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List Of Prostitutes And Courtesans
This list of prostitutes and courtesans includes famous persons who have engaged in prostitution and courtesan work. Historical Ancient world *Rahab of Jericho *Aspasia, Greek ''hetaera'', companion of Pericles *Phryne, Greek hetaera *Thaïs, Greek hetaera who lived during the time of Alexander the Great * Theodora, empress of Byzantium *Su Xiaoxiao, Chinese courtesan of the 5th century Early Modern era *Imperia Cognati, the "first courtesan" in Europe *Isabella de Luna, Italian (originally Spanish) courtesan of Renaissance-era Rome. *Hwang Jini, the most famous Korean gisaeng *Chica da Silva, famous eighteenth-century slave courtesan in Brazil, subject of the movie '' Xica'' *Madame du Barry, mistress to Louis XV of France * Veronica Franco, Venetian courtesan and poet *Nell Gwyn, courtesan to Charles II of England 19th century * Laura Bell, the "Queen of London whoredom" *Theresa Berkeley, dominatrix *Jeanne Brécourt, born 1837, one of France's most notorious courtesans * ...
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Prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penetrative sex, oral sex, etc.) with the customer. The requirement of physical contact Prostitution#Medical situation, also creates the risk of transferring diseases. Prostitution is sometimes described as sexual services, commercial sex or, colloquially, hooking. It is sometimes referred to euphemistically as "the world's oldest profession" in the English-speaking world. A person who works in this field is called a prostitute, or more inclusively, a sex worker. Prostitution occurs in a variety of forms, and prostitution law, its legal status varies from Prostitution by country, country to country (sometimes from region to region within a given country), ranging from being an enforced or unenforced crime, to unregulated, to a regulated ...
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Hwang Jini
Hwang Jini or Hwang Jin-Yi (; 1506 – 1560), also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol ("bright moon", ), was one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, extraordinary intellect, and her assertive and independent nature. She has become an almost myth-like figure in modern Korea, inspiring novels, operas, films, and television series. A crater on Venus, Hwangcini, is named after her. Life She was born to the daughter of a scribe called Jeon Hyun Geum and a politician's son who went by the name Hwang. The story goes that her parents met while her mother was doing laundry, but the two could not get married and she became the illegitimate daughter of Hwang. She was known for her beauty and her bold personality. As Hwang Jini grew older, many men wanted to marry her. According to legend, one day a coffin was passing in front of her house, but the coffin stoppe ...
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Women In World History
''Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia'' is a 16-volume reference work of biographies of notable women. It includes biographies of around 10,000 women, and also includes genealogical charts of noble families and some joint entries about multiple women (such as "Astronauts: Women in Space"). The work covers women from all walks of life, including all nationalities, and particularly women whose lives are not well documented in other works. After nine years of work, the encyclopedia was published in 1999, under the editorship of Anne Commire. There were over 300 contributors. It won the 2001 Dartmouth Medal for outstanding reference works from the American Library Association. See also * ''The Women's History of the World ''The Women's History of the World'' () is a book about women's history written by British author Rosalind Miles Ph.D., first published in 1988. Later editions, including the paperback versions of the book, were titled ''Who Cooked The Last Suppe . ...
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Jeanne Brécourt
Jeanne Brécourt, sometimes written ''Bricourt,'' (born 8 April 1837), was one of France's most notorious courtesans. Using dishonesty and blackmail, she ruined some of her lovers. She was sentenced 15 years' penal servitude for having one of her lovers blinded. Biography Born Eugénie Arménaïde Brécourt on 8 April 1837 in Paris, she was the daughter of a printer and a vegetable seller. As a child, she was neglected, and at age 5, she was adopted by a baroness. When Brécourt was age 11, her parents took her from the baroness and used her to sell gingerbread on the streets. When she was age 17, she returned to the baroness, who agreed to take her into the home and found her work in a silk factory. When Brécourt was age 18, she attended the wedding of a co-worker. On returning home, she expressed her desire to get married. The baroness didn't take her seriously and when Gras, the grocer, called to make his delivery, jokingly suggested him for a husband. Brécourt took the idea ...
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Dominatrix
A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflicting physical pain on their submissive subjects, but this is not done in every case. In some instances erotic humiliation is used, such as verbal humiliation or the assignment of humiliating tasks. Dominatrices also make use of other forms of servitude. A dominatrix is typically a paid professional (''pro-domme'') as the term ''dominatrix'' is little-used within the non-professional BDSM scene. Terminology and etymology ''Dominatrix'' is the feminine form of the Latin ''dominator'', a ruler or lord, and was originally used in a non-sexual sense. Its use in English dates back to at least 1561. Its earliest recorded use in the prevalent modern sense, as a female dominant in sadomasochism, dates to 1961.Pérez Seves, ''Eric Stanton & the Hi ...
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Theresa Berkeley
Theresa Berkley or Berkeley (died September 1836) was a 19th-century English dominatrix who ran a brothel in Hallam Street, just to the east of Portland Place, Marylebone, London, specialising in flagellation. She is notable as the inventor of the "chevalet" or "Berkley Horse", a BDSM apparatus. Career as a dominatrix Theresa Berkley ran a high-class flagellation brothel at 28 Charlotte Street (which is today's 84–94 Hallam Street). She was a " governess", i.e. she specialised in chastisement, whipping, flagellation, and the like. She invented the "Berkley Horse", an apparatus that reportedly earned her a fortune in flogging wealthy men and women of the time. There are no artworks depicting what Theresa Berkley looked like, and occasional descriptions usually report that she was attractive, with a strong disposition. An expert with all instruments of torture, her talents became highly sought after by the aristocracy of the day. She was a master of the art of inflicting pai ...
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Laura Bell (courtesan)
Laura Eliza Jane Seymour Bell (1829–1894, married name Thistlethwayte) was an Irish-born courtesan of Victorian England. She was most notorious for the Nepalese Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana reputedly spending £250,000 on her. She later experienced a religious conversion and became a revivalist preacher on morality. Early life Bell was born in Glenavy, Co. Antrim. After an unsupervised childhood, she left home to work a shop assistant in Belfast. She earned extra money by prostitution. She later moved to Dublin where she became a successful courtesan. Bell is rumored to have had an affair with Dr William Wilde, father of Oscar Wilde. London Around 1849 Bell moved to London, where she became known as ''The Queen of London Whoredom''. Rich noblemen and dukes were entertained by Bell. She often drove in Hyde Park in a gilt carriage drawn by two white horses. It was here she met the Nepalese Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana. Rana installed Bell in a luxury house in Wil ...
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Charles II Of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and Henrietta Maria of France. After Charles I's execution at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War, the Parliament of Scotland proclaimed Charles II king on 5 February 1649. But England entered the period known as the English Interregnum or the English Commonwealth, and the country was a de facto republic led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell defeated Charles II at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, and Charles fled to mainland Europe. Cromwell became virtual dictator of England, Scotland and Ireland. Charles spent the next nine years in exile in France, the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Netherlands. The political crisis that followed Cromwell's death in 1 ...
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Nell Gwyn
Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage, she became best known for being a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Pepys, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of Cinderella. Gwyn had two sons by King Charles: Charles Beauclerk (1670–1726) and James Beauclerk (1671–1680) (the surname is pronounced ''boh-clair''). Charles was created Earl of Burford and later Duke of St Albans. Early life The details of Gwyn's background are somewhat obscure. A horoscope in the Ashmolean manuscripts gives her date of birth as 2 February 1650. On the other hand, an account published in ''The New Monthly Magazine and ...
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Veronica Franco
Veronica Franco (1546–1591) was an Italian poet and courtesan in 16th-century Venice. She is known for her notable clientele, feminist advocacy, literary contributions, and philanthropy. Her humanist education and cultural contributions influenced the roles of Courtesans in the late Venetian Renaissance. In her notable works, ''Capitoli in Terze rime and Lettere familiari a diversi Familiar Lettersto Various People"),'' Franco uses perceived virtue, reason, and fairness to advise male patricians and other associates. She exercised greater autonomy in her authorship than any other traditional Venetian woman due to her established reputation and influence. Life Veronica Franco was born to a family in the ''Cittadino'' class. She developed her position in Renaissance Venetian society as a ''cortigiana onesta (Honest Courtesan),'' who were intellectual sex workers who derived their position in society from refinement and cultural prowess. They served in contrast to other sex wor ...
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Louis XV Of France
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defined as his 13th birthday) on 15 February 1723, the kingdom was ruled by his grand-uncle Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, as Regent of France. Cardinal Fleury was chief minister from 1726 until his death in 1743, at which time the king took sole control of the kingdom. His reign of almost 59 years (from 1715 to 1774) was the second longest in the history of France, exceeded only by his predecessor, Louis XIV, who had ruled for 72 years (from 1643 to 1715). In 1748, Louis returned the Austrian Netherlands, won at the Battle of Fontenoy of 1745. He ceded New France in North America to Great Britain and Spain at the conclusion of the disastrous Seven Years' War in 1763. He incorporated the territories of the Duchy of Lorra ...
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Madame Du Barry
Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly being suspected of assisting ''émigrés'' flee from the Revolution. In order for the king to take Jeanne as a ''maîtresse-en-titre'', she had to be married to someone of high rank so she could be allowed at court; she was hastily married on 1 September 1768, to Comte Guillaume du Barry. The marriage ceremony was accompanied by a false birth certificate, created by Jean du Barry. The certificate made Jeanne younger by three years and dissimulated her “poor” background. Henceforth, she was deemed as an official ''maîtresse-en-titre'' to the king. Her arrival at the French royal court was considered scandalous by some, as she had been a prostitute and a commoner. For these reasons, she was disliked by many, including Marie Antoinette. Mari ...
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