The main reason for the death of the Russian Empire in 1917 was the catastrophic decline in the prestige of the highest authorities. Rumors about “dark forces” surrounding the throne, gossip about the royal family, news of betrayal at the Court and secret preparations for a separate peace became the trigger for the February Revolution. But not all aspects of the political intrigue, in the center of which was the tragic figure of Emperor Nicholas, received proper historical assessment. The anti-monarchical attitudes of the Soviet era made it impossible to study them objectively, and the reputation of the last Russian tsar remained a “bargaining chip” in ideological battles for more than a hundred years. Shamil Kuryaev’s new book answers the key questions of “March 17th”. Did the “anti-Romanov” rumors have a real basis? What political forces were the true “dark forces” in that situation? Who, in the conditions of the World War, actually betrayed both the Fatherland and the allies? We cannot tolerate the persistence of old myths that interfere with the restoration of historical justice and the identification of the real agents of the Russian Troubles.