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- Full-Colour cover

- Large 8-1/2 x 11 inch format

- 135 pages of text and photos

- 8 Full-length articles

- PLUS Royal Russia News - Illustrated with 111 black and white photographs

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FULL-LENGTH ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

Cover Story: Emperor Paul I: Neither Demon Nor Saint
by Andrew M. Cooperman

-a prominent figure in the public life of pre-revolutionary Russia, his career spanned over six decades. He oFor most of the two hundred fourteen years since his assassination, Emperor Paul I has either been demonized or canonized by historians. In truth, Paul I was neither demon nor saint, but rather a remarkable man who lived and reigned during an important time in Russia's history. Caught as he was between the more polished and genteel courts of his mother, Catherine the Great, and his son, Alexander I, Paul's short reign of four years is too often viewed by some as harsh and tyrannical. Others, however, have insisted that Paul's serious attempts at internal reform and international peace entitle him to greater recognition. More recent scholarship has attempted to place Paul and his policies as emperor in a balanced perspective. That Paul was a different type of monarch in both style and in policy than his mother and son is certain. However, historians are now viewing those differences on their own merits, rather than measuring them against those of Catherine and Alexander. In that spirit, this article presents Paul wielding a sceptre rather than a pitch fork, and wearing a crown rather than a halo.

My Russia: The State Archives of the Russian Federation
by Paul Gilbert

- I have had the privilege of visiting GARF on two separate occasions over the years. My article explores the history of Russia's largest archive, and repository of Romanov documents, photographs and other personal possessions of the Russian Imperial family, from Peter the Great to Emperor Nicholas II. I also share my own personal observations on the many items of Nicholas II and his family held in GARF's vast Romanov archival collections.

Physicians of the Imperial Court
by Margarita Nelipa

- Medicine intervenes not only in the lives of the common folk during the period of their vulnerability, be it during childbirth and when dying, it similarly encroached into the intimate lives of Russia’s imperial families. With the benefit of diaries and archival records, the author examines several personal physicians who attended the imperial Court over a period of two hundred years and accordingly offers a unique portrayal about several monarchs and their heirs during their final moments of life, following chronic illness or foul play. While only a select few physicians received a formal request to serve the Court, when summoned these trusted individuals gained unfettered entry into the private bedroom chambers of the emperor, the empress and their children. Though Professors Sergei Fyodorov and Evgenii Botkin are familiar to many, those who attended the courts of Peter I, Nikolai I, Alexander II and III are also deserving of recognition.

A Loyal and Affectionate Friend. Ferdinand Thormeyer and the Family of Alexander III
by Coryne Hall

- Ferdinand Thormeyer served as the French tutor to the children of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna: Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II), the Grand Dukes George and Michael, and the Grand Duchesses Xenia and Olga. Later, he became almost a substitute father-figure to Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich. Olga and Michael, especially, poured out their hearts to him about various matters. After the Revolution, Thormeyer continued to correspond with Olga until her death in 1960. His extensive correspondence with the children of Alexander III, along with photographs and drawings were sold at a Geneva auction in 2010 for more than $400,000.

The Tsar's Bride. A Story of Mikhail Romanov and Maria Khlopova's Star-Crossed Love
by Irene Galaktinovna

- When the first of the Romanovs, the young Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, first came to power, he was obliged to take a wife. Although the tsar himself was deeply in love with the girl he'd chosen, his political advisors had other plans. As a result, the tsar and his bride spent six years apart, hoping to be reunited - which ultimately never happened. Mikhail only married years later, deeply disappointed.

A Friend for Better or Worse. The Romanovs and Their Dogs
by Irene Galaktinovna

- Few people realize that it was the Romanov dynasty who introduced dog breeding into Russia. The Russian Royals' relationship with their four-legged companions evolved over time, from breeding and keeping palace pooches to finally viewing dogs as trusty partners and friends.

Princess Vera Konstantinovna Remembered
- The authors have compiled an article on Princess Vera Konstantinovna, which includes an interview with the youngest child of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich in 1994, in which she shares her memories of her parents, her siblings, among other members of the Russian Imperial family.
by M.N. Tretiakova and M. Ardov

Was the Tsar Right to Abdicate in 1917?
by Vladimir Moss

- Why did the Tsar agree to abdicate from the throne in that lonely railway carriage near Pskov in February, 1917? And was he right to do so? These questions are relevant not only to our understanding of the Tsar himself, but also of Russia and her destiny. For, as we know, the abdication of the Tsar led to the destruction of Russia, a catastrophe of the most terrible consequences both for Russia and the world, which are still being felt to this day. So could it all have been avoided if the Tsar had simply refused the pleas of his generals and the other plotters against him, and continued to rule?

NEW - Royal Russia News
Compiled, Translated and Edited by Paul Gilbert

This new feature offers Romanov enthusiasts and lovers of Imperial Russian history with the top news stories from Russian media sources on the Romanovs, their legacy and Imperial Russian History, translated from Russian and presented in English for the first time.

PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS IN THIS ISSUE

Frozen in Time
Photographic Memories of the Russian Imperial Family

The Lost World of Imperial Russia
Vintage Photographs of Russia Before the Revolution