The Many Deaths of Tsar Nicholas II (Routledge Studies in the History of Russia and Eastern Europe) - Softcover

Slater, Wendy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415427975 ISBN 13: 9780415427975

Publisher: Routledge, 2007

Synopsis

How did Nicholas II, Russia’s last Tsar, meet his death? Shot point blank in a bungled execution by radical Bolsheviks in the Urals, Nicholas and his family disappeared from history in the Soviet era. But in the 1970s, a local geologist and a crime fiction writer discovered the location of their clandestine mass grave, and secretly removed three skulls, before reburying them, afraid of the consequences of their find.

Yet the history of Nicholas’ execution and the discovery of his remains are not the only stories connected with the death of the last Tsar. This book recounts the horrific details of his death and the thrilling discovery of the bones, and also investigates the alternative narratives that have grown up around these events. Stories include the contention that the Tsar’s killing was a Jewish plot, in which Nicholas’ severed head was taken to Moscow as proof of his death; tales of would-be survivors of the execution, self-confessed children of the Tsar claiming their true identity; and accounts of miracles performed by Nicholas, who was made a saint by the Russian church in 2000. Not least among these alternative narratives is the romanticization of the Romanovs, epitomized by the numerous photographs of the family released from the Russian archives.

About this title

About the Author:

Wendy Slater taught Russian history at the University of Cambridge and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, until 2003. She is deputy editor of The Annual Register and writes regularly on Russian affairs for Keesing’s Record of World Events.

Review:

'This book is both a careful retelling of the story of the deaths and rediscovery of Russia's royal family and a series of interesting essays on the myths surrounding them. As such, it is to be thoroughly recommended' -  Beryl Williams, University of Sussex, Revolutionary Russia, 2008

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0415427975
• ISBN 13: 9780415427975
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208