This lavishly illustrated history of Russia's most powerful dynasty, spanning from the 16th century to the fall of the Romanovs in 1917. Beautifully illustrated, The Romanovs tells the story of Russia's most notable ruling dynasty. Beginning with the family's earliest connections to the country's rulers in the mid-16th century, this sweeping tale moves through the Time of Troubles and the oppression of the Romanov family by the Tsar Boris Godunov before the crown was finally offered to the 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov in 1612. Crowned in 1613, Mikhail's reign signified the start of Romanov rule that would last until 1917 when Tsar Nicholas II was deposed as a result of the Russian Revolution (he and his family were subsequently executed in 1918). Filled with notable and outrageous figures, such as Catherine the Great, and examining how the Romanovs made marital alliances with many of the royal families of Europe, this is also a story of political intrigue, war and cultural development that had a profound impact on the development of Russia and its people.