67.
Author: Alison Rattle and Allison Vale
Title: Mad Kings & Queens: History's Most Famous Raving Royals
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 152 pages
Genre: nonfiction, history
Acquisition: Purchased August 21, 2010
Date Completed: August 21, 2010
Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Mad Kings & Queens is exactly what one would expect from a Barnes and Noble bargain history book, but I am nonetheless disappointed. I was prepared for the lackluster writing and the lack of development, but I was not prepared for the prejudice and judgment that guided the choices made by Rattle and Vale. It is no secret that royal lines have long been plagued with mental instability, and the "inbreeding" of European royal families has lead to a long list of unfortunate offspring. This progeny makes up a strong portion of the book, which is seasoned with famous figures such as Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory (named as Erzsebet Bathory, accent marks missing).

What I found distressing was the long list of monarchs who were dubbed insane for, well, enjoying sex. Some of these royal figures are even included for simply enjoying sex with their lawful partners. Others, of course, include queens who had a number of affairs, and rulers who indulged in homosexual desires of varying degrees. While I understand that contemporary politics, religion, and cultural stigmas would likely influence the subjects of these royals to recoil in horror, does a strong libido really mark a historical figure for entrance into a collection of Mad Kings & Queens? I would argue that a king who engaged in sexual congress with his wife late into his seventies deserves a little more indulgence than the tsar who ran naked through the streets stabbing citizens.

Interested in naughty kings and queens? Eleanor Herman is a lot more fun - and a lot less judgmental.