep in the morning. Our relationship was on the brink. Her beauty began to disappear somewhere, bags appeared under her eyes, and she began to take little care of herself. She refused to appear in films. I lost hope and thought that we would soon get divorced... But then I decided to act. After all, I got the most beautiful woman on earth. She is the ideal of more than half of men, and I am allowed to fall asleep next to her and hug her shoulders. I began to shower her with flowers, kisses and compliments. I enjoyed every minute. I praised her to my and our mutual friends. Believe it or not, she blossomed. She became even better than before. I didn't even know she could love like that. And I understood one thing: a woman is a reflection of a man. If you love her madly, she will become him,” Brad Pitt once said. And, probably, every woman will agree that despite all the difficulties and obstacles, there is nothing in the world that can interfere with real feelings.

Tina Karol and Evgeniy Ogir

The short but sincere love story of singer Tina Karol and her producer Evgeniy Ogir began with the artist’s creative crisis: at that moment she was looking for a new producer, but found her love. Evgeniy himself recalled their first meeting with humor: “I remember that I was doing some current work. You were in a completely crazy suit with a beret.”

The creative tandem of Evgeniy and Tina immediately bore fruit - a new album, an international tour. Happiness in work was followed by happiness in love - in January 2008 the couple registered their relationship, and in June a wedding followed in the Holy Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Despite the fact that the lovers diligently hid their feelings from the eyes of journalists, true love was visible. Many colleagues who had the opportunity to see the spouses work together were sincerely admired by the power of emotions that Tina and Evgeniy emitted.

Unfortunately, the couple's happiness was short-lived: Evgeniy was given a terrible diagnosis - stomach cancer. He fought the disease for 1.5 years, outstanding doctors from Israel and Germany took on the treatment, but they failed to emerge victorious in this battle. Ogier did not live to see his marriage anniversary with Karol for several months.

“No matter how crazy it may sound, cancer is the most humane disease, because you have time to say all the words of love and gratitude to the person, give him all your tenderness. And you have time to hear the words and thoughts that he wants to tell you. That,

Love is not the ideal that is written about in women's novels, but a real relationship that inspires and forces you to change for the sake of your loved one.

Everyone dreams of the kind of love for which you can move mountains or give up really important things if circumstances require it. Unfortunately, many people search for such feelings for years, but never find them and, not wanting to waste time on trifles, prefer to live alone all their lives. However, we have found several real stories that confirm that true love exists.

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner

For America, Frank Sinatra became a true legend and symbol of the era of show business and the golden era of Hollywood. And while all the beauties of that time tried to win his heart, including Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner, only one woman truly drove him crazy. He was so lost in this love that he went on a drinking binge, lost his voice and at times behaved inappropriately. The actress who drove the great performer crazy was named Ava Gardner, and she had a magical effect on men. They were immediately ready to do anything if only this beauty would pay attention to them.

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner

Photo by Getty Images

Before meeting Sinatra, Ava had already been married twice and had a crazy affair with multimillionaire Howard Hughes. Howard threw planes, diamonds, luxurious outfits at the feet of the wayward beauty, but she only accepted the gifts with cold politeness, keeping her admirer at a distance. By the way, Frank himself, who also had a wife and three children, did not consider having a family an obstacle to love affairs. The fatal meeting took place in 1950 at the premiere of the film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” After that evening, Sinatra was not himself, he suffered, was tormented and went crazy with love and jealousy. He could not shower the object of his passion with expensive gifts, so he relied only on his charm, which, alas, did not always work. As a result, Sinatra wrote his greatest hits and eventually won the favor of the actress. Two southern temperaments converged, and feelings resulted in the energy of true love and passion, which was impossible to resist.

At first, the lovers met secretly, because Sinatra was still not free. Then Ava flew to Spain, where she began an affair with a bullfighter, and Frank, who found out about this, almost died of grief. The actress took pity on him, promising to return, but then fell into the arms of Richard Greene. The performer was pumped up with sleeping pills, and only a miracle saved him. Ava finally gave in and agreed to marry him. The ceremony took place in Philadelphia, and the couple enjoyed quiet family happiness for a couple of years. But then they begin to torment each other with jealousy and in 1957, after a stormy showdown, they file for divorce. Frank claimed that after Ava he had many women, but none could give him the feelings that he experienced with his muse.

This is perhaps the most famous misalliance in history, when for the sake of his beloved woman, the English monarch Edward VIII voluntarily abdicated the throne. Envious people vied with each other to discuss the fact that the King of England suddenly became infatuated with a twice-divorced American woman. This was not only strange, but also unreasonable, in the opinion of many Englishmen. Residents of Britain were sure that a kind of end of the world had come and the collapse of moral and ethical standards and foundations of secular society.

Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII of England

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The 36-year-old monarch met Mrs Wallis Simpson at a dinner party in early November 1930. At the same time, as historians recall, the prince fell in love with a married lady at first sight, although she was far from beautiful and did not have any outstanding talents. However, you cannot command your heart, and soon the prince won her favor. The lovers were not embarrassed by Wallis's status, the public's censure, or the boycott of the royal family, who hoped that the monarch would soon have enough of the game and find a worthy passion. But it was not there!

In January 1936, when the English King George V died, Edward ascended the throne, and Wallis immediately decided to officially divorce her legal husband. At the same time, neither parliament nor members of the royal family even wanted to hear about this divorced American suddenly becoming the wife of a monarch. Therefore, poor Edward had to make a choice between the English throne and his feelings. It was obvious to many that he would choose the title and crown. But, alas, Edward decided to leave everything for the sake of his beloved woman.

On December 10, 1936, Edward VIII publicly abdicated the throne, making his famous speech, and then devoted himself entirely to family life. The couple lived a very happy life and traveled a lot until the monarch died of cancer in 1972.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier

And although there was not much love in this union, the story of the Hollywood actress and the Prince of Monaco truly became a legend.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier

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One of Alfred Hitchcock's most beloved actresses, Grace had a Nordic appearance and reserved manners that created the feeling that this was not a Hollywood celebrity, but a real princess. However, despite the outward coldness, the star was very amorous and passionate and could easily have a light affair right on the set with the cameraman or accept beautiful courtship from the Shah of Iran. In Hollywood they believed that Miss High Society, as the actress with an angelic appearance was called, was worthy of being the wife of only a real prince. In the end, this happened, and soon Grace was married to Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

It is worth noting that the acquaintance that took place in 1955 changed the lives of not only young people, but also the entire state. The prince had been looking for a worthy wife for a long time, so marrying a famous Hollywood beauty with a good reputation helped attract investment and arouse the interest of tourists in the bankrupt Monaco. Rainier figured that a wedding to an Oscar-winning Hollywood actress would be a successful PR move, and the luxurious ceremony, held in 1956, revived interest in Monaco and turned the region into one of the most prestigious on the planet. The country fell in love with its new princess, and Grace gave the state not only long-awaited heirs, but also new economic opportunities.

Rainier's wife basked in attention, changed outfits from couturiers, posed for glossy publications and visited other countries on official visits. However, while millions of people dreamed of being in the same fairy tale, Grace suffered from the difficult character of her husband, and social duties were real hard labor for her. Soon the actress had health problems, she began to gain weight, and her grown children began to run away from home, abandon social responsibilities and have affairs with bodyguards.

In 1982, Kelly lost control of her car and got into a car accident. The injuries she received turned out to be incompatible with life, so almost the next day, by the prince’s decision, the life support machine supporting his wife’s condition was turned off.

The novel of the great opera diva and the richest man of the mid-twentieth century was called nothing less than a story of passionate love, burning everything in its path, and humiliation. Despite the gossip and public censure, these two even felt happy. At times, but still.

Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis

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All representatives of the rich families of that time dreamed of getting the Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis to a social reception. The billionaire did not refuse invitations, spending evenings surrounded by the most beautiful girls from high society, but, alas, using these silly girls only to achieve his goals. He managed to turn every acquaintance he had (even with a lady) into a business, but that was until 1959, when he accidentally fell in love for real. His world turned upside down the moment he was introduced to the young opera singer Maria Callas, whose talent was applauded by the whole world.

Maria (real name Cecilia Sophia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos) was born into a family of Greek immigrants in the United States and quite early married a wealthy Italian industrialist Giovanni Battisto Meneghini. He was a great connoisseur of art, and when he first saw the talented girl, he simply did not want to let her go. And so he put all his affairs aside, becoming a devoted manager and generous producer of his beloved.

But Onassis first noticed Maria Callas at a ball in Venice, and then went to her concert to make sure that this was not just another passing hobby, and later invited the singer and her husband on his legendary yacht “Christina” - the main symbol of unprecedented luxury of that time . By the way, at the time when the Greek tycoon was enjoying the company of the unfree but desired Maria on his yacht, he was also married, but at that time he was not particularly worried about it. Love turned the heads of Mary and Aristotle, and they began an affair in front of the amazed public, spending all nights on the deck, dancing and looking at the starry sky. Upon returning, the lovers immediately began to live together, but soon the billionaire turned from an ardent lover into a real tyrant, constantly insulting Maria in front of his friends, openly cheating and raising his hand against the once beloved woman. Callas, blinded by love, endured, which further provoked her tyrant. As a result, she gave up her career, lost her voice and became isolated. Alas, the Greek tycoon not only did not take pity on his chosen one, but also truly betrayed the one whom he had recently admired. In October 1968, Aristotle Onassis married the widow of US President Jacqueline Kennedy, and Maria, who learned about this from the newspapers, locked herself in her apartment and turned into a real recluse.

Love is the most extraordinary feeling in the world. Throughout human history, it has inspired poets, writers and singers, and sometimes love has even served as a reason for crimes and wars between entire countries. Our selection today includes ten of the most famous couples whose love stories led to tragic consequences. Some of them are reliably existing historical characters, others we know about mostly from legends and myths.

10 PHOTOS

According to legend, Paris was a Trojan prince, and Helen was the wife of Menelaus, the ruler of Sparta. Not finding mutual understanding with her husband, to whom she was forcibly married, Elena fled from Sparta along with the handsome Paris. However, in the midst of preparations for the wedding, Menelaus arrived with his troops at the walls of Troy, and a war began in which many Trojans died, including Paris. Elena had to return back to Sparta.

According to Greek myology, Orpheus was a talented singer, and Eurydice was his wife, who was once bitten by a snake and died. After this, Orpheus, unable to live without his beloved, descended into the mythical kingdom of Hades. He so charmed the inhabitants of the Underworld that Hades agreed to let Eurydice go, but on the condition that Orpheus should not look back until they left the realm of the dead. But Orpheus could not stand it and turned around to see if Eurydice was following him, and she was taken back - to the kingdom of Hades.

The love story between the Roman general Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra is widely known for its dramatic ending. Both lovers committed suicide after their troops were defeated in battle against Caesar's army.

Characters of a medieval legend who fall in love with each other, despite the fact that Tristan's uncle, Mark, is supposed to marry Isolde. Nevertheless, Isolde was married to Mark, and Tristan was married to the daughter of the King of Britain, Isolde Belorukaya. The story ended with Tristan being wounded by a poisoned weapon, and Isolde, who did not have time to say goodbye to him, soon died of grief. In the ranking of free audiobooks “Romance Novels,” the novel Tristan and Isolde is one of the most popular.

According to legend, Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, was madly in love with Lancelot, one of the knights of the Round Table. When Arthur learned of this, the bitter rivalry between him and Lancelot destroyed the unity of the knights. In the end, Arthur was killed, and Guinevere went to a monastery out of grief.

The most famous love story, written by the famous Shakespeare, tells the story of the relationship between young lovers from two warring Italian families. How the story ended is probably known to everyone - Romeo poisoned himself, thinking that Juliet had died, and she, finding him dead, killed herself with a dagger.

Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal were happy together for a long time until Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their 14th child. Devastated by grief, Shah Jahan could not come to his senses for a long time, but found some consolation in the construction of a luxurious mausoleum in memory of his wife. This mausoleum still stands today and is known as the Taj Mahal.

The relationship between Napoleon and his wife Josephine, according to eyewitness accounts, was very stormy, and eventually led to divorce. However, when Napoleon was dying, the last words of the emperor were addressed specifically to Josephine, his first wife. The love between the young king and the widow, who was 12 years older than him, caused outrage and protest from both the public and Alexander’s mother. However, he did not listen to anyone’s advice and insisted on getting married. It all ended with the royal couple being killed by a group of military officers dissatisfied with their rule.

American robbers who organized a gang responsible for several armed robberies and murders. Despite their criminal activities, according to eyewitnesses, Bonnie and Clyde loved each other deeply and were inseparable. The gangster love story ended very badly - the police shot at their car from an ambush, as a result of which both died on the spot.