This volume challenges the traditional view that the First World War represents a pivotal
turning point in the long history of monarchy suggesting the picture is significantly more
complex. Using a comparative approach it explores the diverse roles played by monarchs during
the Great War and how these met the expectations of the monarchic institution in different
states at a time of such crisis. Its contributors not only explore less familiar narratives
including the experiences of monarchs in Belgium and Italy as well as the Austro-Hungarian
Japanese and Ottoman Empires but also cast fresh light on more familiar accounts. In doing so
this book moves away from the conventional view that monarchy showed itself irrelevant in the
Great War by drawing on new approaches to diplomatic and international history - ones informed
by cultural contextualization for instance - while grounding the research behind each chapter
in a wide range of contemporary sources The chapters provide an innovative revisiting of the
actual role of monarchy at this crucial period in European (indeed global) history and are
framed by a substantial introductory chapter where the key factors explaining the survival or
collapse of dynasties and of the individuals occupying these thrones are considered in a
wide-ranging set of reflections that highlight the extent of common experiences as well as the
differences.
