Nicholas II | Nicholas II

TOP 5 Books on the Life and Reign of Nicholas II

One of the questions I am asked most is “can you recommend a good book on Nicholas II?”

Putting aside the numerous beautiful pictorials which have been published over the years, I have compiled the following *list of 5 books, which for the most part, present an honest assessment on the life and reign of Russia’s last Emperor and Tsar.

In addition, are the following honourable mentions: Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie (1967); Last Years of the Court at Tsarskoe Selo Volume I (2010) and Volume II (2017) by General Alexandre Spiridovitch; Thirteen Years at the Russian Court (1921) by Pierre Gilliard; At the Court of the Last Tsar (1935) by A.A. Mossolov; and The Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II (2012)

*NOTE: all of the books listed here are in English and listed in order of the year they were published. With the exception of Oldenburg’s 4-volume study, all the remaining titles are available from your favourite bookseller. Second hand copies can also be found on eBay, aLibris, Biblio, etc.

The Last of the Tsars: Nicholas II and the Russian Revolution
Author: Robert Service
Published in 2017 by Pan Macmillan (UK)
382 pages, illustrated

The Last of the Tsars was published just before the 150th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II in 1868, and the 100th anniversary of his murder in 1918. I have to say that I was reluctant at first to read this book, however, once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down!

This book was researched and written by the well known British historian and Sovietologist Robert Service. Wile the author is clearly not one of Nicholas II’s adherents – he rehashes the negative Bolshevik assessment of the Tsar – this book is still worth a read.

Service’s meticulous research offers some very interesting new details about the last eighteen months of Nicholas II’s life. What sets Service’s book a cut above those previously written, is that he avoids the details of the murder and burial of the Tsar and his family, and instead, explains in intricate detail the events between the Tsar’s abdication in February 1917 and his death in July 1918.

Drawing on Nicholas II’s own diaries and other hitherto unexamined contemporary documents, The Last of the Tsars reveals a compelling account of the social, economic and political foment in Russia in the aftermath of Alexander Kerensky’s February Revolution, the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917 and the beginnings of Lenin’s Soviet republic.

***

The Romanov Royal Martyrs: What Silence Could Not Conceal
Published in 2019 by Mesa Potamos Publications (Cyprus)
508 pages, illustrated

The Romanov Royal Martyrs: What Silence Could Not Conceal draws on letters, testimonies, diaries, memoirs, and other texts never before published in English to present a unique biography of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. A lively portrait of the Imperial Family emerges from their own personal writings and in the writings of those who lived very close to them. Based strictly on primary sources, the book also brings to light a multitude of unknown and unrevealed facts, which evince that many truths in regard to the life and martyrdom of the Royal Martyrs remain silenced or distorted to this day. The result is a psychographic biography that explores the essential character of the royal family in a deeper and inspiring way.

This voluminous book includes nearly 200 black and white photographs, and also features a 56-page photo insert, of more than 80 high-quality images of the tsar and his family, all of which have been colourised by the acclaimed Russian artist Olga Shirnina (aka Klimbim), and appear here in print for the first time.

The Romanov Royal Martyrs: What Silence Could Not Conceal was my personal choice for Romanov Book of the Year in 2019. Click HERE to read my review, published on 18th November 2019.

***

The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II
Author: Greg King
Published in 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (US)
559 pages, illustrated

While a massive body of work has been devoted to the last of the Romanovs, The Court of the Last Tsar is the first book to examine the people, mysteries, traditions, scandals, rivalries, and riches that were part of everyday life during 22+ year reign of Nicholas II.

This richly illustrated volume includes 24-pages of colour photographs; more than 80 black-and-white photos; floor plans of the Winter Palace (St. Petersburg), the Alexander Palace (Tsarskoye Selo), the Grand Kremlin Palace (Moscow), among others.

King’s study draws on hundreds of previously unpublished primary sources, including memoirs, personal letters, diary entries, and official documents. His research invites you to experience dozens of extravagant ceremonies and entertainments attended by members of the Imperial Court, which numbered more than fifteen thousand individuals.

Chief among these, of course, was Nicholas II, Emperor and Tsar who ruled an empire that stretched over one-sixth of the earth’s land surface. His marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse in 1894 and their Coronation in 1896 are two of the most spectacular ceremonies described in this lavish volume.

The Court of the Last Tsar brings the people, places, and events of this doomed but unforgettable wonderland to vivid and sparkling life.

***

A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas and Alexandra, Their Own Story
Authors: Sergei Mironenko and Andrei Maylenas
Published in 1997 by Doubleday (US); Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (UK)
559 pages, illustrated.

These letters, most of which are published here for the first time, offer an intimate look at some of the most momentous events of the early 1900s, including Russia’s participation in World War I and the fall of the Romanov dynasty in the October 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Among the correspondents are Alexandra’s beloved but domineering grandmother, Queen Victoria of Great Britain, and Nicholas’ cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Most poignant, though, are the letters and diaries of the last Tsar and Tsarina, which stand as eloquent expressions of one of the great love affairs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A Lifelong Passion begins in 1884 with the couple’s first childhood meeting and chronicles their intense courtship and first joyful years of marriage. Their happiness, however, was not to last, as they were quickly overtaken by the forces of war and revolution. The discovery that their only son and heir Alexei was stricken with hemophilia opened the family to the formidable and perhaps malign influence of the monk Rasputin, whose gory death is here recounted by one of the murderers. Though unshaken in their love for one another, Nicholas and Alexandra could not hold their country together, and their story ends with a chilling account of their murder by the Bolshevik revolutionaries.

***

Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire
Author: Dominic Lieven
Published in 1993 by St. Martin’s Press (US); Pimlico (UK)
292 pages, illustrated

What is there new to say about Russia’s last monarch? Almost everything. Previous biographies have told of the shy family man, the father of the hemophiliac heir, the victim of the infamous murder at Ekaterinburg in 1918. This book provides new insights into those parts of the story, but it looks above all at Nicholas as political leader and emperor, as it portrays the Old Regime’s collapse and the origins of Bolshevik Russia in a way that will surprise readers.

Nicholas II was not stupid. Nor was he weak as is commonly thought. The dilemmas of ruling Russia were vast and contradictory, and it was an illusion to think that simply by agreeing to become a constitutional monarch Nicholas could have preserved his dynasty and empire. Drawing many eerie parallels to events unfolding in Russia today, Lieven shows that social and technological change had far outstripped the existing political and executive structures. Lieven argues that the inability of the Tsar and his government to recognize these growing anachronisms and to devise new systems constructively helped lead to the devastating chaos out of which the new order arose.

Drawing on his fifteen-year study of Imperial Russia and using archival material and other sources all over the world, Cambridge Research Professor Dominic Lieven shows that the downfall of both the Imperial and Soviet Regimes fit into a pattern of ongoing Russian history, one that bears close scrutiny if we are to understand the turmoil of the post-Cold War period.

***

OUT OF PRINT, BUT A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ!

Last Tsar: Nicholas II, His Reign and His Russia – 4 Volumes
Author: Sergei S. Oldenburg
Published in 1975 by Academic International Press (US)
228 pages (Vol. I), 315 pages (Vol. 2), 224 pages (Vol. 3), 356 pages (Vol. 4)

The 4-volume Last Tsar. Nicholas II, His Reign & His Russia by the noted Russian historian and journalist Sergei Sergeiivich Oldenburg (1888-1940), remains the most comprehensive English language study of Nicholas II to date. Originally published in 1939 in Russian, the first English edition was not published until 1975.

It is a major document in modern Russian historiography. The final contribution of a Russian nationalist historian, it provides uniquely sensitive insights into the character, personality, and policies of Russia’s last tsar. It has no rival as a political biography of Nicholas II and is without peer as a comprehensive history of his reign.

Click HERE to read my article about this highly sought after set and its’ author Sergei Sergeiivich Oldenburg

Video tour of the Museum of Emperor Nicholas II in Moscow

Posted on 5 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

CLICK on the image above to watch the VIDEO

Duration: 2 minutes, 57 seconds. Language: Russian

For English subtitles: please click on the closed captioning button [cc] and then use translate [i.e. Google]

NOTEl: at the beginning of the video, please note the bust of Emperor Nicholas II on a pedestal, situated to the left of the museum.

***

Situated in a quiet side street in the Basmanny district, situated in northeastern Moscow, is a small museum dedicated to Russia’s last Tsar. The Museum of Emperor Nicholas II, which is part of the Nicholas II Cultural Foundation was established in April 2018.

The Foundation was created to support the Museum of Emperor Nicholas II and his family, as well as other initiatives to restore and disseminate the historical truth about the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II.

Both the Foundation and the Museum were fojnded by the famous Russian art historian Alexander Vasilyevich Renzhin. It was during the 1990s that Renzhin began to collect, bit by bit, everything related to Emperor Nicholas II and his family. During that time, he managed to amass a collection of more than 3,000 authentic items which reflect on the private lives of the Imperial Family from 1868 to 1918.

The museum’s collection includes sacred relics and unique icons that belonged to the Imperial Family: church utensils; rare books; ceremonial portraits of Emperors Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II; more than 500 original photographs; authentic autographs; state documents; porcelain and glassware; personal items of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna; memorial items of the Romanov dynasty; a complete set of state awards established by Nicholas II; postcards; chromolithographs; engravings and much more.

Of particular note is unique memorabilia from the Holy Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II in May 1896: earthenware glasses and plates decorated with the coats of arms and monograms H II [Nicholas II] and AF [Alexandra Feodorovna], miraculously preserved fine crystal glasses with engravings and paintings, cups, plates and saucers from the service with the new coat of arms introduced in 1856.

In the spring of 2008, Renzhin donated his collection as a gift to the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery.

In February 2021, the Museum of Emperor Nicholas II was forced to close its doors, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the museum’s mounting debt of almost 9 million rubles (more than $13,000 USD) in arrears of rent.

A Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, and founder of the Tsargrad TV channel, came to the rescue by providing Renzhin’s rare collection with a new venue in which to display his vast collection. The Museum of Emperor Nicholas II re-opened in the Museum of Russian Art, the former manor house of Nikolai Eremeevich Struisky (1749-1796) – situated in Moscow’s historical district – on 10th February 2021.

FURTHER READING:

The Great Pilgrimage of Emperor Nicholas II in 1913 + VIDEO

Museum of Emperor Nicholas II in Moscow + VIDEO

Museum of Emperor Nicholas II re-opens in Moscow + PHOTOS

Tutor to Nicholas II reflects on his August student

Posted on 5 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

Portrait of Adjutant General Nikolai Nikolayevich Obruchev (1830–1904)
Artist: Nikolai Alexandrovich Yaroshenko (1846-1898)

Adjutant General Nikolai Nikolayevich Obruchev (1830–1904), tutor to Tsesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, reflects on the future Emperor Nicholas II

“Tsar Nicholas II was of average height – 5 feet and 7 inches (about 170 cm). His slender figure was impeccable in proportion to his build, shone with the exceptional elegance of his innate grace, which, combined with a military bearing, athletic perfection, and the gentle smoothness of the Sovereign’s movements, was the outward appearance of his Imperial majesty and Royal simplicity …

“The Tsar’s hair was golden-reddish in colour; somewhat darker than his always carefully trimmed, well-groomed beard. The features of his beautiful elongated face, which often shone with a charming smile, were his blue eyes. All who had the honour of ever seeing the Emperor up close, were struck by the bottomless depth of these wonderful eyes, in which, as in a mirror, his beautiful soul was reflected. His physical appearance was a worthy frame for his bright soul …

“I was always impressed with the mind and the wonderful spiritual qualities of my student and the ability of the Heir Tsesarevich to quickly grasp the essence of the subject being presented and his phenomenal memory. His English tutor said about his student: “He was very curious and diligent, causing even good-natured ridicule from others, and was overly keen on reading, spending most of his free time reading a book.” At the end of his education, the Heir Tsesarevich retained an interest in books throughout his life and continued to improve his knowledge by reading and talking with competent and outstanding people of his time and amazed them with his extensive knowledge on various subjects …”

The portrait of General N. N. Obruchev was painted in 1897 by the Russian artist of Ukrainian origin Nikolai Alexandrovich Yaroshenko (1846-1898)

After the revolution, the portrait of General Obruchev ended up in the collection of the Pavlovsk Palace Museum. In 1966, it was transferred to the N. A. Yaroshenko Memorial Museum-Estate in Kislovodsk.

***

CLICK HERE TO REVIEW THE CATALOGUE

Cross procession in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs held in Ekaterinburg

Posted on 6 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: “Transfer of the Romanov family to the Ural Soviet”. 1927. Artist Vladimir Nikolaevich Pchelin (1869-1941). From the Collection of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in Ekaterinburg.

On 30th April 2024, a Cross Procession along the “Path of Sorrows” honouring the memory of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and their daughter Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna was held in Ekaterinburg. The day marked the 106th anniversary of their arrival in the Ural capital from Tobolsk.

Accompanying them were a number of servants: Dr. Evgeny (Eugene) Sergeyevich Botkin, Prince Vasily Alexandrovich Dolgorukov, maid Anna Stepanovna Demidova, valet Terentiy Ivanovich Chemodurov and boatswain Ivan Dmitrievich Sednev.

Every year on this day, the Ekaterinburg Diocese prayerfully celebrate the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs. In churches, prayers are made to the Holy Imperial Family, and people also honour them by taking part in the Cross Procession along the “Ekaterinburg’s Path of Sorrow”, to the places associated with them on the day of their arrival in the Ural capital.

The clergy of the Ekaterinburg Diocese lead the Cross Procession along the “Ekaterinburg Cross Procession”, they are joined by Orthodox Christians, monarchists and other adherent’s to the last Tsar and his family. Together they prayfully walk the Path of Sorrows, walking in the footsteps of the Tsar, his family and their faithful servants, expressing their love and reverence for them.

The “Ekaterinburg Path of Sorrows” begin at the place where Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna disembarked from the train on 30th April 1918. Here, near the Shartash Railway Station (in 1918 – Yekaterinburg-II Station), a Memorial Cross and foundation stone were installed. A church in honour of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, one of the three miraculous icons that appeared during the reign of Nicholas II, will be constructed on this site.

The Cross Procession then proceeds along Vostochnaya Street, where the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Port Arthur” was erected at the intersection with Shevchenko Street. Here, according to the historical version, on 23rd May 1918, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia Nikolaevna arrived by train, placed under arrest, and then taken to the Ipatiev’s House.

In 2008, a memorial stone was laid at the site, and in 2017, the construction of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Port Arthur” was completed, the consecration of the church was performed by Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.

Not far from the railway station, in Nevyansky Lane, stands the Church in Honour of the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God. It was consecrated in 2011 by Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye. In 1918, the Yekaterinburg-I Station was located here, and it was here on 30th April 1918, that the train carrying the Tsar, his family and their servants stood for several hours. An angry mob had gathered at the station, forcing the train to travel to the Yekaterinburg-II Station.

PHOTO: view if the mosaic panel depicting the Holy Royal Martyrs, situated in the Imperial Room, a side-chapel located in the Lower Church of the Church on the Blood

The Cross Procession along the Path of Sorrows ends at the Church on the Blood on Tsarskaya Street. The Memorial Church was constructed on the site of the Ipatiev House, demolished in 1977. It was here, in the early morning hours of 17tj July 1918, that the Imperial Family and four faithful servants met their violent deaths at the hands of a firing squad and their martyrdom. Situted in the Lower Church there is the “Tsar’s Room” aka as “The Imperial Room” – the altar of the side-chapel in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs, which was erected on the site of the murder room, with the blessing of Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye for the Tsar’s Days 2018.

My efforts to clear the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar – Paul Gilbert

Posted on 11 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

During the month of May, we celebrate the anniversaries of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace on 19th May (O.S. 6th May) 1868, and the Holy Coronation of Nicholas II in Moscow on 27 May (O.S. 14 May) 1896.

In recognition of these historic events, I am reaching out to friends and followers for donations to help support me in my research on the life and reign of Nicholas II, and my personal mission to clear the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar.

There are many web sites, blogs and social media pages dedicated to the Romanovs. However, Despite the fact that I am now retired, I continue to work very hard searching Russian archival and media sources to bring something new to the table every day. This includes First English translations of articles researched by a new generation of Russian historians; news on the Romanovs, their palaces, exhibitions, etc; + photos, videos and more.

Your donation helps support my research, the cost of translations, maintenance of my news blog Nicholas II. Emperor. Tsar. Saint, and the organization and promotion of Romanov themed events, such as the 1st International Nicholas II Conference.

If you enjoy all the articles, news, photos, and videos which I personally research, write and share, please help support my work in the coming year ahead by making a donation.

Click HERE to make a donation in US Dollars by CREDIT CARD or PAYPAL

Donations as little as $5 are much appreciated, and there is NO obligation!

Thank you for your consideration.

Another way that you can support my work, is by purchasing my semi-annual periodical SOVEREIGN, which features articles on the life and reign of Nicholas II, his family and the history of Imperial Russia. The articles featured in each issue are based on new research from Russian media and archival sources. The No. 12 Winter 2024 issue includes 17 articles, 130 pages. 114 Black & White photos. Price: $20 USD.

Click on the link below to review a list of the 17 articles featured in this issue, and to order your copy from AMAZON:

CLICK HERE for more details and to order SOVEREIGN No. 12 Winter 2024 issue

*Please note that the No. 13 Summer 2024 issue will be available in July 2024

On this day – Nicholas II embarks on his final journey

Posted on 16 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
and their daughter Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna

Today – 26th (O.S. 13th) April 1918 – marks the 106th anniversary of the transfer of members of the Russian Imperial Family from Tobolsk to Ekaterinburg. It was on this day, that they embarked on their final journey to Golgotha.

Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, along with their daughter Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna departed Tobolsk for Ekaterinburg. They were accompanied by several members of their retinue. Together, they would be imprisoned in the Ipatiev House, and subsequently murdered in the early morning hours of 17th July 1918. There were no survivors.

In the early morning hours of 26th (O.S. 13th) April 1918 they departed Tobolsk under the escort of Vasily Yakovlev’s detachment, which comprised of a convoy of nineteen tarantasses (four-wheeled carriages). Yakovlev was acting on order from the Bolshevik leadership to “deliver Nicholas II to the red capital of the Urals” – Ekaterinburg.

PHOTO: A very sad photo . . . the tarantasses which transported Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna from Tobolsk to Tyumen, and then by train to Ekaterinburg. This photo was hastily shot by Charles Sydney Gibbes from the window of the Governor’s Mansion on the morning of 26th (O.S. 13th) April 1918.

As Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich was very ill, he remained in Tobolsk, with his three sisters Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia, as well as Pierre Gilliard, Charles Sydney Gibbes and other members of the family’s retinue. They reunited with their parents and sister in Ekaterinburg the following month.

From the diary of the Tsar that day: “At 4 o’clock in the morning we said goodbye to our dear children and climbed into the tarantases. The weather was cold, with an unpleasant wind, the road was very rough with terrible jolts from a seized-up wheel.”

Update on the restoration of the Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo

Posted on 26 Days Ago by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: the Imperial Railway Pavilion [aka as the The Tsar’s Train Station] at Tsarskoye Selo and it’s architect Vladimir Aleksandrovich Pokrovsky (1871-1931)

NOTE: links to other interesting articles are highligted in red below – PG

Further to my August 2023 announcement that the Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo would be restored, I am pleased to provide the following update, which includes photos [taken in March 2024] of the progress being made on this important historic project, one which is closely connected to Emperor Nicholas II.

The building is currently hidden under scaffolding and outdoor construction hoarding, as experts carry out the restoration of the facade, it’s historic elements and install a new roof. This work can be seen in the photos published in this article, all of which were taken a few weeks ago.

The Imperial Railway Pavilion [aka as the Tsar’s Train Station] is a registered cultural heritage site of federal significance, an act which saved the building from destruction. Despite the fact that the building has not been used since the 1930s, it has been preserved in fairly good condition. The unique building will be restored to its original. In addition to the building itself, the 200-meter passenger platform and canopy will be reconstructed and the unique paintings which once decorated the walls and ceilings of the interior, and which have been partially revealed by restorers, will be revived.

The next stage, after a detailed study, will be the design, and then the restoration. The concept of using the building as a museum after the completion of the work will also be worked out.

The restoration work on the Imperial Railway Pavilion is part of a comprehensive development proect which includes the nearby Feodorovsky Gorodok, and other buildings to their original pre-revolutionary look.

The original wooden Imperial Railway Pavilion and the covered platform were constructed in 1895. They were intended to receive Imperial Trains arriving at Tsarskoye Selo through the Aleksandrovskaya Station, which is situated north of the pavilion on the St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway line.

On 25th January 1911, the wooden station was destroyed by fire. It was decided to erect a new stone building on the same site by the architect Vladimir Aleksandrovich Pokrovsky (1871-1931) with the participation of a graduate of the Academy of Arts Mikhail Ivanovich Kurilko (1880-1969).

The new pavilion was designed in the Neo-Russian Style beloved by Nicholas II. The Fepdorovsky Gorodok, the Feodorovsky Sovereign Cathedral, the Sovereign’s Martial Chamber, and the barracks of His Majesty’s Own Convoy were all built in the same style. Together, they form an architectural ensemble in which motifs of ancient Russian architecture were used. In addition, the planning and design of the Imperial Railwat Pavilion was influenced by the Imperial Railway Station, which has survived to this day at the Vitebsky Railway Station in St. Petersburg.

The front part of the building consists of three halls. In the center there is a square lobby with a front porch, large enough to accomodate automobiles and carriages. The halls on the sides of the vestibule were intended for the Emperor and his retinue: on the south side was the Tsar’s Hall, on the north side – the Retinue Hall. A metal canopy was built above the platform and tracks, adjacent to the eastern façade of the station.

Paintings became an unusual decoration of the walls and ceilings of the building’s interior. They were made using a tempera-glue technique on plaster. A unique painting has been partially preserved [see photo below] to this day, which will allow experts to restore it in full to its original.

During the First World War of 1914-1917, the Imperial Railway Pavilion was used to receive wounded Russian soldiers, who were transferred to the hospital established by the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the Feodorovsky Gorodok. And after the Revolution of 1917, it was renamed the Uritsky Pavilion and was used as a dormitory for workers of the Track Repair of the Mechanical Plant.

The Tsarist emblems were removed from the building’s facade, and the ceremonial halls were divided by walls. The building began to lose its former grandeur and ceremonial appearance: the porch was adapted for the kitchen, furniture, lamps, objects of decorative and applied art were lost.

Now in the 21st century, a new life awaits the former Imperial Railway Pavilion. Following completion of the reconstruction of the building and restoration of the interiors, the Board of Trustees of the Tsarskoye Selo Station Foundation, will discuss proposals for the future use of the building.

The Last Tsar: The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs

Posted on April 6 by Paul Gilbert

Below, is the publisher’s summary of the forthcoming title The Last Tsar: The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, to be published in December 2024. Please take a moment to read my personal comments which follow – PG

***

When Tsar Nicholas II fell from power in 1917, Imperial Russia faced a series of overlapping crises, from war to social unrest. Though Nicholas’s life is often described as tragic, it was not fate that doomed the Romanovs—it was poor leadership and a blinkered faith in autocracy.

Based on a trove of new archival discoveries, The Last Tsar narrates how Nicholas’s resistance to reform doomed the monarchy. Encompassing the captivating personalities of the era—the bumbling Nicholas, his spiteful wife Alexandra, the family’s faith healer Rasputin—it untangles the dramatic struggle by Russia’s aristocratic, military, and legislative elite to reform the monarchy. By rejecting compromise, Nicholas undermined his supporters at crucial moments. His blunders cleared the way for all-out civil war and the eventual rise of the Soviet Union.

Definitive and engrossing, The Last Tsar uncovers how Nicholas II stumbled into revolution, taking his family, the Romanov dynasty, and the whole Russian Empire down with him.

About the Author

Tsuyoshi Hasegawa is professor emeritus in history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The award-winning author of many books on Russian history, World War II, and the Cold War, he lives in Santa Barbara, California.

A few comments on the publisher’s summary

Based on the above summary, one can only presume that this new book will be yet another negative assessment of the Holy Tsar Nicholas II.

Hasadawa makes radical claims, but nothing we haven’t heard or read before. For instance, he states that it was “poor leadership and a blinkered faith in autocracy” which “doomed the Romanovs” . . . and that “by rejecting compromise, Nicholas undermined his supporters at crucial moments” . . . and that, “his blunders cleared the way for all-out civil war and the eventual rise of the Soviet Union”.

Such broad accusations, putting the blame at the feet of one man during some of the most difficult times of his reign, are simply not a fair assessment. One man cannot be held responsible for civil unrest, revolutionary activity, war, revolution, etc. There were so many different elements at play which led to the end of the monarchy and Tsarist Russia.

Nicholas II was surrounded by enemies, including self-serving ministers, generals and even members of his own family. Worst of all, were the various revolutionary groups, who did not want a “constitutional monarchy”, but a new world order. Just look at what replaced the monarchy in Russia in early 1917: the Provisional Government, led by Alexander Kerensky. The enemies of the Tsar blindly followed Kerensky and his cronies towards the abyss, until October 1917, when the Bolsheviks seized power, ushering in decades of totalitarianism, terror, and destruction of the old order.

Hasadawa then goes on to claim that Nicholas’s resistance to reform “doomed the monarchy”. What utter nonsense! More than a century after the fact, it is so easy to criticize or cast judgement on why “did” the Tsar do this, or why “didn’t” he do that? Hindsight is always 20/20. Nicholas II carried out many reforms during his 22+year reign, however, these are often ignored or overlooked by academically lazy historians. In addition, any reforms of a 1000 year old autocratic system would have to come slowly and with great care.

The author then resorts to insults. He refers to Nicholas as “bumbling” , so it will be interesting to read how Hasadawa explains just how the Tsar was “bumbling”. Then he insults Empress Alexandra Feodorovna as “spiteful”. Alix spiteful? Really? He then goes on to refer to Rasputin as “the family faither healer”, which is incorrect. Rasputin was a strannik, meaning a holy wanderer, or pilgrim.

The publisher claims that this new book is based on “on a trove of new archival discoveries”. I for one am intrigued, and looking forward to reading these “discoveries” Did the author actually travel to Russia and carry out research in the Russian archives? Did he meet with and interview his Russian peers for perhaps, a more balanced understanding of history from a Russian perspective? We shall have to wait and see.

I will be anxious to see if Hasadawa will touch on the many reforms and accomplishments made by Nicholas, and while discussing the Tsar’s abdication, will he even dare touch on the fact that the abdication was in fact an illegal coup?

Back in 2018, I remember prematurely balking at reading The Last of the Tsars: Nicholas II and the Russian Revolution by British historian and author Robert Service. I did this simply because the author was a Sovietologist, anticipating that the entire book would be an all out attack on Nicholas II. I was wrong. There is no question, that Service is not a fan of the last Tsar, but as it turned out, the book was one of the most interesting I had read in many years. Service writes about the last 18 months of the life of the Tsar, presenting many new facts and much new information, primarily from Russian archival sources. Therefore, I feel it necessary to afford Hasadawa the same courtesy. I have already pre-ordered a copy from Amazon, and look forward to reading it in due course.

Unique historical poster documents 1896 Coronation of Nicholas II

Posted on April 5 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: poster announcing the Holy Coronation of Nicholas II, 1896

An interesting historical document – a poster announcing the Holy Coronation of Nicholas II – is currently on display in the Holy Places for Russian Culture exhibition at the Izborsk State Historical Architectural Museum in the Pskov region.

The poster was printed by the thousands and posted in cities, towns and villages in all provinces throughout the Russian Empire. The poster on display in the exhibition was discovered in the 1960s, and donated to the museum’s collection.

Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were solemnly crowned on 27th (O.S. 14th) May 1896, in the Assumption Cathedral [aka the Cathedral of the Dormition or Uspensky Sobor] of the Moscow Kremlin.

The coronation was preceded by a number of events. On 14th (O.S. 1st) January 1896, a manifesto “On the Forthcoming Holy Coronation of Their Imperial Majesties” was issued, according to which the ceremony was to take place in Moscow in May of the same year.

PHOTO: detial of the poster announcing the Holy Coronation of Nicholas II, 1896

The dates 7th May to 27th May 1896, were declared the coronation period. Orders for preparations for the celebrations were entrusted to the Minister of the Imperial Court, Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (1837-1916). A special coronation detachment consisting of 82 battalions, 36 squadrons, and 28 batteries was formed under the command of Nicholas II’s uncle Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (1847-1909).

A special telegraph station with 150 lines was set up in the Kremlin, linking all the foreign embassies.

The coronation itself, as noted by contemporaries who attended the event, surpassed all previous coronations in terms of magnificence. On the day of the coronation in St. Petersburg, Divine Liturgies and thanksgiving molebens were served in every church.

PHOTO: silver commemorative medal
“In Memory of the Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II”

A commemorative medal “In Memory of the Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II” was minted. It was awarded to all civil servants, military personnel and individuals who took active part in the preparation of the ceremonies of the coronation. At a later date, the award was also bestowed upon women who had actively assisted in the preparation of the ceremony.

FURTHER READING

COLOUR photos of the Coronation of Nicholas II + PHOTOS

Filming the Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II in 1896 + PHOTOS and VIDEO

1896 Coronation uniform of Emperor Nicholas II + PHOTOS

Russia’s only church built in honour of Nicholas II’s Coronation + PHOTOS

The myth of Nicholas II’s indifference to the Khodynka tragedy + PHOTOS

THOSE WHO SERVED THE TSAR: Vladimir Nikolaevich Voeikov (1868-1947)

Posted on April 4 by Paul Gilbert

Major General Vladimir Nikolaevich Voeikov (1868-1947)

Vladimir Nikolaevich Voeikov (1868-1947) was a member of His Imperial Majesty’s Retinue, and served as Palace Commandant from 1913 to 1917. He was one of the most trusted associates of Emperor Nicholas II.

Vladimir was born in Tsarskoye Selo on 15th (O.S. 2nd) August 1868, to the family of cavalry general Nikolai Vasilievich Voeikov (1832-1898) and Princess Varvara Vladimirovna Dolgorukova (1840-1909), daughter of the Moscow Governor-General Vladimir Andreevich Dolgorukov (1810-1891).

He was educated in the Corps of Pages, after which, on 7th August 1887, he was released as a cornet in the Chevalier Guard Regiment.

In 1894, he married Eugenia Vladimirovna Frederiks (1867-1950), a maid of honour at the Russian Imperial Court (1890); and the eldest daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Court Vladimir Fredericks (1838-1927). In society, everyone called her Nina. The couple had no children.

PHOTO: Minister of the Imperial Court Vladimir Fredericks (left), with his son-in-law Vladimir Voeikov (right), Livadia 1914

Vladimir Voeikov enjoyed a successful and prestigious career, in which he received numerous promotions. In August 1891, he was appointed lieutenant, from April 1898 as headquarters captain and from May 1901 he was promoted to the rank of captain. He served as squadron commander for 5 years and 1 month, then as head of the education school for 5 years and 6 months.

From November 1905, he served as assistant commander of the Chevalier Guard Regiment, and in December 1905, he was promoted to colonel. In 1906 he was appointed adjutant wing to His Imperial Majesty.

From August 1907, Vladimir served as Commander of His Majesty’s Life Guards Hussar Regiment. In December 1909, Emperor Nicholas II promoted him to the position of major general and enrollment in His Imperial Majesty’s retinue.

Upon the birth of the Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich (1904-1918), Voeikov was named godfather to the Emperor’s only son and heir. In 1910 Vladimir began the construction of a summer residence for his godson, located on his estate, located in the Penza region.

PHOTO: after decades of neglect by its Soviet caretakers, Vladimir Voeikov’s unfinished palace for his godson Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, today lies in ruins

The general plan of the estate initially consisted of three buildings (palace, a secondary building, and stables). The palace was designed in the style of an Italian villa, which included a park with rare trees and fountains. The palace consisted of two stories high, made in the neoclassical style, with a rotunda, surrounded by a balustrade and sloping stairs which led to the front entrance.

In 1917, the still unfinished palace was nationalized and placed at the disposal of the local Soviets, who used the building for a variety of purposes up until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The building has survived to the present day, however, it is in a terrible state of disrepair, despite the fact that the palace is recognized as a monument of history and culture of regional significance.

After the formation of the Russian Olympic Committee in 1912, Vladimir Voikov was elected its honorary chairmanm on 24th December 1913.

In 1913, Voeikov founded a mineral water bottling plant on his Kuvaka estate in the Penza region, with an annual production of 100 thousand bottles of water. The Voeikov estate was located on the territory of the modern city of Kamenka (Penza region) . During the war, Vladimir won a contract for the supply of his mineral water to the front and to hospitals.

PHOTO: in happier times, Vladimir and his wife Eugenia, wearing 17th century dress for the Costume Ball, held in February 1903, at the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg

During the February Revolution, Vladimir was arrested, kept under arrest, first in the Tauride Palace, then in the Peter and Paul Fortress in Petrograd, where he was interrogated by the Extraordinary Investigative Commission of the Provisional Government. He was subsequently released, but in the summer of 1918, under the threat of arrest by the Bolsheviks, he hid in the hospital of St. Panteleimon for the mentally ill, from where he kept in touch with his relatives.

In September 1918, having learned about the arrest of his wife, he fled to the Crimea , from where he went into exile, first to Romania, and then to Finland, where he lived at Dr. Botkin’s dacha in Terijoki (Terijoki), now Zelenogorsk. After leaving Finland, Voeikov moved to Sweden. During his years in exile, Voeikov wrote his memoirs С царем и без царя / With the Tsar and Without the Tsar [see below], published in in Helsinki in Russian in 1936.

In June 1919, during the offensive of General N. N. Yudenich on Petrograd, Vladimir’s wife Eugenia was arrested and transported to Moscow. She was held in a concentration camp in the Ivanovsky Monastery. [situated in central Moscow, inside the Boulevard Ring, to the west of Kitai-gorod]. In 1925 she received permission to leave the USSR, whereupon she moved to Finland with her father and sister. From 1939 she lived with her husband in Helsinki. In 1946 they moved to Sweden and settled in Danderyd.

Vladimir Voeikov died on 8th October 1947, and was buried in a local cemetery in the town of Djursholm, situated in the suburbs of Stockholm. Eugenia died in 1950 and was buried next to her husband. Later, their remains were reburied at the Kauniainen City Cemetery, in the same grave of Count Vladimir Fredericks – who died in 1927.

PHOTO: the proposed cover of the English translation, features this photo of Emperor Nicholas II and Vladimir Voeikov at the Stavka, the headquarters of the Russian Imperial Army, in Mogilev. 1915-1916

I am currently in the process of having WITH THE TSAR AND WITHOUT THE TSAR by Major General Vladimir Nikolaevich Voeikov (1868-1947), translated from Russian to English.

Originally published in Russian in 1936, this will be the first English translation of the sad but captivating story, about the man who, from 1913-1917, served as the last palace commandant to Emperor Nicholas II. Voeikov was the son-in-law of the Minister of the Imperial Court Vladimir Borisovich Frederiks (1838-1927). He was one of the few men at Court, who remained faithful to the Tsar.

His memoirs describe the events the February and October 1917 revolutions and their consequences for the Russian Empire and the Tsar; foreign policy intrigues and the chain of events that led to the First World War and Russia’s participation in it; Court vanity and envy; the private lives of the Tsar and his family at Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo and Livadia; and Voeikov’s ordeals as he fled Bolshevik Russia.

Translations are very costly – this book is 330 pages – which is why I am reaching out to those who share an interest in the life and reign of Nicholas II.

Please consider making a donation to help fund the translation of Voeikov’s memoirs, a very important historical record on the life and reign of Russia’s much slandered Tsar.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION

Thank you for your consideration