The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore was a big undertaking; a shared biography of the whole dynasty and 300 years of history. I think Montefiore achieved it with varying levels of success.
Each chapter, or "scene," starts with a cast of characters, which is helpful in keeping track of who everyone is, but this is still challenging (through no fault of the author), given the propensity to repeat names throughout the dynasty and the inevitable overlap of the names of courtiers as well.
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Michael I of Russia,
the first tsar of the Romanov-Dynasty
(1613 - 1645). By Johann Heinrich Wedekind
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Each "scene" essentially covers one generation of Romanovs, starting with the rise of the first Romanov after the "time of troubles." This is where the variability comes in - some of the chapters, at least for me, were much more engaging and interesting than others. It makes sense that some would be more detailed than others based on what is actually available in the historical record, and that some rulers would be more interesting than others based on what they themselves did, but I felt the writing quality varied from chapter to chapter as well. At times the writing style was very abrupt; it felt like we changed from point to point within the same paragraph, and it was a little jarring and made it harder to keep track of what was going on.
All told, though, this was an interesting book, particularly the chapters on the more famous Romanovs like Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, and gave me some insight into the earlier members of the family I knew nothing about. It also covered a range of information about each figure, from how they came to the throne, their military exploits and their romantic relationships. (It turns out some of the Romanov love letters would put modern sexting to shame!)
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Peter the Great by
Paul Delaroche
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Montefiore includes discussions of the political intrigue and courtiers around each Romanov, as well as analysis of their strength and weaknesses and familial relationships. His discussion of the modernization of Russia under Peter the Great was, for me, particularly interesting, as was his discussion of the rise of Catherine I (distinguished from the more well known Catherine the Great), who began life as a servant and eventually became the second wife of Peter the Great and briefly ruled following his death. Talk about rags to riches.
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| Nicholas II |
And, of course, a significant chunk of the end of the book is devoted to the rule of Nicholas II (Nicky) and the fall of the Romanovs. His discussion was more in depth than some other accounts I have read, although I have yet to dig into the biographies by
Robert Massie or
Helen Rappaport. In particular I found his analysis of the relationship between Nicholas and his wife Alexandra (Alicky), with the added dynamics of their son Alexei's hemophilia and the power this gave to the mystic Rasputin to be particularly interesting and enlightening. The reader cannot help but wonder how things might have been different if Alexei was healthy. Montefiore clearly places blame on Alexandra for the fall of the regime, although just as clearly shows how Nicholas himself also shared responsibility, as well as the ways the generations leading up to him set the stage for what was to come.
Overall, a good primer on the history of the Romanovs which definitely piqued my interest in some specific figures in Russian history. It helps understand the peak of Romanov power, followed by the steady decline, and shows the socio-economic context of how the system of serfdom really set the country up for turmoil, but also addresses how it might have been avoided or lessened. While the writing style at times made it a slog, overall I can recommend to anyone interested in the Romanovs of Russian history.
What am I reading now?
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