Mortal Monarchs

1,000 Years of Royal Deaths

By: Suzie Edge

Narrated by: Suzie Edge

A humorous deep-dive into the varied—and oft-gruesome—deaths of the king and queens of England and Scotland.

How the monarchs of England and Scotland met their deaths has been a wonderful mixture of violence, infections, overindulgence and occasional regicide. In Mortal Monarchs, medical historian Dr Suzie Edge examines 1,000 years of royal deaths to uncover the plots, accusations, rivalries and ever-present threat of poison that the kings and queens of old faced.

From the "bloody" fascinating story behind Oliver Cromwell's demise and the subsequent treatment of his corpse and whether the arrow William II caught in the chest was an accident or murder, to Henry IV's remarkable skin condition and the red-hot poker up Edward II's rear end, Mortal Monarchs captivates, grosses-out and informs.

In school, many of us learned the dates they died and who followed them, but sadly never heard the varied—and oft-gruesome—way our monarchs met their maker. Featuring original medical research, this history forms a rich record not just of how these people died, but how we thought about and treated the human body, in life and in death.

©2022 Suzie Edge (P)2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

Fun book despite the topic!

I am a fan of Dr. Edge and really enjoyed her signature narration! I liked the book itself and definitely learned a few things! One thing to note: this book is an overview of the deaths of British monarchs. As such, the hallmarks of each reign is touched upon but not in great detail.

Very fascinating!

If you love horrible history, science, and English monarchs, this is the book for you. Without going off too deeply into each monarch’s reign (otherwise it would be a very long book) the author still gives enough details on how they lived, ruled, and died. I can’t wait for her next book!! She writes and narrates so that history comes to life, and adds enough humour to make you wish the book would not end.

Thoroughly interesting from beginning to end

I greatly enjoyed this unique look at history and am looking forward to starting Dr. Edge's next book!

Outstanding

I was riveted by the stories and wonderful reading by the author. This book is a treasure. Highly recommend.

Great Read.!

This was a very interesting book. I follow Suzie on Tik Tok and I find her to be very interesting and very informative. I look forward to reading more books from her.