The Czars

by James P. Duffy, Vincent L. Ricci

During the course of most of Russia's turbulent history, czars ruled. The story of these men and women - as diverse as the lands they governed - is, in many ways, the story of Russia itself. From the birth of the Kievan state in the second half of the ninth century to the murder of Czar Nicholas II and his family in 1918, historians James P. Duffy and Vincent L. Ricci trace the long and twisted line of imperial rule in Russia, offering many insights into the uses and abuses of absolute power, as well as a glimpse at world history through the eyes of those who made it. The Czars is a vital page in the literature of Russian history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Russian History, European History, Biography

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Alexander Seifert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to prefer history books when they're written in more of a narrative fashion. I think it creates more buy-in for a reader when you can meld historical methodology and a great narrative. That said, this book isn't a narrative, nor is it by any means a stuffy academic tome.

I've read this book twice, both times for fun. For me, it was simple read and engrossing, from the story of the Rurikids to the murder of Nicholas II and his family at the dawn of the Soviet era. The author does a great job of weaving in all the wonderful anecdotes and stories threaded throughout Russian history.

I'm obviously biased, but I genuinely thought this was a fun book to read. I'll probably wind up reading it a third time if I'm ever bored or need to refresh my tsarist history.

[Therese]

$2.99

[T.J. Gillespie · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than just a biography of the Russian Czars (which really only began in 1547 with Ivan IV--aka Ivan Grozny aka Ivan the Terrible), this book gives a pretty comprehensive introduction of Russian history from the ascendancy of Kiev to the murders of Nicholas and Alexandra and their children in 1918.

The book is organized around four key periods, starting with the Viking origins of Rurik and the founding of Kiev, before moving on to the many years spent as a vassal to the Mongols, the emergence of a strong, centralized Russian empire under Ivan the Great, and ending with the House of Romanov starting in 1613.

We get some great personalities:

Olga who converts to Christianity, but only after getting some serious revenge first. First she buried a whole boat in the ground, burying alive all the passengers. Second, she used captured birds to start a holocaust. Olga distributed captured doves and sparrows among her soldiers with instructions to tie small amounts of smoldering kindling to each bird. During the night, the birds were released and quickly returned to their nests in the buildings of Iskorosten. Before the first morning light, virtually the entire town was in flames. Then she became St. Helena.

Vladimir the Great, who leaves paganism after a “Testing of the Faiths.” He is tempted by Islam, but when he discovers his people would have to give up pork and alcohol, chooses Orthodoxy.

Alexander Nevsky who wins battles on ice.

Ivan Moneybags who bulbs a fortress called the Kremlin in Moscow.

In a scene reminiscent of Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones, Ivan the Terrible would lock his enemies in a cage with starved dogs and watch them get shredded. Ivan was no animal lover, though; “he was a mean-spirited youth who threw dogs and cats from the Kremlin walls to watch them suffer, and who roamed the Moscow streets with a gang of young ruffians, beating people indiscriminately.”

Boris Godunov, The Time of Troubles, and the multiple pretenders claiming to be a murdered prince Dmitri.

In addition to all the Greats (Ivan, Peter, Catherine) we get Basil the Adequate, my favorite Yaroslav the Wise, Yuri the Long Armed, and Alexis the Quiet.

The one objection I had was the book’s rather unfair treatment of Elizabeth, oldest daughter of Peter the Great. The book describes her as “A handsome, charming, and probably nymphomaniacal woman of thirty-one, Elizabeth was spending most of her time in pursuit of pleasure and had no interest in ruling the country.” This is pretty dismissive of a cultured woman who brought an Age of Enlightenment to Russia. A great patron of the arts, architecture, and education, she founded the University of Moscow, continued the reforms of Peter the Great, and built the Winter Palace.

The other is when we get to Rasputin, where we get this bizarre question: “Was Rasputin a true miracle worker, or simply a charlatan who was extremely lucky? The truth probably will never be known.” No, I think we know the truth. He was not a sorcerer with real magic powers. He was a master manipulator and a conman.

Still a worthwhile introduction.

[Nick Girvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely the perfect book for a general overlook of the Tzarist period of Russia, though some sections definitely lacked some context that would have made them a little less dry. It could have stood to explain more about expansion into Siberia and other imperial missions. But, in the books defense, I do believe it was meant to focus on the lives of the Tzars, which it does a good job on.

Certain eras get more treatment, especially when reaching the point of the Napoleonic wars, which were pretty neat. As predicted, the few times it mentioned the soviet period were done in poor faith, but I guess that’s not really the point of this book.

Perfect for those that want a general history, not so much for those looking for lots of specific detail.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick overview highlighting the Russian monarchy from beginning to end. It was not an in-depth review but it adequately covered all the Czars along with brief descriptions. I found it a useful primer.

[Stuart Thursby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly boring and functional. But at least I have a bit more of an overview now?

[solitaryfossil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Czars/Tsars, To-may-toe/To-mah-toe… I’ve always liked the “Czars” spelling, but who cares?
This book, at only 420 pages, is an excellent primer highlighting the Russian monarchy from its beginning in 862 to the end in 1917. While not an in-depth look at any individual Czar, I found it quite interesting, leaving me with the mission to read much more about them. Especially Ivan IV (“The Terrible”) Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas I, and the most well known of them all - Nicolas II. I found this book to be an excellent starting resource regarding the history of The Czars. Recommended.

[Jonathan Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow in parts but still enjoyable

It's sad how much world history isn't taught these days. I learned a lot about people and places I've never heard of.
This is a great level set of history if Russia and I would recommend it. While there seemed to be some slow parts overall it flowed well.

Like I said so much isn't taught about other ayers in history. Read this and learn about the czars of Russia

[Joyce Howland · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is hard to rate this book, and sometimes hard to read, but I thought it was a great overview of Russian history and provides a clue of what may be going on in Putin's mind in 2022. This is not an in-depth biography of the rulers but focuses on the major events, and how the czars acted and reacted affecting their history. I thought some descriptions and comments were repetitive, but overall you will get an understanding who Russia was and is today.

[Carl Merrigan]

Helpful to get a standard introduction to broad outlines of the entire history of the Russian monarchy, from Kieven Rus to Romanov Dynasty. I lost track of all the fratricide, patricide and wars between the early princes of Kiev and Moscow.

Ivan the Great possibly most genius, impressive, brilliant leaders. Not a great husband , insanely jealous...

[Lenny Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to read this, don't think I put it down because it was boring or uninteresting. Just the opposite. To understand Russia at all, today, I highly recommend this book. For the kindle price of a "buck 99" you can't go wrong.

[Ian McGaffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thorough look at the history of Russia and her Czars. It was really interesting to go from the Grand Princes of Kiev all the way to the fall of the Romanov dynasty. Lots of bits of history I was unaware of.

[Tine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

A great read that covers the vastness of Russia's known history without getting tedious or boring. It definitely kept my interest.

[Necessittee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. It laid out the royal family of Russia from the founding of Russia to the downfall of the czars (tsars). It did a great job explaining things and it was very well organized. It also sparked in me a curiosity to learn more about a few of the czars. I'd definitely recommend to anybody who's curious to learn about the Russian monarchy as well as the history that coincides with it.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was written in 1995, reading it this year, given what is happening between Russia and the Ukraine, is timely. Starting with the first ruler (Rurik) in the 9th century up to the Romanov’s in the early 1900s, the book covers the basic history and transitions between the rulers of areas we typically consider Russian. Probably the most surprising is that the first ruler, Rurik, was a Viking, as were several thereafter. This all started in Kiev – so the interest in that area by Russia today becomes interesting. Though given all the various peoples who have affected the culture and ruled the area, defining Russia is quite murky and difficult to do. Also, as with most monarchies affiliated with Europe during the first century, the intermarriages gave Russia many non-Russia rulers throughout. Many did not have any Russian blood whatsoever. I found this book to be a little dry, but a great primer and reminder of the complexity that is Russia.

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...not just "czars" (the Grand Princes of the House of Rurik are given are fair amount of time).

Like Glick's biography of Newton, this well organized, occasionally shallow book best serves as an introduction and recommendation for further reading. This is a problem I have with wide-ranging histories as a whole and should not be interpreted as anything more than the opinion of a dilettante.

This is not to say its not worth your time, but as a dynastic history lover, I feel Robert K. Massie's great works on the Romanovs are far superior due to there focus on a single monarch. Aside from that, the information and stories on the formation of the Russian monarchy until just before the rise of Ivan IV was full of stuff I hadn't really run into.

So...recommended, with caveats.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the writing style isn't especially flashy, the incidents are chosen and told well, and I found it to be quite the engaging historical read. It spans a vast stretch of time but doesn't skimp on interesting details. (I do think there was an editor falling asleep at the desk though; there aren't a ton of typos, but definitely more than there should be.) I wish my history classes had included Olga, the 75 year old badass bringer of vengeance, or the battling blinded Basils, or the multiple magical reincarnations of Dmitri. Tip of the fur cap to these authors for bringing these fascinating historical personalities to life.

[Stacy Spoonster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Czars

This is a great comprehensive overview of the Russian Czars from beginning to end. It does not go into a huge amount of details on each individual czar (some more so than others), but it is still a fascinating read. The book definitely peaked my interest and leads me want to know more about these men and women. I would highly recommend for any history buff especially if you have even the slightest interest in Russian history.

[Peggie Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will readily admit that I didn't try to pronounce many of the names but what I wanted was a basic biography/history of the Russian czars so did get much of what I wanted from this book. The style was pretty basic, declarative sentences so at times became a bit monotonous but then it also didn't encumber the reader with such complex ones that they had to be reread in order to comprehend the information.

[Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good layman's guide the history of the Russian Czars. I found it to be an easy read, both in language and structure. My only complaint would be a lack of maps to use as a reference for locating various cities and political boundaries. Definitely keep an atlas handy with maps of Russia and Eastern Europe while reading this. Overall, would recommend to someone who was looking for a broad scope understanding of Russian history, pre-Communism.

[Shellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for anybody who has an interest in Russian history but isn't quite sure where to begin. I only recommend it if you a) know nothing about Russian history, and b) are a history buff. Otherwise, this book will collect dust on your bookshelf. It can be a bit dry, but also somewhat entertaining if you have an imagination.

[Luis Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Czars

Excelente libro que presenta muchos pasajes en la formación del imperio ruso a costa de esclavizar a sus campesinos y sacrificados en muchas guerras guerras no contribuyeron al engrandecimiento de Rusia. Una gran conclusión de este libro es que la democracia es el mejor sistema político donde el riesgo de las guerras entre países vecinos no existirá más.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good insight into the lesser known--at least in the west--tsars, but don't expect much in depth analysis from this one. It's mostly summary, delivered at a fairly breakneck pace. I can't say I recommend it for anyone new to Imperial Russian history, but it feels like a good jumping off point for people wanting to investigate the less (in)famous tsars.

[Jason Slemons · Rating 4 out of 5]

very readable, and it gives a long view of the czars so you hear about all the crazy czars that russia used to have and how mongol invasions influenced czars, also how they started. It also got me really interested in Nicholas II, 'the last czar'.

[RumBelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting, concise history of Russia's rulers. Russian history is one of my favorite topics, so I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about the early history of Russia, and even some things I didn't know about the later Czars.

[Joseph Ramsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not great depth, but gives a decent overview. I bought this for the section on Ivan the Terrible as I needed to know about him for parallels with Stalin, who I teach about. I’m sure I’ll come back to it if I ever need info on other Czars.

[William Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good rundown of the lineage of Russia Tsars. It is great for beginners in the subject, or for people who need a quick recap. Starting with Rurik and the Grand Princes of Kiev and ending with Nicholas the second, it was a enjoyable book. East to read and very fluent.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the rulers of Russia

[Marlaina McCauslin · Rating 3 out of 5]

a complete guide to all the czars of Russia, their background and so on. Some what a dry read, but still interesting

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history from early czars and rulers applied to Russian history.