The Family Romanov

Synopsis

"[A] superb history.... In these thrilling, highly readable pages, we meet Rasputin, the shaggy, lecherous mystic...; we visit the gilded ballrooms of the doomed aristocracy; and we pause in the sickroom of little Alexei, the hemophiliac heir who, with his parents and four sisters, would be murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918." -The Wall Street Journal
 
Here is the tumultuous, heartrending, true story of the Romanovs-at once an intimate portrait of Russia's last royal family and a gripping account of its undoing. Using captivating photos and compelling first person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost; The Lincolns) deftly maneuvers between the imperial family's extravagant lives and the plight of Russia's poor masses, making this an utterly mesmerizing read as well as a perfect resource for meeting Common Core standards.

"An exhilarating narrative history of a doomed and clueless family and empire." -Jim Murphy, author of Newbery Honor Books An American Plague and The Great Fire

"For readers who regard history as dull, Fleming's extraordinary book is proof positive that, on the contrary, it is endlessly fascinating, absorbing as any novel, and the stuff of an altogether memorable reading experience." -Booklist, Starred

"Marrying the intimate family portrait of Heiligman's Charles and Emma with the politics and intrigue of Sheinkin's Bomb, Fleming has outdone herself with this riveting work of narrative nonfiction that appeals to the imagination as much as the intellect." -The Horn Book, Starred

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature
Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist 
Winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction

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Summary

Chapter 1: The Royal Family in the Early 20th Century

* Introduction of the Romanov dynasty and their reign in Russia
* Description of Emperor Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, and their children
* The family's love for each other and their devotion to the Russian Orthodox Church

Example: The family's close bonds are evident in a photograph taken in 1914, showing Nicholas and Alexandra holding hands while their children smile and play around them.

Chapter 2: The Rise of Bolshevism

* Emergence of the Bolshevik Party and its revolutionary ideology
* Vladimir Lenin's charismatic leadership and his vision for a socialist society
* The growing unrest among the Russian populace

Example: The Bolshevik slogan, "Peace, Bread, Land," resonated with the impoverished and discontented masses, who saw Lenin as a symbol of hope for change.

Chapter 3: The February Revolution

* Spontaneous outbreak of protests and strikes in Petrograd (later St. Petersburg) in February 1917
* Collapse of the Tsarist government and the establishment of a Provisional Government
* Nicholas II's abdication and the family's confinement under house arrest

Example: The Romanov family was initially imprisoned at the Alexander Palace, where they were subjected to harsh conditions and humiliating treatment by the guards.

Chapter 4: The October Revolution

* Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917
* Formation of a new government headed by Lenin
* The family's transfer to the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg

Example: The Ipatiev House, a former residence of a wealthy merchant, became a makeshift prison for the Romanov family. The windows were boarded up, and the family was kept under constant guard.

Chapter 5: The Murder

* On the night of July 16-17, 1918, the Bolsheviks murdered the entire Romanov family
* The execution was carried out by a firing squad in the basement of the Ipatiev House
* The bodies were disfigured, burned, and buried in a mass grave

Example: The family's murder was a brutal and senseless act of violence. The executioners used bayonets to finish off those who survived the initial gunfire, and the bodies were acidified and dumped into a mine.

Chapter 6: The Legacy

* The assassination of the Romanovs marked the end of the Russian monarchy
* The family's remains were eventually discovered and identified in the 1990s
* The Romanovs have become icons of both Russian history and the horrors of revolution

Example: The Romanov family's story continues to fascinate and inspire people around the world. Museums, documentaries, and books have been created to preserve their legacy and remind us of the fragility of power and the importance of human rights.