This edition is published by Barnes & Noble, Inc., by arrangement with Time Warner Books (UK). It was adapted from Lines of Succession, published in 1999.

Includes index.

This is a revised and updated edition of the book that was first published to great acclaim in 1981. It presents, for the first time, a comprehensive account of both the heraldic and the genealogical history of European royalty. Starting with the beginning of heraldry in the eleventh century, the two experts who collaborated to make the book present the heraldic as well as the genealogy of all the royal families of Europe, past and present. The genealogical tables provide detailed family trees, country by country. The coats-of-arms representing the various matrimonial alliances show how heraldic devices evolved and developed from simple symbols to complex quarterings. Additional tables highlight the most important historical events involving dynastic succession. The text describes - with many pithy asides - the historical background to each royal family tree, and shows how such events are reflected in the make-up of the royal coats-of-arms. The result is a fascinating historical document, as well as an important contribution to the literature of heraldry.