Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge

If you are looking for salacious, sexy history, don’t bother to read “Sex with Kings.” The title is the best thing about the book. Although the author examines the lives and times of royal mistresses from the 15th century to the present, she does not inbue her history with any raciness or sense of the personalities involved at all. This is just rather routine recitations of the perks and pains of being a maitresse en titre. The book is organized by topic rather than chronologically, which makes for confusion and a rather choppy read. All in all, a stronger come-on than pay-off.
Rating: 2 / 5

Mistress. Lover. Whore. All three words are used to describe women throughout history that have committed adultery or been “lax” in their behaviour and moral attitude towards the opposite sex. But who are the real people behind these words? Few biographers have actually taken the time to write about these remarkable women and the extraordinary circumstances in which they lived, and the history that they influenced or helped to create.

Imagine it; you meet a man, you fall in love, you follow your passion and instincts wherever they lead (to your detriment in most cases) and you try so hard to prove to the man of your dreams that you are the love of his life. Now imagine if you are in love with a King. He lavishes fine gifts on you and your family. You know nothing good can come of your affair but a few bastards, a soiled reputation and some country estates. You try to please him in all ways and at all times, knowing all the while that you may not be his only love. In fact, he probably has several loves, and it is likely they are impatiently waiting for their royal lover to be done with you for the night. The people hate you, the Courtiers envy you, your friends are only your friends whilst it is of benefit to them. You know that your enemies at Court are waiting for the perfect moment to sever your hold over the King’s heart and ensure your humiliating downfall, so you try to make sure that you have enough “savings” to protect and look after yourself and your family in the event of. After all, it is inevitable. You are nothing more than a walking incubator, there to cater to his every whim and desire. And if you choose not to do so, there are more where you came from.

Eleanor Herman’s account of the lives of royal mistresses is as humorous as it is informative. It covers a span of 500 years, giving detailed accounts of the lives of these women and not only the well known ones. There are women mentioned in this book who I had never heard of before. Eleanor draws on a variety of sources and quotes the people themselves.

I especially enjoyed the love triangle between Charles II, Louise and Nell. I couldn’t stop laughing as I read the antics these three got up to, especially the comedic rivalry between Louise and Nell. The reason it has only gotten 4 stars instead of 5 is because as enjoyable as it is, it reads more like a novel than a work of non-fiction. Alot of fact is in this book, but unlike Alison Weir, David Starkey, Eric Ives etc the author has produced nothing substantial to back her information up, and there are some things in the book that I would question. Having said that, she has put an extensive bibliography at the back of the book and I have already ordered some books off this list for further reading.

Extremely well written, this book does not read like a university text, and you dont need to have any prior knowledge to be able to thoroughly enjoy this book to the utmost. A pleasant book to wile away the hours with, you will find yourself lost in the lives of these creative and extraordinary women. Quotes and colour illustrations complete this wonderful book. A must have for any lover of history.
Rating: 4 / 5