The Last Tsar

Twenty sovereigns of the Romanov dynasty reigned for 304 years, from 1613 until tsardom’s destruction by the Revolution in 1917. Their ascent started in the reign of Ivan the Terrible and ended in the time of Rasputin. Romantic chroniclers of the tragedy of the last tsar like to suggest that the family was cursed, but the Romanovs were actually the most spectacularly successful empire-builders since the Mongols. The Russian empire, it is estimated, grew by fifty-five square miles (142 square kilometres) per day after the Romanovs came to the throne in 1613, or 20,000 square miles a year. By the late nineteenth century, they ruled one sixth of the earth’s surface – and they were still expanding. Empire-building was in a Romanov’s blood. Blog dedicated to the House of Romanov, that ruled upon Russia from 1613 till 1917. Sometimes you will see some members of the Hessian Grand Ducal Family here. Remember: you can talk to me whenever you want, my name is Ayla.

[adini-nikolaevna]

“April 20 / May 2 1870

I had just begun to fall asleep when I was woken up and asked to come downstairs; it was 4:30 a.m. I dressed quickly and hurried to the little one; his pulse had suddenly grown weaker and his breathing fainter, prompting Hirsch to send for me as well as for Papa and Mama. The little one was lying on Miss Kamp’s lap, completely unconscious—a state that persisted the entire time. Papa, Mama, Vladimir, and Alexei arrived by 5:15 and stayed with us all day. Minnie and I remained downstairs the whole time; around 11 o'clock, we went to my study for a moment to have some coffee, then returned to the little one, who spent the entire time lying on the laps of Minnie, Mama, and Miss Kamp in turn. The doctors came, but there was no longer any hope, as the pressure on the brain had intensified; the little one was completely unresponsive and hardly opened his eyes at all. What torment and anguish it was to see him and wait for the end. Around 1:15, Minnie took our darling Alexander onto her lap for the last time, while I kept applying cold compresses to his head. We were both so exhausted that we kept dozing off and could barely stay upright. His breathing grew increasingly rapid, and his pulse raced so fast it was impossible to count—surely over 200 beats per minute. Then his breathing began to weaken noticeably, and by 3:30, our sweet darling—our little angel—was gone from this world. He died on Minnie’s lap; his face took on such an angelic look, appearing exactly as if he were asleep. What a terrible moment that was—yet even worse was the entire day of emotional suffering, waiting, and profound sorrow. After saying their final goodbyes, Papa, Mama, Marie, and the brothers left, but Minnie and I remained behind for a while; later, I practically insisted that Minnie come to my room so she could catch her breath and have some tea. At 4:30, we went back downstairs and bathed our darling boy; then we dressed him in a short white gown and laid him on his bed in the room next to the bedroom—the very room where he had passed away. He looked so beautiful, with such a happy expression—even a smile—that it was impossible to tear oneself away from him. Minnie and I went to my study to write telegrams, and at 7 o’clock I carried our angel upstairs—with Minnie following behind—and laid him once more in his little bed in the reception room next to Minnie’s study, where the bed and the surrounding area had been arranged and decorated with flowers. The first memorial service took place at 8:30; the whole family gathered—our own relatives and others as well. It was heartbreaking to hear a memorial service for our dear son, yet the prayers and the entire service for an infant were truly lovely. When everyone had left, Minnie and I returned to the dear little body, joined by Vladimir and Alexei. We had asked the artist Kramskoi to come; he immediately began a pencil portrait, and it turned out beautifully—capturing him exactly as he looked in bed, along with his expression. God, what a day You have sent us, and what a trial—one we shall never forget for the rest of our lives. Yet, "Thy Will be done, O Lord," and we humble ourselves before You and Your Will. Lord, grant rest to the soul of our baby, our angel Alexander!”

- from the diary of the future Emperor Alexander III of Russia, on the death of his second son, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich.

My translation from:

VK.com | VK

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Nicholas II, Alexandra and Tatiana picking flowers.

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The Imperial Family watching a parade.

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A man bowing to Alexandra.

She's being followed by her four daughters.

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Nicholas II with his officers.

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Princess Irina Alexandrovna and Prince Andrei Alexandrovich.

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Nicholas and Alexei in Livadia Palace.

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Empress Alexandra

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Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia Romanov in carriage with their nannies Margaretta Eagar and Maria Vishnyakova, Yalta, Crimea, 1902.

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Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Olga, Maria and Anastasia with their brother Tsarevich Alexei seen in the Italian courtyard of the Livadia Palace holding flower decorations and wearing little boxes to collect donations ahead of the White Flower Day celebrations. During this day, members of the imperial family and entourage would sell daisies and donate the proceeds to charities under the patronage of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. April 20, 1912. The Empress would also hold a Grand Bazar in favor of patients with tuberculosis.

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Clipping from The Sphere about the birth of Alexei Nikolaevich.

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Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna photographed with their five children in the Maple Room at the Alexander Palace.

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Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia ,Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia,Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia with

Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia and Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia

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Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, 1898. Shared by Ilya.

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Tsar Nicholas ll, Tsarina Alexandra, Grand Duke Ernest-Ludwig of Hesse, Grand Duchess Eleonore of Hesse (on second photo) and Prince Lev Sergeyevich Golitsyn on board the Imperial yacht the Standart off the coast of Novy Svet in 1912.

[romanovsistersnew]

Continued from Ania Vyrubova's later memoirs - her reminisces about Tatiana:

Grand Duchess Tatiana was endowed with a gentle nature, but always remained very reserved. She was the apple of the eye of her father and her mother and she was never disobedient to them. She was also the favourite of the teachers because she never caused difficulties for anyone and she never said a bad word. The children called her the governess, because she supervised them so that they did all that their mother, father or teachers had instructed them. Tatiana was extremely helpful. If the Empress's chambermaid happened to be late, she was always willing to comb her mother's hair, which was certainly not an easy task. Her hair so long that the Empress could sit on it. When we crossed the Gulf of Finland, the maid of honour might be late if she had been allowed to go ashore. Then Tatiana always came to our aid when dressing for dinner. She was skilled at needlework and also had good taste, a fact that made everyone admire her needlework. She was often entrusted with the choice of gifts and she always made the right choice in these cases. Tatiana had dark hair, her face was pale in that the colour never rose on her cheeks. The Empress, on the other hand, was prone to blushing while the Emperor was always pale. Tatiana had grey eyes. She seldom laughed, was tender and never got upset. Once when we were in Poland, Maria threw a big snowball at her, and she got a blood nose. Tatiana did not rebuke her with a word, nor did she cry. When Tatiana grew up, she was the tallest and also the slimmest of the Grand Duchesses. She was also very beautiful and romantic. There were many who fell in love with her. Among them was Nikolai Rodionov, an officer of one of the naval crews who served on the Standart. He was extremely fond of the 15-year-old Tatiana. They played tennis, rowed and went for strolls. Later, at Livadia, in the years 1911, 1912, she aroused the admiration of the Deputy Adjutant, Count Vorontsov. Now it so happened that I too was interested in the Count, which caused Tatiana Nikolaevna and me to quarrel about who was allowed to sit next to him. Tatiana loved company much more than the other Grand Duchesses. She often complained that she had no girlfriends. However, it was easier said than done to get girlfriends, because the Empress made sure that her children did not choose undesirable company. Later, however, the Grand Duchesses were allowed to form friendships with Countess Kleinmichel and Miss Khitrovo. Admittedly, the Empress was concerned if her daughters were to associate with the daughters of the Russian aristocracy, who had been accustomed to an empty and often frivolous life since childhood. Nor were the Grand Duchesses allowed to spend as much time with their cousins ​​as they wished, as the Empress also found them too debased to be suitable as company for her children.

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George Hawkins's translation, found here.