Romanov.

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An interview with Simon Sebag Montefiore the author of  "The Romanovs, 1613-1918" an extract.

That Russian Imperial dynasty of Romanov for those of you with only the minimum of a baccalaureate degree the absolute ruling elite until the time of the Red Russian Revolution [1918]

Thanks to the latest edition of the BBC "History" magazine.

Q: "How would you like to change our views of this dynasty, this period, and this country"

A: "The more we can understand how Russia see itself, its soul and aspirations, the more we will be able to handle the world today."

"You see many of the same interests then that you see in Russian today. For example the whole of Romanov history is the story of trying to gain control of Ukraine. That's how important the country is to them. Crimea, the place where the grand price of Kiev converted to orthodoxy, where Catherine the Great and Potemkin launched their fleet at Sebastopol, these are the things that made Russia Middle-Eastern power. In 1772 Catherine's fleet was bombarding Syrian ports and occupying Beirut, which brings us right up to the Russian presence in Syria today."

As it was in the day of Catherine so as it is now in the day of Putin? Could be!

coolbert.