The Royal Women

Bloody Sunday 1905

Some historians view the events of Bloody Sunday 1905 as one of the key events which led to the Russian Revolution of 1917, during which Nicholas II was dethroned. The event took place on 22 January 1905 (O.S. 9 January). The serfs had been emancipated by Tsar Alexander II in 1861, and they became a [read more]

Anastasia of Montenegro

The birth of Rasputin

Grigory Rasputin was born in the west of Siberia in the town of Pokrovskoe. We don’t know the exact date but the name Grigory suggests that he was born on 10 January (old style date), dedicated to St Grigory of Nicea. We don’t even know the exact year, but in 1915 Rasputin himself believed he [read more]

Book Reviews

Book News February 2018

The King Who Had To Go: Edward VIII, Mrs. Simpson and the Hidden Politics of the Abdication Crisis Paperback – 4 September 2018 (US) & 1 February 2018 (UK) How does the machinery of government respond when a King steps out of line? The relationship between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson created a constitutional crisis that [read more]