A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors

I've read many of Farquhar's books, and have loved them all. This one is no exception.I've read "Behind the Palace Doors: Five Centuries of Sex, Adventure, Vice, Treachery, and Folly from Royal Britain" and was hesitant to purchase this book, as I feared it would be a repeat of the same stories. It is not. This book includes stories about the first Popes and some of the Roman Emperors, as well as stories about Spanish nobles and famous Italians (the Medici family really would be a great next book for this author to write about). Honestly, I could stand to never read about the early Popes and Roman Emperors ever again (really unseemly stuff), but I was grateful for their inclusion just to be reminded of the world we live and how we got to where we are today.Like all of this author's books, I'd recommend stopping every few chapters, and reading more about these historical figures online. It really gives a better insight into how these people fit into the overall history of our world.Overall, a great read.

This an interesting and reasonably well written expose of what one might call "monarchs behaving badly." In many cases amusing and frequently shocking. However, being fairly familiar with the subject, there were only a few tidbits with which I was not already familiar. My one major complaint is the all-too stereotypical Eurocentric scope of the book. While I am well aware that the subject of royal pecadillos is too vast to be covered by a single book, I find it curious that no continent other than Europe is even mentioned. Moreover, many European monarchies are likewise not mentioned, such as the Scandinavian monarchies, Belgium, Holland, etc. The author also jumps around chronologically, talking about a particular sovereign, and then returning to the same individual sometime later. In addition, there were a couple of notable inaccuracies: the first sentence of Part VII declares "the Roman emperors of the first century were Europe's first true monarchs..." Putting aside the fact that the Roman emperors were not initially considered (officially at least) to be hereditary monarchs, what about an obscure little guy known as Alexander the Great, some three centuries before Caesar Augustus (NOT Julius Caesar) was proclaimed the first "Imperator" (the Latin word merely means "commander")? As far as I know, Macedon, or Macedonia IS in Europe, and Alexander was most emphatically a king! Secondly, we are told, towards the end of the book that Tsar Nicholas II and his family were slain in OCTOBER of 1918, when, in fact the slaughter occurred in JULY of that year. All in all a good read, but not without its flaws.

Michael Farquhar's "A Treasury of Royal Scandals" will delight inveterate royal watchers! As he sniffs in the introduction, he covers not the current crop of royals, as none of them have provided anything worthy of the title of "scandalous," but he goes in-depth to provide us with (as the book is subtitled) "shocking true stories of history's wickedest, weirdest, most wanton kings, queens, tsars, popes, and emperors."Farquhar provides a handy family tree for major royal families at the beginning--it's most helpful when the scandals reach a dizzying pitch and you need to sort out which royal is plotting to overthrow/marry for money/murder which other royal. He debunks an awful lot of incorrect gossip (like the oft-told tale of Catherine the Great's predilection for beastiality) and comes up with wonderful gems of dirt that will be deliciously unfamiliar to most readers. This is not a scholarly work by any means--it's kind of like a historical PEOPLE magazine, focusing on the faux pas, the foibles, and the fevered doings of all sorts of royals throughout history. Great good fun!

Let's be honest here, A Treasury of Royal Scandals is not a in depth historical treatise on the royal monarchies of Europe. It is in fact a rehash of well-known historical facts and a lot of innuendo that have been researched and written about by more renowned authors and historians. In fact, a quick look at the bibliography provided at the end of the book clearly shows that the author gleaned his book from the pages of other publication, all of which were written in the 2oth Century. There is no reference to any original source material at all which is disturbing because the author repeatedly quotes either letters written by the participants / observers in the events he is chronicling or he refers to historical writings of contemporaries of the period being discussed. While I acknowledge that much that the author has written is well known and you can ‘Wiki’ or ‘Google’ easily on the so called scandal to find multiple hits on the subject, it would have helped to know that the author had done more than just read a bunch of books to compile his selection of the juicier historical tidbits. Still, I enjoyed reading the book. The chapters were short and the book read like a journalistic report, which considering that the author is or was a report makes sense. The book flows easily and I completed it in over the course of four days (I’m a slow reader do to the fact I am partially blind). I smiled at many parts as they reminded me of other books and articles I have read dealing with the same topic. In all, A Treasury of Royal Scandal is a easy, fun read and for that I’ve given it three-stars. I hope you enjoy it as well.

I have the kindle version of this book and so far I love it. I'm not finished just yet but I have a semi obsession with historical figures- monarchy mainly. It jumps into the reality of how our Kings and Queens used to be. I have to say the things you'll read in this book just may blow your mind away. It makes you proud our civilization (at least in the united states) isn't like this. I thank you for this book an if need be I'll write another review once I'm completely finished.

je conseille la lecture de cet excellent ouvrage, très divertissant qui montre la face cachée des grands de ce monde pas si lointain, puritains s'abtenir

Edizione molto curata, bella impaginazione e ben fatto, contenuti davvero molto interessanti e utili per approfondire la conoscenza dell'inglese, collana editoriale che non delude mai le aspettative del lettore, spedizione rapidissima e imballaggio buono, davvero molto soddisfatto.

The book authored by Micheal Farquhar keeps appearing at regular interval in recommended reading list. This even though, there are hardly reviews written by anybody from India. Still there was an element of something alluring or intriguing that drew me towards his writing. I then found that he has a committed fan following outside India. At least, innumerable number of reviews confirms that. Most appreciated his uncanny knack of presenting historical facts, combining with humour. Despite being a history buff, it seems like a weird combination. How can history be humorous or humour can be historical? Despite apprehensions I added some of his books in my wish list. It remained that way until after a long time; I decided to lay my hand on this book. The cover of the book suggests anything but seriousness. Why we get interested into something that is bizarre? Are we really serious about reading on somebody who had led an uneventful or controversy free life? For majority, I feel the answer is No. Freaks, whether it’s an idea or a character always guarantee significant traction. The subject on scandal always ensures huge number of hits. In fact, the books showcase such scandals created by royals across Europe. It does not chronicle historical event but give anecdotes on various historical figures, who have exhibited behaviors that deviates from accepted norms. Princess Marguerite has an unflinching quest for men, and dating her was deadly due to her despised brother. Empress Anna of Russia once punished 3 nobles to live like a hen for a week. Though Princess Isabella was married to crown prince Joseph, but she had a crush on his sister Christina. King Caligula used to sleep with his sister. Even much before that, King Bootkins used to preside over killing by gruesome methods, with modes being small injuries inflicted until the sum become lethal. Napolean siblings were bent upon tormenting him even though he had provided them with cash, titles and even kingdom. Queen Isabella raided her husband Edward II kingdom and put him to death with the help of her lover. The list is endless. Lust, envy, pride, wrath, fury were embraced by these royals. Some neglected duties associated with a king and indulged in dillydallying. The bedrock based on which a kingdom evolved was compromised with, and they also ended up as a bane for the downfall. At times, their activities were delusional in nature. No wonder, they became an anathema for their subject. Just to stay in throne, kings would gorge out hearts and livers of their own brethren. Some facts and characters were indeed amusing but the author had not tried to force humour on the reader. He has not intentionally constructed sentences to add wits. On the contrary, events are mentioned just like any other historical facts that are narrated in other books. The book also narrates some barbaric, hair-raising and gruesome incidents. He has refrained from fondling with the truth. What he has successfully done is that he has carefully and diligently chosen his subject matter. The USP is not humour but the history presented in an unconventional manner. The surprise element is novelty, which makes it interesting. Extensive coverage has been given to Tudor family. No wonder, myriad numbers of stories are written and re-written on this family for both print and media. I have become a fan of Micheal Farquhar and have set my sight on another book. Both the book and the author are highly recommended.

Alles bestens, bin zufriedenDie Seiten waren alle im Buch, das Papier war lesbar, ich bin so froh das Buch zu besitzen

Bought for a present for my sister who loved it. She could not put it down.Well worth the money.