The Last Tsar of Russia

Nicholas II was the Last Tsar of Russia, remembered for the tragic and thoughtless way in which he and his family were murdered. He is responsible for the events that occurred during his reign, such as Bloody Sunday and the 1905 Revolution, yet there is little recognition of the love and devotion he had for his family. It is not discussed about the medical condition of his only son, the talents of his daughters, and the support of his wife. Is it possible that despite the economic downturn that Nicholas put Russia in that he still had a wide range of supporters? In addition to all the lives that were lost during his reign, it is also most tragic the manner in which this family met their end and what little regard there was to them as human beings.

Nicholas II

Nicholas II, born in 1868 as Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov, was the son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorvna of Russia, who was the former Princess Damar of Denmark, and was the grandson of royalty from Russia and Denmark on his maternal and paternal sides.1 He married to Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Alexandra of Hesse-Darmstadt. Part of the engagement included a stipulation that Alexandra convert her faith from Lutheranism to Russian Orthodox2, a requirement that made her reluctant to accept his proposal at first. However, after granting her an exception that would allow her to convert to Russian Orthodox without having to renounce her Lutheran faith, she accepted and took the name of Alexandra Fedrovna in an attempt to become more acceptable to the Russian people.3

Becoming Tsar of Russia

When Nicholas’s father died at the early age of 49 from liver disease on October 20, 1894, that made him heir to the throne at only 26 years old, a ro...

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...: Pomp, Power, and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II," Hoboken, NJ. John Wiley & Sons, 2006)

3) Massie, Robert K. “Nicholas and Alexandra” (Michigan; Ballatine Books, reprinted 2000).

4) Ferro, Mark and Pearce, Brian. “Nicholas II: Last of the Tsars” (Viking, UK; Penguin Book Limited, 1994).

5) Trewin, J.C., “The House of Special Purpose: An Intimate Portrait of the Last Days of the Russian Imperial Family" From the papers and photographs of Charles Sydney Gibbes. (Chicago, IL. Stein and Day, 1975).

6) CNN World. “DNA Proves Bolsheviks killed all of Russian Czar’s Children” (Atlanta, GA. CNN, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. March 2009).

7) Maugh, Thomas H. III. “DNA Testing Ends Mystery Surrounding Czar Nicholas II Children” (Los Angeles, CA. Los Angeles Times, March 2009)

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/11/science/sci-romanov11