By Alumni

Absolute Power: The Real Lives of Europe’s Most Infamous Rulers

by C.S. Denton

At a time when monarchies are a thing of the past, it is easy to forget how much power they once wielded. Absolute Power, by Chad Denton ’03, examines the lives of European rulers  – from the last king of Rome to Tsar Nicholas II – and the forces that drove them to excesses.

Each figure in the book has been criticized throughout history for unjustly using and abusing power. Absolute Power strikes a medium between the historical textbook method of examining history and the entertaining approach. Denton offers interesting biographical details to give new insight into the lives of these demigods.

Divided into 75 chapters based on region, Absolute Power thoroughly explores the monarchs in an informal, readable style, showing how they became carried away by their status, or in some cases, driven to madness. 

Absolute Power was published in July 2006 by Arcturus Foulsham.

               – Gracie Hart ’08 and Erica Mason ’07