Nearly 100 years after the fall of the monarchy in Russia, the world's fascination with the Romanov Dynasty and Imperial Russia endures. For many decades after the 1917 Revolution, the archive materials related to the Russian Imperial family were inaccessible. They were kept securely hidden from sight in archive and museum repositories across the country. But contrary to a widely-held belief, nothing was destroyed. It is only since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 that we are now able to access a virtual cornucopia of diaries, letters, and other documents which shed a whole new light on the Romanov’s and their legacy. Further, the number of photographs held in the archives is simply staggering: more than 150,000 taken by the family of the last Emperor and his family alone! This does not include photographs taken of them by others, nor does it include the number of photographs of their many relatives including the grand dukes, the grand duchesses, and their respective families, as well as members of the aristocracy.

For much of the 20th century, what we came to accept as the truth about the Romanov Dynasty was based on a rehashing of the same material, much of it based solely on the memoirs of a few émigrés, and the propaganda circulated by anti-monarchists and Bolshevik sympathizers. After the Soviets came to power, they were perfectly content to allow the negative myths about the Romanov Dynasty to stand. They never wanted any one to accept that the Romanov Dynasty had made a significant contribution to Russian history and culture, and that the monarchy was good for Russia.

These are exciting times for any one who shares an interest in the Romanov Dynasty and the history of Imperial Russia. In the last 20 years, Russian historians and researchers have been rewriting history. Many of the popular-held myths held by Westerners have been put to rest thanks to the wealth of new material that is being unearthed in the vast expanses of the Russian archives.

Royal Russia is a unique site that is dedicated to the study and appreciation of a dynasty that ruled Russia for more than three centuries. Throughout our site, you will learn about the members of the Russian Imperial family, their palaces, the monarchy and life in pre-Revolutionary Russia. Illustrated with extraordinary 18th- and 19th-century portraits and photographs of the tsars, their families, and their court, as well as beautiful watercolours and vintage photographs of the Imperial palaces and residences, Royal Russia is a treasure trove of information for Romanovphiles. It is also an excellent resource for historians, researchers and students.

Royal Russia currently offers more than 50 full-length articles, more than 500 news articles, more than 300 videos, over 1,000 photographs, plus a blog with more than 600 news clips, videos and photographs, an online bookshop that specializes in books on the Romanovs and Imperial Russia, and much more. Our site is updated several times a week!

Last year, Royal Russia welcomed over 1.2 million visitors from all over the world, making it one of the largest and most popular web sites dedicated to the Romanov Dynasty and Imperial Russia.

In 2011, Royal Russia launched the premiere issue of its official magazine which is published on an annual basis. In 2013, Royal Russia will launch a series of Special Collector's Editions, also to be published annually.

PAUL GILBERT
Founder and Web-Site Administrator