Romanovs discussion

Can anyone please recommend me a book about the Romanov Dynasty, from Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov to Nicholas II?

Thanks!

Good day:

"Nicholas and Alexandra," Robert K. Massie
"A People's Tragedy," Orlando Figes
"The Last Days of the Romanovs," Helen Rappaport
"The Shadow of the Winter Palace," Edward Crankshaw
"St. Catherine's Crown," (historical fiction). S. Martin Shelton

Good luck.

Thanks!

From Splendor to Revolution
Nicholas and Alexandra
The Last Days of the Romanovs
These are just a few to start you on your Romanov Journey. There are so many excellent books out there. Don't waste your time on any Anna Anderson/Anastasia books. At this time with DNA we all know she was not Anastasia.

Amanda suspect you meant to say Anna Anderson was NOT Anastasia. I totally agree with you that they're not worth reading about unless one just wants to learn more about it from a fraud perspective.

Jamie I recommend "The Romanovs" by John Van Der Kiste. I really like his writing. I completely agree with the recommendation of "From Splendor to Revolution". It was such an interesting book. Really insightful.

Yes dear that is what I meant.Anna Anderson Manahan was not Anastasia, but she did fool a few people. I read books about Anna Anderson exactly as you said for the purpose of trying to figure out how someone who looked nothing like Anastasia managed to fool so many people.
I forgot to mention The Fate of the Romanovs by Greg King and Penny Wilson. Awesome book as well.

You have to give her credit for being an amazing actress who had to have somehow figured out information that almost no one would have known to help aid her con. I still don't know how she did it. However one thing played to her favor; many people wanted to believe she was Anastasia. So that played to her favor.

Technically, wouldn't Nicholas II's brother, Grand Duke Michael, be the last Czar? Nicholas II abdicated in his favor so his brother became Czar Michael II.

@Joseph, that is a point of scholarly debate. Whether Nicholas II had the legal authority to abdicate the way he did is what is controversial. Whether he could have dictated the terms of his abdication as he did is a debatable topic. For example he abdicated the rights of his son, even though Alexei was the rightful heir. Nicholas also changed his conditions about the abdication, and had a new document drawn up after he abdicated the first time. Regardless what happened though, the end-result was the same. The family lost power, most were murdered in the aftermath, and Russia's government was dramatically and violently altered.

Kelley wrote: "@Joseph, that is a point of scholarly debate. Whether Nicholas II had the legal authority to abdicate the way he did is what is controversial. Whether he could have dictated the terms of his abdica..."
Thanks for the response.
I was just wondering because I read once a Czar could appoint his or her heir.
Catherine I and Catherine II became empresses even though they were wives of Czars, and they weren't the heir,
For both there was a rightful heir to their husbands.
You were right though.
In the end the result in history was the same.

@Joseph, as the saying goes, possession is 9/10ths the law. If rulers have the backing of the right people, then I guess any ruler can keep power. Clearly in the end, the Tsar and family had lost the confidence of too many in Russian society. It was really shocking to me to see how so many elites were completely apathetic about the government and preserving their own roles through the service they were expected to give, in exchange for the extreme privileges they received as part of the elite. So many just pursued their own pleasure, at the expense of the people and country they were expected to serve. Not even all of his own family backed him ... some of whom were without shame in their pursuit of their own power plays all at the expense of Nicholas II and their family's dynasty. From what I've read, I think Nicholas II was extremely bothered by this lack of support, but he was too ineffectual in dealing with it ... his perennial problem of not knowing how to be decisive in taking action, and his willingness to be too trusting of those around him, even when he was clearly faced with evidence of their bad intentions.

Kelley wrote: "@Joseph, as the saying goes, possession is 9/10ths the law. If rulers have the backing of the right people, then I guess any ruler can keep power. Clearly in the end, the Tsar and family had lost t..."

Thanks for the reply!

What would be a good biography of Empress Alexandra? I noticed there is a biography of Grand Duke Michael, Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, the Last of the Romanov Tsars by Rosemary Crawford .

Donald Crawford's book "The Last Tsar: Emperor Michael II" is excellent. It is mainly about Michael and Natasha, but there are interesting comments on Nicholas and Alexandra.
Could anybody please let me have Mr Crawford's email address? His web site, www.lasttsar.com, does not work. Many thanks

Are there some more you can all recommend? I have read Nicholas & Alexandra, The Four Sisters/Romanov Sisters and currently reading Last days of The Romanovs.

@ Chubsi, one biography I really enjoyed was “Once a Grand Duchess: Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II” by John Van Der Kiste. She’s a secondary figure to the Nicholas saga, but her story was amazing because she survived the revolutionary bloodbath and lived longer in exile from Russia than she lived in it. A fascinating sub-story of the Revolution.

Hi, sorry that I did not introduce myself earlier. I joined this group last week. I love history and Russia is definitely one of the countries I am very much interested in. Russia is special for me because I have lived there and my wife is from Russia. I look forward to read interesting contributions and suggestions of books to read about Russia and about the Romanov. I have already reviewed a few books about the Romanov. If some of you are interested, please have a look at some of the reviews I wrote on my page. I will be happy to hear your views. Cheers. Bruno

Joseph wrote: "What would be a good biography of Empress Alexandra? I noticed there is a biography of Grand Duke Michael, [book:Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, the Last of the Romanov Tsars|..."

Hi Joseph,
Two of my favorites about Alexandra are Carolly Erickson's Alexandra: The Last Tsarina and Greg King's The Last Empress: the Life and Times of Empress Alexandra Feoderovna, Tsarina of Russia. Both of these are EXCELLENT authors with wonderful research and an extremely readable style. They've both written extensively about the Romanov family. Best to you, Lynn

Chubsi wrote: "Are there some more you can all recommend? I have read Nicholas & Alexandra, The Four Sisters/Romanov Sisters and currently reading Last days of The Romanovs."

Hi Chubsi,

Little Mother of Russia: A Biography of Marie Fedorovna (1847-1928) by Corynne Hall, The Last Grand Duchess: Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna by Ian Vorres, and Victoria Melita by John Van der Kiste. Hall and Van der Kiste have also written extensively about the Romanovs and other royals. Vorres' book is particularly fascinating because he wrote it with GD Olga's help. He met with her many times and became friends with her. First-hand impressions add to what she related to him about her life. Enjoy! Best to you, Lynn

Thank you very much for your recommendations! I'd keep an eye on them from now on :D

Chubsi wrote: "Are there some more you can all recommend? I have read Nicholas & Alexandra, The Four Sisters/Romanov Sisters and currently reading Last days of The Romanovs."

" Romanov Autumn"
"Memories in the Marble Palace" this one is a first hand account from Prince Gabriel Konstantinovich