San Antonio College Library

Lucy Worsley travels to Russia to tell the extraordinary story of the dynasty that ruled the country for more than three centuries. It's an epic tale that includes giant figures such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, the devastating struggle against Napoleon in 1812, and the political murders of Nicholas II and his family in 1918 which brought the dynasty to a brutal end. In this first episode, Lucy will investigate the beginning of the...

"For 300 years the history of Russia was inextricably linked to that of one family: the Romanovs. Tracing their line back to Tsar Michael and claiming a divine right to reign, they shaped the history of Russia, for better or for worse, over three centuries. Their influence defined the politics, society, art and philosophy of the time and led to the establishment of Russia as one of the great world powers." "When they gathered to celebrate their tercentenary...

Lucy Worsley concludes her history of the Romanov dynasty, investigating how the family's grip on Russia unraveled in their final century. She will show how the years 1825-1918 were bloody and traumatic, a period when four tsars tried-and failed-to deal with the growing pressure for constitutional reform and revolution. Lucy will find out how the Romanovs tried to change the system themselves: in 1861, millions of enslaved serfs were freed by the...

Lucy Worsley continues her journey through Russia in the footsteps of the Romanovs, the most powerful royal dynasty in modern European history. In this episode she examines the extraordinary reign of Catherine the Great, and the traumatic conflict with Napoleonic France that provides the setting for War and Peace. Lucy begins in the 18th century, when the great palaces of the Romanovs were built. But in Romanov Russia, blood was always intermingled...

"The acclaimed author of Young Stalin and Jerusalem gives readers an accessible, lively account--based in part on new archival material--of the extraordinary men and women who ruled Russia for three centuries."--NoveList. 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...

"On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure. A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery...