So of course, the Kings took mistresses for love, sex, companionship and entertainment. Many of these mistresses were awarded royal titles of their own, and held prominent places in the hierarchy of the royal court. Some amassed great fortunes during and after their tenure.

Eleanor Herman has done extensive research in order to tell us about these ladies of pleasure and what it took to be a successful royal mistress. Beauty, energetic love making, sparkling conversation, and lavish entertainment kept kings enthralled, and while mistresses made themselves wealthy, husbands made themselves scarce, and the rest of the court and the public either tried to emulate them, or made fun of them. Some were mere flings, while some, like Louis IV's Madame de Pompadour kept her position as maitresse-en-titre for an incredible nineteen years, wielding great political power.

Herman makes history and the people who populated it come alive as our dry, boring high school history books never did. It is organized by topic: "Beyond the Bed - The Art of Pleasing a King," "Royal Bastards," "Public Opinion and the Mistress," etc. She writes with great insight and wit in a thoroughly entertaining romp through the boardrooms and bedrooms of kings. If teachers could only include this in their curriculum! Definitely one of the best books I've read in a very long time.

Eleanor Herman will follow up with Sex with the Queen -- 900 Years of Vile Husbands, Virile Lovers and Passionate Politics. It will be out in June 2006 from Harper Collins/William Morrow.