Imperial Legend The Mysterious Disappearance of Tsar Alexander I

For a quarter century, Tsar Alexander I ruled over an empire of 44 million subjects, in a country that covered one-seventh of the globe. Vanquisher of Napoleon, he became the most powerful man in Europe, a sovereign of untold wealth and power. In 1825, at the age of 48, Tsar Alexander, a sturdy man in excellent health, died under mysterious circumstances. At his funeral, few people actually saw the body, which remained covered all the way to its final resting place in the Romanov family crypt in St. Petersburg.According to legend, the body was not Alexander's, but that of a stranger. Rumour had it that the Tsar had faked his death in order to shed the burdens of the throne - a position he had reluctantly assumed after his father was murdered - and escaped into self-imposed exile. Years after Tsar's death, stories began to circulate about a 'starets', one of the many ascetic wanderers or penitents who moved about Siberia living on charity and offering prayers for those in need. Legend has it that this princely 'starets', who died in 1864 and was known for his unique spiritual qualities, was actually Alexander.Part history, part detective story, "Imperial Legend" attempts to unravel the myster surrounding the death of Tsar Alexander I and offers up a mesmerizing portrait of what really happened to the leader of one of the world's most powerful nations.