The House of Romanov was the last Imperial Royal Family to rule Imperial Russia. They reigned for over three hundred years (1616-1916 in the movie, 300 years, and 1613-1917 in real life, 304 years). Because Imperial Russia was ruled by a dynasty, the members of the family were either called Grand Dukes or Duchess, because they were more 'grand' than any other European royalty. The rulers were Tsar and Tsarina: Emperor and Empress. Their empire spanned one-sixth of the Earth’s total landmass.