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    Summary and Analysis of The Romanovs: 1613–1918: Based on the Book by Simon Sebag Montefiore
    Summary and Analysis of The Romanovs: 1613–1918: Based on the Book by Simon Sebag Montefiore
    Summary and Analysis of The Romanovs: 1613–1918: Based on the Book by Simon Sebag Montefiore
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    Summary and Analysis of The Romanovs: 1613–1918: Based on the Book by Simon Sebag Montefiore

    By Worth Books

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    About this ebook

    So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Romanovs tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Simon Sebag Montefiore’s book.

    Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
     
    This short summary and analysis of The Romanovs: 1613–1918 includes:
    • Historical context
    • Chapter-by-chapter overviews
    • Important quotes
    • Fascinating trivia
    • Glossary of terms
    • Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work
    About The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore:
     
    Award-winning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore’s The Romanovs delves into the reign of the Romanovs, Russia’s most infamous ruling family, showing how the formidable clan rose to power and held on to it for more than three hundred years.
     
    In a sweeping chronological narrative of tsars and tsarinas, Sebag Montefiore’s well-researched biography details the drama that characterized Russia’s greatest dynasty, shedding light on the monarchs’ lives and actions.
     
    Beginning with Michael’s accession in 1613—marking the end of the Time of Troubles—and ending with the family’s tragic massacre in 1918, The Romanovs shows how generations of Russian tsars ruled autocratically, through violence, greed, and intrigue.
     
    The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMay 9, 2017
    ISBN9781504046404
    Summary and Analysis of The Romanovs: 1613–1918: Based on the Book by Simon Sebag Montefiore
    Author

    Worth Books

    Worth Books’ smart summaries get straight to the point and provide essential tools to help you be an informed reader in a busy world, whether you’re browsing for new discoveries, managing your to-read list for work or school, or simply deepening your knowledge. Available for fiction and nonfiction titles, these are the book summaries that are worth your time.  

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      Book preview

      Summary and Analysis of The Romanovs - Worth Books

      Contents

      Context

      Overview

      Summary

      Direct Quotes and Analysis

      Trivia

      What’s That Word?

      Critical Response

      About Simon Sebag Montefiore

      For Your Information

      Bibliography

      Copyright

      Context

      At the height of their power, the Romanovs controlled one-sixth of the earth’s surface, and their rule dictated the course of Western history. There has always been a fascination with the royal dynasty of prerevolutionary Russia, with their dramatic history, conspiracy theories, lurid excesses, and the tragic accounts of their final days. From popular detective novels with plots hinging on their legendary hemophilia, to television series and films, their empire has proved to be perennially spellbinding.

      The reigns of the disparate Romanov rulers—from the 1600s to the modern industrial era—form a historical object lesson for anyone who wishes to understand the nature of power and the cult of personality: a lesson that is still applicable to global politics today.

      Until the collapse of the Romanovs’s 304-year-long reign, research materials on the dynasty were limited; and until the fall of the Soviet Union, the country was essentially closed to interested parties. The Romanovs author, Simon Sebag Montefiore, was among the first to access diaries, letters, and other primary sources when the archives were finally made available to the public.

      Overview

      Montefiore begins his chronological account of the history of the Romanov family by comparing two young men: Michael Romanov in 1613, and his descendant Alexei Romanov in 1917, some three centuries later. Both were frail youths, unsuited to government, and subject to illness. Michael founded this centuries-long dynasty, and Alexei’s death marked its end. In between, Montefiore looks at the rule of Romanovs from Peter the Great to Nicholas II, Alexei’s father.

      The Romanovs ranged from rulers who were intelligent, capable, and ruthless (Catherine and Peter) to those who were ineffectual and out of their depth (Paul and Nicholas). Most of them loved power, had sexual appetites they did not hesitate to indulge, and felt it was God’s will that they lead their country. Throughout their long reign, the family was supported and thwarted by a fascinating cast of characters—from bisexual transvestites to ballerina mistresses.

      They interacted with some of the leading names of the day, including Queen Victoria (the grandmother of Empress Alexandra), Bismarck, and Napoleon. This one family shaped Russia, almost perpetually at war (with Ottomans, French, Germans, Swedes, Japanese, and others), and beset by conditions at home which would ultimately sow the seeds of the Russian Revolution.

      By the early years of the twentieth century, Russia was racked by war, inflation, and food shortages. It finally succumbed to a populist revolution that led to the massacre of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, and their children. But the Romanovs have never been forgotten. Their bones are now considered holy relics: rulers in life, they were deified in death.

      Summary

      Introduction

      The Romanovs are often considered a tragic family (six of the last tsars were murdered and eighteen Romanovs were killed in 1918), but they were also a highly successful one. They reined for 304 years, and expanded their empire until they controlled more than one-sixth of the earth. Yet, the family behind these strategic triumphs was also known for depravity, sexual appetites, and obscene excess.

      The word tsar derives from Caesar, and the Romanovs ruled in the Roman manner: corruptly and arrogantly. A tiny court ran an enormous empire, and calculating the interests of both was the key to the Romanovs’ survival. Within the court, power could belong to a range of people, from the leader of a military victory to the lover of the empress.

      The family produced two political geniuses: Peter and Catherine. Each was adept at finding talented retainers and promoting them. Stalin considered this to be Catherine’s greatest gift. The Romanovs ruled from the top, largely unchallenged. They supported the nobles who managed their estates and the army. The Romanovs and the aristocracy depended on the serfs, taking taxes and grain from them, and using them as soldiers in the constant wars during the Romanov

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