--- product_id: 129974342 title: "The Romanovs: 1613-1918" price: "$29.27" currency: USD in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ec/products/129974342-the-romanovs-1613-1918 store_origin: EC region: Ecuador --- # The Romanovs: 1613-1918 **Price:** $29.27 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Romanovs: 1613-1918 - **How much does it cost?** $29.27 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ec](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/129974342-the-romanovs-1613-1918) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Romanovs were the most successful dynasty of modern times, ruling a sixth of the world’s surface for three centuries. How did one family turn a war-ruined principality into the world’s greatest empire? And how did they lose it all? This is the intimate story of twenty tsars and tsarinas, some touched by genius, some by madness, but all inspired by holy autocracy and imperial ambition. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s gripping chronicle reveals their secret world of unlimited power and ruthless empire-building, overshadowed by palace conspiracy, family rivalries, sexual decadence and wild extravagance, with a global cast of adventurers, courtesans, revolutionaries and poets, from Ivan the Terrible to Tolstoy and Pushkin, to Bismarck, Lincoln, Queen Victoria and Lenin. To rule Russia was both imperial-sacred mission and poisoned chalice: six of the last twelve tsars were murdered. Peter the Great tortured his own son to death while making Russia an empire, and dominated his court with a dining club notable for compulsory drunkenness, naked dwarfs and fancy dress. Catherine the Great overthrew her own husband (who was murdered soon afterward), enjoyed affairs with a series of young male favorites, conquered Ukraine and fascinated Europe. Paul I was strangled by courtiers backed by his own son, Alexander I, who in turn faced Napoleon’s invasion and the burning of Moscow, then went on to take Paris. Alexander II liberated the serfs, survived five assassination attempts and wrote perhaps the most explicit love letters ever composed by a ruler. The Romanovs climaxes with a fresh, unforgettable portrayal of Nicholas II and Alexandra, the rise and murder of Rasputin, war and revolution—and the harrowing massacre of the entire family. Dazzlingly entertaining and beautifully written from start to finish, The Romanovs brings these monarchs—male and female, great and flawed, their families and courts—blazingly to life. Drawing on new archival research, Montefiore delivers an enthralling epic of triumph and tragedy, love and murder, encompassing the seminal years 1812, 1914 and 1917, that is both a universal study of power and a portrait of empire that helps define Russia today. Review: Fast-paced, scurrilous, lurid, scandalous, BUT, scholarly and impossible to put down - Simon Sebag Montefiore is one of the preeminent narrative historians of our time. His history of Jerusalem and his history of the 'Court' of Stalin the Red Tsar are books informed by vast knowledge of his subjects and meticulous research. Yet, all of his books are written with verve and keen insight into the motives of the principal players. This book on the Romanovs is somewhat different in that Montefiore really has written an actual biography of a whole family. The events and people impinging on their lives from the outside world and foreign autocrats and, later, foreign republicans (small 'r') are duly presented. But, make no mistake: this is a very personal story of a family. Starting with the first Romanov tsar, Michael I, the author follows the ups and downs of the family until the bitter end in the Ipatiev house in Ekaterinburg. It's all here: intrigue, murder, betrayal, foolishness, some nobility, and sex -- lots of sex. Erotomania has, of course, been a feature of many a dynasty but seriously, the Romanovs, to put it mildly, just couldn't get enough. Catherine the Great, according to Montefiore, always had to be in love. Alexander II exchanged letters with his mistress that are so steamy that I felt like a voyeur reading them. And, unfortunately, the reader is 'treated' to one too many of the sexy billets-doux. Even the uxorious Nicholas II and his dim-witted tsarina Alexandra got cutesy by naming their private parts in their correspondence. A little of that went a long way. This is not to say that this book is all sex: I referred to it simply because, if nothing else, it brought these august people to life and made real human beings out of them. What is overwhelming is the utter foreigness of this clan to western eyes. There is Peter the Great killing his heir in a rage, the empress Anna humiliating one of her most eminent courtiers (from an old noble family) by making him wear a chicken outfit and sitting in a nest making clucking noises in front of the court. After church he would be joined by Anna's circus of freaks also dressed 'au poulet' and they would all cluck away. Hard to imagine this happening in the courts of Louis XV and George II, let alone the dismal Prussian court. The chapter on Paul is just as fascinating but his end rises to the level of Grand Guignol. Montefiore's assessment of Alexander I is well-reasoned and rescues him from his inevitable disparagement from writers enthralled by Alexander's glittery contemporary Napoleon. When Montefiore gets to Alexander II, the reader is at last given a portrait of overall the most attractive of all the Romanov rulers. He tried hard to reform his sclerotic country but he was frustrated by inertia and the dead hand of custom at every turn. Even his reforms were not enough for the revolutionaries and nihilists that hunted him down like an animal. His end was sad and his successors Alexander III and Nicholas II were singularly unqualified to build on his work. There is no need to rehash the dismal drama of the reign of Nicholas II, but Montefiore incisively demonstrates just how unqualified Nicholas was for the job of tsar. I already knew this, but the author's insights are fresh. What is really eye-popping is his trashing of Alexandra. Far from being the sympathetic character traditionally presented in history books, she was incredibly stupid, overbearing, and vicious. Her relationship with Rasputin is closely examined by the author. Rasputin and Alexandra might not have been the proximate cause of the collapse of the dynasty, but they definitely knocked out some key props of the throne. Apropos of Rasputin, Montefiore's account of his demise is fascinating, at least, and at most sensational as he posits that Yusupov had help from the British secret service. Well, it was new to me. The bottom line: this book reads like a novel and is one of the most fascinating books I have read in a while. Other readers might wish for more on the structure of the Russian government, monetary policy, more military history, and any number of things. However, this book is presented as an intimate account of an entire family, warts and all. In Montefiore's hands, the Romanovs have found their Suetonius, only with deeper scholarship. 4.5 stars. Review: Imperial Russia - In this history of the Romanov dynasty, Montefiore does a good job of narrating three centuries of Russian history. Yes, he focuses mostly on the Romanovs and a few other very wealthy and powerful families, but that is the nature of this book. He also focuses way too much on the reign of Nicholas II (almost 25% of the book). Anyone going into this book looking for a more detailed history of Russia would do better to find a history of Russia such as this one Russia: A History Many people know the most familiar Romanovs - Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Nicholas II, but there were about 20 Romanov rulers during the three centuries covered in this book. From Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great who ruled in her own right, and Elizabeth to Alexander I who fought against Napoleon and Alexander II who freed the serfs and dreamed of liberalizing Russia, there are many more rulers of Russia that deserve to be known as part of the story of the Romanovs. This book does a good job of informing you about these people. In the process you get to learn about Russia and how it changed over the three centuries covered here. But there were serious problems in this book. Mainly it has to do with some idiotic statements made by the author. Things like this "Paul himself was so angered by the whims of female rule that he and Maria secretly signed a sensible law of succession to be issued when he became tsar, based on male primogeniture". Seriously, one of the best rulers during this time was Catherine the Great and use the word 'whims' to describe it is flabbergasting. And male primogeniture is "sensible"? Why is it sensible? The author quickly states it was to avoid the instability of the 18th century but this was a time when Russia did quite well on the world stage. Then there's these two little gems - "Every wife knows that the best way to save a marriage is to befriend the husband’s mistress" and "In any marriage, one should not underestimate the power of nagging". With bon mots like these who needs real history? Then there are some real oddities and anachronisms. Montefiore uses words like perestroika and glasnost to describe events centuries before the 1980s. This is odd. This book sometimes reads gossip magazine, describing who slept with whom and who was a metrosexual (Alexander I apparently who liked to rub his face with ice to tighten his skin). Montefiore sometimes seems to describe the Romanovs as if they were a cabinet of curiosities - there was too much focus on the grotesque, salacious and sensationalist in the book. And don't get me started on who apparently took the first selfie. Still, there are very few books that cover the entire dynastic sweet of the Romanovs. This remains a good book to learn about the overall history. And you will learn a lot which is why I gave it four stars rather than three. It will help you understand what is going on in today's Russia too as there are similarities between the reign of the current ruler and the Romanovs. After reading this I highly recommend reading a few other books - anything by Massie really. ## Images ![The Romanovs: 1613-1918 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71K+MpvKx3L.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fast-paced, scurrilous, lurid, scandalous, BUT, scholarly and impossible to put down *by D***) on July 27, 2016* Simon Sebag Montefiore is one of the preeminent narrative historians of our time. His history of Jerusalem and his history of the 'Court' of Stalin the Red Tsar are books informed by vast knowledge of his subjects and meticulous research. Yet, all of his books are written with verve and keen insight into the motives of the principal players. This book on the Romanovs is somewhat different in that Montefiore really has written an actual biography of a whole family. The events and people impinging on their lives from the outside world and foreign autocrats and, later, foreign republicans (small 'r') are duly presented. But, make no mistake: this is a very personal story of a family. Starting with the first Romanov tsar, Michael I, the author follows the ups and downs of the family until the bitter end in the Ipatiev house in Ekaterinburg. It's all here: intrigue, murder, betrayal, foolishness, some nobility, and sex -- lots of sex. Erotomania has, of course, been a feature of many a dynasty but seriously, the Romanovs, to put it mildly, just couldn't get enough. Catherine the Great, according to Montefiore, always had to be in love. Alexander II exchanged letters with his mistress that are so steamy that I felt like a voyeur reading them. And, unfortunately, the reader is 'treated' to one too many of the sexy billets-doux. Even the uxorious Nicholas II and his dim-witted tsarina Alexandra got cutesy by naming their private parts in their correspondence. A little of that went a long way. This is not to say that this book is all sex: I referred to it simply because, if nothing else, it brought these august people to life and made real human beings out of them. What is overwhelming is the utter foreigness of this clan to western eyes. There is Peter the Great killing his heir in a rage, the empress Anna humiliating one of her most eminent courtiers (from an old noble family) by making him wear a chicken outfit and sitting in a nest making clucking noises in front of the court. After church he would be joined by Anna's circus of freaks also dressed 'au poulet' and they would all cluck away. Hard to imagine this happening in the courts of Louis XV and George II, let alone the dismal Prussian court. The chapter on Paul is just as fascinating but his end rises to the level of Grand Guignol. Montefiore's assessment of Alexander I is well-reasoned and rescues him from his inevitable disparagement from writers enthralled by Alexander's glittery contemporary Napoleon. When Montefiore gets to Alexander II, the reader is at last given a portrait of overall the most attractive of all the Romanov rulers. He tried hard to reform his sclerotic country but he was frustrated by inertia and the dead hand of custom at every turn. Even his reforms were not enough for the revolutionaries and nihilists that hunted him down like an animal. His end was sad and his successors Alexander III and Nicholas II were singularly unqualified to build on his work. There is no need to rehash the dismal drama of the reign of Nicholas II, but Montefiore incisively demonstrates just how unqualified Nicholas was for the job of tsar. I already knew this, but the author's insights are fresh. What is really eye-popping is his trashing of Alexandra. Far from being the sympathetic character traditionally presented in history books, she was incredibly stupid, overbearing, and vicious. Her relationship with Rasputin is closely examined by the author. Rasputin and Alexandra might not have been the proximate cause of the collapse of the dynasty, but they definitely knocked out some key props of the throne. Apropos of Rasputin, Montefiore's account of his demise is fascinating, at least, and at most sensational as he posits that Yusupov had help from the British secret service. Well, it was new to me. The bottom line: this book reads like a novel and is one of the most fascinating books I have read in a while. Other readers might wish for more on the structure of the Russian government, monetary policy, more military history, and any number of things. However, this book is presented as an intimate account of an entire family, warts and all. In Montefiore's hands, the Romanovs have found their Suetonius, only with deeper scholarship. 4.5 stars. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Imperial Russia *by G***Y on January 11, 2017* In this history of the Romanov dynasty, Montefiore does a good job of narrating three centuries of Russian history. Yes, he focuses mostly on the Romanovs and a few other very wealthy and powerful families, but that is the nature of this book. He also focuses way too much on the reign of Nicholas II (almost 25% of the book). Anyone going into this book looking for a more detailed history of Russia would do better to find a history of Russia such as this one Russia: A History Many people know the most familiar Romanovs - Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Nicholas II, but there were about 20 Romanov rulers during the three centuries covered in this book. From Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great who ruled in her own right, and Elizabeth to Alexander I who fought against Napoleon and Alexander II who freed the serfs and dreamed of liberalizing Russia, there are many more rulers of Russia that deserve to be known as part of the story of the Romanovs. This book does a good job of informing you about these people. In the process you get to learn about Russia and how it changed over the three centuries covered here. But there were serious problems in this book. Mainly it has to do with some idiotic statements made by the author. Things like this "Paul himself was so angered by the whims of female rule that he and Maria secretly signed a sensible law of succession to be issued when he became tsar, based on male primogeniture". Seriously, one of the best rulers during this time was Catherine the Great and use the word 'whims' to describe it is flabbergasting. And male primogeniture is "sensible"? Why is it sensible? The author quickly states it was to avoid the instability of the 18th century but this was a time when Russia did quite well on the world stage. Then there's these two little gems - "Every wife knows that the best way to save a marriage is to befriend the husband’s mistress" and "In any marriage, one should not underestimate the power of nagging". With bon mots like these who needs real history? Then there are some real oddities and anachronisms. Montefiore uses words like perestroika and glasnost to describe events centuries before the 1980s. This is odd. This book sometimes reads gossip magazine, describing who slept with whom and who was a metrosexual (Alexander I apparently who liked to rub his face with ice to tighten his skin). Montefiore sometimes seems to describe the Romanovs as if they were a cabinet of curiosities - there was too much focus on the grotesque, salacious and sensationalist in the book. And don't get me started on who apparently took the first selfie. Still, there are very few books that cover the entire dynastic sweet of the Romanovs. This remains a good book to learn about the overall history. And you will learn a lot which is why I gave it four stars rather than three. It will help you understand what is going on in today's Russia too as there are similarities between the reign of the current ruler and the Romanovs. After reading this I highly recommend reading a few other books - anything by Massie really. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shocking and Enthralling account of the Romanvs *by J***S on May 3, 2016* What an amazing read, this book is both shocking and enthralling, I literally could not put it down. It's a story of power, love, glory, magnificence, and lust, it is totally accessible, and reads like a movie of a family saga, no wonder it had been compared to Game of Thrones, and the TV series the Tudors. it's a story about Russia that explains so much of what's happening today in 2016. The book travels all the way from Ivan the Terrible to the last Tzar Nicholas II, but it also continued right up to Stalin and Putin. The debauchery, the sex, the violence, and the cruelty are beyond belief. A family saga filled with ambition, glamour, sadisim, and sexual excess. Brides are poisoned, fathers tortured their sons to death, sons kill fathers, wife murder husband, giants and freaks are collected, dwarfs are tossed and slaughtered. It's a most colorful collection of characters you can imagine, there's not a boring page. It's also about character and personality, some of the strongest Romanovs were women, who were portrayed so sensitively, and some of the stupidest and cruelest were women too. In one sense this book is all about power and in another it's all about character and family. So much of the story is told in moving love letters, such as between Nicholas and Alexandra. Montefiore starts the book with a teenage boy called Michael Romanov who becomes Tzar in 1613, and over 300 years later another little boy Alexei Romanov is murdered with his entire family including his sisters and their parents in 1918. It's an unfortunate and heartbreaking beginning of book. Soon we are meeting the horrifying and fascinating character Peter the Great who tortures his own son to death, but who makes Russia a great modern power. Montefiore brings him to life, I can't forget the scene where Peter had his beautiful mistress be-headed, then lifts up the gorgeous head by the hair , kisses the lips and then gives the crowd a lesson on the anatomy of the neck, head, and windpipe. Then there is his wife Catherine I whom he found of a promiscuous peasant girl and made into Russia's first empress in her own right. Then we meet the cruel empress Anna, one who collected a bizarre circus of freaks including the handless, the hunchback, and the legless, arranged dwarf tossing and dwarf fighting tournaments, the dwarfs amused her by going to bed with lactating goats in a night dress. When she died she was succeeded by a regent who lived in a lesbian threesome. She was overthrown by the lovely beautiful empress Elizabeth, who enjoyed multiple simultaneous lovers while exercising a tyrant of fashion of haute couture over her court, she is very much a heroine for all readers of vogue or Pret-a-Porte, a prototype fashionista. She brought a German princess to Russia who became Catherine the Great, Montefiore gives a brilliant portrayal of Catherine the Great a woman of intellectual brilliance and personal charm, he shows exactly how she lived her famous love life. As she got older she took younger and younger lovers, but the real love of her life was prince Potemkin known as Serenissimus, a totally fascinating and brilliant character ( Angelina Jolie had apparently bought some rights to Montefiore's earlier book Catherine and Potemkin , I hope she plays her) To reach power Catherine's husband was murdered. Of the twelve Tzars 6 were murdered, being a Romanov was a dangerous job. My favorite latest Tzar was Alexander II, his love affair with his mistress princess katya is both romantic and tragic but their love letters are quite something. Be warned they are highly explicit, surely the sexiest letters ever written by a head of state, they are totally hot stuff even by the standards of the 21st century sexting The book ends with the amazing account of Nicholas, Alexandera ( I haven't realized how crazy she was ) and Rasputin. What a tragic family, but they brought so much of their troubles upon themselves. The portrayal of Rasputin is totally unforgettable he was a mystic and a fony, but either way the climax comes with his murder, a totally thrilling scene. Then comes the revolution and the terrible story of the slaughter of the entire family by the vile Bolshevism I was dazzled by the crazy magnificence of this family, but I also cried at the heartbreaking scenes, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, written beautifully , it's narrative is magical and gripping. As you can tell I strongly recommend this book . --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ec/products/129974342-the-romanovs-1613-1918](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/129974342-the-romanovs-1613-1918) --- *Product available on Desertcart Ecuador* *Store origin: EC* *Last updated: 2026-08-25*