Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie

Nicholas and Alexandra, by Robert K. Massie, is the story of the last Tsar and Tsarina of the Russia, from their courtship, to their life with their children, to their imprisonment and ultimate assassination at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1918. It is primarily due to the actions of these two, Nicholas II and Alexandra, that Russia ceased to be an autocratic monarchy and, after the 1917 revolution, became an autocratic communist state. Unlike more unflatterering accounts such as the opinion at the time of their deaths that Nicholas was a tyrant, Massie paints a primarily positive portrayal of the two. He argues that from childhood Nicholas was simply not properly educated in the intricacies of autocracy and that it was due to the sickness of their youngest son and heir, Alexei, that led the family to their isolation from Court and perceived standoffishness from the affairs of state.

In formulating his thesis for the book, Massie comes from a unique position -both he and Nicholas II had sons afflicted with hemophilia. He writes that since their son's diagnosis, he and his wife have tried to learn about how other families dealt with this diagnosis in their own families, which ultimately led to research of the most famous hemophiliac of all time, the Tsarevich Alexei (vii). What was once one thesis ultimately became two, as the primary purpose of weaving together, with the help of modern medicine, an account of the Imperial family's experience with hemophilia turned into researching Nicholas II and his place in history as well (viii).

To say that Nicholas and Alexandra is well researched is to be a tremendous understatement. Massie gratefully acknowledges the collegiate institutions where he conducted research, as well as the numerous individuals he consulted on information pertaining to Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church, and hemophilia. In addition, his primary source documentation includes letters and diaries written by and to Nicholas and Alexandra themselves, as well as more than fifty books memoirs written by the Romanovs' various friends, family, servants, and government officials. The secondary sources he lists include biographies of various royal personages, histories of Russia, World War I, the 1905 and 1917 Russian Revolutions, and medical information about hemophilia and its links to the royal families of Europe. This plethora of sources helps him not only prove his two theses, but also weaves them together in such a way that one is often used as a way to better understand the other.

In addition to his research, Massie's storytelling is impeccable as well. He brings every person to life, helping the reader to understand their motives. This approach is particularly important in Nicholas' case, as one is clearly able to comprehend the distinction between being a good Tsar, which he was not, and a good man, which he was. Even villains like Rasputin are better understood, although not made particularly sympathetic. For decades, Rasputin's healing powers over the Tsarevich were not understood, but Massie, looking at modern studies of hemophilia, writes about the link between the mind and body to emotions and health. His explanation is that Rasputin hynotized Alexei, which may not have stopped his bleeding, but almost certainly calmed him from the hysterics around him which allowed his blood to clot (200-201).

The concentration on the importance of the hemophilia diagnosis upon young Alexei is one of the most unique aspects of Massie's writing. What some writers might dismiss as nothing more than a footnote, he shows the effect the disease has on a family unit, particularly when the most public family in Russia chose to keep it private. In a country where only males could inherit the throne, the fact that the only heir was unhealthy could not become public knowledge (162-163). This, unfortunately, led not only to cruel rumors about the family, but Alexandra's devastation about her part in the disease (hemophilia is inherited through the mother) led her to consult with a great many mystics and healers, among them Rasputin.

In The American Historical Review, Theodore H. Von Laue lavishes praise on this work, writing that "even professional historians will be carried away by its skillful combination of human compassion, source-based historical method...and narrative power" (Theodore H. Von Laue, "Nicholas and Alexandra", The American Historical Review 73, no. 4 Nicholas and Alexandra is a seminal work in the study of Romanov Russia and the way in which a family copes with illness.

Robert K. Massie, Nicholas and Alexandra, (New York:Ã' Atheneum, 1967), xi+613 pages.