The first known ancestor of the Romanovs was Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla. Until the beginning of the 16th century, the Romanovs were called Koshkins, then Zakharyins-Koshkins and Zakharyins-Yuryevs.

Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina-Yuryeva was the first wife of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. The ancestor of the family is the boyar Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuryev. From the house of Romanov, Alexei Mikhailovich and Fyodor Alekseevich reigned; During the childhood of Tsars Ivan V and Peter I, their sister Sofya Alekseevna was the ruler. In 1721, Peter I was proclaimed emperor, and his wife Catherine I became the first Russian empress.

With the death of Peter II, the Romanov dynasty ended in direct male generation. With the death of Elizaveta Petrovna, the Romanov dynasty came to an end in the direct female line. However, the surname Romanov was borne by Peter III and his wife Catherine II, their son Paul I and his descendants.

In 1918, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov and members of his family were shot in Yekaterinburg, other Romanovs were killed in 1918-1919, some emigrated.

https://ria.ru/history_infografika/20100303/211984454.html

It just so happens that our Motherland has an unusually rich and varied history, a huge milestone in which we can confidently consider the dynasty of Russian emperors who bore the name Romanov. This rather ancient boyar family actually left a significant mark, because it was the Romanovs who ruled the country for three hundred years, until the Great October Revolution of 1917, after which their family was practically interrupted. The Romanov dynasty, whose family tree we will definitely consider in detail and closely, has become iconic, reflected in the cultural as well as economic aspect of the life of Russians.

The first Romanovs: family tree with years of reign

According to a well-known legend in the Romanov family, their ancestors came to Russia around the beginning of the fourteenth century from Prussia, but these are only rumors. One of the famous historians of the twentieth century, academician and archaeographer Stepan Borisovich Veselovsky, believes that this family traces its roots to Novgorod, but this information is also quite unreliable.

The first known ancestor of the Romanov dynasty, the family tree with photos is worth considering in detail and thoroughly, was a boyar named Andrei Kobyla, who “went under” the prince of Moscow Simeon the Proud. His son, Fyodor Koshka, gave the family the surname Koshkin, and his grandchildren received a double surname - Zakharyin-Koshkin.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, it happened that the Zakharyin family rose significantly and began to claim its rights to the Russian throne. The fact is that the notorious Ivan the Terrible married Anastasia Zakharyina, and when the Rurik family was finally left without offspring, their children began to be aspired to the throne, and not in vain. However, the Romanov family tree as Russian rulers began a little later, when Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was elected to the throne, perhaps this is where we need to start our rather lengthy story.

Magnificent Romanovs: the tree of the royal dynasty began with disgrace

The first tsar of the Romanov dynasty was born in 1596 into the family of a noble and rather wealthy boyar Fyodor Nikitich, who later took the rank and began to be called Patriarch Filaret. His wife was born Shestakova, named Ksenia. The boy grew up strong, savvy, grasped everything on the fly, and on top of everything else, he was also practically a direct cousin of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, which made him the first contender for the throne when the Rurik family, due to degeneration, simply died out. This is precisely where the Romanov dynasty begins, whose tree we view through the prism of the past tense.

Sovereign Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, Tsar and Grand Duke of All Rus'(ruled from 1613 to 1645) was not elected by chance. The times were troubled, there was talk of an invitation to the nobility, boyars and kingdom of the English king James the First, but the Great Russian Cossacks became enraged, fearing a lack of grain allowance, which is what they received. At the age of sixteen, Michael ascended the throne, but gradually his health deteriorated, he was constantly “mournful on his feet,” and died of natural causes at the age of forty-nine.

Following his father, his heir, the first and eldest son, ascended the throne Alexey Mikhailovich, by nickname The quietest(1645-1676), continuing the Romanov family, whose tree turned out to be branched and impressive. Two years before his father’s death, he was “presented” to the people as an heir, and two years later, when he died, Mikhail took the scepter in his hands. During his reign, a lot happened, but the main achievements are considered to be reunification with Ukraine, the return of Smolensk and Northern Land to the state, as well as the final formation of the institution of serfdom. It is also worth mentioning that it was under Alexei that the famous peasant revolt of Stenka Razin took place.

After Alexey the Quiet, a man by nature of weak health, fell ill and died, his blood brother took his placeFedor III Alekseevich(reigned from 1676 to 1682), who from early childhood showed signs of scurvy, or as they said then, scurvy, either from a lack of vitamins, or from an unhealthy lifestyle. In fact, the country was ruled by various families at that time, and nothing good came of the tsar’s three marriages; he died at the age of twenty, without leaving a will regarding the succession to the throne.

After the death of Fedor, strife began, and the throne was given to the first oldest brother Ivan V(1682-1696), who had just turned fifteen years old. However, he was simply not capable of ruling such a huge power, so many believed that his ten-year-old brother Peter should take the throne. Therefore, both were appointed kings, and for the sake of order, their sister Sophia, who was smarter and more experienced, was assigned to them as regent. By the age of thirty, Ivan died, leaving his brother as the legal heir to the throne.

Thus, the Romanov family tree gave history exactly five kings, after which the anemone Clio took a new turn, and a fresh turn brought a new product, the kings began to be called emperors, and one of the greatest people in world history entered the arena.

Imperial tree of the Romanovs with years of reign: diagram of the post-Petrine period

He became the first All-Russian Emperor and Autocrat in the history of the state, and in fact, its last tsar.Peter I Alekseevich, who received his great merits and honorable deeds, the Great (years of reign from 1672 until 1725). The boy received a rather weak education, which is why he had great respect for the sciences and learned people, hence the passion for the foreign lifestyle. He ascended the throne at the age of ten, but actually began to rule the country only after the death of his brother, as well as the imprisonment of his sister in the Novodevichy Convent.

Peter’s services to the state and people are countless, and even a cursory review of them would take at least three pages of dense typewritten text, so it’s worth doing it yourself. In terms of our interests, the Romanov family, whose tree with portraits is definitely worth studying in more detail, continued, and the state became an Empire, strengthening all positions on the world stage by two hundred percent, if not more. However, a banal urolithiasis felled the emperor who seemed so indestructible.

After the death of Peter, power was taken by force by his second legal wife,Ekaterina I Alekseevna, whose real name is Marta Skavronskaya, and her years of reign stretched from 1684 to 1727. In fact, the real power at that time was held by the notorious Count Menshikov, as well as the Supreme Privy Council, created by the empress.

Catherine’s wild and unhealthy life bore its terrible fruits, and after her, Peter’s grandson, born in his first marriage, was elevated to the throne.Peter II. He began to reign in the year 27 of the eighteenth century, when he was barely ten, and by the age of fourteen he was struck down by smallpox. The Privy Council continued to rule the country, and after it fell, the boyars Dolgorukovs continued to rule.

After the untimely death of the young king, something had to be decided and she ascended the throneAnna Ivanovna(reign years from 1693 to 1740), disgraced daughter of Ivan V Alekseevich, Duchess of Courland, widowed at the age of seventeen. The huge country was then ruled by her lover E.I. Biron.

Before her death, Anna Ionovna managed to write a will, according to it, the grandson of Ivan the Fifth, an infant, ascended the throneIvan VI, or simply Ivan Antonovich, who managed to be emperor from 1740 to 1741. At first, the same Biron handled state affairs for him, then his mother Anna Leopoldovna took over the initiative. Deprived of power, he spent his entire life in prison, where he would later be killed on the secret orders of Catherine II.

Then the illegitimate daughter of Peter the Great came to power, Elizaveta Petrovna(reigned 1742-1762), who ascended the throne literally on the shoulders of the brave warriors of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. After her accession, the entire Brunswick family was arrested, and the favorites of the former empress were executed.

The last empress was completely barren, so she left no heirs, and transferred her power to the son of her sister Anna Petrovna. That is, we can say that at that time it again turned out that there were only five emperors, of whom only three had the opportunity to be called Romanovs by blood and origin. After the death of Elizabeth, there were absolutely no male followers left, and the direct male line, one might say, was completely cut off.

The permanent Romanovs: the tree of the dynasty was reborn from the ashes

After Anna Petrovna married Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, the Romanov family had to end. However, he was saved by a dynastic treaty, according to which the son from this unionPeter III(1762), and the clan itself now became known as Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovsky. He managed to sit on the throne for only 186 days and died under completely mysterious and unclear circumstances to this day, and even then without a coronation, and he was crowned after his death by Paul, as they now say, retroactively. It is remarkable that this unfortunate emperor left behind a whole heap of “False Peters”, which appeared here and there, like mushrooms after rain.

After the short reign of the previous sovereign, the real German princess Sophia Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst, better known as the Empress, made her way to power through an armed coup.Catherine II, the Great (from 1762 until 1796), the wife of that very unpopular and stupid Peter the Third. During her reign, Russia became much more powerful, her influence on the world community was significantly strengthened, and she did a lot of work within the country, reuniting the lands, and so on. It was during her reign that the peasant war of Emelka Pugachev broke out and was suppressed with noticeable effort.

Emperor Paul I, Catherine’s unloved son from a hated man, ascended the throne after the death of his mother in the cold autumn of 1796, and reigned for exactly five years, minus several months. He carried out many reforms useful for the country and the people, as if in spite of his mother, and also interrupted the series of palace coups, abolishing the female inheritance of the throne, which from now on could be passed exclusively from father to son. He was killed in March 1801 by an officer in his own bedroom, without even having time to really wake up.

After his father's death, his eldest son ascended the throneAlexander I(1801-1825), liberal and lover of the silence and charm of rural life, and also intended to give the people a constitution, so that he could rest on his laurels until the end of his days. At the age of forty-seven years, all he received in life in general was an epitaph from the great Pushkin himself: “I spent my whole life on the road, caught a cold and died in Taganrog.” It is remarkable that the first memorial museum in Russia was created in his honor, which existed for more than a hundred years, after which it was liquidated by the Bolsheviks. After his death, brother Constantine was appointed to the throne, but he immediately refused, not “wanting to take part in this pandemonium of ugliness and murder.”

Thus, Paul's third son ascended the throne -Nicholas I(reign from 1825 to 1855), direct grandson of Catherine, who was born during her lifetime and memory. It was under him that the Decembrist uprising was suppressed, the Code of Laws of the Empire was finalized, new censorship laws were introduced, and many very serious military campaigns were won. According to the official version, it is believed that he died of pneumonia, but it was rumored that the king committed suicide.

A leader of large-scale reforms and a great asceticAlexander II Nikolaevich, nicknamed the Liberator, came to power in 1855. In March 1881, Narodnaya Volya member Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb at the feet of the sovereign. Soon after this, he died from his injuries, which turned out to be incompatible with life.

After the death of his predecessor, his own younger brother was anointed to the throneAlexander III Alexandrovich(from 1845 to 1894). During his time on the throne, the country did not enter into a single war, thanks to a uniquely faithful policy, for which he received the legitimate nickname Tsar-Peacemaker.

The most honest and responsible of the Russian emperors died after the crash of the royal train, when for several hours he held in his hands a roof that threatened to collapse on his family and friends.

An hour and a half after the death of his father, right in the Livadia Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, without waiting for a memorial service, the last emperor of the Russian Empire was anointed on the throne,Nicholas II Alexandrovich(1894-1917).

After the coup in the country, he abdicated the throne, handing it over to his half-brother Mikhail, as his mother had wished, but nothing could be corrected, and both were executed by the Revolution, along with their descendants.

At this time, there are quite a lot of descendants of the imperial Romanov dynasty who could lay claim to the throne. It’s clear that there is no longer any smell of the purity of the family there, because the “brave new world” dictates its own rules. However, the fact remains that if necessary, a new tsar can be found quite easily, and the Romanov tree in the scheme today looks quite branched.

The Old Russian chronicle of the 12th century “The Tale of Bygone Years” introduces us to a very interesting event that happened in 862. It was in this year that the Varangian Rurik was invited by the Slavic tribes to reign in Novgorod.

This event became fundamental in counting the beginning of the statehood of the Eastern Slavs and received the code name “Calling of the Varangians.” It is with Rurik that the countdown of the rulers of the Russian lands begins. Our history is very rich. It is filled with both heroic and tragic events, and all of them are inextricably linked with specific personalities that history has placed in chronological order.

Novgorod princes (862-882)

Novgorod princes of the pre-Kiev period. The State of Rurik - this is how the emerging Old Russian state can be conventionally called. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, this time is associated with the calling of the Varangians and the transfer of the capital to the city of Kyiv.

Kyiv princes (882-1263)

We include the rulers of the Old Russian state and the Principality of Kiev as the Kyiv princes. From the end of the 9th to the beginning of the 13th century, the Kiev throne was considered the most prestigious, and it was occupied by the most authoritative princes (usually from the Rurik dynasty), who were recognized by the other princes in the order of succession to the throne. At the end of the 12th century, this tradition began to weaken; influential princes did not occupy the Kiev throne personally, but sent their proteges to it.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Yaropolk Svyatoslavich
Svyatopolk Vladimirovich	1015-1016; 1018-1019
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Vseslav Bryachislavich
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Svyatoslav Yaroslavich
Vsevolod Yaroslavich
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Vsevolod Yaroslavich
Svyatopolk Izyaslavich
Mstislav Vladimirovich the Great
Yaropolk Vladimirovich
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich
Vsevolod Olgovich
Igor Olgovich	August 1146
Izyaslav Mstislavich
Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich	August 1150
Izyaslav Mstislavich	August 1150
	August 1150 - early 1151
Izyaslav Mstislavich
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich		co-ruler
Rostislav Mstislavich	December 1154
Izyaslav Davydovich
Izyaslav Davydovich
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Izyaslav Davydovich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Vladimir Mstislavich	March - May 1167
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Gleb Yurievich
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Gleb Yurievich
Mikhalko Yurievich
Roman Rostislavich
Yaropolk Rostislavich		co-ruler
Rurik Rostislavich
Yaroslav Izyaslavich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich	January 1174
Yaroslav Izyaslavich	January - 2nd half 1174
Roman Rostislavich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich
Rurik Rostislavich	end of August 1180 - summer 1181
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich
Rurik Rostislavich	summer 1194 - autumn 1201
Ingvar Yaroslavich
Rurik Rostislavich
Rostislav Rurikovich	winter 1204 - summer 1205
Rurik Rostislavich
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	August - September 1206
Rurik Rostislavich	September 1206 - spring 1207
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	spring - October 1207
Rurik Rostislavich	October 1207 - 1210
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	1210 - summer 1212
Ingvar Yaroslavich
Mstislav Romanovich
Vladimir Rurikovich
Izyaslav Mstislavich	June - end 1235
Vladimir Rurikovich	end 1235-1236
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich	1236 - 1st half of 1238
Vladimir Rurikovich
Mikhail Vsevolodovich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Daniil Romanovich
Mikhail Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich

Vladimir Grand Dukes (1157-1425)

The Vladimir Grand Dukes are the rulers of North-Eastern Rus'. The period of their reign begins with the separation of the Rostov-Suzdal principality from Kyiv in 1132 and ends in 1389, after the entry of the Vladimir principality into the Moscow principality. In 1169, Andrei Bogolyubsky captured Kyiv and was proclaimed Grand Duke, but did not go to reign in Kyiv. From this time on, Vladimir received grand ducal status and turned into one of the most influential centers of the Russian lands. After the start of the Mongol invasion, the Vladimir princes are recognized in the Horde as the oldest in Rus', and Vladimir becomes the nominal capital of the Russian lands.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Mikhalko Yurievich
Yaropolk Rostislavich
Mikhalko Yurievich
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Konstantin Vsevolodovich
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich	1246 - beginning of 1248
Mikhail Yaroslavovich Khorobrit	early 1248 - winter 1248/1249
Andrey Yaroslavovich
Yaroslav Yaroslavovich Tverskoy
Vasily Yaroslavovich Kostromskoy
Dmitry Alexandrovich Pereyaslavsky	December 1283 - 1293
Andrey Alexandrovich Gorodetsky
Mikhail Yaroslavovich Tverskoy
Yuri Danilovich
Dmitry Mikhailovich Terrible Eyes (Tverskoy)
Alexander Mikhailovich Tverskoy
Alexander Vasilievich Suzdalsky
		co-ruler
Semyon Ivanovich Gordy
Ivan II Ivanovich the Red
Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy	early January - spring 1363
Dmitry Konstantinovich Suzdal-Nizhegorodsky
Vasily Dmitrievich

Moscow princes and grand dukes (1263-1547)

During the period of feudal fragmentation, Moscow princes increasingly found themselves at the head of the troops. They managed to get out of conflicts with other countries and neighbors, achieving a positive solution to their own political issues. The Moscow princes changed history: they overthrew the Mongol yoke and returned the state to its former greatness.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
	nominally 1263, actually from 1272 (not later than 1282) - 1303
Yuri Danilovich
Semyon Ivanovich Gordy
Ivan II Ivanovich the Red
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Yuri Dmitrievich	spring - summer 1433
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Yuri Dmitrievich Zvenigorodsky
Vasily Yurievich Kosoy
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Dmitry Yurievich Shemyaka
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Dmitry Yurievich Shemyaka
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
		co-ruler Vasily II
Ivan Ivanovich Young		co-ruler
Dmitry Ivanovich Vnuk		co-ruler
		co-ruler of Ivan III

Russian Tsars

Rurikovich

In 1547, the Sovereign of All Rus' and Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible was crowned Tsar and took the full title “Great Sovereign, by the grace of God Tsar and Grand Duke of All Rus', Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, Ryazan, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others"; Subsequently, with the expansion of the borders of the Russian state, “Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Siberia”, “and ruler of all Northern countries” were added to the title.

Godunovs

The Godunovs are an ancient Russian noble family, which after the death of Fyodor I Ivanovich became the Russian royal dynasty (1598-1605).

Time of Troubles

At the very beginning of the 17th century, the country was struck by a deep spiritual, economic, social, political and foreign policy crisis. It coincided with a dynastic crisis and the struggle of boyar groups for power. All this brought the country to the brink of disaster. The impetus for the start of the Troubles was the suppression of the royal Rurik dynasty after the death of Fyodor I Ioannovich and the not very clear policy of the new royal dynasty of the Godunovs.

Romanovs

The Romanovs are a Russian boyar family. In 1613, a Zemsky Sobor was held in Moscow to elect a new tsar. The total number of electors exceeded 800 people representing 58 cities. The election of Mikhail Romanov to the kingdom put an end to the Troubles and gave rise to the Romanov dynasty.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Mikhail Fedorovich
Patriarch Filaret		Co-ruler of Mikhail Fedorovich from 1619 to 1633 with the title "Great Sovereign"
Fedor III Alekseevich
Ivan V Alekseevich		Ruled until 1696 with his brother
		Until 1696 he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V

Russian emperors (1721-1917)

The title of Emperor of All Russia was adopted by Peter I on October 22 (November 2), 1721. This adoption took place at the request of the Senate after the victory in the Northern War. The title lasted until the February Revolution of 1917.

Ruler	Years of reign	Note
Peter I the Great
Catherine I
Anna Ioannovna
Elizaveta Petrovna
Catherine II the Great
Alexander I
Nicholas I
Alexander II
Alexander III
Nicholas II

Provisional Government (1917)

In February 1917, the February Revolution took place. As a result, on March 2, 1917, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the Russian throne. Power was in the hands of the Provisional Government.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government was overthrown, the Bolsheviks came to power and began building a new state.

These people can be considered formal leaders only because the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) - All-Union Communist Party (b) - CPSU after the death of V.I. Lenin was actually the most important government position.

Kamenev Lev Borisovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Sverdlov Yakov Mikhailovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Vladimirsky Mikhail Fedorovich		And about. Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, from December 30, 1922 - Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, from January 17, 1938 -
Shvernik Nikolay Mikhailovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council
Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council
Mikoyan Anastas Ivanovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council
Podgorny Nikolay Viktorovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich
Kuznetsov Vasily Vasilievich
Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council, at the same time General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Kuznetsov Vasily Vasilievich		And about. Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council, at the same time General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Kuznetsov Vasily Vasilievich		And about. Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces
Gromyko Andrey Andreevich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council, at the same time General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee

General Secretaries of the Central Committee of the RCP(b), CPSU(b), CPSU (1922-1991)

Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich		First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich		Until 04/08/1966 - First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, from 04/08/1966 - General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich

President of the USSR (1990-1991)

The post of President of the Soviet Union was introduced on March 15, 1990 by the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR with appropriate amendments to the Constitution of the USSR.

Presidents of the Russian Federation (1991-2018)

The post of President of the RSFSR was established on April 24, 1991 based on the results of the All-Russian referendum.

Today they talk more and more about the Romanov dynasty. Her story can be read like a detective story. And its origin, and the history of the coat of arms, and the circumstances of accession to the throne: all this still causes ambiguous interpretations.

Prussian origins of the dynasty

The ancestor of the Romanov dynasty is considered to be the boyar Andrei Kobyla at the court of Ivan Kalita and his son Simeon the Proud. We know practically nothing about his life and origins. The chronicles mention him only once: in 1347 he was sent to Tver for the bride of Grand Duke Simeon the Proud, daughter of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich of Tver.

Finding himself during the unification of the Russian state with a new center in Moscow in the service of the Moscow branch of the princely dynasty, he thus chose the “golden ticket” for himself and his family. Genealogists mention his numerous descendants, who became the ancestors of many noble Russian families: Semyon Stallion (Lodygins, Konovnitsyns), Alexander Elka (Kolychevs), Gavriil Gavsha (Bobrykins), Childless Vasily Vantey and Fyodor Koshka - the ancestor of the Romanovs, Sheremetevs, Yakovlevs, Goltyaevs and Bezzubtsev. But the origins of the Mare himself remain a mystery. According to the Romanov family legend, he traced his ancestry back to the Prussian kings.

When a gap is formed in genealogies, it provides an opportunity for their falsification. In the case of noble families, this is usually done with the aim of either legitimizing their power or achieving extra privileges. As in this case. The blank spot in the Romanov genealogies was filled in the 17th century under Peter I by the first Russian king of arms Stepan Andreevich Kolychev. The new history corresponded to the “Prussian legend”, fashionable even under the Rurikovichs, which was aimed at confirming the position of Moscow as the successor of Byzantium. Since Rurik’s Varangian origin did not fit into this ideology, the founder of the princely dynasty became the 14th descendant of a certain Prus, the ruler of ancient Prussia, a relative of Emperor Augustus himself. Following them, the Romanovs “rewrote” their history.

A family legend, subsequently recorded in the “General Arms of Arms of the Noble Families of the All-Russian Empire,” says that in 305 AD, the Prussian king Pruteno gave the kingdom to his brother Veidewut, and he himself became the high priest of his pagan tribe in the city of Romanov, where the evergreen sacred oak tree grew.

Before his death, Veidevuth divided his kingdom among his twelve sons. One of them was Nedron, whose family owned part of modern Lithuania (Samogit lands). His descendants were the brothers Russingen and Glanda Kambila, who were baptized in 1280, and in 1283 Kambila came to Rus' to serve the Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich. After baptism, he began to be called Mare.

Who fed False Dmitry?

The personality of False Dmitry is one of the biggest mysteries of Russian history. In addition to the unresolved question of the identity of the impostor, his “shadow” accomplices remain a problem. According to one version, the Romanovs, who fell into disgrace under Godunov, had a hand in the conspiracy of False Dmitry, and the eldest descendant of the Romanovs, Fedor, a contender for the throne, was tonsured a monk.

Adherents of this version believe that the Romanovs, Shuiskys and Golitsins, who dreamed of the “Monomakh’s hat,” organized a conspiracy against Godunov, using the mysterious death of the young Tsarevich Dmitry. They prepared their contender for the royal throne, known to us as False Dmitry, and led the coup on June 10, 1605. Afterwards, having dealt with their biggest rival, they themselves joined the fight for the throne. Subsequently, after the accession of the Romanovs, their historians did everything to connect the bloody massacre of the Godunov family exclusively with the personality of False Dmitry, and leave the Romanovs’ hands clean.

The Mystery of the Zemsky Sobor 1613

The election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the throne was simply doomed to be covered with a thick layer of myths. How did it happen that in a country torn apart by turmoil, a young, inexperienced youth was elected to the throne, who at the age of 16 was not distinguished by either military talent or a sharp political mind? Of course, the future king had an influential father - Patriarch Filaret, who himself once aimed for the royal throne. But during the Zemsky Sobor, he was captured by the Poles and could hardly have somehow influenced the process. According to the generally accepted version, the decisive role was played by the Cossacks, who at that time represented a powerful force to be reckoned with. Firstly, under False Dmitry II, they and the Romanovs found themselves in the “same camp”, and secondly, they were certainly satisfied with the young and inexperienced prince, who did not pose a danger to their liberties, which they had inherited during the time of unrest.

The warlike cries of the Cossacks forced Pozharsky’s followers to propose a break of two weeks. During this time, widespread campaigning in favor of Mikhail unfolded. For many boyars, he also represented an ideal candidate who would allow them to keep power in their hands. The main argument put forward was that supposedly the late Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, before his death, wanted to transfer the throne to his relative Fyodor Romanov (Patriarch Filaret). And since he languished in Polish captivity, the crown passed to his only son, Mikhail. As the historian Klyuchevsky later wrote, “they wanted to choose not the most capable, but the most convenient.”

Non-existent coat of arms

In the history of the Romanov dynastic coat of arms there are no less blank spots than in the history of the dynasty itself. For some reason, for a long time the Romanovs did not have their own coat of arms at all; they used the state coat of arms, with the image of a double-headed eagle, as a personal one. Their own family coat of arms was created only under Alexander II. By that time, the heraldry of the Russian nobility had practically taken shape, and only the ruling dynasty did not have its own coat of arms. It would be inappropriate to say that the dynasty did not have much interest in heraldry: even under Alexei Mikhailovich, the “Tsar’s Titular Book” was published - a manuscript containing portraits of Russian monarchs with the coats of arms of Russian lands.

Perhaps such loyalty to the double-headed eagle is due to the need for the Romanovs to show legitimate continuity from the Rurikovichs and, most importantly, from the Byzantine emperors. As is known, starting with Ivan III, people begin to talk about Rus' as the successor of Byzantium. Moreover, the king married Sophia Palaeologus, the granddaughter of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine. They took the symbol of the Byzantine double-headed eagle as their family coat of arms.

In any case, this is just one of many versions. It is not known for certain why the ruling branch of the huge empire, which was related to the noblest houses of Europe, so stubbornly ignored the heraldic orders that had developed over the centuries.

The long-awaited appearance of the Romanovs’ own coat of arms under Alexander II only added more questions. The development of the imperial order was undertaken by the then king of arms, Baron B.V. Kene. The basis was taken as the ensign of the governor Nikita Ivanovich Romanov, at one time the main oppositionist Alexei Mikhailovich. Its description is more accurate, since the banner itself was already lost by that time. It depicted a golden griffin on a silver background with a small black eagle with raised wings and lion heads on its tail. Perhaps Nikita Romanov borrowed it from Livonia during the Livonian War.

The new coat of arms of the Romanovs was a red griffin on a silver background, holding a golden sword and tarch, crowned with a small eagle; on the black border there are eight severed lion heads; four gold and four silver. Firstly, the changed color of the griffin is striking. Historians of heraldry believe that Quesne decided not to go against the rules established at that time, which prohibited placing a golden figure on a silver background, with the exception of the coats of arms of such high-ranking persons as the Pope. Thus, by changing the color of the griffin, he lowered the status of the family coat of arms. Or the “Livonia version” played a role, according to which Kene emphasized the Livonian origin of the coat of arms, since in Livonia since the 16th century there was a reverse combination of coat of arms colors: a silver griffin on a red background.

There is still a lot of controversy about the symbolism of the Romanov coat of arms. Why is so much attention paid to lion heads, and not to the figure of an eagle, which, according to historical logic, should be in the center of the composition? Why is it with lowered wings, and what, ultimately, is the historical background of the Romanov coat of arms?

Peter III – the last Romanov?

As you know, the Romanov family ended with the family of Nicholas II. However, some believe that the last ruler of the Romanov dynasty was Peter III. The young infantile emperor did not have a good relationship with his wife at all. Catherine told in her diaries how anxiously she waited for her husband on her wedding night, and he came and fell asleep. This continued - Peter III did not have any feelings for his wife, preferring her to his favorite. But a son, Pavel, was nevertheless born, many years after the marriage.

Rumors about illegitimate heirs are not uncommon in the history of world dynasties, especially in turbulent times for the country. So here the question arose: is Paul really the son of Peter III? Or perhaps Catherine’s first favorite, Sergei Saltykov, took part in this.

A significant argument in favor of these rumors was that the imperial couple had not had children for many years. Therefore, many believed that this union was completely fruitless, as the empress herself hinted at, mentioning in her memoirs that her husband suffered from phimosis.

Information that Sergei Saltykov could be Pavel’s father is also present in Catherine’s diaries: “Sergei Saltykov made me understand what the reason for his frequent visits was... I continued to listen to him, he was as beautiful as day, and, of course, no one could not compare with him at court... He was 25 years old, in general, both by birth and by many other qualities, he was an outstanding gentleman... I did not give in all spring and part of the summer.” The result was not long in coming. On September 20, 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son. Only from whom: from her husband Romanov, or from Saltykov?

The choice of name for members of the ruling dynasty has always played an important role in the political life of the country. Firstly, intra-dynastic relations were often emphasized with the help of names. So, for example, the names of the children of Alexei Mikhailovich were supposed to emphasize the connection of the Romanovs with the Rurikovich dynasty. Under Peter and his daughters, they showed close relationships within the ruling branch (despite the fact that this was completely inconsistent with the real situation in the imperial family). But under Catherine the Great, a completely new order of naming was introduced. The former clan affiliation gave way to other factors, among which the political played a significant role. Her choice came from the semantics of names, going back to the Greek words: “people” and “victory”.

Let's start with Alexander. The name of Paul's eldest son was given in honor of Alexander Nevsky, although another invincible commander, Alexander the Great, was also implied. She wrote the following about her choice: “You say: Catherine wrote to Baron F. M. Grimm, that he will have to choose who to imitate: a hero (Alexander the Great) or a saint (Alexander Nevsky). You apparently don't know that our saint was a hero. He was a courageous warrior, a firm ruler and a clever politician and surpassed all other appanage princes, his contemporaries... So, I agree that Mr. Alexander has only one choice, and it depends on his personal talents which path he will take - holiness or heroism "

The reasons for choosing the name Constantine, unusual for Russian tsars, are even more interesting. They are connected with the idea of ​​Catherine’s “Greek project,” which implied the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the restoration of the Byzantine state led by her second grandson.

It is unclear, however, why Paul's third son received the name Nicholas. Apparently, he was named after the most revered saint in Rus' - Nicholas the Wonderworker. But this is just a version, since the sources do not contain any explanation for this choice.

Catherine had nothing to do with the choice of name for Pavel’s youngest son, Mikhail, who was born after her death. Here the father’s long-standing passion for chivalry already played a role. Mikhail Pavlovich was named in honor of the Archangel Michael, the leader of the heavenly army, the patron saint of the emperor-knight.

Four names: Alexander, Konstantin, Nicholas and Mikhail - formed the basis of the new imperial names of the Romanovs.

The Romanov dynasty, also known as the “House of Romanov,” was the second dynasty (after the Rurik dynasty) to rule Russia. In 1613, representatives of 50 cities and several peasants unanimously elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as the New Tsar. It was with him that the Romanov dynasty began, which ruled Russia until 1917.

Since 1721, the Russian Tsar was proclaimed emperor. Tsar Peter I became the first emperor of all Russia. He turned Russia into a Great Empire. During the reign of Catherine II the Great, the Russian Empire expanded and improved in governance.

At the beginning of 1917, the Romanov family had 65 members, 18 of whom were killed by the Bolsheviks. The remaining 47 people fled abroad.

The last Romanov Tsar, Nicholas II, began his reign in the fall of 1894, when he ascended the throne. His entry came much earlier than anyone expected. Nicholas's father, Tsar Alexander III, died unexpectedly at the relatively young age of 49.

The Romanov family in the mid-19th century: Tsar Alexander II, his heir, the future Alexander III, and the infant Nicholas, the future Tsar Nicholas II.

Events unfolded quickly after the death of Alexander III. The new Tsar, at the age of 26, quickly married his bride of a few months, Princess Alix of Hesse—granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. The couple had known each other since they were teenagers. They were even distantly related and had numerous relatives, being the niece and nephew of the Prince and Princess of Wales, on opposite sides of the family.

A contemporary artist's depiction of the coronation of the new (and last) family from the Romanov dynasty - Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra.

In the 19th century, many members of European royal families were closely related to each other. Queen Victoria was called the “Grandmother of Europe” because her offspring were dispersed throughout the continent through the marriages of her many children. Along with her royal pedigree and improved diplomatic relations between the royal houses of Greece, Spain, Germany and Russia, Victoria's descendants were given something far less desirable: a tiny defect in a gene that regulates normal blood clotting and causes an incurable disease called hemophilia. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, patients suffering from this disease could literally bleed to death. Even the most benign bruise or blow could prove fatal. The Queen of England's son, Prince Leopold, had hemophilia and died prematurely after a minor car accident.

The hemophilia gene was also passed on to Victoria's grandchildren and great-grandchildren through their mothers in the royal houses of Spain and Germany.

Tsarevich Alexei was the long-awaited heir to the Romanov dynasty

But perhaps the most tragic and significant impact of the hemophilia gene occurred in the ruling Romanov family in Russia. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna learned in 1904 that she was a carrier of hemophilia a few weeks after the birth of her precious son and heir to the Russian throne, Alexei.

In Russia, only men can inherit the throne. If Nicholas II had not had a son, the crown would have passed to his younger brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. However, after 10 years of marriage and the birth of four healthy Grand Duchesses, the long-awaited son and heir was stricken with an incurable disease. Few subjects understood that the crown prince's life often hung in the balance due to his fatal genetic disease. Alexei's hemophilia remained a closely guarded secret of the Romanov family.

In the summer of 1913, the Romanov family celebrated the three hundredth anniversary of their dynasty. The dark “time of troubles” of 1905 seemed like a long-forgotten and unpleasant dream. To celebrate, the entire Romanov family made a pilgrimage to the ancient historical monuments of the Moscow region, and the people rejoiced. Nikolai and Alexandra were once again convinced that their people loved them and that their policies were on the right track.

At this time, it was difficult to imagine that just four years after these glory days, the Russian Revolution would deprive the Romanov family of the imperial throne, ending three centuries of the Romanov dynasty. The Tsar, enthusiastically supported during the celebrations of 1913, would no longer rule Russia in 1917. Instead, the Romanov family would be arrested and killed by their own men just over a year later.

The story of the last reigning Romanov family continues to fascinate both scholars and Russian history buffs. It has something for everyone: a great royal romance between a handsome young king—ruler of one-eighth of the world—and a beautiful German princess who gave up her strong Lutheran faith and conventional life for love.

Four Romanov daughters: Grand Duchess Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia

There were their beautiful children: four beautiful daughters and a long-awaited boy, born with a fatal disease from which he could die at any moment. There was a controversial "little guy" - a peasant who seemed to be sneaking into the imperial palace, and who was seen to be corrupt and immorally influencing the Romanov family: the Tsar, the Empress and even their children.

Romanov family: Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra with Tsarevich Alexei on their knees, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.

There were political assassinations of the powerful, executions of the innocent, intrigues, mass uprisings and a world war; murders, revolution and bloody civil war. And finally, the secret execution in the middle of the night of the last ruling Romanov family, their servants, even their pets in the basement of a “special purpose house” in the heart of the Russian Urals.

400 years ago Russia chose a king for itself. On February 21 (March 3, new style), 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the first representative of the dynasty that ruled Russia for more than three centuries, to reign. This event put an end to the horrors of the Time of Troubles. But what did the Romanov era itself turn out to be for our country?...

Roots of the family

The Romanov family has ancient origins and descended from the Moscow boyar of the times of Ivan Kalita, Andrei Kobyla. The sons of Andrei Kobyla became the founders of many boyar and noble families, including the Sheremetevs, Konovnitsyns, Kolychevs, Ladygins, Yakovlevs, Boborykins and others.
The Romanovs came from the son of Kobyla, Fyodor Koshka. His descendants were first called Koshkins, then Koshkins-Zakharyins, and then Zakharyins.

Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina was the first wife of Ivan IV the Terrible. She alone knew how to pacify the temper of Ivan the Terrible, and after she was poisoned and died at the age of 30, Ivan the Terrible compared each of his subsequent wives to Anastasia.

Anastasia's brother, boyar Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin began to be called Romanov after his father Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin-Koshkin.

So, the first Russian Tsar from the Romanov family, Mikhail Romanov, was the son of the boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov and the noblewoman Ksenia Ivanovna Romanova.

Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (1596-1645) - the first Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty.

Accession of the Romanovs: versions

Since the Romanovs, thanks to Anastasia’s marriage, were related to the Rurik dynasty, they fell into disgrace during the reign of Boris Godunov. Mikhail's father and mother were forcibly tonsured monks. He himself and all his relatives were exiled to Siberia, but were later returned.

After the end of the Time of Troubles in 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich as the new sovereign. He was only 16 years old then. In addition to him, the Polish prince Vladislav (the future Vladislav IV), the Swedish prince Carl Philip, as well as representatives of many noble boyar families, claimed the throne.

At the same time, the Mstislavskys and Kurakins collaborated with the Poles during the Time of Troubles; the Godunovs and Shuiskys were relatives of the recently overthrown rulers. The representative of the Vorotynsky family, member of the “Seven Boyars”, Ivan Vorotynsky, according to the official version, recused himself.

According to one version, the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov was considered a compromise; in addition, the Romanov family did not tarnish itself in the Time of Troubles like other noble families. However, not all historians adhere to this version - they believe that the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov was imposed on the Zemsky Sobor, and the cathedral did not represent all Russian lands at that time, and the Cossack troops had a great influence on the course of the meetings.

However, Mikhail Romanov was elected to the throne and became Mikhail I Fedorovich. He lived for 49 years, during the years of his reign (1613 - 1645) the king managed to overcome the consequences of the Time of Troubles and restore centralized power in the country. New territories were annexed in the east, and peace was concluded with Poland, as a result of which the Polish king ceased to claim the Russian throne.

Figures and facts

Most of the Russian tsars and emperors from the Romanov dynasty lived rather short lives. Only Peter I, Elizaveta I Petrovna, Nicholas I and Nicholas II lived more than 50 years, and Catherine II and Alexander II lived more than 60 years. No one lived to be 70 years old

Peter I the Great.

Catherine II lived the longest life and died at the age of 67. Moreover, she did not belong to the Romanov dynasty by birth, but was German. Peter II lived the shortest of all - he died at the age of 14.

The direct line of succession to the throne of the Romanovs was stopped in the 18th century; all Russian emperors, starting with Peter III, belonged to the Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov dynasty. The Holstein-Gottorps were a German ducal dynasty and at some point in history became related to the Romanovs.

Catherine II ruled the country the longest (34 years), 34 years. Peter III ruled the least - 6 months.

Ivan VI (Ioann Antonovich) was a baby on the throne. He became emperor when he was only 2 months and 5 days old, and his regents ruled in his place.

Most of the impostors pretended to be Peter III. After he was overthrown, he died under unclear circumstances. The most famous impostor is considered to be Emelyan Pugachev, who led the peasant war in 1773-1775.

Of all the rulers, Alexander II carried out the most liberal reforms, and at the same time, he suffered the most assassination attempts. After a series of unsuccessful attempts, the terrorists still managed to kill the Tsar - he died from the explosion of a bomb that Narodnaya Volya members threw at his feet on the embankment of the Catherine Canal in St. Petersburg.

The last Emperor Nicholas II, shot by the Bolsheviks, as well as his wife and children were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as passion-bearers.

Romanov dynasty in faces

Mikhail I Fedorovich
The first Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty
Years of life: 1596 – 1645 (49 years)
Reign: 1613 – 1645

overcoming the consequences of the Time of Troubles; restoration of centralized
authorities in the country; annexation of new territories in the east; peace with Poland, in
as a result of which the Polish king ceased to claim the Russian throne.

Alexey I Mikhailovich
Son of Fyodor Mikhailovich. For the absence of major upheavals in the country during his years
reign was called the Quietest
Years of life: 1629 – 1676 (46 years)
Reign: 1645 – 1676
Achievements and government initiatives:
military reform; a new set of laws - the Council Code of 1649; church
reform of Patriarch Nikon, which caused a split in the church.

Fedor III Alekseevich
Son of Alexei Mikhailovich. He had poor health, which is why he died early
Years of life: 1661 – 1682 (20 years)
Reign: 1676 – 1682

Achievements and government initiatives:
census of the country in 1678; abolition of localism - distribution
official places, taking into account the origin and official position of ancestors; introduction
household taxation with direct taxes; fight against schismatics.

Sofya Alekseevna
Regent over Ivan V and Peter I, who were both recognized as tsars. After
displacement became a nun
Years of life: 1657 – 1704 (46 years)
Reign: 1682 – 1689

Achievements and government initiatives:
signing of the “Eternal Peace” with Poland, according to which Kyiv was recognized as part of
Russian kingdom; - fight against schismatics.

Ivan V
The son of Alexei Mikhailovich and the elder brother of Peter I. He had poor health and did not
interested in government affairs
Years of life: 1666 – 1696 (29 years)
Years of reign: 1682 – 1696 (co-ruler Peter I)

Peter I
The last Russian Tsar and the first Emperor of the Russian Empire (since 1721).
One of the most famous rulers of Russia, who radically changed
historical fate of the country
Years of life: 1672 – 1725 (52 years)
Reign: 1682 – 1725

Achievements and government initiatives:
large-scale reforms to radically restructure the state and public
way of life; creation of the Russian Empire; creation of the Senate - the highest body
state power subordinate to the emperor; victory in the Northern War with
Sweden; creation of a navy and a regular army; construction
St. Petersburg and the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg from Moscow; spreading
education, creation of secular schools; publication of the first newspaper in Russia;
annexation of new territories to Russia.

Catherine I
Wife of Peter I. Took little part in government affairs
Years of life: 1684 – 1727 (43 years)
Years of reign: 1725 – 1727

Achievements and government initiatives:
creation of the Supreme Privy Council, with the help of which those close to
the empresses actually ruled the state; opening of the Academy of Sciences, creation
which was conceived under Peter I.

Peter II
Grandson of Peter I, the last direct descendant of the Romanov dynasty in the male line. IN
Due to his young age, he did not take part in government affairs and indulged in
entertainment, his confidants ruled instead of him
Years of life: 1715 - 1730 (14 years)
Years of reign: 1727 - 1730

Anna Ioanovna
Daughter of Ivan V. During her reign, favoritism flourished.
Years of life: 1693 - 1740 (47 years)
Years of reign: 1730 – 1740

Achievements and government initiatives:
dissolution of the Supreme Privy Council and creation of a cabinet of ministers; institution
Office of Secret Investigation Cases; transformations in the army: restriction of service for
nobles for 25 years, the creation of new guards regiments, the establishment of the Gentry Cadet Corps.

Ivan VI (Ioann Antonovich)
Great-grandson of Ivan V. Was emperor in infancy during the regency of Anna's favorite
Ioannovna Ernst Biron and his mother Anna Leopoldovna, was overthrown, his
spent his childhood and the rest of his life in prisons
Years of life: 1740 - 1764 (23 years)
Years of reign: 1740 – 1741

Elizaveta I Petrovna
Daughter of Peter I, last heir to the throne from the Romanov dynasty
direct female line.
Years of life: 1709 - 1761 (52 years)
Years of reign: 1741 – 1761

Achievements and government initiatives:
abolition of the cabinet of ministers and restoration of the role of the Senate; reform
taxation, elimination of internal customs duties and fees; expansion of the rights of the nobility; creation of the first Russian banks; annexation of new territories in Central Asia to Russia.

Peter III
Grandson of Peter I and son of his eldest daughter Anna Petrovna. Due to unpopular measures
in foreign policy and in the army lost the support of the ruling circles and soon after
accession to the throne was overthrown by his own wife Catherine, who also
was his second cousin
Years of life: 1728 - 1762 (34 years)
Years of reign: 1761 – 1762

Achievements and government initiatives:
abolition of the Secret Chancellery; the beginning of the secularization of church lands; publication of the “Manifesto on the Freedom of the Nobility,” which expanded the privileges of this class; ending the persecution of Old Believers.

Catherine II
Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst, daughter
Prussian general-field marshal and wife of Peter III. Overthrew her husband in 6
months after he ascended the throne
Years of life: 1729 - 1796 (67 years)
Reign: 1762 – 1796

Achievements and government initiatives:
provincial reform, which determined the territorial structure of the country until
revolution of 1917; maximum enslavement of the peasantry and its deterioration
provisions; further expansion of the privileges of the nobles (“Charter of Grant
nobility"); annexation of new lands to Russia - Crimea, the Black Sea region,
parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; introduction of paper money - banknotes; development
education and science, including the creation of the Russian Academy; renewal
persecution of Old Believers; secularization of church lands.

Paul I
Son of Peter III and Catherine II. He was killed by officers as a result of a conspiracy, about which
was not known to the general public until the beginning of the twentieth century
Years of life: 1754 - 1801 (46 years)
Years of reign: 1796 – 1801

Achievements and government initiatives:
improving the situation of the peasantry; creation of the State Treasury;
abolition of some of the privileges of the nobility granted by Catherine II military
reform.

Alexander I
Son of Paul I and beloved grandson of Catherine II. It was during his reign that Russia
won the Patriotic War of 1812 with Napoleon
Years of life: 1777 – 1825 (47 years)
Years of reign: 1801 – 1825

Achievements and government initiatives:
restoration of the “Charter of Grant to the Nobility”; institution
ministries instead of boards; “Decree on free cultivators”, thanks to which
landowners received the right to free the peasants; creation of military settlements for
recruitment of the army; annexation of new territories, including Georgia,
Finland, Poland, etc.

Nicholas I
Brother of Alexander I. Ascended to the throne after the abdication of his second eldest
brother Constantine, at the same time the Decembrist uprising took place
Years of life: 1796 – 1855 (58 years)
Years of reign: 1825 – 1855

Achievements and government initiatives:
suppression of the Decembrist uprising; increased censorship; creation of the Third
departments of the office for political investigation; war in the Caucasus; improvement
the position of the peasants - they were forbidden to be sent to hard labor and sold individually
and without land; annexation of the mouth of the Danube and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus to Russia
and Transcaucasia; unsuccessful Crimean War.

Alexander II
The son of Nicholas I, actively carried out political reforms and was killed as a result
Narodnaya Volya terrorist attack
Years of life: 1818 – 1881 (62 years)
Years of reign: 1855 – 1881

Achievements and government initiatives:
abolition of serfdom in 1861; zemstvo reform - management issues
Zemstvos began to work locally; creation of a unified system of courts; Creation
city ​​councils in cities; military reform and the emergence of new types of weapons; annexation of Central Asia, the North Caucasus, and the Far East to the empire; sale of Alaska to the USA.

Alexander III
Son of Alexander II. After killing his father, he nullified many of his
liberal reforms
Years of life: 1845 – 1894 (49 years)
Years of reign: 1881 – 1894

Achievements and government initiatives:
curtailment of many reforms in the field of local self-government, judicial
systems, education; strengthening supervision over peasants; rapid growth
industry; restriction of factory work of minors and night work
teenagers and women.

Nicholas II
The last Russian emperor, son of Alexander III. During his reign
all three Russian revolutions occurred; after the revolution of 1917, he renounced
throne and was killed by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg along with his family
Years of life: 1868 – 1918 (50 years)
Years of reign: 1894 – 1917

Achievements and government initiatives:
general census of 1897; monetary reform that established gold
ruble standard; the unsuccessful Russo-Japanese War; limitation of working hours on
enterprises; publication of the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, granting the entire population
countries basic civil rights and freedoms; creation of the State Duma;
entry into the First World War.

Facts and myths

The most terrible secret of the Romanovs was the “Russian iron mask” - the failed Russian emperor Ivan Antonovich. According to the will of the childless Anna Ioannovna (died in 1740), her niece’s son was to become her heir. At the age of one, the boy was overthrown from the throne by the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth. Ivan spent his entire life in captivity and was killed by guards in 1764 while trying to be released by the conspirators.

Princess Tarakanova is an impostor who pretended to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. While in Europe, she declared her claim to the throne in 1774. She was kidnapped by order of Catherine II and brought to Russia. During the investigation, she did not admit guilt and did not reveal her origin. She died in custody in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Strictly speaking, the direct branch of the Romanov family was cut short after the death of Elizaveta Petrovna in 1761. Since then, it is more correct to call the dynasty Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov. There was practically no Slavic blood among its representatives, which did not prevent some of them from being deeply Russian people.

The most counterfeited “brand” in the history of the Romanovs is Emperor Peter III, overthrown in 1762. More than 40 impostors are known to hide behind his name. The most famous false Peter is Emelyan Pugachev.

According to legend, Alexander I did not die in 1825 in Taganrog, but faked his death and lived in Siberia for another half a century under the name of Elder Fyodor Kuzmich. Whether this is true or not is unknown.

By the way…

After the revolution of 1917, the Russian Imperial House lost political power, but retained its role as a historical institution.

“The status of the current Russian Imperial House is recognized by all modern royal houses. Its head is the Empress Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (b. 1953), great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Alexander II.

Her grandfather Kirill was a cousin of Nicholas II and led the dynasty after the death of the tsar, his son Alexei and his brother Mikhail, said Kirill Nemirovich-Danchenko, adviser to the Chancellery of H.I.H. on interaction with public organizations and government bodies of the Russian Federation. - The second member of the House is the heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich (b. 1981), her son.

All other descendants of members of the dynasty, in accordance with dynastic laws, do not have rights to the throne and do not belong to the Imperial House (the supremacy of Maria Vladimirovna is disputed by Nikolai Romanov, the son of the prince of the imperial blood Roman Petrovich. He is the president of the organization “Union of the Romanov Family.” - Ed.) . The total number of people in whose veins the blood of the Romanovs flows is more than 100 throughout the world. Those who rightfully bear this surname are about 15.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich

Maria Vladimirovna lives in Spain. Since 2003, the dynasty has been represented in its homeland by the Chancellery of the Russian Imperial House, the purpose of which is to promote the integration of the House into the public life of Russia. Maria Vladimirovna has visited Russia several times and has known Vladimir Putin personally since 1992. After his election to the presidency, there were brief meetings, but no detailed conversation yet.

The Grand Duchess and her son are citizens of the Russian Federation, declare their complete loyalty to the Constitution and the existing government, firmly oppose restitution and believe that the development of cooperation between the Imperial House and the modern state has prospects.”