Nicholas and Alexandra: The Family


Figure 1.-- Here is Nicholas II and his family in 1913, about 5 years before they were all executed. The Tsar and his wife Alexandra are seated in the center. Around them, from left to right, are Grand Duchess Tatyana, Maria, Anastasia, and Olga. On the floor at the front is the Tsarevich Alexei at the age of 9. Notice that the sailor suit has striped trimming on the collar and sleeves plus a striped dicky.

Most historians are relentlessly critical of Nicholas as Tsar, viewing him a weak and indesisive. And many examples of injustice can be found in the Tsarist regime over which he presided. An example just before World War I was the masacre at the Lena Goldfield (1912). But even the worse Tsarist attrocitities pale in comparison to the attrocities of the Communists after the Revolution. Generally a very different picture emerges of Nicholas as family man. Of course in historical terms, he has to be judged as Tsar. As a man, however, his family life has to be considered. Nicholas was absolutely devolted to his family. He loved Alexandra and unlike many in his position had no extramrital affairs. He was devoted to his children, especially his last chld--the Tsarevich Alexis. Nothing appealed to Nicholas more than times away from the weighty affairs of state with his family. He was a doting father and adored by all the children. There are numerous formal portraits of the family. There are also numerous informal snapshots which show Nicholas with the children and obvously enjoying carefree time with them.

Nicholas as Tsar

Most historians are relentlessly critical of Nicholas as Tsar, viewing him a weak and indesisive. And many examples of injustice can be found in the Tsarist regime over which he presided. An example just before World War I was the masacre at the Lena Goldfield (1912). But even the worse Tsarist attrocitities pale in comparison to the attrocities of the Communists after the Revolution. The Tsar can of course not be blamed for every miscarriage of justice that occurred in Russia. He can be held responible for not taking action to correct abuses when they occurred.

The Children

Nicholas and Alexandra were deeply in love. Whatever the political failings of the Tsar and the Tsarina's aristocratic outlook, in purely personal terms the two were extremely close. They had five children, four girls and a finally a boy. The girls were: Olga (1895), Tatiana (1897), Maria (1899), and Anastasia (1901). We do not know much about the four girls. Olga was the oldest and Russian society was obcessed with her future marriage prospects. Olga was interested in photography and as a result, we have many wonderful, intimate images of the royal family. These are not the formal portraits commonly produced by professional photographers outside the family. Tatiana was the second oldest. She was very close to Olga. She worked as a nurse during World War I. Maria was a fun-filled little girl. She was deemed to young to nurse during the War, but did visit soldiers with her younger sister, Anastasia. It is Anastasia that is the best known Of the four princesses. This is because after the family was killed by the Bolshevicks (1918), an imposter appeared claiming to be the Grand Duchess. Four girls in a row, however, healthy were a major political concern. Nicholas was by all accounts a loving and devoted father and adored the girlds. A boy was needed, however, to perpetuate the family line. Thus there was considerable relief when Alexis finally arrived (1904).

Family Man

Generally a very different picture emerges of Nicholas as family man. Of course in historical terms, Nicholas has to be judged as Tsar. As a man, however, his family life has to be considered. And Nicholas was absolutely devolted to his family. He loved Alexandra and unlike many men in his position had no extramarital affairs. He was devoted to his children, especially his last child--the Tsarevich Alexis. Nothing appealed to Nicholas more than times away from the weighty affairs of state with his family. He was a doting father and adored by all the children. There are numerous formal portraits of the family. There are also numerous informal snapshots which show Nicholas with the children and obvously enjoying carefree time with them. The Tsar as father was the emodiment of a bourgeoise Edwardian family man. Nicholas was attracted to family life by his very nature. Another factor was his burdens as Tsar. The family was a relief from the relentless state burdens. And the need for security restricted the movement of the Royal Family. His grandfather was assaasinated. Thus the Tsar had to be protected and this meant restricting public access. The Royal Family thus was forced to live an extremely closted life, depending on each other much more than an ordinary family.

Grigori Rasputin (1864/72-1916)

Grigori Efimovich Rasputin was an uneducated Siberian mystic healer. He is one of the most picturesque figures of the 20th century. Virtually nothing is known about his childhood and early adult life. He was born in Pokrovskoe to a peasant family. The date of his birth is unknown, but there are many varied estimates (1864-72). This was a small, rural village in Tiumen Oblast. Pokrovskoe is in western Siberia on the Toura River near the foothills of the Ural Mountains. Pokrovskoe had only a few unpsaved streets. It was dominated by a large white church with a guilded dome. The gleaming church in the middler of a drab villsage must have affected the boys in the village. It certainly did young Grigori. Little is known about his education. Many Russians at the time received little or no education. Rasputin's education must have been very limited as he was illiterate. At a young age he developed a reputation for debauchery. Rasputin in Russian means the 'debauched one'. He also developed a reputation as a mystiqe and faith healer. And it it this reputation that unbelievably brouht him from Siberaian peasant poverty to the Tsar's household in St. Petersburg to save the Tsarevich Alexis.

Sources

Battiscombe, Georgina. Queen Alexandra (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1969).






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Created: February 15, 2004
Last updated: 8:29 PM 8/15/2009