Hats off to Lucy Worsley! The first part of Empire of the Tsars, covering the period from Mikhail Romanov's accession in 1613 to the death of Peter the Great in 1725 was a very colourful and entertaining programme. Highlight for me was Lucy at the wheel of the first Royal Yacht to be called Standart - part of the Emperor's fledgling Navy. Her assessment of Tsar Peter in particular was nicely balanced, celebrating his achievements while at the same time highlighting his sometimes excessive cruelty, even to his own son. This side of the Romanov legacy was well put. It should be obvious to any student of history that the Romanovs insistence on their rule coming from God (similar to the mistake of England's Charles I) would only lead to trouble in the end. As we shall hopefully see in later episodes, Alexander II, the visionary "Tsar Liberator" tried to save Russia from the consequences of this, but was cruelly stopped by "The People's Will" - later to morph into the Bolshevik's and "Red Tsars", whose thirst for absolute power exceeded even the worst crimes of Ivan the Terrible.
I can't wait for next week, which will see the excitement of Catherine II and Alexander I. I hope she will explore Alexander's "disappearance" and look into the evidence that he survived beyond 1825. That mystery has always intrigued me. Alexander was a deeply spiritual man and has always been one of my heroes...
Lots to look forward to. So far, so brilliant...
I can't wait for next week, which will see the excitement of Catherine II and Alexander I. I hope she will explore Alexander's "disappearance" and look into the evidence that he survived beyond 1825. That mystery has always intrigued me. Alexander was a deeply spiritual man and has always been one of my heroes...
Lots to look forward to. So far, so brilliant...
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