It is well known that, throughout history, royalty have built castles, fortresses and entire cities to show their power. However, less consideration has been given to individual monarchs who pursued an interest in architecture and in some cases acted as architects.   

Recent research on Gustav III (1746 1792) has shown that he was in fact the architect for a number of important building projects. His relative George III of England (1760 1820) also had a great interest in architecture, and his drawings and sketches have been preserved. In this richly illustrated book, a number of scholars provide additional examples and perspectives on the importance of monarchs for architecture and architecture policy.   

Contributing writers: Barbara Arciszewska, Clive Aslet, Basile Baudez, John Goodall, Michael Hall, Elisabeth Kieven, Rebecca Lyons, Magnus Olausson, Frank Salmon, Ian Thompson, Simon Thurley, Michael Turner, David Watkin, Melanie Doderer-Winkler   

Edited by: Clive Aslet and Frank Salmon   Frank Salmon is Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in History of Art, University of Cambridge and a Fellow at St John s College, Cambridge. Since 2021 Dr Salmon is director at the Cambridge based The Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical Architecture.