How many children Nicholas had 2. The main misconceptions about Nicholas II
The education he received under the guidance of his father was strict, almost severe. “I need normal healthy Russian children,” the emperor put forward such a demand for the educators of his children. Such education could only be Orthodox in spirit. As a young child, the prince showed a special love for God, for His Church. The heir received a very good home education - he knew several languages, studied Russian and world history, was well versed in military affairs, and was a widely erudite person. But the father’s plans to prepare his son for royal duties were not destined to be fully realized.
The first meeting of the sixteen-year-old heir Nikolai Alexandrovich and the young princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt took place in the year when her older sister, the future reverend martyr Elizabeth, married the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, uncle of the Tsarevich. A strong friendship developed between them, which later turned into a deep and ever-growing love. When, in the year of reaching adulthood, the heir asked his parents to bless him for marriage with Princess Alice, his father refused, citing the rejection of his youth. Then he humbled himself before his father’s will, but in the year, seeing the unwavering resolve of his son, usually gentle and even timid in communicating with his father, Emperor Alexander III gave a blessing for marriage.
The joy of mutual love was overshadowed by a sharp deterioration in the health of Emperor Alexander III, who died on October 20. Despite the mourning, it was decided not to postpone the wedding, but it took place in the most modest setting on November 14th. The days of family happiness that came then soon gave way for the new emperor to take on the entire burden of governing the Russian Empire, despite the fact that he had not yet been fully introduced into the course of higher state affairs.
Reign
The character of Nikolai Alexandrovich, who was twenty-six years old at the time of accession, and his worldview by that time were completely determined. Persons standing close to the courtyard noted his lively mind - he always quickly grasped the essence of the questions he was presented with, a wonderful memory, especially on his faces, and the nobility of his way of thinking. At the same time, Nikolai Aleksandrovich, with his gentleness, tact in handling, modest manners, impressed many people as not having inherited the strong will of his father.
A guide for Emperor Nicholas II was the political testament of his father:
“I will bequeath to you to love everything that serves the good, honor and dignity of Russia. Protect the autocracy, bearing in mind that you are responsible for the fate of your subjects before the Throne of the Most High. Faith in God and the sanctity of your royal duty will be the foundation of your life for you. Be firm and courageous, never show weakness. Listen to everyone, there is nothing shameful in this, but obey yourself and your conscience. ”.
From the very beginning of his reign as a power of the Russian Empire, Emperor Nicholas II regarded the duties of a monarch as a sacred duty. The Tsar deeply believed that for the Russian people, tsarist power was and remains sacred. It always lived in the idea that the king and the queen should be closer to the people, to see him more often and to trust him more. Having become the supreme ruler of a vast empire, Nikolai Alexandrovich assumed enormous historical and moral responsibility for everything that happens in the state entrusted to him. One of his most important duties was 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 generously sacrificed for the construction of new churches, including outside of Russia. During the years of his reign, the number of parish churches in the empire increased by more than 10 thousand, 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 manifested itself 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 the time of his reign, Saint Theodosius of Chernigov (city) was venerated Seraphim of Sarov (city), Holy Princess Anna Kashinskaya (restoration of veneration in the city), St. Joasaph of Belgorod (city), St. Hermogenes of Moscow (city), St. Pitirim of Tambovsky (city), St. John of Tobolsk (city) . At the same time, the emperor was forced to show special perseverance, seeking the canonization of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, the Hierarchs Joasaph of Belgorod and John of Tobolsk. Emperor Nicholas II highly esteemed the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt and, after his blessed death, commanded him to perform his popular prayer commemoration on the day of the repose.
During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, the synodal management system of the Church was preserved, but it was under him that the church hierarchy got the opportunity not only to widely discuss, but also practically prepare the convocation of the Local Council.
The desire to introduce the Christian religious and moral principles of his worldview into state life has always distinguished the foreign policy of Emperor Nicholas II. Back in the year, he turned to the governments of Europe with a proposal to convene a conference to discuss peacekeeping and arms reduction. The consequence of this was the peace conferences in The Hague in and years whose decisions have not lost their significance to this day.
But, despite the emperor’s sincere desire for peace, in his reign Russia had to participate in two bloody wars that led to internal unrest. In the year without declaring war, Japan began military operations against Russia and the result of this difficult war for Russia was the revolutionary turmoil of the year. The tsar perceived the unrest in the country as a great personal grief.
In an informal setting, few spoke to the Sovereign. And everyone who knew his family life firsthand noted the amazing simplicity, mutual love and consent of all members of this closely knit family. The relations of the children with the sovereign were touching - he was for them both king, father and comrade; their feelings altered depending on the circumstances, passing from almost religious worship to complete gullibility and the most cordial friendship.
But the center of the family was Aleksey Nikolaevich, on whom all attachments and hopes focused. His incurable disease overshadowed the life of the family, but the nature of the disease remained a state secret, and parents often had to hide their feelings. At the same time, the Tsarevich’s disease opened the doors to the palace to those people who were recommended to the royal family as healers and prayer books. Among them, a peasant Grigory Rasputin appears in the palace, whose healing abilities brought him great influence at the court, which, together with the notoriety spread about him, undermined the faith and loyalty of many to the imperial house.
At the beginning of the war, in the wake of patriotism in Russia, internal disagreements calmed down in many ways, even the most difficult issues became resolvable. It was possible to implement the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages long conceived by the sovereign for the entire time of the war - his conviction of the usefulness of this measure was stronger than all economic considerations.
The emperor regularly went to Headquarters, visits various sectors of his huge army, dressing stations, military hospitals, rear factories - all that played a role in the conduct of the grandiose war.
From the beginning of the war, the emperor viewed his tenure as supreme commander in chief as the fulfillment of a moral and state duty to God and the people. However, the Sovereign always provided the leading military experts with a wide initiative in resolving all military-strategic and operational-tactical issues. On August 22, the sovereign went to Mogilev to take command of all the armed forces of Russia and from that day he was constantly at Headquarters. Only about once a month did the Tsar come to Tsarskoye Selo for several days. All responsible decisions were made by him, but at the same time, he instructed the empress to maintain relations with ministers and keep him informed about what was happening in the capital.
Imprisonment and execution
“If I am a hindrance to the happiness of Russia and all the social forces that are currently at the head of me are asking me to leave the throne and hand it over to my son and brother, then I am ready to do this, I’m even ready not only to give the kingdom, but also to give my life for the Motherland. I think no one doubts that of those who know me. ”.
“My renunciation is needed. The bottom line is that in the name of saving Russia and keeping the army at the front in peace, you need to decide on this step. I agreed ... At one in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy sense of experience. Around treason and cowardice and deceit! "
The last time he turned to his troops, urging them to be loyal to the Provisional Government, the very one that subjected him to arrest, to fulfill his duty to the Motherland until complete victory. A farewell order to the troops, which expressed the nobility of the Sovereign’s soul, his love for the army, faith in it, was hidden from the people by the Provisional Government, which prohibited its publication.
The sovereign accepted and endured all the trials sent to him firmly, meekly and without the shadow of a murmur. On March 9, the emperor arrested on the eve was transported to Tsarskoye Selo, where the whole family was looking forward to it. An almost five-month period of uncertain stay in Tsarskoye Selo began. The days passed measuredly - in regular services, joint meals, walks, reading and talking with relatives. However, at the same time, the life of the prisoners was subjected to petty constraints - the emperor was informed by A.F. Kerensky that he should live separately and see the empress only at the table, and only speak Russian, the guard soldiers in rude form made him remarks, access to the palace persons close to the royal family were prohibited. Once, the soldiers even stole a toy gun from the heir under the pretext of a ban on carrying weapons. Father Afanasy Belyaev, who regularly performed divine services during this period in the Alexander Palace, left his testimonies about the spiritual life of Tsarskoye Selo prisoners. Here is how the service of Matins of Great Friday on March 30 took place in the palace:
“The service was reverently and touching ... Their Majesties listened to the entire service standing. Folding analogs were placed in front of them, on which the Gospels lay, so that they could be followed by reading. All stood until the end of the service and went through the common hall into their rooms. One must see for himself and be so close in order to understand and be convinced that the former royal family assiduously, in Orthodox, often on his knees, prays to God. With what humility, meekness, humility, completely betraying themselves to the will of God, they stand behind the service ”.
In the palace church or in the former royal chambers, Father Athanasius regularly performed the all-night and Divine Liturgy, which was always attended by all members of the imperial family. After the day of the Holy Trinity, in the diary of Father Athanasius more and more alarming messages appear - he notes the growing irritation of the guards, sometimes reaching to be rude to the royal family. The emotional state of the members of the royal family does not remain without his attention - yes, they all suffered, he notes, but along with their 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 at least something discrediting the king. However, instead of releasing the royal family, a decision was made to remove them from Tsarskoye Selo - on the night of August 1, they were sent to Tobolsk, supposedly due to possible unrest, and arrived there on August 6. The first weeks of stay in Tobolsk were almost the calmest for the entire period of imprisonment. On September 8, the day of the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prisoners were allowed to go to church for the first time. Subsequently, this consolation extremely rarely fell to their lot.
“He made this decision [on abdication] only in the hope that those who wished to remove him would nevertheless be able to continue the war with honor and not ruin the cause of saving Russia. He was afraid then that his refusal to sign the abdication would not lead to a civil war in the sight of the enemy. The tsar did not want at least a drop of Russian blood to be shed because of him ... The emperor was pained now to see the futility of his sacrifice and to realize that, having in mind then only the good of his homeland, he had brought harm to him by his renunciation. ”.
Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks have already come to power in Petrograd - the period has come about which the Emperor wrote in his diary: “it is much worse and more shameful than the events of the Time of Troubles”. The soldiers guarding the governor's house were imbued with an affection for the imperial family, and several months passed after the Bolshevik coup before the change of power began to affect the situation of the prisoners. A “soldier’s committee” was formed in Tobolsk, which, striving for self-assertion in every possible way, demonstrated its power over the Sovereign — they either forced him to take off his epaulettes, then destroyed the ice slide arranged for the tsar’s children, and from March 1, “Nikolai Romanov and his family are transferred to rations of soldiers. " The letters and diaries of the members of the imperial family attest to the deep experience of the tragedy that unfolded before their eyes. But this tragedy did not deprive royal prisoners of fortitude, firm faith and hope for God's help. Consolation and meekness in the transfer of sorrows were given by prayer, reading of spiritual books, worship and Communion. In suffering and trials, spiritual knowledge, knowledge of oneself, of one’s soul increased. The striving for eternal life helped to endure suffering and gave great comfort:
“... All that I love is suffering, there is no account for all the dirt and suffering, and the Lord does not allow despondency: He protects from despair, gives strength, confidence in a bright future in this world”.
In March, it became known that a separate peace was concluded with Brest in Germany, about which the sovereign wrote that this was “tantamount to suicide”. The first Bolshevik detachment arrived in Tobolsk on Tuesday, April 22. Commissar Yakovlev examined the house, met the prisoners, and a few days later announced that he should take the Tsar away, assuring him that nothing bad would happen to him. Assuming that they wanted to send him to Moscow to sign a separate peace with Germany, the emperor firmly said: “I’d better give my arm cut off than sign this shameful agreement.” The heir at that time was sick, and it was impossible to take him, but the Empress and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna followed the emperor and were transported to Yekaterinburg, for imprisonment in Ipatiev’s house. When the Heir's health recovered, the remaining family members from Tobolsk were imprisoned in the same house, but most of those close to them were not allowed.
There is much less evidence of the Yekaterinburg period of imprisonment of the Tsar’s family - there are almost no letters, mainly this period is known only from brief entries in the emperor’s diary and testimony of witnesses. Especially valuable is the testimony of Archpriest John Storozhev, who performed the last services in the Ipatiev House. Father John served there twice on Sundays; for the first time it was May 20 (June 2), when, according to his testimony, members of the royal family "Prayed very hard ...". Living conditions in the "house of special purpose" were much harder than in Tobolsk. The guard consisted of 12 soldiers who lived in the immediate vicinity of the prisoners, ate with them at the same table. Commissar Avdeev, an inveterate drunkard, was daily sophisticated with his subordinates in inventing new humiliations for prisoners. I had to put up with hardships, endure bullying and obey the requirements of rude people, including former criminals. The royal couple and the princesses slept on the floor, without beds. During dinner, a family of seven was given only five spoons; the guards sitting at the same table smoked, brazenly releasing smoke in the face of the prisoners, roughly taking away their food. A walk in the garden was allowed once a day, at first for 15-20 minutes, and then no more than five. Sentinel behavior was completely obscene.
Next to the royal family were only Dr. Yevgeny Botkin, who surrounded the prisoners with care and was an intermediary between them and the commissars, trying to protect them from the rudeness of the guard, and several tried and true servants.
The faith of the prisoners supported their courage, gave them strength and patience in their suffering. They all understood the possibility of a quick end and expected it with nobility and clarity of mind. In one of Olga Nikolaevna's letters there are such lines:
“The father asks to pass on to all those who remained loyal to him, and those whom they can influence, so that they do not avenge him, since he forgave everyone and prays for everyone, and so that they don’t take revenge for himself and remember that the evil that is now in the world will be even stronger, but that evil will not defeat evil, but only love ”.
Most of the evidence speaks of the prisoners of the Ipatiev House as suffering people, but deeply believers, undoubtedly submissive to the will of God. Despite the bullying and insults, they led a worthy family life in Ipatiev’s house, trying to brighten up the depressing atmosphere by mutual communication, prayer, reading, and feasible occupations. One of the witnesses of their life in captivity, the heir educator Pierre Gilliard, wrote:
“The Sovereign and Sovereign believed that they were dying martyrs for their homeland ... Their true greatness did not come from their royal rank, but from that amazing moral height to which they gradually rose ... And in their very humiliation they were a striking manifestation of that the 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 communication with the prisoners. They were surprised by their simplicity, they were conquered by dignity and spiritual clarity, and they soon felt the superiority of those whom they thought to keep in their power. Even Commissar Avdeev softened. Such a change did not hide from the eyes of the Bolshevik authorities. Avdeev was replaced by Yurovsky, the guard was replaced by Austro-German prisoners and selected people from among the executioners of the "emergency." The life of its inhabitants turned into continuous martyrdom. On July 1 (14), Father John Storozhev performed the last service in the Ipatiev House. Meanwhile, in the strictest confidence from the prisoners, preparations were made for their execution.
Together with the imperial family, their servants were executed, following their masters in exile: doctor
Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov), the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Fedorovna, was born May 18 (May 6 Old Style) 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo (now the city of Pushkin, Pushkin district of St. Petersburg).
Immediately after birth, Nikolai was enlisted in several guards regiments and was appointed chief of the 65th Moscow Infantry Regiment. The childhood of the future king passed in the walls of the Gatchina Palace. Nikolai's regular homework began at eight years old.
In December 1875 he received his first military rank - ensign, in 1880 he was promoted to lieutenant, four years later he became a lieutenant. In 1884 year, Nikolai entered the active military service, in July 1887 years began regular military service in the Preobrazhensky regiment and was promoted to headquarters captains; in 1891 Nicholas received the rank of captain, and a year later - Colonel.
For exploring government affairs since May 1889 he began to attend meetings of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. IN october 1890 years went on a trip to the Far East. For nine months, Nicholas visited Greece, Egypt, India, China, and Japan.
IN april 1894 The engagement of the future emperor with Princess Alice Darmstadt of Hesse, daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, took place. After the transition to Orthodoxy, she took the name of Alexandra Fedorovna.
November 2 (October 21 Old Style) 1894 Alexander III died. A few hours before his death, the dying emperor ordered his son to sign the Manifesto of accession to the throne.
The coronation of Nicholas II took place May 26 (14, old style) May 1896. On the thirtieth (18th according to the old style) on May 1896 during the festival on the occasion of the coronation of Nicholas II in Moscow on the Khodynsky field there was a stampede in which more than a thousand people died.
The reign of Nicholas II took place in an atmosphere of growing revolutionary movement and the complication of the foreign policy situation (Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905; Bloody Sunday; Revolution of 1905-1907; World War I; February Revolution of 1917).
Influenced by a strong social movement in favor of political change, October 30 (17 Old Style) October 1905Nicholas II signed the famous manifesto "On the improvement of public order": people were given freedom of speech, press, personality, conscience, assembly, unions; the State Duma was created as a legislative body.
The turning point in the fate of Nicholas II was 1914 year - the beginning of the First World War. The first of August (July 19 according to the old style) 1914 Germany declared war on Russia. IN august 1915 years, Nicholas II took over the military command (previously, this position was performed by the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich). After the tsar spent most of his time at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Mogilev.
At the end of February 1917 unrest began in Petrograd, which grew into mass protests against the government and the dynasty. The February Revolution found Nicholas II at headquarters in Mogilev. Having received news of the uprising in Petrograd, he decided not to make concessions and force order in the city, but when the scale of the unrest became clear, he abandoned this thought, fearing a lot of bloodshed.
At midnight March 15 (2 Old Style) March 1917 in the cabin of the imperial train, standing on the tracks near the Pskov railway station, Nicholas II signed the act of abdication, transferring power to his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who did not accept the crown.
March 20 (7 Old Style) March 1917 The interim government issued an order to arrest the king. On March 22, 1917, Nicholas II and his family were arrested. The first five months they were protected in Tsarskoye Selo, in august 1917 they were transported to Tobolsk, where the Romanovs spent eight months.
At the beginning 1918 the Bolsheviks forced Nicholas to take off the shoulder straps of the colonel (his last military rank), which he perceived as a heavy insult. In May of this year, the imperial family was moved to Yekaterinburg, where she was placed in the house of mining engineer Nikolai Ipatiev.
On the night of July 17 (4 old) July 1918and Nicholas II, the tsarina, five of their children: daughters - Olga (1895), Tatyana (1897), Maria (1899) and Anastasia (1901), son - the crown prince, heir to the throne Alex (1904) and several close ones (11 people in total) ,. The shooting took place in a small room on the ground floor of the house, where victims were brought there under the pretext of evacuation. The tsar himself was shot with a pistol at point blank range by the commandant of the Ipatiev House Yankel Yurovsky. The bodies of the dead were taken out of town, doused with kerosene, tried to burn, and then buried.
At the beginning of 1991the first application was filed with the city prosecutor’s office for the discovery of bodies with signs of violent death near Yekaterinburg. After many years of research on the remains discovered near Yekaterinburg, a special commission came to the conclusion that they really are the remains of nine Nicholas II and his family. In 1997 they were solemnly buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of St. Petersburg.
In the year 2000 Nicholas II and his family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
On October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family as victims of illegal political repressions and rehabilitated them.
It became interesting - is there a relationship between the growth of the leader of Russia and his affairs, successes.I decided to start with the tsar-emperors of Russia. Wives and other empresses are not considered.
The growth of Ivan the Terrible (1547-1584) 178 cm. The first king of all Russia. This sovereign distinguished himself with a formidable disposition, defiance and capture of Kazan. Astrakhan campaigns. Livonian war. Since 1578, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ceased to execute, in the will of 1579 repented of his deed.
The height of Peter I (the Great (1682-1725) was 201 cm. The rules were quite long by royal standards. He was distinguished by many and positive, brought Russia development and integration into Europe, successfully beat the Swedes. All subsequent sovereigns from the Romanov clan were of different sizes.
Peter II (1727-1730) his growth is unknown, did not rule for long, was invisible.
The growth of Peter III (1761-1762) 170 cm. I didn’t rule for long.
Ivan VI (1740-1741) Growth is unknown, did not rule for long.
The growth of Paul I (1796-1801) 166 cm. Rules 5 years. Short stature, quarrelsome character, arrogant. He loved to play toy soldiers. He was strangled with a scarf.
Growth of Alexander I (1801-1825) - 178 cm. Growth is above average. Enlightened Liberal. In his kingdom, the war with Napoleon Bonoparte was won. In addition, wars with Turkey, Persia, and Sweden were successful. During the reign of Alexander, the territory of the Russian Empire expanded significantly: Eastern and Western Georgia, Mingrelia, Imereti, Guria, Finland, Bessarabia, and most of Poland (forming the Polish kingdom) became Russian citizenship. Died of brain inflammation.
The growth of Nicholas I (1825-1855) - 205 cm. Ruler of tall stature. Ascetic, did not drink or smoke. Soldafon. The defeat of the noble December rebellion. The policy of reactionary anti-liberalism. The first railways. Stabilization and strengthening of the ruble. The defeat of the Polish uprising. Participation in the defeat of the Hungarian uprising. The unsuccessful Crimean War and the loss of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. Caucasian war. Persian war. Died of pneumonia.
The growth of Alexander II (1855-1881) 185 cm.Abolition of serfdom. Strengthening the role of the army and the police. During this period, Central Asia, the North Caucasus, the Far East, Bessarabia and Batumi were annexed to Russia. Victory in the Caucasian war. The growth of public discontent. Several assassination attempts. He died as a result of a terrorist act organized by the party "Narodnaya Volya".
The growth of Alexander III (1881-1894) 179 cm. The laws of the empire about the Jews forbidding them to live everywhere except for special “places of settledness”. The era of stagnation. Virtually no wars. In Central Asia, after the annexation of Kazakhstan, the Kokand Khanate, the Bukhara Emirate, the Khiva Khanate, the annexation of Turkmen tribes continued. During the reign of Alexander III, the territory of the Russian Empire increased by 430 thousand square meters. km This ended the expansion of the borders of the Russian Empire. Died of kidney disease.
The growth of Nicholas II (1904-1917) 168 cm. He was indecisive and weak-minded, depended on the German wife and Grigory Rasputin (193 cm). Russia miserably lost under him the war of insular Japan, and Nikolai did not manage to end the imperialist war with the Germans. He was shot by the Bolsheviks with his family.
Then the autocracy ended and power passed into the hands of the Provisional Government. The growth of Alexander Kerensky (1917-1918) is unknown, he did not rule for very long, he did not leave a noticeable mark. Unless he removed the crown from the royal eagles. A typical time worker. He escaped from Russia.
In 1918, the Bolsheviks took power in Russia, and another Soviet countdown began.
The height of V.I. Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet state, was 164-165 cm.He ruled for a short time (1918-1924), but was distinguished by great energy, built the foundations of the USSR and the politics of the party. He died of a serious illness caused by a gunshot wound during the assassination attempt on Kaplan.
The growth of Joseph Stalin was 163-164 cm (according to some reports 175 cm). USSR rules since 1924 and death itself (1953). He was distinguished by a severe character, vindictiveness, perseverance. He continued the work of Lenin, but with some amendments. Under him, the country began to massively increase industrialization, and technical and industrial growth appeared. Quite quickly dealt with political opponents (Trotsky-Zinovievsky bloc: Trotsky - 168 cm, Bukharin - 155 cm)(which Lenin could not afford) and just in case with their families and sympathizers ( growth of the People’s Commissar of the OGPU of Gendrich Berries 146 cm) Numerous repressions weakened the Workers 'and Peasants' Army, which gave rise to attack the USSR of Hitler Germany ( hitler's height 175 cm) An indicative example of that time is that Stalin refused to exchange his son Jacob for Field Marshal Paulus. Cult of personality. Died after a long, long illness.
The growth of Nikita Khrushchev was 166 cm. He ruled the country from 1953 to 1966. Debunked the cult of personality of Stalin. The Soviet army takes part in the suppression of the Hungarian events of 1956. He loved to sow corn, inspired by the American example, and sowed it even where it could not grow for physiological reasons. The first launch of the satellite and man into space. The shooting of workers Novocherkassk. Firing "case of currency traders". Under Khrushchev, the country began to be massively built as the first multi-story housing, inexpensive and very economical. He was removed from his post by a bunch of dissatisfied colleagues.
The growth of Brezhnev (1966-1982) was 176 cm. The defeat of the Czechoslovak rebellion. The era of stability and stagnation. Persecution of dissidents. Under Brezhnev, the soviet administrative and economic apparatus, together with the party apparatus, reached the limit of corruption. He had many awards, and very much loved to award them. The development of space programs. The war in Afghanistan. The first New Year’s television appeal to the Soviet people. Olympics 80. Soviet aid to developing countries. Under Brezhnev, the country's economic growth peaked and gradually came to naught. Died after a long illness (from old age).
The growth of Yuri Andropov was 182 cm (1983-1984). Chekist. He headed for the fight against corruption. Mass production of records and televisions. A fighter against nationalism, opposition and other activities related to undermining the foundations of the USSR. Strengthening party discipline. I didn’t rule for long. He died of kidney disease that developed after an unsuccessful attempt.
The growth of Konstantin Chernenko (1984-1985) was 178 cm. I didn’t rule for long. Died of old age.
The growth of Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991) 175 cm.The first and last President of the USSR. Anti-alcohol policy. Perestroika Minimize the arms race. Democratization and publicity. Dissolution of the USSR.
The growth of Boris Yeltsin (1991-2000) 187 cm. The first President of Russia. The first high-ranking official of the USSR, who voluntarily resigned from the CPSU, having left all leading posts. Acceleration GKChP. The development of democracy and civil liberties. 1st and 2nd war in Chechnya. Acceleration of the Russian parliament. Alcohol addiction. Dependence on the daughter and clan of the oligarchs. He stepped down as president by launching Operation Successor.
The growth of Vladimir Putin (2000-2008) 168-170 cm. The second President of Russia. Chekist. The defeat of the clan of oligarchs. The closure of independent media. The second war in Chechnya. Guided Democracy. Enrichment of close friends and relatives. Kadyrovschina. He resigned as president after 2 terms of office, launching the operation "Tandem".
The growth of Dmitry Medvedev (2008 SD) 162 cm. Third President of Russia. The smallest leader in historical Russia. Lawyer. Victorious war in Georgia. Revolutionary and non-working amendments to the legislation of the Russian Federation. Softening legislation in relation to bribe takers. Depends on Prime Minister Putin. A supporter of nano-technologies, a lover of all new things, iPods and iPhones.
And everyone knows how tall a person will be the next ruler of Russia. Is not it?
The diagram of studying the growth of leaders in centimeters showed the following general civilizational trend - after a period of recession, a period of recovery begins.
So, after the dominance of political kids and dwarfs, some Russian ruler will certainly be high. And who will it be - HZ, i.e. history is still silent))))))
Years of life: 1868-1818
Years of reign: 1894-1917
He was born on May 6 (19 according to the old style) on May 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo. The Russian emperor, who reigned from October 21 (November 2), 1894 to March 2 (March 15), 1917. Belonged to the Romanov dynasty, was a son and successor.
From birth, he had the title - His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. In 1881 he received the title of Heir to the Cesarevich, after the death of his grandfather, the Emperor.
Title of Emperor Nicholas 2
The full title of the emperor from 1894 to 1917: “By God's merciful grace, We, Nicholas II (the Church Slavonic form in some manifestos — Nicholas II), Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; King of Kazan, King of Astrakhan, King of Poland, King of Siberia, King of Tauric Chersonesos, King of Georgia; Sovereign Pskov and Grand Prince Smolensky, Lithuanian, Volyn, Podolsky and Finland; Prince of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Bialystok, Korelsky, Tversky, Ugra, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Prince of Novgorod in the lower lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsky, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondi, Vitebsk, Mstislav and all the northern countries and the Sovereign of Iversky, Kartalinsky and Kabardinsky lands and areas of Armenians; Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Crown Sovereign and Possessor, Sovereign of Turkestan; The heir to the Norwegian, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarsensky and Oldenburg and the like, and the other. ”
The peak of Russia's economic development and growth at the same time 
the revolutionary movement, which resulted in the revolution of 1905-1907 and 1917, accounted for precisely years of the reign of Nicholas 2. Foreign policy at that time was aimed at Russia's participation in the blocs of European powers, the contradictions between which became one of the reasons for the outbreak of war with Japan and the First World War.
After the events of the February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas II abdicated, and a period of civil war soon began in Russia. The interim government sent him to Siberia, then to the Urals. Together with his relatives, he was shot in Yekaterinburg in 1918.
Contemporaries and historians characterize the personality of the last king in a contradictory way; most of them believed that his strategic abilities in conducting public affairs were not successful enough to change the political situation for the better at that time.
After the revolution of 1917, he became known as Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (before that, the surname "Romanov" was not indicated by members of the imperial family, titles were indicated on the clan name: emperor, empress, grand duke, prince).
With the nickname Bloody, which the opposition gave him, he figured in Soviet historiography.
Biography of Nicholas 2
He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Feodorovna and Emperor Alexander the Third.
In the years 1885-1890. He received his home education as part of the 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 foundation.
Most often he lived with his family in the Alexander Palace. He preferred to rest in the Livadia Palace in Crimea. For annual trips in the Baltic Sea and the Finnish I had the yacht "Standard" at my disposal.
From the age of 9 he began keeping a diary. The archive has preserved 50 thick notebooks for the years 1882-1918. Some of them have been published.
He was fond of photography, he liked to watch movies. He also read serious works, especially on historical topics, and entertaining literature. He 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 - a marriage with the German princess Alice of Hesse, who accepted the name Alexandra Fedorovna after the baptismal ceremony. 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 his only son - Tsarevich Alexei.
Coronation of Nicholas 2
On May 14 (26), 1896, the coronation of the new emperor took place. In 1896 he 
toured Europe, where he met Queen Victoria (the wife’s grandmother), William the Second, Franz Joseph. The final stage of the trip was a visit to the capital of union France.
His first personnel reshuffle was the fact of the dismissal of the Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland, Gurko I.V. and the appointment of A. 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 stabilized, the Duma opposition teamed up with the general conspirators and decided to use the situation to overthrow the tsar.
They even called the date February 12-13, 1917, as the day of the emperor’s abdication from the throne. It was said that a “great act” would happen - the sovereign would abdicate, and the heir to Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich would be appointed future emperor, and it was Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich who would become regent.
On February 23, 1917, a strike began in Petrograd, which three days later became universal. February 27, 1917, in the morning, there were soldier uprisings in Petrograd and in Moscow, as well as their association with the strikers.
The situation became tense after the proclamation of the emperor’s manifesto on February 25, 1917, on the cessation of the meeting of the State Duma.
On February 26, 1917, the tsar ordered General Khabalov to “stop unrest unacceptable during the 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 Tsarskoye Selo, but was unable to get through and, due to the loss of communication with the Headquarters, he arrived in Pskov on March 1, where the headquarters of the armies of the Northern Front were under the leadership of General Ruzsky.
The abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne
At about three in the afternoon, the emperor decided to abdicate in favor of the prince during the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, and in the evening on the same day announced to V.V. Shulgin and A.I. Guchkov about the decision to abdicate for his son. March 2, 1917 at 23 hours 40 minutes he transferred Guchkov A.I. The manifesto of abdication, where he wrote: "We command our brother to rule the affairs of the state in complete and unbreakable unity with representatives of the people."
From March 9 to August 14, 1917, Nikolai 2 and his relatives lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo.
In connection with the intensification of the revolutionary movement in Petrograd, the Provisional Government decided to transfer royal prisoners deep into Russia, fearing for life. After long disputes, Tobolsk was chosen as the city of the settlement of the former emperor and his relatives. They were allowed to take personal items, necessary furniture with them and offer service personnel voluntary accompaniment of them to the place of the 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. Michael was soon exiled to Perm and was killed by the Bolshevik authorities on the night of June 13, 1918.
On August 14, 1917, a squad departed from Tsarskoye Selo under the guise of the “Japanese Red Cross Mission” with members of the former imperial family. He was accompanied by a second squad, which included security (7 officers, 337 soldiers).
The trains arrived in the city of Tyumen on August 17, 1917, after which the arrested on three ships were taken to Tobolsk. The Romanovs were settled in the governor's house, specially renovated for their arrival. They were allowed to attend divine services at the local church of the Annunciation. The regime of protection of the Romanov family in Tobolsk was much easier than Tsarskoye Selo. They led a measured, calm life.
The permission of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (All-Russian Central Executive Committee) of the fourth convocation on the transfer of Romanov and his family to Moscow with the aim of conducting trial on them was received in April 1918.
On April 22, 1918, a convoy with 150 machine guns left Tobolsk for Tyumen. On April 30, the train arrived in Yekaterinburg from Tyumen. To house the Romanovs, they requisitioned a house that belonged to mining engineer Ipatiev. The staff also lived in the same house: cook Kharitonov, Dr. Botkin, room girl Demidova, footman Troupe and little cook Sednev.
The fate of Nicholas 2 and his family
In order to decide the fate of the imperial family in early July 1918, the 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 that, on July 12, 1918, on the basis of a decision, the Ural Council of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers' Deputies at the meeting decided to execute the imperial family.
On the night of July 16-17, 1918, in Yekaterinburg, the Ipatiev’s mansion, the so-called “Special Purpose House,” was shot by the former emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, their children, Dr. Botkin, and three servants (except for the cook).
Personal property of the Romanovs was looted.
All members of his family became 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 ranked him among the saints as a martyr only 19 years later, in 2000.
In accordance with the decision of August 20, 2000, the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the last emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarevna Maria, Anastasia, Olga, Tatyana, Tsarevich Aleksey were numbered among the holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, manifest and undetected.
This decision was perceived by society ambiguously and was criticized. Some opponents of canonization believe that reckoning tsar Nicholas 2 the face of the saints is most likely political in nature.
The result of all the events related to the fate of the former royal family was the appeal of the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, head of the Russian Imperial House in Madrid, to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation in December 2005 demanding the rehabilitation of the royal family, who was shot 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 repressions and rehabilitated them.
On May 6, 1868, a happy event took place in the royal family: Emperor Alexander II had his first grandson! Guns fired, fireworks rattled, the highest mercies rained down. The father of the newborn was Tsarevich (heir to the throne) Alexander Alexandrovich, future emperor Alexander III, mother - Grand Duchess and Princess Tsesarevna Maria Fedorovna, nee Danish princess Dagmar. The baby was called Nikolai. He was destined to become the eighteenth and last emperor of the Romanov dynasty. Throughout his life, his mother remembered the prophecy she had heard while she was expecting her first child. It was said that the old clairvoyant predicted to her: "Your son will reign, everything will climb the mountain so that it can take wealth and great honor. Only it will not climb the mountain - it will fall from the peasant’s hand."
Little Nicky was a healthy and mischievous child, so members of the imperial family sometimes had to tear over the ears of a mischievous heir. Together with his brothers George and Michael and sisters Olga and Ksenia, he grew up in a strict, almost Spartan atmosphere. The father punished the mentors: "Teach well, do not make concessions, ask in all severity, do not encourage laziness in particular ... I repeat that I do not need porcelain. I need normal, healthy Russian children. Fight - please. But to the proof - the first whip "
They prepared for the role of the ruler Nicholas from childhood. He received a comprehensive education from the best teachers and specialists of his time. The future emperor took an eight-year general education course based on the classical gymnasium program, then a five-year higher education course at the Law Faculty of St. Petersburg University and the General Staff Academy. Nikolai was extremely diligent and received fundamental knowledge in political economy, jurisprudence and military sciences. He was also taught horseback riding, fencing, drawing, music. He was fluent in French, English, German (Danish knew worse), he wrote very well in Russian. He was a passionate lover of books and, after years, surprised his interlocutors with the breadth of his knowledge in the fields of literature, history and archeology. From an early age, Nikolai had a great interest in military affairs and was, as they say, a born officer. His military career began at the age of seven, when his father enlisted the heir in the Life Guards Volyn Regiment and awarded him the military rank of ensign. He later served in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment - the most prestigious division of the Imperial Guard. Having received the rank of colonel in 1892, Nikolai Alexandrovich remained in this rank until the end of his days.
From the age of 20, Nikolai was supposed to attend meetings of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. And although these visits to the highest state bodies did not bring him particular pleasure, they significantly expanded the horizons of the future monarch. But he took to heart his appointment in 1893 as chairman of the Siberian Railway Committee, which was in charge of the construction of the longest railway in the world. Nicholas quickly got into the know and quite successfully coped with his role.
“The Tsarevich’s heir was very interested in this undertaking ...”, wrote S. Yu. Witte, then Minister of Railways, in his memoirs, “which, however, is not at all surprising, since Emperor Nicholas II is a man of undoubtedly a very quick mind and quick abilities; he quickly grasps everything and quickly understands everything. " Nicholas became Tsarevich in 1881, when his father ascended the throne under the name of Alexander III. This happened under tragic circumstances. 13-year-old Nicky saw his grandfather, the reformer Alexander II, mutilated by a terrorist bomb. Twice Nicholas himself was on the verge of death. For the first time - in 1888, when the rails parted near the Borki station under the weight of the royal train, and the cars crashed down a slope. Then the crowned family survived only by miracle. Another time, the Tsarevich was in danger of mortal danger during a round-the-world trip undertaken by him at the request of his father in 1890-1891. Having visited Greece, Egypt, India, China and other countries, Nikolai, accompanied by relatives and retinues, arrived in Japan.
Here, in the city of Father, on April 29, he was unexpectedly attacked by an insane policeman, who tried to cut him with a saber. But this time too, nothing happened: the saber only touched the head of the prince, without causing him serious harm. In a letter to his mother, Nikolai described this event as follows: “We drove in a gen rickshaw and turned into a narrow street with crowds on both sides. At that time I received a strong blow on the right side of my head, above my ear. I turned and saw the nasty face of a policeman who the second time I swung a saber ... I only shouted: “What, what do you want?” And I jumped through the gen-rickshaw to the pavement. ” The military escorting the tsesarevich hacked the assassinating police officer with checkers. The poet Apollo Maikov dedicated a poem to this incident, in which there were such lines:
Regal youth, twice saved!
Twice of touched Russia has been revealed
Divine Providence shield over you!
It seemed that Providence twice saved the future emperor from death only so that after 20 years he would hand the regicide along with the whole family.
The beginning of the reign
October 20, 1894 in Livadia (Crimea), Alexander III died, suffering from an ironic kidney disease. His death was a deep shock to the 26-year-old prince, now emperor Nicholas P. And it was not only that his son lost his beloved father. Later, Nicholas II admitted that the very idea of \u200b\u200bthe imperial burden, heavy and inevitable, terrified him. "For me, the worst happened, just that I was so afraid of life for a century," he wrote in his diary. Even three years after the accession, he told his mother that only the "holy example of his father" does not allow him to "lose heart when sometimes moments of despair come". Shortly before his death, realizing that his days were numbered, Alexander III decided to expedite the prince’s marriage: after all, according to tradition, the new emperor should be married. The bride of Nicholas was urgently summoned to Livadia - the German princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, the granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria. She received a blessing from the dying king, and on October 21 in the little Livadia church she was anointed, becoming the Orthodox Grand Duchess Alexandra Fedorovna.
A week after the funeral of Alexander III, a modest rite of marriage of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna took place. This happened on November 14, the birthday of the tsar’s mother, Empress Maria Fedorovna, when the Orthodox tradition allowed us to weaken strict mourning. Nicholas II waited for this marriage for several years, and now the great sorrow in his life was combined with great joy. In a letter to his brother George, he wrote: “I cannot thank God enough for the treasure that He sent me as a wife. I am immeasurably happy with my darling Alix ... But for that the Lord gave me a heavy cross ... "
The accession to the throne of the new sovereign stirred up a wave of hopes in society for liberalizing the life of the country. On January 17, 1395, Nicholas accepted in the Anichkov Palace the deputation of the nobility, figures of zemstvos and cities. The emperor was very worried, his voice was trembling, he kept looking into the folder with the text of the speech. But the words sounded in the hall were far from uncertainty: “I know that recently in some zemstvo assemblies voices of people have been heard, carried away by senseless dreams about the participation of representatives of the zemstvo in internal affairs. Let everyone know that I, devoting everything strength for the good of the people, I will protect the beginning of the autocracy as firmly and unswervingly as my unforgettable late parent guarded it. " Excitement, Nicholas lost his voice and uttered the last phrase very loudly, turning to a scream. Empress Alexandra Fedorovna still did not understand Russian well and, alarmed, asked the great princesses standing nearby: "What did he say?" “He explains to them that they are all idiots,” one of the august relatives said calmly to her. The society very quickly became aware of the incident, they said that in the present text of the speech “groundless dreams” was written, but the king could not read the words plainly. It was also said that the leader of the nobility of the Tver province Utkin, frightened by the cry of Nikolai, dropped a golden tray of bread and salt from his hands. "This was considered a bad omen for the coming reign. Four months later, magnificent coronation celebrations took place in Moscow. May 14, 1896 in the Assumption Kremlin Cathedral Nicholas II and his wife were married to the kingdom.
In these May holidays, the first great misfortune in the history of the last reign happened. It received the name - Khodynki. On the night of May 18, at least half a million people gathered on the Khodynsky field, where the exercises of the troops of the Moscow garrison usually took place. They expected a mass distribution of royal gifts, which seemed unusually rich. There was a rumor that they would give out money. In fact, the "coronation gift" consisted of a commemorative mug, a large gingerbread, sausage and polar cod. At dawn, a grand crush occurred, which eyewitnesses would later call the "doomsday." As a result, 1282 people were killed and several hundred were injured.
This event shocked the king. Many advised him to refuse a trip to the ball, which the French ambassador Count Montebello gave that evening. But the tsar knew that this trick was to demonstrate the strength of the political union between Russia and France. He did not want to offend the French allies. And although the crowned spouses did not stay at the ball for long, public opinion did not forgive them this step. The next day, the tsar and the queen attended a memorial service for the dead, visited the Old Catherine Hospital, where the wounded were. The emperor ordered to give out 1000 rubles for each family of the deceased, to establish a special shelter for orphaned children, and to take all the costs of the funeral into his account. But the people already called the king an indifferent, heartless man. In the illegal revolutionary press, Nicholas II received the nickname of Tsar Khodynsky. "
Grigory Rasputin
On November 1, 1905, Emperor Nicholas II wrote in his diary: "We met the man of God - Gregory of the Tobolsk province." That day, Nicholas II did not yet know that 12 years later many would associate the name of this man with the fall of the Russian autocracy, that the presence of this man at the court would be evidence of the political and moral degradation of the tsarist government.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was born in 1864 or 1865 (the exact date is unknown) in the village of Pokrovsky in the Tobolsk province. He came from a middle-class peasant family. It seemed that he was destined for the usual fate of a peasant from a remote village. Rasputin early in 15 years began to drink. After marriage at the age of 20, his drunkenness only intensified. At the same time, Rasputin began to steal, for which he was repeatedly beaten by fellow villagers. And when a criminal case was instituted against him in the Pokrovsky volost court, Grigory, without waiting for a denouement, went to the Perm province in the Verkhotursky monastery. With this three-month pilgrimage began a new period in the life of Rasputin. He returned home greatly changed: he stopped drinking and smoking, stopped eating meat. For several years, Rasputin, forgetting about his family and households, visited many monasteries, even reaching the holy Greek mountain Athos. In his native village, Rasputin began to preach in a chapel equipped by him. The newfound "old man taught his parishioners moral liberation and healing of the soul through the commission of the sin of adultery: you will not sin - you will not repent, you will not repent - you will not be saved. Such" services "ended, as a rule, with frank orgies.
The fame of the new preacher grew and grew stronger, and he willingly enjoyed the benefits of his fame. In 1904, he came to Petersburg, was introduced by Bishop Theophanes of Yamburg into aristocratic salons, where he successfully continued his sermons. The seeds of rasputinism fell into fertile soil. The Russian capital was in those years in a severe moral crisis. The mass became fascination with the other world, sexual promiscuity reached an extreme scale. In a very short time, Rasputin gained a lot of fans, from noble ladies and girls to ordinary prostitutes.
Many of them found an outlet for their emotions in "communication" with Rasputin, while others tried to solve financial problems with his help. But there were those who believed in the sanctity of the "elder." It was thanks to such his fans that Rasputin was at the court of the emperor.
Rasputin was far from the first among the "prophets", "righteous", "seers" and other crooks, who at various times appeared surrounded by Nicholas P. Even before him, the foretellers Papus and Philip, various holy fools and other dark personalities .
Why did the royal couple allow themselves to communicate with such people? Such moods were inherent in the empress, who from childhood was interested in everything unusual and mysterious. Over time, this character trait has further strengthened in her. Frequent childbirth, the intense expectation of the birth of the male heir to the throne, and then his serious illness brought Alexander Fedorovna to religious exaltation. The constant fear for the life of the patient with hemophilia (blood clotting) of her son forced her to seek protection in religion and even turn to outright charlatans.
It was on these feelings of the empress that Rasputin skillfully played. The remarkable hypnotic abilities of Rasputin helped him to strengthen at court, primarily as a healer. He has repeatedly managed to "speak" - blood to the heir, to relieve the empress's migraine. Very soon, Rasputin suggested to Alexandra Fedorovna, and through her, to Nicholas II that, while he was at court, nothing bad would happen to the imperial family. Moreover, in the first years of his communication with Rasputin, the tsar and tsarina did not hesitate to offer their loved ones to use the healing services of the "elder". A case is known when P. A. Stolypin, a few days after the explosion on Aptekarsky Island, discovered Rasputin praying at the bedside of his seriously wounded daughter. The empress herself recommended Rasputin's wife to Stolypin.
Rasputin was able to gain a foothold at court largely thanks to A.A. Vyrubova, the maid of honor of the Empress and her closest friend. At the Vyrubova cottage, located near the Tsarskoye Selo Alexander Palace, the Empress and Nicholas II met with Rasputin. The most devoted fan of Rasputin, Vyrubova served as a kind of connecting link between him and the royal family. Rasputin's proximity to the imperial family quickly became public, which subtly took advantage of the "old man." Rasputin refused to accept any money from the king and the queen. He more than made up for this “loss” in high-class salons, where he accepted gifts from aristocrats who sought closeness to the tsar, who defended their interests as bankers and industrialists and other greedy patrons of the supreme power. At the highest order, the Police Department assigned protection to Rasputin. However, since 1907, when the "elder" became more than a "preacher" and a "healer," external surveillance was established over him - surveillance. Diaries of observations of fillers impartially recorded Rasputin's pastime: revels in restaurants, going to a bath with women, trips to Gypsies, etc. Since 1910, reports began to appear in the newspapers about the rampant behavior of Rasputin. The scandalous fame of the "elder" has become rampant, compromising the royal family.
At the beginning of 1911 P. A. Stolypin and Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod S. M. Lukyanov presented a detailed report to Nicholas II, debunking the sanctity of the “elder” and painting on the basis of documents of his adventures. The tsar’s reaction was very harsh, but, having received help from the empress, Rasputin not only survived, but also strengthened his position. For the first time, a “friend” (the so-called Rasputin Aleksandra Fedorovna) had a direct impact on the appointment of a statesman: the opponent of the “elder” Lukyanov was dismissed, and B.K.Sabler, who was loyal to Rasputin, was appointed in his place. In March 1912, the attack on Rasputin was launched by the Chairman of the State Duma, M. V. Rodzianko. After talking with the mother of Nicholas II, Maria Fedorovna, he drew a terrible picture of the depravity of the tsar's close associate with documents in his hands at an audience with the emperor and emphasized the huge role that he played in the loss of his reputation by the supreme power. But neither Rodzianko's exhortations, nor the subsequent conversations of the tsar with his mother, his uncle, Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, who was considered the guardian of traditions in the imperial family, nor the efforts of the sister of the Empress Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fedorovna did not shake the position of the “elder”. It was to this time that the phrase of Nicholas II relates: "Better one Rasputin than ten scandals a day." Sincerely loving his wife, Nicholas could no longer resist her influence and in relation to Rasputin invariably took the side of the empress. For the third time, Rasputin’s position at the court was shaken in June - August 1915 after a noisy revel in the Yar restaurant in Moscow, where, having drunk pretty much, the “holy elder” began to boast loudly about his exploits, telling dirty details about his many fans, not at the same time missing the royal family. As they later informed Comrade Minister of the Interior V.F. Dzhunkovsky, "Rasputin’s behavior took on the completely ugly nature of some kind of sexual psychopathy ...". It was about this scandal that Dzhunkovsky reported to Nikolai P. in detail. The emperor was extremely annoyed by the behavior of his “friend”, agreed with the general’s requests to send the “old man” to his homeland, but ... a few days later he wrote to the Minister of the Interior: “I insist on the immediate expulsion of General Dzhunkovsky” .
This was the last serious threat to the position of Rasputin at court. From this time until December 1916, the influence of Rasputin reached its zenith. Until now, Rasputin was only interested in church affairs. The case with Dzhunkovsky showed that civil authorities could be dangerous for the "holiness" of the tsarist "lampadon". From now on, Rasputin seeks to control the official government, and first of all, the key posts of the Ministers of the Interior and Justice.
The first victim of Rasputin was the supreme commander of the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. Once, it was the prince’s wife, with his direct participation, who introduced Rasputin to the palace. Having mastered the royal chambers, Rasputin managed to spoil the relationship of the tsar and the Grand Duke, becoming the worst enemy of the latter. After the outbreak of the war, when Nikolai Nikolaevich, who was popular among the troops, was appointed supreme commander, Rasputin set out to visit the Supreme Headquarters in Baranovichi. In response, he received a laconic telegram: "Come - I will hang!" Moreover, in the summer of 1915 Rasputin found himself “in a hot frying pan” when, on the direct advice of the Grand Duke, Nicholas II fired the four most reactionary ministers, including Sabler, who was replaced by the ardent and open enemy of Rasputin A. D. Samarin - Moscow provincial leader of the nobility.
Rasputin was able to impress the Empress that the stay of Nikolai Nikolaevich at the head of the army threatens the Tsar with a coup, after which the throne will be transferred to the Grand Duke respected by the military. The result was that Nicholas II himself took the post of supreme commander, and the grand duke was sent to a secondary Caucasian front.
Many domestic historians believe that this moment has become key in the crisis of supreme power. Far from St. Petersburg, the emperor finally lost control of the executive branch. Rasputin gained unlimited influence on the empress and got the opportunity to dictate the cadre policy of the autocracy.
Rasputin’s political tastes and preferences are shown by the appointment of A.N. Khvostov, the former Nizhny Novgorod governor, leader of the conservatives and monarchists in the State Duma, who has long been nicknamed the Nightingale the Robber, by his patronage. This enormous "man without detention centers," as he was called in the Duma, sought to ultimately take the highest official post - the chairman of the Council of Ministers. S.P. Beletsky became a friend (deputy) of Khvostov. He is known in the family circle as an exemplary family man, and among his acquaintances as the organizer of "Athenian evenings", erotic shows in the ancient Greek style.
Having become Minister, Khvostov carefully concealed Rasputin's involvement in his appointment. But the "old man", wanting to keep Khvostov in his hands, in every possible way advertised his role in his career. In response, Khvostov decided ... to kill Rasputin. However, Vyrubova became aware of his attempts. After a grand scandal, Tails was dismissed. The rest of the appointments, according to the will of Rasputin, were no less scandalous, especially two of them: B.V. Shturmer, completely incapable of any actions, simultaneously occupied the posts of Minister of the Interior and Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and A.D. Protopopov, whose reactionary attitude time even overshadowed the sad fame of the "elder" himself, became deputy chairman. In many ways, these and other appointments to senior positions of random people upset the country's domestic economy, contributing directly or indirectly to the imminent fall of monarchical power.
Both the king and the empress were well aware of the "elder" lifestyle and the very specific flavor of his "holiness." But, in spite of everything, they continued to listen to the "friend". The fact is that Nicholas II, Alexandra Fedorovna, Vyrubova and Rasputin were a kind of circle of like-minded people. Rasputin never proposed candidates who did not completely suit the tsar and the queen. He never recommended anything without consulting Vyrubova, who gradually persuaded the queen, after which Rasputin spoke himself.
The tragedy of the moment was that the representative of the Romanov dynasty in power and his wife were worthy of such a favorite as Rasputin. Rasputin only illustrated the complete lack of logic in governing the country in recent pre-revolutionary years. "What is this, stupidity or treason?" - P.N. Milyukov asked after each phrase of his speech in the Duma on November 1, 1916. In fact, it was an elementary inability to rule. On the night of December 17, 1916, Rasputin was secretly killed by representatives of the Petersburg aristocracy, who hoped to rid the tsar of destructive influences and save the country from collapse. This murder became a kind of parody of the palace coups of the 18th century: the same solemn entourage, the same, albeit futile, mystery, the same kindness of conspirators. But nothing could change this step. The tsar’s policy remained the same, there were no improvements in the country's situation. The Russian empire irresistibly moved towards its collapse.
"Master of the Russian land"
The royal "cross" was difficult for Nicholas P. The emperor never doubted that he was placed at his highest post by Divine Providence in order to rule for the strengthening and prosperity of the state. From a young age, he was brought up in the belief that Russia and the autocracy are inseparable things. In the questionnaire of the first All-Russian population census in 1897, to the question about occupation, the emperor wrote: "Master of the Russian Land." He fully shared the point of view of the famous conservative Prince V.P. Meshchersky, who believed that "the end of the autocracy is the end of Russia."
Meanwhile, there was almost no "autocracy" in the appearance and character of the last sovereign. He never raised his voice, was polite with ministers and generals. Those who knew him spoke of him as a “kind”, “extremely well-mannered” and “charming person. One of the main reformers of this reign S. Yu. Witte (see the article“ Sergei Witte ”; wrote about what was hidden behind the charm and courtesy of the emperor: "... Emperor Nicholas II, having ascended the throne quite unexpectedly, representing himself as a kind man, far from stupid, but shallow, weak-willed, in the end a good man who did not inherit all the qualities of his mother and partly his ancestors (Paul) and very few qualities of the father, was not created "to be an emperor in general, but an unlimited emperor of such an empire as Russia, in particular. His main qualities are courtesy when he wanted this, cunning and complete lack of character and lack of will." General AA Mosolov, the head of the chancellery who knew the emperor well The Ministry of the imperial court, wrote that "Nicholas II was very shy by nature, partly did not like to argue for fear that he might be proved wrong or convinced others of this ... The tsar was not only polite, but even helpful and las s with all those who came into contact with him. He never paid attention to the age, position or social status of the person with whom he spoke. For both the minister and the last valet, the tsar always had an even and polite treatment. "Nicolas II never distinguished himself by love of power and looked at power as a heavy duty. He carried out his" royal work "carefully and accurately, never allowing himself His contemporaries were surprised by the amazing self-control of Nicholas II, the ability to control himself under any circumstances, his philosophical calm, mainly related to the peculiarities of his worldview, to many seemed “terrible, tragic indifference.” God, Russia and the family were the most important life values \u200b\u200bof the last emperor.He was a deeply religious person, and this explains a lot in his fate as a ruler.From childhood, he strictly observed all Orthodox rites, knew church customs and traditions, faith filled the king’s life with deep content, freed from enslaving earthly circumstances, she helped to endure numerous upheavals and hardships. Over time, the crown-bearer became a fatalist who believed that everything was in the hands of the Lord and must submit to His holy will with humility. " Shortly before the fall of the monarchy, when the approach of denouement was felt by everyone, he remembered the fate of the biblical Job, whom God, desiring to experience, deprived children, health, wealth. Responding to complaints from relatives about the state of affairs in the country, Nicholas II said: "To the will of God. I was born on May 6, the day commemoration of the long-suffering Job. I am ready to accept my fate."
The second most important value in the life of the last tsar was Russia. From a young age, Nikolai Alexandrovich was convinced that imperial power was a blessing for the country. Shortly before the start of the revolution of 1905-1907. he said: "I will by no means agree to a representative form of government, for I consider it harmful to the people entrusted to me by God." The monarch, according to Nicholas, was a living embodiment of law, justice, order, supreme power and traditions. He perceived the departure from the principles of power he inherited as a betrayal of the interests of Russia, as an abuse of the sacred foundations bequeathed to his ancestors. "The autocratic power bequeathed to me by my ancestors, I must transfer safely to my son," - said Nikolai. He was always keenly interested in the past of the country, and in Russian history, his special sympathy was evoked by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, nicknamed the Quietest. The time of his reign was presented to Nicholas II as the golden age of Russia. The last emperor would gladly fail his reign so that he could be awarded the same nickname.
And yet, Nicholas was aware that the autocracy at the beginning of XX century. already different from the era of Alexei Mikhailovich. He could not ignore the demands of the times, but he was convinced that any sudden changes in the public life of Russia were fraught with unpredictable consequences, disastrous for the country. Thus, well aware of the dysfunction of the multimillion-dollar mass of the peasantry, suffering from landlessness, he categorically objected to the forcible seizure of land from the landowners and defended the inviolability of the principle of private property. The king has always sought to ensure that innovations are implemented gradually, taking into account traditions and past experience. This explains his desire to provide reform to his ministers, while remaining in the shade himself. The emperor supported the policy of industrialization of the country pursued by the Minister of Finance S. Yu. Witte, although this course was hostilely encountered in various circles of society. The same thing happened with the program of agrarian reorganization of P. A. Stolypin: only relying on the will of the monarch allowed the prime minister to carry out the planned reforms.
The events of the first Russian revolution and the forced publication of the Manifesto on October 17, 1905 were perceived by Nikolai as a personal deep tragedy. The emperor knew about the upcoming procession of workers to the Winter Palace on January 3, 1905. He told his family that he wanted to go to the demonstrators and accept their petition, but the family opposed such a move with a united front, calling it "insanity." The tsar could easily be killed both by terrorists, who had fallen into the ranks of the workers, and by the crowd itself, whose actions were unpredictable. The soft, influenced Nikolai agreed and spent January 5 in Tsarskoye Selo near Petrograd. News from the capital terrified the sovereign. “It's a hard day!” He wrote in his diary. “There are serious riots in St. Petersburg ... The troops had to shoot, there were many dead and wounded in different places of the city. Lord, how painful and hard!”
By signing the Manifesto on the granting of civil liberties to subjects, Nicholas violated those political principles that he considered sacred. He felt betrayed. In his memoirs, S. Yu. Witte wrote about this: “The Tsar seemed completely calm throughout all the days of October. I don’t think he was afraid, but he was completely at a loss, otherwise with his political tastes, of course, he wouldn’t go "I think that the sovereign in those days was looking for support in power, but did not find any of the fans of power - everyone got scared." When Prime Minister P. A. Stolypin in 1907 informed the emperor that “the revolution has been suppressed altogether,” he heard a stunned reply: “I don’t understand what revolution you are talking about. We, however, had riots, but this not a revolution ... And riots, I think, would not have been possible if the people in power were more energetic and bolder. " These words Nicholas II with full justification could be attributed to himself.
Neither in reforms, nor in military leadership, nor in suppressing unrest, the emperor took full responsibility.
Royal family
The family of the emperor reigned an atmosphere of harmony, love and peace. Here Nikolai always rested in his soul and drew strength for the performance of his duties. On April 8, 1915, on the eve of the next anniversary of the engagement, Alexandra Fedorovna wrote to her husband: “Dear, how many difficult trials we have experienced over all these years, but it has always been warm and sunny in our native nest.”
Having lived a life full of upheavals, Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna retained a lovingly enthusiastic attitude towards each other. Their honeymoon lasted more than 23 years. At that time, few people knew about the depth of this feeling. Only in the mid-1920s, when three voluminous volumes of correspondence between the tsar and the tsarina (about 700 letters) were published in Russia, did the astounding story of their boundless and all-consuming love for each other open. 20 years after the wedding, Nicholas wrote in his diary: "I can’t believe that today is the twentieth anniversary of our wedding. The Lord blessed us with rare family happiness; if only we could manage to prove worthy of His great mercy for the rest of our life."
Five children were born in the royal family: the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatyana, Maria, Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexey. Daughters were born one after another. In the hope of the appearance of an heir, the imperial couple began to get involved in religion, and initiated the canonization of Seraphim of Sarov. Piety added to interest in spiritualism and the occult. At the court, various soothsayers and holy fools began to appear. Finally, in July 1904, the son of Alexei was born. But parental joy was overshadowed - the child discovered an incurable hereditary disease hemophilia.
Pierre Gilliard, a teacher of the royal daughters, recalled: "What was best for these four sisters was their simplicity, naturalness, sincerity and unaccountable kindness." Characteristic is the entry in the diary of the priest Athanasius Belyaev, who on Easter days in 1917 had a chance to confess the arrested members of the royal family. "God grant that all children be morally as tall as the children of the ex-boyfriend. Such kindness, humility, submission to the will of God, unconditional devotion to the will of God, purity in thoughts and complete ignorance of earthly dirt, passionate and sinful, amazed me." - he wrote.
Heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexey
“An unforgettable great day for us, on which the grace of God so clearly visited us. At 12 in the afternoon, Alix had a son, who was called Alexei during prayer.” This is how Emperor Nicholas II wrote in his diary on July 30, 1904.
Alex was the fifth child of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna. Not only the Romanov family, but all of Russia, was waiting for his birth for many years, because the importance of this boy to the country was enormous. Alexei became the first (and only) son of the emperor, and therefore - the Heir to the Cesarevich, as the heir to the throne in Russia was officially called. His appearance on the world determined who, in the event of the death of Nicholas II, would have to lead a huge power. After Nicholas ascended the throne, the heir was declared Grand Duke George Alexandrovich, brother of the king. When George Alexandrovich died of tuberculosis in 1899, the tsar’s younger brother, Mikhail, became the heir. And now, after the birth of Alexei, it became clear that the direct line of inheritance of the Russian throne would not be suppressed.
From birth, this boy’s life was subordinated to one thing - the future reign. Parents even gave the name to the heir with a meaning - in memory of the idol Nicholas II, the "quietest" Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Immediately after birth, little Alex was included in the lists of twelve guards military units. By the time of coming of age, the heir should have already had a sufficiently high military rank and be listed as the commander of one of the battalions of a guards regiment - in accordance with tradition, the Russian emperor must have been a military man. The newborn was also entitled to all other grand ducal privileges: own lands, efficient staff of attendants, financial support, etc.
At first, nothing foreshadowed troubles for Alexei and his parents. But once, already three-year-old Alexei fell on a walk and severely bruised his leg. The usual bruise, which many children do not pay attention to, has grown to menacing proportions, the heir has sharply increased temperature. The verdict of the doctors who examined the boy was scary: Alexei was sick with a serious disease - hemophilia. Hemophilia, a disease in which there is no blood coagulation, threatened the heir to the Russian throne with grave consequences. Now every bruise or cut could be fatal for a child. Moreover, it was well known that the life expectancy of patients with hemophilia is extremely small.
From now on, the entire routine of the heir’s life was subordinated to one main goal - to protect him from the slightest danger. A lively and agile boy, Alexey was now forced to forget about active games. The uncle, the sailor Derevenko from the imperial yacht Standart, was inseparably with him while walking. Nevertheless, new attacks of the disease could not be avoided. One of the most serious seizures of the disease happened in the autumn of 1912. During a boat trip, Alexei, wanting to jump ashore, accidentally hit the side. A few days later he was no longer able to walk: the sailor assigned to him carried him in his arms. The hemorrhage turned into a huge tumor that captured half of the boy’s leg. The temperature rose sharply, reaching on some days almost 40 degrees. The largest Russian doctors of that time, professors Raukhfus and Fedorov, were urgently called to the patient. However, they could not achieve a radical improvement in the health of the child. The situation was so threatening that it was decided to start publishing in the press official bulletins on the health of the heir. Severe Alexey’s illness continued during the fall and winter, and only by the summer of 1913 could he again walk on his own.
Alexei was obliged to his mother by his grave illness. Hemophilia is a hereditary disease that affects only men, but it is transmitted through the female line. Alexandra Fedorovna inherited a serious illness from her grandmother - the Queen of England Victoria, whose wide kinship led to the fact that in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century hemophilia was called the disease of kings. A serious illness suffered many of the descendants of the famous English queen. So, the brother of Alexandra Fedorovna died from hemophilia.
Now the disease has struck the only heir to the Russian throne. However, despite a serious illness, Alexei was prepared for the fact that he would one day have to ascend to the Russian throne. Like all his closest relatives, the boy received a home education. The Swiss Pierre Gilliard, who taught the boy languages, was invited to his teacher. Famous Russian scientists of that time were preparing to teach the heir. But illness and war prevented Alexei from studying normally. With the outbreak of hostilities, the boy often visited the army with his father, and after Nicholas II took over the high command, he was often with him at Headquarters. The February Revolution found Alexei with his mother and sisters in Tsarskoye Selo. He was arrested with his family, and with her he was sent to the east of the country. Together with all his relatives, he was killed by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg.
Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich
At the end of the 19th century, by the beginning of the reign of Nicholas II, the Romanov family had about two dozen members. Grand dukes and princesses, uncles and aunts of the king, his brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces - all of them were quite noticeable figures in the life of the country. Many of the Grand Dukes held important public positions, participated in the command of the army and navy, the activities of state institutions and scientific organizations. Some of them had a significant influence on the king, allowing themselves, especially in the early years of the reign of Nicholas II, to intervene in his affairs. However, most of the great princes had a reputation as incompetent leaders, unsuitable for serious work.
However, there was one among the great princes who had a popularity almost equal to that of the king himself. This is the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, the grandson of Emperor Nicholas I, the son of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich - the eldest, who commanded the Russian troops during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878.
Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. was born in 1856. He studied at the Nikolaev Military Engineering School, and in 1876 he graduated from the Nikolaev Military Academy with a silver medal, and his name was on the marble plaque of honor of this prestigious military educational institution. The Grand Duke also participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78.
In 1895, Nikolai Nikolaevich was appointed inspector general of the cavalry, in fact becoming the commander of all cavalry units. At this time, Nikolai Nikolayevich gained considerable popularity among the guard officers. Tall (his height was 195 cm), smart, energetic, with a noble gray hair on his temples, the Grand Duke was the external embodiment of the ideal of an officer. And the energy of the Grand Duke, beating over the edge, only contributed to an increase in its popularity.
Nikolai Nikolaevich is known for his integrity and severity not only in relation to soldiers, but also to officers. Going around inspecting the troops, he sought their excellent training, mercilessly punished negligent officers, seeking them to pay attention to the needs of soldiers. This he became famous among the lower ranks, quickly gaining popularity in the army no less than the popularity of the king himself. The owner of a manly appearance and loud voice, Nikolai Nikolaevich personified the power of imperial power for soldiers.
After military setbacks during the Russo-Japanese War, the Grand Duke was appointed commander in chief of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District. He very quickly managed to extinguish the fire of discontent in the guards of the incompetent leadership of the army. Largely thanks to Nikolai Nikolayevich, the troops of the Guard, without hesitation, dealt with the uprising in Moscow in December 1905. During the revolution of 1905, the influence of the Grand Duke grew tremendously. Commanding the metropolitan military district and the guard, he became one of the key figures in the fight against the revolutionary movement. The situation in the capital, and, therefore, the ability of the state apparatus of the empire to rule a huge country depended on its decisiveness. Nikolai Nikolayevich used all his influence in order to convince the tsar to sign the famous manifesto on October 17. When the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers S.Yu. Witte provided the tsar with a signed draft manifesto for signature, Nikolai Nikolayevich never left the emperor for a step until the manifesto was signed. The Grand Duke, according to some courtiers, even threatened the Tsar to shoot himself in his chambers if he did not sign a document saving for the monarchy. And although this information can hardly be considered true, such an act would be quite characteristic of the Grand Duke.
Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and in subsequent years remained one of the main leaders of the Russian army. In 1905-1908 he presided over the Council of State Defense, which was involved in the planning of combat training of the troops. His influence on the emperor was just as great, although after signing the manifesto on October 17, Nicholas II treated his cousin uncle without the tenderness that had been characteristic of their relationship before.
In 1912, Minister of War V.A. Sukhomlinov, one of those whom the Grand Duke could not stand, prepared a great war game - staff maneuvers in which all commanders of military districts were to take part. The king himself was to lead the game. Nikolai Nikolaevich, who hated Sukhomlinov, talked with the emperor half an hour before the maneuvers, and ... the war game, which was being prepared for several months, was canceled. The Minister of War had to resign, which, however, the king did not accept.
When the First World War began, Nicholas II had no doubts about the candidacy of the Supreme Commander. They were appointed Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. The Grand Duke did not have special military talents, but it was thanks to him that the Russian army with honor came out of the hardest trials of the first year of the war. Nikolai Nikolaevich was able to correctly select his officers. The Supreme Commander assembled at the headquarters competent and experienced generals. He was able, having listened to them, to make the most correct decision, for which he alone now had to bear responsibility. True, Nikolai Nikolaevich did not stay at the head of the Russian army for a short time: a year later, on August 23, 1915, Nicholas II took over the high command, and "Nikolasha" was appointed commander of the Caucasian Front. By removing Nikolai Nikolaevich from command of the army, the tsar sought to get rid of a relative who had gained unprecedented popularity. In the Petrograd salons it was said that “Nikolasha” could replace the not-so-popular nephew on the throne.
A.I. Guchkov recalled that many politicians at that time believed that it was Nikolai Nikolayevich who, by his authority, was able to prevent the collapse of the monarchy in Russia. Political gossipers called Nikolai Nikolayevich a possible successor to Nicholas II in the event of his voluntary or forcible removal from power.
Be that as it may, but Nikolai Nikolaevich established himself in these years both as a successful commander and as a smart politician. The troops of the Caucasian Front led by him successfully attacked in Turkey, and the rumors associated with his name remained rumors: the Grand Duke did not miss a chance to assure the king of his allegiance.
When the monarchy in Russia was overthrown, and Nicholas II abdicated the throne, it was Nikolai Nikolayevich that the Provisional Government appointed the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. True, he stayed with them only a few weeks, after which he was again removed from command due to belonging to the imperial family.
Nikolai Nikolaevich left for Crimea, where, together with some other representatives of the Romanov surname, he settled in Dulber. As it turned out later, leaving Petrograd saved their lives. When the Civil War began in Russia, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich found himself in the territory occupied by the White Army. Remembering the great popularity of the Grand Duke, General A.I. Denikin turned to him with a proposal to lead the fight against the Bolsheviks, but Nikolai Nikolaevich refused to participate in the Civil War and in 1919 left the Crimea, leaving for France. He settled in the south of France, and in 1923 he moved to the place of Chuany near Paris. In December 1924 he received from Baron P.N. Wrangel leadership of all foreign Russian military organizations that, with his participation, were merged into the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS). In the same years, Nikolai Nikolaevich fought with his nephew, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich for the right to be the locum tenens of the Russian throne.
The Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich died in 1929.
On the eve of the great shocks
The decisive role in the fate of the country and the monarchy was played by the First World War, in which Russia spoke on the side of England and France against the Austro-German bloc. Nicholas II did not want Russia's entry into the war. Russian Foreign Minister S. D. Sazonov later recalled his conversation with the emperor on the eve of the announcement of mobilization in the country: “The Tsar was silent. Then he told me in a voice in which there was a deep emotion:“ This means dooming hundreds of thousands of Russian people to death. How not to stop before such a decision? ".
The outbreak of war caused an upsurge of patriotic feelings, uniting representatives of various social forces. This time was a kind of finest hour of the last emperor, who turned into a symbol of hope for a speedy and complete victory. On July 20, 1914, on the day of the declaration of war, crowds of people with portraits of the tsar poured onto the streets of Petersburg. A deputation of the Duma came to the emperor with an expression of support at the Winter Palace. One of her representatives, Vasily Shulgin, told about this event: “Sovereign so constrained that he could reach out to the front rows, this was the sovereign. This was the only time I saw excitement on his enlightened face. And was it possible not to worry ? What did this crowd shout not at young men, but at older people? They shouted: "Lead us, sovereign!"
But the first successes of Russian weapons in East Prussia and Galicia were fragile. In the summer of 1915, under the powerful onslaught of the enemy, Russian troops left Poland, Lithuania, Volyn, and Galicia. The war gradually acquired a protracted character, and was far from over. Upon learning of the capture of Warsaw by the enemy, the emperor exclaimed with anger: "This cannot continue, I can’t all sit here and watch how my army is routed; I see mistakes - and I must be silent!" Wanting to raise the morale of the army, Nicholas II in August 1915 took over the duties of the Commander-in-Chief, replacing Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich at this post. As S. D. Sazonov recalled, "in Tsarskoye Selo expressed mystical confidence that the mere appearance of the Tsar at the head of the troops was to change the state of affairs at the front." He spent most of his time now at the Headquarters of the High Command in Mogilev. Time worked against the Romanovs. The protracted war exacerbated old problems and constantly gave rise to new ones. Failures at the front caused discontent erupted in the critical speeches of newspapers, in the speeches of deputies of the State Duma. An unfavorable course of affairs was associated with poor leadership of the country. Once, while talking with the chairman of the Duma, M. V. Rodzianko, about the situation in Russia, Nikolai almost groaned: "Have I really tried for twenty-two years to make everything better, and twenty-two years have been mistaken ?!”
In August 1915, several Duma and other public groups united in the so-called "Progressive Bloc", the center of which was the Cadet Party. Their most important political demand was the creation of a ministry responsible to the Duma - the “cabinet of trust”. Moreover, it was assumed that the leading posts in it would be occupied by people from the Duma circles and the leadership of a number of socio-political organizations. For Nicholas II, this step would mark the beginning of the end of the autocracy. On the other hand, the tsar understood the inevitability of serious reforms of public administration, but considered them impossible to carry out in conditions of war. In society, deaf fermentation intensified. Some confidently said that “treason” was nesting in the government, and that high-ranking officials were collaborating with the enemy. Among these "agents of Germany," they often called Tsarina Alexandra Fedorovna. No evidence has ever been given in favor of this. But public opinion did not need evidence and once and for all delivered its merciless verdict, which played a large role in the growth of anti-Romanov sentiments. These rumors penetrated the front, where millions of soldiers, mainly former peasants, suffered and died for goals that were only known to their superiors. Talk about the betrayal of the highest dignitaries here aroused indignation and hostility to all the "metropolitan well-fed whacks." This hatred was skillfully fueled by left-wing political groups, primarily the Socialist-Revolutionaries and Bolsheviks, who advocated the overthrow of the "Romanov clique."
Abdication
By the beginning of 1917, the situation in the country had become extremely tense. In late February, unrest began in Petrograd, caused by interruptions in the supply of food to the capital. These riots, not meeting with serious opposition from the authorities, a few days later grew into mass protests against the government, against the dynasty. The king learned about these events in Mogilev. “Unrest began in Petrograd,” the tsar wrote in his diary on February 27, “unfortunately, the troops began to take part in them. The disgusting feeling of being so far away and receiving fragmentary bad news!” Initially, the tsar wanted with the help of troops to restore order in Petrograd, but could not get to the capital. On March 1, he wrote in his diary: "Shame and shame! They could not get to Tsarskoye. But thoughts and feelings are always there!"
Some senior military officials, members of the imperial retinue and representatives of public organizations convinced the emperor that to appease the country, a change of government was required, and his abdication was required. After much thought and hesitation, Nicholas II decided to abandon the throne. The choice of a successor was also difficult for the emperor. He asked his doctor to openly answer the question of whether Tsarevich Alexei could be cured of a congenital blood disease. The doctor just shook his head - the boy’s illness was fatal. "Already if God so decided, I will not part her with my poor child," said Nikolai. He denied power. Nikolai II sent a telegram to the Chairman of the State Duma, M. V. Rodzianko: “There is no sacrifice that I would not make in the name of a real good and for the salvation of my mother Russia. Therefore, I am ready to abdicate in favor of my son so that remained with me until adulthood, under the regency of my brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. " Then the king’s brother Mikhail Alexandrovich was elected heir to the throne. On March 2, 1917, on the way to Petrograd at the small station Dno near Pskov, in the saloon of the imperial train, Nicholas II signed the act of abdication. In his diary that day, the former emperor wrote: "Around treason, and cowardice, and deceit!".
In the text of the abdication, Nikolai wrote: “In the days of the great struggle against the external enemy, who sought to enslave our homeland for almost three years. The Lord God was pleased to send Russia a new ordeal. The outbreak of internal unrest threatens to adversely affect the further conduct of a stubborn war ... In these decisive days in the life of Russia We considered it a duty of conscience to lighten our people close unity and rallying of all the forces of the people for the speedy achievement of victory, and in agreement with the State Duma we recognized for the good to abdicate the throne Russian state and lay down the supreme power ... "
Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, under pressure from the Duma deputies, refused to accept the imperial crown. At 10 a.m. on March 3, the Provisional Committee of the Duma and the members of the newly formed Provisional Government went to Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. The meeting took place in the apartment of Prince Putyatin on Millionnaya Street and lasted until two in the afternoon. Of those present, only Foreign Minister P.N. Milyukov and Minister of War and Naval A.I. Guchkov persuaded Mikhail to take the throne. Miliukov recalled that when, upon arrival in Petrograd, he “went straight to the railway workshops, announced the workers about Mikhail,” he “barely escaped beating or killing”. Despite the rejection of the monarchy by the rebellious people, the leaders of the Cadets and the Octobrists tried to convince the Grand Duke to assume the crown, seeing in Michael the guarantee of the continuity of power. The Grand Duke met Miliukov with a playful remark: “Well, it’s good to be in the position of the English king. It’s very easy and convenient! Huh?” To which he quite seriously answered: "Yes, Your Highness, very calmly rule, observing the constitution." Miliukov thus conveyed in his memoirs his speech addressed to Mikhail: “I argued that in order to strengthen the new order strong power is needed and that it can only be that way when it rests on the symbol of power that is familiar to the masses. The monarchy serves as such a symbol. One Temporary the government, without relying on this symbol, simply will not live to see the opening of the Constituent Assembly. It will turn out to be a fragile boat that will sink in the ocean of popular unrest. The country is threatened with the loss of any consciousness of statehood and complete anarchy. "
However, Rodzianko, Kerensky, Shulgin and other members of the delegation already understood that Mikhail could not succeed in a quiet reign like the British monarch and that, given the excitement of workers and soldiers, he was unlikely to take power. Mikhail himself was convinced of this. His manifesto, prepared by a member of the Duma, Vasily Alekseevich Maksakov and professors Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov (father of the famous writer) and Boris Nolde, read: “Inspired by the common idea with all the people that the highest is the good of our homeland, I made a firm decision to accept only The supreme authority, if such is the will of our great people, which is to be popularly elected through their representatives in the Constituent Assembly to establish a form of government and new fundamental laws of the State of R ssiyskogo. " Interestingly, before the publication of the manifesto, a dispute arose that lasted as long as six hours. Its essence was as follows. Cadets Nabokov and Milyukov with foam at the mouth argued that it was necessary to call Mikhail the emperor, because until the abdication he seemed to reign for a day. They tried to maintain at least a weak lead for the possible restoration of the monarchy in the future. However, the majority of the members of the Provisional Government finally came to the conclusion that Mikhail, as he was, remained only the Grand Duke, since he refused to accept power.
The death of the royal family
The Provisional Government, which came to power, arrested the tsar and his family on March 7 (20), 1917. The arrest served as a signal for the flight of the court’s minister, V. B. Fredericks, the palace commandant V.N. Voeikova, some other courtiers. “These people were the first to abandon the tsar in a difficult moment. That's how the sovereign did not know how to choose relatives,” wrote M.V. Rodzianko. V.A. agreed to voluntarily share the opinion. Dolgorukov, P.K. Benckendorf, maids of honor S.K. Buxgevden and A.V. Gendrikova, doctors E.S. Botkin and V.N. The village, teachers P. Gilliard and S. Gibbs. Most of them shared the tragic fate of the royal family.
The deputies of the city councils of Moscow and Petrograd demanded trial of the former emperor. The head of the Provisional Government, A.F. Kerensky, answered this: "Until now, the Russian revolution has been going on without blood, and I will not allow it to be marred ... The tsar and his family will be sent abroad to England." However, England refused to accept the family of the deposed emperor until the end of the war. For five months, Nikolai and his relatives were kept under strict supervision in one of the palaces in Tsarskoye Selo. Here, on March 21, a meeting of the former sovereign and Kerensky took place. “A disarmingly charming person,” wrote the leader of the February Revolution. After the meeting, he was surprised to say to those accompanying him: "But Nicholas II is far from stupid despite what we thought of him." Many years later, in his memoirs, Kerensky wrote about Nikolai: “Going into private life brought him nothing but relief. Old mistress Naryshkina conveyed his words to me:“ It’s good that you no longer need to attend these tedious receptions and sign these endless documents . I will read, walk and spend time with the children. "
However, the former emperor was too politically significant a figure to be allowed to calmly "read, walk and spend time with children." Soon the imperial family was sent under guard to the Siberian city of Tobolsk. A.F. Kerensky later excused himself that from there the family was expected to be transported to the United States. Nicholas reacted indifferently to the change of location. The king read a lot, participated in productions of amateur performances, was engaged in the education of children.
Having learned about the October coup, Nikolai wrote in his diary: “It’s sick to read the newspaper description of what happened in Petrograd and Moscow! It’s much worse and more shameful than the events of the Time of Troubles!” Particularly painful, Nicholas reacted to the message of a truce, and then about peace with Germany. In early 1918, Nicholas was forced to remove the shoulder straps of the colonel (his last military rank), which he perceived as a heavy insult. The usual convoy was replaced by the Red Guards.
After the victory of the Bolsheviks in October 1917, the fate of the Romanovs was a foregone conclusion. They spent the last three months of their lives in the capital of the Urals, the city of Yekaterinburg. Here the exiled sovereign was settled in the mansion of engineer Ipatiev. The owner of the house on the eve of the arrival of the supervised was evicted, the house is surrounded by a double plank fence. The conditions in this "special purpose house" were much worse than in Tobolsk. But Nikolai behaved courageously. His hardness was transmitted and domestic. The daughters of the king learned to wash clothes, cook, bake bread. The Ural worker A.D. was appointed commandant of the house. Avdeev, but because of his compassion for the tsar’s family, he was soon removed, and the Bolshevik Yakov Yurovsky became commandant. “We like this type less and less ...” - Nikolay wrote in his diary.
The Civil War pushed aside the plan of the trial of the tsar, which was originally hatched by the Bolsheviks. On the eve of the fall of Soviet power in the Urals in Moscow, it was decided to execute the tsar and his relatives. The murder was entrusted to Ya.M. Yurovsky and his deputy G.P. Nikulin. To help them allocated Latvians and Hungarians from among prisoners of war.
On the night of July 17, 1913, the former emperor and his family were woken up and asked to go down to the basement under the pretext of their safety. “The city is restless,” Yurovsky explained to the prisoners. The Romanovs and the servant went down the stairs. Nicholas carried Prince Alexei in his arms. Then 11 Chekists entered the room, and Yurovsky announced to the prisoners that they were sentenced to death. Immediately after that, indiscriminate shooting started. Tsar Y.M. Yurovsky shot with a pistol at point blank range. When the volleys died down, it turned out that Alexei, the three great princesses and the tsar’s doctor Botkin were still alive — they were finished off with bayonets. The corpses of the dead were taken out of town, doused with kerosene, tried to burn, and then buried.
A few days after the execution, on July 25, 1918, Yekaterinburg was occupied by the troops of the White Army. Her command began an investigation in the case of regicide. The Bolshevik newspapers reporting the execution presented the case in such a way that the execution was initiated by local authorities without coordination with Moscow. However, the commission of inquiry created by the White Guards N.A. Sokolova, who was conducting an investigation in hot pursuit, found evidence refuting this version. Later, in 1935, L.D. admitted this. Trotsky: "The liberals seemed to be inclined to believe that the Ural executive committee, cut off from Moscow, acted independently. This is incorrect. The decision was issued in Moscow." Further, the former leader of the Bolsheviks recalled that, having arrived somehow in Moscow, he asked Y.M. Sverdlov: “Yes, and where is the tsar?” “Ended,” answered Sverdlov, “he was shot.” When Trotsky said: “And who decided?”, The chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee answered: “We have decided here. Ilyich believed that you should not leave them a living banner, especially in the current difficult conditions.”
Investigator Sergeev found on the south side of the basement room where the family of the last emperor died along with his servants, the stanzas of the Heine’s poem - "Belshazzar" in German, which in a poetic translation are:
And before the dawn came,
Slaves slaughtered the king ...
