In 1974, the BBC presented an impressive thirteen-part miniseries called “The Fall of the Eagles”. Examine the fall of the three most powerful European dynasties of the mid-19th century: the Habsburgs, the Romanovs, and the Hohenzollern.

If you know a young man who needs to study in the late 1800s, you may want to turn him into this award-winning film. Few historical films set in this era are as accurate or entertaining.

The first episode follows the lives of Emperor Franz Josef and his young wife Elisabeth, demonstrating the contrast between 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 cannot understand the absolute monarchy of Prussia.

· Episode three follows Bismarck and Kaiser William.

Episode four is about the murder / suicide of Crown Prince Rudolph, as well as his cover-up.

The fifth episode tells the story of the young Tsar Nicholas and his marriage to Alexandra.

Episode six focuses on Lenin’s rise to power in a world of infighting between Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, Social Democrats, and Social Revolutionaries.

· Episode seven deals with the bad advice Kaiser William II gave Nicholas, as well as the difficulties they both face at home.

· Episode eight follows the Romanovs during Russia’s brief constitutional monarchy.

Episode nine is about the Balkan crisis of 1908.

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

· Episode eleven deals with the latest efforts by Russian leaders to prevent the impending revolution.

Episode twelve contains the February and October revolutions that led to Lenin’s last rise to power.

Episode thirteen focuses on the growing despair of the German High Command in the last months before the First World War.

Clearly, this is a must-see series for any young student of European or world history. Best of all, it’s really fun to watch. Family friendly, but with adult content.