Figure 1.--This family portrait shows Tsar Alexander III and the Tsarina with their five children were photographed in 1890. In front are Michael, Olga, and Georg. In back are Nicloi and Xenia. The Tsae died only a few years later.

Alexander and Dagmar had six children, five of whom survived into adulthood. The family would be ravished by the Bolshevicks after the overthrow of the monarchy. The eldest succeded his father as Tsar Nicholas II. Both he and his father felt that he was unprepared to be Tsar. History proved them to be correct. Alexander could not have imagined what would happen to Russia nor could he understand how responsible he was. Neither understood the modern world and how to move Russi into it. Their youngest boy Michael was Tsar for a day but renounced the crown seeing that the monarchy was untenable. He was also shot by the Bolshevicks. Only Xenia and Olga escaped Russia after the Revolution.

Nicholas II (1868-1918)

Nicholas II, the last Russian Emperor, was the eldest son of Alexander III and was born on May 6, 1868. Nicholas was born on the Alexander Palace, as the first born child of Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, of the House of Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp, in the small town of Tsarskoe Selo ("The Tsar's Village" in Russian), near St. Petersburg. A good-hearted man, he was not capable of guiding his huge empire into the modern world and the disaster of World War I. His father's conservative, autocratic outlook, meant that Nicholas was not educated to understand or to address the changes that were sweeping Russia. His father had used repression. Nicholas did not have an understanding of his country that could have redirected Government policy.

Alexander Alexandrovich (1869-1870)

The Tsar and Tasrina's first child Alexander died as a baby in 1870. I have no detail on the circumstances.

George Alexandrovich (1871-1899)

Grand Duke Thronfolger. George died at 27 of tuberculosis in 1899. He is the older boy here on the right wearing a sailor suit (figure 1). Note that the two younger boys both wear sailor suits, but with different dickies. I'm not sure if there was any reason for this.

Xenia Alexandrovna (1875- )

Grand Duchess. Xenia and Olga were able to escape Russia along with their mother during the Revolution.

Michael "Mischa" Alexandrovich (1878-1918 )

Michael was made Grand Duke Thronfolger. He is the little boy in the sailor suit here (figure 1). Notice how is mother tenderly has her hand on his shoulder. Michael is sometimes considered 'Tsar for a day', as Nicholas abdicated in his favor in 1917 before he, too, renounced the throne. The Bolsheviks murdered Michael 6 days before Nicholas and his family were killed in July 1918.
Olga Alexandrovna (1882-1952)

Olga was made a Grand Duchess. Tsar Alexander was a bear of a man, but he could be tender toward his children--especially the girls. Note here how he is holding Princess Olga. She married Prince Peter of Oldenburg when she was 19 years old. They did not, however, get along and there were no children. She met and fell in love with a military officer, captain Kulikovsky (1903). They were unble to actually marry because of the conservative Tsarist regime. Finally with the War and softenting inhibitions the two married (1916). There were two sons. Olga during the War worked as an army nurse. Xenia and Olga were able to escape Russia along with their mother during the Revolution. She lived in Denmark with her mother who was a Danish Princess (1919-1948). She then moved to Canad where she lived on her farm (1948-60).

Created: 4:15 AM 9/7/2004
Last updated: 3:36 AM 9/17/2006