Russia’s three-hundred-year-old Dynasty, the Romanovs
After the death of Ivan the Terrible, his son Fyodor took over until he died in 1598.. His death was the end of the Rudrik dynasty and would see Russia endure from 1598 to 1613, which would be known as the time of Troubles. This time in Russian history sees many tsars and claims saying they were Dmitri, one of the sons of Ivan the Terrible; however, Dmitri died very young, so they would come to be known as the false Dmitris. But out of the time of troubles emerged a dynasty that ended up lasting over three hundred years, they were the Romanovs. The Romanovs would dominate throughout the centuries leading up to 1918 and would see them fight many wars, preside over two partitions of Poland, and expand the empire into modern-day Finland, Crimea, Ukraine, Poland, and much more.
My Experience reading this book was positive. I have always wanted to learn about Russia’s history and Eastern European history in general, and this book is a great entryway way going all the way from 1613 to the end of World War 1. I will note there is a lot of information in this book, so while it’s a great read to introduce yourself to Russian history, don’t feel discouraged if you find yourself trying to absorb all of the information and find yourself forgetting some of it. The author, at the beginning of every chapter, has a page describing the people involved in each chapter, making it easier to follow who is who.
An image taken from the book showing Russia’s expansion over the centuries
Some interesting information I learned from this book is that it helped me understand some of the shared history between Ukraine and Russia, which is essential to understanding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. I was also suprised to find out that at the same time as Abraham Linclon was freeing the slaves in America Tsar Alexander the third was eliminating serfdom in his own country and the Russian Tsar even sent two of his fleets to help support the North during the civil war completely shattering the myth of Russia and America always being enemies. This book is recommended for anyone who has a desire to learn about Eastern Europe’s history, and I have even found myself wanting to look more closely at certain areas of Russian history, so do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy today and start reading!
