Recounting over 2,000 years of daft despots, raving rulers and potty potentates,
this unique look at the world's craziest kings and queens will leave you
shocked, amazed - and often in fits of laughter.
From the madness of ancient Rome, exemplified by the Emperor Caligula who
wanted to appoint his horse to the consulate, we go on to meet Charles VI of
France, convinced he was made of glass, Queen Juana of Spain, never
separated from her late husband's coffin, and King Otto of Bavaria, who tried to
ward off hereditary insanity by shooting a peasant a day.
Throughout history, royalty and scandal have gone hand-in-hand like a Prince of
Wales and his mistress - witness the pocket-picking Farouk I of Egypt, Augustus
II of Poland, who fathered an estimated 355 children, only one of whom was
legitimate, and, more recently, Britain's master of tact and diplomacy, Prince
Philip. From kleptomania and incest to transvestism and even pigeon fancying,
all these and many more colourful characters can be found in this revealing
trawl of the world's royal families.
- ISBN13 9781849941808
- Publish Date 27 March 2014 (first published 24 March 2005)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Pavilion Books
- Imprint Batsford Ltd
- Format eBook
- Language English