The Romanovs Adrift

by Greg King, Penny Wilson

In 1913, the Romanovs celebrated three hundred years of seating on the Russian Imperial throne. Great fanfare and hope accompanied the celebrations. A year later, Imperial Russia entered a "war to end all wars," with the hope of "being back home for Christmas." It was not to be. Instead, in February 1917, after years of administrative and military ineptitude and incompetence, the Russian people had enough of its government's inefficacy and corruption. The consequences, as it turned out, changed the world. Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown; members of the Imperial Family faced persecution, arrest, financial instability, uncertainty, and worse. This is the compelling story of how the Romanovs dealt with glory, war, revolution, persecution, imprisonment, and escape!

Genres: Romanovs

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Greg King (born 1964) is an American author, best known for his biographies of prominent historical figures.

He is the author of eleven internationally published works of royal and social history, specializing in late Imperial Russia and Edwardian-era royalty, including The Fate of the Romanovs, The Court of the Last Tsar, and the UK bestseller The Duchess of Windsor. A frequent onscreen expert and commentator for historical documentaries, his work has appeared in Majesty Magazine, Royalty Magazine, Royalty Digest, and Atlantis Magazine.

Source: wikipedia.com & us.macmillan.com

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular entry into the Romanov ouevre. The text is lucid, and will give the reader a good grasp of the intra-dynasty relationships during Nicholas II's reign. King and Wilson have written specifically about the Konstantinovichii, but this broader overview of the various branches of the Romanovs at the time of the Revolution was needed. The various clans are carefully delineated, with brief sketches of each member. The epilogue gives ultimate fates for them, including a moving description of the imprisonment and execution of four Grand Dukes in 1919.

The pictures make the book, though. There are hundreds of them lavishly scattered throughout the book. Most of them were new to me, and I am someone with more than a passing familiarity with a lot of these people. The book is handsomely presented.

In the interests of full disclosure, Penny Wilson thanks me in her acknowledgments, although I have no idea why! I count her among my good friends, but I first saw this book yesterday. However, I'll take it!

My only caveat: I can't imagine anyone reading this who is not interested in the Romanovs. But if you do want a very good introduction to the dynasty in the last years, this is the book to start with. Because you can't tell the players without a program!