With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, love is in the air. Whether it be mushy Hallmark cards at CVS, dinner reservations with your significant other, or a ‘Galentines’ night-in with your closest girlfriends, February 14, a date flooded with anticipation, anxiety, or anger (depending on who you ask), will be here before you know it. In the spirit of my generation’s situationship sob-stories and notoriously bad breakups, I want to journey back through history and share some of the greatest love stories of all time to remind you that true love is attainable.
- Cleopatra and Mark Antony: Sultry, Scandal, and Suicide
The life and legacy of the Roman general and politician who rose in power after the assassination of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, cannot be told in full without mention of his love affair with Cleopatra. We all have first love(s). To most people, the mention of “first love(s)” brings up memories from their first heartbreak, to others, a sport they are passionate about, and to some, a niche interest or hobby. In Antony’s case, his heart first belonged to ‘the tangible’: luxuries of life and elements of Greek Hellenistic culture introduced to Rome by Alexander the Great. His love for Cleopatra, however, would soon precede both.
While on break from his more intense stately duties, Antony embarked on a business-pleasure trip through Rome’s territories. While passing through Tarsus, a region now part of southern Turkey, Antony invited Cleopatra, the respected Queen of Egypt, to the city to talk politics. Cleopatra hadn’t shown by the time they agreed on. (Casually late may be the ‘norm’ now but back then…this was viewed as a blatant disregard of courtesy). Did Cleo have a case of the pre-”date” jitters?! Definitely not. Cleopatra knew exactly what she was doing. If their meeting went well, the Queen would leave with an assured alliance with Rome’s powerhouse leader and thus, a clear path to the expansion of the Egyptian empire and her reign. Crazy high first date stakes If I do say so myself.
Approaching by way of a marvelous boat, Cleo, dressed as Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, fanned by her subjects as her servants doused the crowds with perfume (the ultimate love potion), headed for the port at Tarsus and right into Mark Antony’s heart. At 28, Cleopatra emulated confidence, intellect, and beauty. Not knowing how long such a catch would stay single, Antony decided to act fast. He made the first move, inviting Cleopatra to a banquet. Not one to adhere to stereotypical gender roles, Cleopatra refused the invite and instead invited Antony to a feast she organized. Feminism at its finest…the ball was in her court! After the lavish feast where Cleopatra showered Antony and his entourage with gifts, she was sure of what her heart wanted. (As the narrator of this real-life love story, I am happy to report that the feeling was most certainly mutual).
During the winter of 41-40 B.C. Antony and Cleopatra were inseparable – spending their time at extravagant banquets and jaunting the streets in Alexandria dressed as common folk. Everything was perfect…until it wasn’t. That spring, Antony’s first wife, Fulvia, (a political match) sent word of scandal from Rome. Fulvia and Antony’s brother had publicly challenged the western ruler of Rome, Octavian and he was not happy. Talk about trouble in paradise! Fulvia coincidentally died that very year, but the scandal lived on. To win back Octavian’s favor, Antony agreed to a marriage with Octavian’s sister, Octavia. Again, it wasn’t “true love” but merely a political partnership. True love withstands time and in Cleo’s case, her man’s two wives.
In 37 B.C. Antony returned back east and back into the arms of Cleopatra. After all, the heart wants what it wants.
Antony did not only respect Cleopatra as a lover but as a ruler as well – helping her expand her reign over Egypt. Back in Rome, however, Octavian, not a fan of Antony, proved to be even less of a fan of the young Egyptian queen. Octavian was convinced Cleo had Antony and the Roman army wrapped around her finger. A female’s pursuit of power, perhaps the most dangerous threat of all! So, the petty and power-hungry Octavian sparked a war between his troops after cutting off Antony’s line of supply to Egypt. Not only was Octavian attempting to sever ties between former allies, but between lovers as well. It was at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., that the couple had a dual-surrender.
The lovers may have been defeated at war, but they refused to let their love be defeated. And so, the pair tragically took their own lives in hopes of entering the next in one another’s arms.
- Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal: The Ultimate Tribute
Source: https://www.discovery.com/exploration/petra–a-majestic-city-carved-into-rock–thousands-of-years-ago
Until you find yourself someone who will build a wonder of the world in your name, keep your standards high! The story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal is one of elegance, beauty, marvel, and maybe…just a tad bit of envy.
Let’s start from the beginning. It was at a bazaar in Agra. Emperor Shah Jahan, fifth ruler of the Mughal empire, was perusing the merchant stands when he first laid eyes on Mumtaz Mahal who was selling beautiful silks. “Jewel of the palace”: Mumtaz’s aura perfectly matched her name. And Jahan thought so too. Like Antony and Cleo, their case was another of “love at first sight”.
I would say she was “the apple of his eye” but he already had two other wives so out of fairness to them, I’ll refrain. Anyway, Shah spent the next five years pursuing Mumtaz until the happy couple finally wed in 1612. Mumtaz was just as beautiful as she was brave. Not only was she involved in some of her husband’s political happenings, but she was present in military affairs – even accompanying Jahan on the battlefield while with child in 1631. Unfortunately however, while on this military campaign, Mumtaz tragically passed during childbirth.
The death of his beloved wife sent Jahan into the biggest heartbreak of his life. He spent two years mourning during which he planned for the erection of the Taj Mahal – an architectural testament to his deep love for his third wife. With the help of 20,000 artisans, 1,000 elephants, and 22 years – the Taj Mahal came into existence in 1648. May the legacy of Jahan and Mumtaz’s great love live on forever in the Taj Mahal and serve as a reminder to us all why we should never settle.
- Mabel Hampton & Lillian Foster: Activist Power Couple
Sources: https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/mabel-hampton-residence/
The little-known unstoppable love story of Mabel Hampton and Lillian Foster deserves recognition. As Black women and open lesbians during the 1930s, these women faced countless struggles. The pair is a prime example that though love may not in reality “conquer all”, it can persist through hardship.
First…a little background. Habel Hampton (1902-1989) was an impressive woman of many titles. Renowned African-American LGBT rights activist. Singer and dancer during the Harlem Renaissance. Hospital worker. And, open lesbian woman.
You could frequently find Hampton enjoying the music and company of celebrities like Ethel Waters and Gladys Bentley at Harlem’s Garden of Joy nightclub and the Lafayette Theater.
In 1932, Hampton met her soon-to-be partner, Lilliam Foster. They spent 46 years together up until Foster’s passing in 1978.
Reminiscing on their romance, Foster provides a bit of insight into the type of love they shared:
“Forty-four years ago I met Mabel. We was a wonderful pair. I’ll never forget it. But she’s a little tough. I met her in 1932, September twenty-second. And we haven’t been separated since in our whole life. Death will separate us. Other than that I don’t want it to end.”
Hampton preserved their legacies as advocates for gay and African American right through records of newspapers, photos, books, and letters (mostly relating to Hampton’s own sexuality) which she later donated to the Lesbian Herstory Archive. Talk about a power couple!
I hope that these three stories of fierce, fearless, and fruitful love serve as affirmation to those of you who are single this Valentine’s Day that love is not a lost cause.