"Cowles keeps her narrative flowing fearlessly through the troubled times." Kirkus Review The Russian Dagger tells the dramatic story of Imperialist Russia and its appetite for expansion in Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Beginning with the reign of the repressive Nicholas I, Virginia Cowles traces the rule of the Romanov dynasty right to the cusp of one of the greatest political conflicts of the twentieth century - the First World War. In an engaging and entertaining style, Virginia Cowles covers Russia's role abroad in the conflict over the Balkan States against an intriguing backdrop of family feuds and revolutionary impulses back home. Bitter family rivalries and assassination attempts abound - including the violent assassinations of Tsar Alexander II and the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Cowles also examines the subversive revolutionary activities which numbered among the many challenges facing the reign of the Russian Tsars. The Russian Dagger shines a light upon the frailty of the Tsarist position at the beginning of the twentieth century, and how Russia's expansionist aspirations led the country to the brink of its own destruction. Recommended for fans of Simon Sebag Montefiore, Orlando Figes and Helen Rappaport. Virginia Cowles (1910-83) was a well-respected American journalist and biographer, especially known for her coverage of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. For her service as a war correspondent she was awarded an OBE by the British government in 1947. She authored fifteen books, about her journalistic experiences, various historical topics, figures and families, and was a contributor to Vogue and Harper's. Praise for Virginia Cowles: 'A fascinating historical read' The Telegraph 'A rarity and a joy - a witty novel' Birmingham Daily Post 'A luminously sketched view of human folly' The New York Times 'For the political background alone you must read Cowles' book, which deals with it admirably' Country Life