Books like The Romanovs by Robert K. Massie

The reign of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, the final chapter of the Romanov dynasty, and the influence of Rasputin, told through rich narrative and rare photographs.

"Investigating the murder of the Russian Imperial Family, Helen Rappaport embarks on a quest to uncover the many international plots to save them, why they failed, and who was responsible. The murder of the Romanov family in July 1918 horrified the world and its aftershocks still reverberate today. In Putin's autocratic Russia, the Revolution itself is considered a crime and its one hundredth anniversary was largely ignored. In stark contrast, the centenary of the massacre of the Imperial Family will be a huge ceremony attended by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. While the murder itself has received major attention, what has never been investigated in detail are the various plots behind the scenes to save the family--on the part of their royal relatives, other governments, and Russian monarchists loyal to the Tsar. Rappaport refutes the accusation that the fault lies entirely with King George V, as has been the traditional claim for the last century. The responsibility for failing the Romanovs must be equally shared. The question of asylum for the Tsar and his family was an extremely complicated issue that presented enormous political, logistical and geographical challenges at a time when Europe was still at war. Like a modern-day detective, Helen Rappaport draws on new and never-before-seen sources from archives in the United States, Russia, Spain ,and the United Kingdom, creating a powerful account of near misses and close calls with a heartbreaking conclusion. With its up-to-the-minute research, The Race to Save the Romanovs is sure to replace outdated classics as the final word on the fate of the Romanovs"--

Philip, who ruled from 1419 to 1467, was one of the most powerful and influential rulers of the fifteenth century. Forced into an alliance with the English, he soon found that he held the balance of power between England and France -- reflected in the final crucial phase of the Hundred Years War. Under Philip the Good, grandson of the founder of the duchy's power, Burgundy reached its apogee. Professor Vaughan portrays not only Philip the Good himself, perhaps the most attractive personality among the four great dukes, but the workings of the court and of one of the most efficent -- if not necessarily the most popular -- administrations in fifteenth-century Europe. The complex diplomatic history of Philip the Good's long ducal reign (1419-1467) occupies much of the book, in particular Burgundy's relations with England and France. The central theme is Philip the Good's policy of territorial and personal aggrandisement, which culminated in his negotiations with the Holy Roman Emperor for a crown. And due attention is given to the great flowering of artistic life in Burgundy which made Philip's court at Dijon an important cultural centre in the period immediately preceding the Renaissance. All this is based on the close study of the considerable surviving archives of Philip's civil service, and on the chronicles and letters of the period. Philip the Good provides a definitive study of the life and times of the ruler whose position and achievements made him the greatest magnate in Europe during what has been called "the Burgundian century". - Publisher.

The collapse of the Soviet Union revealed, among many other things, a hidden wealth of archival documents relating to the imprisonment and murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. From sources both close to the Imperial Family as well as from their captors, these materials have enabled a new examination of one the pivotal events of the twentieth century and the many controversies that surround it. This book revises many long-held beliefs about the Romanovs' final months. This account includes: surprising evidence that Anastasia may, indeed, have survived; diary entries made by Nicholas and Alexandra during their captivity; revelations of how the Romanovs were betrayed by trusted servants; and statements from admitted participants in the murders.--From publisher description.

A scholarly biography of Livia, wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberius, exploring her political influence, personal relationships, and enduring legacy in early Roman history.

This book illuminates the aims and personality of the second duke, and charts the development of the Burgundian state during his ducal reign (1404-1419). His supposed "infernal pact" with the English and his assassination are examined; his activities in France are studied, as he exploited French resources for the benefit of Burgundy. John the Fearless, second Duke of Burgundy, is one of the more dramatic and puzzling characters among medieval rulers. He inherited the newly created duchy from his father, and defended and developed its power ruthlessly during his ducal reign (1404-1419). In the process, he allied himself with the English party in France, with whom he was supposed to have made an "infernal pact", and came to dominate French politics; his manoeuvres led directly to his assassination on the bridge of Montereau in the presence of Charles, dauphin of France, who may have been personally involved. Indeed, the main theme of the book is John the Fearless's activities in France, which are seen in the light of the continued need to exploit French resources for the benefit of Burgundy. John also continued to build on the administrative and financial structures created by his father, which were the mainstay of the ducal power, and he had to deal with the restlessness of the Flemish towns, only recently made part of the Burgundian state. More than any other Burgundian ruler, it is John's personality which determines the course of events: violent and unscrupulous, one quality which John the Fearless completely lacked was prudence. He was a masterful opportunist, who acted impulsively with speed and decision, on the spur of the moment. In the end it was one of his own favoured weapons, political assassination, which was turned against him. - Publisher. This book, though it bears for title the name of one man, is not meant as a biography of John the Fearless. It is the second of a projected series of four volumes on thie history of Burgundy under the Valois dukes. Not that I wish to belittle the dukes themselves, as persons. Far from it. I merely seek to warn the reader that my book has no hero. Its subject is not the life of a man, but the history of the Burgundian state from 1404 to 1419, when John the Fearless was its ruler. - Introduction.

256 pages ; 21 cm