With and Without the Tsar. Memoirs of the Last Court Marshal of Emperor Nicholas II

Vladimir Nikolaevich Voeykov (1868, Tsarskoye Selo – 1947, Yurshholm, Sweden) – a close associate of Nicholas II, court marshal (1913-1917), major-general of the Suite. The memoirs describe the events leading up to the February Revolution, and then the entire year of 1917 and its consequences for the author, the country, and the tsar. Intrigues of foreign policy and the chain of events that led to World War I and Russia's participation in it; courtly hustle and jealousy; Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, Livadia, and the life of the royal family; both revolutions under the scrutinizing gaze of the court; at once terrifying and described with a fine sense of humor are Voeykov's ordeals "on the run". A sad but fascinating narrative. The book features, alongside the royal family, such well-known figures as Rodzianko, Rasputin, Vyroubova, Milyukov, Kerensky, Brusilov, and others. A staunch supporter of the imperial family and an advocate of the now-popular "traditional values", Voeykov evokes both sincere admiration and sympathy, as well as irritation.