The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for little over three hundred years and its dramatic end exerts a lasting fascination. This book serves to widen the picture, looking at the lives and grand palaces of individual Romanovs during the last century of imperial rule. It was a time of contrasts, during which the Tsars reached the peak of their wealth, prestige and power, yet also faced the growth of forces that would lead to their destruction. In 1817, a hundred years before the revolution, the first Tsar Nicholas and Alexandra were married in the Winter Palace. Beginning here, the book continues with the stories of their successors, Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II, each trying to steer his own course between reform and repression. Stories of lesser known characters in the Russian royal family and ordinary people who crossed their paths are also told revealing details of their daily lives in the palaces which were their homes. The authors detailed knowledge of the imperial palaces as they were and as they are today gives the stories life, while her use of archive material only recently revealed casts new light on the Romanovs. Richly illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs and the author's line drawings, "Romanov Autumn" will appeal to all those interested in the remarkable and tragic history of the Russian Imperial family.