Through most of history, Kings selected wives for their royal blood and political significance. Women they actually liked and were attracted to were relegated to being mere mistresses. These women were usually local aristocrats or even commoners who would not be considered contenders to be consort. The majority of monarchs had mistresses and their wives usually looked the other way, safe in the knowledge that their place as Queen could never be usurped. But a number of royal courtesan did come to wield great power. And on a few, incredibly rare occasions the stars to aligned to put the King’s lover on the throne. Let’s meet 8 royal mistresses who successfully became Queens.Inês de Castro Posthumous Queen of PortugalChristina Abrahamsdotter, Queen of SwedenAnne Boleyn, Queen of EnglandJane Seymour, Queen of EnglandCatherine Howard, Queen of EnglandKarin Månsdotter, Queen of SwedenCatherine I, Empress of RussiaCamilla Shand, Queen of the UK & Commonwealth RealmsJoin me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History!Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholidayFollow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091781568503Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyteatimelindsayholiday/Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@historyteatimePlease consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating episodes!Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug MaxwellMusic: Butterflies in Love by Sir Cubworth#HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHolidayPlease contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on this podcast.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices