Last Years of the Court at Tsarskoe Selo: 1910-1914

This is the first English translation of the second volume of the memoirs of A. I. Spiridovitch (1873-1952). Alexander Ivanovich Spiridovitch was handpicked by Emperor Nicholas II to serve as his personal security chief from 1906-1916. He was also responsible for the security of the tsar’s residences. His memoirs offer a rare eye-witness glimpse into the private world of the last tsar and his family and their day to day life. Thanks to his eye for detail, he takes us through the imperial residences, the Imperial yacht Standart and his journeys with the Imperial family through the Finnish fjords and to Livadia in the Crimea. Spiridovitch and his men were highly recognized for their counter-terrorist work. His memoirs reveal the numerous plots to assassinate Nicholas II and other members of the Imperial family by terrorist groups working within Russia. Spiridovitch was a pillar of honesty and trust, articulate, and intelligent, loyal to his God, the Tsar and Mother Russia. He was truly a gentleman beyond reproach. His memoirs offer one of the most honest accounts of the character and personality of Tsar Nicholas II and life at the Russian Imperial Court in its twilight years. Many of the 65 photographs in this book come from the private collection of the author himself who was an avid photographer. In 1950 he moved to the United States, where he died in 1952 at the age of 78. — ISBN13: 9798777893505