Chronicle of the Russian tsars : the reign-by-reign record of the rulers of imperial Russia / David Warnes.

With 229 illustrations, 100 in colour.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-219) and index.

the last Tsar Nicholas 11, a weak - willed ruler in a period of devastating change, Feodor 1 the pious but feeble, Alexei Mikhailovich as warm hearted and irascible, and Empress Anna with her taste for cruel practical jokes. Introduces some of the key debates of Russian history: How did a small principality centered on Moscow develop into a vast empire stretching from the Baltic to the Pacific?, What part did the Orthodox Church paly in the rise of tsarism ?, And why did Russia develop political and social institutions so different from those of the West? Lists down genealogical trees of the Romanovs and their predecessors, and datafiles for every ruler detailing lineage, spouses and children, and place and cause of death. Contains extensive quotations from contemporary sources that bring the past to life. With over 90 sidebars and special features ranging from the building of the Moscow Kremlin to Catherine the Great lovers and 200 229 illustrations in colour, including portraits of every ruler and key political player, art treasures, architectures, maps and plans.

Catherine the Great, the determined young German princess who usurped power and is remembered for her interest in the Enlightenment and for her colrful private life

Peter the Great, dynamic reformer and dedicated Westernizer

Documents the lives of all 26 tsars famous and infamous in biographical portraits.Presents the facts behind the reputation of rulers such as Ivan the Terrible, whose reign of terror was unparalleled in Russian history until Stalin