Page 89 - All About History - Issue 18-14

Casanova: The Ultimate Playboy

“Desires are but pain and torment, and

enjoymentissweetbecauseitdelivers
us from them”

engaginginbehaviourregardedasprofoundlyanti- latter, Leonilda, Casanova was instantly smitten
socialinthemodernday. and began to woo her, travelling to seek permission Casanovamanagedtofindthe
OneofCasanova’smostfamousseductiontales fromhermothertomarrytheyounggirl.Casanova time to develop several unlikely
atthistimewaswithanun,namedbyCasanova wasdismayedtofindoutthatLeonilda’smother professions in between trysts…
as MM. She would be whisked away from her was, of course, Lucrezia and realised that he had
convent to a private apartment paid for by her comeclosetosleepingwithandmarryingwhat L IBRARIAN
olderlover,theFrenchambassador.Casanova mightbehisowndaughter:”Itookachairand
enjoyedalong-running,passionateaffairwiththe guesseditall.Myhairstoodonend,andIrelapsed
fallen nun and also entered into some eyebrow- into a gloomy silence.” Casanova sought solace in
raisingencounterswithherloverandayoung thearmsofLucreziaandwasfurtherconsoled
woman,alsoanuntrustedtoCasanova’scare,who when he spent a night of passion with both of
he essentially pimped out. Such trysts were not them,thedetailsofwhicheven hewastoocoyto
uncommon in Venice, where promiscuity, group spellout:”IfItoldallIshouldwoundchasteears.”
sex and homosexuality were outwardly disdained While Casanova was certainly incorrigible, he Silence in the library
butcommonlypursued. was not always the cad he is commonly thought Casanova spent his last years as a librarian at
AnotherfamousaffairwaswithDonna to be. The Venetian libertine cared for the women theCountvonWaldstein’schâteauatDuxin
LucreziaCastelli,whomhemetalongwithher inhislifeandwouldgenerally trytoensure Bohemia, now Duchcov in the Czech Republic.
sisterandhusband,onacarriageridetoRome. thathiswomenwouldbelookedafter,safeand Depressed by his humdrum existence, unable to
Befriending the family, Casanova began an affair not damaged by his association with them. He converse in German and suffering from ill health,
he spent much of his time writing his infamous
withLucreziaunderthenoseofherhusband considered women his equals and was not attracted autobiography after being advised by a doctor to
duringthetriptoRomeandcontinueditduring to women who were not independent, intelligent jot down his memories to cheer himself up.
theentirejourney.Whenforcedtopartways,the and outgoing. He was not averse to deceit, however,
blow was softened by a threesome with Lucrezia when it came to beautiful women, going so far as SPY
andhersisterAngelique.Asscandalousasthis to convince a woman that sleeping with him would
is,the storydoesnot endthere and17years later abort the woman’s unwanted foetus: “Cheating is a
Casanova found himself in Naples, working for sin, but honest cunning is simply prudence. It is a
theDukedeMatalone.TheDuke virtue. To be sure, it has a likeness
wasimpotentbutkeptboth to roguery, but that cannot be
awifeandamistressto helped. He who has not
maintain appearances.. learnedtopractiseitis
Upon meeting the Rivals afool.”
Casanova was no stranger to love rivals, or to The spying game
violence. Although frequently choosing discretion From 1774 to 1782 Casanova served as a spy
A depiction of
Casanova being over valour, he did engage in fisticuffs and even for the Venetian inquisitors, passing on titbits
caught with a duelling. A pistol duel over an Italian actress of gossip on business, religion and moral
married woman resulted in Casanova and his rival being issues.Earlier,hewasemployedbyLouisXV
wounded; doctors counselled amputation in France, reporting back from Dunkirk, where
but Casanova used his medical know-how the English fleet was docked during the Seven
to aid a recovery.
Year War between England and France. Later,
Casanova would attempt to sell the secret of a
cotton-red dye to Italy.
GAMBLER

On the cards
Among various petty frauds, hustling and card
sharping, Casanova invented the lottery in 1757.
Conceived as a way for Louis XV to raise funds
for a military academy, the French king was so
taken with the idea that he appointed Casanova
to supervise the operation. The infamous lothario
became a millionaire almost overnight, though he
squandered his fortune on dubious investments,
romancing women and wooing high society.

89