Blood Royal: Dynastic Politics in Medieval Europe

Written by Robert Bartlett

Narrated by Jonathan Cowley

Throughout medieval Europe, for hundreds of years, monarchy was the way that politics worked in most countries. This meant power was in the hands of a family-a dynasty; that politics was family politics; and political life was shaped by the births, marriages and deaths of the ruling family. How did the dynastic system cope with female rule, or pretenders to the throne? How did dynasties use names, the numbering of rulers and the visual display of heraldry to express their identity? And why did some royal families survive and thrive, while others did not?

Drawing on a rich and memorable body of sources, this engaging and original history of dynastic power in Latin Christendom and Byzantium explores the role played by family dynamics and family consciousness in the politics of the royal and imperial dynasties of Europe. From royal marriages and the birth of sons, to female sovereigns, mistresses and wicked uncles, Robert Bartlett makes enthralling sense of the complex web of internal rivalries and loyalties of the ruling dynasties and casts fresh light on an essential feature of the medieval world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666107968

Robert Bartlett

Robert has lived all around the United States for brief periods at one time or another, but mostly grew up in Northern Virginia. A happily married father of four, he now lives just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. With his love of the outdoors, he developed his passion for writing with poetry at an early age, being published for the first time at seventeen. Later, his passion evolved into writing short stories and novels mostly in the post-apocalyptic/horror and the suspense/thriller genres.

Reviews for Blood Royal

[Simen Talleras · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an informative and highly entertaining look at medieval politics, through the lens of dynasties. The author is obviously extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter and his enthusiasm keeps the story interesting throughout.