Royal Murders

Hatred, Revenge and the Seizing of Power

The motives, means, and consequences of the murders among members of Europe’s ruling families are examined in fascinating detail. Plucking true stories due to their historical significance and sheer intrigue, this book relates violent deaths amid royal splendor and the overthrow of tyrants by oppressed populations. Methods vary from sword and arrow, to bomb and bullet, to alleged witchcraft. Settings range from Russia to Portugal. The involvement Mary Queen of Scots may have had in her second husband’s murder is examined as well as a search for the facts behind Shakespeare’s portrayal of the murderous usurpers Macbeth and Richard III. But in European history there has been no royal murder to rival Russia’s Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a homicidal maniac responsible for thousands of deaths, whose dramatic killing sprees are examined here.