Friday, November 30, 2012

NEW BOOK: The Other Grand Dukes – Sons and Grandsons of Russia's Grand Dukes

One year, six issues of Eurohistory and three books! – No wonder I'm exhausted!

Yet it is with great delight that we have reached this milestone and as I hold to cover jacket of THE OTHER GRAND DUKES, it now becomes quite real ... the books arrival here at Eurohistory is just weeks away!


Arturo E. Beéche, founder and publisher of The European Royal History Journal, thought of the idea for an anthology on Russia’s GrandDuchesses. That book was published eight years ago and since then it has received wide attention and praise. Consequently, a companion book on the Russian Grand Dukes became imperative. The Grand Dukes: Sons and Grandsons of Russia’s Tsars Since Paul I examines the biographies of nearly forty men whose birth gave them the right to one of the world’s most prestigious positions. All sons of Russian tsars are covered in Volume I. The sons of collateral grand ducal branches are covered in Volume II.

The biography of each of the Grand Dukes of Russia brings to life a deeply gripping human saga. These men were born into what then was one of the world’s most powerful ruling dynasties. They were not all saints; they were not all demons – they were men whose birth showered them with untold privilege. Some used their birthright for the common good; some did not. Yet, they allremain amazingly intriguing, complex, complicated and conflicted human beings. At birth they were showered with untold privilege, including a lump sum of money placed in trust for them. By the time these funds were made available to a Grand Duke, the interest alone made them amazingly wealthy. Added to thisbenefit, they derived salaries from their military appointments, investments, real estate and inheritance. Thus, the Grand Dukes were able to maintain a lifestyle only surpassed by today’s oligarchs and yesteryear’s robber barons. They were consummate spenders in paintings, art, architecture, jewels, all while acting as sponsors of talented writers, thinkers, poets, ballerinas, among many others. One was a playwright of considerable talent. Another played a role in working toward the liberation of the serfs. One was a leading admiral with a fondness for “fast women and slow ships.” Another Grand Duke lived a tortured existence as a closeted homosexual, yet became the father of nine children. Told in a two-volume set, this is their story.

Participating in this extensive research project were some oftoday’s best-known royalty authors. They included: Charles Stewart, awell-known and respected royal anthropologist, as well as one of the world’s leading experts in the rules that governed the lives of European royalty; Janet Ashton, a
well-known contributor to royalty magazines and published from the United Kingdom; Zoia Belyakova, a well-known Russian scholar with countless books to her name; Lisa Davidson, one of the leading forces behind The Alexander Palace Time Machine (www.alexanderpalace.org); Coryne Hall, a highly-respected royal author with several books and countless articles to her name; Ilana Miller, a Pepperdine University faculty member, who happens to be a leading expert on the Grand Dukes of Hesse and By Rhine; Greg King, one of today’s most talented royal biographers; Marlene Eilers-Koenig, a well-known expert on royalty and the descendants of Queen Victoria; William Lee, a university professor fromOregon with a deep love of Russia and its culture; John van der Kiste, easily the most prolific royalty author of today; Grant Hayter-Menzies, a talentedwriter and contributor to historical journals; Penny Wilson, a well-known writer and expert on the Romanovs. Finally, Arturo E. Beéche, whose vision and guidance is responsible for the royalty epicenter that
Eurohistory.com has become.



Inside THE OTHER GRAND DUKES, readers will find a wealth of information included in these chapters:

        Foreword  

A Word from the Publisher

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter I – The Sons of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich
Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich
Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich


Chapter II – The Son of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich
Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich


Chapter III – The Grandson of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich


Chapter IV – The Son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich
Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich

Chapter V – The Sons of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich
Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich
Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich
Grand Duke Dimitri Konstantinovich
Grand Duke Vyacheslav Konstantinovich


Chapter VI – The Sons of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaievich
Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaievich Junior
Grand Duke Peter Nikolaievich


Chapter VII – The Sons of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaievich
Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich
Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich
Grand Duke Serge Mikhailovich
Grand Duke Alexis Mikhailovich

Endnotes Notes     

Bibliography

Name Index

Photo Section (69 images)    
Family Trees

Table #1: The Russian Imperial Family
Table #2: The Vladimirovichi and Pavlovich Lines
Table #3: The Konstantinovichi Line
Table #4: The Nikolaievichi Line
Table #5: The Mikhailovichi Line






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