Kirjahaku

The tumultuous story of the Romanovs and their enigmatic relationship with Britain is brought to life in Stephan Roman's Isle and Empires, as he explores the misunderstandings, suspicions and alliances that created an uneasy partnership between two of the world's most powerful Empires. The Isle of Wight was at the heart of this relationship, an island off the south coast of England that intimately linked the British royal family and the Romanovs. Peter the Great drew inspiration for the first Russian naval fleet from his sailing trips around the Island, and Alexander I was immortalised by a hilltop monument built for him on St Catherine's Down. Alexander II's beloved only daughter, Grand Duchess Marie, spent many years at Osborne House infuriating and irritating her mother-in-law, Queen Victoria. In contrast to the Isle of Wight's imperial and royal connections, Russian revolutionaries also made it their home, establishing a summer colony of radical political thinkers and writers in Ventnor. In August 1909 the Island hosted the Russian Imperial family during their visit to Cowes Week, then the most glamorous yachting regatta in Europe's social calendar. A new era of Anglo-Russian collaboration was dawning and seemed destined to become a dominant force in 20th century global politics. The Tsar's visit to Cowes was deliberately intended to set the seal on this new alliance. Less than ten years later the Romanovs had been overthrown, with the British government and royal family accused of betrayal and complicity in their deaths. Isle and Empires is a journey into a world of Imperial glory and power, family rivalry, wars, intrigue and alliances. It is also a story of Russia's revolutionaries, spies and terrorists, and the refugees fleeing Tsarist oppression who found shelter and safety both in mainland Britain and on the Isle of Wight. These events reverberate to the present day and much of what happened when the Romanovs ruled Russia continues to set the pattern for the current relationship between the two countries.

The tumultuous story of the Romanovs and their enigmatic relationship with Britain is brought to life in Stephan Roman's Isle and Empires. This new book explores the misunderstandings, suspicions and alliances that created an uneasy partnership between two of the world's most powerful Empires. In this updated edition, the author asserts that 'It is important that we understand the history of the British relationship with Romanov Russia, if we are to make sense of what is happening today.' The Isle of Wight, unexpectedly at the heart of the relationship between Britain and Russia, intimately linked the British royal family and the Romanovs. The Island was also home to Russia's revolutionaries, spies, and terrorists, and the refugees fleeing Tsarist oppression. In August 1909, the Isle of Wight hosted the Russian Imperial family during their visit to Cowes Week, then the most glamorous yachting regatta in Europe's social calendar. A new era of Anglo-Russian collaboration emerged and seemed destined to become a dominant force in 20th-century global politics. However, less than ten years later, the Romanovs were overthrown by the Bolsheviks, and the British government and royal family stood accused of denying them a safe refuge in Britain. Now available in paperback, this 2022 edition of Isle and Empires includes a new and exclusive Preface by the author, 'Vladimir Putin and the return of Imperial Russia'. As the West tries to comprehend the true motives of the Kremlin in its invasion of Ukraine, Stephan Roman puts forward a strong argument for the war originating in the traditions founded by the Romanov dynasty. Namely, in Putin's admiration for the Romanov Tsars of the past, their orthodoxy, autocratic governance, and thirst for a strong national identity.