Augusta Victoria, Mary, Alexandra, and Zita were four
women who were born to rule. In ''Imperial Requiem,''
Justin C. Vovk narrates the epic story of four women who
were married to the reigning monarchs of Europe's last
empires during the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Using a diverse array of primary and
secondary sources, letters, diary entries, and
interviews with descendants, Vovk provides an in-depth
look into the lives of four extraordinary women who
stayed faithfully at their husbands' sides throughout
the cataclysm of the First World War and the tumultuous
years that followed. At the centers of these four great
monarchies were Augusta Victoria, Germany's revered
empress whose unwavering commitment to her bombastic
husband made her a national icon; Mary, whose Cinderella
story and immense personal strength made her the soul of
the British monarchy through some of its greatest
crises; Alexandra, the ill-fated tsarina who helped
topple the Russian monarchy through her ineffective
rule; and Zita, the resolute empress of Austria whose
story of loss and exile captivated the world's attention
for seven decades. ''Imperial Requiem'' shares the
fascinating story of four princesses who married for
love, graced imperial thrones, and watched as their
beloved worlds were torn apart by war, revolution,
heartache, and loss. |
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