We know love is hard work. That’s why the best couples—living or dead—deserve recognition. Here, Tango presents five historical pairs that we admire most. 

by Genevieve Lill

Marie and Pierre Curie
Marie and Pierre Curie’s scientific research was so much a part of their 11-year marriage that one could imagine the Polish-born Marie asking her beloved French husband, “Does this lab coat make me look fat?”  The two met while teaching at the Sorbonne in Paris, where Marie became the university’s first female professor.  They are best known for their work with radium. Pierre died in a carriage accident in 1906, and Marie valiantly continued their research. In 1911, she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand
Queen Isabella was already ruler of her own kingdom, Castile, when she married King Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469. Their strategic union created modern Spain and a lifelong partnership of two headstrong leaders. While other queens let their men do the ruling, Isabella was an essential part of the duo. Specifically, she ordered slaves brought from Columbus’ forays to the “New World” to be returned to their homes and set free.

Dante Alighieri and his muse Beatrice Portinari
In a case of love at first sight, history has Florence’s Beatrice to thank as inspiration for Dante’s famous take on love and purgatory, The Divine Comedy.  Almost strangers, the two first met when Dante was nine years old. Beatrice’s death at age 24 motivated him to write. Though they were both married to other people, Beatrice was Dante’s one and only muse.

King Kamehameha and Queen Kaahumanu
King Kamehameha, one of Hawaii’s last native rulers, had nearly twenty wives, but Queen Kaahumanu is known as his favorite. Kamehameha allowed her to overthrow the discriminatory “kapu” legal and social system, which greatly limited women’s rights.  After Kamehama’s death, his most revered and powerful wife assumed a role of political power alongside her son and heir to the throne.

Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal
While we don’t know if he always remembered their anniversary, the tomb that Shah Jahan built for his beloved wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, certainly was a way to show that he cared.  The Taj Mahal’s white marble walls now contain the remains of both Shah Jahan and his love, who he named Mumtaz Mahal (“Chosen One of the Palace”). Jahan was so in love with his wife that he largely ignored his royal right to polygamy. As if a massive monument wasn’t enough!