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  • Mortal Monarchs

  • 1,000 Years of Royal Deaths
  • By: Suzie Edge
  • Narrated by: Suzie Edge
  • Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (251 ratings)
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Mortal Monarchs cover art

Mortal Monarchs

By: Suzie Edge
Narrated by: Suzie Edge
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Summary

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

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What listeners say about Mortal Monarchs

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wow

absolutely fantastic I was gripped from start to finish, how ya gonna top that Dr suzi haha from your biggest fan on tictok Gabriel Apollo William and Summer too

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entertaining!

Edge's book is a bit simplistic here and there when she describes several of the monarchs' lives and the political situation during their respective reigns but it is nevertheless fun to listen to!

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Excellent!

Interesting and full of story about the endings of many kings - stuff that I would have loved as a kid… would have made history much more fun!! glad I found it eventually many years later … lovely narrative and easy listening. Thank you

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Highly interesting!

I really enjoyed listening to this. Extremely well researched, I learnt a lot about our monarchs and their deaths.

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Excellent !

Very easy to listen to,not macabre or gruesome despite its subject matter probably due to its lovely narration.

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A very good listen.

An interesting topic, very well researched with a touch of humour. Would recommend to anyone interested in our Monarchy.

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Very horrible histories

Very gory and yucky in places, but wonderfully read in an often tongue in cheek and dry manner. Interesting snippets of the ailments along with fascinating details of the aftermath of each monarch.

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Amazing as expected!

I have followed Suzie all the way through on TikTok and was eagerly awaiting this. It didn’t disappoint- bought print copy and audiobook. Can’t wait for the next - no pressure 🙏

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Entertaining and educational

Great book - great listen, one i would go back to. i have to keep typing due to 15 word minimum

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Everything I hoped it would be

Informative, funny, gory and just very interesting to listen to. I'd highly recommend this book and the author.

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