The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II
by Greg King
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Book Summary Information
Author: Greg KingEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-03-24
ISBN: 0471727636
Number of pages: 600
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II
Book Review: A great escape!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are interested in the last Romanovs and their place in Russian history this book is your cup of tea. ALthough I was enthralled with the incredible details of the imperial family's vast wealth, other aspects of the book intrigued me even more. The book contains many black and white pictures of the royal family and their entourage that I had never seen before. For instance, there's a very clear picture of the pivotal character Anna Vyrubova-pivotal as she introduced the Empress to Rasputin. Vyrubova is described by many sources as being overblown physically as well as being bird-brained and childish. Anna has a Wagnerian physique, true, but judging from her writings, my personal opinion is that she was anything but stupid. In fact she may have been quite manipulative but very very loyal to the Imperial family during their lifetime and after their murder. There are two photos of Alexandra's sister, Ella, one of her in imperial dress before her husband was murdered, and the other of her in her nun's habit. (She took the veil when her husband, Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich, was blown apart by a bomb). There are several pictures of the imperial children I had never seen. One of Marie and Anastasia is particularly delightful. Anastasia looks mischievous as I am sure she was. Mischievous but not nasty or "evil" as some thought. Greg King points out that Anastasia felt unwanted and was trying to call attention to herself. I'll bet this is true: after four girls I imagine her parents were anything but enthusiastic about Anastasia, and they likely showed it, but not intentionally. There is a delightful picture of the four girls all in white with large white picture hats sitting crammed into a Standart bench next to the tsar who is in a white admiral uniform. Alexandra's famed mauve bedroom is pictured. There's an image of Alexander III (Nicholas III's father) laid out and that brings me to the chapter called "An Imperial Funeral."
Greg King writes very well indeed, but this chapter on the tsar's death and the two week journey of his body from Livadia in the Crimea, where he died, to Moscow to St. Petersburg- somehow captures the oppressive Russian spirit prevalent in those days.
I'm going to quote the last paragraph of this chapter in just a moment. Don't think that the color photos of the palaces, jewels, trains, etc aren't impressive and interesting, they are both. But it is the human element in this book that got through to me and made an impression just as great as the emeralds and diamonds and rubies and the trappings of the richest dynasty in the world.
Here is the end of the chapter on Alexander III's death:
"As the choirs sang and priests chanted amid the haze of incense and overwhelming heat from the flickering votive candles, the weeks of pomp and pageantry, decay and desolate grief, finally enveloped the family. Alexander's widow, her ears filled with ceaseless chants, and her eyes stung with tears, collapsed into the arms of the Princess of Wales [her sister] her heart- breaking screams of 'Enough! Enough! Enough!' echoing through the vast gilded cathedral as the polished coffin holding her husband's remains disappeared from view through the stone floor."
By the time the tsar was finally laid to rest, his face had turned black.
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