Debrett's Kings and Queens of Europe

by David Williamson

Chronologically characterizes the monarchs of Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day kings and queens of Europe

Genres: Nonfiction, History

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great coffee table book giving concise and factual history of the Royal Dynasties of Europe from the 1100s to the 1980s. A lovely gift for someone with an interest in constitutional history.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall an excellent book covering the dynasties of the European continent--excluding Britain, obviously---that is both brisk and thorough. Accompanied by beautiful paintings and photographs of monarchs etc. Stuffed with sex scandal, but the narrative is mostly factual and not just throwing details in for thrills. My only complaint is the politically correct author tries to smear rumors of homosexuality on more monarchs than is really credible---I found the accusation against Frederick the Great particularly ill-founded and insulting. These homosexual slurs are not too frequent to really wreck the overall mood of the book, so it still gets 5 stars, but I'm just warning potential readers to be patient.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for history students and/or royalty fanatics. Gave 4 stars only because not quite as comprehensive as the Kings and Queens of Britain - but then, it is covering the ruling history of many countries and empires in the same size book. In particular, note that the Holy Roman Empire (House of Habsburg) and the Russian Empire (House of Romanov) are NOT included, which is a shame. Nevertheless, I went out of my way to locate a copy of this long-out-of-print text, and it was worth it!

[Bettie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A constant companion to other reading.

[Matthew Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, pretty well organized, good reference for learning about the important past European monarchs. Could be less dry, but if using it for self education, works pretty well.

[Michael Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coffee-table volume, very attractive, reasonably dependable, and with lots of illustrations and charts. The genealogy is narrative and anecdotal. A terrific books to give as a gift.