Schloss by Susan Symons

Schloss by Susan Symons

NEW EDITION WITH IMPROVED LAYOUT AND MORE ILLUSTRATIONS. Schloss is the German word for castle or palace. This book by Susan Symons visits 25 beautiful schl sser (the plural of schloss) in Germany and tells the compelling personal stories of the colourful royalty that lived in them. It is recommended to anyone who likes history or travelogues or who is interested in people's personal stories. Germany has a rich royal history. The country was not unified until 1870, and before that there were hundreds of different kingdoms, duchies and principalities, each with their own reigning family. These have left their mark, not least in the numerous castles and palaces that dot the German countryside. This book is about visits to 25 of these German schl sser. It tells the colourful stories of some historical royal characters connected with them; characters such as the mistress of the king who tried to blackmail him and was imprisoned for 49 years; the crown princess who ran away from her husband and six children with their tutor; and the insignificant princess who was passed on by her fianc to his brother but who ended up heiress to the throne of England. The book brings these and other stories vividly to life. With so many eligible princesses to choose from, Germany was the royal marriage market for Europe, and German princesses married into all of Europe's royal families. The book looks at how the British royal family is descended from the rulers of these German kingdoms and duchies. It also brings out two themes; the lottery of arranged dynastic marriages for royal princesses, and the equally sad fate of their landless younger brothers. The German royal princes abdicated in 1918 at the end of World War I. As they lost their royal families, many of the schl sser went into decline and became prisons, workhouses and other institutions. Some were behind the iron curtain for 50 years. The book charts these difficult years and their resurgence and use today as museums, hotels and public buildings. The book is intended to be easy to read, light-hearted and entertaining. It has more than 60 illustrations and 9 family trees. The schl sser included range from fortified castles of the middle ages, to grand palaces built in the 18th century in imitation of Louis XIV's Versailles, to stately homes from the turn of the 20th century. Many of them are not well known outside Germany and visiting these wonderful buildings is a real treat. 'This book can be seen as an inspiration ... to get out there and find the lesser known palaces and learn more about their history.' Review of Schloss in Royalty Digest Quarterly Journal

The accidental discovery by Susan Symons of a portrait of Queen Victoria in her attic sparked her lifelong interest in Victoria's story and was also the start of a collection of portraits of the queen and her family. By reading about the Queen's colourful life story she realised that history need not be boring and that royal history in particular is both fascinating and fun. She says it is like a historical version of Hello magazine. 'Victoria and Albert' is the second of three short books by Susan on 'The Colourful Personal Life of Queen Victoria'. They are inspired by the talks she gives to branches of the UK Women's Institute which focus on Victoria as a woman as much as a queen. Susan has an MA in Victorian Studies from London University, where her dissertation was on the public image of the young Victoria. She writes and lectures on German royal history as well as about Queen Victoria. Susan lives with her family in Cornwall, in the far south west of the UK, which for her is the most beautiful part of the whole country.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780992801427
ISBN 10	0992801427
Title	Schloss
Author	Susan Symons
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Roseland Books
Year published	2016-01-13
Number of pages	189
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.