La Belle Otero: the most desirable courtesan of the Belle Epoque

She was called the Queen of Paris, and the rules it is the turn of the XIX and XX centuries - in the amazing time when the world was changing at light speed. The golden age of automotive and aeronautics. On the streets like mushrooms after the rain rapidly appeared cafes. Fin de siècle - "Belle Epoque" ... It was at that time and lived one of the most famous courtesan La Belle Otero century, Bella Otero - Otero beautiful.

The ghosts of childhood

It's hard to believe that this black-haired woman with an exotic face, raised his eyebrows in surprise, and a small mouth literally enslaved the minds of men: kings, presidents and emperors. She had money, jewels, castles and villas ... But she began to poverty. Augustine Carolina Otero was born in the city of Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain. She was brought up by a single mother struggling to make ends meet. The Carolina brutally raped ten years cobbler, beating the girl to such an extent that she survived only by miracle.

In his book "Beautiful Otero" Carmen Posadas cites records of the journalist about the incident:

"We read the detailed testimony of Augustine about the incident (the girl was ten years old). She said that she lived on alms, and that night went on the road with a basket for charity which were collected by it for a day pieces of stale bread. The crime occurred between ten and eleven in the evening. Once or twice she cried: "Help, godmother" This plaintive appeal heard two women appeared nearby, and one of them, according to the testimony of the two, said: "Go-go" Women ran, and criminal, known to them, I rushed away. They raised Augustine and carried home, fearing that poor girl died on the way, because she was in a terrible state. Justice stubbornly wanted by the guilty, but to no avail: he realized that he had been recognized, the offender fled from those places - probably went to America. "

Dancing in Paris

In the village of the same cure Carolina caused no joy and contempt. Neighbors gossiped behind her back, spreading rumors that the shoemaker was Caroline is not the first.

In 12 years, no longer able to make such a relationship with a lover and dancing partner Paco Carolina fled to Lisbon. Became pregnant by Paco, the girl had an abortion, and after she could not have children.

On stage, Caroline tried to show everything she knows - she danced as if depended on her life. However, it was so much. In 20 years, Caroline has found a sponsor who taught her good manners, and took with him to Marseilles. So Carolina start dancing career in France.

Although the dancer she was too old - often in the troupe gained quite girls - her body and grace always conquered choreographers. It was high - about 170 cm, and the waist it was only 53 cm.

In the first days of winter in 1889, together with his new patron - the impresario of the US Ernest Dzhurgensom - Carolina arrived in Paris. There she began to study dance professionally already. Ernest Carolina tried to create a new role, to turn her into someone more mysterious than the village simpleton. Since Carolina became the Andalusian Countess, who had a secret relationship with King Alfonso XII (here he was surprised).

Dancing in New York

After Ernest did everything possible to turn Caroline into a star, the way back was gone, they waited for the next step - New York. We can say that Carolina's eyes appeared two of New York: the city workers, tired by hard work, for which they were paid a pittance, and the sparkling city of millionaires. Gas replaced by electricity, and cars on the roads is increasing.

Carolina danced Spanish dances, do not hesitate to show magnificent bust and shapely strong legs. It was published in Spanish costumes, the high lifting hair to show the bending of the neck, then to dissolve them to fall back. In New York, Carolina met with William Vanderbilt - known representative of golden youth, Don Juan and a rich tycoon. Vanderbilt has not stinted on a yacht, a villa and a dinner with oysters, each of which was hidden by a pearl.

The Queen of Paris

But the one who brought her to the United States and was introduced to a new world, suffered a sad fate. Dzhurgens was in love Carolina and without receiving a response, suicide. However, he was not the only one - there were rumors that the six men at different times, took his own life after the beautiful Otero denied them.

Lovers Carolina became only the richest and most influential men age - those who could give her a luxurious life and make forget about the poverty in which she was born.

There were rumors about her relations with the last German Emperor Wilhelm II, Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich, King Edward VII of, Leopold II of, Alfonso XIII.

One of her lovers was the Prince of Monaco, Albert I. So Carolina recalled his association with him:

"At forty-six years, he was a fat man with a greenish skin and rotten teeth; large double chin Prince tried to hide under the huge and not always tidy mustache and beard. To all this I would add that he was not worthy of her lover: to not go into details, I will say that our first night failed. I remember that poor man was very confused and impatient, and I asked him to get some rest. We talked until dawn, and I suddenly found that he is very smart, really smart. Prince calmed down, and we went to sleep and in the morning he woke me with caresses. I told Albert that he is great (although it was far from the truth), and he was proud of himself, began to gallop around the room with joy. Poor naive Albert! Ho importantly - he was very rich. Casino in Monte Carlo gave him a huge income and the money he spent on entertainment and women. "

The only passion

During his long life in Carolina Otero has only one passion - game. She left at the casino fortune, from 1895 till 1948 she was forced to auction his last belongings and move to a hotel. In Monte Carlo, she lost about 40 million dollars. When she did not have enough money, she was paying jewelry: a necklace of Marie Antoinette necklace Leonids le Blanc, a thread of black pearls two kilograms of weight (a gift from eastern Prince), coronet with thirty diamonds in three rows, a tea set made of pure gold, donated by Tsar Nicholas ... All it has sunk into the mouth of her excitement.

If you believe one vulgar joke when Belle Otero was getting on in years, to continue the game after the last gave the money she offered sexual services to pay. According to the dealer, it has served eleven men, giving each no more than half an hour.

Bella Otero left the stage in 1914, when she was 46. She did not want to be remembered as a vulgar old woman, still confident in his own irresistibility. She wanted to remember her enigmatic beauty. She settled in his villa in Nice. Play is not stopped, and very soon this defect led her to petty theft and prostitution cheap. She dragged from hotels all more or less valuable items that previously would not have looked.

With age Carolina remained completely without means. Monthly pension she came from an unknown well-wisher, but this money is barely enough for a meager existence at the guest house for the poor. Beautiful Otero died in 1965 at the age of 96 years, without children, without a companion, and penniless.