This past weekend, I was able to explore Russia's capital, Moscow. However, today is an infamous day in Russian history. Moscow adventures will have to wait and instead I would like to focus on the Romanov dynasty.
The Romanov dynasty is the imperial family that ruled Russia for over 300 years, from 1613 to 1917. In 1613, 16 year old Mikhail Romanov ascended the throne and ended the 15 year long Time of Troubles in Russia. His grandson, Peter the Great, founded Saint Petersburg and began to Westernize Russia. Peter the Great's grandson married the future Catherine the Great. Catherine's favorite grandson, Alexander I, defeated Napoleon. His grandson, Alexander II, emancipated the serfs of Russia in 1861 (almost two whole years before Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation). His grandson, Nicholas II, was the last tsar of Russia.
I have only mentioned about half of the Romanov tsars, all of whom had their highlights and their downfalls. I could ramble on for hours about the Romanov line, for I sadly know the Romanovs better than the list of US presidents, but I will spare everyone that and stick to the Reader's Digest version above.
So why is July 17 infamous? 95 years ago today, tsar Nicholas II, his wife and children, and four of their faithful servants were executed by the Bolsheviks. In March 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne after the February Revolution, and for a year and a half him and his family were held as prisoners. They lived better than the average prisoner, residing in one of their palaces for a while with numerous restrictions on what they could do. They were eventually moved to the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. The story of their death is filled with gaps and conflicting accounts. On the night of July 16 and/or early morning of July 17, 1918, the ex-tsar and his family were awakened and told to dress because they would be leaving the city. The officers brought them into the basement and supposedly told the family and their servants to line up for a picture to prove that they were still alive. Then, their executioners fired upon them. Most of them were instantly killed. The tsar's four daughters, however, survived the first round of bullets due to jewels they had sewn into their dresses. The officers instead had to stab them to death with bayonets or shoot them in the skull. After all 11 were dead, the officers gathered the bodies, burned them in acid, and eventually buried nine of them in one spot. The remaining two bodies, two of the tsar's children, were buried in a separate spot about 230 feet away. The nine bodies buried together were eventually found in 1979 and identified in 1998. In 2007, the last two remains, of tsarevich Alexei and his sister Maria, were discovered.
The Russian citizenry was not told for some time about the tsar's death, and even later about the death of his family. For years, legends circulated that one of Nicholas II's daughters may have survived. There were numerous impostors, books, and movies about the fabled Anastasia...
In 1997, 20th Century Fox (not Disney!!!) released Anastasia, an animated film about how one of the tsar's daughters did survive. Being about five when the movie came out, I instantly fell in love with the story, the music, and the setting for such a tale. Most princess stories are set in Western Europe, but along came Anastasia, a real princess from this snow covered land that I had never seen before. In my heart, there always remained a special part for Anastasia and her imperial Russia. When I was about to enter college and needed to decide on a life path and a language to study, Anastasia came to mind. I had narrowed my language choices down to Arabic and Russian. But which to choose? Anastasia and her kingdom greatly influenced my choice, because it was a place I thought I knew and a place I one day wanted to discover. So I enrolled in Russian and began to read books about Anastasia and her royal family. I was thoroughly depressed when I learned that no way did she survive, I was even more depressed to find out that although some of the details are true, the vast majority of the information in the movie is complete bologna. The characters were real, but their stories were false. So I devoured books on Nicholas II and his family (Anastasia was only 17 when she was murdered, so not a whole lot for a historian to write about) in order to discover the truth about their lives. I then moved on to Catherine II, Alexander II, and the entire Romanov line. My love for and curiosity of the Romanov family is what has motivated me over the past two years to continue learning the Russian language and is why I very much wanted to study in Saint Petersburg this summer. Saint Petersburg was home to all but two of the Romanov tsars and their families and is filled with so much of the history that I have come to love.
My favorite song from Anastasia and what I was expecting to find in Saint Petersburg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCW5-JV8tT4
The scene takes place at the Winter Palace, also known as the Hermitage. Seeing this palace and this grand ballroom was all I really wanted out of the Winter Palace, wanting to feel like I was stepping into history (or the movie). Once I got there, I discovered that the film's artists took several liberties with the design of the palace, because such a room does not exist in the palace. However, the palace is quite gorgeous, I really felt like I was stepping into history, and I had numerous Anastasia moments while walking through the corridors.
In Moscow, I was able to discover some of the wonders of the Romanov line. I visited the Armory Chamber, which held so many of the family's belongings. I was able to see Catherine the Great's wedding and coronation dresses; I saw several of the imperial coaches and royal thrones. Although I was geeking out over the history the entire time, my favorite display was of 10 of the Faberge Tsar Imperial Easter eggs, including the egg that Nicholas II gave his wife in 1908 displaying portraits of their five children. It is an egg that I have read much about and was so excited that I was actually able to see it in person. Also inside the Moscow Kremlin, was the Assumption Cathedral where all the coronations were held. After reading about numerous coronations, the inside of the cathedral seemed smaller than I imaged and it still baffles me. But I stood where history was made and changed several times.
Yesterday, back in Saint Petersburg, I went to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Amazing place, one of my favorite things in the city. Nonetheless, I will stick to the focal point of the fortress and this post. Peter and Paul Cathedral lies inside the fortress. Besides being the tallest point in Saint Petersburg, it is the burial site of the majority of the Romanov family. Starting with Peter the Great, who founded the city, all the tsars have been buried inside this one cathedral. It was an amazing experience to stand in one room that held so many wonderful and devastating histories.
Today, I viewed an exhibit at the Russian State Museum on the 400th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty. The exhibit consisted mainly of numerous portraits and busts of the tsars, tsarinas, and their children. I enjoyed seeing such large portraits and such details of their regal portrait posing attire. By the end of the exhibit, I could easily tell you who was in each portrait, brushing up on the tsars I was less familiar with. Of course, my favorite portrait was of Nicholas II. I was naturally drawn to his portrait, but what drew me in and held my gaze were his eyes. They seemed to be staring back at me, reaffirming my decision to be in Saint Petersburg, encouraging my study of his life, and also wanting to remind me of something. It was a creepy moment for sure, but it was a good creepy. It got creepier when, as I was staring at this huge portrait of a man I have come to know so much about, I realized that he was executed on this day. So in honor of the entire Romanov family, particularly those who were brutally murdered on this day 95 years ago, I chose to write this post. They are the reason that I am in love with Russia, the reason I am exploring their city, and the reason I will buy five new biographies on them when I return to the states.
The Romanov dynasty is the imperial family that ruled Russia for over 300 years, from 1613 to 1917. In 1613, 16 year old Mikhail Romanov ascended the throne and ended the 15 year long Time of Troubles in Russia. His grandson, Peter the Great, founded Saint Petersburg and began to Westernize Russia. Peter the Great's grandson married the future Catherine the Great. Catherine's favorite grandson, Alexander I, defeated Napoleon. His grandson, Alexander II, emancipated the serfs of Russia in 1861 (almost two whole years before Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation). His grandson, Nicholas II, was the last tsar of Russia.
I have only mentioned about half of the Romanov tsars, all of whom had their highlights and their downfalls. I could ramble on for hours about the Romanov line, for I sadly know the Romanovs better than the list of US presidents, but I will spare everyone that and stick to the Reader's Digest version above.
So why is July 17 infamous? 95 years ago today, tsar Nicholas II, his wife and children, and four of their faithful servants were executed by the Bolsheviks. In March 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne after the February Revolution, and for a year and a half him and his family were held as prisoners. They lived better than the average prisoner, residing in one of their palaces for a while with numerous restrictions on what they could do. They were eventually moved to the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. The story of their death is filled with gaps and conflicting accounts. On the night of July 16 and/or early morning of July 17, 1918, the ex-tsar and his family were awakened and told to dress because they would be leaving the city. The officers brought them into the basement and supposedly told the family and their servants to line up for a picture to prove that they were still alive. Then, their executioners fired upon them. Most of them were instantly killed. The tsar's four daughters, however, survived the first round of bullets due to jewels they had sewn into their dresses. The officers instead had to stab them to death with bayonets or shoot them in the skull. After all 11 were dead, the officers gathered the bodies, burned them in acid, and eventually buried nine of them in one spot. The remaining two bodies, two of the tsar's children, were buried in a separate spot about 230 feet away. The nine bodies buried together were eventually found in 1979 and identified in 1998. In 2007, the last two remains, of tsarevich Alexei and his sister Maria, were discovered.
The Russian citizenry was not told for some time about the tsar's death, and even later about the death of his family. For years, legends circulated that one of Nicholas II's daughters may have survived. There were numerous impostors, books, and movies about the fabled Anastasia...
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| My Anastasia birthday |
My favorite song from Anastasia and what I was expecting to find in Saint Petersburg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCW5-JV8tT4
The scene takes place at the Winter Palace, also known as the Hermitage. Seeing this palace and this grand ballroom was all I really wanted out of the Winter Palace, wanting to feel like I was stepping into history (or the movie). Once I got there, I discovered that the film's artists took several liberties with the design of the palace, because such a room does not exist in the palace. However, the palace is quite gorgeous, I really felt like I was stepping into history, and I had numerous Anastasia moments while walking through the corridors.
 |
| Assumption Cathedral inside the Moscow Kremlin |
In Moscow, I was able to discover some of the wonders of the Romanov line. I visited the Armory Chamber, which held so many of the family's belongings. I was able to see Catherine the Great's wedding and coronation dresses; I saw several of the imperial coaches and royal thrones. Although I was geeking out over the history the entire time, my favorite display was of 10 of the Faberge Tsar Imperial Easter eggs, including the egg that Nicholas II gave his wife in 1908 displaying portraits of their five children. It is an egg that I have read much about and was so excited that I was actually able to see it in person. Also inside the Moscow Kremlin, was the Assumption Cathedral where all the coronations were held. After reading about numerous coronations, the inside of the cathedral seemed smaller than I imaged and it still baffles me. But I stood where history was made and changed several times.
Yesterday, back in Saint Petersburg, I went to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Amazing place, one of my favorite things in the city. Nonetheless, I will stick to the focal point of the fortress and this post. Peter and Paul Cathedral lies inside the fortress. Besides being the tallest point in Saint Petersburg, it is the burial site of the majority of the Romanov family. Starting with Peter the Great, who founded the city, all the tsars have been buried inside this one cathedral. It was an amazing experience to stand in one room that held so many wonderful and devastating histories.
 |
| Inside Peter and Paul Cathedral |
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| Graves of six Romanov rulers, including Peter the Great and Catherine the Great |
Today, I viewed an exhibit at the Russian State Museum on the 400th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty. The exhibit consisted mainly of numerous portraits and busts of the tsars, tsarinas, and their children. I enjoyed seeing such large portraits and such details of their regal portrait posing attire. By the end of the exhibit, I could easily tell you who was in each portrait, brushing up on the tsars I was less familiar with. Of course, my favorite portrait was of Nicholas II. I was naturally drawn to his portrait, but what drew me in and held my gaze were his eyes. They seemed to be staring back at me, reaffirming my decision to be in Saint Petersburg, encouraging my study of his life, and also wanting to remind me of something. It was a creepy moment for sure, but it was a good creepy. It got creepier when, as I was staring at this huge portrait of a man I have come to know so much about, I realized that he was executed on this day. So in honor of the entire Romanov family, particularly those who were brutally murdered on this day 95 years ago, I chose to write this post. They are the reason that I am in love with Russia, the reason I am exploring their city, and the reason I will buy five new biographies on them when I return to the states.
 |
| The graves of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their five children, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei Also buried with them family are their four servants who were killed alongside them: Evgeny Botkin, the family doctor; Alexei Trupp, the Emperor's footman; Anna Demidova, the Empress' maid; and Ivan Kharitonov, the family's cook |
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