More than thirty-five years ago, I began collecting and storing biographical information about all members of the Romanov Family. The information collected is still growing and expanding, to the point that, although blessed with an optimistic character, I have decided not to await reaching the age of 120, before gradually using my store of data.

I have chosen to call the stories based on the information available to me "Episodical Biographies." They will be episodical just as an album of photographs is often a chronologic sequence of episodes. Two words which describe well the kind of biography I have in mind. These two words were used once by my favourite Grand Duke: Nicholas Mihailovich, the family historian.
The collected files have been divided 'virtually' in twelve 'virtual' volumes of 15 to 18 chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to one personality. It is indeed unlikely that all the Episodic Biographies will ever see the light, as many are really of very scarce interest, or concern persons who died in their youth if not childhood, or otherwise led lives of little historical interest, or simply because the collected material is absolutely insufficient.

The sources of the information given are identified, by numbers (such as 9580 ) and will be found at the end of an Episodic Biography with name of author, title of book, etc. etc.
40/ - 43/ 44/ etc. followed by numbers refer to the author's archives while texts by the author are identified as HP.
Entire paragraphs, or comments on quoted sources will be thus identified. Paragraphs without identification are all by HP.

The Episodic Biographies will concern all the members of the Imperial Family of Russia, descendants of Emperor Paul I.
They will also include our "Semi-Royals" such as the Princes Romanovsky, Dukes of Leuchtenberg, as well as the Oldenburg and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, two closely allied families.
The issue of marriages, celebrated prior to the fall of the Monarchy in 1917 and not in conformity with the Imperial Statute, will be mentioned in the Episodic Biography of their parents, and not separately, unless the events of their lives should seem of some relevance.
This work does not attempt to be a proper biography of a person, but mostly wants to seem a set of photographs covering a sequence of years, merely an episodic biography, selected by the author from the material at his disposal, often quite insufficient, but which has the ambition of being potentially useful to future researchers and historians.
The wives of the Grand Dukes and Princes of Russia, who married before the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II in 1917, will have their own separate chapter, while the wives of the Grand Dukes and Princes who married after 1917 will be mentioned in the same context as their husbands.
The Husbands of all Grand Duchesses and Princesses will be mentioned in the same context as their wives' chapter.
The Emperors and Empresses of Russia have frequently been the subject of biographies, works of eminent historians and I will not have the slightest presumption of competing with them. Their Chapter will include the opening Chapter "ESSENTIALS" and a very brief summary of important events and as full as possible a bibliography. They will be of course more than often mentioned in most Episodic Biographies.
The five Episodic Biographies of the children of Emperor Nicholas II will have as a frame the Journal of the Emperor, an occasion to mention the principal events of those years. As a consequence, these five Episodic Biographies, having the same frame, will be necessarily repetitive in the parts not specifically concerning this or that child.
Princess Yurjevsky and all her descendants will have their own individual Episodic Biographies, in view of her importance and influence on Emperor Alexander II,
Princess Paley, Second wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and 'Countess' Brassov, wife of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, will have their own individual Episodic Biographies. The first, because her son Wladimir, chose to risk his life and as a consequence lost it as a Romanov. The second, because her unconventional but tragic story merits attention. Countess Torby, wife of Grand Duke Michael Mihailovich, deserves an individual Episodic Biography for bringing Pushkin's blood in the veins of Romanov descendants.
The presently living members of the Romanov Family, will not be the object of an Episodical Biography, unless they volunteer an autobiography which I will then complete and put in proper form, of course with their agreement.

Should this author be unable to complete this work, something quite possible, it may be advisable to publish the research material on hand, and leave to others the possibility of culling from it what may be of interest.
Persons with close family ties, or persons who have been described to the author in his youth as "uncle" or "aunt" are at times referred to, in this familiar way. The Emperor, is often mentioned by the author's relations or by guests, as "Tsar" or "Gossudar" ( Sovereign ), quite a proper manner to refer to the Emperor, or even address him in conversation.
Every Episodical Biography begins with an introduction which is a list of Essential information, to enable the reader to properly place each person in its time/space frame.
The items of interest are: Date and Place of birth, date of christening, name-day, nickname, names of parents, date of marriage, issue, date of death, place of burial, relationship to author, existence of memoirs, diaries and biographies.
From the author's archives and other sources, will be provided photographs or reproductions of portraits or etchings of the subject of the biography, or places, buildings or documents of particular interest and relevance.

With a few exceptions, most members of royal families had almost exclusively friends who were close relations. To establish intimate friendships age was usually important and for this reason the Introduction will list the closest relatives of an age suitable ( + or - 5 years ) for establishing friendships since early childhood: siblings or cousins in the 1st and 2nd degree.

Often interesting data have not been available to the author, who leaves to his readers the pleasure of filling up the blanks. Any reliable additional information is always gratefully received and taken note of, and may be the object of an update.

Any interesting or unusual information, document or photograph will be welcomed by the author, who will give the necessary indications as to how to contact him in the near future.

Any error or misprint hopefully forgiven.

Rome, September 26th, 2002