The Couples that Changed the Course of History

You’ve heard about Alexander the Great, Emelia Earhart, Lenin, and George Washington. History is full of individuals that, in one way or another, changed the history of our world. However, sometimes changing history is a team effort, and these are the couples that changed the course of history.

Adam and Eve

Whether you believe in the creationist myth or not – Adam and Eve are pretty much the world’s first power-couple. They, themselves, might not have changed the course of history, but a lot of history was made and changed in their name and prominence in one of the world’s most widely practiced religions.

Cleopatra and Mark Antony (c.30BC)

You know what blows my mind? We’re closer to the time when Cleopatra lived than Cleopatra was to the time when the great pyramids were built. Now that that mind-blowing factoid is out of the way, let’s talk about Cleo and Mark. The relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony was crucial to the establishment of the Roman Empire. Before, it was the Roman Republic, but the power vacuum created by the death of Cleo and Mark allowed Octavian to rise to power and turn the tiny republic into one of the world’s largest empires.

Napoleon and Josephine (1795 – 1810)

History is altered with stories of history-altering infidelity and adultery. In the case of Napoleon and Josephine… well, they pretty much set the benchmark for all future relationships of this kind.

Although their relationship started off as a fierce romance, Napoleon’s world-conquering ambitions took him out of France for long periods of time, and in the meantime Josephine began an affair with Hippolyte. Once Napoleon found out, he had a few affairs of his own. However, even after the two of them divorced, Napoleon insisted that his former wife retain her title of Empress of France. A true power-couple move!

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (1840 – 1861)

After a very long history of British royalty being out of control (through family feuds, fights for power, infidelity, etc.), the marriage of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria brought some order back to the lineage of the royal family. Although the power of the crown would jump back and forth across family branches for centuries before, Queen Victoria was the first to bring back the old tradition of Orderly Queues back to Buckingham palace.