Customer Reviews

King, Kaiser, Tsar: Three Royal Cousins Who Led the World to War

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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.

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.

I was very surprised, shocked really, by the sloppy research, the numerous little errors of fact that kept cropping up while I read KING, KAISER, TSAR. I'm not a historian, or an editor, but, as someone with a general acquaintance with memoirs and biographies of George V; Tsar Nicholas II, and Kaiser Wilhelm, and other royals of the time period, it was pretty shocking to come across errors in almost every chapter.

It's as if the author breezed through various other histories and biographies and regurgitated facts (incorrectly) just to suit herself.

For example, the author states that the Empress Frederick, who died in 1901, was buried in an English coffin according to Anglican rites, although in truth, Wilhelm II had her coffin placed in a German-made casket and German burial rites recited. But apparently, repeating the old lie about an English coffin, etc., suits the author's theory that the Empress "remained an English Princess to the end." What nonsense! (Gee, why not go further and repeat the old lie, put about by anti-English German journalists, that the Empress was buried naked wrapped in a Union Jack?)

The author also states that the Empress' daughter Victoria fell in love with Prince Alexander of Battenberg at her Aunt Beatrice's wedding -- a wedding which neither Victoria or her parents attended. Prince George of Greece married someone named Olga? No, he married Princess Marie Bonaparte. Winston Churchill was First Sea Lord when war broke out in 1914? No, it was Prince Louis of Battenberg. The author has the Prince and Princess of Wales (George and Mary) leaving for their tour of Australia in 1897 instead of 1901.

These are only a few examples of this author's poor workmanship. Didn't she even care enough about her subject to get her facts straight? After finding error upon irritating error while reading this book, I have to conclude that she didn't.

I'm sorry that the publisher didn't choose instead to publish a full collection of the Royal letters quoted in this volume, rather than this shoddy, so-called history. I could have learned more, and learned CORRECTLY, from the actual letters of the protagonists, as opposed to being annoyed by a historian who can't be bothered to get facts correct.

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.

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.

Other reviews have pretty much covered the content and general scope of the book -- a very interesting, fairly detailed (as much as the broad subject matter and limited page count will allow) biography of 3 rulers and the way they were influenced by their world, and influenced the world around them. While very critical of Wilhelm, she is also fairly sympathetic, portraying him as a man who was often 'left out', due to factors largely beyond his control.

While overall it was very well written, the structure of the text led to a few minor issues.

a) Because it covers three people, the content isn't always chronological, leading to some confusion, and occassional repetition of facts and incidents.

b)Some of the repetition got rather annoying. (The author reminds us about 20 times that George was a constitutional monarch [and therefore required to follow the demands of parliament], while Nicky and Willie were absolute monarchs.

c) More pictures would have been nice, as well as a more detailed family-tree. (Many people mentioned in the text are not included in the tree. The extremely complex interrationship between the various royal families would have made a more detailed chart very helpful.)

I think the subtitle of this book, "Three Royal Cousins Who Led The World To War" is a bit misleading. We're dealing with three monarchs who happen to be cousins: the King of England, the German Kaiser, and the Russian Tsar. Of these three, the English King was a constitutional monarch, and really had no say on questions of war and peace. The other two, however, were autocrats and controlled the fates of their respective peoples. The book is an excellent family history of how the various royal courts of Europe were related, and everything related back to Queen Victoria. The author places the bulk of the blame for the war directly on the shoulders of the Kaiser and his paranoia. She concludes that, if his English relations had treated him a bit more inclusively, the war might not have happened. I myself do not subscribe to that belief, but it is plausible. The Tsar was a victim of his own timidity and his wife's overbearing control of him. Of the three monarchs, I have the most sympathy for Nicholas, who really didn't deserve to be deserted by his English cousin when he was in need of a place of exile, nor did he and his entire family deserve to be executed. This is a very interesting, and ultimately sad, book, and I recommend it highly.

This book has a great premise to it. To inform us of the three cousins and leaders of the major players in the first great war. One that has read about the subject though will find that this book takes on too many tasks and leaves things unsaid. Although it does tell the early history of each king well, when they get older and the story needs to be told in some detail, many events are left out.

First of, as is with many books on this era, this is an anti German book. Laying the blame of the entire war, its continuation and practices on the German side. It lays all the blame on the Kaiser when it was know that they generals were the ones who ran the country towards the end of the war. Plus it fails to prove that one of the major reason of the war was the declining British trade to that of Germany. One thing this books does explain well though is one of the reasons why both Russia and Britain were allies was because the wives of each of the kings hated Germany since it had invaded thier country back in the 1860's. They influenced the kings and made the Kaiser feel even more uneasy than he already was because of his handicap, since he always felt as an outsider to his cousins.

This book does a fair job in both detailing the Tsar and Kaiser but does not say much about England's king. Again this book details a lot on the Kaiser and his follies and hadicaps, both physical and mental. If you are looking for a starter book on the war with an enphasis on the Kings this is a good book for you. But if you are looking into more backround on the war this is not it as this books does not touch much on the war and when it does it does not do a good job at it, even the assasination of the Tsar and why it happened is not clearly explained. So if you want an out the subject book on the Great War this is a good book but not great if you already know a lot about the War.

Their era of kingship is long gone but their legacy remains. British historian Catrine Clay has told their fascinating story in this new triple biography of the rulers and the world they lost in the guns of August, 1914. It was in that fateful autumn that the long 19th century of peace in Europe ended with the horrific beginning of the Great War which would claim 10 million lives and over 20 million casualties. Clay's purpose is not to retell that story oft told but to look at the remarkable lives of three ordinary men who led their nations in this dark and dangerous time. The chief players in this drama are:
1. Queen Victoria-She was the formidable grandmother of all three of the cousins profiled in the book. Victoria ruled the greatest military power on earth whose navy ruled the waves. Despite the Afghan, Zulu and Boer wars Britain was surpreme in its rulership over a vast empire and a democratic society in which the monarch had no real power.
2. George V-George was the second son of Edward VII (who ruled from 1901-1910 forging the Entente Cordial treaty with France and Russia pledging them to come to the aid of their allies in time of war). The oldest son Edward died in 1892 so George became king in 1910 following the death of Edward VII. George was a momma's boy and was tied to the apron strings of his beautiul mother Alexandra the Danish born queen. She suffered from deafness and putting up with her husband's constant philandering (most notable of Edward's mistresses as Alice Keppel). Alexandra hated Germany following the ravishment of her native Denmark by the Germans in the 1862 war. George is sometimes known as the sailor king due to his long service in the Royal Navy. He was a faithful husband to his wife May Teck and was a good father. He loved his stamp collection and was a good friend to his cousin Nicky the Russian Tsar. George was the only one of the three rulers who emerged unscathed and popular at the end of World War I. He would die in 1936 beloved of his nation. During World War I he left the fighting to professional soldiers encouraging the troops by frequent visits to them.
3. Kaiser Wilhelm II-He was born to Vicky (the favorite daughter of Queen Victoria) and his father Frederick. Wilhelm was born with a deformed left arm and a severe hearing problem. He had difficulty with the arm throughout his life compensating for it by becoming a militarist. Wilhelm grew to despise the views of his mother the liberally minded Vicky and his father whom he deemed weak. Wilhelm married Dona who supported him and was not very bright. In 1888 old Kaiser Wilhelm I died to be replaced by Frederick who also died that year succumbing to throat cancer. 1888 became known as the year of the three emperors for that is when Wilhelm II got his chance to rule Germany with a strong hand. He favored the extreme right wing views of Chancellor Bulow and his good friend Prince Eulenburgh and his circle of homosexual cronies, Wilhelm fired Bismarck and desired to make Germany a military powerhouse as he built up the navy and strengthened the army. Wilhelm believed that he was surrounded by enemies knowing of the alliance of France, England and Russia. He was emotionaly unstable suffering mood swings and fits of anger. He was virulently anti-semitic and favored the Junker class. Wilhelm would see his dreams turn into nightmares when Germany was crushed in World War I. The defeated Kaiser would die in Holland as an exile in 1941.
3. Tsar Nicholas II is a tragic figure. His father Alexander III died in 1894 making Nicholas the Tsar. His mother was Minnie the Danish sister of Britain's Queen Alexandra. This formidable woman hated Germany and taught this lesson to Nicholas. He was a small man with an ordinary brain. He was dominated by his German born wife Alexandra who was a favorite of Queen Victoria. Their son Alexi had hemophilia and the couple relied on faith healers like Rasputin to give them hope that the heir to the throne would triumph over the disease inherited through the mother's blood. Many Russians wrongly thought Alexandra was a German spy!Rasputin would be murdered and so would the Tsar, Alexandria and their 4 daughters and Alexis in July, 1917. The Bolsheviks under Lenin ruled supreme as Tsarist Russia and the Romanov dynasty became a casualty of war.
Clay tells us the story of these men dealing with a new modern age they were unable to deal with. Both Nicholas and Wilhelm believed in absolute monarchy which was doomed. George was guided by his advisors who believed strongly in the British constitutional monarchy the only one of the three systems that worked then and now.
The book is well illustrated including a family tree evincing just how close were the blood ties uniting the royalty of Europe prior to the holocaust of World War I. The book is recommended as a fine historical account.

"King, Kaiser, Tsar" gives a fascinating, up-close and personal look at George V of Great Britain, Wilhelm II of Germany and Nicholas II of Russia and the key roles they played in the 30-odd years that led up to World War I. Especially enthralling are the differences between the responsibilities and personalities of a constitutional monarch, an autocrat in an empire with a parliament but little real democracy, and an absolute monarch totally unsuited for his role.
Catrine Clay quotes voluminously from family letters and other sources concerning King George and Tsar Nicholas, showing how the complex intertwining of relationships among the children and grandchildren of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made statesmanship and diplomacy a family affair as well as a national one in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Where Clay's otherwise fine book falls short is in her biased and very negative treatment of Kaiser Wilhelm. Her English roots are painfully apparent every time she talks of him, with many negative comments, few positive, and almost none of the humanizing quotes from family letters she gives from the lives of the other two monarchs. Clay's noting of Wilhelm's birth trauma and the lifelong problems his withered arm and other disabilities caused him does not make up for her one-sided treatment of his life, taken as a whole.
Nevertheless, the book, overall, is well worth a read for those who want to learn what European life was like in the days when monarchs still counted for something.