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King, Kaiser, Tsar: Three Royal Cousins Who Led the World to War | 
 enlarge | Author: Catrine Clay
Publisher: Walker & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
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Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 78479
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 432
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0802716776
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.30922
EAN: 9780802716774
ASIN: 0802716776
Publication Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: New book. Fast Shipping. May have small remainder mark.
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Product Description
The extraordinary family story of George V, Wilhelm II, and Nicholas II: they were tied to one another by history, and history would ultimately tear them apart.
Drawing widely on previously unpublished royal letters and diaries, made public for the first time by Queen Elizabeth II , Catrine Clay chronicles the riveting half century of the overlapping lives of royal cousins George V of England, Wilhelm II of Germany, and Nicholas II of Russia, and their slow, inexorable march into conflict in World War I. They saw themselves as royal colleagues, a trade union of kings, standing shoulder to shoulder against the rise of socialism, republicanism, and revolution, and in 1914, on the eve of war, they controlled the destiny of Europe and the fates of millions of their subjects. Clay deftly reveals how intimate family details had deep historical significance, causing the tensions that abounded between them. At every point in her remarkable book, Clay sheds new light on a watershed period in world history.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Masterly Comparative Biography July 22, 2007
John D. Cofield
32 out of 36 found this review helpful
There have been innumerable individual biographies of King George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Tsar Nicholas II, as well as countless histories in which they play major roles. Catrine Clay has done a masterful job of comparing the three royal cousins in a joint biography which does justice to all three men.
Nowadays King George V is usually regarded as a successful monarch but unsuccessful father, while Nicholas II is usually praised as an excellent husband and father but a terrible ruler. Until fairly recently Wilhelm II was considered a monstrous ruler, while his private life was generally ignored. Catrine Clay's biography confirms many of these preconceptions but often provides some intriguing new information and insights.
Nicholas and George were first cousins because their mothers were sisters, daughters of the King of Denmark. George and Wilhelm were first cousins because they were both grandsons of Queen Victoria. Nicholas was married to one of Victoria's granddaughters and was also more distantly related by blood to Wilhelm. The three men grew up in a vast extended family and knew each other from early childhood. Nicholas and George were good friends, but Wilhelm was regarded with distaste by them both because of his bombastic, domineering manner. Clay points out some interesting psychological differences and produces evidence from the men's early childhoods to account for them. She tells many entertaining anecdotes, including many that I, though I've been a student of early twentieth century royal history for many years, had not previously run across. Her psychological comparisons continue through the men's adulthood, comparing the women they married, their relationships with their children, their attitudes towards monarchy and the role they had to play in their governments, and many other details. Among the most interesting of these are the comparisons of the monarchs' advisors: George V's elected officials who held the real power in Britain, Nicholas' shady and unscrupulous priests and monks, and Wilhelm's even more bizarre circle.
The saddest part of the book comes towards the end, after World War I had torn the extended royal family apart and isolated the three men. Nicholas and his family perished during the Russian Revolution, while Wilhelm was forced into exile at the end of the war and only George maintained his position. Clay does a good job of tracing the lives of the three men throughout the book, occasionally mixing up the chronology or getting (forgiveably) some of the many similarly-named royalties confused. By the end the reader is left feeling grateful that the British had George V to rule them and intensely sorry that Russia and Germany had rulers who, while of similar intellect to their British cousin, were far less able to adapt to changing times.
 Author Needs a Geneology Class !! August 29, 2007
Mark A., Costa (Ohio, USA)
13 out of 17 found this review helpful
Although an easy and enjoyable read, the author obviously does not know her subject as well as she should. This is a book about family and yet she continually makes simple mistakes. Example: throughout she continually refers to Grand Duke "Nicholasha" as the Tsar's uncle. Anyone who as ever read a Russian Royalty geneology will know that Nicholasha was a cousin and not his uncle. Also, Grand Duke Alexander is noted as Nicholasha's brother -- he is actually another cousin. The books title is about Three Royal Cousins but the author does seem to know cousins from uncles etc. She definately needs to consult a geneology chart before writing her next book. These types of mistakes are just unacceptable for a real historian.
 Nice comparative Bio but oversimplifies topic October 5, 2007
R. C Sheehy (Foxboro,MA USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I think the author did a nice job of writing a well balanced, comparative biography of the three reigning monarchs of the late 19th and early 20th century. She also did a nice job of probing their insecurities and the familiy histories and rivalries that in their own time could have international repercussions.
Where the story is weakest is where the author tries to place the 3 rulers at the heart of World War I. While granted they all had tremendous influence, the idea that or their families problems were direct causes of the War just does not hold water. It oversimplifies the raging nationalism that, among other things, lead to the war.
Family and world politics collide in this biography October 16, 2007
Rebecca Huston (On the Banks of the Hudson)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Over the years, I've discovered that reading history is just about as fun as reading fiction. More often than not, the most fantastical things happen in the real world that most writers wouldn't dream of putting into a novel -- they'd be laughed at as being 'unrealistic' or 'over the top.' Looking at the history of Europe as seen through the eyes of its monarchs, it's nearly unbelievable that these three men, all related together, and who wrote affectionate letters to each other, would launch one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history -- the first World War.
Author Catrine Clay takes the documentary that she did*, and expands it into a scholarly study of the three men involved, and their families. While this is a topic that has been very well covered in other works, Clay takes the interesting step of exploring the childhoods, education and familial ties between the three men to see how Europe and eventually the United States were on an inevitable path to conflict. It's an intriguing premise.
All three of the cousins were related either by marriage or by blood to one another, and less than a decade would separate them in age. Of the three, one would manage to survive WWI and stay on his throne, one would die in exile after being ousted from his throne, and the third would be murdered. Each one would face unique difficulties, and each one had a spouse that would influence their direction in life.
The eldest of the three was the Kaiser, Wilhelm II, or as he was known in the family, Willy. The eldest grandson of England's Queen Victoria, Willy had a less than amiable relationship with his parents, Fritz of Prussia, and Victoria, England's Princess Royal. Born with a crippled left arm from complications, Willy grew up with a determination to succeed, and a craving need of approval from his parents, made all the worse by a mental struggle that centered around his identity -- was he German or English? Surrounded by flatterers, distained by his English relations for his bad manners (at his uncle Bertie's wedding, he bit one of his uncles on the leg), Willy lacked the social skills to successfully navigate through the tact that being a ruler in early twentieth century Europe, and the wisdom to know when to back off.
The middle one was the King, George, whom no one had expected to become king. His elder brother Eddy was trained to become King of England, and ruler of the British Empire, but was rather slow-witted; Georgie was expected to be supportive, and was destined to join the Royal Navy -- indeed, he loved serving in the Navy, proving himself to be a capable leader of men. While he certainly wasn't a brilliant mind, he did have the capacity to learn, and when his elder brother suddenly died, Georgie, as he was known, was in the direct line for the throne. Not only did he inherit the destiny of a crown, he also inherited a bride -- Princess May of Teck, a woman who was determined and steadfast, and would prove to be just the right wife for him. Unlike his two cousins, George was to a constitutional monarch, not welding true political power, but he would have an enormous influence on the public.
And the third one was the Tsar, Nicholas II. His mother and George's mother were sisters -- Alexandra and Dagmar of Denmark. Alix would marry the future Edward VII of England, and was considered the most beautiful princess in Europe. Dagmar -- or Minnie, as she was known -- was the clever one, and was able to enchant both her husband, Alexander III of Russia, and the Russian people, around her tiny fingers. She and Alix also shared the trait of wanting to keep their children as children for as long as possible. Unfortunately for Russia, this was the case especially with her eldest son, Nicky. History has painted him as a dull weakling, unable to stand up to anyone, and dominated by his wife -- Alix of Hesse. A great deal has been written about Nicholas and his family, some of it very good, and a great deal very average, and Clay pretty much does a retread here. But one aspect that I found very interesting and new is that Nicholas was anything but stupid -- he had problems with being decisive, and had a genuine urge to please people, but the letters and comments that he wrote show that he had a smart brain inside of that head. Like Georgie, he detested cousin Willy, and the king and the tsar would remain the very best of friends throughout their lives.
How all of this plays out is what makes this book so interesting. Clay takes the time to describe the experiences these men and their families shared, and the wider political repercussions that it would bring about. Most interesting was the emphasis set on Wilhelm II, and his personal life. I had no idea of his latent homosexuality and how scandal would shake up his regime, nor that he suffered from mental breakdowns. It's this that divides this study from the usual collections about European royalty.
Clay's writing is very clear, and full of detail, making this a very enjoyable read. To untangle the relationships, there is a genealogical chart, and an insert of black and white photographs. Both the index and the bibliography are extensive and worthy of further exploration. For those who are interested in the history of Europe before WWI and some of the causes of that conflict, or are just interested in the lives of Royals, this is worth finding.
Four stars overall. Recommended.
King, Kaiser, Tsar, three Royal cousins September 18, 2007
Polly L. Baldwin
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Very interesting book, sometimes slow reading, but all in all great summary of actions that led to WW 1
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