The great imperial dynasties of Europe lasted until the first quarter of the 20th century. The thrones of the Romanovs in Russia, the Habsburgs in Austria, and the Hohenzollerns in Germany fell in the atmosphere of Shakespearean tragedies. The author of this book, restoring history, draws the faces of famous empresses: the dazzling Sissi; the last Russian Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna; Victoria of England. Nearby, images of Maria Vetsera, the young girl who committed suicide in Mayerling, emerge; the wife of Archduke Rodolphe Stephanie of Belgium; Empress Charlotte of Mexico, who fell into madness. All these beautiful ladies, marked with an aura of misfortune, remain forever delightful to us.