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In 1974, The BBC presented a stunning thirteen-part miniseries called “The Fall of Eagles.” It examines the fall of the three most powerful European dynasties of the mid-nineteenth century: the Hapsburgs, the Romanovs, and the Hohenzollerns.

If you know a young person who needs to study the end of the 19th century, you might want to turn them on to this award winning film. Few historical films set in this era are as accurate or entertaining.

· Episode one follows the life of Emperor Franz Josef and his young wife Elisabeth, demonstrating the contrast between the growing European Liberalism and the rise of Hungarian Nationalism.

· Episode two follows Princess Victoria and her marriage to Frederick of Prussia. Raised as a constitutional monarch, she can’t understand the absolute monarchy of Prussia.

· Episode three follows Bismarck and Kaiser William.

· Episode four deals with the murder/suicide of Crown Prince Rudolph, as well as its cover up.

· Episode five tells the story of young Tsar Nicholas and his marriage to Alexandra.

· Episode six focuses on Lenin’s rise to power in a world of Bolshevik, Menshevik, Social Democrat and Social Revolutionary infighting.

· Episode seven deals with the ultimately poor advice given to Nicholas by Kaiser William II as well as the difficulties both face at home.

· Episode eight follows the Romanovs during Russia’s short-lived constitutional monarchy.

· Episode nine deals with the Balkan crisis of 1908.

· Episode ten follows Franz Josef during the summer of 1914, before and after the Sarajevo assassinations.

· Episode eleven deals with the last efforts of Russian leaders to forestall the impending revolution.

· Episode twelve contains the February and October Revolutions that led to Lenin’s ultimate rise to power.

· Episode thirteen concentrates on the increasing desperation of the German High Command in the last months before World War I.

Plainly, this is a must see series for any young student of European or World history. Best of all, it is actually fun to watch. Family friendly, but with mature content.