“Fraud” is a negative word, it’s hard to imagine that for someone cheating and gamble can be a way of life, and not just a fleeting trick.
There are people who are able to change their voice, appearance and even their own biography. No, they are not wizards, but simply masters of reincarnation. And thanks to their talent, they misled entire corporations and state rulers, deceiving their goals.
In our top, we will talk about 10 personalities who glorified their name thanks to the unsurpassed ability to deceive others.
10. Mata Hari
In her youth, Mata Hari dreamed of working as a kindergarten teacher, but her life turned out so that the whole world knows the girl as a seductive spy.
Mata’s childhood was cloudless for some time: a large family, loving parents, a father who became rich thanks to successful investments.
The children of the Zelli family attended a school for rich children and did not have a need for anything. However, the father of the family went bankrupt, after which he divorced his wife, and she, two years later, died. Mat was sent to live with her godmother when she was still a very young girl.
At 18, Hari married a 39-year-old man, who later gave birth to two children. The marriage was unhappy, and Mata soon ran away from her husband, joining the dance troupe. It was then that the girl took the pseudonym by which the whole world would know her.
After the divorce, the girl will go deeper into the study of dance, by the beginning of the 20th century, she will consolidate the image of a courtesan, having connections with many politicians and the military of that time. During the First World War, Mata was convicted of double espionage, which served as the reason for her execution.
9. Balthazar Kossa
In the fourteenth century, money could be earned by robbery, which is why Balthazar began to fly under the pirate flag from his youth. After the completion of the marine "career", Balthazar entered the university, where he received the fame of a sufficiently capable student, but giving trouble to fellow students and their girls.
There were legends about Balthazar's walking lifestyle, counting how many girls he dishonored and how many seduced married ladies. Another affair with a strange wife almost led to the execution of Balthazar, but the man was bought by former "colleagues", so Kossa again began to fly under the pirate flag.
Once in a sea storm, Balthazar promised that if he survives the crash, he will devote the rest of his life to priesthood. The pirate survived, but on the shore he was captured by the troops of Pope Urban VI. Balthazar became the pope’s right hand, rose to the rank of cardinal, and after he took his father’s place and during his “reign” in Rome there was an atmosphere of debauchery, incest and violence.
8. Princess Elizabeth Tarakanova
When Catherine II came to power after the death of Peter I, the politics and economy of the Russian Empire leveled off and began to flourish. Catherine II was a fair and wise ruler, but the woman did not have blood ties with the Romanov clan, and therefore the very first heir to the imperial family could remove Catherine II from the throne.
In the early 70s, a girl came to Paris, whose real name was not known to anyone, because she appeared in different societies as a new surname. As a result, Princess Tarakanova became the one who claimed the Russian throne, introducing herself as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
7. Moritz August Benovsky
The whole personality of Moritz is shrouded in mystery, historians cannot even determine the real name of the soldier. Until adolescence, he lived in Vienna, but then enlisted in the military.
In his memoirs, Benovsky lists the battles in which he took part as a soldier, but historians agree that Moritz did not shy from lying while writing his autobiography. Having ascertained the year of the soldier’s birth, it becomes clear that Benovsky could not participate in any of the battles listed in the memoirs.
But the pure truth is that the character of Moritz was rebellious, he became famous for exuberant revelry and duels. All life Benjowski pursued a lie, which he masterfully studied for a conscious life. He even tried to achieve the rank of Colonel Moritz by lying, exaggerating his military merits and successful operations before his superiors.
Benovsky has traveled to many corners of the world, abandoning teammates and friends, establishing new business ties and achieving his goals in not the most honest ways. Moritz ended his adventurous life in the rank of king of Madagascar.
6. Jeanne de La Motte
The beautiful appearance of the girl allowed her to marry successfully. Thanks to marriage, Jeanne, born in a poor family, entrenched in high society, becoming the mistress of a wealthy cardinal. Mott supported the rumor that she was a close friend of Queen Marie Antoinette, which helped her and her lover achieve their goals.
Jeanne de La Motte became widely known in the Queen's Necklace case. The fact is that famous jewelers of that time had on their hands an expensive diamond necklace, which was made by order of Louis XV. Unfortunately, by the time the necklace was finished, the king had died, and now there was no one to buy the jewelry, and it seemed impossible to find a new buyer for such an expensive item.
Until Jeanne de La Motte, close to Marie Antoinette, looked into the shop to the jewelers. Mott convinced the owners that the queen was going to buy a necklace, however, she would buy it in parts. After signing the papers, Mott took the jewelry and disappeared, and at the time of the first deposit of money it turned out that Marie Antoinette did not know anything about buying jewelry.
5. Charles-Genevieve D’Eon de Beaumont
Beaumont’s life is a story about how a man dressed as a woman played a significant role in the agreement between Russia and France. The man lived 82 years, but 34 of them he remained in the female form. D’Eon de Beaumont was an excellent diplomat, fighter and secret agent of Louis XV.
That during the life of the adventurer, that now about the personality and tricks of Beaumont, there is talk and debate, because it is not often possible to meet such a skilled liar and a born actor.
4. Lola Montes, Countess von Landsfeld
Lola Montes was a favorite of King Louis I, and for the first time she went through the doors of the Royal Palace as a dancer, introducing herself as Maria Dolores-Poris-i-Montes.
Possessing an incredibly attractive appearance, Montes could live a calm and happy life in the East, captivating any noble man with her charm. But the character of Montes required adventure and adventure, because the girl left India and went to Europe. In uncharted lands, Montes decided to change her nationality, appearing to be Spanish.
3. Giovanni Giacomo Casanova
Giacomo became so famous for his love affairs that his surname became a household name. This is where the word Casanova, known to all of us, originates from.
Giacomo stood out from the crowd with an attractive appearance and beautiful clothes. He was an active person, having changed more than one profession in the hope of finding something that would bring him pleasure and a decent salary.
He led a hectic and noisy life, until one day his medical knowledge helped him in providing first aid to a local official. The official appointed him as his referent, but Giacomo could not say goodbye to his rampant lifestyle, which ultimately brought the young man to jail arrest.
Giovanni flees from the law to Parma, from there to Spain, then to France, more and more glorifying his name as a successful man in love affairs.
By the way, Giacomo had his first sexual experience at the age of 11. All his life, the man was careful in choosing partners and strictly used contraception, since Casanova did not want extramarital children. When he lost interest in his mistress, then, before leaving her, he would find the girl a rich man or even marry her.
2. Giuseppe Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro
Cagliostro is rightfully recognized as the king of all world-famous adventurers and deceivers. Parents gave the boy upbringing to the monks, and Giuseppe in his memoirs will admit that serving God benefited him. Because he studied medicine and astronomy within the walls of the temple, after which he more easily rubbed his trust in people to deceive them.
At the beginning of his “career”, Giuseppe was engaged in forging documents and passports, and after that he decided to change his name and award himself with the count's title in order to carry out larger frauds.
1. Count of Saint-Germain
Count Saint-Germain is still considered the most mysterious person in the history of mankind. Even within the framework of one city, various rumors were circulating about the count: some claimed that Saint Germain was a Jew, others that he was the illegitimate son of the king, others that the adventurer belongs to a noble family. And everyone was sure that he was right, although not one of the rumors confirmed the count, continuing to remain a mysterious person.
The Earl traveled to Europe, perfectly speaking all European languages and captivating the audience with his charisma. He performed alchemical experiments at the court of Louis XV, then was a member of the Masonic lodge and even traveled to Russia during the era of the coup.