Books about the Romanovs

There are many great books which have been written about the Romanovs. In order to learn as much as possible, I have found that it is worth reading more than one, or even multiple books. I have found that different authors write from a different perspective or write about a different topic. Of course, there are other references besides books, such as websites and articles, but this post will relate to books.

Anastasia’s Album, written by Hugh Brewster focuses on the Tsar’s youngest daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. The book follows her life from birth to death and even touches on the Anna Anderson story at the end. There are several pictures included in the book as well as quotes and letters written by Anastasia. This book provides the reader with a glimpse into the mind of Anastasia and helps the reader to learn about what her life would have been like.

The Romanovs: The Final Chapter, written by Robert K. Massie focuses on the forensics of the discovery and identification of the Romanov bones. Included in the book are first hand accounts of those who discovered the bones and worked identify them. Also in this book, Massie discusses the life of Anna Anderson, who claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia. It also discusses the forensic case which determined that she was not the Grand Duchess. The book also describes others who have claimed to be members of the Romanov family and claimed to survive the Ekaterinburg massacre. Massie also provides interesting accounts of Romanovs who are alive today. Massie has included their opinions on issues such as claiming the throne and who should be considered to be the pretender to the throne.

One book which provides the reader with many primary sources is A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas And Alexandra, Their Own Story. This book by Andrei Maylunas and Sergei Mironenko is a compilation of letters and diary entries by Tsar Nicholas II and the Tsarina Alexandra. This book provides a good insight into their lives, thoughts and feelings. The book also includes copies of photos of the family as well as copies of paintings and drawings of them. There is also a copy of the Romanov family tree at the start of the book.

Royal Russia: The Private Albums Of The Russian Imperial Family is divided into two sections. The first section describes the lives of the Romanovs. The book covers the love between Nicholas and Alexandra, as well as the Russian Revolution and the role Rasputin played in the lives of Nicholas and Alexandra. A family tree is also included in this first section of the book. The second section of the book is pictures which have been ordered chronologically.  Underneath each picture is text which explains the picture in detail. This is especially helpful with photos of plaques where the text is in Russian or if the photo is not self-explanatory.  

Another good book for learning about the Romanovs is Tsar: The Lost World Of Nicholas And Alexandra by Peter Kurth. This book is very detailed. It describes the state or Russian society at the start of the twentieth century, discusses the Tsar’s jewellery, Faberge’ and his work for the Imperial family. Another character who has been written about is the ballerina Mathilde Kschessinka, whom Nicholas was rumoured to have a serious flirtation with. There is also a section which has been dedicated to the sailors who were in charge of looking after the Tsar’s son, Alexei. This includes Nagorny, who was shot alongside the Romanovs in Ekaterinburg. The book also provides details about the stampede which occurred during the distribution of memorabilia of the coronation of Nicholas II. Photos of the bodies of those who did not survive the stampede are also included. The discovery of the Romanov bodies is also covered at the end of this book. Many photos have been used as well.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of books. There would be many more available and I hope to one day read many more. If anyone has any suggestions for other books or has a different view on any of the books I have discussed, please do not hesitate to comment below.

The Romanovs frequently  enjoyed spending time together

An introduction to the Romanovs

The Romanov family ruled Russia from 1613 until 1917, when the Russian Revolution occurred. The last Tsar to rule Russia was Nicholas II. Often when people think of the Romanovs, they think of a perfect world of magnificent luxury such as stunning palaces and glamorous balls. Nicholas and his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra are still famous for their love and devotion to each other and to their five children. The Romanov children were the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia as well as the Tsarevich, Alexei.

The Romanovs were a close family and they were very fond of taking photographs of each other. For this reason, we now enjoy photos of their personal moments, which provide us with a glimpse into their world.  The Romanovs also enjoyed family holidays together. These included spending time on their Yacht (The Standart), at Livadia on the Black Sea, as well as at Peterhof.

Unfortunately, Alexei was a haemophiliac. Haemophilia is a genetic disease which is passed through the females of a family, yet it only affects the males. This disease prevents blood from clotting properly. Due ot this illness, much care was taken to ensure that Alexei did not injure himself as an injury could have resulted in him bleeding to death. It was Alexei's illness which lead to his mother's fondness of the monk, Rasputin. Alexandra believed that Rasputin had the power to cure Alexei of his illness. Rasputin weas a prominent figure in hte lives of the Romanov family until his death in 1916. Two high ranking members of the Russian aristocracy were implicated in Rasputin's death. These were Prince Felix Yussupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.

The Romanovs were executed in 1918 by the Bolsheviks in Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. The place where the Bolsheviks buried the bodies of the Romanovs and the servants who died with them remained a mystery for much of the 20th century. This is perhaps one of the greatest reasons why the Romanovs have been the subject of so much fascination since the Russian revolution. It is difficult to imagine that a happy and prosperous family could meet such a violent fate and nobody knew where their bodies were for such a long time. It is clear why this topic would receive so much attention.

 In 1979, all except for two of the bodies were found. This discovery was kept quiet until the fall of communism in Russia. For this reason, it is often assumed that the bodies were not found until 1991, when the Yeltsin government agreed to exhume the bodies. The bodies of Alexei and Maria were not discovered until 2007.

Nicholas and Alexandra when they were young

                                                          Nicholas with his five children