Inglorious Royal Marriages: A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony

 

Summary (from the publisher): It’s no secret that the marriages of monarchs are often made in hell. Here are some of the most spectacular mismatches in five hundred years of royal history....

In a world where many kings, queens, and princes lacked nothing but true love, marital mismatches could bring out the baddest, boldest behavior in the bluest of bloodlines. Margaret Tudor, her niece Mary I, and Catherine of Braganza were desperately in love with chronically unfaithful husbands, but at least they weren’t murdered by them, as were two of the Medici princesses were. King Charles II’s beautiful, high-spirited sister “Minette” wed Louis XIV’s younger brother, who wore more makeup and perfume than she did. Forced to wed her boring, jug-eared cousin Ferdinand, Marie of Roumania—a granddaughter of Queen Victoria—proved herself one of the heroines of World War I by using her prodigious personal charm to regain massive amounts of land during the peace talks at Versailles.

Brimming with outrageous real-life stories of royal marriages gone wrong, this is an entertaining, unforgettable book of dubious matches doomed from the start.

Review: This delightful history follows eleven historical figures who, due to their position and royal families, found themselves in arranged marriages that went very poorly. Arranged in chronological order spanning from the early 1400s through the twentieth century, this novel provides insight into the marriages of Henry VI, Margaret Tudor, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I, Isabella Romola de Medici, Louis XIII, Philippe of France Duc d'Orleans, Charles II, Maria Carolina of Austria, Princess Marie of Edinburgh, and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. 

This was well researched and informative but reads like historical gossip (in a good way). Each chapter was just in depth enough to provide context and a thorough overview. I also appreciated that it hones in on some historical characters who, while prominent in their day, are often overlooked in historical works or biographies. This book is written in an entertaining, more light hearted tone of voice than most histories and I enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Stars: 4