During the three centuries that the Romanovs were on the throne, much changed in the country—the autocratic power remained unchanged. Its bearers played different roles in history, acting to the best of their strength, abilities and understanding for the benefit of Russia. Among them were bright personalities, eccentric figures and inconspicuous characters, reformers and conservatives, the Quiet One, two Great Ones, the Unforgettable, the Liberator, the Peacemaker, the Bloody... Some paid with their lives for staying on the throne: Ivan VI spent 23 years in prison and was killed at attempt to free him, Peter III and Paul I fell at the hands of the conspirators, Alexander II became a victim of an assassination attempt by terrorists, Nicholas II was shot by decision of the Ural Council. The book of Doctor of Historical Sciences Igor Kurukin, on the eve of the four hundredth anniversary, brought together all the reigning Romanovs under one cover, talks about the fate of the dynasty, the history of which began in 1613 in the Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery with the invitation to the throne of its first representative, and ended in Yekaterinburg in the Ipatiev House with the execution of the royal family.