History is full of figures with popular stature or political influence who were plagued with scandals. Most of their offenses end up getting hushed up or forgotten, but sex scandals always seem to linger. The following are 7 (alleged) sex offenders and how they managed to get away with it.

1. Pope Sixtus III

Pope Sixtus III spent most of his reign repairing the damage done to Rome after the Visigoths sacked the city in 410. In his spare time, he reputedly enjoyed sleeping with nuns, a habit which caught up with him in 440 AD when he was charged with the seduction of a nun. Sixtus’ defense was based entirely on the Biblical Story of Mary Magdalene; he dramatically ended his testimony by quoting the Bible: “Let him who is without fault among you throw the first stone.” He was acquitted, not because he knew how to quote the Bible, but because no one witnessed him raping the nun in question. Sixtus died a few months later.

2. Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer was an English author best known for The Canterbury Tales. Some of his most famous stories involve rape – at that time, “rape” meant the same as “abduction” does today – so it is ironic that in 1380, Chaucer himself was charged with the rape of a baker’s daughter, Cecily Chaumpaigne. The charges shocked his supporters who rallied to support the writer and smeared Chaumpaigne. In an effort to make the story disappear, Chaucer paid Chaumpaigne an exorbitant sum of money (10 pounds!) to sign a contract agreeing to drop the charges. This contract came to light in 1873 and is the only evidence about Chaucer’s “raptus”.

3. Ernest Augustus I of Hanover

Ernest Augustus I of Hanover was an unpopular king whose entire reign was marked with sex scandals. It started when rumors of him carrying on a gay love affair with his valet ended with the valet’s death. A few months later, a man appeared claiming that he was the result of an incestuous affair between Ernest and his sister. But it was Ernest’s attempted rape of the Lord Chancellor’s wife which caused the biggest uproar. The victim died a few months after the fact and Ernest was never charged, leading historians to forever debate over the authenticity of the charges.

4. Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston

Henry John Temple, better known as Lord Palmerston, was a controversial British Prime Minister who advocated crushing foreign governments to increase the British Empire’s power. His supporters lovingly called him “Lord Pam” while his detractors called him “Lord Cupid”. The latter was a reference to Palmerston unabashedly attempts to seduce young women wherever he went. He famously forced himself onto one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting during a visit to Windsor Castle and had to be ejected by Lord Melbourne. Palmerston managed to beat charges, saying that he had simply forgotten that it wasn’t his room.

5. Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle

Roscoe Arbuckle was the highest paid silent-film actor of the ’20s. His career dramatically imploded when he was charged with the rape and manslaughter of a young starlet, Virginia Rappe. Reality quickly became warped as tabloids spread conflicting eyewitness testimonies that claimed the quiet actor had done everything from smothered Rappe to death with his weight to violating her with a champagne bottle. Although acquitted after three trials, Arbuckle was blackballed from Hollywood, broke, and treated like a pariah by the public. His final years were spend spiraling into alcoholism and attempting to muster a comeback as a director.

6. Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn was a Hollywood actor who filled a successful career with swashbuckling roles. He used his means to support his much publicized hedonistic private life; the phrase “In like Flynn” is refers to his supposed exploits. Flynn’s reputation caught up with him in 1942, when he was accused of statutory rape by two 17-year-old girls. Unlike Arbuckle, Hollywood rallied to Flynn’s defense and even created a legal fund for him called the “American Boys’ Club for the Defense of Errol Flynn” (A.B.C.D.E.F.). A large portion of Flynn’s defense was that he was Errol Flynn and what woman could resist him? In spite of mountains of evidence, he was miraculously acquitted and the scandal only bolstered Flynn’s reputation as a ladies man.

7. Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry is one of the original pioneers of rock and roll. Like any good rock star, his entire career was built on scandal. He spent 5 years in jail early in his career for pimping a 14-year-old. He resurrected his career after being released, but ended up in jail again on tax evasion charges. After being released again, Berry started touring heavily but quickly found himself embroiled in the largest controversy of his career. 59 women came forward to claim that Berry had filmed them with hidden cameras in two of his restaurants. Berry managed to bury the accusations, at a cost of almost $1.2 million .

Bonus: Michael Jackson

The most successful entertainer in history, Michael Jackson‘s eccentric career earned him approximately half a billion dollars and 24-hour tabloid attention. In the late-’80s, “The King of Pop” built Neverland Ranch into a sprawling property that included a menagerie and amusement park… and invited young fans to spend time with him. Tabloid speculation went absolutely insane in 1993, when the father of one of Jackson’s fans accused him of sexually abusing his son. While claiming innocence, Jackson paid off the family in an effort to avoid an O.J. Simpson-esque trial. That trial came 10 years later, after the controversial Living with Michael Jackson. The boy Jackson was seen holding hands with in the documentary accused the singer of abuse. Eventually acquitted, Jackson became a bigger recluse and could never manage to shake off the allegations. It was one of the most hotly debated topics when his death brought the Internet to its knees.

Weeee, finally back in the swing of things! Keep the motivating e-mails coming.

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• 8 Historic Figures That Were Pederasts

Pederasty is a sexual relationship, whether or not consummated, between an adult male and boy aged 12-17, and has been considered a scurrilous perversion for centuries. It is a complicated issue – even the Greeks debated the ethics of it and groups like NAMBLA have brought it to attention in recent history. This is a look at 8 historic figures that liked young boys.

8 ) Cheng I

The famous Hong Kong pirate created an even more famous pirate, Cheung Po Tsai, by kidnapping him and forcing him to be his lover. After his death, his wife married Cheung Po Tsai and became one of the most notorious pirates of the era. Eventually, Cheung Po Tsai would eclipse both of them by amassing about 40,000 men and 600 ships under his command during his career as a pirate.

7 ) William S. Burroughs

The author of Naked Lunch – a semi-autobiographical story about addiction – helped usher in the Beat movement and carried on a relationship with a 14-year-old boy while he lived in Tangier, Morocco. One of the central characters in the book, Kiki, is based on him. This information, coupled with leaked Scientology audit documents, paint a confusing picture about how far Burroughs went with Kiki . At the very least, if everything is taken as heroin induced hallucinations, then Burroughs was having sex with the boy. If everything is taken literally, then Burroughs enjoyed getting shat on by Kiki while shooting up heroin.

6 ) Pope Julius III

The pope that funded Michelangelo also took a 13-year-old beggar named Innocenzo under his wing after seeing him fight off a pet ape in the streets. He kept their relationship a secret by calling him his “nephew” until he became pope, at which point he elevated the illiterate boy to the position of cardinal and made him the highest paid man in Europe. They both hosted orgies with other young cardinals until Julius III passed, at which point Innocenzo was whisked away to various monasteries on murder charges.

5 ) James I of England

The unpopular king that followed Elizabeth I passed severe laws against sodomy and pederasty but became involved with a 17-year-old boy named Robert Carr. Carr was known for his good looks and “limited intelligence”, but eventually broke James I’s heart by picking his wife’s bed over the king’s. James I got his revenge when he pushed for a trial following a scandal over Carr’s wife poisoning a friend. Carr threatened to reveal their relationship and during his testimony there were guards standing next to him holding cloaks – ready to muffle him in case he dared.

4 ) William “Big Bill” Tilden

The tennis player that transformed the sport from a “sissy” country-club game to one played by actual athletes saw his life fall apart because of his relationship with a 14-year-old boy named Bobby. Rumors about Tilden’s behavior around boys were widespread at the time, but getting caught fondling Bobby in a parking lot sent him to jail for a few months. Afterwards, he was caught again making advances on a 16-year-old hitchhiker, which lead to more jail time, and his subsequent banning from most competitions. He spent his final years broke, his vast fortune squandered on bad investments, living in a tiny room in Hollywood.

3 ) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

The Russian composer that is best known for Swan Lake stayed confused about his sexuality his entire life. His sexuality was widely denied by the Soviets for years, and it wasn’t until recently that material was uncovered that showed that he was involved with younger boys. One of them, Eduard Zak, would inspire Romeo and Juliet after his suicide. His longest lasting relationship was with a 12-year-old servant named Aleksey “Aloysha” Sofronov , who remained his lover even after his own marriage. In his last 5 years he became involved with his own nephew, Vladimir “Bob” Davidov, and his final symphony is thought to be a requiem over this love.

2 ) Jules Verne

According to some of his biographers, the father of science fiction was also involved with Aristide Briand, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, when Briand was 15. Briand was a friend of Verne’s son and he would often pick up the young boy without his son. Even though there is no evidence that Verne actually slept with the boy, Verne’s biographers have suggested that the running themes of a love between a man and handsome youth were homages to Briand.

1 ) T.E. Lawrence

The British soldier, better known as “Lawrence of Arabia”, that played a massive role in the Arab Revolt and was involved with a 14-year-old Syrian boy named Selim Ahmed. Lawrence was a celibate that hated being touched by others but this changed after he met Ahmed. He nicknamed him “Dahoum”, wrote about “sweet” embraces in his journal, and even had Ahmed move in with him. While living with him, Lawrence carved a gargoyle based on him and, much to this dismay of his neighbors, placed it on his rooftop.

Sourcing and credit where credit is due: Redditor pwdecker for recommending Burroughs, this Wikipedia list, and the excellent glbtq.

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• 5 More Famous Authors That Were Perverts
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