Emperor Alexander II was married twice. His first wife was Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse. True, the crown prince’s mother was against the marriage, suspecting that the princess was actually born from the duke’s chamberlain, but Nicholas I simply adored his daughter-in-law. In their marriage, Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna had eight children. However, soon relations in the family went wrong and the emperor began to have favorites.
So in 1866 he became close to the 18-year-old Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukova. She became the closest person to the king and moved to the Winter Palace. From Alexander II she gave birth to four illegitimate children. After the death of the Empress, Alexander and Catherine got married, which legitimized their common children. Who the descendants of the emperor were - you will find out from our material.
Alexandra Alexandrovna
Alexandra was the first and long-awaited child of the grand ducal couple. She was born on August 30, 1842. Emperor Nicholas I was especially looking forward to the birth of his granddaughter. The next day, the happy parents accepted congratulations. On the ninth day, the Grand Duchess was moved to the chambers prepared for her and the child. Maria Alexandrovna expressed a desire to feed her daughter on her own, but the emperor forbade this.
On August 30, the girl was baptized in the Tsarskoye Selo Church. But unfortunately, the little Grand Duchess did not live very long. She fell ill with meningitis and died suddenly on June 28, 1849, before she was 7 years old. From then on, girls in the imperial family were no longer called Alexandra. All princesses with that name died mysteriously before reaching the age of 20.
Nikolai Alexandrovich
Tsarevich Nicholas was born on September 20, 1843 and was named in honor of his grandfather. The emperor was so excited by the birth of the heir to the throne that he ordered his sons - Grand Dukes Constantine and Mikhail - to kneel before the cradle and take an oath of allegiance to the future Russian emperor. But the crown prince was not destined to become a ruler.
Nikolai grew up as everyone’s favorite: his grandfather and grandmother doted on him, but most of all Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna was attached to him. Nikolai was well-mannered, polite, courteous. He was friends with his second cousin, Princess of Oldenburg. There were even negotiations about their wedding, but in the end the princess’s mother refused.
In 1864, the Tsarevich went abroad. There, on his 21st birthday, he became engaged to Princess Dagmar, who would later become the wife of Alexander III. Everything was fine until, while traveling in Italy, the heir suddenly fell ill. He was treated in Nice, but in the spring of 1865, Nikolai's condition began to deteriorate.
On April 10, Emperor Alexander II arrived in Nice, and on the night of the 12th, the Grand Duke died after four hours of agony from tuberculous meningitis. The heir's body was transported to Russia on the frigate Alexander Nevsky. The mother was inconsolable and, it seems, was never able to fully recover from the tragedy. Years later the emperor Alexander III named his eldest son after the brother whom he “loved more than anything in the world.”
Alexander Alexandrovich
Alexander III was two years younger than his older brother and, by the will of fate, it was he who was destined to ascend to the Russian throne. Since Nicholas was being prepared to rule, Alexander did not receive the appropriate education, and after the death of his brother he had to take an additional course of science necessary for a ruler.
In 1866 he became engaged to Princess Dagmar. His ascension to the throne was also overshadowed by death - in 1881, Emperor Alexander II died as a result of a terrorist attack. After this, the son did not support his father’s liberal ideas; his goal was to suppress the protests. Alexander adhered to conservative policies. So, instead of the draft “Loris-Melikov constitution” supported by his father, new emperor adopted the “Manifesto on the Inviolability of Autocracy,” compiled by Pobedonostsev, who had great influence on the emperor.
Administrative pressure was increased, the beginnings of peasant and urban self-government were eliminated, censorship was strengthened, military power was strengthened, it was not for nothing that the emperor said that “Russia has only two allies - the army and the navy.” Indeed, during the reign of Alexander III, there was a sharp decrease in the protests that were so characteristic of the second half of his father’s reign. Terrorist activity also declined, and from 1887 there were no terrorist attacks in the country until the beginning of the 20th century.
Despite the build-up of military power, during the reign of Alexander III Russia did not wage a single war, for maintaining peace he received the nickname Peacemaker. He bequeathed his ideals to the heir and last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.
Vladimir Alexandrovich
The Grand Duke was born in 1847 and devoted his life to a military career. He participated in Russian-Turkish war, since 1884 he was Commander-in-Chief of the Guard troops and the St. Petersburg Military District. In 1881, his brother appointed him regent in the event of his death before Tsarevich Nicholas came of age, or in the event of the death of the latter.
Known for his participation in the tragic events of January 1905, known as “Bloody Sunday”. It was Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich who gave the order to Prince Vasilchikov to use force against the procession of workers and city residents, which was heading to the Winter Palace.
He was forced to leave his post as Commander of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District after a loud scandal with his son’s marriage. His eldest son Kirill married the former wife of the brother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - Princess Victoria-Melita of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The Highest permission was not given for the marriage, even despite the blessing of Kirill's mother Maria Pavlovna. Vladimir was a famous philanthropist and was even the president of the Academy of Arts. In protest against his role in the execution of workers and townspeople, artists Serov and Polenov resigned from the Academy.
Aleksey Aleksandrovich
The fifth child in the grand ducal family was already enrolled in military service from childhood - in the Guards crew and Life Guards regiments Preobrazhensky and Jaeger. His fate was sealed.
In 1866, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was promoted to lieutenant of the fleet and lieutenant of the guard. He took part in the voyage of the frigate "Alexander Nevsky", which was wrecked in the Strait of Jutland on the night of September 12-13, 1868. The ship's commander noted the courage and nobility of Alexei, who refused to be one of the first to leave the ship. Four days later he was promoted to staff captain and adjutant.
In 1871 he was senior officer of the frigate "Svetlana", on which he reached North America, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and, having visited China and Japan, arrived in Vladivostok, from where he traveled home by land through all of Siberia.
In 1881 he was appointed a member of the State Council, and in the summer of the same year - Chief of the Fleet and Naval Department with the rights of Admiral General and Chairman of the Admiralty Council. During his time managing the fleet, he carried out a number of reforms, introduced a maritime qualification, increased the number of crew, established the ports of Sevastopol, Port Arthur and others, and expanded the docks in Kronstadt and Vladivostok.
At the end of the Russo-Japanese War, after the Tsushima defeat, he resigned and was dismissed from all naval posts. He was considered one of those responsible for Russia's defeat in the war. Died in Paris in 1908.
Maria Alexandrovna
Princess Maria was born in 1853. She grew up as a “weak” girl and suffered from worms as a child. Despite the doctors' orders, the father wanted to ride with her everywhere, he doted on his daughter. In 1874, she married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Britain's Queen Victoria. Alexander gave her an incredible dowry of £100,000 and an annual allowance of £20,000.
Alexander insisted that his daughter be addressed in London only as "Her Imperial Highness" and that she take precedence over the Princess of Wales. This infuriated Queen Victoria. However, after the marriage, the requirements of the Russian emperor were met.
In 1893, her husband became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as his older brother Edward renounced his claim to the throne. Mary became a duchess, retaining the title of Duchess of Edinburgh. However, tragedy befell their family.
Their son, Crown Prince Alfred, was engaged to Duchess Elsa of Württemberg. However, Alfred was caught having extramarital affairs and in 1898 he began to show severe symptoms of syphilis. It is believed that the illness shook his mind.
In 1899, he shot himself with a revolver during a family gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his parents' marriage. On February 6, he died at the age of 24. A year later, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died of cancer. The Dowager Duchess Maria remained to reside in Coburg.
Sergey Aleksandrovich
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich became Moscow governor-general. On his initiative, the creation of a portrait gallery of former governors-general began. Under him, a public art theater was opened, and in order to take care of students, he ordered the construction of a dormitory at Moscow University. A dark episode of his reign was the tragedy on the Khodynskoye Field. In the stampede, according to official data, 1,389 people died and another 1,300 were seriously injured. The public found Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich guilty and nicknamed him “Prince Khodynsky.”
Sergei Alexandrovich supported monarchist organizations and was a fighter against the revolutionary movement. He died as a result of a terrorist attack in 1905. When approaching the Nicholas Tower, a bomb was thrown into his carriage, which tore apart the prince's carriage. He died on the spot, the coachman was mortally wounded.
The terrorist attack was carried out by Ivan Kalyaev from the Combat Organization of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. He planned to carry it out two days earlier, but was unable to throw a bomb at the carriage in which the wife and nephews of the Governor General were located. It is known that the widow of Prince Elizabeth visited her husband’s killer in prison and forgave him on behalf of her husband.
Pavel Alexandrovich
Pavel Alexandrovich made a military career, possessed not only Russian, but also foreign orders and badges of honor. He was married twice. He entered into his first marriage in 1889 with his cousin, the Greek Princess Alexandra Georgievna. She bore him two children - Maria and Dmitry. But the girl died at the age of 20 during premature birth. The children were sent to be raised in the family of their brother, Moscow Governor-General Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna.
10 years after the death of his wife, he married for the second time, to Olga Pistolkors, she was ex-wife subordinate Prince Pavel Alexandrovich. Since the marriage was unequal, they could not return to Russia. In 1915, Olga Valerievna received the Russian title of Prince Paley for herself and the prince’s children. They had three children: Vladimir, Irina and Natalya.
Soon after the abdication of Nicholas II, the Provisional Government took measures against the Romanovs. Vladimir Paley was exiled to the Urals in 1918 and executed at the same time. Pavel Alexandrovich himself was arrested in August 1918 and sent to prison.
In January next year him along with cousins, Grand Dukes Dmitry Konstantinovich, Nikolai Mikhailovich and Georgiy Mikhailovich, were shot in the Peter and Paul Fortress in response to the murder of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in Germany.
Georgy Alexandrovich
Georgy Alexandrovich was born in 1872 out of wedlock and after the wedding of Alexander II with Princess Dolgorukova received the title of His Serene Highness Prince and the surname Yuryevsky. The Emperor wanted to equate illegitimate children with heirs from the union with Empress Maria Alexandrovna. After the assassination of his father-emperor, he, along with his sisters and mother, left for France.
In 1891 he graduated from the Sorbonne with a bachelor's degree, then returned to Russia, where he continued his studies. He served in the Baltic Fleet and studied at the dragoon department of the Officer Cavalry School. He was seconded to the 2nd squadron of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment and resigned in 1908. 4 years later he died of nephritis in Magburg, German Empire. He was buried in Wiesbaden in the Russian cemetery. Goga, as his father jokingly called him, had a brother, Boris. But the boy did not live even a year, and was posthumously legitimized as Yuryevsky.
Olga Alexandrovna
She was born a year after her older brother, and was also legitimized as Your Serene Highness Princess Yuryevskaya. It is interesting that the emperor did not choose the title for children by chance. It was believed that the princely family of his second wife Dolgorukova took its origins from Rurik and had Prince Yuri Dolgoruky as its ancestors. In fact, this is not so. The ancestor of the Dolgorukovs was Prince Ivan Obolensky, who received the nickname Dolgoruky for his vindictiveness. It originated from Yuri Dolgoruky’s second cousin, Vsevolod Olgovich.
In 1895, the Most Serene Princess married the grandson of Alexander Pushkin, Count Georg-Nicholas von Merenberg, and became known as Countess von Merenberg. In marriage, she gave birth to her husband 12 children.
Ekaterina Aleksandrovna
But the youngest daughter of Alexander II, Ekaterina Yuryevskaya, married unsuccessfully twice and became a singer to earn her bread. After the accession of Nicholas II, she and her mother, brother and sister returned to Russia. In 1901, Catherine married the richest Prince Alexander Baryatinsky. She was smart and talented, but she was unlucky with her husband. He was a rather extravagant character, led a wild life and adored the beautiful Lina Cavalieri. The husband demanded that his wife also share his love for his favorite.
The Most Serene Princess, loving her husband, tried to win his attention. But it was all in vain. The three of them went everywhere - performances, operas, dinners, some even lived in a hotel together. But the triangle disintegrated with the death of the prince, the inheritance went to Catherine’s children - princes Andrei and Alexander. Since they were minors, their mother became their guardian.
After World War I, they moved from Bavaria to the Baryatinsky estate in Ivanovsky. Soon Catherine met a young guards officer, Prince Sergei Obolensky, and married him. After the revolution, they lost everything and traveled to Kyiv using forged documents, and then to Vienna and then to England. To earn money, the Most Serene Princess began to sing in living rooms and at concerts. The death of her mother did not improve the princess's financial situation.
Also in 1922, Obolensky left his wife for another rich lady, Miss Alice Astor, daughter of millionaire John Astor. Abandoned Catherine became a professional singer. For for long years she lived on an allowance from Queen Mary, widow of George V, but was left destitute after her death in 1953. She sold her property and died in 1959 in a nursing home on Hayling Island.
Sergei Zaryanko Portrait of Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich. 1851
It should be noted that an entire educational school was assembled for the Tsarevich-heir, although initially no specific educational system was developed, and sometimes the educators were random people. There were so many of them that I will name only a few who managed to gain the sympathy and trust of the young Tsarevich and his younger brothers.
Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich. 1856
The educational part was headed by the famous philologist, at that time a lecturer of Russian language and literature at the Alexander University in Helsingfors, Yakov Karlovich Grot, who personally taught Russian and German languages, history and geography. In addition to these subjects, Nikolai and Alexander Alexandrovich were taught French, arithmetic, penmanship and fencing.
But for some reason, the pedantic activity of Y. K. Grot did not impress Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and she appointed a new “head teacher” - diplomat Vladimir Pavlovich Titov, who developed a draft for a new educational institution- a lyceum in which the great princes were supposed to study together with young nobles. He was fired for pushing through this project; in addition, he turned out to be an inept teacher. He was replaced for two years by August Fedorovich Grimm, by the way, the author of the novel about Empress Alexandra Feodorovna “The Princess of the Seventh Mile” (1858, Die Fürstin der siebenten Werste).
Jan Vilímek Portrait of Yakov Karlovich Grot 1882
Author unknown Portrait of Vladimir Pavlovich Titov.
All these years, the Tsarevich’s military service “continued.” He became the chief of the Life Guards Ataman (February 19, 1855), Seversky Dragoon (April 17, 1856), Prussian 1st Uhlan (October 1, 1859) and Austrian 61st Infantry (December 4, 1859) regiments. In addition to the above-mentioned ten regiments, Nikolai was included in the lists of five more Life Guards battalions, regiments and brigades. I just want to exclaim - you are heavy, Monomakh’s hat!
The heir is Tsarevich Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich.
Finally, in 1860, the trustee of the Moscow educational district, and then the Moscow governor-general, adjutant general Count Sergei Grigorievich Stroganov, was appointed the heir's trustee and full owner of his education.
S. P. Yushkov Portrait of Count S. G. Stroganov 1850
He drew up a program of classes for 3 years and invited outstanding scientists - literary scholars F.I. Buslaev and I.E. Andreevsky, historians S.M. Solovyov and M.M. Stasyulevich, lawyers K.P. Pobedonostsev and B.N. Chicherina. Nikolai Alexandrovich was taught economics and finance, the history of philosophy and, of course, military sciences. Military “service” also continued - on August 16, 1860, the Tsarevich was enlisted in the Phanagorian Grenadier Regiment, and on February 19, 1861, in the lists of the Life Guards of the Caucasian Cossack squadrons.
Sovereign Heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.
The Grand Duke spent the summer months mostly on the Baltic coast. In 1856, he lived in the summer in Gapsala (now Haapsalu in northwestern Estonia), and upon returning from there he took part in the coronation celebrations of his parents in Moscow, after which at the age of 11 he became the heir to the Russian throne. Nikolai again spent the summer of 1857 in Gapsala, and in 1858 he made a trip to Narva, Revel and Helsingfors.
Heir
September 8, 1859 in Winter Palace The crown prince's coming of age was proclaimed, at which Nicholas took the oath of allegiance to his service. Regarding the taking of the oath, a The highest manifesto, which, in particular, said: “Brought up in a warm love for the fatherland, in the consciousness of his duty, His Imperial Highness solemnly took the oath to serve the state.”
Gottfried Willewalde Oath of His Imperial Highness Sovereign Heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich in the St. George Throne Hall of the Winter Palace on September 8, 1859. 1861
After the celebration, Nicholas arranged a reception at which he received representatives of foreign powers. Foreign ambassadors and envoys were fascinated by the prince and how freely he spoke about politics and asked them about the affairs of their states. It should be noted that before the reception, Nikolai completed a whole course of diplomacy under the guidance of a diplomat, and since 1867, State Chancellor, Prince A. M. Gorchakov.
Nikolai Bogatsky Portrait of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov 1876
After taking the oath, Nikolai was separated from his younger brothers and with him, except for the trustee Count A.G. Stroganov, only the aide-de-camp Colonel O.B. Richter was left with him. The latter was distinguished by his caring and devotion to the prince, for which the Tsarevich paid Richter with passionate affection and sensitive attention.
By the way, many contemporaries noted that the main trait of his character was his warmth. One of his teachers, A.I. Chivilev, noted that “the prince was smart, capable of the work of thought and sympathized with all its highest interests, but was too soft in heart.”
Philosopher, political scientist and lawyer, Professor B. N. Chicherin adds: “Tall, slender, handsome, at the same time intelligent, lively and friendly, he could charm and bind everyone who approached him. The whole atmosphere surrounding him breathed some kind of then in a sincere and sublime order."
Lyutovchenko Tsesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich. 1865
However, many said that this softness of heart was combined with a weak physique in the heir. Even his own father, Emperor Alexander II, said that his son was “est trop efféminé” (too effeminate) and recommended him physical exercise.
By the way, at the request of his father, in 1860 Nikolai took part in traditional horse races at the hippodrome in Tsarskoe Selo, which was fatal for him. Nikolai fell from his horse and hurt his back; the bruised place has since become the focus of all subsequent suffering. In addition, it is known that the heir suffered from scrofula since childhood; for treatment, he annually went for sea bathing in Gapsal or Libau (the former name of Liepaja), after which he felt relatively well.
He also spent the summer of 1860 on the Baltic coast, and at the end of the swimming season, traveling from Libau to St. Petersburg, he visited many Baltic cities, including Mitau and Riga.
Traveling around Russia
In 1861, the heir to the crown prince, accompanied by Count S. G. Stroganov, made his first trip to Russia; he visited Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. In Nizhny Novgorod, Nikolai visited a famous fair, and on the way to Kazan he became better acquainted with the districts of the Kostroma and Nizhny Novgorod provinces.
Upon his return, at the beginning of 1862, Nikolai Alexandrovich began to study state law under the leadership of B. N. Chicherin. According to the professor, “Kant’s imperative and philosophical doctrine Hegel was easily digested by the gifted young man.”
The Tsarevich spent the summer of 1862 (from July 7 to August 1) in Libau in the company of brothers Alexander and Vladimir, sisters Maria and Evgenia Maximilianovna, as well as the royal parents who joined on July 15.
The following year, Nikolai Alexandrovich went on a second trip to Russia.
On the journey, in addition to Stroganov, he was accompanied by K.P. Pobedonostsev, who told the Tsarevich about various states. institutions, I.K. Babst, describing economic condition the places they visited, and the artist A.P. Bogolyubov, who introduced the Tsarevich to monuments of art.
The journey lasted four and a half months. The heir sailed and traveled from St. Petersburg to Astrakhan, then from Tsaritsyn to Crimea, then from Berdyansk through the southern colonies to Yekaterinoslav, and finally through Kharkov, Kursk, Orel and Tula returned to Moscow.
A.V. Makovsky Portrait of Chief Prosecutor of the Synod K.P. Pobedonostseva. 1899 Russian Museum
Ilya Repin Portrait of A.P. Bogolyubov 1876
It should be noted that representatives of all classes had access to the heir, talked with him, and, I hope, that this was not “ Potemkin villages”, that is, window dressing. They wrote that mothers brought babies to him with a request to bless them, that in Saratov some old man himself came to bless the prince.
The Grand Duke saw Russia for the first time as it really was, and, as historians write, “his love for his homeland, which had previously been abstract, received concrete forms after this trip.”
By the way, the same historians note that “the prince loved his native antiquity: he was fond of Russian epics and songs, many of which he knew by heart. Repeatedly, in an intimate circle, he gave lectures on Russian literature based on Buslaev’s notes.” For example, when he visited Petrozavodsk, he listened with pleasure to the songs of the famous storyteller, the blind man Kuzma Ivanov.
In August 1863, the heir joined the “Great Circle” of the Don Army and accepted the insignia of the military ataman of all Cossack troops.
Sergei Zaryanko Portrait of the Grand Duke, heir to Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich in a Cossack uniform, 1865
Travel abroad
On October 19, 1863, the Tsarevich returned to St. Petersburg, and in April of the following year it was decided to send him on a trip abroad. In addition to the scientific and educational goals that were set out in the program prepared by Count S. G. Stroganov, it was assumed that the young man, having become acquainted with European courts, would be able to choose a bride.
Sovereign heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (son of Alexander II) 1865
June 12, 1864 Nikolai Alexandrovich in the company of Count S. G. Stroganov, adjutant wing Colonel O. B. Richter, lieutenant of the Life Cuirassier Regiment P. A. Kozlov, ensign of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Prince V. A. Baryatinsky, Doctor N. A Shchestov and mentor B. N. Chicherin went abroad. The relations between the Tsarevich and his retinue were the most relaxed, the conversations were friendly and frank. Chicherin wrote in his memoirs: “We traveled as a circle of friends, of different ages, different positions, but all united by a common feeling and common aspirations. The center of this small world was a charming young man, with an educated mind, with a warm and loving heart, cheerful, friendly ", courteous, taking an active part in everything, spreading around himself some kind of bright and joyful feeling."
Sergei Zaryanko Portrait of the Grand Duke, heir to Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich. 1866
The first on the route was Germany, the heir visited Berlin, the resort in Bavaria Bad Kissingen, where his parents were vacationing at that time, Frankfurt am Main, Hanover, Schwalbach and Eisenach. From Germany the company went to Holland, where in Skeveningen, near Eider, he was prescribed sea bathing. According to eyewitnesses, these baths had a negative impact on him. Nikolai traveled all around The Hague, visited Zaandam, where his great ancestor once studied shipbuilding.
The bride has been found!
After the truce between Denmark and Prussia, Nicholas asked his father by telegraph for permission to travel to Denmark and immediately went there via Kiel and Hamburg.
Upon arrival in Copenhagen, the Tsarevich stayed at the house of the ambassador - Baron N. P. Nikolai and the next day went to Fredensborg Castle, where he was received by the Danish royal family. It was then that the heir met Princess Dagmara.
After living in Denmark for three weeks, Nikolai, as they would say now, “fell completely in love,” and, making sure of the princess’s reciprocal feelings, decided to propose to her. But first, it was necessary to seek permission from the parents to make this proposal, so the Tsarevich, without delay, went to Darmstadt, where the imperial couple was staying at that time.
Princess Dagmar and Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.
On September 1, Nikolai and his parents went to visit his aunt, Queen Olga Nikolaevna of Württemberg, in Friedrichshafen, where he spent three days.
Then, together with Emperor Alexander II, the Tsarevich went to Berlin, where he took part in the Prussian maneuvers in Brandenburg. Somehow it turned out that it was “thanks to” the father that problems with the heir’s health arose. Because, after Nicholas followed the emperor on horseback during these maneuvers from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., his back pain intensified.
Still, looking forward to joyful event The Tsarevich forgot about these pains and on September 13 he left Kiel for Copenhagen, and already on September 20, 1864, on his birthday, on which he turned 21, he became engaged to the daughter of the Danish king, Dagmara. On the same day, Prince V.A. Baryatinsky was sent to Darmstadt to receive his parental blessing for the engagement. The parents gave their consent and ordered to inform the residents of St. Petersburg about the upcoming engagement with 101 cannon shots.
Heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich with his bride Princess Dagmara 1865
On September 30 (October 12), Nikolai said goodbye to his bride and went to his parents in Darmstadt. Archpriest I. A. Yanyshev was also summoned there from Wiesbaden, who should have taught her the Law of God before Dagmara’s conversion to Orthodoxy. The Tsarevich himself undertook to teach the princess the Russian language and Russian history.
The journey continues
At the beginning of October 1864, Nikolai continued his journey through Europe as prescribed by the program; he went to Venice through Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Munich and Tyrol. Here, perhaps due to the humid climate, the first signs of the disease appeared. The heir’s companions “reported” that the Tsarevich “feels very tired and in last days with waning interest he examines paintings in museums.”
From Venice with a stop in Milan, where he dined with Prince Humbert, Nicholas arrived in Turin, where King Victor Emmanuel hosted a large dinner on the occasion of his arrival. From Turin, the Tsarevich went to Genoa, and then to Nice, where his mother, Maria Alexandrovna, arrived for treatment. From Nice a few days later, on a Russian warship via Livorno, Nicholas and his retinue arrived in Florence.
It must be said that while traveling in Italy and in Nice, the Tsarevich had repeated attacks of illness, but he drove away the pain and sad thoughts, since all his thoughts were about the upcoming wedding with his beloved Dagmara and his future family life.
The Tsarevich’s companions recalled that he said: “Now I’m at the shore. God willing, I’ll rest and strengthen myself in the winter in Italy, then the wedding, and then new life, family hearth, service and work... It's time. I'm tired of the life of a tramp... In Skeveningen, all the dark thoughts came into my head. In Denmark they went away and were replaced by pink ones. I won’t be mistaken if I say that my bride gave them to me, and since then I have been living with dreams of the future... I console myself with the fact that we have our whole future ahead of us.”
In a letter to the teacher of his beloved brother Alexander, Nikolai Pavlovich Litvinov, Nikolai wrote: “I experienced good moments and sincerely thank God that I found what I wanted so much, what I dreamed about for so long: to love and be loved.” Nikolai also wrote to his brother Sasha about his love and expectation of happiness.
Illness and death
In Florence, Nikolai had a painful attack and was forced to go to bed. An urgently assembled council of Italian doctors rendered a verdict - the Tsarevich had acute rheumatism. Only one of the doctors suggested that the patient had an inflammatory process in the spine, but his opinion was not listened to. After the attack, Nikolai moved with difficulty, fearing the resumption of pain; he almost did not straighten up and walked hunched over. He was treated with massage for a month, but the treatment did not bring relief. Then it was decided to transport Nicholas to Nice, where the retinue with the heir left on December 20, 1864.
Nicholas celebrated New Year 1865 in Nice at the Villa Diesbach, but he was getting worse and worse. The French luminaries of medicine, Rayet and Nelaton, who were summoned, generally identified the disease as a complication after a cold, and prescribed to spend the winter in Nice. In March, doctors came to the conclusion that the deterioration was due to the coastal climate, so they transferred the weakening young man to the Bermon villa, far from the sea, next to the villa where Maria Alexandrovna lived.
But the Tsarevich’s strength weakened every day; on April 4, his brother, Grand Duke Alexander, was summoned to Nice; on April 6, the emperor himself set off with his third son, Vladimir, and along the way they were joined by his bride Dagmar and his mother.
Even before the arrival of his relatives, Nikolai began to have severe headaches, accompanied by vomiting, and he often fell into unconsciousness.
On the morning of April 11, the heir felt very ill, he took communion and began to say goodbye to everyone.
On the same day, the last consultation of doctors took place, to which physician Nikolai Fedorovich Zdekauer (1815 - 1897), surgeon and anatomist Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov (1810 - 1881) and Austrian Dr. Opolzer were invited. It was then that the real diagnosis was made - tuberculous meningitis spinal cord(meningitis cerebro-spinalis tuberculosa). I don’t understand why it was impossible to call these particular doctors earlier (Pirogov alone is worth it!)!
Karl Bryullov Portrait of N. F. Zdecauer. 1848-1849
Ilya Repin Portrait of the surgeon Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov. 1881
In addition, the doctors came to the conclusion that the disease was advanced and, alas, there was no salvation. On the same day, Nikolai began to go into agony at half past seven in the evening. In his dying delirium, he recalled, uttering the words of commands, his yacht “Uvalen”, on which he loved to sail. All this time, his fiancée and beloved brother Sasha never left his side. They say that it was then that Nikolai took an oath from Alexander that he would not leave Dagmara and, after the prescribed mourning, would marry her. Whether this is true or a legend is unknown, but subsequent events convince us that it is true.
Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich and the Danish princess Dagmar. June 1866
On April 12, at about one in the morning, Tsarevich-heir Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov died at the age of twenty-one.
On the same day Tyutchev wrote:
Everything is decided and he is calm,
He, who endured to the end,
He was worthy to know before God
Another, better crown...
On the death of the Tsarevich, the Highest Manifesto was issued, which said: “It pleased the Almighty to strike us with a terrible blow. In the firm conviction that all our faithful subjects will share our spiritual grief with us, we only find consolation in him and call on them to earnestly pray with us for the repose of the soul of our beloved son, who left this world amid hopes, by us and all of Russia for him assigned."
On April 14, the body of Nikolai Alexandrovich was transferred to the Russian church in Nice, and on April 16, on the frigate Alexander Nevsky, it was sent to Kronstadt, where it arrived on May 21. The body of the heir to the throne was accompanied on its final journey from Nice to St. Petersburg by the famous Russian poet Nikolai Annenkov.
On May 21, 1865, the former mentor of the Tsarevich M. M. Stasyulevich wrote in the newspaper: “We mourn at these moments a death that included thousands of deaths: not only a person died, youth died, beauty died, the first and barely flared love died, the hopes of millions of good people died , everything that was cherished and dear on earth was dying... No matter how little he lived, he still lived for a reason: he left for others a living image of what they had previously only dreamed of; he said in himself what people love in royal youths, and what they expect from them. Let us try to be worthy of his memory, if we can no longer be worthy of his life.”
On May 25, the body was transferred to Peter and Paul Fortress, and on May 28 a solemn burial in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Afterword
The Tsarevich Alexander's brother, the future Emperor Alexander III, named his eldest son, born three years after the death of Nicholas, in his honor. Fifty years later this boy will be the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.
On March 2, 1867, at the site of the death of the Tsarevich, a chapel was founded, built within a year and consecrated on March 26, 1868 in the presence of the new heir, Tsarevich Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich. Icons were brought to this chapel from all the regiments in which Nikolai Alexandrovich was listed.
Memorial Chapel in Nice (1868, architect D.I. Grimm).
The city authorities of Nice decided never to build on the site where Villa Bermont stood. 35 years later, on April 12, 1903, in Nice, in the gardens of Villa Bermont, construction began on a new Orthodox church in memory of the Tsarevich who died here. The construction was completed in 1911; the nephew of the deceased Tsarevich, Emperor Nicholas II, was present at the consecration of the temple in 1912; with his permission, the street leading to the temple was named “Nicholas II Street.” The boulevard closest to the church bears the name of the Tsarevich. The church is visible from a distance, since there is still a ban on building up adjacent areas, despite the fact that every square meter land in the center of Nice today costs a lot of money.
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Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov), eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, was born May 18 (May 6, old style) 1868 in Tsarskoe Selo (now the city of Pushkin, Pushkin district of St. Petersburg).
Immediately after his birth, Nikolai was included in the lists of several guards regiments and appointed chief of the 65th Moscow Infantry Regiment. The future tsar spent his childhood within the walls of the Gatchina Palace. Nikolai began regular homework at the age of eight.
In December 1875 He received his first military rank - ensign, in 1880 he was promoted to second lieutenant, and four years later he became a lieutenant. In 1884 Nikolai entered active military service, in July 1887 year began regular military service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment and was promoted to staff captain; in 1891 Nikolai received the rank of captain, and a year later - colonel.
To get acquainted with government affairs since May 1889 he began to attend meetings State Council and the Committee of Ministers. IN October 1890 went on a trip to Far East. In nine months, Nikolai visited Greece, Egypt, India, China, and Japan.
IN April 1894 The engagement of the future emperor to Princess Alice of Darmstadt-Hesse, daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, took place. After converting to Orthodoxy, she took the name Alexandra Feodorovna.
November 2 (October 21, old style) 1894 Alexander III died. A few hours before his death, the dying emperor obliged his son to sign the Manifesto on his accession to the throne.
The coronation of Nicholas II took place May 26 (14 old style) 1896. On the thirtieth (18 old style) May 1896, during the celebration of the coronation of Nicholas II in Moscow, a stampede occurred on Khodynka Field in which more than a thousand people died.
The reign of Nicholas II took place in an atmosphere of increasing revolutionary movement and complications of the foreign policy situation ( Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905; Bloody Sunday; revolution of 1905-1907; First World War; February Revolution 1917).
Under the influence of a strong social movement in favor of political changes, October 30 (17 old style) 1905 Nicholas II signed the famous manifesto "On the Improvement public order": the people were granted freedom of speech, press, personality, conscience, assembly, unions; as legislature The State Duma was created.
The turning point in the fate of Nicholas II was 1914- Beginning of the First World War. August 1 (July 19, old style) 1914 Germany declared war on Russia. IN August 1915 year, Nicholas II assumed military command (previously, this position was held by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich). Afterwards, the tsar spent most of his time at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Mogilev.
At the end of February 1917 Unrest began in Petrograd, which grew into mass protests against the government and the dynasty. The February Revolution found Nicholas II at headquarters in Mogilev. Having received news of the uprising in Petrograd, he decided not to make concessions and to restore order in the city by force, but when the scale of the unrest became clear, he abandoned this idea, fearing great bloodshed.
At midnight March 15 (2 old style) 1917 In the salon carriage of the imperial train, which stood on the tracks at the Pskov railway station, Nicholas II signed an act of abdication, transferring power to his brother Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who did not accept the crown.
March 20 (7 old style) 1917 The Provisional Government issued an order for the arrest of the Tsar. On the twenty-second (9th old style) March 1917, Nicholas II and his family were arrested. For the first five months they were under guard in Tsarskoe Selo, in August 1917 they were transported to Tobolsk, where the Romanovs spent eight months.
At first 1918 The Bolsheviks forced Nicholas to remove his colonel's shoulder straps (his last military rank), which he perceived as a grave insult. In May of this year royal family transported to Yekaterinburg, where she was placed in the house of mining engineer Nikolai Ipatiev.
On the night of July 17 (4 old) 1918 and Nicholas II, Tsarina, their five children: daughters - Olga (1895), Tatiana (1897), Maria (1899) and Anastasia (1901), son - Tsarevich, heir to the throne Alexei (1904) and several close associates (11 people in total) , . The shooting took place in small room in the lower floor of the house, the victims were brought there under the pretext of evacuation. The Tsar himself was shot at point-blank range by the commandant of the Ipatiev House, Yankel Yurovsky. The bodies of the dead were taken outside the city, doused with kerosene, they tried to burn them, and then buried them.
At the beginning of 1991 The first application was submitted to the city prosecutor's office about the discovery of bodies near Yekaterinburg that showed signs of violent death. After many years of research into the remains discovered near Yekaterinburg, a special commission came to the conclusion that they are indeed the remains of nine Nicholas II and his family. In 1997 They were solemnly buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
In 2000 Nicholas II and members of his family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
October 1, 2008 Presidium of the Supreme Court Russian Federation recognized the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and members of his family as victims of illegal political repression and rehabilitated them.
History in paintings and photographs
A century and a half has passed since the day when Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, the eldest son of Alexander II, is no longer with us. Abroad, in French Nice, he is remembered much better than in Russia - there he spent the last days of his life, there he died very young, not knowing life, unable to realize his progressive plans. In the universal scientific library named after A. M. Gorky in Tver, with the support of the Russian Assembly of Nobility, the regional branch of the RDS, an exhibition “The Failed Emperor” was opened, dedicated to the memory of Tsarevich Nicholas.
Nicholas, the eldest son of the future Emperor Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna, was born on September 8 (20), 1843 in Tsarskoe Selo, his father’s favorite place. Here, in the Zubovsky wing of the Alexander Palace, the honeymoon of the newlyweds took place. On the second floor of the building in the apartments of Catherine II lived the princess of the Hessian House of Maximilian Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria, who became Maria Alexandrovna after accepting Orthodoxy on December 5 (17), 1840. In Tsarskoe Selo, the young royal couple was blessed with the birth of children. In 1842, they had a daughter, Grand Duchess Alexandra, and a year later their son Nicholas, who was destined to succeed his father on the Russian throne. The heir was born on the eve of the great church holiday Christmas Holy Mother of God(September 20, new style).
When the 11th All-Russian Emperor Nicholas I Pavlovich learned that his grandson was named after him - unusual for the Romanov dynasty, he was touched to the depths of his soul. The tradition of naming the heirs to the throne after Nicholas was started by Catherine II. Moreover, if her first two grandchildren were named Alexander (in honor of Alexander the Great) and Constantine (in honor of Constantine the Great) because of the Greek project she developed, then there is no explanation for the naming of the name Nicholas. Perhaps Catherine took into account the semantics of the name, which goes back to Greek words"victory" and "people". Although, if we turn to Orthodoxy, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was loved by the Russian people and highly revered in Rus'.
At the birth of his namesake grandson, 47-year-old Nicholas I ordered his three youngest sons, Grand Dukes Constantine, Nicholas and Mikhail, to kneel before the cradle of the future Emperor and take an oath of allegiance to him. In honor of their son, the august parents donated 20,000 rubles to the poor to redeem unpaid debtors and distribute benefits.
The heir to the Russian throne grew up as everyone's favorite, distinguished by his great intelligence, pleasant appearance and easy-going character. Members of the Imperial House doted on him. Grandfather Nikolai Pavlovich adored his grandson, studied him a lot and, as was his custom, taught him early on in military affairs. His governess was M.A. Yuz, who had previously raised the brothers of Alexander II, and V.N. Skripitsyna, who had previously held the position of inspector of the Educational Society of Noble Maidens (Smolny Institute), was appointed governess. Beginning in 1849, the Grand Duke’s educators were Adjutant General N.V. Zinoviev, former director Corps of Pages, with two assistants - Major General Gogel and Colonel N. G. Kaznakov.
On February 18, 1855, Nikolai Alexandrovich’s grandfather, Emperor Nicholas I, died, and his father, Alexander II, ascended the throne, so twelve-year-old Nicholas officially became Tsarevich, heir to the Russian throne. By this time he was already an ensign and a cornet, a lieutenant, and in the same year he became the ataman of all Cossack troops and the headquarters captain.
On September 8, 1859, on the day of his majority, in the St. George (Grand Throne) Hall of the Winter Palace, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich took the oath of allegiance to the Motherland. He was prepared for the spiritual oath by his confessor and teacher of the law, Protopresbyter V.B. Bazhanov, and for the civil oath by Count M.A. Korf. Immediately after the heir took the oath, he was separated from his younger brothers and sisters. With him, in addition to the trustee Count A.G. Stroganov, the aide-de-camp Colonel O.B. Richter was left with him. After taking the dynastic oath, Nikolai Alexandrovich received the title of aide-de-camp and could receive all representatives of foreign powers. Baron G. Jomini, under the leadership of Prince A. M. Gorchakov, prepared for the reception of high-ranking guests of the Grand Duke. They taught a whole course of diplomacy, as a result of which the heir charmed foreign ambassadors and envoys, speaking freely about politics and culture.
The heir to the throne made his first trip to Russia in 1861. He visited Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and ended the trip in Moscow. In 1963, the Tsarevich went on a longer trip around Russia, visiting many cities, including Tula. These travels were part of the Grand Duke's training so that he could correctly judge issues of local or state interest.
In April 1864, the issue of sending the Tsarevich on a trip abroad was decided. S. G. Stroganov developed a travel plan from a scientific and educational point of view. At the same time, it was necessary to give the Tsarevich the opportunity to choose a bride, who was usually brought from abroad. Teacher B. N. Chicherin described the impression made on everyone by the first groom Tsarist Russia: “Tall, slender, handsome, and at the same time smart, lively and friendly, he could charm and bind everyone who approached him. The whole atmosphere surrounding him breathed with some kind of soulful and sublime order.”
The Tsarevich visited Germany and Holland, from where he went to Copenhagen, holding with him a photograph of his future bride. The 16-year-old princess of Denmark, whom Nicholas called Mini due to her diminutive size, was charming and had a cheerful disposition: “A thin and graceful figure, a small expressive head, a deep look, at the same time kind and affectionate,” this is how Fyodor Oom, secretary of the Tsarevich’s office, described her . Relations between the young people developed rapidly, and just three weeks later, on the 21st anniversary of the birth of the Tsarevich, their engagement took place, commemorated in St. Petersburg by 101 cannon shots. This dynastic marriage was needed by both Denmark and Russia.
At the beginning of October 1864, Nikolai Alexandrovich went to Venice. Here his terrible illness manifested itself - tuberculous meningitis. The weakened heir went through Milan and Turin to Nice, where the Empress Mother arrived to see him. According to doctors, the disease was caused by the Tsarevich falling from a horse. The strict Emperor recommended physical exercises to his son, which could give him more courage and courage. In 1860, at the request of the Sovereign, the heir participated in the Tsarskoye Selo race, which became fatal for him. At the beginning of April 1865, the Grand Duke's health deteriorated so much that Alexander II left for Nice with his sons Vladimir and Alexander, and on the way Princess Dagmara and her mother joined them. Before his death, Nikolai talked for a long time with Alexander, and then with Dagmara, whom he asked to entrust her fate to his brother Alexander. So, along with the title of Tsarevich-heir, Alexander, at the age of twenty, also received the hand of a Danish princess. A year and a half later, they became one of the happiest crowned couples. The young couple will name their firstborn in honor of the deceased brother who joined their hands, Nikolai. This boy is destined to become Nicholas II in 26 years.
Russians' love for the French Riviera began a century and a half ago. Russia wanted to have a naval base in the Mediterranean. The Dowager Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I, came here with this mission. She financed the construction of a road from Villefranche to Nice, which would be called the Boulevard of the Empress. By this time, more than four hundred families of the wealthy Russian aristocracy already lived in Nice. It should be noted that the English Queen Victoria, spoiled by luxury, would only discover this amazing city forty years after the Russian invasion. It so happened that approximately at the same time as Alexandra Fedorovna was settling into this truly paradise, a tragic event would occur in the Royal House. At Villa Bermon, “the hope and consolation of our people,” as Fyodor Tyutchev called the “failed Emperor,” Tsarevich Nikolai, will die.
On April 12, 1865, the heir's body was sent to Russia on the frigate "Alexander Nevsky" accompanied by a poet, translator, military and statesman N. N. Annenkova. The famous Russian poet, Prince Pyotr Vyazemsky celebrated New Year 1865 in Nice on board the frigate "Alexander Nevsky", which became the last for Tsarevich Nicholas. On New Year's Eve, Vyazemsky wrote the poem “Frigate “Alexander Nevsky”.” After the death of the heir to the throne, he dedicated to him the poem “In the evening on the seashore” and the memoirs “Villa Bermon”, which he proposed to buy and erect on its territory a temple dedicated to the memory of the late heir to the Russian throne. In 1867, Alexander II acquired ownership of the villa, the building was demolished, and already in 1868, on this site, according to the design of the architect D. I. Grimm, the memorial St. Nicholas Chapel was erected, the consecration of which took place in the presence of Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich. In 1903–1912, under the patronage of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Emperor Nicholas II, the architect M. T. Preobrazhensky built the five-domed Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was repeatedly recognized as the most beautiful Orthodox church outside of Russia.
All this and much more is presented in reproductions of photographs and paintings at the “Failure Emperor” exhibition that opened in Tver. The exhibits on display are divided into five sections: “Childhood”, “In the Family Circle”, “Study”, “Dagmar’s Bride”, “Death of the Tsarevich”. You can get acquainted with the parents of the Tsarevich, the place where he was born, the coronation of his father Alexander II, the taking of the oath by the Grand Duke, the Imperial family, as well as the family of the beautiful bride. Posthumous episodes are also reflected: sending the body of the Tsarevich to Russia, St. Nicholas Chapel and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker,
Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich was an extraordinary personality, possessing brilliant knowledge in all sciences. Poems were dedicated to him famous poets. He could be the most educated and progressive monarch not only in Russian history, but throughout the world. And if not for his tragic death, Russia might have been spared the troubled times that subsequently arose and lasted for a century.
Russian Emperor Alexander II was born on April 29 (17 old style), 1818 in Moscow. The eldest son of the Emperor and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. After his father's accession to the throne in 1825, he was proclaimed heir to the throne.
Received an excellent education at home. His mentors were lawyer Mikhail Speransky, poet Vasily Zhukovsky, financier Yegor Kankrin and other outstanding minds of that time.
He inherited the throne on March 3 (February 18, old style) 1855 at the end of an unsuccessful campaign for Russia, which he managed to complete with minimal losses for the empire. He was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on September 8 (August 26, old style) 1856.
On the occasion of the coronation, Alexander II declared an amnesty for the Decembrists, Petrashevites, participants Polish uprising 1830-1831.
The transformations of Alexander II affected all spheres of Russian society, shaping the economic and political contours of post-reform Russia.
On December 3, 1855, by imperial decree, the Supreme Censorship Committee was closed and discussion of government affairs became open.
In 1856, a secret committee was organized “to discuss measures to organize the life of the landowner peasants.”
On March 3 (February 19, old style), 1861, the emperor signed the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and the Regulations on peasants emerging from serfdom, for which they began to call him the “tsar-liberator.” Transforming peasants into free labor contributed to capitalization Agriculture and the growth of factory production.
In 1864, by issuing the Judicial Statutes, Alexander II separated the judicial power from the executive, legislative and administrative powers, ensuring its complete independence. The process became transparent and competitive. The police, financial, university and entire secular and spiritual educational systems as a whole were reformed. The year 1864 also marked the beginning of the creation of all-class zemstvo institutions, which were entrusted with the management of economic and other social issues locally. In 1870, on the basis of the City Regulations, city councils and councils appeared.
As a result of reforms in the field of education, self-government became the basis of the activities of universities, and secondary education for women was developed. Three Universities were founded - in Novorossiysk, Warsaw and Tomsk. Innovations in the press significantly limited the role of censorship and contributed to the development of the media.
By 1874, the army had been rearmed in Russia, a system of military districts had been created, the War Ministry had been reorganized, the officer training system had been reformed, universal conscription had been introduced, and the term had been shortened. military service(from 25 to 15 years, including reserve service), corporal punishment was abolished.
The emperor also established the State Bank.
Internal and external wars Emperor Alexander II were victorious - the uprising that broke out in 1863 in Poland was suppressed, and the Caucasian War (1864) ended. According to the Aigun and Beijing treaties with the Chinese Empire, Russia annexed the Amur and Ussuri territories in 1858-1860. In 1867-1873, the territory of Russia increased due to the conquest of the Turkestan region and the Fergana Valley and the voluntary entry into vassal rights of the Bukhara Emirate and the Khanate of Khiva. At the same time, in 1867, the overseas possessions of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands were ceded to the United States, with which good relations were established. In 1877 Russia declared war Ottoman Empire. Turkey suffered a defeat, which predetermined the state independence of Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro.
© Infographics
© Infographics
The reforms of 1861-1874 created the preconditions for a more dynamic development of Russia and strengthened the participation of the most active part of society in the life of the country. The flip side of the transformations was the aggravation of social contradictions and the growth of the revolutionary movement.
Six attempts were made on the life of Alexander II, the seventh was the cause of his death. The first shot was shot by nobleman Dmitry Karakozov in the Summer Garden on April 17 (4 old style), April 1866. By luck, the emperor was saved by the peasant Osip Komissarov. In 1867, during a visit to Paris, Anton Berezovsky, a leader of the Polish liberation movement, attempted to assassinate the emperor. In 1879, the populist revolutionary Alexander Solovyov tried to shoot the emperor with several revolver shots, but missed. Underground terrorist organization"Narodnaya Volya" purposefully and systematically prepared the regicide. Terrorists carried out explosions on the royal train near Alexandrovsk and Moscow, and then in the Winter Palace itself.
The explosion in the Winter Palace forced the authorities to take extraordinary measures. To fight the revolutionaries, a Supreme Administrative Commission was formed, headed by the popular and authoritative General Mikhail Loris-Melikov at that time, who actually received dictatorial powers. He took harsh measures to combat the revolutionary terrorist movement, while at the same time pursuing a policy of bringing the government closer to the “well-intentioned” circles of Russian society. Thus, under him, in 1880, the Third Department of His Imperial Majesty’s Own Chancellery was abolished. Police functions were concentrated in the police department, formed within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
On March 14 (old style 1), 1881, as a result of a new attack by Narodnaya Volya, Alexander II received mortal wounds on the Catherine Canal (now the Griboyedov Canal) in St. Petersburg. The explosion of the first bomb thrown by Nikolai Rysakov damaged the royal carriage, wounded several guards and passers-by, but Alexander II survived. Then another thrower, Ignatius Grinevitsky, came close to the Tsar and threw a bomb at his feet. Alexander II died a few hours later in the Winter Palace and was buried in the family tomb of the Romanov dynasty in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. At the site of the death of Alexander II in 1907, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was erected.
In his first marriage, Emperor Alexander II was with Empress Maria Alexandrovna (nee Princess Maximiliana-Wilhelmina-Augusta-Sophia-Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt). The emperor entered into a second (morganatic) marriage with Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukova, bestowed with the title of Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya, shortly before his death.
The eldest son of Alexander II and heir to the Russian throne, Nikolai Alexandrovich, died in Nice from tuberculosis in 1865, and the throne was inherited by the emperor's second son, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (Alexander III).
The material was prepared based on information from open sources