Have you ever had a crush / fallen in love with an historical figure?

[NegroniLover]

This has happened to me in the most unexpected manner. I'm in my early 50s (old enough to know better) & I've developed a massive obsession / crush on a long dead writer. It's so weird & had never happened to me before.
Please tell me someone else has experienced this?

I've been in love with Richard Plantagenet since I was a child

Me too. Also had a massive crush of Richard, Earl of Warwick (the Kingmaker) and William the Conqueror in my teens.

I very much admire Oscar Wilde though no crush & suspect I'd be terrified by him in real life

This is a THING - hurrah - I am not losing it (too badly)

Mary, Queen of Scots. She was executed on 8 February. That's my birthday. Cue: crush.

I love this thread!

Ahem...that might also be MY birthday- now need to read up on Mary Queen of Scots

😅😅

I had a crush on young Einstein…
(blame the film)

I love this thread too

My poor husband

You mean he can’t compete with James Joyce? 😄

Ha! William the Conqueror was vile! A proper villain! Desperate to know what you saw in him?

Richard III…he so didn’t kill his nephews in the Tower!

(I read the Sunne in Splendour when I was a teen…)

Oh Michael Collins was definitely wanted

Mine isn't quite a crush but I've felt a deep affinity with and affection for Anne Boleyn since I was about 8

I actually have pictures of her on my phone

This thread is amazing!
I went to the tower of London specifically because of Ann boylen.!

No, dh can't compete with James Joyce

Why do you think some of us identify so strongly with historical characters who probably have v little in common with our day to day lives?

Sylvia Plath, not historical though!

Cough cough .. mine is a bit more recent .. and was still with us when my crush first developed.

Also agree about George VI. I think that’s where Charles gets his sensitivity from.

Tell us who it is, Carol!

Is it......Carol Shields,......?

Yes, he was very good-looking in his youth. I read a biography of the Queen Mother and they seemed to adore each other. He also had a lot of difficulties when he was growing up - his father was an authoritarian, mother was very cold, he had a stutter etc. so had to overcome a lot.

I think it's easy to have a crush on someone from the past - you only know certain information about them, so you can project a lot and fill in the gaps as you would wish them to be.
And it's not like they are on twitter making idiots of themselves - I think in general we know too much about celebrities these days, there's not much mystery. Plus there's a general romanticising of the past which helps...

I often have crushes on singers or celebrities from a certain time period, but not as they currently are. And then I'm disappointed when I realise they've aged, which is obviously totally ridiculous.

Bookworm14 It’s all in the name 😉Christened myself after her.