Serendipity, apart from being one of the better rom coms to ever come out of Hollywood, is defined as “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” Leaving the dictionary definition aside, serendipity can be defined in the context of Love as meeting your love by chance and good fortune – and just by being in that moment and time. That’s the theme we’re going to explore with these

11 legendary romances that all started but with a glance.

1. Cleopatra And Marc Antony

The year is 31 BC and there is turbulence in Rome. Marc Antony has left his wife Octavia, for the mesmerizing Cleopatra after the two fell in love at first glance. Octavia’s brother, Octavian, isn’t too impressed by this and brings the army of Rome to fell Antony and Cleopatra. The two decide to end their lives rather than face the army.

2. Napoleon And Josephine

Go to the Louvre today and the exhibits will show you the importance of Josephine to the European conqueror that was Napoleon in the 1800s. Napoleon wooed Josephine for years after being smitten by her on first sight and carried violets that she grew in her garden till the very end.

3. Prince Edward And Wallis Simpson

Reigning monarch Prince Edward was the king of England in 1936, but he abdicated the throne to marry the love of his life. Wallis Simpson was an American woman who couldn’t become the queen, so Edward left his throne to be with her. Of all the tales of nephews stabbing uncles and sons locking up fathers to get to the throne, you know it was only true love that made Edward leave his.

4. Czar Nichols And Alexandra

Another tale reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, the future Czar of Russia, Nicholas II fell deeply in love with the beautiful German princess Alexandra and the two of them got married against the wishes of both families. In the early 1900s when the Bolsheviks took captive the royal family in Russia, both were executed. Together.

5. Pyramus And Thisbe

This classic tale comes from Babylonia in 331 BC. Pyramus and Thisbe were the most gorgeous man and woman respectively in all of Babylon, and they grew up together as neighbors. They were forbidden to marry each other by their families so they decided to run away, but on the way a mountain lion attacked Thisbe. She escaped but the lion made off with her veil, which Pyramus soon discovered in a bloody condition. Thinking the lion had killed his beloved, Pyramus took his own life with his sword, which Thisbe soon discovered. Distraught, she took her own life too with the same sword!

6. Prince Khurram And Arjumand Banu Begum

We might know these characters better as Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The prince fell in love with Mumtaz when she was just 14 and she was the love of his life. They travelled everywhere together and were inseparable, up until Mumtaz’s death during childbirth – delivering their fourteenth child. When she died, the grief stricken Shah Jahan had a monument commissioned in her honor, but and we all know that. The Taj Mahal.

7. Prince Saleem And Anarkali

Saleem, son of Akbar, would later go on to be known as Jahangir, but when he was just a boy he fell for the extremely lovely slave girl Anarkali. Akbar and wife jodha were ashamed that their son was in love with a slave and forbid young Saleem from ever seeing her. Without hesitation, Saleem declared war on his father but lost the battle. Akbar demanded that his son surrender or that Anarkali would be killed, but Saleem chose to die himself. Anarkali, who could not bear to see her love killed, gave up her life to spend one night with Saleem. After their one night together, Akbar had Anarkali buried alive, but Jahangir never went on to find love so strong, and it would be a miracle if any of us ever did as well.

8. Richard Burton And Liz Taylor

These two legendary actors that would play many roles together ended up falling for each other on set of a movie about the lives of Mark Antony and Cleopatra! The sexual tension and sizzling chemistry they shared on-screen proved to be too exciting to contain, and the two fell deeply in love, only to be married in exotic Africa shortly after.

9. Tristan And Isolde

1200s Ireland was home to a tumultuous love story, a love triangle in fact. Tristan fell in love with his uncle’s wife Isolde, and his affection is returned by the lovely queen. When uncle King Mark finds out, he is enraged, but there is respect all around the royal family. However, when word spreads of an affair between his nephew and his wife, the enraged king kills Tristan, and when Isolde hears of this and sees the corpse, she dies immediately of grief as well.

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