Ben Franklin. Martin Luther King Jr. Bill Clinton. Bob Marley. All these great men took a mistress. Or several. And marital infidelity is still quite common, and practically state-sanctioned, among the ruling class of many European nations, especially France and Italy.

Regardless of the reasons, mistresses have been all too common in history. So here we take a look at some of the hottest ones. (We'll be skipping over Royal Wrecker Camilla Parker Bowles, who, let's face it, looks like a man.) Let us know if we missed anyone in the comments.

Tiger's Women -- Of course, the Lothario du jour is golf great Tiger Woods, who's excessive partying with a seemingly endless harem of hotties shocked America more than Martha Stewart serving hard time. Tiger's alleged flings include the leggy Rachel Uchitel (who cheekily lists her Facebook affiliation as "mistress"), blonde bombshell Julie Postle, alleged escort Loredana Jolie, porn star Veronica Siwik-Daniels/Joslyn James and nightclub beauty Kalika Moquin. Where it will end for the soft-spoken billionaire remains to be seen, but regardless of the outcome it's fair to say that the world will never view the game of golf the same.


Ashley Alexandra Dupré -- Born Ashley Youmans, the attractive Jersey girl and aspiring singer rocked the free world when she was caught at the center of New York governor Eliot Spitzer's sex scandal in 2008. The alleged prostitute for the exclusive Emperor's Club VIP ring, aka Kristen, Dupré earned immunity from U.S. attorneys for her cooperation in bringing down one of the country's most promising rising politicians. An ambitious spendthrift with a troubled background, Dupré had appeared, underage, in a Girls Gone Wild video a few years before she was thrust into the national spotlight. She is reportedly working on a reality show (big surprise).


JFK's Women -- It is widely believed that John F. Kennedy had extramarital relations with eternal sex symbol Marilyn Monroe, who famously sang her illicit crush happy birthday. It is perhaps less well known that JFK also allegedly shacked up with other serious hotties, from the sophisticated Judith Exner to platinum blonde Jayne Mansfield. JFK is often remembered as a playboy as well as playmaker, and one wonders how he would have gotten along in today's age of paparazzi and 24-hour-news scrutiny.



Blaze Starr -- With an unforgettable stripper name and 38DDs, Blaze Starr served as the longtime mistress of Louisiana governor Earl Long, the younger brother of assassinated "Kingfish" Huey Long. Earl Long served from 1939-1940, 1948-1952 and 1956-1960, and called himself the "last of the red hot poppas" of politics, apparently because of his stirring speaking skills. Blaze was born Fannie Belle Fleming in 1932, and was called "The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque," apparently because of her skill and elaborate props.


Anne Boleyn -- Anne Boleyn is apparently hot enough to warrant a schism with one of the most powerful organizations in history, the Catholic Church. Of course, the young woman's beauty wasn't the only issue at stake, as King Henry VIII of England was on a relentless quest to produce a male heir. Failure to give him one in a timely manner led to poor Boleyn's beheading. Her husband ruled until his death in 1547, burning through a total of six queens and numerous mistresses.


Mary Magdalene -- Perhaps the most controversial woman on this list, Mary Magdalene was the mistress of Jesus -- at least according to "Da Vinci Code" writer Dan Brown and a slew of conspiracy theorists over the ages. The Catholic Church refuses to acknowledge that there was anything beyond a chaste platonic relationship between MM and JC, although according to all four Gospels she was the first to witness the savior's resurrection.


Cleopatra -- Long regarded as a great beauty, as well as a shrewd and powerful woman, Cleopatra has been stirring dreams for millennia. She cemented her political position as the lover of Julius Caesar, who had a wife back home. Cleopatra named the son of that union Caesarion. After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra took up with Mark Antony, who had had a series of wives. That union also produced political intrigue, as well as children. Cleopatra was a passionate character who allegedly killed herself when she learned the demise of her lover Antony. Some believe she left such an impression on the world that her face was long considered the standard of classical beauty, although recently a coin discovered with her likeness points to the contrary.



Carrie Phillips -- Carrie Fulton Phillips (1873-1960) was said to be a great beauty and sultry charmer in her day. She was the longtime mistress of President Warren G. Harding and successfully blackmailed the Republican Party, earning travel money and a stipend for life for her silence. Phillips and her husband were close "couple friends" of Harding and his wife in Ohio, before he ascended to national politics. In a soap opera scenario, the two couples even vacationed together. Even after a long break the illicit lovers reunited their passions, and Phillips received dozens of love letters from the politician, some written on U.S. Senate stationery. In her old age Phillips was known as an eccentric, walking her many German shepherds in long mink coats, with little else underneath. For her vocal support of Germany she was observed by the feds.


Carla Bruni-Sarkozy -- Red-hot, Italian-born Carla Bruni has been romantically linked to many powerful men, in addition to her husband Nicolas, the president of France. She allegedly had an affair with Mick Jagger and reportedly saw Eric Clapton, Charles Berling, Vincent Perez and former French prime minister Laurent Fabius. Bruni had a son with philosophy professor Raphaël Enthoven, who was married at the time. The beautiful singer and model has said she is easily "bored with monogamy."