Customer Reviews

Sex with Kings : 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (P.S.)

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Okay, the title is going to make people giggle or cringe. But "Sex With Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry and Revenge" is a genuinely engrossing book, full of funny and tragic stories about royal mistresses through history. From Madame de Pompadour to Camilla Parker-Bowles, Eleanor Hermann studies these controversial -- sometimes fascinating -- women.

There are mistresses of all types: married and single, noble and low-born, beautiful and ugly, smart and stupid. Some befriended the queens, some attacked (and were attacked by) them. Some died alone and unhappy, some became nuns, and some lived in luxury to the end. Some were sweet and pious, and some were nightmares. Hermann studies why the kings got involved with these women, and how brains and sweet natures could mean a lot more than a pretty face. They could (sometimes) influence politics, succession, and their illegitimate children were sometimes better-loved than the king's legitimate kids.

The mistresses themselves are a colorful bunch, from the bratty, grasping Lola Montez, bawdy Nell Gwynn, pious Louise, and the legendary Madame de Pompadour. One of the most memorable is the grasping Madame de Montespan, who used black magic to ensnare the king, only to eventually drive him into the arms of a "batlike" governess.

Yes, it's called "Sex with Kings." But it's not all about sex -- in fact, it becomes clear that sex is only one factor. Hermann does a pretty good job of studying all angles of mistresshood. Sure, a mistress sometimes got the prettiest dresses and jewels, but she could be kicked out on a whim. There were dozens of setbacks, and only a very wily mistress could avoid them. The author also devotes attention to the mistress's children, her lover the king, and sometimes the mistress's husband. Even the unfortunate queen gets a chapter, as well as the occasional mistress who married the king.

But Hermann keeps it funny and light as well. One particularly funny story is of a plain German princess and a French transvestite prince -- both of whom ask how they can possibly sleep with the other. But she doesn't avoid the touchier issues of mistresses either, like the religious or political angles. Nor does she cater to double standards by blaming either the kings or mistresses.

Hermann finishes up the book on a promising note, pointing out recent marriages between royal men and the title-less women they love. But even if mistresshood is a thing of the past, the unique story of these women is well mapped-out in "Sex With Kinds." A fun and unique read.

This is a breezy telling of the somewhat spotted history of royal mistresses, from King David & Bathsheba down to Prince Charles & Camilla. There's a rather light-hearted approach to the subject, but it does go into detail of the lives of the women who seduced, or were seduced by, various monarchs. Interwoven in the tale is much of European history, and a lot of diplomacy which was occasionally (mis)managed by politically ambitious mistresses. The ends of mistresses varied greatly, from death in childbirth, to dismissal with pensions or not, to long lives with their husbands, to early death from illness, to being murdered. The story of the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor is particularly interesting, for it puts a different slant on that affair than I had ever considered, and for that bit of information alone I consider the book well worth reading.

Sort of embarrassed,I stood in line with my "Sex with Kings" book for all to see in the hands of this prim prime-timer, hoping the transaction would go quickly.

Worried about the outside, I soon learned I had nothing to fear from the inside. "Sex with Kings" has no sexual details unless you consider one mention of a king's foot fettish sexy, but, oh is it rich with life details.

I discovered amazingly interesting history from the Biblical mistress Bathsheba to today's Camilla Parker Bowes. Some main mistresses ruled both the kings and their kingdoms for years while some along with their children nearly starved. One mistress was so hated for marrying her prince that the king ordered assassins to rip her to shreads in her own garden.

And, the author has an obsession with Madame Pompadour who appears throughout the book as if the icon for a king's mistress.

One mistress went to war with her king. Most mistresses were constantly at war with those who would unseat them.
Out in our Wild West one Bible studying Lola, King Ludwig's mistress who broke his heart, chased, caught and horsewhipped a man.

Can you imagine what one former mistress lectured about in 1857 at 37 in America and Europe and was well paid for it and attracted crowds?

Find out about the tossed aside mistress whose jealous and insane husband announced he was a tulip, planted his feet into the ground, and ordered his servants to water him, which they did. Learn the fates of the cast aside mistresses who went crawling back to their husbands.

All of this intrigue, gossip, backbiting, sabbotage, murder, poisoning, potions, betrayal, espionage among mostly stinking, dirty, flea-infested, lice-covered people who rarely bathed, except one mistress who insisted on a bath at least three times each week and put up with the stench of her king, makes the book a hard-to-put-down read.

The detailed life of a mistress: no peace, no rest, always at your best and subject to loss of royalty's attention at the drop of a petticoat. Yet, famous paintings of Agnes Sorel (Charles VII) grace some of the most famous museums in our time.

I learned what country's mistresses were the most powerful and which were the least, in general. What mistress who married after she was let go by the king told her sons that they have to take it on the chin if people call them sons of a whore because they are, but told them never to allow anyone to call them bastards because they were legitimate, unlike the king's children she birthed.

And wait until you hear about their financial rewards during and after their tour of bed duty, including the one who absconded with her booty and had it confiscated. Fascinating is the best word for this book.

I was rather disappointed in this book. It was not well organized at all. Too much time is given to the same kings (Louis XIV and Charles II) and mistresses and the book jumps all over the place in general, which is a major distraction. I can't believe she spent so little time on Edward VII, arguably one of the most randy kings in history. The barest mention is made of any king prior to Charles II. And there is hardly any mention of Russian Czars and their mistresses. Her follow-up book, "Sex with the Queen", is MUCH better. She put that book in chronological order, which I think would have served this material much better. It would indeed have been interesting to see the development of the mistress' powers throughout the centuries. This book is OK, but not the page-turner it could have been. Do yourself a favor and buy "Sex with the Queen" instead.

I was very excited to pick up Sex with Kings as a juicy read. It was definitely juicy, and the subject matter was extremely interesting, but Ms. Herman's writing style was redundant and torturous. The chapters are thematic, so you will cover more or less the same king's mistresses in each chapter, again and again and again. I would rather have read this as short biographical sketches of most of these women. The book feels very disjointed to me, but like I said, the material is extremely interesting. I just wish it had been presented better.

If history teachers included a book like "Sex with Kings" on their class reading lists, they'd probably be rewarded with a slew of overeager students! Eleanor Herman's book is basically a summary of the art of being a royal mistress. Many different illicit royal relationships are covered in the book, from King David and Bathsheba to Charles and Camilla. Rather than just compile a biography of famous mistresses in history, Herman dives into the specific qualities that made a mistress successful. In order to make a decent living as a royal mistresses, not only did women have to know how to please a king in bed, but they also had to orchestrate a lot of other maneuvers as well: provide intellectual conversation, riveting entertainment, indulgence in the king's boring hobbies and stories, etc. Additionally, a good mistress would figure out ways to "save for retirement." Since most mistresses would inevitably be tossed out on their rear ends when the king tired of them or a younger, prettier woman came along, it was imperative that royal mistresses secure their financial futures by keeping lots of cash on hand, acquiring land and titles, and having as many illegitimate children as possible.

"Sex with Kings" is crammed with so many over-the-top stories that at first glance, this book could easily be mistaken as fiction. However, everything that is documented in the book actually happened and is backed up with Herman's meticulous research. I encourage everyone to read this book: history buffs will love it and non-history buffs will probably love it even more...who knew history could be so scandalous (and just plain naughty)?!

Eleanor Herman has done a marvelous job of researching European kings and their mistresses over the past half-millennia or so. And as an added bonus, Herman is a fine writer.

There's nothing salacious in this history. Rather, it is a study of the various aspects of a royal mistresses' life. How they became the king's mistress; how they fended off rivals; the rewards and perils of being the king's wnore.

All in all, Eleanor Herman makes this small aspect of history just plain delightful. One can hope she continues exploring lesser known aspects of European history.

Jerry

As a student of history, I thought I knew everything there is to know about the personal lives of European royalty. Eleanor Herman is obviously a researcher and historian of great talents, because I learned more about the great royal courtesans from her book than I had discovered from any other single source. And here is the really great thing about this book: it's wildly entertaining! I wish more historians had such a sense of humor about their subjects--we'd all be more educated about the past. The author treats her subjects with great dignity and respect, yet never forgets that the mistresses were, at their core, entertainers themselves. This is a stylish and comprehensive romp through the bedrooms of kings that I enjoyed immensely and will recommend to everyone I know. SEX WITH KINGS is a breath of fresh air that blows the dust off of history shelves. BRAVA!

As many have pointed out, the organization leaves a lot to be desired, the writing is overblown at best and the scholarship on par with an article in People Magazine. Much like People, it's a fun, fast read and a guilty pleasure.

The paperback version does include a cringe-worthy P.S. section with the author's 'insights' on living the baroque life, how she came to write sex with kings, etc. It has the unfortunate effect of turning the book into a history-cum-love-life advice book with comments like the following: "And now when [my husband] comes home and I am in the middle of some urgent piece of writing and don't want to be disturbed, I suddenly panic and think of Camilla and Madame de Pompadour. I race to the kitchen, welcome him home, and prepare him wine and cheese. I ask him aobut his day and tell him something amusing about mine to make him laugh. I am forty-four, my looks have had a good run but won't last forever. But I can always get wine and cheese."

Without the PS, it's still a little ambiguous as a contribution to women's studies and her examination of gender relations is quite superficial. For a more nuanced, substantive examination of the life a royal mistress, Eric Ives "The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn" is a good bet.

Also, Ms. Herman has the annoying habit of assuming motivations with no suggestion as to why she believes her posit to be the motivation. There is a dirth of sources and citations, few quotes (even from secondary sources) and nothing to really establish her as a credible expert.

So, if you are in the mood for gossip but are sick of reading about Britney, Brad, the Olsens, et. al, it's a good call and would make excellent beach reading.

Although I'm not usually interested in other people's sexual affairs, reading this lively history of kings and their mistresses was immensely entertaining. In SEX WITH KINGS, Eleanor Herman sets the royal record straight. For more than 500 years, mistresses were an accepted reality in the courts of Europe. Kings married not for love, but for dynastic or financial reasons, making royal mistresses inevitable. Royal marriages, Herman observes, were usually nothing more than personal catastrophes for the two victims kneeling at the altar (p. 13), and such unions sometimes produced gentically inferior offspring like "Juana the Mad," "John the Imbecile," and "Isabella the Insane" (p. 66). In exchange for her sexual escapades, amusing conversation, and royal cheerleading, the royal mistress (also known as the "maitress-en-titre") was rewarded with pensions, titles, gifts, and courtly accomodations (often superior to the queen's). Herman's study on mistresses is filled with international anecdotes, though her subjects are primarily French and English. Becoming a royal mistress required beauty, we learn; but remaining a royal mistress took ingenuity and brains. Sure to offend some readers but entertain others, Herman has written an eye-opening book on the sexual morality of the monarchy.

G. Merritt