Against the odds, monarchies flourished in nineteenth-century Europe. In an era marked by dramatic change and revolutionary upheaval, Europe's monarchies experienced an unexpected late flowering. Royal Heirs focuses on the roles and personalities of the heirs to the throne from more than a dozen different dynasties that ruled the continent between the French Revolution and the end of the First World War. The book explores how these individuals contributed to the remarkable survival of the crowns they were born to wear. Constitutions, family relationships, education, politics, the media, the need to generate 'soft power' and the militarisation of monarchy all shaped the lives of princes and princesses while they were playing their part to embody and secure the future of monarchy. Ranging from Norway to Spain and from Greece to Britain, Royal Heirs not only paints a vivid picture of a monarchical age, but also explores how such disparate monarchies succeeded in adapting to change and defending their position.

‘Beautifully written and elegantly translated by Rona Johnston, Müller’s brilliantly researched study is the first to shift attention from the monarchs themselves to the children who embodied the institution’s future. Drawing on prodigious research in many national and regional archives, Müller’s analysis captures the European lineaments of monarchy’s modern history without losing sight of national and dynastic peculiarities.’

Christopher Clark - author of The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914

‘Müller’s book dazzles with the brilliance of his primary research and his ability to draw common threads and uncommon insights from a massive scholarly literature. Every chapter of this energetic, imaginative account offers sparkling aperçus about how young and not-so-young heirs to the thrones of Europe grew into their dynastic roles (or didn’t).’

James Retallack - author of Germany’s Second Reich: Portraits and Pathways

‘A very substantial contribution to our understanding of monarchy and politics in the “long” nineteenth century. For those who do not know much already about the period, Müller is a master at disentangling the various dynastic skeins, and weaving them back into a comprehensible story.’

Brendan Simms - author of Europe: The Struggle for Supremacy, 1453 to the Present

‘Müller’s fascinating account of the royal heirs in nineteenth-century Europe reminds us that the “game of thrones” can only be played successfully by those who keep a keen eye on what lies ahead in the future. Both meticulously researched and highly entertaining, the book analyses the making of modern men and power relations at the top of society.’

Monika Wienfort - author of Monarchy in the Nineteenth Century