Bibliograph

Royalty's strangest characters, extraordinary but true tales of 2000 years of mad monarchs and raving rulers, Geoff Tibballs

Type

Label

Royalty's strangest characters, extraordinary but true tales of 2000 years of mad monarchs and raving rulers, Geoff Tibballs

Language

eng

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Royalty's strangest characters

Medium

electronic resource eBook

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Responsibility statement

Geoff Tibballs

Series statement

Strangest

Sub title

extraordinary but true tales of 2000 years of mad monarchs and raving rulers

Summary

Recounting over 2,000 years of daft despots, raving rulers and potty potentates, this unique look at the worlds 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 husbands 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, Britains 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 worlds royal families

Table Of Contents

Title Page -- Dedication -- Copyright -- Contents -- INTRODUCTION -- THE QUEST FOR IMMORTALITY: Shi Huangdi, Emperor of China (259-210BC) -- MAD, BAD AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW: Caligula, Emperor of Rome (AD12-41) -- MOTHER LOVE: Nero, Emperor of Rome (AD37-68) -- THE PRIZE GLUTTON: Vitellius, Emperor of Rome (AD15-69) -- THE PROSTITUTE PRIEST: Elagabalus, Emperor of Rome (204-22) -- THE WICKED STEPMOTHER: Fredegund, Queen of Neustria, France (543-97) -- CAUGHT IN THE ACT: Edwy the Fair, King of England (940-59) -- A CHAIN OF TRAGEDY: Margaret 'Maid of Norway', Queen of Scotland (1283-90) -- ROMEO AND JULIET: Pedro I, King of Portugal (1320-67) -- HEART OF GLASS: Charles VI, King of France (1368-1422) -- VLAD THE LAD: Vlad the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia (1431-76) -- DEARLY DEPARTED: Juana I, Queen of Castile (1479-1555) -- PLAYING AT SOLDIERS: Zhengde, Emperor of China (1491-1521) -- THE BUTCHER OF NOVGOROD: Ivan IV, Tsar of Russia (1530-84) -- LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST: Eric XIV, King of Sweden (1533-77) -- WILD CHILD: Don Carlos, Prince of Spain (1545-68) -- THE BLOOD COUNTESS: Erzsébet Báthory, Countess of Transylvania (1560-1614) -- A GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING: Murad IV, Sultan of Turkey (1612-40) -- AN UDDER FIXATION: Ibrahim I, Sultan of Turkey (1615-48) -- A MIXED INFANT: Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1640-1701) -- THE BEWITCHED KING: Carlos II, King of Spain (1661-1700) -- AN EXTENDED FAMILY: Augustus II, King of Poland (1670-1733) -- THE END OF THE LINE: Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1671-1737) -- A COLLECTOR OF CURIOSITIES: Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia (1672-1725) -- A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: Philip V, King of Spain (1683-1746) -- LAND OF THE GIANTS: Frederick William I, King of Prussia (1688-1740) -- THE PRACTICAL JOKER: Anna, Empress of Russia (1693-1740) -- THE SEX MACHINE: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (1729-96)THE QUEEN WHO DRESSED AS A CHILD: Maria I, Queen of Portugal (1734-1816) -- THE RICE-BOX KING: Sado, King of Korea (1735-62) -- THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE: George III, King of England (1738-1820) -- THE TOUGH GUY: Christian VII, King of Denmark (1749-1808) -- THE VULGAR BOATMAN: Ferdinand IV, King of Naples (1751-1825) -- THE LAW-MAKER: Paul I, Tsar of Russia (1754-1801) -- THE PRINCESS OF SCANDAL: Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821) -- THE KING AND THE SHOWGIRL: Ludwig I, King of Bavaria (1786-1868) -- THE SELF-STYLED EMPEROR: Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico (1819-80) -- THE PIGEON FANCIER: Khande Rao Gaekwad, Maharajah of Baroda (1828-70) -- THE BIRD-BRAINED SULTAN: Abdul Aziz, Sultan of Turkey (1830-76) -- A BROKEN WOMAN: Charlotte, Empress of Mexico (1840-1927) -- THE PRINCE OF PARANOIA: Abdul Hamid II, Sultan of Turkey (1842-1918) -- THE DREAM KING: Ludwig II, King of Bavaria (1845-86) -- BARKING MAD: Otto I, King of Bavaria (1848-1916) -- THE TRAIN NOW STANDING: Madhavrao Scindia, Maharajah of Gwalior (1886-1925) -- PRINCE OR PAUPER?: Mir Osman Ali Khan, Nizam of Hyderabad (1886-1967) -- THE THIEF OF CAIRO: Farouk I, King of Egypt (1920-65) -- FOOT-IN-MOUTH DISEASE: Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921- ) -- PLATFORM FOR POWER: Prince Roy of Sealand (1922- ) -- THE RIGHTFUL KING OF ENGLAND?: Michael Abney-Hastings (1941- ) -- THE KING ON WELFARE: Togbi Korsi Ferdinand Gakpetor II of Ghana (1957- ) -- Bibliography

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