There's a book out about what happened to the remainder of the Romanov family after the execution of the Royal family (Tsar Nicholas II's family). It looks really interesting. I've ordered two books on this subject now!
There are several films about Rasputin. I remember trying to watch the Russian one from 80s long time ago, but I did not get very far
There's one that was made in 1996 starring Ian Mckellen and was released on DVD but it's now out of print. It's pretty long so I can't be bothered to watch it in parts on YouTube, but I'd love the DVD of it.
I've never seen 'Nicholas & Alexandra' from the 70s though
Not sure if anyone can answer but I'll ask anyway (also, please bear with me in my lack of 'romanov knowledge' )
Now I know the animated film 'Anastasia' is by no means accurate but it's from the intro of this film that got me asking the following question:
In the film, we see the Russian Royal family living (I presume?) at Saint Catherine's palace in St Petersburg, it's in the midst of winter I believe (well, there's snow) and cutting a long story short, the gates to the palace are broken into and it looks like tons of Russians (soldiers? Russian citizens?) charging towards the palace and in turn, wrecking it.
Did that really happen? Was that around the time the Romanovs were soon to be executed?
I presume if that did happen it was because of all their luxury whilst Imperial Russia was suffering?
(sorry if I've confused you all, it's hard to type it without contradicting! lol)
Not sure if anyone can answer but I'll ask anyway (also, please bear with me in my lack of 'romanov knowledge' )
Now I know the animated film 'Anastasia' is by no means accurate but it's from the intro of this film that got me asking the following question:
In the film, we see the Russian Royal family living (I presume?) at Saint Catherine's palace in St Petersburg, it's in the midst of winter I believe (well, there's snow) and cutting a long story short, the gates to the palace are broken into and it looks like tons of Russians (soldiers? Russian citizens?) charging towards the palace and in turn, wrecking it.
Did that really happen? Was that around the time the Romanovs were soon to be executed?
I presume if that did happen it was because of all their luxury whilst Imperial Russia was suffering?
(sorry if I've confused you all, it's hard to type it without contradicting! lol)
Hi Diane. They were at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo ( now Pushkin) at the time of Nicholas' abdication. They were "imprisoned" there from !st March til 1st August 1917 and then sent into exile in Tobolsk, then Ekaterinberg where they were eventually killed.
There were garrisons of soldiers guarding the royal prisoners but I don't think there was anything particularly violent going on.
I've always found the Romanov story interesting, particularly their relationship with the British royal family. A high point was when DNA from lookalikey Prince Michael of Kent was used in the identification of Romanov bodies.
Of course these days we welcome all the modern Russian royalty, the oligarchs and their billions, to settle in London mansions and country estates.
No, it was Prince Philip who donated a specimen for DNA testing. His Mitochondrial DNA would be ( and was a match) for the Tsarina, her daughters and Alexei. He is a descendant of the Hesse Royal House ( his grandmother was Victoria Milford Haven who was sister to Alexandra, the Tsarina).
Nicholas' DNA was compared to that of his nephew, Tikhon Kulikovsky and it was a match.
Prince Michael of Kent was not involved in DNA testing but he is a ringer for Nicholas.
Hi Diane. They were at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo ( now Pushkin) at the time of Nicholas' abdication. They were "imprisoned" there from !st March til 1st August 1917 and then sent into exile in Tobolsk, then Ekaterinberg where they were eventually killed.
There were garrisons of soldiers guarding the royal prisoners but I don't think there was anything particularly violent going on.
Hey! Thanks
So, what was the thing about where everyone stormed the palace? (what palace I'm unsure of, I presumed it was St Catherine's), I know it did get wrecked (I think I'm on the right track here lol..) because of WW2, ,so maybe that's what I'm getting confused on!
Rasputin's influence on the Romanov family has been much exaggerated.
I don't believe this is a new theory at all, I read a book a while ago that was written in the 70s and cited Alexandria's devotion to Rasputin as one of the major factors. She was an unpopular figure anyway because she came across as cold and anti social plus she was German an Russia was at war with Germany. However her support of Rasputin who was hated by senior men in the Establishment for his dissolute behaviour , for using his influence with Alexandria to get people he liked promoted to high office and other general meddling in the affairs of the crown helped to tip events into revolution. She loved her son desperately and was terrified that his haemophilia would kill him. Rasputin is credited with bringing him back from the point of death and subsequently from helping his recovery during multiple subsequent crises in his illness. Therefore, she would do anything to support the person she saw as her sons saviour and his included turning a blind eye to all his numerous flaws. A potted version of what was in the book which certainly appeared to me to be well written and researched using numerous diaries, letters, contemporary accounts etc.
Most horrible thing in the book was their execution. Some of the princesses had to be finished off with bayonets and clubs because the bullets did not do the job. The girls had sewn jewels into their corsets to use if they had managed to escape - so these acted as DIY built proof vests.
No, it was Prince Philip who donated a specimen for DNA testing. His Mitochondrial DNA would be ( and was a match) for the Tsarina, her daughters and Alexei. He is a descendant of the Hesse Royal House ( his grandmother was Victoria Milford Haven who was sister to Alexandra, the Tsarina).
Nicholas' DNA was compared to that of his nephew, Tikhon Kulikovsky and it was a match.
Prince Michael of Kent was not involved in DNA testing but he is a ringer for Nicholas.
Oh for some reason I thought Prince Michael also gave blood for tests, I know he went to at least one of the eventual funerals. This from the Daily Telegraph: "He bears a striking resemblance to the last Tsar, Nicholas II, who was a cousin of his grandparents. Indeed, when the Romanov's bodies - discovered in 1979 - were subjected to DNA testing in the 1990s, Prince Michael was among those asked to provide a sample to confirm their identity."
I don't believe this is a new theory at all, I read a book a while ago that was written in the 70s and cited Alexandria's devotion to Rasputin as one of the major factors. She was an unpopular figure anyway because she came across as cold and anti social plus she was German an Russia was at war with Germany. However her support of Rasputin who was hated by senior men in the Establishment for his dissolute behaviour , for using his influence with Alexandria to get people he liked promoted to high office and other general meddling in the affairs of the crown helped to tip events into revolution. She loved her son desperately and was terrified that his haemophilia would kill him. Rasputin is credited with bringing him back from the point of death and subsequently from helping his recovery during multiple subsequent crises in his illness. Therefore, she would do anything to support the person she saw as her sons saviour and his included turning a blind eye to all his numerous flaws. A potted version of what was in the book which certainly appeared to me to be well written and researched using numerous diaries, letters, contemporary accounts etc.
Most horrible thing in the book was their execution. Some of the princesses had to be finished off with bayonets and clubs because the bullets did not do the job. The girls had sewn jewels into their corsets to use if they had managed to escape - so these acted as DIY built proof vests.
Beautiful girls, they had their faces shattered, one can only think to prevent identification.
Four servants died with them that night too, Anna Demidova ( ladies maid), Botkin ( Dr), Kharitinov and Trupp, ( cook and man servant).
Alexdrina was named after her grandmother Queen Victoria (Alexdrina was Victoria's first name) and was brought up In the queen's household after her mother Victoria's daughter died at a young age.
As Alexdrina was a child when her mother died, she was almost certainly more of a British Princess than German. She was apparently very close to her cousin Eddie who was George V's elder brother.
Alexdrina had a very sad childhood and initially didn't want to marry the tsar
can't say my heart bleeds too much for what happened to the Romanovs. Its a subject which I've taken more and more of an interest over the past few months, and the more I read about it, the more I think the Romanovs had it coming to them. Yes, the grim details of the shooting are harsh, but look at how much totalitarian control the Tsar had over his country at the time, and he was bound to piss a few people off.
I think the family was one of the richest on the planet at one time - flashing your riches like the Faberge Eggs in front of the peasants of your country was bound to create a few enemies, plus the monarchy were not elected and had absolute control of the country. You can argue nothing has changed in Russia since then of course.
According to The Royal Cousins on BBC2 it was Britain's spineless king who refused his cousin a safe passage to this country, but it was played out publically that the Prime Minister Lloyd George was the one who refused. I think it was only made public years later and proven by the letters from Buckingham Palace being made public.
Just goes to show, family means nothing when it comes to the Royals, as long they can keep their throne.
I agree, people tend to romanticise history and the Romanovs are a good example of this whitewash.
The reality is that the Russian regime was brutal, you cannot live in abject opulence when the majority of the population is starving and being kept in almost sub human conditions.
Of course their ending was appalling, but lets not confuse it with the end of ending of what they represented. On a human level i did find it quite sad that ultimately one of their own sealed their fate.
Without Stalin and Communism it's highly likely that Hitler would've won World War Two.
If you want to erase someone from history for the good of all then it's probably Karl Marx. Without him it's doubtful that Hitler would ever have gained power in Germany or been given such an easy ride by England, France and the USA. Without Marx we would've had no World War Two, no vile Chairman Mao, no Vietnam or Korean Wars.
Communism has been at the root of the most enormous amount of evil.
Without Communism it is unlikely there would have been a fascism to counter it after the terrors of WW1. Marx's error was to offer a bad solution to the problems of capitalism.
Without Communism it is unlikely there would have been a fascism to counter it after the terrors of WW1. Marx's error was to offer a bad solution to the problems of capitalism.
This is incorrect. Although fascism is anti-communist, it existed as more than just a reaction to communism. It also prescribed its own 'solutions' to the crisis of liberal democracy after WWI. There is a pretty detailed level of scholarship that argues that fascism was a cultural phenomenon before entering the political arena and that the roots and developments of this go back as far as the enlightenment. Although it and communism are forever linked, to say that fascism is simply a direct consequence of communism or the Russian Revolution is historical oversimplification.
I agree, people tend to romanticise history and the Romanovs are a good example of this whitewash.
The reality is that the Russian regime was brutal, you cannot live in abject opulence when the majority of the population is starving and being kept in almost sub human conditions.
Of course their ending was appalling, but lets not confuse it with the end of ending of what they represented. On a human level i did find it quite sad that ultimately one of their own sealed their fate.
Agreed, there are reasons why the House of Windsor wouldn't accept them
Alexdrina was named after her grandmother Queen Victoria (Alexdrina was Victoria's first name) and was brought up In the queen's household after her mother Victoria's daughter died at a young age.
As Alexdrina was a child when her mother died, she was almost certainly more of a British Princess than German. She was apparently very close to her cousin Eddie who was George V's elder brother.
Alexdrina had a very sad childhood and initially didn't want to marry the tsar
QV's first name was Alexandrina,not Alexdrina.
The Tsarina's given name was Victoria ALIX ( for Alice, apparently the Hessians could not pronounce" Alice"). She was not brought up in QV's household although the old girl kept a stern eye and a guiding hand on the upbringing of the Hessian children as their mother had died at an early age.
Alix was a potential bride for cousin Eddie and if she had married into the British royal family, haemophilia woould have been introduced into the ruling line. Now there is a "what if".:o
Comments
There are several films about Rasputin. I remember trying to watch the Russian one from 80s long time ago, but I did not get very far
There's one that was made in 1996 starring Ian Mckellen and was released on DVD but it's now out of print. It's pretty long so I can't be bothered to watch it in parts on YouTube, but I'd love the DVD of it.
I've never seen 'Nicholas & Alexandra' from the 70s though
Now I know the animated film 'Anastasia' is by no means accurate but it's from the intro of this film that got me asking the following question:
In the film, we see the Russian Royal family living (I presume?) at Saint Catherine's palace in St Petersburg, it's in the midst of winter I believe (well, there's snow) and cutting a long story short, the gates to the palace are broken into and it looks like tons of Russians (soldiers? Russian citizens?) charging towards the palace and in turn, wrecking it.
Did that really happen? Was that around the time the Romanovs were soon to be executed?
I presume if that did happen it was because of all their luxury whilst Imperial Russia was suffering?
(sorry if I've confused you all, it's hard to type it without contradicting! lol)
Hi Diane. They were at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo ( now Pushkin) at the time of Nicholas' abdication. They were "imprisoned" there from !st March til 1st August 1917 and then sent into exile in Tobolsk, then Ekaterinberg where they were eventually killed.
There were garrisons of soldiers guarding the royal prisoners but I don't think there was anything particularly violent going on.
Of course these days we welcome all the modern Russian royalty, the oligarchs and their billions, to settle in London mansions and country estates.
Nicholas' DNA was compared to that of his nephew, Tikhon Kulikovsky and it was a match.
Prince Michael of Kent was not involved in DNA testing but he is a ringer for Nicholas.
Hey! Thanks
So, what was the thing about where everyone stormed the palace? (what palace I'm unsure of, I presumed it was St Catherine's), I know it did get wrecked (I think I'm on the right track here lol..) because of WW2, ,so maybe that's what I'm getting confused on!
I don't believe this is a new theory at all, I read a book a while ago that was written in the 70s and cited Alexandria's devotion to Rasputin as one of the major factors. She was an unpopular figure anyway because she came across as cold and anti social plus she was German an Russia was at war with Germany. However her support of Rasputin who was hated by senior men in the Establishment for his dissolute behaviour , for using his influence with Alexandria to get people he liked promoted to high office and other general meddling in the affairs of the crown helped to tip events into revolution. She loved her son desperately and was terrified that his haemophilia would kill him. Rasputin is credited with bringing him back from the point of death and subsequently from helping his recovery during multiple subsequent crises in his illness. Therefore, she would do anything to support the person she saw as her sons saviour and his included turning a blind eye to all his numerous flaws. A potted version of what was in the book which certainly appeared to me to be well written and researched using numerous diaries, letters, contemporary accounts etc.
Most horrible thing in the book was their execution. Some of the princesses had to be finished off with bayonets and clubs because the bullets did not do the job. The girls had sewn jewels into their corsets to use if they had managed to escape - so these acted as DIY built proof vests.
Oh for some reason I thought Prince Michael also gave blood for tests, I know he went to at least one of the eventual funerals. This from the Daily Telegraph: "He bears a striking resemblance to the last Tsar, Nicholas II, who was a cousin of his grandparents. Indeed, when the Romanov's bodies - discovered in 1979 - were subjected to DNA testing in the 1990s, Prince Michael was among those asked to provide a sample to confirm their identity."
I shall think of him as a dead Russian tribute act then.:D
Beards are all the rage at the moment, don't you know.
That's awful
Four servants died with them that night too, Anna Demidova ( ladies maid), Botkin ( Dr), Kharitinov and Trupp, ( cook and man servant).
As Alexdrina was a child when her mother died, she was almost certainly more of a British Princess than German. She was apparently very close to her cousin Eddie who was George V's elder brother.
Alexdrina had a very sad childhood and initially didn't want to marry the tsar
Just thought I'd mention it... ; )
I agree, people tend to romanticise history and the Romanovs are a good example of this whitewash.
The reality is that the Russian regime was brutal, you cannot live in abject opulence when the majority of the population is starving and being kept in almost sub human conditions.
Of course their ending was appalling, but lets not confuse it with the end of ending of what they represented. On a human level i did find it quite sad that ultimately one of their own sealed their fate.
Watch it, it's brilliant! Soundtrack is beautiful
Without Communism it is unlikely there would have been a fascism to counter it after the terrors of WW1. Marx's error was to offer a bad solution to the problems of capitalism.
This is incorrect. Although fascism is anti-communist, it existed as more than just a reaction to communism. It also prescribed its own 'solutions' to the crisis of liberal democracy after WWI. There is a pretty detailed level of scholarship that argues that fascism was a cultural phenomenon before entering the political arena and that the roots and developments of this go back as far as the enlightenment. Although it and communism are forever linked, to say that fascism is simply a direct consequence of communism or the Russian Revolution is historical oversimplification.
Agreed, there are reasons why the House of Windsor wouldn't accept them
QV's first name was Alexandrina,not Alexdrina.
The Tsarina's given name was Victoria ALIX ( for Alice, apparently the Hessians could not pronounce" Alice"). She was not brought up in QV's household although the old girl kept a stern eye and a guiding hand on the upbringing of the Hessian children as their mother had died at an early age.
Alix was a potential bride for cousin Eddie and if she had married into the British royal family, haemophilia woould have been introduced into the ruling line. Now there is a "what if".:o