[VIDEO] 4 Outrageous Exploits From Giacomo Casanova’s Life

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Hard to Believe History Playlist

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Hard to Believe History Playlist

4 Outrageous Exploits From Giacomo Casanova’s Life

Giacomo Casanova’s History of My Life isn’t just a memoir—it’s a whirlwind tour through 18th-century Europe’s salons, prisons, and boudoirs. Packed with scandal, deception, romance, and escape, it reads like fiction—only every word claims to be true. Could any other figure of the Enlightenment era claim a life more outrageous?

Here are four of the most outrageous tales from Giacomo Casanova’s autobiography, Histoire de ma vie (History of My Life), showcasing the wild, scandalous, and often unbelievable exploits of the infamous Venetian libertine:

1. The Escape from the Venetian Prison
Casanova famously escaped from Venice’s dreaded “Leads” prison in 1756 using a metal spike hidden in a Bible and a smuggled ladder. After months of planning and digging through the lead roof, he and another inmate broke free, making a daring escape across the rooftops of the Doge’s Palace.

2. The Nun in Disguise
In one of his most scandalous affairs, Casanova seduced a young nun named M.M. in a convent in Venice. They carried on their relationship through secret letters and rendezvous, facilitated by tunnels, masks, and bribed priests. She later helped orchestrate a ménage à trois involving another nun.

3. The Duel Over a Girl in Warsaw
While in Poland, Casanova got into a heated argument with a Polish officer over a woman and challenged him to a duel. He was seriously wounded in the stomach but survived. Rather than retreat, he claimed the duel enhanced his reputation as both a lover and a gentleman.

4. The Royal Swindle in Paris
Casanova once posed as a wealthy alchemist and convinced French nobles he could create gold from base metals. He used the scheme to fund a lavish lifestyle and even gained access to royal circles—until suspicion caught up with him and he fled Paris with bags of gold and broken promises.