The upbringing he received under the guidance of his father was strict, almost harsh. “I need normal, healthy Russian children” - this was the demand the emperor put forward to the educators of his children. Such an upbringing could only be Orthodox in spirit. Even as a small child, the Tsarevich showed special love for God and His Church. The heir received a very good education at home - he knew several languages, studied Russian and world history, had a deep understanding of military affairs, and was a widely erudite person. But the father’s plans to prepare his son to bear his royal duty were not destined to be fully realized.
The first meeting of the sixteen-year-old heir Nicholas Alexandrovich and the young princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt took place in the year when her elder sister, the future Martyr Elizabeth, married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the Tsarevich's uncle. A strong friendship began between them, which then turned into deep and ever-increasing love. When, having reached adulthood, the heir turned to his parents with a request to bless him for marriage with Princess Alice, his father refused, citing his youth as the reason for the refusal. Then he resigned himself to his father’s will, but in the year, seeing the unshakable determination of his son, usually soft and even timid in communicating with his father, Emperor Alexander III gave his blessing for the marriage.
The joy of mutual love was overshadowed by a sharp deterioration in the health of Emperor Alexander III, who died on October 20 of the year. Despite the mourning, it was decided not to postpone the wedding, but it took place in the most modest atmosphere on November 14 of the year. The days of family happiness that followed soon gave way for the new emperor to the need to assume the entire burden of governing the Russian Empire, despite the fact that he was not yet fully introduced to the highest state affairs.
Reign
The character of Nikolai Alexandrovich, who was twenty-six years old at the time of his accession, and his worldview by this time were completely determined. Persons standing close to the court noted his lively mind - he always quickly grasped the essence of the questions presented to him, his excellent memory, especially for faces, and the nobility of his way of thinking. At the same time, Nikolai Alexandrovich, with his gentleness, tact in his address, and modest manners, gave many the impression of a man who did not inherit the strong will of his father.
The guidance for Emperor Nicholas II was his father’s political testament:
“I bequeath to you to love everything that serves the good, honor and dignity of Russia. Protect autocracy, bearing in mind that you are responsible for the fate of your subjects before the Throne of the Most High. Let faith in God and the holiness of your royal duty be the basis of your life. Be strong and courageous, never show weakness. Listen to everyone, there is nothing shameful in this, but listen to yourself and your conscience".
From the very beginning of his reign as a Russian power, Emperor Nicholas II treated the duties of a monarch as a sacred duty. The Emperor deeply believed that for the Russian people, royal power was and remains sacred. He always had the idea that the king and queen should be closer to the people, see them more often and trust them more. Having become the supreme ruler of a huge empire, Nikolai Alexandrovich took upon himself enormous historical and moral responsibility for everything that happened in the state entrusted to him. He considered one of his most important duties to be the preservation of the Orthodox faith.
Emperor Nicholas II paid great attention to the needs of the Orthodox Church throughout his reign. Like all Russian emperors, he donated generously for the construction of new churches, including outside Russia. During the years of his reign, the number of parish churches in the empire increased by more than 10 thousand, and more than 250 new monasteries were opened. He himself participated in the laying of new churches and other church celebrations. The personal piety of the Sovereign was also manifested in the fact that during the years of his reign more saints were canonized than in the two previous centuries, when only 5 saints were glorified - during his reign, St. Theodosius of Chernigov (), Rev. Seraphim of Sarov (city), Holy Princess Anna Kashinskaya (restoration of veneration in the city), Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (city), Saint Hermogen of Moscow (city), Saint Pitirim of Tambov (city), Saint John of Tobolsk (city) . At the same time, the emperor was forced to show special persistence, seeking the canonization of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Saints Joasaph of Belgorod and John of Tobolsk. Emperor Nicholas II highly revered the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt and after his blessed death he ordered a nationwide prayerful commemoration of him on the day of his repose.
During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, the synodal system of governing the Church was preserved, but it was under him that the church hierarchy had the opportunity not only to widely discuss, but also to practically prepare for the convening of a Local Council.
The desire to introduce Christian religious and moral principles of his worldview into public life has always distinguished the foreign policy of Emperor Nicholas II. Back in the year, he approached the governments of Europe with a proposal to convene a conference to discuss issues of maintaining peace and reducing arms. The consequence of this was the peace conferences in The Hague throughout the years, whose decisions have not lost their significance to this day.
But, despite the sovereign’s sincere desire for peace, during his reign Russia had to participate in two bloody wars, which led to internal unrest. In the year without a declaration of war, Japan began military operations against Russia, and the result of this difficult war for Russia was the revolutionary turmoil of the year. The sovereign perceived the unrest taking place in the country as a great personal sorrow.
Few people communicated with the Emperor informally. And everyone who knew his family life first-hand noted the amazing simplicity, mutual love and agreement of all members of this closely knit family. The children's relationship with the sovereign was touching - he was for them at the same time a king, a father and a comrade; their feelings changed depending on the circumstances, moving from almost religious worship to complete trust and the most cordial friendship.
But the center of the family was Alexey Nikolaevich, on whom all affections and hopes were concentrated. His incurable illness cast a shadow over the family's life, but the nature of the illness remained a state secret, and his parents often had to hide their feelings. At the same time, the illness of the Tsarevich opened the doors to the palace to those people who were recommended to the royal family as healers and prayer books. Among them, the peasant Grigory Rasputin appears in the palace, whose healing abilities gave him great influence at court, which, together with the notoriety that spread about him, undermined the faith and loyalty of many to the imperial house.
At the beginning of the war, on a wave of patriotism in Russia, internal disagreements largely subsided, and even the most difficult issues became solvable. It was possible to implement the sovereign's long-planned ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages for the entire duration of the war - his conviction in the usefulness of this measure was stronger than all economic considerations.
The Emperor regularly traveled to Headquarters, visiting various sectors of his huge army, dressing stations, military hospitals, rear factories - everything that played a role in waging a grandiose war.
From the beginning of the war, the Emperor considered his tenure as Supreme Commander-in-Chief as the fulfillment of a moral and national duty to God and the people. However, the Emperor always provided leading military specialists with broad initiative in resolving all military-strategic and operational-tactical issues. On August 22 of the year, the sovereign left for Mogilev to take command of all the armed forces of Russia and from that day on he was constantly at Headquarters. Only about once a month did the Emperor come to Tsarskoe Selo for a few days. All important decisions were made by him, but at the same time he instructed the empress to maintain relations with the ministers and keep him informed of what was happening in the capital.
Imprisonment and execution
“If I am an obstacle to the happiness of Russia and all the social forces now at the head of it ask me to leave the throne and hand it over to my son and brother, then I am ready to do this, I am even ready to give not only my kingdom, but also my life for the Motherland. I think no one who knows me doubts this.".
“My renunciation is needed. The point is that in the name of saving Russia and keeping the army at the front calm, you need to decide to take this step. I agreed... At one o'clock in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy feeling of what I had experienced. There is treason and cowardice and deceit all around!”
For the last time, he addressed his troops, calling on them to be loyal to the Provisional Government, the very one that arrested him, to fulfill their duty to the Motherland until complete victory. The farewell order to the troops, which expressed the nobility of the Tsar’s soul, his love for the army, and faith in it, was hidden from the people by the Provisional Government, which banned its publication.
The Emperor accepted and endured all the trials sent down to him firmly, meekly and without a shadow of a murmur. On March 9, the emperor, who had been arrested the day before, was transported to Tsarskoe Selo, where the whole family was eagerly awaiting him. An almost five-month period of indefinite stay in Tsarskoe Selo began. The days passed in a measured manner - with regular services, shared meals, walks, reading and communication with family. However, at the same time, the life of the prisoners was subjected to petty restrictions - the sovereign was told by A.F. Kerensky that he should live separately and see the empress only at the table, and speak only in Russian, the guard soldiers made rude remarks to him, access to the palace Persons close to the royal family were prohibited. One day, soldiers even took away a toy gun from the heir under the pretext of a ban on carrying weapons. Father Afanasy Belyaev, who regularly performed divine services in the Alexander Palace during this period, left his testimonies about the spiritual life of Tsarskoye Selo prisoners. This is how the Good Friday Matins service took place in the palace on March 30 of the year:
“The service was reverent and touching... Their Majesties listened to the entire service while standing. Folding lecterns were placed in front of them, on which the Gospels lay, so that they could follow the reading. Everyone stood until the end of the service and left through the common hall to their rooms. You have to see for yourself and be so close to understand and see how the former royal family fervently, in the Orthodox manner, often on their knees, prays to God. With what humility, meekness, and humility, having completely surrendered themselves to the will of God, they stand behind the divine service.”.
In the palace Church or in the former royal chambers, Father Athanasius regularly celebrated the all-night vigil and Divine Liturgy, which were always attended by all members of the imperial family. After the Day of the Holy Trinity, alarming messages appeared more and more often in the diary of Father Afanasy - he noted the growing irritation of the guards, sometimes reaching the point of rudeness towards the royal family. The spiritual state of the members of the royal family does not go unnoticed by him - yes, they all suffered, he notes, but along with the suffering their patience and prayer increased.
Meanwhile, the Provisional Government appointed a commission to investigate the activities of the emperor, but, despite all efforts, they could not find anything discrediting the king. However, instead of releasing the royal family, a decision was made to remove them from Tsarskoe Selo - on the night of August 1, they were sent to Tobolsk, allegedly due to possible unrest, and arrived there on August 6. The first weeks of my stay in Tobolsk were perhaps the calmest during the entire period of imprisonment. On September 8, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the prisoners were allowed to go to church for the first time. Subsequently, this consolation extremely rarely fell to their lot.
“He made this decision [to renounce] only in the hope that those who wanted to remove him would still be able to continue the war with honor and would not ruin the cause of saving Russia. He was afraid then that his refusal to sign the renunciation would lead to civil war in the sight of the enemy. The Tsar did not want even a drop of Russian blood to be shed because of him... It was painful for the Emperor to now see the futility of his sacrifice and realize that, having in mind then only the good of his homeland, he had harmed it with his renunciation.”.
Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks had already come to power in Petrograd - a period had begun about which the Emperor wrote in his diary: “much worse and more shameful than the events of the Time of Troubles.” The soldiers guarding the governor's house warmed up to the royal family, and several months passed after the Bolshevik coup before the change in power began to affect the situation of the prisoners. In Tobolsk, a “soldiers’ committee” was formed, which, in every possible way striving for self-affirmation, demonstrated its power over the Sovereign - they either forced him to remove his shoulder straps, or destroyed the ice slide built for the royal children, and from March 1 of the year “Nikolai Romanov and his family were transferred to soldier's ration." The letters and diaries of members of the imperial family testify to the deep experience of the tragedy that unfolded before their eyes. But this tragedy did not deprive the royal prisoners of fortitude, firm faith and hope for God’s help. Consolation and meekness in enduring sorrows were provided by prayer, reading spiritual books, worship and Communion. In suffering and trials, spiritual knowledge, knowledge of oneself, one’s soul increased. Aspiration towards eternal life helped to endure suffering and gave great consolation:
“...Everything that I love suffers, there is no end to all the dirt and suffering, but the Lord does not allow despondency: He protects from despair, gives strength, confidence in a bright future even in this world.”.
In March it became known that a separate peace with Germany had been concluded in Brest, about which the sovereign wrote that it was “tantamount to suicide.” The first Bolshevik detachment arrived in Tobolsk on Tuesday, April 22. Commissioner Yakovlev inspected the house, met the prisoners, and a few days later announced that he had to take the Emperor away, assuring that nothing bad would happen to him. Assuming that they wanted to send him to Moscow to sign a separate peace with Germany, the sovereign said firmly: “I’d rather let my hand be cut off than sign this shameful treaty.” The heir was ill at that time, and it was impossible to transport him, but the Empress and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna followed the emperor and were transported to Yekaterinburg, for imprisonment in the Ipatiev house. When the Heir's health improved, the rest of the family from Tobolsk were imprisoned in the same house, but most of those close to them were not allowed.
There is much less evidence left about the Yekaterinburg period of imprisonment of the Royal Family - there are almost no letters; basically this period is known only from brief entries in the emperor’s diary and the testimony of witnesses. Particularly valuable is the testimony of Archpriest John Storozhev, who performed the last services in the Ipatiev House. Father John served mass there twice on Sundays; the first time it was on May 20 (June 2), when, according to his testimony, members of the royal family “Prayed very earnestly...”. Living conditions in the “special purpose house” were much more difficult than in Tobolsk. The guard consisted of 12 soldiers who lived in close proximity to the prisoners and ate with them at the same table. Commissar Avdeev, an inveterate drunkard, worked every day together with his subordinates to invent new humiliations for the prisoners. I had to put up with hardships, endure bullying and submit to the demands of rude people, including former criminals. The royal couple and princesses had to sleep on the floor, without beds. During lunch, a family of seven was given only five spoons; The guards sitting at the same table smoked, brazenly blew smoke into the faces of the prisoners, and rudely took food from them. A walk in the garden was allowed once a day, at first for 15-20 minutes, and then no more than five. The behavior of the guards was completely indecent.
Only Doctor Evgeny Botkin remained near the royal family, who surrounded the prisoners with care and acted as a mediator between them and the commissars, trying to protect them from the rudeness of the guards, and several tried and true servants.
The faith of the prisoners supported their courage and gave them strength and patience in suffering. They all understood the possibility of a quick end and expected it with nobility and clarity of spirit. One of Olga Nikolaevna’s letters contains the following lines:
“The father asks to tell all those who remained devoted to him, and those on whom they may have influence, that they do not avenge him, since he has forgiven everyone and prays for everyone, and that they do not avenge themselves, and that they remember, that the evil that is now in the world will be even stronger, but that it is not evil that will defeat evil, but only love.”.
Most of the evidence speaks of the prisoners of the Ipatiev House as suffering people, but deeply religious, undoubtedly submissive to the will of God. Despite the bullying and insults, they led a decent family life in Ipatiev’s house, trying to brighten up the depressing situation with mutual communication, prayer, reading and feasible activities. One of the witnesses to their life in captivity, the heir’s teacher Pierre Gilliard, wrote:
“The Tsar and Empress believed that they were dying as martyrs for their homeland... Their true greatness stemmed not from their royal dignity, but from that amazing moral height to which they gradually rose... And in their very humiliation they were an amazing manifestation of that amazing clarity of the soul, against which all violence and all rage are powerless and which triumphs in death itself.”.
Even the rude guards gradually softened in their interactions with the prisoners. They were surprised by their simplicity, they were captivated by their dignified spiritual clarity, and they soon felt the superiority of those whom they thought to keep in their power. Even Commissar Avdeev himself relented. This change did not escape the eyes of the Bolshevik authorities. Avdeev was replaced by Yurovsky, the guards were replaced by Austro-German prisoners and people chosen from among the executioners of the “Chreka.” The life of its inhabitants turned into continuous martyrdom. On July 1 (14), Father John Storozhev performed the last divine service in the Ipatiev House. Meanwhile, in the strictest secrecy from the prisoners, preparations were made for their execution.
Along with the imperial family, their servants who followed their masters into exile were also shot: doctor
Years of life: 1868-1818
Reign: 1894-1917
Born May 6 (19 old style) 1868 in Tsarskoe Selo. Russian emperor who reigned from October 21 (November 2), 1894 to March 2 (March 15), 1917. Belonged to the Romanov dynasty, was the son and successor.
From birth he had the title - His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. In 1881, he received the title of Heir to Tsarevich, after the death of his grandfather, Emperor.
Title of Emperor Nicholas 2
Full title of the emperor from 1894 to 1917: “By God's favor, We, Nicholas II (Church Slavonic form in some manifestos - Nicholas II), Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Chersonese Tauride, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livonia, Courland and Semigal, Samogit, Bialystok, Korel, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novagorod of the Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udorsky, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky and all northern countries Sovereign; and Sovereign of Iversk, Kartalinsky and Kabardian lands and regions of Armenia; Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor, Sovereign of Turkestan; Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg, and so on, and so on, and so on.”
The peak of Russia's economic development and at the same time growth 
revolutionary movement, which resulted in the revolutions of 1905-1907 and 1917, fell precisely on years of reign of Nicholas 2. Foreign policy at that time was aimed at Russia's participation in blocs of European powers, the contradictions that arose between them became one of the reasons for the outbreak of the war with Japan and World War I.
After the events of the February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and a period of civil war soon began in Russia. The Provisional Government sent him to Siberia, then to the Urals. Together with his family, he was shot in Yekaterinburg in 1918.
Contemporaries and historians characterize the personality of the last king contradictory; Most of them believed that his strategic abilities in the conduct of public affairs were not successful enough to change the political situation at that time for the better.
After the revolution of 1917, he began to be called Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (before that, the surname “Romanov” was not indicated by members of the imperial family, the titles indicated the family affiliation: emperor, empress, grand duke, crown prince).
With the nickname Bloody, which the opposition gave him, he appeared in Soviet historiography.
Biography of Nicholas 2
He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Feodorovna and Emperor Alexander III.
In 1885-1890 received his home education as part of a gymnasium course under a special program that combined the course of the Academy of the General Staff and the Faculty of Law of the University. Training and education took place under the personal supervision of Alexander the Third with a traditional religious basis.
Most often he lived with his family in the Alexander Palace. And he preferred to relax in the Livadia Palace in Crimea. For annual trips to the Baltic and Finnish Seas he had at his disposal the yacht “Standart”.
At the age of 9 he began keeping a diary. The archive contains 50 thick notebooks for the years 1882-1918. Some of them have been published.
He was interested in photography and liked watching movies. I read both serious works, especially on historical topics, and entertaining literature. I smoked cigarettes with tobacco specially grown in Turkey (a gift from the Turkish Sultan).
On November 14, 1894, a significant event took place in the life of the heir to the throne - the marriage with the German Princess Alice of Hesse, who after the baptismal ceremony took the name Alexandra Fedorovna. They had 4 daughters - Olga (November 3, 1895), Tatyana (May 29, 1897), Maria (June 14, 1899) and Anastasia (June 5, 1901). And the long-awaited fifth child on July 30 (August 12), 1904, became the only son - Tsarevich Alexei.
Coronation of Nicholas 2
On May 14 (26), 1896, the coronation of the new emperor took place. In 1896 he 
traveled around Europe, where he met with Queen Victoria (his wife's grandmother), William II, and Franz Joseph. The final stage of the trip was a visit to the capital of the allied France.
His first personnel changes were the dismissal of the Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland, Gurko I.V. and the appointment of A.B. Lobanov-Rostovsky as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
And the first major international action was the so-called Triple Intervention.
Having made huge concessions to the opposition at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II attempted to unite Russian society against external enemies. In the summer of 1916, after the situation at the front had stabilized, the Duma opposition united with the general conspirators and decided to take advantage of the created situation to overthrow the Tsar.
They even named the date February 12-13, 1917, as the day the emperor abdicated the throne. It was said that a “great act” would take place - the sovereign would abdicate the throne, and the heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, would be appointed as the future emperor, and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich would become the regent.
In Petrograd, on February 23, 1917, a strike began, which became general three days later. On the morning of February 27, 1917, soldier uprisings took place in Petrograd and Moscow, as well as their unification with the strikers.
The situation became tense after the announcement of the emperor's manifesto on February 25, 1917 to terminate the meeting of the State Duma.
On February 26, 1917, the Tsar gave an order to General Khabalov “to stop the unrest, which is unacceptable in difficult times of war.” General N.I. Ivanov was sent on February 27 to Petrograd to suppress the uprising.
On the evening of February 28, he headed to Tsarskoe Selo, but was unable to get through and, due to the loss of contact with Headquarters, he arrived in Pskov on March 1, where the headquarters of the armies of the Northern Front under the leadership of General Ruzsky was located.
Abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, the emperor decided to abdicate the throne in favor of the crown prince during the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, and in the evening of the same day he announced to V.V. Shulgin and A.I. Guchkov about the decision to abdicate the throne for his son. March 2, 1917 at 11:40 p.m. he handed over to Guchkov A.I. Manifesto of renunciation, where he wrote: “We command our brother to rule over the affairs of the state in complete and inviolable unity with the representatives of the people.”
Nicholas 2 and his relatives lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo from March 9 to August 14, 1917.
In connection with the strengthening of the revolutionary movement in Petrograd, the Provisional Government decided to transfer the royal prisoners deep into Russia, fearing for their lives. After much debate, Tobolsk was chosen as the city of settlement for the former emperor and his relatives. They were allowed to take personal belongings and necessary furniture with them and offer service personnel to voluntarily accompany them to the place of their new settlement.
On the eve of his departure, A.F. Kerensky (head of the Provisional Government) brought the brother of the former tsar, Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail was soon exiled to Perm and on the night of June 13, 1918 he was killed by the Bolshevik authorities.
On August 14, 1917, a train departed from Tsarskoe Selo under the sign “Japanese Red Cross Mission” with members of the former imperial family. He was accompanied by a second squad, which included guards (7 officers, 337 soldiers).
The trains arrived in Tyumen on August 17, 1917, after which those arrested were taken to Tobolsk on three ships. The Romanovs were accommodated in the governor's house, specially renovated for their arrival. They were allowed to attend services at the local Church of the Annunciation. The protection regime for the Romanov family in Tobolsk was much easier than in Tsarskoe Selo. They led a measured, calm life.
Permission from the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the fourth convocation to transfer Romanov and members of his family to Moscow for the purpose of trial was received in April 1918.
On April 22, 1918, a column with machine guns of 150 people left Tobolsk for Tyumen. On April 30, the train arrived in Yekaterinburg from Tyumen. To house the Romanovs, a house that belonged to mining engineer Ipatiev was requisitioned. The service staff also lived in the same house: cook Kharitonov, doctor Botkin, room girl Demidova, footman Trupp and cook Sednev.
The fate of Nicholas 2 and his family
To resolve the issue of the future fate of the imperial family, at the beginning of July 1918, military commissar F. Goloshchekin urgently left for Moscow. The All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars authorized the execution of all the Romanovs. After this, on July 12, 1918, based on the decision made, the Ural Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies at a meeting decided to execute the royal family.
On the night of July 16-17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg, in the Ipatiev mansion, the so-called “House of Special Purpose,” the former Emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children, Doctor Botkin and three servants (except for the cook) were shot.
The Romanovs' personal property was plundered.
All members of his family were canonized by the Catacomb Church in 1928.
In 1981, the last Tsar of Russia was canonized by the Orthodox Church abroad, and in Russia the Orthodox Church canonized him as a passion-bearer only 19 years later, in 2000.
In accordance with the decision of August 20, 2000 of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, the last Emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, princesses Maria, Anastasia, Olga, Tatiana, Tsarevich Alexei were canonized as holy new martyrs and confessors of Russia, revealed and unmanifested.
This decision was received ambiguously by society and was criticized. Some opponents of canonization believe that attribution Tsar Nicholas 2 sainthood is most likely of a political nature.
The result of all the events related to the fate of the former royal family was the appeal of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, head of the Russian Imperial House in Madrid, to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation in December 2005, demanding the rehabilitation of the royal family, executed in 1918.
On October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (Russian Federation) decided to recognize the last Russian emperor and members of the royal family as victims of illegal political repression and rehabilitated them.
Nicholas II and his family
“They died as martyrs for humanity. Their true greatness stemmed not from their kingship, but from the amazing moral height to which they gradually rose. They became an ideal force. And in their very humiliation they were an amazing manifestation of that amazing clarity of soul, against which all violence and all rage are powerless and which triumphs in death itself” (Tsarevich Alexei’s tutor Pierre Gilliard).
NikolaiII Alexandrovich Romanov
Nicholas II
Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (Nicholas II) was born on May 6 (18), 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo. He was the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. He received a strict, almost harsh upbringing under the guidance of his father. “I need normal, healthy Russian children,” this was the demand put forward by Emperor Alexander III to the educators of his children.
The future Emperor Nicholas II received a good education at home: he knew several languages, studied Russian and world history, had a deep understanding of military affairs, and was a widely erudite person.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich and Princess Alice
Princess Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice was born on May 25 (June 7), 1872 in Darmstadt, the capital of a small German duchy, which by that time had already been forcibly incorporated into the German Empire. Alice's father was Grand Duke Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, and her mother was Princess Alice of England, the third daughter of Queen Victoria. As a child, Princess Alice (Alix, as her family called her) was a cheerful, lively child, for which she was nicknamed “Sunny” (Sunny). There were seven children in the family, all of them were brought up in patriarchal traditions. Their mother set strict rules for them: not a single minute of idleness! The children's clothing and food were very simple. The girls cleaned their rooms themselves and performed some household chores. But her mother died of diphtheria at the age of thirty-five. After the tragedy she experienced (she was only 6 years old), little Alix became withdrawn, alienated, and began to avoid strangers; She calmed down only in the family circle. After the death of her daughter, Queen Victoria transferred her love to her children, especially her youngest, Alix. Her upbringing and education took place under the supervision of her grandmother.
Marriage
The first meeting of the sixteen-year-old heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich and the very young Princess Alice took place in 1884, and in 1889, having reached adulthood, Nikolai turned to his parents with a request to bless him for marriage with Princess Alice, but his father refused, citing his youth as the reason for the refusal. I had to submit to my father's will. But usually gentle and even timid in communicating with his father, Nicholas showed persistence and determination - Alexander III gives his blessing for the marriage. But the joy of mutual love was overshadowed by a sharp deterioration in the health of Emperor Alexander III, who died on October 20, 1894 in Crimea. The next day, in the palace church of the Livadia Palace, Princess Alice accepted Orthodoxy and was anointed, receiving the name Alexandra Feodorovna.
Despite the mourning for their father, they decided not to postpone the wedding, but to hold it in the most modest atmosphere on November 14, 1894. This is how family life and the administration of the Russian Empire began simultaneously for Nicholas II; he was 26 years old.
He had a lively mind - he always quickly grasped the essence of the questions presented to him, an excellent memory, especially for faces, and a noble way of thinking. But Nikolai Alexandrovich, with his gentleness, tact in his manners, and modest manners, gave many the impression of a man who had not inherited the strong will of his father, who left him the following political testament: “ I bequeath to you to love everything that serves the good, honor and dignity of Russia. Protect autocracy, bearing in mind that you are responsible for the fate of your subjects before the Throne of the Most High. Let faith in God and the holiness of your royal duty be the basis of your life. Be strong and courageous, never show weakness. Listen to everyone, there is nothing shameful in this, but listen to yourself and your conscience.”
Beginning of reign
From the very beginning of his reign, Emperor Nicholas II treated the duties of the monarch as a sacred duty. He deeply believed that for the 100 million Russian people, tsarist power was and remains sacred.
Coronation of Nicholas II
1896 is the year of coronation celebrations in Moscow. The Sacrament of Confirmation was performed over the royal couple - as a sign that just as there is no higher and no more difficult on earth royal power, there is no burden heavier than royal service. But the coronation celebrations in Moscow were overshadowed by the disaster on the Khodynskoye Field: a stampede occurred in the crowd awaiting royal gifts, in which many people died. According to official figures, 1,389 people were killed and 1,300 were seriously injured, according to unofficial figures - 4,000. But the coronation events were not canceled in connection with this tragedy, but continued according to the program: in the evening of the same day, a ball was held at the French ambassador. The Emperor was present at all planned events, including the ball, which was perceived ambiguously in society. The Khodynka tragedy was seen by many as a gloomy omen for the reign of Nicholas II, and when the question of his canonization arose in 2000, it was cited as an argument against it.
Family
On November 3, 1895, the first daughter was born into the family of Emperor Nicholas II - Olga; was born after her Tatiana(May 29, 1897) Maria(June 14, 1899) and Anastasia(June 5, 1901). But the family was eagerly awaiting an heir.
Olga
Olga
Since childhood, she grew up very kind and sympathetic, deeply experienced the misfortunes of others and always tried to help. She was the only one of the four sisters who could openly object to her father and mother and was very reluctant to submit to her parents’ will if circumstances required it.
Olga loved to read more than the other sisters, and later she began to write poetry. French teacher and friend of the imperial family Pierre Gilliard noted that Olga learned the lesson material better and faster than her sisters. This came easily to her, which is why she was sometimes lazy. " Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was a typical good Russian girl with a big soul. She impressed those around her with her affection, her charming, sweet way of treating everyone. She behaved evenly, calmly and amazingly simply and naturally with everyone. She did not like housekeeping, but she loved solitude and books. She was developed and very well read; She had a talent for the arts: she played the piano, sang, studied singing in Petrograd, and drew well. She was very modest and did not like luxury."(From the memoirs of M. Diterichs).
There was an unrealized plan for Olga's marriage with the Romanian prince (the future Carol II). Olga Nikolaevna categorically refused to leave her homeland, to live in a foreign country, she said that she was Russian and wanted to remain so.
Tatiana
As a child, her favorite activities were: serso (playing hoop), riding a pony and a bulky tandem bicycle together with Olga, leisurely picking flowers and berries. Among quiet home entertainments, she preferred drawing, picture books, intricate children's embroidery - knitting and a "doll's house."
Of the Grand Duchesses, she was the closest to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; she always tried to surround her mother with care and peace, to listen and understand her. Many considered her the most beautiful of all the sisters. P. Gilliard recalled: “ Tatyana Nikolaevna was rather reserved by nature, had a will, but was less frank and spontaneous than her older sister. She was also less gifted, but made up for this deficiency with great consistency and evenness of character. She was very beautiful, although she did not have the charm of Olga Nikolaevna. If only the Empress made a difference between her Daughters, then Her favorite was Tatyana Nikolaevna. It was not that Her sisters loved Mother less than Her, but Tatyana Nikolaevna knew how to surround Her with constant care and never allowed herself to show that She was out of sorts. With her beauty and natural ability to behave in society, She overshadowed her sister, who was less concerned with Her person and somehow faded away. Nevertheless, these two sisters loved each other dearly, there was only a year and a half difference between them, which naturally brought them closer. They were called “big ones,” while Maria Nikolaevna and Anastasia Nikolaevna continued to be called “little ones.”
Maria
Contemporaries describe Maria as an active, cheerful girl, too large for her age, with light brown hair and large dark blue eyes, which the family affectionately called “Mashka’s saucers.”
Her French teacher Pierre Gilliard said that Maria was tall, with a good physique and rosy cheeks.
General M. Dieterichs recalled: “Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna was the most beautiful, typically Russian, good-natured, cheerful, even-tempered, friendly girl. She knew how and loved to talk with everyone, especially with ordinary people. During walks in the park, she would always start conversations with the guard soldiers, question them and remember very well who had the name of their wife, how many children they had, how much land, etc. She always had many common topics for conversations with them. For her simplicity, she received the nickname “Mashka” in her family; That’s what her sisters and Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich called her.”
Maria had a talent for drawing and was good at sketching using her left hand, but she had no interest in schoolwork. Many noticed that this young girl, with her height (170 cm) and strength, took after her grandfather, Emperor Alexander III. General M.K. Diterikhs recalled that when the sick Tsarevich Alexei needed to get somewhere, and he himself was unable to go, he called: “Mashka, carry me!”
They remember that little Maria was especially attached to her father. As soon as she started walking, she constantly tried to sneak out of the nursery shouting “I want to go to daddy!” The nanny almost had to lock her so that the little girl would not interrupt another reception or work with ministers.
Like the rest of the sisters, Maria loved animals, she had a Siamese kitten, then she was given a white mouse, which nestled comfortably in her sisters’ room.
According to the recollections of surviving close associates, the Red Army soldiers guarding Ipatiev’s house sometimes showed tactlessness and rudeness towards the prisoners. However, even here Maria managed to inspire respect for herself in the guards; Thus, there are stories about a case when the guards, in the presence of two sisters, allowed themselves to make a couple of dirty jokes, after which Tatyana “white as death” jumped out, while Maria scolded the soldiers in a stern voice, saying that in this way they could only arouse hostility towards themselves attitude. Here, in Ipatiev’s house, Maria celebrated her 19th birthday.
Anastasia
Anastasia
Like other children of the emperor, Anastasia was educated at home. Education began at the age of eight, the program included French, English and German, history, geography, the Law of God, natural sciences, drawing, grammar, arithmetic, as well as dance and music. Anastasia was not known for her diligence in her studies; she hated grammar, wrote with horrific errors, and with childish spontaneity called arithmetic “sinishness.” English teacher Sydney Gibbs recalled that she once tried to bribe him with a bouquet of flowers to improve his grade, and after his refusal, she gave these flowers to the Russian language teacher, Pyotr Vasilyevich Petrov.
During the war, the empress gave many of the palace rooms for hospital premises. The older sisters Olga and Tatyana, together with their mother, became sisters of mercy; Maria and Anastasia, being too young for such hard work, became patronesses of the hospital. Both sisters gave their own money to buy medicine, read aloud to the wounded, knitted things for them, played cards and checkers, wrote letters home under their dictation and entertained them with telephone conversations in the evenings, sewed linen, prepared bandages and lint.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Anastasia was small and dense, with reddish-brown hair, and large blue eyes, inherited from her father.
Anastasia had a rather plump figure, like her sister Maria. She inherited wide hips, a slender waist and a good bust from her mother. Anastasia was short, strongly built, but at the same time seemed somewhat airy. She was simple-minded in face and physique, inferior to the stately Olga and fragile Tatyana. Anastasia was the only one who inherited her father's face shape - slightly elongated, with prominent cheekbones and a wide forehead. She actually looked a lot like her father. Large facial features - large eyes, a large nose, soft lips - made Anastasia look like young Maria Feodorovna - her grandmother.
The girl had a light and cheerful character, loved to play lapta, forfeits, and serso, and could tirelessly run around the palace for hours, playing hide and seek. She easily climbed trees and often, out of pure mischief, refused to go down to the ground. She was inexhaustible with inventions. With her light hand, it became fashionable to weave flowers and ribbons into her hair, which little Anastasia was very proud of. She was inseparable from her older sister Maria, adored her brother and could entertain him for hours when another illness put Alexei to bed. Anna Vyrubova recalled that “Anastasia seemed to be made of mercury, and not of flesh and blood.”
Alexei
On July 30 (August 12), 1904, the fifth child and the only, long-awaited son, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, appeared in Peterhof. The royal couple attended the glorification of Seraphim of Sarov on July 18, 1903 in Sarov, where the emperor and empress prayed for an heir. At birth he was named Alexey- in honor of St. Alexy of Moscow. On his mother's side, Alexey inherited hemophilia, the carriers of which were some of the daughters and granddaughters of Queen Victoria of England. The disease became evident in the Tsarevich already in the fall of 1904, when the two-month-old baby began to bleed heavily. In 1912, while on vacation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the Tsarevich unsuccessfully jumped into a boat and severely bruised his thigh: the resulting hematoma did not resolve for a long time, the child’s health condition was very serious, and bulletins were officially published about him. There was a real threat of death.
Alexey's appearance combined the best features of his father and mother. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Alexey was a handsome boy, with a clean, open face.
His character was flexible, he adored his parents and sisters, and those souls doted on the young Tsarevich, especially Grand Duchess Maria. Alexey was capable of studies, like his sisters, and made progress in learning languages. From the memoirs of N.A. Sokolov, author of the book “The Murder of the Royal Family: “The heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, was a 14-year-old boy, smart, observant, receptive, affectionate, and cheerful. He was lazy and didn’t particularly like books. He combined the features of his father and mother: he inherited his father’s simplicity, was alien to arrogance, but had his own will and obeyed only his father. His mother wanted to, but could not be strict with him. His teacher Bitner says about him: “He had a great will and would never submit to any woman.” He was very disciplined, reserved and very patient. Undoubtedly, the disease left its mark on him and developed these traits in him. He did not like court etiquette, loved to be with the soldiers and learned their language, using purely folk expressions he overheard in his diary. He was reminiscent of his mother in his stinginess: he did not like to spend his money and collected various discarded things: nails, lead paper, ropes, etc.”
The Tsarevich loved his army very much and was in awe of the Russian warrior, respect for whom was passed on to him from his father and from all his sovereign ancestors, who always taught to love the common soldier. The prince’s favorite food was “cabbage soup and porridge and black bread, which all my soldiers eat,” as he always said. Every day they brought him sampler and porridge from the soldiers’ kitchen of the Free Regiment; Alexei ate everything and licked the spoon, saying: “This is delicious, not like our lunch.”
During the First World War, Alexey, who was the chief of several regiments and ataman of all Cossack troops by virtue of his position as heir, visited the active army with his father and awarded distinguished fighters. He was awarded the silver St. George medal of the 4th degree.
Raising children in the royal family
The family's life was not luxurious for the purposes of education - the parents were afraid that wealth and bliss would spoil the character of their children. The imperial daughters lived two to a room - on one side of the corridor there was a “big couple” (eldest daughters Olga and Tatyana), on the other there was a “small couple” (younger daughters Maria and Anastasia).
Family of Nicholas II
In the younger sisters' room, the walls were painted gray, the ceiling was painted with butterflies, the furniture was in white and green, simple and artless. The girls slept on folding army beds, each marked with the owner's name, under thick blue monogrammed blankets. This tradition dates back to the time of Catherine the Great (she first introduced this order for her grandson Alexander). The beds could easily be moved to be closer to warmth in winter, or even in my brother's room, next to the Christmas tree, and closer to open windows in summer. Here, everyone had a small bedside table and sofas with small embroidered thoughts. The walls were decorated with icons and photographs; The girls loved to take photographs themselves - a huge number of photographs have still been preserved, mostly taken in the Livadia Palace - the family’s favorite vacation spot. Parents tried to keep their children constantly busy with something useful; girls were taught to do needlework.
As in simple poor families, the younger ones often had to wear out the things that the older ones had outgrown. They also received pocket money, with which they could buy small gifts for each other.
Children's education usually began when they reached 8 years of age. The first subjects were reading, penmanship, arithmetic, and the Law of God. Later, languages were added to this - Russian, English, French, and even later - German. The imperial daughters were also taught dancing, playing the piano, good manners, natural sciences and grammar.
The imperial daughters were ordered to rise at 8 o'clock in the morning and take a cold bath. Breakfast at 9 o'clock, second breakfast at one or half past twelve on Sundays. At 5 pm - tea, at 8 - general dinner.
Everyone who knew the emperor’s family life noted the amazing simplicity, mutual love and agreement of all family members. Its center was Alexey Nikolaevich, all attachments, all hopes were focused on him. The children were full of respect and consideration towards their mother. When the empress was unwell, the daughters were arranged to take turns on duty with their mother, and the one who was on duty that day remained with her indefinitely. The children's relationship with the sovereign was touching - he was for them at the same time a king, a father and a comrade; Their feelings for their father passed from almost religious worship to complete trust and the most cordial friendship. A very important memory of the spiritual state of the royal family was left by the priest Afanasy Belyaev, who confessed to the children before their departure to Tobolsk: “The impression from the confession was this: God grant that all children be as morally high as the children of the former king. Such kindness, humility, obedience to the parental will, unconditional devotion to the will of God, purity of thoughts and complete ignorance of the dirt of earth - passionate and sinful - left me in amazement, and I was absolutely perplexed: is it necessary to remind me as a confessor of sins, maybe they unknown, and how to incite me to repent of the sins known to me.”
Rasputin
A circumstance that constantly darkened the life of the imperial family was the incurable illness of the heir. Frequent attacks of hemophilia, during which the child experienced severe suffering, made everyone suffer, especially the mother. But the nature of the illness was a state secret, and parents often had to hide their feelings while participating in the normal routine of palace life. The Empress understood well that medicine was powerless here. But, being a deeply religious person, she indulged in fervent prayer in anticipation of a miraculous healing. She was ready to believe anyone who was able to help her grief, to somehow alleviate her son’s suffering: the Tsarevich’s illness opened the doors to the palace to those people who were recommended to the royal family as healers and prayer books. Among them, the peasant Grigory Rasputin appears in the palace, who was destined to play his role in the life of the royal family and in the fate of the entire country - but he had no right to claim this role.
Rasputin seemed to be a kind, holy old man helping Alexei. Under the influence of their mother, all four girls had complete trust in him and shared all their simple secrets. Rasputin's friendship with the imperial children was obvious from their correspondence. People who sincerely loved the royal family tried to somehow limit Rasputin’s influence, but the empress strongly resisted this, since the “holy elder” somehow knew how to alleviate the difficult condition of Tsarevich Alexei.
World War I
Russia was at that time at the pinnacle of glory and power: industry was developing at an unprecedented pace, the army and navy were becoming more and more powerful, and agrarian reform was being successfully implemented. It seemed that all internal problems would be successfully resolved in the near future.
But this was not destined to come true: the First World War was brewing. Using the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne by a terrorist as a pretext, Austria attacked Serbia. Emperor Nicholas II considered it his Christian duty to stand up for the Orthodox Serbian brothers...
On July 19 (August 1), 1914, Germany declared war on Russia, which soon became pan-European. In August 1914, Russia launched a hasty offensive in East Prussia to help its ally France, which resulted in heavy defeat. By autumn it became clear that the end of the war was not in sight. But with the outbreak of war, internal divisions subsided in the country. Even the most difficult issues became solvable - it was possible to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages for the entire duration of the war. The Emperor regularly travels to Headquarters, visiting the army, dressing stations, military hospitals, and rear factories. The Empress, having completed nursing courses together with her eldest daughters Olga and Tatyana, spent several hours a day caring for the wounded in her Tsarskoe Selo infirmary.
On August 22, 1915, Nicholas II left for Mogilev to take command of all the armed forces of Russia and from that day on he was constantly at Headquarters, often with the heir. About once a month he came to Tsarskoe Selo for several days. All important decisions were made by him, but at the same time he instructed the empress to maintain relations with the ministers and keep him informed of what was happening in the capital. She was the person closest to him whom he could always rely on. Every day she sent detailed letters and reports to Headquarters, which was well known to the ministers.
The tsar spent January and February 1917 in Tsarskoye Selo. He felt that the political situation was becoming increasingly tense, but continued to hope that a sense of patriotism would still prevail and retained faith in the army, the situation of which had improved significantly. This raised hopes for the success of the great spring offensive, which would deal a decisive blow to Germany. But the forces hostile to him also understood this well.
Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexei
On February 22, Emperor Nicholas left for Headquarters - at that moment the opposition managed to sow panic in the capital due to the impending famine. The next day, unrest began in Petrograd caused by interruptions in the supply of bread; they soon developed into a strike under the political slogans “Down with war” and “Down with autocracy.” Attempts to disperse the demonstrators were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, debates were going on in the Duma with sharp criticism of the government - but first of all these were attacks against the emperor. On February 25, Headquarters received a message about unrest in the capital. Having learned about the state of affairs, Nicholas II sends troops to Petrograd to maintain order, and then he himself goes to Tsarskoe Selo. His decision was obviously caused by both the desire to be in the center of events to make quick decisions if necessary, and concern for his family. This departure from Headquarters turned out to be fatal.. 150 versts from Petrograd, the Tsar's train was stopped - the next station, Lyuban, was in the hands of the rebels. We had to go through the Dno station, but even here the path was closed. On the evening of March 1, the emperor arrived in Pskov, at the headquarters of the commander of the Northern Front, General N.V. Ruzsky.
There was complete anarchy in the capital. But Nicholas II and the army command believed that the Duma controlled the situation; in telephone conversations with the Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko, the emperor agreed to all concessions if the Duma could restore order in the country. The answer was: it's too late. Was this really the case? After all, only Petrograd and the surrounding area were covered by the revolution, and the authority of the tsar among the people and in the army was still great. The Duma's response confronted him with a choice: abdication or an attempt to march on Petrograd with troops loyal to him - the latter meant civil war, while the external enemy was within Russian borders.
Everyone around the king also convinced him that renunciation was the only way out. The front commanders especially insisted on this, whose demands were supported by the Chief of the General Staff M.V. Alekseev. And after long and painful reflection, the emperor made a hard-won decision: to abdicate both for himself and for the heir, due to his incurable illness, in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. On March 8, the commissioners of the Provisional Government, having arrived in Mogilev, announced through General Alekseev the arrest of the emperor and the need to proceed to Tsarskoye Selo. For the last time, he addressed his troops, calling on them to be loyal to the Provisional Government, the very one that arrested him, to fulfill their duty to the Motherland until complete victory. The farewell order to the troops, which expressed the nobility of the emperor’s soul, his love for the army, and faith in it, was hidden from the people by the Provisional Government, which banned its publication.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, following their mother, all the sisters wept bitterly on the day the First World War was declared. During the war, the empress gave many of the palace rooms for hospital premises. The older sisters Olga and Tatyana, together with their mother, became sisters of mercy; Maria and Anastasia became patronesses of the hospital and helped the wounded: they read to them, wrote letters to their relatives, gave their personal money to buy medicine, gave concerts to the wounded and tried their best to distract them from difficult thoughts. They spent days on end in the hospital, reluctantly taking time off from work for lessons.
About the abdication of NicholasII
In the life of Emperor Nicholas II there were two periods of unequal duration and spiritual significance - the time of his reign and the time of his imprisonment.
Nicholas II after abdication
From the moment of abdication, what attracts most attention is the internal spiritual state of the emperor. It seemed to him that he had made the only right decision, but, nevertheless, he experienced severe mental anguish. “If I am an obstacle to the happiness of Russia and all the social forces now at the head of it ask me to leave the throne and hand it over to my son and brother, then I am ready to do this, I am even ready to give not only my kingdom, but also my life for the Motherland. I think no one who knows me doubts this."- he said to General D.N. Dubensky.
On the very day of his abdication, March 2, the same general recorded the words of the Minister of the Imperial Court, Count V. B. Fredericks: “ The Emperor is deeply sad that he is considered an obstacle to the happiness of Russia, that they found it necessary to ask him to leave the throne. He was worried about the thought of his family, which remained alone in Tsarskoe Selo, the children were sick. The Emperor is suffering terribly, but he is the kind of person who will never show his grief in public.” Nikolai is also reserved in his personal diary. Only at the very end of the entry for this day does his inner feeling break through: “My renunciation is needed. The point is that in the name of saving Russia and keeping the army at the front calm, you need to decide to take this step. I agreed. A draft Manifesto was sent from Headquarters. In the evening, Guchkov and Shulgin arrived from Petrograd, with whom I spoke and gave them the signed and revised Manifesto. At one o'clock in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy feeling of what I had experienced. There is treason and cowardice and deceit all around!”
The Provisional Government announced the arrest of Emperor Nicholas II and his wife and their detention in Tsarskoe Selo. Their arrest did not have the slightest legal basis or reason.
House arrest
According to the memoirs of Yulia Alexandrovna von Den, a close friend of Alexandra Fedorovna, in February 1917, at the very height of the revolution, the children fell ill with measles one after another. Anastasia was the last to fall ill, when the Tsarskoe Selo palace was already surrounded by rebel troops. The Tsar was at the commander-in-chief's headquarters in Mogilev at that time; only the Empress and her children remained in the palace.
At 9 o'clock on March 2, 1917, they learned of the Tsar's abdication. On March 8, Count Pave Benckendorff announced that the Provisional Government had decided to subject the imperial family to house arrest in Tsarskoe Selo. It was suggested that they make a list of people who wanted to stay with them. And on March 9, the children were informed about their father’s abdication.
A few days later Nikolai returned. Life began under house arrest.
Despite everything, the children's education continued. The entire process was led by Gilliard, a French teacher; Nikolai himself taught the children geography and history; Baroness Buxhoeveden taught English and music lessons; Mademoiselle Schneider taught arithmetic; Countess Gendrikova - drawing; Dr. Evgeniy Sergeevich Botkin - Russian language; Alexandra Fedorovna - God's Law. The eldest, Olga, despite the fact that her education was completed, was often present at lessons and read a lot, improving on what she had already learned.
At this time, there was still hope for the family of Nicholas II to go abroad; but George V decided not to risk it and chose to sacrifice the royal family. The Provisional Government appointed a commission to investigate the activities of the emperor, but, despite all efforts to discover at least something discrediting the king, nothing was found. When his innocence was proven and it became obvious that there was no crime behind him, the Provisional Government, instead of releasing the sovereign and his wife, decided to remove the prisoners from Tsarskoe Selo: to send the family of the former tsar to Tobolsk. On the last day before leaving, they managed to say goodbye to the servants and visit their favorite places in the park, ponds, and islands for the last time. On August 1, 1917, a train flying the flag of the Japanese Red Cross mission departed from a siding in the strictest secrecy.
In Tobolsk
Nikolai Romanov with his daughters Olga, Anastasia and Tatyana in Tobolsk in the winter of 1917
On August 26, 1917, the imperial family arrived in Tobolsk on the steamship Rus. The house was not yet completely ready for them, so they spent the first eight days on the ship. Then, under escort, the imperial family was taken to the two-story governor's mansion, where they were henceforth to live. The girls were given a corner bedroom on the second floor, where they were accommodated in the same army beds brought from home.
But life went on at a measured pace and strictly subordinated to family discipline: from 9.00 to 11.00 - lessons. Then an hour break for a walk with my father. Lessons again from 12.00 to 13.00. Dinner. From 14.00 to 16.00 walks and simple entertainment such as home performances or riding down a slide built with one’s own hands. Anastasia enthusiastically prepared firewood and sewed. Next on the schedule was the evening service and going to bed.
In September they were allowed to go to the nearest church for the morning service: the soldiers formed a living corridor right up to the church doors. The attitude of local residents towards the royal family was favorable. The Emperor followed with alarm the events taking place in Russia. He understood that the country was rapidly heading towards destruction. Kornilov suggested that Kerensky send troops to Petrograd to put an end to the Bolshevik agitation, which was becoming more and more threatening day by day, but the Provisional Government rejected this last attempt to save the Motherland. The king understood perfectly well that this was the only way to avoid an inevitable catastrophe. He repents of his renunciation. “After all, he made this decision only in the hope that those who wanted to remove him would still be able to continue the war with honor and would not ruin the cause of saving Russia. He was afraid then that his refusal to sign the renunciation would lead to civil war in the sight of the enemy. The Tsar did not want even a drop of Russian blood to be shed because of him... It was painful for the Emperor to now see the futility of his sacrifice and realize that, having in mind then only the good of his homeland, he had harmed it with his renunciation,”- recalls P. Gilliard, the children’s teacher.
Ekaterinburg
Nicholas II
In March it became known that a separate peace with Germany had been concluded in Brest . “This is such a shame for Russia and it is “tantamount to suicide”“, - this was the emperor’s assessment of this event. When there was a rumor that the Germans were demanding that the Bolsheviks hand over the royal family to them, the Empress said: “I prefer to die in Russia than to be saved by the Germans”. The first Bolshevik detachment arrived in Tobolsk on Tuesday, April 22. Commissioner Yakovlev inspects the house and gets acquainted with the prisoners. A few days later, he reports that he must take the emperor away, assuring that nothing bad will happen to him. Assuming that they wanted to send him to Moscow to sign a separate peace with Germany, the emperor, who under no circumstances abandoned his high spiritual nobility, firmly said: “ I’d rather let my hand be cut off than sign this shameful agreement.”
The heir was ill at that time, and it was impossible to carry him. Despite fear for her sick son, the empress decides to follow her husband; Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna also went with them. Only on May 7, family members remaining in Tobolsk received news from Yekaterinburg: the Emperor, Empress and Maria Nikolaevna were imprisoned in Ipatiev’s house. When the prince's health improved, the rest of the family from Tobolsk were also taken to Yekaterinburg and imprisoned in the same house, but most of the people close to the family were not allowed to see them.
There is little evidence about the Yekaterinburg period of imprisonment of the royal family. Almost no letters. Basically, this period is known only from brief entries in the emperor’s diary and the testimony of witnesses in the case of the murder of the royal family.
Living conditions in the “special purpose house” were much more difficult than in Tobolsk. The guard consisted of 12 soldiers who lived here and ate with them at the same table. Commissar Avdeev, an inveterate drunkard, humiliated the royal family every day. I had to put up with hardships, endure bullying and obey. The royal couple and daughters slept on the floor, without beds. During lunch, a family of seven was given only five spoons; The guards sitting at the same table were smoking, blowing smoke into the faces of the prisoners...
A walk in the garden was allowed once a day, first for 15-20 minutes, and then no more than five. Only Doctor Evgeny Botkin remained next to the royal family, who surrounded the prisoners with care and acted as a mediator between them and the commissars, protecting them from the rudeness of the guards. A few faithful servants remained: Anna Demidova, I.S. Kharitonov, A.E. Trupp and the boy Lenya Sednev.
All prisoners understood the possibility of a speedy end. Once Tsarevich Alexei said: “If they kill, if only they don’t torture...” Almost in complete isolation, they showed nobility and fortitude. In one of the letters Olga Nikolaevna says: “ The father asks to tell all those who remained devoted to him, and those on whom they may have influence, that they do not avenge him, since he has forgiven everyone and prays for everyone, and that they do not avenge themselves, and that they remember that the evil that is now in the world will be even stronger, but that it is not evil that will defeat evil, but only love.”
Even the rude guards gradually softened - they were surprised by the simplicity of all members of the royal family, their dignity, even Commissar Avdeev softened. Therefore, he was replaced by Yurovsky, and the guards were replaced by Austro-German prisoners and people chosen from among the executioners of the “Chreka.” The life of the inhabitants of the Ipatiev House turned into complete martyrdom. But preparations for the execution were made in secret from the prisoners.
Murder
On the night of July 16-17, around the beginning of three, Yurovsky woke up the royal family and spoke about the need to move to a safe place. When everyone got dressed and got ready, Yurovsky led them to a semi-basement room with one barred window. Everyone was outwardly calm. The Emperor carried Alexei Nikolaevich in his arms, the others had pillows and other small things in their hands. In the room where they were brought, the Empress and Alexei Nikolaevich sat on chairs. The Emperor stood in the center next to the Tsarevich. The rest of the family members and servants were in different parts of the room, and at this time the killers were waiting for a signal. Yurovsky approached the emperor and said: “Nikolai Alexandrovich, according to the resolution of the Ural Regional Council, you and your family will be shot.” These words were unexpected for the king, he turned towards the family, stretched out his hands to them and said: “What? What?" The Empress and Olga Nikolaevna wanted to cross themselves, but at that moment Yurovsky shot the Tsar with a revolver almost point-blank several times, and he immediately fell. Almost simultaneously, everyone else started shooting - everyone knew their victim in advance.
Those already lying on the floor were finished off with shots and bayonet blows. When it was all over, Alexey Nikolaevich suddenly groaned weakly - he was shot several more times. Eleven bodies lay on the floor in streams of blood. After making sure that their victims were dead, the killers began to remove their jewelry. Then the dead were taken out into the yard, where a truck was already standing ready - the noise of its engine was supposed to drown out the shots in the basement. Even before sunrise, the bodies were taken to the forest in the vicinity of the village of Koptyaki. For three days the killers tried to hide their crime...
Together with the imperial family, their servants who followed them into exile were also shot: Doctor E. S. Botkin, the Empress’s room girl A. S. Demidov, the court cook I. M. Kharitonov and footman A. E. Trupp. In addition, Adjutant General I.L. Tatishchev, Marshal Prince V.A. Dolgorukov, “uncle” of the heir K.G. Nagorny, children’s footman I.D. Sednev, maid of honor were killed in various places and in different months of 1918 Empress A.V. Gendrikova and goflexress E.A. Schneider.
Church on the Blood in Yekaterinburg - built on the site of the house of engineer Ipatiev, where Nicholas II and his family were shot on July 17, 1918
Reign of Nicholas II (briefly)
Reign of Nicholas II (briefly)
Nicholas II, the son of Alexander III, was the last emperor of the Russian Empire and ruled from May 18, 1868 to July 17, 1918. He was able to receive an excellent education, was fluent in several foreign languages, and was also able to rise to the rank of colonel in the Russian army, field marshal and admiral of the fleet of the British army. Nicholas had to ascend the throne after the sudden death of his father. At that time the young man was twenty-six years old.
From childhood, Nicholas was prepared for the role of the future ruler. In 1894, a month after the death of his father, he married the German princess Alice of Hesse, later known as Alexandra Feodorovna. Two years later, the official coronation took place, which took place in mourning, because due to the huge crush of people who wanted to see the new emperor with their own eyes, many people died.
The emperor had five children (four daughters and a son). Despite the fact that doctors discovered hemophilia in Alexei (son), he, like his father, was being prepared to rule the Russian Empire.
During the reign of Nicholas II, Russia was in the stage of economic ascension, but the political situation within the country worsened every day. It was the emperor's failure as a ruler that led to internal unrest. As a result, after the dispersal of the workers’ rally on January 9, 1905 (this event is also known as “Bloody Sunday”), the state was ablaze with revolutionary sentiments. The revolution of 1905-1907 took place. The result of these events is the nickname among the people of the king, whom people dubbed Nicholas “Bloody.”
In 1914, the First World War began, which negatively affected the state of Russia and aggravated the already unstable political situation. The unsuccessful military operations of Nicholas II lead to the fact that in 1917 an uprising began in Petrograd, which resulted in the abdication of the Tsar from the throne.
In the early spring of 1917, the entire royal family was taken under arrest and later sent into exile. The execution of the entire family took place on the night of July sixteenth to seventeenth.
Here are the main reforms during the reign of Nicholas II:
· Managerial: the State Duma was formed, and the people received civil rights.
· Military reform carried out after the defeat in the war with Japan.
· Agrarian reform: land was assigned to private peasants rather than to communities.
Nicholas II Alexandrovich
Years of life: 1868 - 1918
Years of reign: 1894 - 1917
Nicholas II Alexandrovich born May 6 (18 old style) 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo. Russian Emperor, who reigned from October 21 (November 1), 1894 to March 2 (March 15), 1917. Belonged to Romanov dynasty, was the son and successor of Alexander III.
Nikolai Alexandrovich From birth he had the title - His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. In 1881, he received the title of Heir to Tsarevich, after the death of his grandfather, Emperor Alexander II.
Full title Nicholas II as Emperor from 1894 to 1917: “By God's favor, We, Nicholas II (Church Slavic form in some manifestos - Nicholas II), Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Chersonese Tauride, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livonia, Courland and Semigal, Samogit, Bialystok, Korel, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novagorod of the Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky and all northern countries Sovereign; and Sovereign of Iversk, Kartalinsky and Kabardinsky lands and regions of Armenia; Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor, Sovereign of Turkestan; Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg, and so on, and so on, and so on.”
The peak of Russia's economic development and at the same time the growth of the revolutionary movement, which resulted in the revolutions of 1905-1907 and 1917, occurred precisely during the reign of Nicholas II. Foreign policy at that time was aimed at Russia's participation in blocs of European powers, the contradictions that arose between them became one of the reasons for the outbreak of the war with Japan and World War I.
After the events of the February Revolution of 1917 Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and a period of civil war soon began in Russia. The Provisional Government sent Nicholas to Siberia, then to the Urals. He and his family were shot in Yekaterinburg in 1918.
Contemporaries and historians characterize the personality of Nicholas in contradictory ways; Most of them believed that his strategic abilities in the conduct of public affairs were not successful enough to change the political situation at that time for the better.
After the revolution of 1917 it began to be called Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov(before this, the surname “Romanov” was not indicated by members of the imperial family; the titles indicated the family affiliation: emperor, empress, grand duke, crown prince).
With the nickname Nicholas the Bloody, which was given to him by the opposition, he figured in Soviet historiography.
Nicholas II was the eldest son of Empress Maria Feodorovna and Emperor Alexander III.
In 1885-1890 Nikolai received his home education as part of a gymnasium course under a special program that combined the course of the Academy of the General Staff and the Faculty of Law of the University. Training and education took place under the personal supervision of Alexander the Third with a traditional religious basis.
Nicholas II Most often he lived with his family in the Alexander Palace. And he preferred to relax in the Livadia Palace in Crimea. For annual trips to the Baltic and Finnish Seas he had at his disposal the yacht “Standart”.
From 9 years old Nikolai started keeping a diary. The archive contains 50 thick notebooks for the years 1882-1918. Some of them have been published.
The Emperor was fond of photography and liked watching movies. I read both serious works, especially on historical topics, and entertaining literature. I smoked cigarettes with tobacco specially grown in Turkey (a gift from the Turkish Sultan).
On November 14, 1894, a significant event took place in the life of Nicholas - his marriage to the German princess Alice of Hesse, who after the baptismal ceremony took the name Alexandra Fedorovna. They had 4 daughters - Olga (November 3, 1895), Tatyana (May 29, 1897), Maria (June 14, 1899) and Anastasia (June 5, 1901). And the long-awaited fifth child on July 30 (August 12), 1904, became the only son - Tsarevich Alexei.
May 14 (26), 1896 took place coronation of Nicholas II. In 1896, he toured Europe, where he met with Queen Victoria (his wife's grandmother), William II, and Franz Joseph. The final stage of the trip was Nicholas II’s visit to the capital of the allied France.
His first personnel changes were the dismissal of the Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland, Gurko I.V. and the appointment of A.B. Lobanov-Rostovsky as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
And the first major international action Nicholas II became the so-called Triple Intervention.
Having made huge concessions to the opposition at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II attempted to unite Russian society against external enemies.
In the summer of 1916, after the situation at the front had stabilized, the Duma opposition united with the general conspirators and decided to take advantage of the created situation to overthrow Emperor Nicholas II.
They even named the date February 12-13, 1917, as the day the emperor abdicated the throne. It was said that a “great act” would take place - the Emperor would abdicate the throne, and the heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, would be appointed as the future emperor, and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich would become the regent.
In Petrograd, on February 23, 1917, a strike began, which became general three days later. On the morning of February 27, 1917, soldier uprisings took place in Petrograd and Moscow, as well as their unification with the strikers.
The situation became tense after the proclamation of the manifesto Nicholas II February 25, 1917 on the termination of the meeting of the State Duma.
On February 26, 1917, the Tsar gave an order to General Khabalov “to stop the unrest, which is unacceptable in difficult times of war.” General N.I. Ivanov was sent on February 27 to Petrograd to suppress the uprising.
Nicholas II On the evening of February 28, he headed to Tsarskoe Selo, but was unable to get through and, due to the loss of contact with Headquarters, he arrived in Pskov on March 1, where the headquarters of the armies of the Northern Front under the leadership of General Ruzsky was located.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, the emperor decided to abdicate the throne in favor of the crown prince under the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, and in the evening of the same day Nikolai announced to V.V. Shulgin and A.I. Guchkov about the decision to abdicate the throne for his son. March 2, 1917 at 11:40 p.m. Nicholas II handed over to Guchkov A.I. Manifesto of renunciation, where he wrote: “We command our brother to rule over the affairs of the state in complete and inviolable unity with the representatives of the people.”
Nikolay Romanov with his family from March 9 to August 14, 1917 he lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo.
In connection with the strengthening of the revolutionary movement in Petrograd, the Provisional Government decided to transfer the royal prisoners deep into Russia, fearing for their lives. After much debate, Tobolsk was chosen as the city of settlement for the former emperor and his family. They were allowed to take personal belongings and necessary furniture with them and offer service personnel to voluntarily accompany them to the place of their new settlement.
On the eve of his departure, A.F. Kerensky (head of the Provisional Government) brought the brother of the former tsar, Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail was soon exiled to Perm and on the night of June 13, 1918 he was killed by the Bolshevik authorities.
On August 14, 1917, a train departed from Tsarskoe Selo under the sign “Japanese Red Cross Mission” with members of the former imperial family. He was accompanied by a second squad, which included guards (7 officers, 337 soldiers).
The trains arrived in Tyumen on August 17, 1917, after which those arrested were taken to Tobolsk on three ships. The Romanov family settled in the governor's house, which was specially renovated for their arrival. They were allowed to attend services at the local Church of the Annunciation. The protection regime for the Romanov family in Tobolsk was much easier than in Tsarskoe Selo. The family led a measured, calm life.
Permission from the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the fourth convocation to transfer Romanov and members of his family to Moscow for the purpose of trial was received in April 1918.
On April 22, 1918, a column with machine guns of 150 people left Tobolsk for Tyumen. On April 30, the train arrived in Yekaterinburg from Tyumen. To house the Romanov family, a house that belonged to mining engineer Ipatiev was requisitioned. The family's staff also lived in the same house: cook Kharitonov, doctor Botkin, room girl Demidova, footman Trupp and cook Sednev.
To resolve the issue of the future fate of the imperial family, at the beginning of July 1918, military commissar F. Goloshchekin urgently left for Moscow. The All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars authorized the execution of all members of the Romanov family. After this, on July 12, 1918, based on the decision made, the Ural Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies at a meeting decided to execute the royal family.
On the night of July 16-17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg, in the Ipatiev mansion, the so-called “House of Special Purpose,” the former Emperor of Russia was shot Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children, Doctor Botkin and three servants (except for the cook).
The personal property of the former royal Romanov family was plundered.
Nicholas II and members of his family were canonized by the Catacomb Church in 1928.
In 1981, Nicholas was canonized by the Orthodox Church abroad, and in Russia the Orthodox Church canonized him as a passion-bearer only 19 years later, in 2000.
Icon of St. royal passion-bearers.
In accordance with the decision of August 20, 2000 of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, princesses Maria, Anastasia, Olga, Tatiana, Tsarevich Alexei were canonized as holy new martyrs and confessors of Russia, revealed and unappeared.
This decision was received ambiguously by society and was criticized. Some opponents of canonization believe that attribution Nicholas II sainthood is most likely of a political nature.
The result of all the events related to the fate of the former royal family was the appeal of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, head of the Russian Imperial House in Madrid, to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation in December 2005, demanding the rehabilitation of the royal family, executed in 1918.
On October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (Russian Federation) decided to recognize the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and members of the royal family victims of illegal political repression and rehabilitated them.
