From Bill Clinton to Alexander Hamilton

While we often think of the past as a more reserved time, people have been stepping out on their partners for as long as there have been partners to step out on. From powerful emperors who risked their crowns to legendary stars who gambled with their reputations, these stories prove that human drama is a constant through the ages. With that in mind, here are 20 of history's most scandalous cheaters.

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1. Julius Caesar and Cleopatra

Julius Caesar was married to Calpurnia when he began his affair with Cleopatra. However, their love affair didn't shake Rome, but instead shook the entire Western world. Politics and power were forever altered because of these two lovers. Imagine what Caesar's Roman enemies were thinking when he brought his mistress and son to live with him in Rome.

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2. King Henry VIII

This British monarch took cheating to a whole new level by literally changing the laws of the land and the church to suit his romantic whims. Henry VIII was fed up with Catherine of Aragon and took a shine to her lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. His quest for a new wife didn't stop there, leading to a total of six marriages and plenty of drama along the way.

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3. Alexander Hamilton and Maria Reynolds

Even the founding fathers weren't immune to a bit of scandal, as evidenced by the first major political scandal of the United States. Hamilton fell into a trap set by Maria and her husband, who then proceeded to blackmail him for quite a while. To save his political reputation from charges of financial corruption, he eventually had to confess the whole sordid affair to the public in a very detailed pamphlet.

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4. Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine

When Napoleon was off conquering most of Europe, his wife, Josephine, was cheating on him with a fancy Frenchman. Josephine and her paramour, a military officer, carried on a flirtatious friendship while Napoleon was away. The love-struck emperor wrote her hundreds of love letters from the battlefield, yet Josephine often entertained another in his absence.

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5. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles

Before we got Mrs. Sussex, there was Camilla Parker Bowles. Their affair was the primary focus of international media during the 1980s and '90s. Camilla was actually involved with Charles before he married Princess Diana, and they picked up where they left off after his divorce. Try telling that to Team Windsor.

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6. Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky

This 1990s White House scandal led to the second impeachment of a sitting president in American history. What started as a secret affair with an intern turned into a national crisis involving a blue dress and a very famous public denial. You probably remember the intense media circus that followed, proving that private mistakes can have massive legal consequences.

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7. Tiger Woods

Sports fans were shocked when frustrated wives across America exposed a dark secret: they had cheated with Tiger Woods. After kicking his wife out of their marital home, Tiger's insane list of girlfriends, who were married to other people, came out. This ego trip cost him over $100 million in lost endorsements.

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8. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

The Welsh actor and America's sweetheart began their affair on the set of Cleopatra. Richard was married, too, but they were both so steamy you could literally hear Rome burning. Taylor and Burton's relationship was so hot that the Vatican released a statement condemning their behavior. They went on to marry and divorce twice.

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9. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lucy Mercer

The formerly beloved president kept his relationship with Lucy Mercer a secret from Eleanor and the American public until he passed. Eleanor's social secretary caught his eye, and their resultant affair almost ended Roosevelt's marriage in 1918. Roosevelt promised Eleanor that he would end things with Lucy, but he never stopped seeing her.

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10. John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe

We don't know if JFK cheated on Jackie with the bombshell Monroe, but the timing of that performance sure is suspicious. Marilyn spent the night with JFK after giving him the time of his life at his brother's bachelor party. Her iconic performance of the "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" lyrics sealed the deal on this rumor.

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11. Lord Byron

Lord Byron may have been the original hipster that pretty much every man wants to be. The Romantic poet was as famous for his affairs as he was for his literature. Numerous lovers across Europe tried and failed to contain him. Byron was expelled from England because of his tumultuous love life.

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12. Catherine the Great

One of history's great rulers had a knack for younger lovers. The famous Empress of Russia would promote her lovers to high positions in the Kremlin. Catherine the Great was married to Emperor Peter III before he passed, and because she was a female leader with affairs, her behavior was scandalous.

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13. Charles Stewart Parnell and Kitty O'Shea

Parnell was the right hand of Ireland in the late 1800s, until his affair with married woman Kitty O'Shea was exposed. O'Shea's husband made things public by filing for divorce, and Catholic crowds tore through Parnell's home when she heard the news. The moral leaders of the church ruined Parnell's career and split the Irish Nationalist Party in two.

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14. Grover Cleveland

During his first presidential campaign, Cleveland had to deal with the shocking revelation that he had fathered a child out of wedlock years earlier. When his political opponents discovered he had fathered a child with his mistress while he was a younger lawyer, they shouted, "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?" in protest. Cleveland came clean and publicly addressed his indiscretions.

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15. King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Lola Montez

In 1846, the King of Bavaria became infatuated with an Irish "Spanish" dancer named Lola Montez. When Ludwig first saw her at a party in 1846, he made her Countess of Landsfeld. Ludwig showered Montez with power and favors until the people of Bavaria had had enough. The "Spanish" dancer ran the government, and Ludwig let her. So they revolted, and Ludwig abdicated… to be with Lola.

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16. The Duke of Grafton

As the British Prime Minister in the 1760s, Grafton didn't just cheat; he flaunted it. He led his mistress, Nancy Parsons (a well-known courtesan), to the opera in the presence of the Queen, while he was still very much married. The public was so appalled by his lack of "decorum" that it severely damaged his political standing.

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17. Warren G. Harding and Nan Britton

Long before the 24-hour news cycle, President Harding was conducting a secret affair with Nan Britton, a woman 30 years his junior. Nan further confirmed that she had an affair with Warren Harding, which resulted in a son. Not only did she claim they conceived their son in a closet in the White House, but she also wrote a tell-all book about it afterward.

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18. Ingrid Bergman

This Hollywood starlet nearly ruined her career when she left her husband and daughter for Italian director Roberto Rossellini. The public was so outraged by her "immoral" behavior that she was actually denounced on the floor of the U.S. Senate. She was essentially exiled from American films for years before the public finally decided to forgive her.

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19. Charles Dickens and Ellen Ternan

The ultimate Victorian family man had a dark secret. At age 45, the world-famous author fell for a young actress named Ellen "Nelly" Ternan. To keep the affair quiet, he literally tried to wall off his wife's bedroom and eventually forced a legal separation that ruined his wife's reputation while he kept his squeaky-clean public image intact.

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20. Benjamin Franklin

While he was in France representing the fledgling United States, Franklin was quite the flirtatious figure among the Parisian elite. He was known for his "close friendships" with various noblewomen, often writing them letters that were more than a little suggestive. Even in his older age, he showed he was capable of more than managing a country.

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