5.000 Years of Royalty: Kings, Queens, Princes, Emperors & TsarsThomas Craughwell2009

Conflict. Glory. Romance. Tragedy. Bloodshed. No matter the era, the lives of the men and women who have wielded power and controlled destinies make for fascinating reading.
5,000 Years of Royalty compiles the rich pageant of history into a lushly illustrated, accessible guide that will delight both the amateur historian and inveterate royal watcher alike. Profiles include:
The Assyrian warrior king Ashurbanipal, who hitched the kings of four nations to his chariot for a victory parade;
Montezuma, who was stoned to death by his Aztec subjects upon his capture by the Spanish;
Ivan the Terrible of Russia, who, upon the suspicious death of this wife, executed bot only those he thought were guilty, but also their families, so that no one would remain alive to pray for their souls;
Mary I, Queen of Scots, who had no luck with men—her closest advisor was dragged from her room and stabbed to death and her husband's house was blown up while he was lying sick in bed;
King Leopold II of Belgium, who's private colony in the Congo caused the death of more than 2 million Africans working for him.