20 Historical Figures Who Never Got Over Their First Love
Some Hearts Never Truly Move On
History is filled with rulers, artists, writers, and leaders who changed the world, but many of them struggled with the same emotions people experience today. For some, their first great romance left a mark that lasted for decades, influencing everything from their personal decisions to their creative work. Whether the relationship ended through death, rejection, or circumstance, these figures never seemed to completely let go. Here are 20 historical figures whose first loves stayed with them for the rest of their lives.
Jacques-Louis David on Wikimedia
1. Abraham Lincoln
Before marrying Mary Todd, Abraham Lincoln fell deeply in love with Ann Rutledge. Although historians still debate the exact nature of their relationship, Lincoln was devastated after Ann died of typhoid fever in 1835. Friends described him as overcome with grief for months afterward.
Library of Congress on Unsplash
2. Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon experienced youthful romances before meeting Joséphine, but she became the great love he never truly forgot. Even after divorcing her because she couldn't produce an heir, he continued writing affectionate letters and speaking warmly about her. When Joséphine died, Napoleon was reportedly heartbroken, and her name was even said to be among his final words years later.
Jacques-Louis David on Wikimedia
3. Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven's mysterious "Immortal Beloved" remains one of history's greatest romantic puzzles. While historians disagree about her identity, it's clear the composer never stopped longing for the woman who inspired his famous unsent love letter. His lifelong bachelorhood has only fueled speculation about how deeply he carried that love.
Joseph Karl Stieler on Wikimedia
4. Dante Alighieri
Dante met Beatrice Portinari when they were both children, yet they barely knew each other personally. Even so, she became the central inspiration for much of his poetry and later guided him through The Divine Comedy. Beatrice married another man and died young, but Dante never stopped idealizing her.
After Sandro Botticelli on Wikimedia
5. Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria met Prince Albert as a young woman and quickly knew he was the man she wanted to marry. After Albert's death in 1861, she entered an extended period of mourning that lasted for decades. She continued wearing black clothing and kept many of his belongings exactly where he had left them.
John Jabez Edwin Mayall on Wikimedia
6. Frédéric Chopin
Although Chopin had earlier romantic interests, his relationship with author George Sand became the defining love of his life. Their breakup deeply affected him both emotionally and physically during his already fragile health. Friends noticed a clear change in his mood and creativity afterward.
Louis-Auguste Bisson on Wikimedia
7. Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe fell in love with his young wife, Virginia Clemm, long before tragedy separated them. Her prolonged illness and eventual death devastated him. Much of his later writing reflected themes of grief, loss, and beautiful women dying young, suggesting he never fully recovered from losing her.
8. Charles Dickens
As a teenager, Charles Dickens fell deeply for Maria Beadnell, but her family discouraged the relationship. The rejection stayed with him for years and even inspired several fictional characters in his novels. When they reunited later in life, the reality failed to match the memory he had preserved, but even so, his youthful heartbreak left a permanent mark on his imagination.
9. Franz Schubert
Schubert quietly admired Therese Grob during his youth and reportedly hoped to marry her, but financial instability and Austrian marriage laws prevented it. She eventually married someone else while Schubert remained unmarried for the rest of his life. His songs often reflected a longing that many biographers connect to those early disappointments.
Wilhelm August Rieder on Wikimedia
10. Giacomo Casanova
Despite his reputation as history's greatest lover, Casanova repeatedly admitted that Henriette was the woman he never forgot. Unlike many of his other romances, their relationship challenged him emotionally and intellectually. Even decades later, he wrote about her with obvious admiration in his memoirs.
Attributed to Francesco Narici on Wikimedia
11. Michelangelo
Michelangelo formed a profound emotional attachment to the nobleman Tommaso dei Cavalieri after meeting him in adulthood. He dedicated numerous poems and drawings to him over the years. Their exact relationship remains debated, but Michelangelo's admiration never seemed to fade.
Attributed to Daniele da Volterra on Wikimedia
12. C. S. Lewis
Lewis spent much of his adult life believing he would remain unmarried before falling in love with Joy Davidman. Her death from cancer only a few years after their marriage left him devastated. His book A Grief Observed openly documented his struggle to cope with the loss. The emotional impact never truly disappeared.
13. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley fell passionately for Harriet Westbrook while still very young and married her against social expectations. However, their relationship eventually deteriorated after Shelley became involved with Mary Godwin. Harriet's tragic death haunted him, and historians continue debating how much guilt he carried afterward. His complicated feelings never entirely faded.
After Amelia Curran on Wikimedia
14. Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde's intense relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas became one of the defining forces of his later life. Even after imprisonment and public disgrace, Wilde continued corresponding with Douglas whenever possible. Friends often worried that he couldn't let the relationship go, despite the pain it had caused.
15. Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann fell deeply in love with pianist Clara Wieck while they were both young musicians. Clara's father fiercely opposed the relationship, forcing the couple into a lengthy legal battle before they could marry. Those years of separation only strengthened Schumann's devotion. Clara remained the emotional center of both his life and his music.
16. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethe's youthful romance with Charlotte Buff ended when she became engaged to another man. Rather than forgetting her, he transformed the experience into The Sorrows of Young Werther, one of Europe's most influential novels. The heartbreak shaped both his career and public reputation.
Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein on Wikimedia
17. Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II fell in love with Princess Alix of Hesse long before they married. His diary entries reveal years of longing while political and family pressures delayed the union. Once they finally married, his devotion to Alexandra remained unwavering until their deaths. She continued to be the person he relied on above everyone else.
18. Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard became engaged to Regine Olsen when he was a young man, but he unexpectedly broke off the engagement because he believed he couldn't give her the life she deserved. Many of his later philosophical writings reflect themes of love, regret, and sacrifice that scholars have connected to Regine. He remained unmarried for the rest of his life, and she continued to occupy a special place in his thoughts.
La Biblioteca Real de Dinamarca on Wikimedia
19. John Keats
John Keats became engaged to Fanny Brawne shortly before tuberculosis began destroying his health. Knowing he couldn't marry her under those circumstances caused enormous emotional pain. His surviving letters reveal affection that remained as strong as ever until his death. Their story remains one of literature's most heartbreaking romances.
20. Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar married María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro while still a young man, but she died of yellow fever less than a year later. Her death affected him so profoundly that he never remarried despite decades of public life afterward. Bolívar later admitted that losing her changed the course of his future, and many historians believe that tragedy permanently shaped both the man and the revolutionary he became.
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