This is a solid collection of scholarly essays about primarily royal courts in the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries in Europe. Some of them are very dry and impersonal, others say more about the personalities of rulers and courtiers, which I found more interesting. Professionally, the most useful article for me was on "The King' s Court during the Wars of the Roses" followed by Starkey on the early Tudor court. The one arguing that the factions at Elizabeth I's court have been exaggerated (until the last conflict with the earl of Essex) was interesting, though I am not sure I am convinced by it. The one on Philip II of Spain made me a little more sympathetic to him; I am willing to believe he really would have been happy as a private country gentleman, as he said. The one on the Orange court in the early Dutch Republic was interesting because I have not seen it treated independently of general Dutch history. The one on factions in the French court between the death of Henri IV an the rise of Richelieu filled in some gaps in my knowledge. ( )