Madame de Pompadour: A Mistress to Top Them All!!

Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, better known as Madame de Pompadour, was probably the most successful and influential "official mistress" in western history. She captured Louis XV's attention, along with everybody else's, with her wit, style, charm, and boundless energy. From theatre to architecture, gardening to philosophy, encyclopedias to politics, this busy lady had her fingers in just about everything at Versailles and beyond. You'll just swoon for this fascinating seductress! 

Further Reading: 

• Madame de Pompadour (biography.com)
• Madame de Pompadour (Chateau de Versailles)
• Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour (Louvre)
• Jeanne Antoinette Marquise de Pompadour - Woman of Influence (The Culture Concept)

Ching Shih: Best Pirate Ever???

Ching Shih is arguably the most successful pirate ever, and you've (probably) never heard of her. From humble beginnings in a floating brothel in Qing Dynasty China, she went on to masterfully command a massive fleet of ships, with the Empire and its allies at her mercy. We think she's a little scary, and a lot impressive!

Further Reading:

• Ching Shih - from Prostitute to Pirate Lord (Ancient Origins) 
• The Female Prostitute That Rose to Become One of the Most Powerful Pirates in History and Whose Armada Took on the Chinese, British, and Portuguese Navies... And Won (Today I Found Out)
• Ching Shih (1775-1844): Princess of the Chinese Seas (Rejected Princesses)