Royal Murders: Hatred, Revenge and the Seizing of Power

by Dulcie M. Ashdown

Spanning more than a thousand years of European history, this work looks at the motives, means and consequences of the murders of - and sometimes by - members of Europe's ruling families. In early centuries murder was usually a "family matter", the result of warring factions fighting for real power. Richard II's throne was usurped by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, a dramatic coup famously recreated in Shakespeare's play, as was the usurpation of Macbeth. In the sixteenth century monarchs fell victim to religious fanatics or were the subject of witchcraft - King James had a coven of witches convicted for raising storms at sea when he was on passage in 1589. In the seventeenth century "judicial murder" became part of a revolutionary process. Political motives dominated the Royal murders of the nineteenth century, among them the assassinations of Alexander II in Russia in 1881 and the Austrian Empress Elisabeth in 1898. In 1914 it was the assassination by a Slav nationalist at Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, which precipitated World War I. In the late twentieth century it is the lone madman who is most feared. A compendium of "who-dunnits", gruesome fellings, witchcraft, infanticide and assassinations that have changed the course of history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Crime, Royalty, True Crime

258 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kevin]

A series of anecdotes that really need a more cohesive through line for most of the pre-modern chapters. And where are my Romans?

[Bridget]

This is an interesting book which covers European royalty over the centuries. It packs a lot in, so if you are after something more in depth, this isn’t the book for you. But if you enjoying history in small pieces, then this is well worth a read.

[Amber Ray]

Found the section on medieval murders the most interesting. Murder and political skullduggery just seems more acceptable in the cruder Medieval era.
The killings of royals after WW1 and 2 are quite sad, especially the Russian royal family and basically trace political instability across the map of Europe. The author is quite right....royal murders mutated into political assassinations for many of the same power-related issues.

[Sasa]

Gooood :)

[Nate]

A lot of overdramatization of history but still interesting

[Candy]

Always enjoy reading about the seedy side of royal life.

[Jasmine]

Exactly what it says on the tin.

[Jennifer (JC-S)]

‘There is something in human nature that makes a murder story appealing to all sorts of people.’
This book spans more than a thousand years of history, examining the motives, means and consequences of murders of – and by – Europe’s ruling families. There are all manner of murders here: from the possible involvement of Mary Queen of Scots in the death of Darnley to the murderous killings undertaken by Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible).

There are murders that overthrew tyrants, ended dynasties and started wars. And how were these murders committed: swords and arrows, bombs and bullets, and poison. Witchcraft too, allegedly. The royal murderers have killed, often to gain (or retain) power. Consort queens have murdered their husbands, fathers their sons and sons their fathers.
The unifying theme of this book is murder or attempted murder of and by royalty, or those closely connected to royalty. It caught my attention, but didn’t always keep it. I found snippets of information that I was previously unaware of, as well as some interpretations that I may not agree with. Despite the subject matter, I found this a comparatively light read, probably because I wanted more information about some of the individual cases than the book provided. Still, if you are interested in the lives and deaths of royalty, this book may well appeal.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Meaghan]

This was not as engaging as it could have been, and I don't recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a thorough grounding in European royal history, but it was full of good stories, some of them quite delicious, and well worth reading.

[Christine]

Ashdown's book is a chapter by chapter story of royal bloodletting from the Middle Ages on down. The book rarely feels like a list, actuallly the only place it does is towards the end. Some of the stories are well known, some not.

[Andrea]

I thought that it would be more interesting.