German Royalty

Book categories: History, WW II, Medieval, Franks, Charlemagne, Holy Roman Empire, Frederick III, William II, Bavaria, Palaces, Coburg, Hanover, Palatinate, Prussia, Frederick the Great, Saxony, Miscellaneous

German History & Royalty

A Concise History of Germany by Mary Fulbook. Spans the early Middle Ages to the present day.

The Cambridge Illustrated History of Germany by Martin Kitchen. Chronological account of German history from Charlemagne to the modern era.

Mad Princes of Renaissance Germany by H. C. Erik Midelfort. As the title suggests, this is a study of insanity among German royals.

Making Sense of Constitutional Monarchism in Post-Napoleonic France and Germany by Markus J. Prutsch. Highlights the daring attempt to improve traditional forms of monarchical legitimacy by means of a modern representative constitution.

Fatherlands: State-Building and Nationhood in Nineteenth-Century Germany by Abigail Green. Focuses on the three kingdoms of Hanover, Saxony and Wurttemberg. Includes a chapter on the modernization of German monarchy.

Royals and World War Two

Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany by Jonathan Petropoulos. The author, who was given access to royal archives, tells the story of the Princes of Hesse and the important role they played in the Nazi regime. The princes made the Nazis socially acceptable to high-society patrons, but they were betrayed by Hitler and later prosecuted by the Allies.

The Palace and the Bunker: Royal Resistance to Hitler by Frank Millard. A study of the role of German and Austrian royals in Hitler's defeat.

Nazi Princess: Hitler, Lord Rothermere and Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe by Jim Wilson. Stefanie von Hohenlohe was born to a middle-class family of partly Jewish descent. After marrying and divorcing a German prince, she became a close confidante of Hitler, and spied for the Nazis among British high society.

Medieval Germany

Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany by Benjamin Arnold. Looks at why a multiplicity of states and territories emerged by the end of the Middle Ages instead of a "nation state" under the crown.

Itinerant Kingship and Royal Monasteries in Early Medieval Germany, C. 936-1075 by John W. Bernhardt examines the relationships between monarchs and monasteries.

Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia by John M. Jeep. This A-Z encyclopedia provides in-depth coverage of the history and culture of the German and Dutch-speaking world from c.500 to 1500 CE. Includes illustrations and some 700 signed entries.

Courtly Culture: Literature and Society in the High Middle Ages by Joachim Bumke. Describes aristocratic society -- castles and clothing, weapons and transportation, food, drink, etiquette, tournaments, knighting ceremonies, and princely feasts, courtly love, and more.

More Books About Medieval Germany
Books About the Frankish Empire
Books About Charlemagne

Friedrich III

Our Fritz: Emperor Frederick III and the Political Culture of Imperial Germany by Frank Lorenz Müller. This biography reconstructs how the hugely popular persona of "Our Fritz" was created and used for political purposes before and after the emperor's death of throat cancer after a reign of only 99 days.

An Uncommon Woman by Hannah Pakula. Biography of the Empress Frederick, who was the daughter of Queen Victoria and mother of Wilhelm II. Her husband, Frederick III, died shortly after becoming emperor.

Dearest Vicky, Darling Fritz by John Van Der Kiste tells the tragic love story of Frederick III and his wife.

Books About Queen Victoria & Her Family

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Kaiser Wilhelm II by Christopher M. Clark. This biography explores both the ruler and his times. It covers the entire span of his life, and assesses his personal failings as a ruler.

The Kaiser and His Times by Michael Balfour is a scholarly biography of Wilhelm II.

The Kaiser and His Court by John C. G. Rohl is about Wilhelm II and the government of Germany.

Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888-1900 by John C. G. Röhl. A detailed account of the first half of the German ruler's reign.

The Kaiser: New Research on Wilhelm II's Role in Imperial Germany edited by Annika Mombauer and Wilhelm Deist. Collection of essays examining Wilhelm II's role in imperial Germany, focusing on the later years of his reign.

The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II by Giles MacDonogh. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Kaiser Wilhelm II: Germany's Last Emperor by John Van Der Kiste. Out of print, but sometimes available from Alibris.

Young Wilhelm: The Kaiser's Early Life, 1859-1888 by John C. G. Rohl. Describes the future kaiser's life from his birth in 1859 to his accession in 1888. From Alibris.

Books About the Kaiser & World War I

Bavaria

The Utility of Splendor by by Samuel John Klingensmith. Ceremony, social life, and architecture at the court of Bavaria, 1600-1800.

Lola Montez: A Life by Bruce Seymour. Montez (real name: Eliza Gilbert) was a dancer whose love affair with King Ludwig I created such a scandal that the king was forced to abdicate.

King Ludwig I's Gallery of Beauties by Gerhard Hojer. More than 30 portraits painted by Joseph Karl Stieler for King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria by Christopher McIntosh. "Mad King Ludwig," is best remembered today for building exotic palaces and giving financial support to composer Richard Wagner. He died mysteriously, an apparent suicide, in 1886 after being declared insane.

King Ludwig II: Reality and Mystery by Hans Rall, Michael Petzet, and Franz Merta. First published in German in 1968, this book has become a standard work on Ludwig II. This edition is translated into English. It includes a biography of the king and an essay on his relationship with the arts. Illustrated.

Furniture for the Dream King: Ludwig II and Anton Possenbacher, Munich Cabinet-maker to the Bavarian Court by Afra Shick, photographs by Rainer Herrmann, Ulrich Pfeuffer, Maria Scherf. Possenbacher created furnishings for Bavaria's "Mad King" Ludwig II. He also designed for other rulers, such as King Charles I of Romania. This book introduces his furnishings in historical context.

The Secret Crown by Chris Kuzneski. Fiction. Two men search for the truth about Bavarian king Ludwig II's murder and his mythical treasure.

A Palace for the Heart: Laments for Ludwig II by Nick Norwood. American elegiac poetry about King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

King Ludwig's Castle: Germany's Neuschwanstein by Lisa Trumbauer. For children ages 9 to 12.

More Books About Bavaria

Movie About King Ludwig

Ludwig. Haunting 1972 movie about Ludwig II's tragic life starring Helmut Berger as the king. (Formatted for North American audiences.)

More DVDs About Royalty

German Castles & Palaces

Books About German Castles & Palaces

Coburg

The Coburg Conspiracy: Royal Plots and Manoeuvres by Richard E. Sotnick. At the dawn of the 19th century, the Duchy of Coburg was small, poor, and had no influence. One hundred years later, the genes of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family ran in 13 royal families. How did they achieve this turnaround? Available from Alibris.

Hanover

England Und Hannover/England and Hanover by Adolf M. Birke, edited by Kurt Kluxen.

Palatinate

The Winter King

The Winter King: Frederick V of the Palatinate and the Coming of the Thirty Years' War by Brennan C. Pursell, David M. Jones. A detailed biographical account of Frederick V, elector Palatine of the Rhine and king of Bohemia, and an examination of the reasons for the war.

The Winter Queen

The Winter Queen: The Story of Elizabeth Stuart by Josephine Ross. A 1979 biography. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

The Winter Queen by Carola Oman. Biography of Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of Britain's James I and wife of Bohemia's Frederick I. She suffered poverty and exile after the death of her husband. The Hanoverian kings of England were descended from Elizabeth. From Alibris.

The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason. Set in the court of Britain's King James I, this novel tells the story of his daughter Elizabeth, whose love match with Frederick of Bohemia, Elector Palatine, is opposed by her parents.

The Winter Queen by Jane Stevenson. Novel, set in 17th century Holland, in which Elizabeth of Bohemia secretly marries an African prince. First book in a trilogy.

The Shadow King by Jane Stevenson. This sequel to The Winter Queen tells the story of Balthasar Stuart, the child of Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia and her secret husband Pelagius, an African prince.

The Empress of the Last Days by Jane Stevenson. Third book in the trilogy. A group of modern scholars discover that the true queen of England may be a young scientist who is the last living descendant of a black prince, Pelagius, and Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia.

More Books About Britain's Royal Stuart Family

Sophia of Hanover

Sophia of Hanover: Mother of George I and Ancestor of the House of Windsor by Josephine Duggan. Sophia, Electress of Hanover (1630-1714), grand-daughter of Britain's James I and mother of George I, was a gifted writer. Josephine Duggan has translated Sophia's memoir and thousands of letters. Topics include religion, international gossip, Sophia's family life, and more.

Other

The Correspondence Between Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia and Rene Descartes translated by Lisa Shapiro. Between 1643 and 1649, Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia (daughter of Frederick V) and René Descartes exchanged 58 letters discussing metaphysics and philosophy. This book also includes Elisabeth's correspondence with the Quakers William Penn and Robert Barclay.

Books About Prince Rupert of the Rhine

Prussia

Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 by Christopher Clark. With its capital in Berlin, Prussia grew from a small medieval state into one of the most powerful nations in Europe.

History of Friedrich II of Prussia by Thomas Carlyle. The multiple volumes of this classic work have been reprinted.

The Cultivation of Monarchy and the Rise of Berlin: Brandenburg-Prussia 1700 edited by Karin Friedrich and Sara Smart. A selection of documents related to the emergence of Brandenburg-Prussia as a monarchy and the establishment of the royal court in Brandenburg. Includes poems by Johann von Besser about court festivities, engravings of the coronation, and reports from diplomats.

Frederick William IV and the Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay. The first full-scale study in English of the reign of Frederick William IV, King of Prussia from 1840 to 1861, and arguably the most important German monarch in the century between the death of Frederick the Great and the accession of William II.

Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great: The Magnificent Enigma by Robert Asprey. A cradle-to-the-grave biography of the ruler who raised the small kingdom of Prussia to major power status in the turbulent 18th century.

Frederick the Great on the Art of War by Frederick the Great, edited by Jay Luvaas. A selection of Frederick the Great's writings on military matters.

Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters by Giles MacDonogh. Raised by a brutal father, Frederick remained true to himself. His tastes for music, poetry, and architecture matched the significance of his military triumphs in the Seven Years' War.

Frederick the Great: A Historical Profile by Gerhard Ritter, translated by Peter Paret. Biography.

Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment by James R. Gaines. Frederick the Great's brief conflict with composer Johann Sebastian Bach illuminates a pivotal moment in history.

Saxony

Pleasure and Ambition by Tony Sharp is about the life, loves, and wars of Augustus the Strong, king of Poland and elector of Saxony, 1670-1707.

The Dream of a King: Dresden's Green Vault edited by Dirk Syndram and Claudia Brink. The Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault) in Dresden, Germany is a museum founded in the early 18th century by Augustus the Strong, king of Poland and elector of Saxony. This book contains full-color illustrations of masterpieces from this important collection of Baroque and classical art such as the Golden Coffee Service and the Dresden Green Diamond.

Saxony in German History by James Retallack and Hartmut Zwahr. Culture, society, and politics, 1830-1933.

Miscellaneous

The Feud in Early Modern Germany by Hillay Zmora. Feuding amongst noblemen and princes was widely accepted in early modern Germany. This book examines the violence in its social context.

Monarchy, Myth, and Material Culture in Germany 1750-1950 by Eva Giloi. How ordinary German subjects incorporated the monarchy into their daily lives through relics and royal memorabilia.

Kaspar Hauser: Europe's Child by Martin Kitchen. Kaspar Hauser was a teenager who appeared in Nuremberg, Germany in 1828. He was barely able to speak, and ate only bread and water. He claimed that he had been imprisoned in a tiny dark cell for most of his life. His supporters believed he was the rightful heir of the royal house of Baden. He was stabbed to death under mysterious circumstances in 1833. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Books About the Habsburgs
Books About the Holy Roman Empire
More Books About Royalty