Valentine’s day is great. Personally, I can’t wait to spend the evening alone on the couch rewatching Pride and Prejudice and eating frilly chocolate while my friends are out being romanced. There’s nothing like a TV adaptation of a 19th century love story to featuring Colin Firth to make you wonder: is my dream gentleman or -woman dead? Maybe he or she came and went 200 years ago? Having spent far too much time pondering this, I have compiled a list of my top 10 would-be historical lovers for your pleasure.
1. Alexander Hamilton
Ah yes, the sexy gaze of a man trying to build a country and its banks! With that dark smoulder and strong bone structure, he actually makes gray hair look good.
2. Noor Inayat Khan
This badass spy was as brave as she was beautiful. She was trained by the French Red Cross when the second world war broke out, then joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, where she was recruited by the SOE. She ran a spy unit in Paris and evaded capture for months before being betrayed and executed.
3. Philip Hamilton
If you thought Alexander Hamilton was hot, just wait until you see his son. He didn’t last very long, but at least he got a great portrait done!
4. Nancy Wake
What can I say? I have a thing for spies. Nancy Wake also served with the British Special Operations Executive and was one of 39 women parachuted in to prepare for the D-Day invasion, and lived to tell the tale.
5. Jacques d’Adelswärd-Fersen
Gentlemen, this one’s for you. Gorgeous and gay, he wrote stories of homosexual and bisexual debauchery in 1920s Paris. After an unfortunate court case he and his model boyfriend Nino Cesarini exiled themselves to Capri, where he built a villa.
6. Cleopatra
Cleopatra, a woman so powerful and beautiful that she made emperors swoon. Her desirably and seductive charms are legendary.
7. Lord Byron
Ah, a Lord , a soldier, and one of the finest romantic poets – what more could you want? His love affairs were deep and passionate, and he it expressed this in his work.
8. Ada Lovelace
A writer and brilliant mathematician, famous for her work on codes and computer technology, Ada clearly inherited her good looks from her father, Lord Byron.
9. Joseph Stalin
Communist revolution didn’t really do Stalin any favours. His propensity for mass murder really put a damper on things. Before becoming a tyrannical ruler, however, young Joseph Stalin was quite good looking.
10. Josephine Baker
This dazzling dancer swept Paris off its feet with her erotic performances. Her comedic yet sensual acts were her claim to fame, but she also joined the French resistance, served with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during the Second World War, and was a strong social activist.
Who are your biggest crushes? Let us know in the comments below.