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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Prussia (Germany); ... Read more

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Historically underpinned, this study focuses especially on the period from the 1980s onward and looking forward into the new century. The authors begin their analysis with the phenomenon of the British Royal Family and their relationship with contemporary Britain through the media. This then extends into a comparative analysis of monarchy across Eurpoe, in its relation to political culture, including the republican tradition. The book also uses the concept of 'para-royals' such as the Perons, Kennedys, Clintons and now in Britain, the Blairs. It analyzes the nature of republican symbology as incorporated in media rituals and representations to try to define key differences within the category of the 'modern' in contemporary Europe. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (8)

I Can't tell you of the Empress after reading this Book...
When I purchased this book by Mr. Seward, I wanted to know about Empress Eugenie as a person, not just the political and social events surrounding her. Although politics played a major part in Eugenie's life, in Seward's book, you never get a real sense of how the empress was as a person, and the details of her relationshipswith her husband Napoleon III, son, family,friends etc., are skimmed over, and poltitics stay in the forefront. The chapters read as a textbook, with nothing to really grasp the reader's attentions. At the end, I found myself still unsure of the beautiful woman who was underneath the facade of the Empress of France and therefore, I could not feel any emotions for her.

Seward's book is good as a start if you would like to know about the last Empress of France and her world through a political and social viewpoint, but If you really like to know more of Eugenie as a woman and as a empress in depth, I would suggest to read The Empress Eugenie 1826-1920 by Harold Kurtz.

impressive woman
capturing napoleon iii heart and becoming empress of france would lead you to think her life would be happy ever after.but eugenie had a difficult birth of her only child made made it dangerous for another child ending her sex life with husband who carry on affairs that cause her great angry and pain.she became a fashion plate ,but also put reforms to help the poor and disavantage of france.after fall of empire she lived in england for 50 years losting her husband and son.

A Good Biography
I had very little knowledge on Eugenie other then she was Empress of France and lost her only child. I've never been interested much in Napoleon III's reign or his consort but decided to give this book a try. I was pleasently surprised by what I read. Like the Eugenie was Spanish or that she was probably a better politican then her husband. Eugenie went from being bascially a no body to Empress of France and only to end up in exile after her husband was defeated. It must have been heartbreaking to lose her only child. A wonderful bio.

Amatuerish
From the professional reviews, I had expected a well-written, scholarly book.This is neither.The writing is sometimes poor, and never eloquent or outstanding.

The real problem, however, is the material.The portraits of Eugenie & Napoleon III are favorably one-sided.I don't feel as thought I could tell you the character of either after reading this book.Eugenie is impetuous is stated again & again but very few examples are given.Napoloen III is "pathologically secreative" but again no examples are given to support this statement.A very light-weight book.

Poor Misunderstood, Forgotten Empress Eugenie
I've always been interested in the lives of royal women, especially when I discover that they were more than just royal spouses or fashion plates. While such women as Elizabeth I of England, Mary of Scotland, and Catherine the Great of Russia have gotten plenty written about them, all too often, women with lesser notoriety tend to be forgotten or passed over by historians.

One such woman was Eugenie, the Empress of Napoleon III of France. Author Desmond Seward, a long-time biographer of royalty, takes what at first appears to be a woman of little notice and turns her into someone to be reckoned with. At first I was rather skeptical, remembering that most of what I had read of Eugenie was that she was Spanish, a fashion setter who was known to have never worn the same evening gown twice and who was a patron of Worth, and that most of history regarded her as a conniving, bad woman who frittered life away. To say that I was in for a surprise was an understatement.

Born Maria Eugenia Ignacia Augusta de Montijo , Eugenie grew up in an Europe that was going through revolutionary changes. Her father had fought with Napoleon's armies, and Eugenie soon developed a fascination with all things having to do with the Bonapartes . Clever, beautiful, and with the ability of being able to say the right thing in the right situation, Eugenie should have been wed quickly, but even after a tour of Europe with her wealthy mother didn't manage a good catch, and at twenty-three she was facing the prospect of spinsterhood. But it seems that Eugenie already had someone in mind -- the nephew of the formidable Napoleon, who had just managed to create himself Emperor of the French, by a coup-de-stat.

Napoleon III, as he was known, was also charming, but also short, rather ugly, and inscrutable. An able politician, that side of his personality has been mostly overlooked for historians, focusing instead on his insatiable need for women, and his lack of military leadership. He was also an innate showman, knowing how to catch people's imagination, and able to push through schemes and ideas that most would never take seriously.

Together, Napoleon and Eugenie formed a partnership that managed to survive for more than seventeen years, recreating Paris from an aging medieval slum to the magnificent City of Lights that we know today. Eugenie gave European fashion a chic flair with her patronage of the coutiere Worth, the artist Winterhalter, and her own innate sense of design.

But there were also serious flaws to the couple as well -- Eugenie had a vicious temper, and one that got worse as it got older; Napoleon's infidelities drove her to jealous rages, especially after the difficult birth of her only child. For his own part, Napoleon backed the feeble attempt to turn Mexico into a monarchy, found himself embroiled in a war with Prussia and dwindled into history as a laughing stock. As for Eugenie, besides losing her throne, she would face a long, lonely exile from Paris that stretched to nearly fifty years, and was emotionally devastated by the loss of her only child at a young age.

It's an intriguing look at a woman who was both villified and worshipped during her lifetime and afterwards, much as Marie Antoinette had been in an earlier generation. Indeed, Eugenie was fascinated by her predecessor, and would avidly collect any sort of memorabilia and objects that were associated with that unfortunate queen. In fact, Eugenie's life would eeriely echo that of Marie Antoinette in many ways, and she always lived in fear of the Parisian mob seeking to overthrow her.

Despite the book being a bit light in treatment -- gossip is constantly recounted, and Seward often repeats himself -- this was an engaging, enlightening read. I had known very little about the Second Empire, and discovered that most of my preconceptions of this period were wrong. Seward draws on the memoirs, newspaper accounts and Eugenie's own letters and recollections for his source material. At just under three hundred pages, it's a quick read, and a good start to exploring this period of French history. A selection of engravings and photographs are included in a black-and-white insert, and there are copious notes and bibliography. ... Read more

Product Description
Princes Philipp and Christoph von Hessen-Kassel, great-grandsons of Queen Victoria of England, had been humiliated by defeat in World War I and, like much of the German aristocracy, feared the social unrest wrought by the ineffectual Weimar Republic. Jonathan Petropoulos shows how the princes, lured by prominent positions in the Nazi regime and highly susceptible to nationalist appeals, became enthusiastic supporters of Hitler. Prince Philipp, son-in-law to the King of Italy, became the highest-ranking prince in the Nazi state and developed a close personal relationship with Hitler and Hermann Göering. Prince Christoph was a prominent SS officer and head of the most important intelligence agency in the Third Reich. In return, the princes made the Nazis socially acceptable to wealthy, high-society patrons. Prince Philipp even introduced Göering to Mussolini at a critical stage in the Nazi Party's development and later served as a liaison between Hitler and the Italian dictator. Permitted access to Hessen family private papers and the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, Petropoulos follows the story of the House of Hesse through to its tragic denouement--the princes' betrayal and persecution by an increasingly paranoid Hitler and prosecution and denazification by the Allies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Measured & Careful Words Make this a Great History

Petropoulos goes where no one has gone before.I had often wondered about the rumors surrounding the Windsors for which JP carefully separates facts from fiction.I had also wondered about what had become of the many royal houses of pre-Weimar Germany. With this book, I understand a lot more about their post WWI history.

This is not just a story of the von Hessen princes, while they are the focus, they are used as a benchmark for many royals in this period.

The devastation of Germany in WWI (22% of its young men killed) was followed by a new governance and the Weimar Republic arose.It exiled the Kaiser, rescinded royal titles, and voted on the status of lands formerly owned by a patchwork of royal sovereignties now abolished.While this vote on the lands failed passage, it was alarming to the aristocracy.

Noting this, and perhaps the fate of the Romanovs, and the socialistic/communistic aspects of the times, the royals and aristocrats were seduced by Hitler's message.They joined the Nazi party earlier and in greater proportion than any other demographic.

The prose in this book is heavy, and for someone like me, without much background in the history of Germany in this period was a slow read.It was, nevertheless, a page turner.Because I didn't know this family, what they did, nor their fate, I was glued to it.A map would be useful for readers, like me, with little background in Germany and its geography.

You came to understand the thinking and the loss which would compel the royals to do something, anything, following their loss of status and wealth.The Nazi party with its militaristic overtones was a match for their feudal ideals.JP documents the anti-Semitism of the aristocracy. He also notes that while their childhood training taught them their role above others, it also inculcated a sense of honor which should have precluded the activites they later got caught up in.

Philipp and Christoph, perhaps typical of royals and aristocrats, were deeply entrenched in the party as it turned homicidal.Phillipp either approved or ignored the conversion of the former mental hospital to a torture and/or elimination facility in the town over which he presided.As the author notes, due to the heavy censorship of the times, and his inability to confide, we don't know the disposition of Phillipp (and the other royals and aristocrats in similar situations, nor their feelings and motivations as the party turned on them) as events careened into deeper madness. We do have Philipp's denazificaiton testimony, which of course is steered to his defense.

A debt is owed to not just the author for assembling this massive amount of material, but to the von Hessen family who provided full access to their personal papers.

History of first-rate quality
A rich account with impeccable sholarship of a German royal family's historical roots, European connections, and role in the Third Reich.

Stiff prose, sterling information
Petrouplos'has a remarkable knack for gathering valuable hisotrical information, not to mention wangling an interview with the formidable Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He is a serious academic historian and his work includes a list of previous books he's written about the Nazi era and the holocaust. His fluency in German, and his academic background, put him in a league of his own among royalty writers. The book is written with the stiff prose of an academic research paper, but on its face, it may appeal as much to royalty buffs as to historians of World War II and the Nazi movement.Often the sensational facts underlying the story are dulled by the musty language. However, the reluctance to sensationalize gives the book more credibility. Petroupols downplays the sizzling hot genealogy of the principal players, Christoph and Philipp von Hessen. Even the family tree fails to branch out as far as it could, straight into the heart of the living royal family of England. A typical royalty writer such as Kitty Kelley would have put the facts in big bold font: the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of the Queen of England, had three sisters and three brothers-in-law who became members of the Nazi party. The facts are interesting, if deplorable. Petroupolus seeks to lay out the facts objectively, looking at root causes. Maybe there is enough distance between us and the Nazi era to admit with some calmness the appeal of the movement. Royalty buffs may want to turn their idols into saints, but this book makes it evident that some royals backed Hitler long and enthusiastically. One vivid passage in the book quotes a conversation between Phillip von Hessen and Hitler, and the Prince sounds both subservient and fanatical: 'Jawohl, mein Fuherer!'he says, several times in one minute.

I admit to being a royalty buff, and I bought this book because my current obsession is the house of Hesse. I found mayself seeing Princess Margaret of Hesse-Kassel in a new light. A daughter of Victoria, the English Empress of Germany, who was herself the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Margaret and her husband became devout fans of Hitler and Nazism. The root cause seems to have been a hatred of Communism and an admiration for the German economic and social renaissance ushered in by the Nazis. True, many German nobles gradually or quickly became disillusioned by the regime as it showed its profoundly evil side...and suffered military defeat. One can't help wondering how one would have acted in the same circumstances. And how our own reaction to the policies of the current administration will be viewed.

We all get caught in our times. Petroupolos's book doesn't convey this vividly, and it is not a miracle of literature. But the facts he discloses resonate long after the last page is turned.

The Seduction of Nazism
Philipp and Christoph von Hessen-Kassell were great-grandsons of Queen Victoria and nephews of Kaiser Wilhelm II.They were born into the highest circles of wealth and privilege in pre-World War I Germany, living in a variety of palaces and castles and secure within a wide family circle which extended into nearly every royal dynasty in Europe. Petropoulos' central story examines how such men could have been seduced into participating in the highest levels of one ofthe most thuggish regimes in modern times.

The Hessen family, like other royal/noble clans, was severely shaken by World War I.Although they did not lose all their property (or their lives) as so many of their relations did, Philipp and Christoph's family saw their status slip and some of their wealth vanish.This, along with the terrible suffering more ordinary Germans underwent in the post-World War I period, made the Hessen princes prime targets for the appeal of Nazism: militarism, aggressive nationalism, revenge for past defeats.

After Hitler's coming to power in 1933 and the establishment of the Third Reich, the Nazi Party made a concerted effort to win the support of highly placed individuals and families.Much of the German aristocracy and many members of former royal houses joined the Party, and while they may have privately sneered at the lumpenproletariat side of the Nazis and contrasted it withtheir own urbane sophistication, they were not above working for and doing the bidding of those they considered so uncouth. Philipp and Christoph were two prime examples.Philipp assisted Hitler in cultural affairs and, since he was married to a daughter of the Italian king, often served as an envoy to Mussolini.Christoph ran one of the Nazi intelligence agencies and served as a fighter pilot in World War II.Both were members of the SS, and both were used by Hitler to try to win influence with their cousins, the British royal family.

Having so much access to Hitler meant making a lot of moral compromises for the Hessens.Neither was particularly anti-Semitic (at least by the standards of the time) and had Jewish friends, but both were silent participants in the early stages of the Final Solution and similar atrocities.Both were artistic and fairly well educated by the standards of their caste, but neither protested the Nazi book-burnings or the destruction of art deemed insufficiently Aryan.Petropoulos does a good job contrasting this lack of action by the Hessens with the opposition of such aristocrats as Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who with his family suffered enormously because he refused to collaborate.

As so often happens to those who cooperate with evil, Philipp and Christoph became victims themselves.Philipp and his wife (the beautiful Princess Mafalda of Savoy) ended up in concentration camps where Mafalda died after terrible sufferings. Christoph was killed in a suspicious plane crash after he too lost the Nazis' favor.After the war Philipp spent time in POW camps and went through a long drawn out denazification process before being allowed to retire, poorer and hopefully wiser, to what was left of his estates.

Petropoulos had the cooperation of many members of the Hessen family and other German nobles as well as that of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was Christoph's brother-in-law. He does a good job depicting the two men as the cultivated, charming cosmopolitans they were, and the reader is left with a disturbing question: If men such as these could be corrupted by the Nazis, is anyone really safe from similar extremism?

ROYALS AND THE REICH
A VERY WELL DOCUMENTED BOOK REGARDING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN GERMAN PRINCELY FAMILIES AND THE NAZI REGIME FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON THE HESSEN-KASSEL BRANCH.

UPON READING IT WE CAN SEE HOW THE PROMISES OF THE REICH AND THEIR DEFINITE HOSTILITY TOWARDS COMMUNISM MADE THESE PRINCES SUCEPTIBLE TO THE NAZI REGIME. AFTER ALL ON THE WAKE OF THE DISASTER OF WW I, THEY WERE DISPOSSED OF THEIR TITLES, POSITIONS AND IN MANY CASES THEIR SOURCE OF WEALTH.

HOWEVER, IT IS NOT QUIET CLEAR IF THEIR ASSOCIATION WAS A MEANS OF SURVIVAL AND FINANCIAL BETTERMENT (OR AT LEASE A STATUS QUO) OR AN ACTUAL POLITICAL/ECONOMIC CONVICTION BY THEM OF THE NAZI RPHILOSOPHY AND REGIME.

THE BOOK IS VERY WELL DOCUMENTED...BUT A BIT TEDIOUS READING.NOT SOMETHING YOU READ FOR ENJOYMENT BUT FOR ITS SCHOLARLY INFORMATION.

STILL, AN INTERESTING BOOK ON AN INTERESTING CHAPTER IN HISTORY. ... Read more

Product Description
The Prince of Pleasure is the immaculately researched and engaging story of George IV (1762-1830), a rakish and contradictory figure who became one of the most controversial and outrageous monarchs in British history. Critically acclaimed biographer Saul David has captured the passions and foibles of this monarch--infamous for being overweight, overdressed, and oversexed--who epitomized England's regency period. George IV was marked throughout his life by financial ruin and domestic entanglements. Though known primarily for his scandalous lifestyle, he was also a man of high intelligence with a great appreciation for art and literature. In addition to encouraging the works of both Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott, as well as purchasing the Elgin Marbles, he promoted England's Regency style of architecture. In fast-moving and incisive prose, Saul David paints a brilliantly detailed portrait of the Regency period.Amazon.com Review
When the future British monarch George IV (1762-1830) was alad of 15, his head instructor predicted the Prince of Wales "willeither be the most polished gentleman or the most accomplishedblackguard in Europe, possibly an admixture of both." It was, ashistorian Saul David notes, "a particularly prescient remark." He ismost popularly remembered for setting the pace for drunkenness andlechery among England's upper crust, not to mention his attempts toexploit the "madness" of his father, George III, for politicalgain (which would incidentally help him raise the money necessary topay off his massive debts). But, David says, he was also a generouspatron of the arts--responsible for, among other things, theestablishment of the National Portrait Gallery--and played a criticalrole in the multinational campaign against Napoleon, thereby securingBritain's position of supremacy.

Prince of Pleasure is a lively biography, rich in anecdote,which provides a nuanced view of the monarch and statesman that hidesnothing, but considers the flaws within the context of a nation whereparliament and royalty maintained a delicate balance whilerevolutionary fervor swept many other countries. Drawing deeply uponcontemporary sources, David is able to offer substantial detail onmatters such as the prince's "secret" wedding to the Catholic widowMrs. Fitzherbert, or his later, legally sanctioned matrimony toPrincess Caroline of Brunswick, who so physically repulsed him that,after three instances of congress in the first two days of theirmarriage, he never went near her again. There is also much fine detailon the personal rifts between the prince and his father, and the waysin which that discord shaped Whig-Tory rivalries in the House ofCommons. People fascinated by the stories surrounding the late 20thcentury's Prince of Wales will find his Hanoverian antecedent ascompelling--probably more.--Ron Hogan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Misleading
I'm past halfway and feel I know enough of the book to judge.The title, subtitle and back copy are misleading.This book offers far more political history than cultural history and the focus on the Prince himself wavers so often I found myself wanting to sit Saul David or his editor down and deliver a stern talking-to.Prince of Pleasure?Prince of Politics is more like it, with one endless shuffle of the cabinet after another.As if that weren't enough, the writing is flat, though at times David gets slangy or jokey as if aware of his prosaic style.And as a historian, he;s inconsistent: we get endless gross detail about how unclean and unhygienic Princess Caroline was, yet she goes on to have many lovers--did no one else besides her husband and some courtiers early on ever comment?Or did she have a soap-related epiphany?Inquiring minds want to know.

Why monarchy became an unpopular institution...
This is a good book about a bad man. While George IV is believed to have been a style setter and taste-maker, his life was so motivated by self-indulgance and egotism that even a biographer as talented as Mr. David cannot hope but to fail in his hopeless attempt to make the subject of this books attractive.
George IV was the son of America's last king, George III.In his life there were hosts of empty headed women of easy virtue, massive tasteless building projects, flitations with radical politics, and more excess than the average Hollywood star of the moment. By his example, George IV makes Jim Morrison look like a choir boy.And what a bore he must of been as well!
Mr. David attempts to make the prince likable, but one is compelled upon a dispassionate read of the facts to conclude with Thackery that he was little more than a cad with a crown.This is the opposite conclusion to which Mr. David attempts, and hats off to him for his efforts on behalf of this poor dead king's reputation. It is kind of difficult to feel any sympathy for a man who treated his wife so poorly, drank himself to excess, spent money fecklessly and in the end believed himself (rather pathetically) the victor of the battle of Waterloo.

Sad and silly person
He started off pretty, but it was only skin deep. He was vain and greedy. He was particularly irksome to both wives (secret and catholic Mrs Fitzherbert, "respectable" but dizzy Princess Caroline).But no-one is all bad - he loved his daughter, enjoyed parties and built a few memorable buildings.What a waste of a life.Despite the horrible cover, this is a solid book on the Prince Regent which will be read (or glanced at) by regency buffs the world over.

No revisionist breakthroughs here, but a lot of fun
George IV or the Prince Regent is the caricature monarch of English history. In the age of the scything cartoonist, the larger than life Prince was the ideal subject through his loves, sense of melodrama and overblown antics. David, wisely in my opinion confines himself to the period before his ascendancy to the throne, after which George, by virtue of his gout and his unpopularity became a subdued, sorry figure. David whisks us through all the major episodes, Mrs. Fitzherbert, his doomed marriage, the infidelity of both spouses and his eternal opulence and theatrics. There is such a wealth of literature both on the Prince and the Regency, that a new approach or a fresh insight is virtually impossible, particularly from a biographical standpoint. Hence the best an author can do under the circumstances is provide a rollicking read and a fun, lively approach and David measures up to the task. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book about a perenially endearing cartoonlike figure. No revisionist breakthroughs here, but a lot of fun.

Little new is revealed in this
I am ambivalent at best about Saul David's book "Prince of Pleasure".

On the good side I think he is very readable and I did enjoy a great deal of this book. Unfortunately I don't think he brought up much to shed new light on the Prince and indeed some of the matters on which he emphasised he failed to distinguish between rumour and innuendo, and what was actual provable fact - the supposed love children of the Prince Regent's sisters for instance. Other people have presented far better researched and more compelling arguments on these things than he did.

The book left wondering what there was really new in this that Christopher Hibbert has not discussed in his 2 volume biography of the Prince Regent Published some 25 years ago? If there was anything new about the Prince I think it was mostly window decoration.

Also I was somewhat disturbed by a number of errors of fact in the book - none of which really destroyed or influenced the subject of the book as they were on peripheral issues - but nevertheless annoying - for instance he said the Earl of Barrymore (better known as Hellgate) had been shot by the soldiers in his regiment - untrue. He died in an accidental shooting when his sporting gun went off in his carriage. David implies that Harriette Wilson made a fortune from her memoirs - also not true.

I also found it hard to agree with some of the interpretations he put on various quotes from people - to prove that the Prince had had an affair with Harriette Wilson for instance - or his assertion from a very ambiguous quote that Beau Brummell was Gay.

David does have a very neat way of blending in the elements of history with the life of the Prince Regent which I also found very enjoyable. I wish he would footnote a bit more so it was possible to see where he drew his information from.

One final quibble I have with this book is that "Prince of Pleasure" is a title that is already used by J B Priestley's 1969 work on the Prince Regent and the Regency period. This was a popular book and well known. I wondered if David had read it, but it doesn't turn up in his bibliography - a fact I find surprising for he must have come across it in his research. It just seems a bit cheeky to use the same title in a book on exactly the same subject and not acknowledge it.

In the end I am left wondering what he has added that was not already known about the Prince Regent. Still it is interesting and readable. ... Read more

Product Description
This compelling biography of Xenia uses new archive material to give us fresh insight into the last days of the Tsar family. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

So much mystery...
The Romanov history is so full of mystery. This book helps unravel a bit of it. I won't repeat what many others have contributed. It is an important book. Xenia was not so much in the spotlight as she behaved herself properly. My particular interest in her was her connection to her son-in-law, Prince Felix Yusupov. I welcomed the details in that relationship since it was one of many research sources for my coming book, "The Lady with an Ostrich Feather Fan."That is the name of a pair of Rembrandt portraits that Felix, the murderer of the infamous Rasputin rescued during the Revolution. The first line of that book gives you the idea."Not long after murdering Rasputin, Prince Felix Yusupov fled the Bolshevik wrath in Petrograd carrying his family's most valued treasures, a pair of portraits by Rembrandt.""Xenia" goes into reliable detail about that part of the Romanov story. But, it is larger than that of course, and quite enjoyable reading for those of us Russian history buffs.

Frederick R. Andresen, Author of "Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia."

Enjoyable and Informative
At last someone has brought Xenia; out of the "shadows"; of her imperial brother and his family..The author has taken the facts and wove his usual interesting approach; to this little known Grand Dutchess. A thoroughly enjoyable book that opens the door to glimpses; not only to Xenia; but to her royal relations thru-out Europe..Hopefully as more archives are opened and studied; more will be written about this most interesting Grand Dutchess..

Good for Romanov collectors
This is a good is somewhat ploddy read.Most Romanov books focus on Nicholas II and family, so it's refreshing to read about another family member.Very scholarly book with several pictures.

One Star
I agree with those in previous reviews that even though this is Xenia's biography it still seems like most of her own story isn't told. Perhaps because there wasn't a lot of her own personal letters and diaries left behind so the author was forced to use other people's letters to get an idea on what she was like but either that wasn't enough or the author had difficult convaying what Xenia was like and tried to fill this up with who came to her birthday parties and who came and left from her house or fill the book with as many references to other royals then should have been. I'm not sure which is the case because even through other people's letters you should still get a pretty good idea of what Xenia was like.
Even when she and her family were imprisoned during the Revolution there were still more pages on who came and left her home then her. Very little on what she was like. By the end of the book I felt like I knew as much about Xenia as I did before the book which was basically....nothing. Where was her personalty? Where was her opinions? Where was Xenia in the biography?

great read for Russian history buffs.
This book incorporates the lives of other, significant Romanovs, not just the immediate family. It is well-rounded, therefore. ... Read more

Product Description
Explore the living history of the British Isles in this unparalleled compendium of kings, queens and rulers, which also traces the development of one of the finest architectural legacies in Europe from earliest times to the present day. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a pioneering study of the genetic, personal and political effects of hemophilia on the British royal family, eatablishing for the first time the part it played in bringing about the Russian revolution, the fall of the Spanish royal family and Hitler's rise to power. The authors, widely respected scientists who have been involved in DNA testing of bones, trace the history of the hemophilia gene in the British royal family and raise some startling questions, not least of which concerns its origin.

Why was Queen Victoria born with this hereditary gene if it was carried by none of her ancestors? Was she an illegitimate child? In unravelling the story of Queen Victoria's Gene, the authors detail the remarkably well documented sexual lives of Victoria's decendants, and also reveal the truth behind such characters as Anna Anderson, who claimed to be Anastasia, the Czar's youngest daughter.

When first released in hardback, this secret, and startling history of the British Royal family caused great controversy, and is an original and thought provoking study of Victoria, and European History. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Queen Victoria
This was a fascinating read, about how history was hugely influenced by this genetic anomaly.

grandmother of europe
queen victoria was the grandmother of europe who brought hemophilla to many european royal houses that ended in great tragic.

Not much new on Victoria's family, but some interesting unsubstantiated speculations
I think I read this book for different reasons (and got different things out of it) than most of the previous reviewers. One of the first instances of "genetic genealogy" was the investigation into the roots of the hemophilia that plagued the czarevich Alexei of Russia, the only son of Nicholas II, who probably wouldn't have lived long enough to become czar even if the Bolsheviks hadn't liquidated the imperial family. But Victoria's son, Leopold, also died of complications of the disease, and it made its way into the Spanish royal family, as well. Where did the defective gene Victoria carried come from? There are only two medical possibilities: Either she was the victim of a random mutation -- one chance in about 50,000 -- or her father was hemophiliac. And since her father, Edward, Duke of Kent, did *not* have the disease, that would mean Victoria was illegitimate, the offspring of a hemophiliac lover of the Duchess of Kent. The duchess certainly *did* have a lover, and it's also possible, from all the evidence, that the duke was sterile. In which case, the throne should rightfully have gone to King William III's next closest relative, . . . and who would that have been? This is quite a fascinating detective story, investigating in considerable depth the private lives of the Coburgs, and it leaves one to wonder how the 19th century in Britain might have been different if Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and subsequently king of Hanover (a very distasteful individual by all accounts, and a very unpopular ruler), had become king of Great Britain. (His eldest living descendant in the male line today is Ernest Augustus, Prince of Hanover and present husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco.)

Interesting
This book was very interesting. It is a story of Genes. It tells the story about Queen Victoria and her family. Two of her daughters, Alice (As well as two daughters and a son), and Beatrice (as well as two sons and a daughter) were carriers of a disease called hemophilia and her son Leopold (As well as a daughter) had the disorder.One might wonder what the mystery is about it. Well it is this, where did the three children get the disorder? Because the daughters were carriers of it they could not have gotten it from there father Albert, so it must have been Victoria. One problem is that supposedly comes from one the most well documented families off all time (The family can trace there lineage to Adam and Eve) that leaves three posiblities-1. That she is not the Granddaughter of King George III 2. Her mother (Victoria of Sax-Coburg) was a carrier-which turned out to be false or 3. There was a spontaneous combustion of the egg or sperm that made Victoria.The authors get into all three of these hypotheses in order to try to understand just how Victoria got the gene for hemophilia.The authors also delve into the lives of the people who had hemophilia and tells about some of the pretenders to the thrones descendent from Queen Victoria and how with the knowledge of the gene people have figured out they are fakes.

More about hemophilia and history than scandal
It's too bad so many reviewers and editors chose to focus on the small part of this book which questions Queen Victoria's legitimacy, because that's not really what this book is about. It's far more about how the interbreeding of British and other European royalty had profound consequences for world history. Thebulk of the book traces the competitive sexual politics prior to Victoria's birth, and the way inbreeding among royalty contributed to the spread of the hemophilia gene, causing major world upheaval (in particular, to the fall of the Russian tsar). Much has been written of the privileges of 19th century royalty, but this book brings into sharper focus the way these royals' private behavior had public consequences. An interesting treatise on an aspect of history that is often overlooked: that many European wars were family conflicts extended to a grand scale. ... Read more

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Catherine de Medici was half French, half Italian.Orphaned in infancy, she was the sole legitimate heiress to the Medici family fortune. Married at fourteen to the future Henri II of France, she was constantly humiliated by his influential mistress Diane de Poitiers. When her husband died as a result of a duelling accident in Paris - Leonie Frieda's magnificient, throat-grabbing opening chapter -Catherine was made queen regent during the short reign of her eldest son (married to Mary Queen of Scots and like many of her children he died young). When her second son became king she was the power behind the throne. She nursed dynastic ambitions, but was continually drawn into political and religious intrigues between catholics and protestants that plagued France for much of the later part of her life. It had always been said that she was implicated in the notorious Saint Barthlomew's Day Massacre, together with the king and her third son who succeeded to the throne in 1574, but was murdered - he was left standing with his assassin's dagger in one hand, and his own entrails in the other.Her political influence waned, but she survived long enough to ensure the succession of her son-in-law who had married her daughter Margaret.Leonie Frieda has returned to original sources and re-read the thousands of letters left by Catherine. There has not been a biography in English of Catherine for many years and she believes that the time has come to show her - like Queen Elizabeth I of England - as one of the most influential women in sixteenth-century Europe. ... Read more

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Great Biography of a Maligned and Misunderstood Renaissance Queen
Leonie Frieda has written a tremendous biography of a much maligned Renaissance queen. Catherine De Medici has been blamed for many of the ills experienced by France after the death of her husband, Henry II. How much complicity she had in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre is still a subject of debate. Leonie Frieda states that she did have some culpability. However, she also makes it clear that Catherine made many efforts to make peace with the Huguenots before and after the event. Something that history seems to have neglected.

Catherine's entire reign has been defined by that one event. There was much more to this remarkable renaissance queen. She was a woman of her times and ahead of her time. She received an education far beyond what was considered respectable for a woman. She cultivated the arts, poetry and architecture. And yet, she is considered the "Queen of poisons" because several of her enemies seemed to conveniently die (of poison ?). Above all, she was a mother to her children.

What is interesting about her is that while she was never affectionate with her children, she loved and protected them. She made sure all of them married well. That was important during the Renaissance. A woman was defined by her marriage. Catherine was no different. Most of her early life was defined by her marriage to Henry II. She didn't come into her own until after his death when she became regent for her son, Francis. This is a period when she flourished. Up until that point, she remained the dutiful and submissive queen. She may well have owed that position to Diane De Poiters, Henry IIs mistress. Catherine remained childless for the first nine years of her marriage. That would have been a legitimate legal reason for an annulment. With Diane's urging (?), Henry kept Catherine and they eventually went on to have ten children. Catherine's relationship with her sons makes for absorbing reading. Three sons lived to become king of France and in Henry III's case, Poland. Her daughters did not achieve the same success of their mother. Although, Margot achieved equal notoriety.

This is a wonderful biography as well as history of Renaissance France. I highly recommend it.

Fantastic read
This is a fantastic book and a complete page turner about an historical figure not many people know much about.The author writes in a way wherein the information is never boring; much of the book is about the French military campaigns of Catherine's sons and the battle between Catholicism and Protestantism, which makes for a fascinating read. She deftly balances the military side of history with the more gossipy information on the de Medici and Valois relationships.My only complaint about the author is that she hasn't written more books - more French history from this author would be excellent.

Facinating Story Well Told
I knew the name -- Catherine De Medici.I really didn't know anything about her. This book is a great read telling a facinating story.Although non-fiction, it reads like a novel.I couldn't put it down.I love to read biographies and recommend this book without reservation.

Catherine was an anomaly: a strong woman who commanded the respect of her country in a time when women generally held no status. She suffered her husband's betrayal with a mistress he made no attempt to hide.Later, as Queen of France during the Reformation, she tried to act as the concilator between the Calvinist reformers and the Catholics of France.Nevertheless the religious wars erupted.

I learned so much reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fantastic biography
I love this book. It's solid factually and so beautifully written that it is a real pleasure to read from start to finish. If you are interested in learning about Catherine de Medici, buy this. You will not be disappointed. If you are a specialist, you doubtless already own Ivan Cloulas' biography of her, which is great but only available in French.

`I wonder that she did not do worse'
This is a biography of Catherine de Medici (1519 -1589).Her husband became King Henri II of France, and three of their sons in their turn became Kings of France after Henri's death in 1559.As Queen Mother, Catherine was both important and powerful in France for thirty years.

Catherine was orphaned as an infant and imprisoned as a child.As heiress to an ancient name and a vast fortune, Catherine was brought up in the Florentine court and married off by her self-styled uncle (Pope Clement VII) to Henri, Duke of Orleans son of King Francis I of France.The history itself, full of dynastic and political intrigues, is fascinating, and it is a credit to Ms Frieda's style that she is able to accurately render the history without confusing it.

At various times it has been fashionable to paint Catherine de Medici in the darkest of hues as a murderer, and as a self serving intriguer who presided over the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 24 August 1572 when thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered.Such a picture of Catherine is incomplete.She was a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I of England and while she may have lacked some of Elizabeth's ability and skill, she equalled her in courage and determination.

This is a very readable biography which puts some much needed context around the life and times of Catherine de Medici.The Valois dynasty ended some months after Catherine's death with the death of Henri III.The French crown then passed to Henri IV (Henri of Navarre): a fascinating monarch in his own right.

I recommend this book both as an example of a wonderfully written biography but also as a study of a multi-dimensional woman who was fascinating in her own right.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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HOHENZOLLERN:Tragic Private Lives
I highly recommend this amAzingly researched book about the Royals and their fascinating and triumphant conquests, as well as - their desperate love lives. ... Read more

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Romanov family history
Charlotte Zeepvat is an admirable historian of the Romanov family.She has just the right amount of sympathy for her subjects; has done thorough research, and lets the facts speak for themselves.I haven't read a bad book by her, to date.

This collection of essays lets a reader find out more about the wider Romanov family, especially those who came before Nicholas and Alexandra.As well as covering some of the best-known members of the Romanov family there are essays on the lives of some of the lesser-known members, for example Princess Elena of Serbia (the wife of Ioann Constantinovich who was murdered at Ekaterinberg), and the children of Tsar Alexander II's second marriage.The essays lead up to and reveal how sadly divided the family was at the end, before the Russian Revolution, and who and what contributed to that division.A lot of old rumors and misconceptions are cleared up, particularly regarding Serge Alexandrovich, son of Alexander II (and apparently unfairly maligned in life and in death).ROMANOV AUTUMN is well written, informative and enjoyable to read.

Zeepvat Scores Again !!!!!
This is a most interesting book; of the little known members of the 19th century Russian Royalty..The detailed accounts of the happy; and not so happy destinies of lesser Russian royals; is so informative..I can hardly wait for her next book. Highly reccomended reading; no matter how many books you have read on Russian Royalty..

Great!
A delightful collection of stories starting with the first Nicholas and Alexandra in 1817, winding it's way to a story about the Tsesarevich Alexei.Many lesser known members of the Imperial Family are here, many who are quite interesting in and of themselves!

Excellentbook!
Zeepvat didn't write anything short of an amazing book on the 19th century Romanovs. She really got into the intimate details of family life as well as writing of their political role. A must read book for all Romanov fans!

For collectors of all things Romanov, this is a must have.
Very well written series of 'short stories' of different members of the Russian royal family at the turn of the 19th century, some obscure and not normally written about, which I found very refreshing. I am an avid collector of historical biographies, Russian royal family especially, but I have never seen such a comprehensive exploration of the Romanovs. Quite a few pictures I had not seen before also. All in all a great investment, and a very good read. ... Read more

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Born to Isabel and Ferdinand, the Catholic Monarchs whose marriage united the realms of Castile and Aragon, Juana "the Mad" (1479--1555) is one of the most infamous but least studied monarchs of the Renaissance. Conventional accounts of Juana portray her as a sullen woman prone to depression, a jealous wife insanely in love with her husband, and an incompetent queen who was deemed by her father, husband, and son, unable to govern herself much less her kingdoms.

But was Juana truly mad or the victim of manipulative family members who desired to rule in her stead? Drawing upon recent scholarship and years of archival research, author Bethany Aram offers a new vision of Juana's life. After the deaths of three relatives directly in line for the throne, Juana became heir to her parents' realms. As queen, Juana worked tirelessly to assure the succession of her son Charles V to the throne and thereby to establish the Habsburg dynasty in the kingdoms that others managed to govern in her name.

In this part biography, part study of royal authority, Aram rightly asserts that Juana was more complicated than her contemporaries and biographers have portrayed her. Not the frail and unstable woman usually depicted, Juana employed pious practices to defend her own interests as well as those of her children. She emerges as a woman of immense importance in Spanish and European history.

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Juana la Loca
Exceptionally well written account of the life of Juana, so-called The Mad, and her role in securing the Habsburg control of the Iberian pennisula for the next two hundred plus years. ... Read more

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Martyrs and Murderers tells the story of three generations of treacherous, bloodthirsty power-brokers. One of the richest and most powerful families in sixteenth-century France, the House of Guise played a pivotal role in the history of Europe. Among the staunchest opponents of the Reformation, they whipped up religious bigotry throughout France. They overthrew the king, ruled Scotland for nearly 20 years through Mary Queen of Scots, plotted to invade England and overthrow Elizabeth I, and ended the century by unleashing the bloody Wars of Religion, before succumbing in a counter-revolution that made them martyrs for the Catholic cause. The story of the Guise family is sensational but true. Though parts of the story are familiar--such as their crucial role in the murder of 4,000 Protestants in the infamous Massacre of Saint Bartholomew--the full scope of their influence has never been told before. Stuart Carroll unravels the legends about this cultivated, charismatic, and violent dynasty, and challenges traditional assumptions about one of Europe's most turbulent eras. ... Read more

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A fine and excellent pick
The lust for power can be a family wide affair. "Martyrs and Murderers: The Guise Family and the Making of Europe" tells the story of this family, whose ambitions for power gave them bloodlines to the throne in many of the major European countries. Author Stuart Caroll covers this family's plots that changed the direction of Europe and had a hand in the death of thousands. A very entertaining read and another angle to the political intrigue of Europe's royal families centuries ago, "Martyrs and Murderers" is a fine and excellent pick. ... Read more

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A portrait of the twilight years of Isarism by Count Sergei Witte (1849-1915), the man who built modern Russia. Witte presents incisive and often piquant portraits of the mighty and those around them--powerful Alexander III, the weak-willed Nicholas II, and the neurasthenic Empress Alexandra, along with his own notorious cousin, Madam blavatsky, the "priestess of the occult." ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Prussia (Germany); Biography ... Read more

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A good little keepsake
I'm a fan of the old Royals around the world (before Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom's time), but mostly of Europe ...and when this little book came out I was happy to know that the lost Royals of Europe weren't forgotten by everyone. I rate it four since I wish there were more postcards of the royals and the price was a bit too much for such a small book. However other then that, it is a nice little book to add to your collection if your into Royals. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Prussia (Germany); ... Read more

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This lavishly illustrated book shows the extended Romanov family in formal and informal poses and traces the last days of a dynasty as well as the beginnings of commercial photography. ... Read more

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Excellent
Although this book is advertised as a photo book, particuarly interesting for me was the information it gives about other, more obscure members of the Romanov family. Most photo's are accompanied by a paragraph discussing the family member involved, and this is especially helpful to me as a fan of woman's history when discussing Romanov Princesses who married into other European royal families. I believe these women, coming from the family they came from, were probably very formidable and interesting individuals in their own right, and I think it's a shame there is so little reading material available about them.

Nice collection of photos.
From the cover of this book I believed that I was purchasing a family album of JUST Tsar Nicholas II's immediate family.Although there is a whole chapter devoted to him and his children, this book is mostly filled with pictures of other Romanovs.The few pictures of Nicholas II and his children have been previously published.

The chapters of the book are as follows:
1. The Last Tsar
2. The Family
3. Marrying into the Family
4. Born Romanov
5. The Training of Princes
6. A Suitable Marriage
7. Family Ties
8. The Family at Work
9. The Family at Play
10. The Passing of the Tsar
11. War and Revolution
12. Full Circle

A Window Back in Time Through the Camera
This is a wonderful Zeepvat book.It is similar in nature to others she has written.Although I enjoyed the book a lot, some of the pictures had been previously published in other books and forums.I would have liked to have seen more pictures that had never been published about their day to day life at Livadia, Tsarskoe Selo and on board the Standart.What i am saying is that maybe more access could be granted to different photo albums than just the usual that are referenced in other books and this one as well.
... Read more