Royal Heirs
Succession and the Future of Monarchy in Nineteenth-Century Europe

Illuminates the role played by the heirs to the throne in the survival of monarchy in nineteenth-century Europe.

Frank Lorenz Müller (Author)

9781316512913, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 January 2023

375 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.5 cm, 0.64 kg

'Müller's fascinating account of the royal heirs in nineteenth-century Europe reminds us that the “game of thrones” can only be played successfully by those who keep a keen eye on what lies ahead in the future. Both meticulously researched and highly entertaining, the book analyses the making of modern men and power relations at the top of society.' Monika Wienfort, author of Monarchy in the Nineteenth Century

Against the odds, monarchies flourished in nineteenth-century Europe. In an era marked by dramatic change and revolutionary upheaval, Europe's monarchies experienced an unexpected late flowering. Royal Heirs focuses on the roles and personalities of the heirs to the throne from more than a dozen different dynasties that ruled the continent between the French Revolution and the end of the First World War. The book explores how these individuals contributed to the remarkable survival of the crowns they were born to wear. Constitutions, family relationships, education, politics, the media, the need to generate 'soft power' and the militarisation of monarchy all shaped the lives of princes and princesses while they were playing their part to embody and secure the future of monarchy. Ranging from Norway to Spain and from Greece to Britain, Royal Heirs not only paints a vivid picture of a monarchical age, but also explores how such disparate monarchies succeeded in adapting to change and defending their position.

Introduction
1. 'Pledge of a blessed future': royal heirs in the nineteenth century
2. 'And this comedy that I have to perform before the world': royal heirs as sons and husbands
3. 'The affair of his people': the education of royal heirs in the nineteenth century
4. 'Making the Princess known and securing friends for after times': royal heirs in politics, press and the public sphere
5. 'From my earliest youth the army has been my absolute love': royal heirs and the militarisation of the monarchy
Conclusion
Appendix: List of rulers and heirs.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]