The perilous crown - Munro Price

Beginning with the return from exile of Louis-Philippe d'Orleans in 1814, together with his sister, Madame Adelaide, Price examines the remarkable period that saw not one but two revolutions; the first, in 1830, put Louis-Philippe on the throne, the second in 1848 saw him exiled once more, destined to spend the last years of his life in quiet seclusion in Surrey. Drawing on previously unpublished letters and journals, Price focuses on the amazing political machinations of Madame Adelaide. Mentioned only rarely in other histories of the time, Price restores her to rightful prominence and reveals how her intelligence and behind the scenes wrangling secured her brother the throne, thereby creating France's only long-lasting experiment with a constitutional monarchy.

Price brings this extraordinary period, with all its instability and political intrigue, vividly to life, and at the same time illuminates our understanding of a difficult and tumultuous time. The result is an ambitious, exciting and masterful work of history that is sure to delight and inform for many years to come.