Robert K. Massie facts for kids

Robert Kinloch Massie III (born January 5, 1929 – died December 2, 2019) was an American writer. He was a journalist and a historian. He spent a lot of his career studying and writing about the House of Romanov. This was the royal family of Russia from 1613 to 1917.

Massie won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. He won it for his book Peter the Great: His Life and World. He also won awards for his book Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (2011). His book Nicholas and Alexandra (1967) was made into a movie in 1971.

Early Life and Education

Robert Massie was born in Versailles, Kentucky. His father was an educator. His mother was an activist who worked for good causes. Robert grew up in Kentucky and in Nashville, Tennessee.

He went to Yale University and studied American history and culture. He also earned a special scholarship called a Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed him to study at Oxford University in England. While at Oxford, Massie played on the university's basketball team. In the early 1950s, he served in the United States Navy.

Writing Career and Famous Books

Massie worked as a journalist for several magazines. These included Collier's and Newsweek. He also wrote for Saturday Evening Post. Later, he taught at Princeton and Tulane universities.

In 1967, Massie left his journalism job to focus on writing history books. He then published his very popular book, Nicholas and Alexandra. This book tells the story of Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra of Hesse. They were the last Emperor and Empress of Russia.

Massie became interested in the Russian royal family because of his own son. His son, Robert Kinloch Massie IV, was born with hemophilia. This is a disease where blood does not clot properly. The last Russian royal son, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, also had hemophilia.

Books Made into Movies and TV Shows

Massie's book Nicholas and Alexandra was made into a movie in 1971. It won two Academy Awards. These were for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.

In 1975, Massie and his wife Suzanne wrote a book called Journey. It shared their personal experiences raising a child with hemophilia. They also wrote about healthcare in the US and France.

Massie's book Peter the Great: His Life and World won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize. This book was also made into a TV miniseries in 1986. The show won three Emmy Awards.

In 2011, Massie published Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman. This book was about Tsarina Catherine the Great. It won two important awards in 2012.

New Discoveries About the Romanovs

In the 1990s, new information about the Romanov family became available. This happened after the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union broke apart. Russian archives, which are like big storage places for historical documents, were opened.

Also, the remains of the Tsar, his wife, and their children were found. They had been buried in hidden graves. Scientists used DNA analysis to confirm who they were. Massie used all this new information to write The Romanovs: The Final Chapter (1995).

In 1998, the Romanov family was given a state funeral. Their remains were reburied in a restored Russian Orthodox cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Other Historical Books

Massie also wrote two books about the early 20th century. Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War (1991) explains the reasons for World War I. His book Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea (2003) focuses on the role of ships in that war.

Awards and Honors

• Rhodes Scholarship
• 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, for Peter the Great: His Life and World
• 1983 Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement
• 2012 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, for Catherine the Great
• 2012 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography, for Catherine the Great

See also

In Spanish: Robert K. Massie para niños