About the book: 1996 / The books of Konstantin Masalsky, a talented historical novelist of the first half of the 19th century, enjoyed constant success; according to contemporaries, they were kept in the personal library of A.S. Pushkin. The published works recreate two turning points at the beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty. The novel “Streltsy” shows the dramatic assertion of Peter I on the throne, accompanied by the intrigues of his sister, Princess Sophia, a boyar conspiracy, Streltsy riots, and church unrest. The story “The Regency of Biron” vividly conveys a short-lived, but significant episode for Russian history, of the struggle for the right to inherit the throne by Princess Elizabeth, who with her accession ended a decade of German domination.