Royal Cousins at War

The First World War brought Europe to its knees and resulted in the demise of many of its Royal Houses. For the personalities involved – including King George V, Tsar Nicholas II and Kaiser Wilhelm II – the tide of history brought change, tragedy and personal humiliation. While it was war that delivered the final blow, this fascinating series shows how the rot had set in much earlier and how the European royals contributed to their own demise. Mismanaging their countries and mishandling foreign policy, they failed to adapt to the forces of nationalism and democracy and so brought tumbling down their own ideal of a Europe governed by the descendants of Queen Victoria. Of the four great Imperial dynasties – Germany, Austria- Hungary, Russia and Great Britain – only George V, the least personally powerful, remained standing. Monarchy, for centuries the prime form of governance in Europe, was finished as a serious political force.