Fiona Paul's (and Mine) Top Ten Historical Hotties

Top Ten: Jess and Fiona’s Historical Hotties

Today I'm so excited to have the lovely Fiona Paul here to share her historical hotties! Who doesn't love a good hottie? They're so prevalent and well-loved in historical fiction novels that it's fun to look at the real-life past hotties. We each came up with five to make this a full top ten list! In the vein of The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday, we want to share our favourite hotties with you today. So without further ado, welcome, Fiona!

Fiona: "Okay, people. In some cases I'm going to have to apply the term ‘hottie’ a bit liberally as the historical look just doesn't do it for me. So many bad haircuts…so much facial hair. Seriously, if the guy who invented the razor was on Facebook, I would totally like his page. Twice." Note from Jess: I agree. Just because they made this list doesn't mean they really are total hotties overall... we had to work with what we could find!

"Here we go, from most ancient to least ancient:"

F: Euripides: Euripides definitely rocked that flowing beard/flowing robe combo of which I'm not so fond, but he’s also been described as avoiding society and living mostly in the enjoyment of an excellent library. I like the idea of a guy embracing his inner nerd in Ancient Greece while his friends all got drunk on the steps of the local temple. Euripides also wrote the play Medea, which reads to me and many others like a feminist text. That’s pretty progressive for 450 BC.


J: Alexander the Great: Alexander is kind of the quintessential hottie of the ancient world, and that sculpture seems to do him justice.
 He was a world-class military leader and a smart ruler. He created one of the biggest empires of the ancient world (conquering almost the entire known world at the time) by the time he was thirty. And all while remaining undefeated. He was such an amazing leader that people still measure themselves against him in modern times. Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of cities that were named after him, like Alexandria in Egypt. When a man's impressive legacy lasts this long, you know he was good. 

 J: Spartacus: Yes, my second hottie from the ancient world. What can I say, I love the times. But hey, Spartacus was a slave who got sick and tired of the way he was treated, so he led an enormous slave rebellion against Rome. He got thousands of slaves to stand with him and fight against the people who were treating them poorly. Though he met his demise either in the revolt or in the following mass crucifixions, he died fighting for his freedom and the freedom of so many other slaves. If that isn't brave, I don't know what is. 



J: King Arthur: How could you not love King Arthur? Look at him over there  in his suit of armour. Now that is a man right there. Though Arthur Pendragon is most likely just a legend (I thought it'd be safe to include him anyway because we're all book people here), he defended Britain against the Saxons. He held the Round Table and had knights at his beck and call. As is often the case for good men, he was brought down, along with his kingdom, by the woman he loved. Any man who truly loves a woman that much is a good man in my books. Plus the last name Pendragon would be the coolest last name for a fantasy lover.

J: Sir Walter Raleigh: Good old Raleigh has been depicted as a love interest in many a novel and that may be the real reason for my interest in him. He gained the favour of Queen Elizabeth I very quickly and many novels about her life depict the two of them as at least coming very close to having an affair. He also sailed to America and explored Virginia, as well as having sailed to and explored South America. But that's not all: he was also a writer, a poet, and a spy. A man who could do that many things AND charmed The Virgin Queen? Sounds good to me!

F: Edgar Allan Poe: Poe generally looks like a depressed serial killer in his  pictures and he married his thirteen-year-old cousin which is totes creepy, but there's still something alluring about him. I usually don’t like a guy followed around by a dark cloud, but with Poe it just all seems to work, like he was the first Goth kid or something. Plus, there's no denying he was a fabulous writer. Thinking about The Pit and the Pendulum still scares the crap out of me some twenty years after I read it.

F: Theodore Roosevelt: Besides being the youngest president ever, Roosevelt was also a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier. Suddenly I feel like such a slacker. But no, I dig a high-achieving guy who pushes me to be my best. And it gets even better. In 1912, Roosevelt was shot on stage while campaigning. The bullet went through his eyeglasses case and a thick sheaf of papers he had in his shirt pocket. As an experienced hunter and anatomist, Roosevelt could tell that the bullet hadn't pierced all the way through to his lung since he wasn't coughing up blood. So instead of going to the hospital he stayed at the event and finished his freaking speech!! is it possible to be more badass than that? T-Rose, you’re my hero. Call me, maybe?

F: Pablo Picasso: What blows my mind about Picasso is that he was so talented in so many different artistic  styles. I'm a huge fan of Cubism but I know just as many people who like his realistic stuff. Also of note: Picasso had moves—he was a huge ladies' man. Women forty years younger than he was got into catfights and left their husbands for him. His second wife even took her own life after he died! And yes, it's true, if this self-portrait is to be believed, Picasso was pretty fine. In fact, he reminds me a little of Falco…

 J: Gene Kelly: I couldn't go as far as Fiona's final choice and take on the 90s (it scares me that those are "historical" now!) so for my final hottie I went with Gene Kelly, a movie star in the 1940s and 50s. He first made me fall in love with him in 1952's movie-musical Singin' in the Rain, a movie which I watch at least every other month. Seriously, if you haven't seen that musical, please give it a try. Gene is magical in it. He was an incredible dancer, a beautiful singer, and classically handsome. Plus, he was funny. Not to mention the fact that in his career he also danced with Jerry the mouse as well as tap-danced in roller skates. That's right. Tap danced in roller skates. It's very impressive. Please watch this video and see what I mean.

Pretty amazing, no?

F: Brandon Lee: As disturbing as it is that the 90s are now considered historical—um, when did I get old??—I'm psyched because it means I get to include one of my most favorite people in this list. Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon, was a phenomenal martial artist and a total hottie in looks and personality. He died in a tragic on-set accident while making The Crow, a gorgeous Gothic story about love and revenge, based on James O’Barr’s graphic novel. Brandon, The Crow, and the movie's awesome 90s soundtrack remain huge personal and creative influences for me to this day.

J: So, those are our favourite historical hotties. We love them not only for their looks but also for the things they have done and the places they hold in history and in our hearts. Do you agree with any of our picks? Are there any historical hotties that we missed?

A big thank you goes out to Fiona for sharing her hotties! Make sure you check out Fiona's novels, Venom and the upcoming Belladonna, where there happens to be a hottie who I very much enjoy, Falco. A little Renaissance Italy, a little Falco... very fitting with this post!