Sex and love

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Shakespeare’s 7 most notorious couples

Elizabeth I of England

Personal politics in Elizabeth I’s court

Mary Magdalene. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The mysteries of Mary Magdalene

Portrait of Carlo Broschi (stage name Farinelli), the most famous opera singer of the 18th century. (Photo By DEA/A. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini/Getty Images)

Castrated Georgian opera stars

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Henry VIII’s mistresses: who else did the Tudor king sleep with?

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Love and marriage in medieval England

An illustration of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Not such a prude after all: the secrets of Henry VIII’s love life

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The 7 most romantic moments in history

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A brief history of Valentine’s Day cards

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The face of Cleopatra: was she really so beautiful?

Portrait of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532-1588) an English nobleman. Dated 16th Century. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Robert Dudley: Queen Elizabeth I’s great love

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. When Edward became king in January 1936, he was the darling of the nation. Yet when he abdicated in December 1936, few believed he was making the wrong decision. (Photo by Getty Images)

Edward VIII: a king at war with his country

From The Library

Evening Party - Time of Charles II, 1850. A satirical illustration of King Charles II (1630?1685). King Charles II (163-?1685) was know as the 'Merry Monarch'. He had a great fondness for women and had many mistresses. From The Comic History of England by Gilbert Abbott A. Beckett, illustrated by John Leech [Bradbury, Agnew & Co., London, 1850.] (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

Sex, scandals and betrayals: Charles II and his court

Wall painting from The House of the Faun, built during the 2nd century BC in the Roman city of Pompeii, depicting an erotic satyr and nymph. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

In bed with the Romans: a brief history of sex in Ancient Rome