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The Red Staircase: The Ascension of Peter the Great
The Red Staircase tells of the ascension and formative years of Peter the Great of Russia, examining the young life of this epic figure and detailing his rise to power in seventeenth-century Moscow.
1682. Young Peter Alexeevich Romanov has been named Tsar of Russia and needs only to claim his rightful place. But when his shrewd half-sister Sophia steals the throne in a bloody coup, Peter sees his family murdered and the crown slip beyond his reach.
1689. Sophia rules Russia as Regent, using her loyal Strel'tsy Guard to keep her half-witted brother Ivan on the throne beside Peter and the reins of Russia in her own hands. Aided by her politically potent lovers, Sophia struggles to maintain power in the face of military defeats and a legitimate, charismatic heir.
Tsarevich Peter is now seventeen and almost seven feet tall, married with a child on the way. Rebellious and bright, he is popular despite his lack of deference for convention. Having survived the treachery of Sophia's Regency, Peter has created his own 'play' army outside Moscow and is supported by those desperate to regain their prestige and unseat Sophia. Mentored by the debauched adventurer Franz Lefort and the Scottish mercenary Patrick Gordon, the unconventional young heir must see his way through conspiracy and maneuver through church and Kremlin politics to wrench the throne from Sophia's grasp and gain the seat that will one day earn him his Peter the Great.
1682. Young Peter Alexeevich Romanov has been named Tsar of Russia and needs only to claim his rightful place. But when his shrewd half-sister Sophia steals the throne in a bloody coup, Peter sees his family murdered and the crown slip beyond his reach.
1689. Sophia rules Russia as Regent, using her loyal Strel'tsy Guard to keep her half-witted brother Ivan on the throne beside Peter and the reins of Russia in her own hands. Aided by her politically potent lovers, Sophia struggles to maintain power in the face of military defeats and a legitimate, charismatic heir.
Tsarevich Peter is now seventeen and almost seven feet tall, married with a child on the way. Rebellious and bright, he is popular despite his lack of deference for convention. Having survived the treachery of Sophia's Regency, Peter has created his own 'play' army outside Moscow and is supported by those desperate to regain their prestige and unseat Sophia. Mentored by the debauched adventurer Franz Lefort and the Scottish mercenary Patrick Gordon, the unconventional young heir must see his way through conspiracy and maneuver through church and Kremlin politics to wrench the throne from Sophia's grasp and gain the seat that will one day earn him his Peter the Great.
478 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2017
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