Thirteen Years at the Russian Court - A Personal Record of the Last Years and Death of the Czar Nicholas II. and his Family

by Pierre Gilliard

First published in 1921, this book contains the memoirs of Pierre Gilliard. Pierre Gilliard (1879 - 1962) was a Swiss author and academic famous for being the French language tutor of Russian Emperor Nicholas II's children between 1905 and 1918. Within these pages, Gilliard describes Tsarina Alexandra's sadness relating to her son's haemophilia and her belief in Grigori Rasputin's ability to help the boy. This volume constitutes a must-read for those with an interest in Russian history, and it would make for a fantastic addition to collections of related literature. Contents include: "My First Lessons at the Court (Autumn, 1905)," "Alexis Nicolaievitch-Visits to the Crimea," "I Begin my Duties as Tutor-The Czarevitch's Illness," "The Czarina, Alexandra Feodorovna," "Rasputin," "Life at the Tsarskoie-Selo-My Pupils (The Winter of 1913-14)," "Journeys to the Crimea and Rumania," etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with the original text and artwork.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Biography, Romanovs, Russian History, Memoir

372 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2015

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different view of the Romanov family from the tutor of Alexis primarily, I found the book interesting and his opinions compelling if somewhat biased as to the reasons the dynasty fell resulting in the murders of this family. I always thought the Czarina was controlling and very manipulating in her raising of her children,why did her two oldest daughters never marry? They were far older than the normal age for marriage at the time of their death,they had only been allowed to attend two social events, no life at all outside of the immediate family,so sad. The Czarina also isolated the family from the rest of the Romanov’s thus creating even more animosity among the upper classes and then there was Rasputin thrown into the mix. The Czarina was a neurotic woman at best with weak Czar who could /would not oppose her. The book is interesting and it also shows the investigation after the murders as well as the murders of the extended family including the Czarina’s sister. Very good informative book and with the DNA having been done now we know for sure that the entire family was killed in the “house of special purpose”.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tragic fall of the Romanovs. What really bothers me is George VI of Britain, a cousin of Czar Nicholas, had the ability to save the entire family yet refused to do so. They were his blood relatives and he sat by and watched them needlessly slaughtered. This is part of the history of the current British Royal Family and it’s just brushed aside. How does anyone with a conscience and soul live with themselves knowing this? Totally disgusts me.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the last Romanovs so so much. I've read several books on them and wrote a paper on Empress Alexandra for a class last semester, so I've come to learn a great deal about them over time. I am always impressed by their family life and the love they clearly had for each other.

This book is the memoirs of the Romanov children's tutor, and reading about his time with the family, World War I, and the Russian revolution from his eyewitness perspective was fascinating but equally heartbreaking. This work in particular gave me a greater understanding of what Alexei and Nicholas were like on a personal level. Additionally, Gilliard's account is a testament to those employed by the royal family, especially those who were dedicated and brave enough to stay by the tsar's side until the very end.

Clearly, Gilliard's closeness to the family gives him a bias that does not, perhaps, lend to a particularly well-rounded view of the events he describes. But honestly, who can blame him??? He spent years around the family and weathered some of their greatest trials right alongside them.

His argument concerning why the Bolsheviks hurried to dispose of the bodies-- not in fear of the White army, but of the Russian people-- was an interesting perspective. When Nicholas and Alexandra traveled across Russia during World War I, they were met with worshipful subjects and cries of "God Save the Tsar." Gilliard argues that the vast peasant population was, for the most part, removed from much of the revolutionary action. However, one must consider that Gilliard's reasoning, however correct, may have been inspired by his devotion to the tsar and his family.

I am constantly and starkly reminded of the Romanov family's humanity as I learn about their individual personalities, how they interacted with each other, and how the responded to the chaos happening around them. Gilliard's memoir captures all of this well.

[Ivan Kustov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. The collapse of the Russian Empire has been a much bigger tragedy to my family, than the collapse of the Soviet Union and this book definitely gave me the answers i was looking for. And although the contents of this book are everything but pleasent, it was still a pleasant read.

[SilveryTongue · Rating 5 out of 5]

0,5 estrellas

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These first hand accounts are so incredibly poignant, heart-breaking and fascinating. Whatever their faults may have been, the entire entourage did not deserve to die the way they did in that horrible basement - with loyal servants and young people totally innocent paying for the sins of the parents. It truly is appalling and the Bolsheviks knew that at the time or they would not have attempted to cover their tracks to the degree they did -in Russian-style which often means half-assed.

Reading these memoirs, I felt Mr. Gilliard’s shock and horror: not the children! Surely, not the children! He had to see the contents of the Tsarevich’s pockets and his belt buckle for himself before he would believe it to be true. Very moving and very haunting.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoirs of the tutor hired for the Csar's young children--all the way up to the time of their murders, and beyond. We all know the story, but following his search for what happened is very compelling. His opinions of Rasputin and the influence of the Tsarevitch's hemophilia in the family is interesting. This is a difficult book to lay hands on, it must be out of print.

[Judy Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çar ailesiyle yıllarca yaşamış eğitmen Pierre Gilliard her birinin karakterini müthiş analiz ediyor. Bolşevik devrimiyle ailenin feci sona gidişini an be an anlatıyor. Tarih sevenler kaçırmamalı bu kitabı.

[Maan Kawas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and disturbing book by the Swiss tutor to the children of Tsar Nicholas II Romanov, Pierre Gilliard, which provides information about the Tsar and his family.

[Ana Bourasseau · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's too bad such an important piece of work has so many grammatical errors and is impaired by atrocious editing. I purchased this edition through an independent source on Amazon, so I don't know if there are better editions of this piece of work. In addition, the book is riddled with awkward phrasing and translation. In my opinion, the content itself isn't bad. It recounts the "memoirs" of the royal family's french tutor from his beginnings at the Russian court to the end of their lives. It is historically invaluable. Unfortunately, the book's most interesting parts are probably toward the end. I'm not sure why he spent so many moments of the book writing about World War 1, especially when he wasn't literally present. This just seems like filler. Also, although I can't critizise this too much (as these were the views of the time), it makes me upset to hear such anti semitic comments and anti-German sentiment from the author. He's delusional saying that the revolution was caused by German spies and the jews. Overall, invaluable document based on the day-to-day lives of the royal family, plagued by horrible editing, and an unfortunate point of view from the author.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very insightful into the lives of the Romanovs and also invaluable in approaching the personality of the author, Gilliard himself, which has often been omitted from other sources. A reasonably short read, the book spans over thirteen years with quite a quick pace, though the anecdotes and accounts from Gilliard fill this timespan quite well. Although I wish that there had been more focus on the characters of the Grand Duchesses and Tsarevich, Gilliard's recounting is among the best that I have read and one of the most authoritative accounts of life in captivity. However, do be warned that there are some elements of anti-Semitism within the book that heavily detract from it's enjoyability as a read, although this was sadly accurate to the views of the time. There are some misspellings and omitting of some names (for Gilliard's own private reasons) in this translation, this does not detract from the readability. Overall 4 stars for it's account and invaluable quality as a source to the lives of the Romanovs.

[{erika} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoirs of the Romanov children's French tutor from his beginnings at the Russian court to the end of their lives---I didn't find it too dry and it was compelling. It seems in some ways incredibly accurate and a real insight into their characters and their situation and in others biased because of his great love of the family.

Quite glad I read it and still fascinated by this period in time. I appreciated the level of detail he put into the state of WWI and Russian politics at the time. It is especially nice this is offered for free with the Gutenberg Project. Between this and the colorized photos we have now, I think it's a great way to help bring history to life.

[Melinda Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some fascinating, first-hand detail in this book regarding the lives and deaths of the Romanov family, written by someone who was close to them. However, the author did not seem to be very objective in his view of the political situation of the era and I sensed that he was anti-Semitic, which I wasn’t surprised by, considering that Czarist Russia (which he was very approving of) refused to allow Jews to even move freely around the country. So I was put off by his views, but at the same time understand the importance of this book as a historical document.

[S.]

Pierre Gilliard's account of his years with the last Romanovs is the source that many Russian historians turn to when writing about the Tsar and his family. While this account is dutifully recorded and filled with tender photos and keen observations (including criticisms of the royals), it's best when read in context or analysed by a professional researcher. On its own, the book is an intriguing glimpse into imperial court life in 1900s Russia.

The takeaway: if you think the people around you are going to make history, for better or worse, start keeping a diary.

[Sakura Monds]

Informative first hand account that shows the events through a contemporary lens. It's unsettling to see how antisemitism was so normalized back then and see how that, along with run-of-the-mill xenophobia (😒🤢), impacted the way people viewed current events. Anyway, I think Gillard's assessment of the tsar and tsarina's failings which led to their downfall is pretty accurate when compared to other sources I've read. I was surprised by that, because it can be hard for anyone to look beyond nostalgia and personal feelings when concerning people with whom you were close.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written, heartrending, personal eyewitness account of the last Romanovs. Gilliard paints a picture of a family that is simple in taste (compared to the formal glitter of the Russian Court), devoted to each other and to their faith. A must read for anyone interested in Russian history or in how Tsar Nicholas II and his family lived and died.

[meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting prospective

Was an interesting read from someone who lived through the historic times. I do think the author was bias of his subjects but it is understandable since he spent so much time with the family. If only they could see the bigger picture of what was happening in the world around them, they might have saved themselves.

[حنان طبق · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always been fascinated about Russia, specially the last Czar family. This memoir got me very close to them as if I’ve crossed the 100 years back barrier and lived in their era sharing their love for each other and their country. Their tragic end always hits me with real sadness as if it just freshly happened yesterday.

[Mhairi Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good, honest and affectionate first hand view of Russia's last imperial family. Pierre shares his own experience in a simple way while also giving you insight into the personalities of the whole family and some of their servants.
Unfortunately most of what was shared was stuff I already knew from other books but it was still worth reading to get the perspective of someone who actually knew the family instead of just a historian's POV.

[Fabiana Conte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and beautifully written book... but if only he had included more details of the personality of the children I would have given the fifth star.

[Safak · Rating 4 out of 5]

' Hicbir siddet,hicbir ofke zarar veremez bu huzura, olunceye kadar bu huzurun olacaktir zafer.'

[Nicolas Bracquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that provides another view on these historical events and a more intimate side of the imperial family.

[Suzy Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Romanov lover you will enjoy this book! I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know but I enjoyed hearing it from the perspective of Pierre Gilliard.

[automidori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had brought me to have a view from the other side of the fence.

[Gordon Kwok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by the French tutor to the Russian royal family, specifically the daughters of the last Tsar. It details his time at the Russian court and what it was like being a tutor to the family and what it was the Tsar and Tsarina were like. Great book for anyone interested in royal history.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was Pierre Gillard's autobiographical account of his years as tutor to the children of Tsar Nicholas and Tsaritsa Alexandra. Considering his 13 years of service to them, and his intense loyalty in staying with them until he forcibly separated from them after they were all arrested, I was a little disappointed with the lack of feeling of this book. At times he wrote as if he was a historian (about governmental workings that I'm pretty sure he would have had no personal knowledge of at the time as the family tutor) which went beyond the scope of this book. He was also surprisingly drawn in by some of the vicious gossip of the time. While he claims to write this book to support the family, he also is surprisingly derogatory to their close personal friend Anna Vryubova, succumbing to spreading malicious propaganda about her, that after having read quite a bit about her (through other sources), I am virtually certain wasn't true. Still, despite his shortcomings, Gillard, a Swiss, was to be admired for his deep devotion to the family and his willingness to be arrested and held in captivity with them in order to continue his service to a family he deeply admired (something Vyrubova did as well). Such devotion speaks volumes about their character. While I wanted to read this book to gain a clearer sense of this era in history (a time of great personal interest to me) but I was disappointed in that it wasn't as personal as other autobiographical accounts I've read of the same period.

[Avis Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is not a reliable source for anything he didn't see with his own eyes. Gossip is not history. There was a great deal of gossip circulating around the family of Nicholas II that was generated by the Russian elite for propaganda purposes. This was a deliberate attempt to undermine his public support and force him to abdicate during a time in which World War I was going badly for the Russians. The Russian aristocracy had come to the conclusion that to win the war, Nicholas needed to go, and they were trying to shove him out.

Nicholas was not a particularly good commander-in-chief, and making him abdicate wasn't necessarily a wrong decision. However, the Russian nobility, after installing the moderate Kerensky government, were overtaken by events and run out of the country by the insanely malignant Bolsheviks, which is karma for you. The propaganda, however, had taken on a life of its own.

To this day, everyone still believes all the wild stories with totally naive credulity, every single speck of them, with dropped jaw and goggling eyes, without verification. The historian Douglas Smith, who wrote a biography of Rasputin, says that almost every single story about him is based on heresay by people who had an ax to grind, not actual eyewitness testimony. I might add that after having read Anna Vyrubova's memoir, I am disgusted beyond belief with Gillard. However, you can read Gillard for the parts that he did witness.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly interesting account based upon the authors proximity to the imperial household as a result of his 13 years as a tutor to Alexei Nikolaevich. His affection for the family is sincere he seems truthful in his impressions, and accurate in most of his political and military observations. But he may have underestimate the situation in Russia and overestimated the potential ability of Czar as he was within a circle that was being mislead.

That said he paints an exemplary portrait of the royal family and an accurate one of the vulgar, low Bolsheviks.

[Kate]

Not giving this one a star rating as it's just a straight up, primary source historical account written by one of the tutors of Tsar Nicholas II's children. If you have any interest in that time period at all, you've probably read a good chunk of this memoir quoted in books by other authors, and that's probably all most readers need. Personally I prefer having the full memoir on my shelf.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. I like the perspective of the tutor in telling the story. It added a dimension of understanding about the Czar and his family that I didn't have before. If you are some one who is interested in this time period or the last Czar of Russia and his family worth a short read.