The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of England [Paperback]

Clifford Brewer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0902920995 | ISBN-13: 978-0902920996 | Publication Date: March 17, 2000

Many Kings and Queens of England suffered extraordinary deaths. Handsome and virile in his youth, a rare medical condition turned Henry VIII into a bloated and grotesque old man, The dashing and glamourous Henry V probably died of cancer of the rectum, a fate that also befell Edward I. Charles I was beheaded. Henry VI was the victim of a grisly murder. Edward II, attacked in an intimate place with a poker, died in agony from traumatic perforation of the rectum. George II died in ignominy enthroned on the lavatory. Distinguished surgeon Clifford Brewer T.D. F. R. C.S. has made the deaths of kings the study of a life time, examining every act of violence and each unpleasant disease with a razor sharp eye for detail. This volume will enthrall and appal. --- from book's back cover

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Abson Books (March 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0902920995
• ISBN-13: 978-0902920996
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great and fascinating read, January 18, 2008

By 

History Lover (New Hyde Park, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of England (Paperback)

I bought this book years ago at Heathrow Airport and devoured it on the flight back to New York. It's the only time I haven't been bored on that 7 hour trip. If you love history, especially English royalty, you will enjoy this. It's well written and while some of the conclusions may be speculative there is enough information on each death to hazard a few guesses on your own. You don't need any medical knowledge to throughly enjoy this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Helps to Answer Many Questions, January 14, 2010

By 

Sharon A. Hutchinson ""It is the time you... (Toms River, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of England (Paperback)

Most reviewers here have already written of the many merits of this book. I would just like to add that the author presents each case with a measure of sympathy for the sufferer of ailments which puzzled the best medical minds of their respective time periods.

As an example, the image of Henry VIII conjures up a bully-a domineering and heartless ruler. But considering that Henry was probably dealing with some very serious health issues that affected him not only physically but also psychologically, one begins to understand the relatively swift descent of this monarch from a budding Renaissance prince to a feared sovereign.

The author also presents a more sympathetic view of medical men of ages past, before the benefit of modern scientific discoveries and identification of many illnesses. Though he admits there were many "quacks", Dr. Brewer also educates the reader regarding some astute individuals who were very sincere in their attempts to understand and help their patients. We would not have the medical knowledge of today if it hadn't been for the efforts of these pioneering medical men, who are all too often ridiculed for holding the often very erroneous views of illnesses so prevalent at the time that they lived.

Anyone interested in British history and/or the history of medicine will enjoy this book. The author has reached out across the centuries and provided an honest and interesting look at not only the monarchs and their maladies, but the medical response to their often puzzling and deadly ailments, both physical and mental. Very highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars British kings and queens meet the grim reaper, October 22, 2009

By 

P. B. Sharp (NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of England (Paperback)

Although the surgeon-author is not a gifted writer there are some fascinating facts to be gleaned from this book. For instance, Charles I's corpse had completely disappeared and nobody knew where he was located until centuries after his death in 1649 when he was found to be resting between Henry VIII and Jane Seymour at Windsor. His severed head was still recognizable with the Van Dyke beard in place. Charles died from the axe, of course, and there were several murders (including Richard II and Edward II). The various diseases suffered by English monarchs are discussed in detail.

Queen Anne, for instance, likely suffered from lupus, her obesity and her failure to produce a live child or one that lived longer than a few days, are the reason for that diagnosis. 17 of her dead babies were found in the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots for reasons unknown. Syphilis was rampant among kings, Charles II being perhaps the most notorious lecher. Henry VIII has often been suspected of having syphilis, but the author says unlikely. The ulcer in his leg was not a syphilitic gumma but a wound he had sustained in the jousts and which infected the bone underneath. And poor young Edward VI died horribly of tuberculosis, his hair fallen out, his fingernail gangrenous.

Then there is Queen Victoria whose waist measured 46 inches- she was truly five by five. She succumbed to heart disease and the complications of obesity and is the last monarch discussed in the book.

This history of British royals and how death claimed them is a fine read, not really depressing and certainly not voyeuristic, just interesting. Want to know what happened to Oliver Cromwell's head? Read the book!