Events over the past few decades could give the false impression that the Ottoman Empire was on the decline. Mired in conflicts in the Balkans and against Greece and Russia, the Empire was in desperate need of a war that could restore confidence to this fractured state.

Fortunately it found one, and in a series of brilliant military campaigns the Ottomans were able to not only reclaim ownership of Greece and the Balkan nations, but also the southern half of Ukraine and the entire Italian peninsula. This is where I find the victorious Sultan, enjoy the spring weather in conquered Rome.

The great city of Vienna has not escaped this conflict unscathed. In its early stages a German division occupied the city, breaking the decades old “Doppel Allianz”. Eventually retaken by Austrian forces, it also bore the brunt of repeated Ottoman assaults.

I met the Kaiser in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace in late April; it has been several months since the autumn armistice of 1907. Despite the losses his kingdom has suffered, evident in the damage sustained by the city that is still being repaired, the old king was in good spirits.

Following the fall of the Russian Empire, the region formally known as Livonia declared independence and formed the Republic of Latvia. Despite this, the newly declared Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis has shown compassion to the recently deposed Romanov family, and has granted them residence-in-exile on the shore of the Baltic. From Tsar Nicholas’ smoking room overlooking this bleak patch of water, we discuss the events that led his family’s downfall.

The former monarch is remarkably relaxed. Resigned to his fate, his dons a smoking jacket and takes a large swig of something clear and strong. After years of decadent detachment from everyday affairs of the common man, one wonders if he sees this next stage of his life as an entertaining distraction. Nevertheless, he is happy to answer my questions.