The Romanov family ruled Russia from 1613 until 1917, when the Russian Revolution occurred. The last Tsar to rule Russia was Nicholas II. Often when people think of the Romanovs, they think of a perfect world of magnificent luxury such as stunning palaces and glamorous balls. Nicholas and his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra are still famous for their love and devotion to each other and to their five children. The Romanov children were the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia as well as the Tsarevich, Alexei.
The Romanovs were a close family and they were very fond of taking photographs of each other. For this reason, we now enjoy photos of their personal moments, which provide us with a glimpse into their world. The Romanovs also enjoyed family holidays together. These included spending time on their Yacht (The Standart), at Livadia on the Black Sea, as well as at Peterhof.
Unfortunately, Alexei was a haemophiliac. Haemophilia is a genetic disease which is passed through the females of a family, yet it only affects the males. This disease prevents blood from clotting properly. Due ot this illness, much care was taken to ensure that Alexei did not injure himself as an injury could have resulted in him bleeding to death. It was Alexei's illness which lead to his mother's fondness of the monk, Rasputin. Alexandra believed that Rasputin had the power to cure Alexei of his illness. Rasputin weas a prominent figure in hte lives of the Romanov family until his death in 1916. Two high ranking members of the Russian aristocracy were implicated in Rasputin's death. These were Prince Felix Yussupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.
The Romanovs were executed in 1918 by the Bolsheviks in Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. The place where the Bolsheviks buried the bodies of the Romanovs and the servants who died with them remained a mystery for much of the 20th century. This is perhaps one of the greatest reasons why the Romanovs have been the subject of so much fascination since the Russian revolution. It is difficult to imagine that a happy and prosperous family could meet such a violent fate and nobody knew where their bodies were for such a long time. It is clear why this topic would receive so much attention.
In 1979, all except for two of the bodies were found. This discovery was kept quiet until the fall of communism in Russia. For this reason, it is often assumed that the bodies were not found until 1991, when the Yeltsin government agreed to exhume the bodies. The bodies of Alexei and Maria were not discovered until 2007.
Nicholas and Alexandra when they were young
Nicholas with his five children
Hello,
ReplyDeleteVery nice to know another also has interest in The Romanovs. I began interested in the family while watching the movie "Anastasia" and intended to know more about the true story of the young princess. Although their death has been almost 94 years, I said to myself that I wish I could go back to the past and help them. So sad knowing no one survived. May all of them rest in peace. Amen.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely to meet others who are interested in The Romanovs. This was a very sad event and the story does attract a lot of sympathy from many people because of that. 'Anastasia' is a great movie, I liked that one too.
Yo,
ReplyDeleteThe word "Romanovs" caught my attention. They said that a daughter survived the assassination. Isn't it cool that there is a possibility that her child is alive passing the Royal blood on and on, to generation and generation.So there might be a family with a secret Royal bloodline?