A History of the Romanov Dynasty
and the Russian Monarchy

In February 1613, amidst the filth and debris left by foreign invaders in the great Kremlin Palace, an obscure sixteen-year-old prince named Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov was proclaimed Tsar and Autocrat of All the Russias. He was to establish a dynasty that would determine the destiny of Russia for three centuries. A line of dynastic rulers would come in his wake: Alexei--who would raise Russia to a position of importance in Eastern Europe; Peter the Great--who would build an invincible army and a new capital, St. Petersburg, and forcibly bring Russia out of the Middle Ages and into the modern world; and in the eighteenth century a succession of three extraordinary empresses, Anna, Elizabeth, and Catherine the Great, who would break with the tradition of supreme male authority. Catherine would bring the ideas of the Enlightenment to Russia and create a court whose splendor would rival that of Versailles.

At its height in the mid-nineteenth century, the empire of the Romanovs comprised more than one sixth of the earth's surface. It was a "whole world, self-sufficient, independent, and absolute"--flaunting the greatest wealth in Europe. Its culture, both rich and brilliant, would continue to shine, decades after the demise of its imperial benefactors. This was the world that ended with the murders of the last of the Romanovs: Nicholas II and Alexandra, and their five children.

• TSAR MIKHAIL FEODOROVICH

• TSAR ALEXEI MIKHAILOVICH

• TSAR FEODOR III ALEKSEIVICH

• TSAREVNA SOPHIA ALEKSEIVEVNA

• TSAR IVAN V ALEKSEIVICH

• EMPEROR PETER I (PETER THE GREAT)

• EMPRESS CATHERINE I

• EMPEROR PETER II

• EMPRESS ANNA IOANNOVNA

• REGENT ANNA LEOPOLDOVNA & EMPEROR IVAN VI

• EMPRESS ELIZABETH PETROVNA

• EMPEROR PETER III

• EMPRESS CATHERINE II - CATHERINE THE GREAT

• EMPEROR PAUL I

• EMPEROR ALEXANDER I

• EMPEROR NICHOLAS I

• EMPEROR ALEXANDER II

• EMPEROR ALEXANDER III

• EMPEROR NICHOLAS II

• HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN MONARCHY

• THE RUSSIAN FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF 1906
  An abridged version of the laws that governed the Russian Empire more than a century ago.

• THE FATE OF THE ROMANOVS: THE SURVIVORS!
  A well-researched article on the fate of those members of the Romanov family who survived the Russian Revolution and escaped. Compiled and written by Professor Kent Sole.

• THE SUCCESSION QUESTION?
  Who is the rightful heir and successor to the Imperial House of Russia?

• TERCENTENARY OF THE ROMANOV DYNASTY (1913)
  The 300th Anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty

• THE GRAND DUKES OF RUSSIA
  Biographies, genealogies and photos of the Grand Dukes. Still Under Construction!

• NICHOLAS & ALEXANDRA
  The love affair that shaped Russia's history in five chapters!
  Chapter I -- Heir to an Empire
  
  
  Chapter II -- Star-Crossed Lovers
  
  
  Chapter III -- Crowned in Glory
  
  
  Chapter IV -- Shadows of Darkness
  
  
  Chapter V -- End of a Dynasty

• THE CORONATION OF TSAR NICHOLAS II
  The Gala Coronation Ceremony of the Last Russiaian Tsar!

• THE CANONIZATION OF THE LAST IMPERIAL FAMILY
  Report of theHoly Synod Commission on the Canonization of Saints With Respect to the Martyrdom of the Imperial Family .

• TSAREVICH ALEKSEI: HEIR TO THE THRONE

• THE ALEXANDER PALACE @ TSARSKOE SELO
  Explore the history behind the favourite Imperial residence of Nicholas & Alexandra!

• LIVADIA
  Explore the history behind the tsar's paradise in the Crimea!

• RUSSIAN IMPERIAL YACHTS: THE STANDART
  A well-researched article at the famous yacht of Tsar Nicholas II.

• THE IMPERIAL TRAIN
  A well-researched and illustrated look at the private train of Tsar Nicholas II.