The Romanovs - Box Set : Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra: The Story of the Romanovs

Against a monumental backdrop of fabulous splendour, intrigue and barbaric cruelty, unfolds a powerful drama of passion and history. This is the story of the Romanovs, from the Tsar who brought Russia from darkness into light, to one of the greatest female rulers in history, and ultimately to the death-marked royals who watched their empire crumble. PETER THE GREAT: Crowned at the age of 10, Peter embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development. CATHERINE THE GREAT: In 1762, Catherine rode out of St Petersburg at the head of an army to arrest her husband. Three months later, at the age of just 33, she became sole empress of the largest empire on earth. NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA: The story of Nicholas's political naivete, Alexandra's obsession with the corrupt mystic Rasputin, and little Alexis's brave struggle with haemophilia. Against The Monumental Canvas Of Seventeenth- And Eighteenth-century Europe And Russia, Unfolds The Magnificent Story Of Peter The Great, Crowned At The Age Of 10. A Barbarous, Volatile Feudal Tsar With A Taste For Torture; A Progressive And Enlightened Reformer Of Government And Science; A Statesman Of Vision And Colossal Significance: Peter The Great Embodied The Greatest Strengths And Weaknesses Of Russia While Being At The Very Forefront Of Her Development. Robert K. Massie Delves Deep Into The Life Of This Captivating Historical Figure, Chronicling The Pivotal Events That Shaped A Boy Into A Legend – Including His 'incognito' Travels In Europe, His Unquenchable Curiosity About Western Ways, His Obsession With The Sea And Establishment Of The Stupendous Russian Navy, His Creation Of An Unbeatable Army, And His Relationships With Those He Loved Most: Catherine, His Loving Mistress, Wife, And Successor; And Menshikov, The Charming, Unscrupulous Prince Who Rose To Power Through Peter's Friendship. Impetuous And Stubborn, Generous And Cruel, A Man Of Enormous Energy And Complexity, Peter The Great Is Brought Fully To Life. "Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned at the age of 10. A barbarous, volatile feudal tsar with a taste for torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; a statesman of vision and colossal significance: Peter the Great embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development. Robert K. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend - including his 'incognito' travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, his loving mistress, wife, and successor; and Menshikov, the charming, unscrupulous prince who rose to power through Peter's friendship." --Publisher description Truth, perhaps, is stranger than fiction ... In this short early preview of THEY EAT HORSES, DON'T THEY?, Piu Marie Eatwell explores the background to, and the contemporary evidence for, the idea that the French are voracious eaters of horse meat. We know that the French ate horses in the past, but do they still do so today? The age-old, love-hate relationship between Brits and Frogs has spawned many myths. In recent years our stock of received wisdom about France - land of the sophisticated lover and the wine-fuelled lunch - has been fed by a new generation of myths: nota The compelling story of the man who created modern Russia, founded St Petersburg and made his country part of Europe.