Nicholas II | Nicholas II

Efforts to locate the remains of Nicholas II and his family during the Brezhnev era

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Nikolai Anisimovich Shchelokov (1910-1984)

Nikolai Anisimovich Shchelokov (1910-1984) was a Soviet statesman. From 1966 to 1982 he served as Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1931 to 1984, and member of the Central Committee of the CPSU from 1968 to 1983.

Shchelokov was the first person who began the search for the remains of Emperor Nicholas II and his family. When asked about the initiative, Shchelokov told the film director, screenwriter, acclaimed author Geliy Trofimovich Ryabov (1932-2015): “We, as Russian people, must fulfill our duty and find the remains of the Tsar”. Shchelokov ordered the head of the Sverdlovsk Internal Affairs Directorate for their full cooperation in the search.

What made the representative of the highest echelon of Soviet power, who had been building communism all his life, deviate so radically from the general line of the party and make every effort to resurrect one of the darkest pages of early 20th century Russian history?

PHOTO: Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1906-1982)

Acquaintance with Leonid Brezhnev

Born on 13th November 1910 in the family of a metallurgist, Nikolay Shchelokov got his first job as a horseman in a mine at the age of 16, and at the same time received a higher education at the Dnepropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute.

After spending a year at the Dnepropetrovsk Metallurgical Plant, Nikolay Shchelokov was elected 1st Secretary of the Krasnogvardeysky District Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine in Dnepropetrovsk. It was during the years 1938-39 that he first met with Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1906-1982), who later took the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and persuaded his old acquaintance to move to Moscow and head the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Nikolai Anisimovich received this offer in 1966, and before that he managed to become a participant in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45), after which he was appointed to the post of executive secretary of the party commission at the political department of the Carpathian Military District, where Leonid Brezhnev served as the head.

From August 1946, Shchelokov held a position in the Ministry of Industry of the Ukrainian ASSR, worked in the apparatus of the Communist Party of the same republic, and in 1951 he was sent to the Moldavian ASSR, where he rose to the post of second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.

In Moscow

Having lured the energetic leader to Moscow, Brezhnev set him the task of reviving the Ministry of Internal Affairs abolished in 1960 by Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (1894-1971).

His mandate was to restore the fallen authority of the police in Soviet society To do this, among other things, he used the power of art. It was during this period that many detective stories appeared in bookshelves, where law enforcement officers where depicted to the reader in a positive light, and films about the daily exploits of ordinary employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were released on cinema screens.

Shchelokov coped with the duties assigned to him brilliantly, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor of the USSR.

PHOTO: Nikolai Shchelokov with his daughter Irina Shchelokova

Friendship with dissidents

An interesting fact about Nikolai Anisimovich was his open friendship with dissidents who had liberal and monarchist views.

Among the disgraced personalities with whom he had warm relations were the musician Mstislav Rostropovich, the singer Galina Vishnevskaya, the writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the artist Ilya Glazunov, and Archbishop Pimen of Saratov and Volsk.

Perhaps it was after communicating with them that Shchelokov had the idea to find the remains of the murdered Imperial Family and bury them according to the Christian rite.

According to the memoirs of Irina Shchelokova (d. 2021), the daughter of the Minister of Internal Affairs, her father could not be convicted of dissent. She explained his interest in the last Tsar and his family by his high level of erudition, a keen sense of justice, as well as the fact that her father got hold of materials -which were classified at the time – regarding the investigation of the circumstances of the death of Nicholas II and his family.

At the same time, Boris Konstantinovich Golikov, an assistant to Shchelokov, believed that his boss became obsessed with the idea of finding the remains of the Romanovs after a meeting with a former NKVD officer, a certain “Snegov”. The latter was taken into custody in the 1930s and sat in the same cell with a prisoner who participated in the burial of the bodies of the Imperial Family in July 1918. Subsequently, this man was shot, but he managed to tell “Snegov” about the burial place of the remains, which the latter later told Shchelokov, and even handed him a hand-drawn map.

PHOTO: Geliy Trofimovich Ryabov (1932-2015)

Help for filmmakers

To implement his plan to find the remains of the Romanovs, Nikolai Anisimovich sought the help of Geliy Ryabov, co-author of the book “Born by the Revolution”.

According to Ryabov’s memoirs, who held the position of consultant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on cultural issues, in 1976, he was supposed to visit Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinburg) on a working trip. Before embarking on his journey, he was summoned by Shchelokov and casually told that not so long ago he had visited the Ipatiev House, where the Imperial Family had been murdered by the Ural Soviet (Bolsheviks) on 17th July 1918. He communicated this information to Ryabov in the hope of getting him interested in the case and was not mistaken.

The writer, having arrived in the capital of the Urals, also wanted to visit the site where the Tsar and his family had been murdered, and somehow without any problems received the appropriate permission. After making a tour of the house, Ryabov was inspired by the idea of finding the remains of Nicholas II and his family.

Returning to Moscow, Ryabov turned to Shchelokov with a request for assistance in this dangerous assignment. The delighted Minister of Internal Affairs contacted Leonid Brezhnev and asked him to provide Ryabov with access to the “Tsar’s Archive”.

A month later, the Secretary General gave his go-ahead, and Ryabov plunged headlong into the study of classified documents, trying to find at least some clue.

As a result, his efforts were crowned with success aftern he discovered the “Yurovsky Note” – written by the commandant of the Ipatiev House and chief executioner of the the Imperial Family, which contained the coordinates of the burial place of the bodies of the Tsar and his family.

Having provided Ryabov with accurate topographic maps of the area, and having organized his protection and unhindered work, Shchelokov began to wait for news of the investigation. On 1st June 1979, Geliy Trofimovich and geologist Alexander Avdonin, who helped him in the search, found the sought-after remains.

However, Shchelokov did not manage to organize a dignified reburial of the Imperial Family’s remains, he was forced to abandon his search by a discrediting campaign that began against him.

Alternate versions

At was at this time, that several more interpretations of why the Minister of Internal Affairs abandoned the search for the remains of the Imperial Family.

Some researchers argued that he did not act on his own, but carried out the order of higher authorities who wanted to find and destroy the bones of the murdered Imperial Family.

Other theories included an outrageous claim insisting that Shchelokov wanted a royal burial in order to find and remove any jewelry from the gravesite.

Even more ridiculous was from Igor Bunich’s work of fiction “The Tale of Lawlessness, or the Syndrome of Nicholas II” a hypothesis is put forward that Shchelokov launched a search for the remains of the Romanovs in order to secretly sell them to the West. The buyer was allegedly a certain monarchical structure associated with the British Royal Family. For the deal, the Home Secretary was allegedly offered £200,000, of which £30,000 was given to him as an advance and spent by him on the organization of the search operations.

It was not until 1991, that the remains of Emperor Nicholas II and his family were exhumed and later buried in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg on 17th July 1998.

Caucasian sword belonging to Nicholas II to be auctioned in London

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

Despite Western sanctions against Russia, which include the cancelation of all cultural exchanges [i.e. exhibitions, auctions, etc.], works of Imperial Russian art continue to break records at British, American and French auctions. Paintings by Aivazovsky, Vereshchagin and Repin, luxurious pieces of jewelry made by Fabergé, find their new buyers. Despite the political chaos, the antique market continues to thrive.

On 13th July 2024, a unique Caucasian shashka, which, according to researchers belonged to Emperor Nicholas II, will be sold at the Apollo Art Auctions in London,

The extremely fine-quality Caucasian shashka given to Nicholas II, when he was Tsesarevich (heir apparent). Research suggests the saber was presented to Nicholas during a tour of the Caucasus with his father Emperor Alexander III, in 1888. An Arabic inscription in gold on the blade translates to: (M)ay the dominance of the owner of this sword grow, and his life, and his greatness, and may Allah bless his family, and he will achieve his goal.

It is also monogrammed with the Cyrillic letters “HA” – “NA” in English – (for Nicholas Alexandrovich), surrounded by a golden laurel and surmounted by the Imperial Russian Crown. Its wonderfully-decorated scabbard bears a calligraphic Arabic inscription that would be the equivalent of a European maker’s mark. Translated, it says “Abdullah worked.”

Held in consecutive European private collections, including the Eugene Mollo collection (Switzerland), it is the first royal sword ever to be offered for public sale. It requires an opening bid of £1,200,000 ($1,516,300 USD).

Photos provided in this post are courtesy of the Apollo Art Auctions

New museum dedicated to Nicholas II to be built in Mogilev

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II reviews his troops on the square in front
of General Headquarters in Mogliev during the First World War

A new museum complex is to be constructed in Mogliev, situated in eastern Belarus, about 76 kilometres (47 miles) from the Russian border. The complex will be built on a hill in Gorky Park, next to the Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers – the family of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, who were canonized as saints in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), and in 2000 as passion-bearers by the Moscow Patriachate.

On 8th August 1915, the Headquarters (Stavka) of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Empire was transferred from Baranovichi to Mogilev. From August 1915 to March 1917, Emperor Nicholas II, served as Commander-in-Chief[1].

The Tsar travelled back and forth on the Imperial Train, from Tsarskoye Selo to Mogilev, where he settled in the Governor’s House, situated on Gubernatorskaya Square. He was often accompanied by his son and heir Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich.

The new museum will be dedicated to the events of the early 20th century: the First World War, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, the stay of of Emperor Nicholas II in Mogliev, the Knights of St. George, and the February Revolution of 1917.

The timing of the project has yet to be announced, however, the following architectural drawings gives us a first glimpse of the museum complex. As you can see, the building complements that of the adjoining Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers:

NOTES:

[1] On 5th September (O.S. 23rd August) 1915, Emperor Nicholas II assumed personal command of the Russian Imperial Army, after dismissing his cousin, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich (1856-1929) from the post.

NEW BOOK – Sovereign No. 13 (Summer 2024)

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

*You can order this title from most AMAZON outlets, including
the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia,
France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Japan
*Note: prices are quoted in local currencies

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE PAPERBACK EDITION @ $20.00 USD

English. Large format 8-1/2″ x 11-1/2″. 130 pages. 132 Black & White photos

The No. 13 Summer 2024 issue of SOVEREIGN, features 20 articles about Russia’s last Tsar, his family, the Romanov dynasty and the history of Imperial Russia. These articles have been researched and written by independent historian and author Paul Gilbert. His works are based on new research from Russian archival and media sources.

In an effort to preserve his 30+ years of hard work, the author has reproduced a selection of the nearly 800 articles he has written for his blog in a printed format for the first time. The author has updated many of these articles with new facts and photos. In addition, this issue includes new works translated from Russian, and published in English for the first time.

The No. 13 issue, features 20 articles, richly illustrated with more than 130 photographs, English text. Many of the following articles have been reproduced from the author’s blog, and presented in a printed format for the very first time:

[1] Imperial Yacht Standart: Nicholas II’s palace on the sea

[2] The Soviet Navy’s use of the Imperial Yacht Standart during the Great Patriotic War

[3] Nicholas II, Wilhelm II and the 1905 Treaty of Bjorkö

[4] Traitors or Heroes? Nicholas II’s officers During the Great Patriotic War 1941-45

[5] Lost architectural monuments of the Moscow Kremlin

[6] Nicholas II attends opening of a sanatorium in Alupka, 1913

[7] Nicholas II and the Boy Scout Movement in Russia

[8] Update on the restoration of the Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo

[9] Healthcare reform under Nicholas II

[10] “Judge not, lest ye be judged” —In defence of the last Russian Empress

[11] The Veneration of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

[12] Nicholas II’s personal battle with typhoid in 1900

[13] Nicholas II records his memories of Pascha (Easter)

[14] On this day – 26th (O.S. 13th) April 1918 Nicholas II makes his final journey

[15] Nicholas II’s grave was an “open secret” in 1920s Soviet Russia

[16] Two new bust-monuments of Nicholas II Installed in Russia

[17] The Imperial Route: In the Footsteps of Nicholas II

[18] The myth that Nicholas II’s death was met with indifference by the Russian people

[19] The Romanovs in the Urals Ekaterinburg

[20] Putin’s negative assessment of Nicholas II

SOVEREIGN No. 12 (Winter 2024) – published January 2024

NOTE: The No. 14 issue of Sovereign is scheduled for publication in December 2024

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#1 NEW RELEASE in AMAZON’S RUSSIAN HISTORY

On 14th June, less than 24 hours of its release on AMAZON, the No. 13 issue of SOVEREIGN was the ‘#1 NEW RELEASE in the RUSSIAN HISTORY‘ category!

THANK YOU to every one for supporting this important publishing project.

Léopold Bernstam’s busts of Nicholas and Alexandra (1895)

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Biscuit Porcelain Busts of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. by the famous Russian sculptor Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam (1859-1939). From the Collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petesburg.

Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam was born to a Jewish family in Riga, on 20th April 1859. At the age of 13, he studied under the famous Danish-Russian sculptor David Ivanovich Jensen (1816-1902). The following year, at the age of 14, Bernstam entered the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, where he earned several awards.

From 1885 he lived in Paris where he worked as a sculptor at the Grévin Museum. He is credited with being the author of some 300 sculptures in his lifetime, including at least 5 monuments to Emperor Peter I of Russia.

In the early 1880s he temporarily moved to Russia, where he made about 30 busts of celebrated Russians, including authors, playwright and composers. In 1885 he settled in Paris, often returning to St. Petersburg.

PHOTO: Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam (1859-1939)

In 1895 Léopold Bernstam received a commission to create portrait busts of members of the Imperial Family. Among them was the new Tsar and Tsarina, who were crowned in Moscow in May 1896.

In his diary, dated 20th September and 21st, 1895, Nicholas II wrote: “… after breakfast spent more than an hour sitting for Bernstam…” and on 21st September: “sat for the sculptor again”.

At the beginning of 1896, Bernstrom was invited to Tsarskoye Selo, where he completed busts of several members of the Tsar’s family in less than three weeks. Among them were a pair of marble busts depicting the August Couple, which served as excellent models for mass-produced copies, which were installed in the lobbies or foyers of all government buildings, as well as educational charitable institutes, hospitals, etc.

Bernstam’s last work in St Petersburg was a bust of Emperor Alexander III, which was installed in 1914, in the garden of the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III [renamed State Russian Museum]. It was removed in 1918.

Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam died at the age of 79, on 22nd January 1939, in Menton (France), a town located on the Mediterranean Sea at the Franco-Italian border.

‘The Romanov Family Album’ exhibition opens in the Moscow District

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

On 19th May 2024 – the day marking the 156th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II – a new exhibition The Romanov Family Album, opened in the House of Scientists in Pushchino, a town in the Moscow region.

The highlight of the exhibition is a group of seven portraits of the Imperial Family, by the contemporary Russian artist and Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts Evgeny Schaeffer [b. 1954], who now lives in Germany.

According to Schaefer, “The Romanovs. Family Album exhibition, is not just a collection of paintings and photographs, it is an attempt to comprehend the tragic story of the murder of the the Tsar and his family in Ekaterinburg in 1918. The exhibition, is also an opportunity to rethink history through the prism of modern research and aesthetics”.

PHOTOS: Evgeny Schaeffer’s portraits of the Imperial Family are on display in the exhibition (above); detail of his portrait of Emperor Nicholas II (below)

Evgeny Schaeffer recreates history, transfers it to a modern context, inviting those attending the exhibition to think about the eternal questions of justice, power and fate.

Of particulate importance, is that the artist not only depicts the tragic events, but also immerses the viewer in deep reflection on the role of history in our lives, on how the past affects the present and the future.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by the director of the Department of Culture of the Russian Nobility Assembly Alexander Schaeffer, members of the clergy, parishioners of the Pushchino Church, among others. A cleric of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Pushchino, Sergiy Girilovich, served a moleben [supplication prayer service] to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.

The Romanov Family Album exhibition runs until 31st May 2024, at the House of Scientists in Pushchino. Admission is FREE.

***

*As I have noted in similiar posts, I support any initiative – big or small – to help keep the memory of Nicholas II and his family alive in post-Soviet Russia – PG

Nicholas II exhibition opens in Kazan

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

On 22nd May 2024 – the Feast Day of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker [Nicholas II’s patron saint] from Myra to Bari, the Royal Holiness: Russian Emperor Nicholas II and His Family exhibition, opened at the Museum of the Kazan Diocese in the city of Kazan. Tatarstan.

The exhibition was organized by the Museum of the Kazan Diocese with the participation of the Museum of the Holy Royal Family in Ekaterinburg, the Museum of Emperor Nicholas II in Moscow, the Scientific Library of the Lobachevsky Kazan Federal University, the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Heritage of the Empire Foundation in Moscow.

The exhibition features many photographs depicting the private and public life of Russia’s last Tsar and his family, video materials, unique historical documents, including a copy of the Coronation Albums, as well as invitations to the ceremonies, menus, souvenirs and posters of the Coronation celebrations, held in Moscow in May 1896.

The exhibition also covers the topics of the unity of the Imperial Family, the Christian upbringing of the August children, Nicholas and Alexandra’s devotion to one other and to their children, as well as the influence of faith on the Tsar’s political decision-making.

The exhibition was opened by Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan. Honoured guests included Chairman of the Heritage of the Empire Foundation Lieutenant General L.P. Reshetnikov, politicians and cultural figures from Moscow, Kazan and Ekaterinburg, and members of the clergy of the Kazan Diocese.

After the opening ceremony, a concert of choirs of the Kazan Diocese took place – a male choir under the direction of the Honored Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan Denis Rogov, a mixed choir under the direction of Marina Litvinenko, and the choir of the Kazan Theological Seminary.

The Royal Holiness: Russian Emperor Nicholas II and His Family exhibition will run from 23rd May to 31st July 2024, at the Museum of the Kazan Diocese, which is located at the Kazan Monastery of the Mother of God of the Kazan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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*As I have noted in similiar posts, I support any initiative – big or small – to help keep the memory of Nicholas II and his family alive in post-Soviet Russia – PG

New bust-monument to Nicholas II installed in Volgograd region

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

On 18th May, the eve of the 156th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II, a new bust-monument to Russia’s last Tsar, was installed and consecrated on the grounds of the Orthodox Cultural Center in the village of Zaplavnoye, Leninsky district, Volgograd region.

The solemn ceremony was attended by the founder and head of the Volga-Rast group of companies Igor Vitalievich Kapitanov, philanthropist Andrey Yurievich Morozkin, First Vice President of Gazprombank JSC, as well as guests from Moscow, Saratov, Voronezh and Lubansk.

The opening ceremony began with a solemn parade, led by cadets dressed in ceremonial uniforms. Pupils of the Cadet Corps, along with local high school students and toddlers of the Orthodox Kindergarten, followed behind the cadets through the square, which was decorated with Russian flags.

The bust-monument was consecrated by the rector of the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Zaplavnoye, Hieromonk Nikita (Sergeev).

The installation of the bust-monument to Emperor Nicholas II was made possible by the All-Russian Alley of Russian Glory Project, the purpose of which is to perpetuate the memory of notable Russians who glorified the Fatherland and the Orthodox faith.

***

NOTE: since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 100 monuments, busts and memorial plaques to Emperor Nicholas II have been installed in cities, towns and villages across the Russian Federation. In addition, are a number of churches dedicated to him.

Books on the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II (1868-1918)

Posted on May 19, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: Portrait of Emperor Nicholas II, by Russian artist Vladimir Nikolaev

On this day – *19th (O.S. 6th) May 1868 – Emperor Nicholas II was born in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. * the New Style Gregorian calendar is now 13 days ahead of the Old Style Julian calendar.

On Sunday 19th May 2024, the Russian Orthodox Church marks the 156th anniversary of the birth of Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich, who was born on the day of Job the Long-suffering.

In honour of this historic date, I am pleased to offer 18 books about the life and reign of Nicholas II. Each of them reflect my personal mission to clear the name of Russia’s much slandered Tsar. * This page will be updated as new titles become available.

Please note, the entire proceeds from the sale of each book, help fund my research, including the costly expense of translating documents from Russian archival and media sources.

Thank you for your interest and support of my work.

PAUL GILBERT (Retired)

***

BOOKS BY PAUL GILBERT

NICHOLAS II. PORTRAITS
by Paul Gilbert

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HARD COVER EDITION – PRICE $50.00

PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $40.00

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Nicholas II. Portraits explores a century of portraits of Russia’s last emperor and tsar, through the eyes of pre-revolutionary and contemporary Russian, and foreign artists.

Originally published in 2019, with 140 pages with 175 black and white photos, this new expanded edition features more pages and more photographs: 180 pages + more than 200 photos, including 185 FULL COLOUR and 30 black & white! The colour photographs really bring the many ceremonial portraits of Nicholas II to life.

In addition, are many portraits painted during his reign by both Russian and foreign artists, as well as those by contemporary Russian artists. My book also features a small section of portraits of the Tsar with his family.

Large format 8-1/2″ x 11″ hard cover and paperback editions, with 178 pages + richly illustrated with more than 200 Colour and black & white photographs.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF RUSSIA’S LAST TSAR
by Paul Gilbert

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English. 242 pages with 225 black & white photos

Aside from his many duties as God’s anointed Emperor and Tsar of All the Russia’s, Nicholas II took on many other roles from one day to the next: a dutiful husband and loving father, a devoted son and brother, a friend, a sportsman, a diplomat, an ambassador, a dedicated military leader, a devout Orthodox Christian, among others.

This richly illustrated pictorial explores the day-to-day duties of Russia’s last monarch. It is divided into six sections: the Tsar and His Family; Sports, Leisure and Holidays; the Tsar and the Church; the Tsar and Russia; the War Years; and the Tsar Under House Arrest. Each section features full-size historic images which reflect his day to day duties and activities. In total, this unique album includes more than 200 photographs from the author’s private collection.

*The publication of this album is timed to coincide with the 155th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas II on 19th May [O.S. 6th May] 1868 and the 105th anniversary of the death and martyrdom [17th July 1918].

THE CORONATION OF TSAR NICHOLAS II
Compiled and Edited by Paul Gilbert

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HARD COVER EDITION – PRICE $29.99

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

Six eyewitness accounts of the crowning of Russia’s last tsar with more than 200 rare vintage photographs & illustrations

The pomp and pageantry surrounding the Coronation of Nicholas II is told through the eye-witness accounts of six people who attended this historic event at Moscow, held over a three week period from 6th (O.S.) to 26th (O.S.) May 1896.

Hard cover and paperback editions, with 456 pages + more than 200 black & white photographs

NICHOLAS II: RUSSIA’S LAST ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN MONARCH
Edited by Paul Gilbert

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PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $9.99

E-BOOK EDITION – PRICE $9.99

BOOK DESCRIPTION

This book is not only for Orthodox and non-Orthodox persons, but for any one who shares an interest in the life, death, and martyrdom of the Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II.

An illustrated Introduction by independent researcher Paul Gilbert explores the piety of Nicholas II, and his devotion to the Russian Orthodox Church, which reached its fullest development and power, during his 22-year reign.

This book further examines the trials and tribulations the Tsar endured, which later led to his canonization by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Paperback edition, with 134 pages + 23 black & white photographs

MOST PIOUS TSAR
Icons, Frescoes and Holy Images of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II
by Paul Gilbert

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English. Large 7″ x 10″ format. 162 pages with 132 photos in FULL COLOUR

In 1938, Russia’s last tsar Nicholas II was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church. On 1st November 1981, he was canonized as a new martyr by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). On 20th August 2000, after 8 years of study, he was canonized as a passion bearer by the Moscow Patriarchate, although the people had already been venerating him as a saint for a long time, and this canonization was simply a confirmation of a fact that already existed by itself.

Since these historic dates, icons of Russia’s last Tsar have been installed in Orthodox churches across Russia and around the world. In addition home icons have been mass produced and sold for veneration by Orthodox Christians.

This book will not only appeal to Orthodox and non-Orthodox persons, but for any one who shares an interest in icons and iconography. This book also includes a Prayer and Akathist to the Holy Martyred Tsar. The highlight of this book, however, are the 130+ colour photographs of icons, frescoes and holy images depicting the Holy Royal Martyr Nicholas

NICHOLAS II
News from Russian Media & Archival Sources
by Paul Gilbert

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English. Large 8-1/2″ x 11″ format, 256 pages, 300+ black & white photos

In this book, you will find more than 130 articles and news stories about exhibitions, new monuments, portraits, polls on Nicholas II’s popularity in post-Soviet Russia, updates on the restoration of the Alexander Palace, events marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Nicholas II and the 100th anniversary of his death and martyrdom, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ekaterinburg remains and much more.

These articles and news stories were originally published in Sovereign (2015-2020) and Royal Russia (2011-2020). Both of these periodicals are no longer published, the back issues out of print, therefore, I am pleased to offer these important materials in one concise volume. They are complemented with more than 300 black and white photographs, many of which have never been published in any Western newspaper, magazine or book. Each article has been sourced from Russian media and archival sources, and translated into English.

While this collection of articles and news stories, may not appeal to every one, it will prove a valuable research tool for those studying the life and reign of Nicholas II, particularly as he is perceived in modern-day Russia.

Proceedings of the 1st International Nicholas II Conference
by Paul Gilbert

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

In the autumn of 2018, people from nearly a dozen countries gathered in Colchester, England for a conference marking the 150th anniversary of the birth and the 100th anniversary of the death martyrdom of Russia’s last tsar Nicholas II.

Five speakers, including Paul Gilbert, Archpriest Andrew Philips (ROCOR), Nikolai Krasnov, authors Frances Welch and Marilyn Swezey presented seven papers on Nicholas II.

Topics included “A Century of Treason, Cowardice and Lies,” “Why Nicholas II is a Saint in the Russian Orthodox Church,” “Nicholas II and the Sacredness of a Monarchy,” “Nicholas II in Post-Soviet Russia,” and several more.

The original edition of these proceedings published in 2018 is now out of print. This new revised and updated edition of include three additional articles, plus a comprehensive bibliography featuring more than 100 English-language titles on the life, reign and era of Russia’s much slandered Tsar.

Large format 8-1/2″ x 11″ hard cover and paperback editions, 136 pages +50 COLOUR and black & white photos

TSAR’S DAYS: JOURNEY TO EKATERINBURG
by Paul Gilbert

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

On 17th July 2018, independent researcher and writer Paul Gilbert travelled to Ekaterinburg, to take part in the events marking the 100th anniversary of the Tsar’s death and martyrdom.

In his own words and photographs, the author shares his experiences and impressions of this historic event, which include visits to the Church on the Blood, Ganina Yama, Porosenkov Log, the Patriarchal Liturgy, exhibitions, and much more.

Gilbert’s solemn journey to the Urals allowed him to experience history in the making, and to honour the memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs, a century after their death and martyrdom.

Large format 8-1/2″ x 11″ hard cover and paperback editions, 152 pages + 200 COLOUR PHOTOS, 65 of which were taken by the author.

SOVEREIGN No. 12 WINTER 2024
by Paul Gilbert

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English. Large format 8-1/2″ x 11-1/2″. 130 pages. 114 Black & White photos

I am pleased to offer the first issue of my popular magazine Sovereign: The Life and Reign of Emperor Nicholas II, to be published in 5 years! Sovereign No. 12 – the Winter 2024 issue is now available through AMAZON outlets around the world.

The No. 12 issue, features 17 articles, and richly illustrated with more than 100 photographs, English text. The following articles have been reproduced from my blog, and presented in a printed format for the very first time:

[1] How Boris Yeltsin justified the demolition of the Ipatiev House

[2] Doomed to Resurrection: Is it Possible to Resurrect the Ipatiev House?

[3] The Fate of Nikolai Nikolaevich Ipatiev (1869-1938)

[4] Then they repented of slandering the Tsar . . .

[5] The myth of Nicholas II’s indifference to the Khodynka tragedy

[6] Nicholas II’s Private Apartments In the Winter Palace

[7] Nicholas II, the Union of the Russian People and the Black Hundreds

[8] Imperial Railway Pavilion at Tsarskoye Selo is being restored

[9] The ghost of Anna Anderson continues to haunt us

[10] Nicholas’s national education Project for Russia

[11] The Russian Imperial Award System 1894-1917

[12] How the Orthodox Church supported The overthrow of the monarchy

[13] “There are still many conjectures surrounding the death of Grand Duchess R+Elizabeth”

[14] Lost and found: Romanov family photo album found in Siberia

[15] The Charity of the Holy Tsar Nicholas II

[16] Russia’s last Tsar through Serbian eye

[17] Russia after Putin: Would he restore the monarchy?

NOTE: The No. 13 ussye of Sovereign is schdeduled for publication in July 2024

BOOKS BY OTHER AUTHORS

TSAR NICHOLAS II
by Andrei G. Elchaninov

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English. 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ format. 194 pages with 25 photos

This authorized account of Emperor Nicholas II by Major-General Andrei Georgievich Elchaninov (1868-1918), is an unprecedented biography of a living tsar. It was originally published in 1913, to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The author served as a professor of military art in the General Staff Academy in St. Petersburg, he later served in the suite of Tsar Nicholas II.

Nicholas II reviewed and corrected the proofs himself in January 1913. He made changes to the text, and requested the removal of sentences describing the Tsesarevich Alexei’s illness.

Elchaninov gathered considerable material for the twelve chapters about Nicholas II’s personal life based on observations and impressions. The first chapters describe Russia’s last Tsar as a caring, devoted and loving husband and father. The remaining chapters focus on his relationship with his government, the church, the army, the Russian people, and the policies which he pursued during the first 18 years of his reign.

Written before the First World War and the 1917 Revolution. Elchaninov writes in glowing patriotic language portraying Nicholas II as an indefatigable “Imperial worker” in the service of Russia’s best interests and the “Sovereign father” of the Russian people.

In addition to Elchaninov’s biography on the Tsar, this new edition features an expanded introduction by independent researcher Paul Gilbert, 25 black and white photographs, and three comprehensive appendices: a chronology of events during the reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917); 100 facts about Nicholas II and the many reforms he made during his reign, and a bibliography of more than 100 English language books written over the past century on Russia’s last Tsar.

This book is an excellent resource tool for any one interested in Russia’s last Tsar!

DEAREST MAMA . . . DARLING NICKY:
Letters Between Emperor Nicholas II and His Mother
Empress Maria Feodorovna 1879-1917

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PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $13.99

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Written between the years 1879, when Nicky was a little boy, and 1917, after his abdication, this collection of more than 200 letters are a revelation of the personalities of the Emperor and his Empress mother. They were never part of the imperial archives but the cherished possession of both correspondents, carried with them wherever they went. At the outbreak of the revolution, the letters were confiscated by the Soviets.

Paperback edition. 246 pages.

OF BYGONE DAYS
Letters Between Emperor Nicholas II and His Mother
The Memoirs of an Aide-de-Camp to
the Emperor Nichoas II
by Sergei S. Fabritsky

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English. 214 pages, 10 black & white photos

First English translation with introduction and notes by William Lee

NOTE: The first Russian-lanaguage edition of Fabritsky’s memories was published in Berlin in 1926. The first English-language edition of Fabritsky’s memoirs was published in Canada in 2016. This title has been out of print for many years, so I am delighted to offer this new edition.

“The time I spent with Their Majesties – over the course of many years and under varied circumstances – will always be the source of my most precious memories, and I am very happy to be able to share those memories now with a wide public. I hope at least to give an absolutely truthful account of what I saw and heard” – Semyon S. Fabritsky. 1926

Semyon Semyonovich Fabritsky (1874-1941) had a fascinating career during the twilight years of Imperial Russia. He began his naval career in the very first days of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II.

In 1909, Fabritsky was personally appointed Aide-de-Camp by the Emperor himself, a position he served with immense pride and devotion.

During his service to Nicholas II, Fabritsky earned both the trust and friendship of the Emperor. Through his often uninterrupted contact with Russia’s last sovereign and observing him at all hours and under a variety of conditions, Fabritsky was able to form a clear picture of Nicholas II and his family, through his own personal eye-witness observations.

He also served aboard the Imperial yachts, partaking in holidays with the Emperor and his family to the Crimea and the Finnish skerries. He shares interesting details and anecdotes about the Alexandria, Polar Star, and Standart.

This book will also be of great interest to any one with an interest to the Russian Imperial Yachts and the Russian Imperial Navy.

Fabritsky provides great insight to the treachery, cowardice, and deceit which prevailed every where. He acknowledges ministers and generals who were either unworthy of their posts or unfit for them. Sadly, it was these men who surrounded Nicholas II during his 22+ year reign, who contributed to the downfall of monarchy and the destruction of the Russian Empire in 1917.

LAST YEARS OF THE COURT AT TSARSKOE SELO – 2 Volumes
by Alexander Spiridovitch

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VOLUME I – 1906-1910. PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $18.99

VOLUME II – 1910-1914. PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $18.99

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Originally published in French in 1928, this is the FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDITION of both volumes – a MUST read for any one interested in the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II.

Alexander Ivanovich Spiridovitch (1873-1952) was handpicked by Emperor Nicholas II to serve as his personal security chief from 1906-1916. He was also responsible for the security of the tsar’s residences.

Volume I – 1906-1910, with 458 pages + 59 black & white photographs

Volume II – 1910-1914, with 480 pages + 65 black & white photographs

NICHOLAS II and the BRITISH MONARCHS
by Coryne Hall

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English. 164 pages, 36 black & white photos

Romanov historian and royal expert Coryne Hall writes about the relationships between Emperor Nicholas II with the three British monarchs who ruled during his 22-year reign.

The author has researched the relationships between Russia’s last Tsar with those of Queen Victoria – from 1894 to 1901; King Edward VII – from 1901 to 1910; and King George V – from 1910 to 1917. Her research is complemented with letters, diary entries and photographs.

The four essays presented in this volume were originally published in four successive issues of Sovereign, the semi-annual publication dedicated to the study of the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II. They are presented here for the first time in one volume.

EMPEROR NICHOLAS II AS I KNEW HIM
by Sir John Hanbury Williams

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PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $12.99

BOOK DESCRIPTION

In this compelling and intimate series of diary entries, originally published in 1922, Major-General Sir John Hanbury-Williams (1859-1946) depicts Nicholas II “not as history knows him, but as he knew him.”

Paperback edition. 196 pages.

MEMOIRS OF THE PAGES TO TSAR NICHOLAS II
by Dr. Thomas E. Berry

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HARDCOVER EDITION – PRICE $22.99

PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $14.99

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The young men of the Corps des Pages, served Nicholas II and his family. This collection of 18 memoirs give eyewitness accounts of weddings, baptisms, Court functions and other events at the Imperial Court between 1894-1917. The last part of the book is devoted to the sad events of the Revolution and the end of the Corps des Pages.

Hardcover and Paperback editions. 258 pages

LAST DAYS AT TSARSKOE SELO
by Count Paul Benckendorff

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E-BOOK EDITION – PRICE $9.99

PAPERBACK EDITION – PRICE $12.99

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Count Paul Benckendorff (1853-1921), belonged to the closest circle of Emperor Nicholas II. Following the collapse of the monarchy in 1917, Benkendorff and his wife shared the captivity of the Imperial Family at Tsarskoye Selo.

Benkendorff’s narrative provides a detailed eye-witness account of the Tsar’s abdication, his transfer to Tsarskoe Selo and his daily life in the Alexander Palace, where he was held under house arrest from February to August 1917.

Throughout his memoirs, Benckendorff characterizes Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna as courageous, gracious, and poised despite their obvious concern for their family.

Due to his age and poor health, Benckendorff was unable to follow the Emperor and his Imperial Family’s into exile to Tobolsk. One of the very few who were faithful, he parted with his Sovereign for the last time on 14th (O.S. 1st) August 1917.

Paperback and eBook editions. 168 pages + 40 black & white photographs

‘Nicholas II: I am Responsible for Everything’

Posted on May 19, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

NOTE: this post is for information purposes only. I regret that I do not know how to obtain copies of this book from Russia, or if we will ever see an English edition published – PG

During the last 30+ years, hundreds of new books on the life and reign of Emperor Nicholas II, have been published in Russia. Sadly, very few (if any) will ever find a Western publisher, who is willing to have them translated into English. The current economic sanctions imposed against Russia only complicate things further.

One new title ‘Николай II: Отвечаю за все‘ / ‘Nicholas II: I am Responsible for Everything‘, which was published in June 2023, really stands out among the others. It is a large format hard cover, with 456 pages, and richly illustrated throughout. Language: Russian only

The author of the book is Fyodor Gaida, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of 19th-20th Centuries Russian History of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University.

Gaida’s book explores the tragic fate of the last Russian Tsar, whose 22-year reign continues to evoke a wide range of opinions in modern Russian and Western society. It explores events related to the most controversial and crucial period of Russian history – the First World War and the 1917 Revolution.

Nicholas II is presented not only as an autocrat, but also as an ordinary man with deep religious and political convictions, which he carried throughout his life.

The book tells the life story of the Emperor and his family in the context of the historical and political events that took place between 1894 to 1917, fragments of his personal correspondence, and testimonies of contemporaries.

The publication presents rare photographs and documentary materials, as well as unique items from the collections of the State Historical Museum, the Moscow Kremlin Museums, the State Hermitage Museum, the Peterhof State Museum, and the Museum of Political History of Russia.