Alexei Romanov, son of Nicholas 2. Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov, Grand Duke. Life in Tsarskoye Selo
Nikolai Nikolaevich (junior)
In a nutshell
Nikolai Nikolaevich (11/6/1856-01/5/1929), leader. prince, son book. Nikolai Nikolaevich. Educated at the Academy of the General Staff. He took part in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. From 1895 he was inspector general of the cavalry. First world war was the supreme commander in chief, responsible for many defeats of the Russian army. Since the 20th century Nayala has been associated with Masonic lodges.
Site materials used Big Encyclopedia Russian people.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov (junior) (1856-1929) - Grand Duke, adjutant general, cavalry general. Participant Russian-Turkish war 1877-1878, in 1905-1914 - Commander of the Guards and the St. Petersburg Military District, at the same time (in 1905-1908) - Chairman of the Council of State Defense. In 1914 - August 1915 - Supreme Commander-in-Chief: from August 1915 to March 1917 - Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front. In March 1919 he emigrated to Italy, then to France. He was considered one of the contenders for the Russian imperial throne.
Nikolai Nikolaevich (N., Nikolasha), 1856-1929, Grand Duke, grandson of Nicholas I, uncle of Nicholas II, adjutant general, cavalry general, supreme commander (July 1914 - August 1915), later viceroy of His Majesty in the Caucasus, commander in chief Caucasian army, military ataman of the Caucasian army. Intrigued against Nicholas II, apparently seeking to take his place. He hated G. Rasputin, who constantly exposed his intrigues against the Tsar. Since 1907 he has been married to Anastasia Nikolaevna (Stan), nee Princess of Montenegro, a member of the Martinist Order.
"I fell into a panic state and joined the opinion of Witte"
general excitement ( in 1905. - Ed.) took such proportions that Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich fell into a state of panic and joined Witte's opinion that the revolution could be prevented only by agreeing to constitutional reforms. Together with Witte, Nikolai Nikolayevich drew up the initial draft of the constitution and presented it to the Emperor, declaring that he had brought a pistol with him, and if the Emperor did not sign the document, then, having left the palace, he shoot himself. Finally, after lengthy negotiations, a commission headed by Alexander Grigoryevich Bulygin was created, which began work on preparing the necessary reforms. In this critical situation, the Emperor was forced to appoint Count Witte as prime minister, and the first law that accompanied his appointment was the law on freedom of the press. Newspapers immediately took advantage of their freedom and began to print such impudent jokes and cartoons that would not be allowed in any country in the world.
Naryshkina E.A. My memories. Under the rule of three kings / Elizaveta Alekseevna Naryshkina. M., 2014, p. 360.
Other biographical material:
Supreme Commander ( Soviet military encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 5: Adaptive radio communication line - Objective air defense. 688 p., 1978).
Zalessky A.A. He had no military talent Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 10. NAKHIMSON - PERGAM. 1967).
Zalessky K.A. Member of the First World War ( Zalessky K.A. Who was who in World War I. Biographical encyclopedic dictionary. M., 2003).
Mosolov A.A. Could have led the opposition to Nicholas II ( Mosolov A.A. At the court of the last king. Memoirs of the head of the palace office. 1900-1916. M., 2006).
Alexander Mikhailovich. Had the greatest influence on our state affairs ( Alexander Mikhailovich [Romanov]. Memoirs of the Grand Duke. Moscow, 2001).
Nikolsky E.A. Hamovat has been ( Nikolsky E.A. Notes about the past. Comp. and prepare. text by D.G. Browns. M., Russian way, 2007).
Kolchak A.V. The most talented in the imperial family ( Around Kolchak: documents and materials. Compiled by Dr. historical sciences, Professor A.V. Kvakin. M., 2007).
Tsarevich Alexei was a long-awaited child. Beloved by everyone, he grew up surrounded by family and servants, but his life was overshadowed by a terrible disease - hemophilia.
long-awaited child
Tsarevich Alexei was a long-awaited child. After the birth of four daughters, Olga, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia (the difference between them was two years), the emperor and the empress really wanted a son who would become the heir to the throne.
Anastasia Fedorovna was especially worried. She was so worried that she developed pathological mysticism. All sorts of "advisers" began to revolve around her. One of them, the Frenchman Philip, was able to convince the Empress that he could provide male offspring. The empress, after his exhortations on a nervous basis, even had a false pregnancy.
Only a few months later, Alexandra Feodorovna agreed to a medical examination, which showed that the Empress was not pregnant. The charlatan was exposed by agents of the tsarist police in France.
Help Seraphim
Both Nicholas II and the Empress were deeply religious people. They fervently prayed for the birth of an heir to the recently canonized Seraphim of Sarov. The proposal to canonize Sarovsky was made by the emperor himself. In his family, the Sarov elder was revered for a long time: according to legend, Alexander I visited him incognito, and the 7-year-old daughter of Alexander II was cured of a serious illness with the help of the mantle of St. Seraphim.
About the role of the empress in this matter, Count Witte said: “They say that they were sure that the Sarov saint would give Russia an heir after the four Grand Duchesses. This came true and finally and unconditionally strengthened the faith of Their Majesties in the holiness of the truly pure Elder Seraphim. A large portrait appeared in His Majesty's study - the image of St. Seraphim.
Name
As to why the boy was named Alexei, there are two points of view. According to one, the crown prince was named in honor of the Moscow Metropolitan Alexy, according to another - in honor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It is known that Nicholas II considered him one of the best Russian sovereigns. And it was for what. Aleksey Mikhailovich, although he was called the "quietest", led a purposeful and tough policy, annexed the Left-Bank Ukraine and brought the borders of Russia to the Pacific Ocean. At the costume ball in 1903 (a year before the birth of his son), Nicholas II was in the costume of Alexei Mikhailovich.
Hemophilia
The heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei was born on July 30, 1904. However, the birth of a son did not bring peace to the imperial family. Two months after his birth, the crown prince began to bleed heavily, which could not be stopped for a long time. Then Alexandra Fedorovna heard a terrible word: hemophilia. In this disease, the lining of the arteries is so thin that any injury can cause the vessels to rupture. Before that, the three-year-old brother of Alexandra Feodorovna died from the consequences of hemophilia.
Hemophilia is inherited. The first carrier of the gene was Queen Victoria of England. Children inherited the fatal gene from her. Her son Leopold died of hemophilia at 30, and two of her five daughters, Alice and Beatrice, carried the ill-fated gene.
Rasputin
Proximity to the court of Grigory Rasputin was also associated with hemophilia of the heir to the throne, who managed to quickly relieve her symptoms.
The maid of honor of the Empress, Anna Vyrubova, wrote about one of the most severe cases of bleeding of Tsarevich Alexei, who was bleeding from his nose: “Professor Fedorov and Doctor Derevenko fussed around him, but the blood did not stop. Fedorov told me that he wanted to try the last resort - to get some kind of iron from guinea pigs. The Empress knelt beside the bed, puzzling over what to do next. Returning home, I received a note from her with an order to call Grigory Efimovich. He arrived at the palace and went with his parents to Alexei Nikolaevich. According to their stories, he went up to the bed, crossed the Heir, telling his parents that there was nothing serious and they had nothing to worry about, turned and left. The bleeding has stopped."
Most often, Rasputin did not even touch the heir, but began to earnestly pray, after which the bleeding stopped. However, sometimes Rasputin also used natural remedies. Anna Vyrubova recalled that during one of the bleedings, the “old man” took out a lump of tree bark from his pocket, boiled it in boiling water and covered the entire face of the boy with this mass. The bleeding has stopped. In this case, it is obvious that Rasputin used the properties of oak bark to stop bleeding.
“The prince is alive as long as I am alive,” said Rasputin. He turned out to be right. Tsarevich Alexei survived the elder by only a year and a half.
With seven nannies
Due to the terrible illness of Alexei, to him with early years bodyguards were assigned: two sailors from the imperial yacht, boatswain Derevenko and his assistant Klimenty Nagorny.
At the age of seven, Tsarevich Alexei began to study. The empress herself supervised his studies, she also chose teachers for her beloved son. The confessor of the imperial family, Archpriest Alexander Vasiliev, became the teacher of the law, Alexei, the Russian language was taught by Privy Councilor P.V. Petrov, arithmetic - State Councilor E.P. Tsytovich, tutor and teacher French was a French teacher and tutor - Pierre Gilliard, English language the heir to the throne was taught by Ch. Gibbs, as well as Alexandra Fedorovna herself.
In the classroom where the Tsarevich was trained, he liked to take his pets - a dog named Joy and a cat Kotik.
Alexey s big love treated his mentors. Anna Vyrubova recalled: “The heir took an ardent part if some grief befell the servants. I remember a case with a cook who for some reason was denied a position. Aleksey Nikolaevich somehow found out about this and pestered his parents all day until they ordered the cook to be taken back. He defended and stood up like a mountain for all his people.
Character
Tsarevich Alexei was a very active boy. He liked to fool around. Georgy Shavelsky writes in his memoirs: "Sitting at the table, the boy often threw
generals with lumps of bread; taking butter from a saucer on a finger smeared it
neck neighbor, so it was with the Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich. Once, for
At breakfast, the Heir smeared oil on his neck three times.
Doom
From March 8, 1917, the royal family was under arrest in Tsarskoye Selo. August 1 - exiled to Tobolsk. There, the royal family was under arrest in the governor's house.
Here, in exile, in the Tobolsk house, an old dream of Nicholas II came true - he himself was engaged in raising his son, taught him history and other sciences. Father's lessons continued for Alexei in the Yekaterinburg house, where royal family moved in the spring of 1918.
The disease of the Tsarevich followed him and worsened. In Tobolsk, he fell down the stairs and was badly hurt, after which he could not walk for a long time. In Yekaterinburg, his illness worsened even more.
Alexei adopted a deep religiosity from his parents, icons hung on a gold chain at the head of his bed (it was stolen by the guards after the execution of the royal family). The Tsarevich always, even when he could not walk, was present at divine services, sitting in an armchair.
Before his 14th birthday, the Tsarevich did not live only a few weeks. On the night of July 17, 1918, he was killed along with his parents and sisters in the basement of the Ipatiev House. In August 2000, the holy martyr Tsesarevich Alexy was canonized.
The only son of Emperor Nicholas II, given by God in response to a long, zealous parental prayer, probably, without exaggeration, can be called the most attractive and most unsolved child figure in Russian history. “During the baptism, a wonderful incident occurred with the baby, which attracted the attention of all those present,” wrote Abbot Seraphim (Kuznetsov). “When the newborn crown prince was anointed with holy myrrh, he raised his hand and extended his fingers, as if blessing those present.” What could this boy be if he lived to adulthood? One can only assume that a great tsar was implored for Russia. But history does not know the turn “if only”. And although we understand that the figure of the young Tsarevich Alexei is too bright and unusual, we nevertheless turn to his bright image, wanting to find an example for teaching and imitation in the relationship of this boy with the outside world.
Attitude towards women is the best way to test the nobility of a man. He must treat every woman with respect, regardless of whether she is rich or poor, high or low in social position, and show her all kinds of signs of respect,” Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary. She could write such words with confidence: an example of masculine nobility, a chivalrous attitude towards a woman was always before her eyes - her husband, Emperor Nicholas II.
It is very important that the little Tsarevich Alexei from childhood could see a respectful attitude towards women on the part of a man whose authority was indisputable for him. The sovereign did not disregard even the smallest things, thanks to which it was possible to teach his son a lesson.
Klavdia Mikhailovna Bitner, who gave lessons to the heir in Tobolsk, recalled him: he combined the features of his father and mother. From his father he inherited his simplicity. There was no self-satisfaction, arrogance, arrogance in him at all. He was simple. But he had a great will and would never submit to outside influence. Here is the sovereign, if he again took power, I am sure he would forget and forgive the actions of those soldiers who were known in this regard. Alexei Nikolaevich, if he had received power, he would never have forgotten or forgiven them, and would have drawn the appropriate conclusions.
He understood a lot and understood people. But he was reserved and reserved. He was terribly patient, very careful, disciplined and demanding of himself and others. He was kind, like his father, in the sense that he did not have the ability in his heart to do evil in vain. At the same time, he was frugal. One day he was sick, he was served a dish that he shared with the whole family, which he did not eat because he did not like this dish. I was outraged. How can they not cook a separate meal for a child when he is sick. I said something. He answered me: "Well, here's another one. You don't have to spend money because of me alone."
Anna Taneeva: “The life of Alexei Nikolaevich was one of the most tragic in the history of the royal children. He was a charming, affectionate boy, the most beautiful of all children. Parents and his nanny Maria Vishnyakova early childhood he was very pampered. And this is understandable, since it was very difficult to see the constant suffering of the little one; whether he hit his head or hand on the furniture, a huge blue swelling immediately appeared, indicating an internal hemorrhage, which caused him severe suffering. When he began to grow up, his parents explained his illness to him, asking him to be careful. But the heir was very lively, loved the games and amusements of the boys, and it was often impossible to keep him. “Give me a bicycle,” he asked his mother. “Alexei, you know that you can’t!” - "I want to learn to play tennis like sisters!" "You know you don't dare to play." Sometimes Alexey Nikolaevich cried, repeating: “Why am I not like all the boys?”.
He needed to be surrounded by special care and concern. That is why, on the orders of doctors, two sailors from the imperial yacht were assigned to him as bodyguards: boatswain Derevenko and his assistant Nagorny. His teacher and mentor Pierre Gilliard recalls: “Aleksei Nikolaevich had a great vivacity of mind and judgment and a lot of thoughtfulness. He sometimes struck me with questions above his age, which testified to a delicate and sensitive soul. In the little capricious being, as he seemed at first, I discovered a child with a heart naturally loving and sensitive to suffering, because he himself had already suffered a lot.
The upbringing of any boy as the future head of the family should consist in the upbringing of responsibility, independence, the ability to make a decision in the right situation, without looking back at anyone. At the same time, it is necessary to cultivate compassion and sensitivity and an important property - the ability to listen to the opinions of Other people. The boy needs to be prepared for the role of husband, father and master of the house. For Tsarevich Alexei, the whole of Russia was such a home.
“The queen inspired her son that everyone is equal before God and should not be proud of their position, but they must be able to behave nobly without humiliating their position” (Hegumen Seraphim (Kuznetsov). “Orthodox Martyr Tsar”). If the mother had not put any effort into this, then the position of the educator of the heir, which was already difficult, would become even more difficult.
“I understood more clearly than ever how much the conditions of the environment interfered with the success of my efforts. I had to contend with the subservience of the servants and the ridiculous admiration of some of those around me. And I was even very surprised, seeing how the natural simplicity of Alexei Nikolayevich withstood these immoderate praises.
I remember how a deputation of peasants from one of the central provinces of Russia once came to bring gifts to the heir to the Tsarevich. The three men of which she consisted, by order given in a whisper by the boatswain Derevenko, knelt down in front of Alexei Nikolaevich to hand him their offerings. I noticed the embarrassment of the child, who blushed crimson. As soon as we were alone, I asked him if he was pleased to see these people in front of him on their knees. "Ah, no! But Derevenko says that's how it's supposed to be!"
I then spoke with the boatswain, and the child was delighted that he was freed from what was a real nuisance for him.
I. Stepanov recalls: “In the last days of January 1917, I was in the Tsar's Alexander Palace with the tutor of the heir Gilliard, and together with him we went to the Tsarevich. Aleksey Nikolaevich and some cadet were playing a lively game near a large toy fortress. They deployed soldiers, fired cannons, and all their lively conversation was full of modern military terms: a machine gun, an airplane, heavy artillery, trenches, and so on. However, the game soon ended, and the heir and the cadet began to examine some books. Then the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna entered ... All this furnishings in the children's two rooms of the heir was simple and did not at all give an idea that the future Russian Tsar lives and receives his initial upbringing and education. Maps hung on the walls, there were bookcases, there were several tables and chairs, but all this was simple, modest to the extreme.
Alexey Nikolaevich, speaking to me, recalled our conversation with him when he was on a train with the sovereign in the fall of 1915 in southern Russia: “Remember, you told me that in Novorossia Catherine the Great, Potemkin and Suvorov tied Russian influence and Turkish the sultan lost his importance forever in the Crimea and the southern steppes. I liked this expression, and at the same time I told my dad about it. I always tell him what I like. "
It was especially pronounced that the boy cared a lot about Russia, but little about himself, in the episode told by Gilliard. However, the modesty of the little prince did not at all interfere with his awareness of himself as the heir to the throne. The episode, about which S. Ya. Ofrosimova told, is quite well known: “The Tsarevich was not a proud child, although the thought that he was the future king filled his whole being with the consciousness of his highest destiny. When he was in the company of noble people and persons close to the sovereign, he had a consciousness of his royalty.
Once the crown prince entered the office of the sovereign, who at that time was talking with the minister. At the entrance of the heir, the interlocutor of the sovereign did not find it necessary to get up, but only, rising from his chair, gave the prince a hand. The heir, offended, stopped in front of him and silently put his hands behind his back; this gesture did not give him an arrogant look, but only a regal, expectant pose. The Minister involuntarily stood up and drew himself up to his full height in front of the Tsarevich. To this the Tsarevich responded with a polite shake of the hand. Having told the emperor something about his walk, he slowly left the office, the emperor looked after him for a long time and finally said with sadness and pride: “Yes. It will not be so easy for you to deal with him as with me.”
According to the memoirs of Yulia Den, Alexei, while still a very young boy, was already aware that he was the heir: “Her Majesty insisted that the Tsarevich, like his sisters, be brought up quite naturally. AT Everyday life heir, everything happened casually, without any ceremony, he was the son of his parents and the brother of his sisters, although sometimes it was funny to watch him pretend to be an adult. Once, when he was playing with the Grand Duchesses, he was informed that the officers of his sponsored regiment had come to the palace and were asking for permission to see the Tsarevich. A six-year-old child, immediately leaving the fuss with his sisters, with an important look said: “Girls, go away, the heir will have a reception.”
Claudia Mikhailovna Bitner said: “I don’t know if he thought about power. I had a conversation with him about this. I said to him: "And if you reign?" He answered me: "No, it's over forever." I said to him: "Well, what if it happens again, if you reign?" He answered me: "Then it is necessary to arrange so that I know more about what is happening around." I once asked him what he would do with me then. He said that he would build a large hospital, appoint me to manage it, but he himself would come and "interrogate" about everything, whether everything is in order. I'm sure he'd be in order."
Yes, it can be assumed that under the sovereign Alexei Nikolaevich there would have been order. This king could be very popular among the people, since the will, discipline and awareness of one's own high position combined in the nature of the son of Nicholas II with kindness and love for people.
A. A. Taneeva: “The heir took an ardent part if some grief struck the servants. His Majesty was also compassionate, but he did not actively express it, while Alexei Nikolaevich did not calm down until he immediately helped. I remember a case with a cook who for some reason was denied a position. Aleksey Nikolaevich somehow found out about this and pestered his parents all day until they ordered the cook to be taken back. He defended and stood up like a mountain for all his people.
Y. Ofrosimova: “The heir to the Tsarevich had a very soft and kind heart. He was passionately attached not only to those close to him, but also to the simple employees around him. None of them saw from him arrogance and harsh treatment. He especially quickly and ardently became attached to ordinary people. His love for Uncle Derevenko was tender, hot and touching. One of his greatest pleasures was to play with the uncle's children and be among ordinary soldiers. With interest and deep attention he peered into life ordinary people, and often he exclaimed: "When I am king, there will be no poor and unfortunate, I want everyone to be happy."
The Tsarevich's favorite food was "shchi and porridge and black bread, which all my soldiers eat," as he always said. Every day they brought him samples of cabbage soup and porridge from the soldiers' kitchen of the Consolidated Regiment; the crown prince ate everything and licked the spoon. Beaming with pleasure, he said: "This is delicious - not like our lunch." Sometimes, eating almost nothing at the royal table, he quietly made his way with his dog to the buildings of the royal kitchen and, knocking on the glass of the windows, asked the cooks for a slice of black bread and secretly shared it with his curly favorite.
P. Gilliard: “We left immediately after breakfast, often stopping at the exit of oncoming villages to watch how the peasants work. Alexei Nikolayevich liked to question them; they answered him with the good nature and simplicity characteristic of a Russian peasant, completely unaware of whom they were talking to.
Sovereign Emperor Nicholas himself did a lot to educate in his son attention and compassion for people. Gilliard recalled the time when the Tsarevich was with the sovereign at Headquarters: “On the way back, having learned from General Ivanov that there was an advanced dressing station nearby, the sovereign decided to go straight there.
We drove into a dense forest and soon noticed a small building, dimly lit by the red light of torches. The sovereign, accompanied by Alexei Nikolaevich, entered the house, approached all the wounded and talked with them with great kindness. His sudden visit at such a late hour and so close to the front line caused astonishment to be expressed on all faces. One of the soldiers, who had just been put back to bed after bandaging, looked intently at the sovereign, and when the latter bent over him, he raised his only healthy hand to touch his clothes and make sure that he really was the king, and not vision. Alexei Nikolayevich stood a little behind his father. He was deeply shocked by the groans that he heard and the suffering that he guessed around him.
The heir adored his father, and the sovereign in his “happy days” dreamed of raising his son himself. But for a number of reasons this was impossible, and Mr. Gibbs and Monsieur Gilliard became the first mentors of Alexei Nikolayevich. Subsequently, when circumstances changed, the sovereign managed to fulfill his desire.
He gave lessons to the Tsarevich in a gloomy house in Tobolsk. The lessons continued in the poverty and squalor of Yekaterinburg imprisonment. But perhaps the most important lesson that the heir and the rest of the family learned was the lesson of faith. It was faith in God that supported them and gave them strength at the time when they lost their treasures, when their friends left them, when they turned out to be betrayed by that very country, nothing more important to them in the world.
Emperor Nicholas II with his son, 1904
Nicholas II on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Left - Tsesarevich Alexei, right - Grand Duchess Anastasia, photo 1907
Stacking logs, photo 1908
Alexey is sweeping the path in the park. (Tsarskoye Selo), photo, 1908
Alexei in naval uniform. Petersburg, photo 1909
On a bench in Alexander Park (Tsarskoye Selo), photo 1909
The only son of Emperor Nicholas II, given by God in response to a long, zealous parental prayer, probably, without exaggeration, can be called the most attractive and most unsolved child figure in Russian history. “During the baptism, a wonderful incident occurred with the baby, which attracted the attention of all those present,” wrote Abbot Seraphim (Kuznetsov). “When the newborn crown prince was anointed with holy myrrh, he raised his hand and extended his fingers, as if blessing those present.” What could this boy be if he lived to adulthood? One can only assume that a great tsar was implored for Russia. But history does not know the turn "if only". And although we understand that the figure of the young Tsarevich Alexei is too bright and unusual, we nevertheless turn to his bright image, wanting to find an example for teaching and imitation in the relationship of this boy with the outside world.
Attitude towards women is the best way to test the nobility of a man. He must treat every woman with respect, regardless of whether she is rich or poor, high or low, occupies a social position, and show her all kinds of signs of respect,” Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary. She could write such words confidently: an example of a male nobility, a chivalrous attitude towards a woman was always before her eyes - her husband, Emperor Nikolai P.
It is very important that the little Tsarevich Alexei from childhood could see a respectful attitude towards women on the part of a man whose authority was indisputable for him. The sovereign did not disregard even the smallest things, thanks to which it was possible to teach his son a lesson.
Klavdia Mikhailovna Bitner, who gave lessons to the heir in Tobolsk, recalled him: he combined the features of his father and mother. From his father he inherited his simplicity. There was no self-satisfaction, arrogance, arrogance in him at all. He was simple. But he had a great will and would never submit to outside influence. Here is the sovereign, if he again took power, I am sure he would forget and forgive the actions of those soldiers who were known in this regard. Alexei Nikolaevich, if he had received power, he would never have forgotten or forgiven them, and would have drawn the appropriate conclusions.
He understood a lot and understood people. But he was reserved and reserved. He was terribly patient, very careful, disciplined and demanding of himself and others. He was kind, like his father, in the sense that he did not have the ability in his heart to do evil in vain. At the same time, he was frugal. One day he was sick, he was served a dish that he shared with the whole family, which he did not eat because he did not like this dish. I was outraged. How can they not cook a separate meal for a child when he is sick. I said something. He answered me: "Well, here's another one. You don't have to spend money because of me alone."
Anna Taneeva: "The life of Alexei Nikolayevich was one of the most tragic in the history of the royal children. He was a charming, affectionate boy, the most beautiful of all children. Parents and his nanny Maria Vishnyakova spoiled him very much in early childhood. And this is understandable, since to see the constant suffering of the little one was very hard; if he hit his head or hand on the furniture, a huge blue tumor immediately appeared, indicating an internal hemorrhage, causing him severe suffering. When he began to grow up, his parents explained his illness to him, asking him to be careful. But the heir was very lively, loved the games and fun of the boys, and it was often impossible to keep him. "Give me a bicycle," he asked his mother. "Alexey, you know that you can't!" - "I want to learn to play tennis like sisters "You know you don't dare to play." Sometimes Alexey Nikolaevich cried, repeating: "Why am I not like all the boys?"
He needed to be surrounded by special care and concern. That is why, on the orders of doctors, two sailors from the imperial yacht were assigned to him as bodyguards: boatswain Derevenko and his assistant Nagorny. His teacher and mentor Pierre Gilliard recalls: “Aleksei Nikolaevich had a great vivacity of mind and judgment and a lot of thoughtfulness. He sometimes struck me with questions above his age, which testified to a delicate and sensitive soul. a child with a heart that is naturally loving and sensitive to suffering, because he himself has already suffered a lot.
The upbringing of any boy as the future head of the family should consist in the upbringing of responsibility, independence, the ability to make a decision in the right situation, without looking back at anyone. At the same time, it is necessary to cultivate compassion and sensitivity and an important property - the ability to listen to the opinions of Other people. The boy needs to be prepared for the role of husband, father and master of the house. For Tsarevich Alexei, the whole of Russia was such a home.
"The queen inspired her son that everyone is equal before God and one should not be proud of one's position, but one must be able to behave nobly without humiliating one's position" (Hegumen Seraphim (Kuznetsov). "Orthodox Martyr Tsar"). If the mother had not put any effort into this, then the position of the educator of the heir, which was already difficult, would become even more difficult.
“I understood more clearly than ever how much the conditions of the environment interfered with the success of my efforts. I had to fight the servility of the servants and the ridiculous admiration of some of those around me. And I was even very surprised to see how the natural simplicity of Alexei Nikolayevich resisted these immoderate praises .
I remember how a deputation of peasants from one of the central provinces of Russia once came to bring gifts to the heir to the Tsarevich. The three men of which she consisted, by order given in a whisper by the boatswain Derevenko, knelt down in front of Alexei Nikolaevich to hand him their offerings. I noticed the embarrassment of the child, who blushed crimson. As soon as we were alone, I asked him if he was pleased to see these people in front of him on their knees. "Ah, no! But Derevenko says that's how it's supposed to be!"
I spoke with the boatswain then, and the child was delighted that he was freed from what was a real nuisance for him.
I. Stepanov recalls: “In the last days of January 1917, I was in the Tsar’s Alexander Palace with the tutor of the heir Gilliard, and together with him we went to the crown prince. Alexei Nikolayevich and some cadet were playing a lively game near a large toy fortress. , fired from cannons, and their whole lively conversation was full of modern military terms: a machine gun, an airplane, heavy artillery, trenches, etc. However, the game was soon over, and the heir and the cadet began to look at some books.Then Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna entered. .. All this furnishings of the children's two rooms of the heir was simple and did not at all give an idea that the future Russian Tsar lives and receives his initial upbringing and education. Maps hung on the walls, there were bookcases, there were several tables, chairs, but that's it. it is simple, modest to the extreme.
Alexey Nikolaevich, speaking to me, recalled our conversation with him when he was on a train with the sovereign in the fall of 1915 in southern Russia: “Remember, you told me that in Novorossia Catherine the Great, Potemkin and Suvorov tied Russian influence and Turkish the sultan lost his importance forever in the Crimea and the southern steppes. I liked this expression, and at the same time I told my dad about it. I always tell him what I like. "
It was especially pronounced that the boy cared a lot about Russia, but little about himself, in the episode told by Gilliard. However, the modesty of the little prince did not at all interfere with his awareness of himself as the heir to the throne. The episode about which S. Ya. the consciousness of his royalty appeared in him.
Once the crown prince entered the office of the sovereign, who at that time was talking with the minister. At the entrance of the heir, the interlocutor of the sovereign did not find it necessary to get up, but only, rising from his chair, gave the prince a hand. The heir, offended, stopped in front of him and silently put his hands behind his back; this gesture did not give him an arrogant look, but only a regal, expectant pose. The Minister involuntarily stood up and drew himself up to his full height in front of the Tsarevich. To this the Tsarevich responded with a polite shake of the hand. Having told the emperor something about his walk, he slowly left the office, the emperor looked after him for a long time and finally said with sadness and pride: “Yes. It will not be so easy for you to deal with him as with me.”
According to the memoirs of Yulia Den, Alexei, while still a very young boy, was already aware that he was the heir: “Her Majesty insisted that the crown prince, like his sisters, be brought up quite naturally. In the daily life of the heir, everything happened casually, without any ceremonies , he was the son of his parents and the brother of his sisters, although it was sometimes amusing to watch how he pretended to be an adult.One day, when he was playing with the Grand Duchesses, he was informed that the officers of his sponsored regiment had come to the palace and asked permission to see A six-year-old child, immediately leaving the fuss with his sisters, with an important look said: "Girls, go away, the heir will have a reception."
Claudia Mikhailovna Bitner said: “I don’t know if he was thinking about power. I had a conversation with him about this. I told him: “And if you reign?” He answered me: “No, it’s over forever.” I she said to him: “Well, what if it happens again, if you reign?” He answered me: “Then it is necessary to arrange it so that I know more about what is happening around.” I once asked him what he would do with me. He said that he would build a large hospital, appoint me to manage it, but he would come and "interrogate" about everything, is everything in order. I am sure that with him there would be order. "
Yes, it can be assumed that under the sovereign Alexei Nikolaevich there would have been order. This tsar could be very popular among the people, since the will, discipline and awareness of his own high position were combined in the nature of the son of Nicholas II with kindness and love for people.
A. A. Taneeva: “The heir took an ardent part if some grief struck the servants. His Majesty was also compassionate, but did not actively express it, while Alexei Nikolaevich did not calm down until he immediately helped. I remember the incident with the cook , who for some reason was denied a position. Aleksey Nikolaevich somehow found out about this and pestered his parents all day until they ordered the cook to be taken back again. He defended and stood up for all his people with a mountain. "
Y. Ofrosimova: "The heir to the Tsarevich had a very soft and kind heart. He was ardently attached not only to those close to him, but also to the simple servants around him. None of them saw arrogance and harsh treatment from him. He was especially quick and ardent became attached precisely to ordinary people. His love for Uncle Derevenko was tender, hot and touching. One of his greatest pleasures was to play with the uncle's children and be among ordinary soldiers. With interest and deep attention, he peered into the life of ordinary people, and often he exclaimed: "When I am king, there will be no poor and unfortunate, I want everyone to be happy."
The Tsarevich's favorite food was "shchi and porridge and black bread, which all my soldiers eat," as he always said. Every day they brought him samples of cabbage soup and porridge from the soldiers' kitchen of the Consolidated Regiment; the crown prince ate everything and licked the spoon. Beaming with pleasure, he said: "This is delicious - not like our lunch." Sometimes, eating almost nothing at the royal table, he quietly made his way with his dog to the buildings of the royal kitchen and, knocking on the glass of the windows, asked the cooks for a slice of black bread and secretly shared it with his curly favorite.
P. Gilliard: "We left immediately after breakfast, often stopping at the exit of oncoming villages to watch how the peasants work. Alexei Nikolaevich liked to ask them questions; they answered him with good nature and simplicity characteristic of a Russian peasant, completely unaware who they were talking to ".
Sovereign Emperor Nicholas himself did a lot to educate in his son attention and compassion for people. Gilliard recalled the time when the Tsarevich was with the sovereign at Headquarters: “On the way back, having learned from General Ivanov that there was an advanced dressing station nearby, the sovereign decided to go straight there.
We drove into a dense forest and soon noticed a small building, dimly lit by the red light of torches. The sovereign, accompanied by Alexei Nikolaevich, entered the house, approached all the wounded and talked with them with great kindness. His sudden visit at such a late hour and so close to the front line caused astonishment to be expressed on all faces. One of the soldiers, who had just been put back to bed after bandaging, looked intently at the sovereign, and when the latter bent over him, he raised his only healthy hand to touch his clothes and make sure that he really was the king, and not vision. Alexei Nikolayevich stood a little behind his father. He was deeply shocked by the groans that he heard and the suffering that he guessed around him.
The heir adored his father, and in "happy days" the sovereign dreamed of raising his son himself. But for a number of reasons this was impossible, and Mr. Gibbs and Monsieur Gilliard became the first mentors of Alexei Nikolayevich. Subsequently, when circumstances changed, the sovereign managed to fulfill his desire.
He gave lessons to the Tsarevich in a gloomy house in Tobolsk. The lessons continued in the poverty and squalor of Yekaterinburg imprisonment. But perhaps the most important lesson that the heir and the rest of the family learned was the lesson of faith. It was faith in God that supported them and gave them strength at the time when they lost their treasures, when their friends left them, when they turned out to be betrayed by that very country, nothing more important to them in the world.
Emperor Nicholas II with his son, 1904
Nicholas II on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Left - Tsesarevich Alexei, right - Grand Duchess Anastasia, photo 1907
Stacking logs, photo 1908
Alexey is sweeping the path in the park. (Tsarskoye Selo), photo, 1908
Alexei in naval uniform. Petersburg, photo 1909
On July 30 (August 12, old style), 1904, the only son of the last Russian Sovereign Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, heir to the throne, was born in Peterhof Russian Empire Tsesarevich Alexei. He was the fifth and very long-awaited child of the royal couple, for whom they prayed a lot and fervently, including during the celebrations dedicated to the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov July 17-19, 1903
On September 3, 1904, the Sacrament of the Baptism of the Tsesarevich was performed in the church of the Great Peterhof Palace with the name in honor of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow. According to a number of researchers, the heir received the name Alexei in memory of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676). The godparents of the porphyritic baby were the English and Danish kings, the German emperor, as well as the Russian Grand Dukes. Since Russia was at war with Japan during this period, all officers and soldiers of the Russian army and navy were proclaimed honorary godparents of the heir. According to tradition, in connection with the birth of the heir, charitable organizations were established: the military hospital train named after the heir-tsesarevich, the Alekseevsky Committee for Assistance to Children Who Lost Their Fathers in the Russo-Japanese War.
The educator and teacher of the royal children, Pierre Gilliard, in his memoirs, recalls how he first saw the Tsarevich in February 1906, who was then one and a half years old: “... I was already preparing to finish my lesson with Olga Nikolaevna, when the Empress entered with the Grand Duke Heir in her arms . She walked towards us with the obvious intention of showing me the son I did not yet know. On her face shone the joy of her mother, who finally saw the realization of her most cherished dream. It was felt that she was proud and happy with the beauty of her child.
And in fact, the Tsarevich was at that time the most wonderful child one can dream of, with his wonderful blond curls and large gray-blue eyes, set off by long, curled eyelashes. He had the fresh and rosy complexion of a healthy child, and when he smiled his round cheeks showed two dimples. When I approached him, he looked at me seriously and shyly, and only with great difficulty did he dare to stretch out his little hand to me.
During this first meeting, I saw several times how the Empress pressed the Tsarevich to her with the gentle gesture of a mother who always seemed to tremble for the life of her child; but in her this caress and the glance that accompanied it showed so clearly and so strongly hidden anxiety that I was already struck by it. It wasn't until much later that I realized its meaning."
Terrible disease
On the mother's side, Alexei inherited hemophilia, which was carried by some of the daughters and granddaughters of the English Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The disease became apparent already in the autumn of 1904, when a two-month-old baby began to bleed heavily. Any scratch could lead to the death of a child; the membranes of his arteries and veins were so weak that any bruise, increased movement or tension could cause a rupture of blood vessels and lead to a fatal end: a fall, a nosebleed, a simple cut - everything that would be a trifle for an ordinary child could be fatal for Alexey. From the very first years of his life, the Tsarevich needed special care and constant vigilance, as a result of which, on the orders of doctors, two sailors from the imperial yacht were assigned to him as bodyguards: boatswain Derevenko and his assistant Nagorny.
The maid of honor of the Empress Anna Taneeva wrote: “The life of Alexei Nikolayevich was one of the most tragic in the history of the Tsar's children. He was a charming, affectionate boy, the most beautiful of all children. Parents and nanny Maria Vishnyakova in early childhood spoiled him very much, fulfilling the slightest whims. And this is understandable, since it was very difficult to see the constant suffering of the little one; whether he hit his head or hand on the furniture, a huge blue swelling immediately appeared, indicating an internal hemorrhage, which caused him severe suffering. At the age of five or six, he passed into the hands of men, to Uncle Derevenko. This one used to be not so spoiled, although he was very devoted and had great patience. I hear the voice of Alexei Nikolaevich during his illness: “Raise my hand,” or: “Turn your leg,” or: “Warm my hands,” and often Derevenko reassured him. When he began to grow up, his parents explained to Alexei Nikolayevich his illness, asking him to be careful. But the heir was very lively, loved the games and amusements of the boys, and it was often impossible to keep him. “Give me a bicycle,” he asked his mother. “Alexei, you know that you can’t!” - "I want to learn to play tennis like sisters!" "You know you don't dare to play." Sometimes Alexey Nikolaevich cried, repeating: “Why am I not like all the boys?”.
Alexei was well aware that he might not live to adulthood. When he was ten years old older sister Olga found him lying on his back and looking at the clouds. She asked what he was doing. “I like to think, to reflect,” Alexei replied. Olga asked what he likes to think about. “Oh, a lot of things,” the boy replied, “I enjoy the sun and the beauty of summer while I can. Who knows, maybe one of these days I won't be able to do that anymore."
Life in Tsarskoye Selo
Outwardly, Alexei resembled the Empress and Grand Duchess Tatyana: he had the same delicate features and large blue eyes. P. Gilliard describes him as follows: “Aleksei Nikolaevich was then nine and a half years old. He was rather large for his age, had a thin, elongated oval face with delicate features, wonderful light brown hair with bronze tints, large blue-gray eyes, reminiscent of his mother's eyes.
He quite enjoyed life when he could, like a frisky and cheerful boy. His tastes were very modest. He did not boast at all that he was the heir to the throne, he least of all thought about this. His greatest happiness was to play with the two sons of the sailor Derevenko, who were both somewhat younger than him. He had great quickness of mind and judgment and much thoughtfulness. He sometimes struck me with questions above his age, which testified to a delicate and sensitive soul.
I easily understood that those who, like me, were not supposed to inspire discipline in him, could easily succumb to his charm without a second thought. In the little capricious being, as he seemed at first, I discovered a child with a heart naturally loving and sensitive to suffering, because he himself had already suffered a lot.
A resident of Tsarskoye Selo S.Ya. Ofrosimova shares the following impressions: “The heir to the Tsarevich had a very soft and kind heart. He was passionately attached not only to those close to him, but also to the simple employees around him. None of them saw from him arrogance and harsh treatment. He especially quickly and ardently became attached to ordinary people. His love for Uncle Derevenko was tender, hot and touching. One of his greatest pleasures was to play with the uncle's children and be among ordinary soldiers. With interest and deep attention, he peered into the lives of ordinary people, and often an exclamation escaped from him: “When I am king, there will be no poor and unhappy! I want everyone to be happy."
A.A. Taneeva recalled: “The heir took an ardent part if some grief struck the servants. His Majesty was also compassionate, but did not actively express it, while Alexei Nikolaevich did not calm down until he immediately helped. I remember a case with a cook who for some reason was denied a position. Aleksey Nikolaevich somehow found out about this and pestered his parents all day until they ordered the cook to be taken back. He defended and stood up like a mountain for all his people.
At the age of seven, Alexei began to study. The classes were led by the Empress, who herself chose the teachers: the confessor of the imperial family, Archpriest Alexander Vasiliev, became the teacher of the law, and the teacher of the Russian language was Privy Councilor P.V. Petrov, teacher of arithmetic - State Councilor E.P. Tsytovich, French teacher and tutor - P. Gilliard, English was taught by C. Gibbs and Alexandra Fedorovna herself.
Life in Tsarskoye Selo had a close family character: the retinue, with the exception of the ladies-in-waiting and the commander of the combined guards regiment, did not live in the palace, and the Tsar's family, except when visiting relatives, gathered at the table without strangers and quite easily. The lessons of the Tsesarevich began at nine o'clock with a break between eleven and noon, during which the heir and the teacher went for a walk in a carriage, sleigh or car. Then classes resumed until lunch, after which Alexei always spent two hours outdoors. The Grand Duchesses and the Sovereign, when he was free, joined him. In winter, Alexei had fun with his sisters, descending from an icy mountain built on the shore of a small artificial lake.
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In 1910, the Jerusalem Patriarch Damian, knowing about the piety of the heir, gave him the icon of the Resurrection of Christ with particles of stones from the Holy Sepulcher and Golgotha for Easter.
According to P. Gilliard, Alexei was the center of a closely knit Imperial family, all attachments and hopes were concentrated on him. “The sisters adored him, and he was the joy of his parents. When he was healthy, the whole palace seemed to be transformed; it was a ray of the sun, illuminating both things and those around. Happily gifted by nature, he would have developed quite regularly and evenly if his illness had not prevented this. S.Ya. Ofrosimova recalls: “His vivacity could not be tempered by his illness, and as soon as he got better, as soon as his suffering subsided, he began to play naughty uncontrollably, he buried himself in pillows, crawled under the bed to scare the doctors with an imaginary disappearance ... When the Princesses came, especially the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, terrible fuss and pranks began. Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna was a desperate minx and a true friend in all the Tsarevich's pranks, but she was strong and healthy, and the Tsarevich was forbidden these hours of childish pranks, dangerous for Him.
Education of the heir to the throne
In 1912, while resting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the Tsarevich unsuccessfully jumped into a boat and severely injured his thigh: the hematoma that arose did not resolve for a long time, the child’s health was very difficult, and bulletins were officially published about him. There was a real threat of death. “The Empress sat at the head of her son from the beginning of the illness,” writes P. Gilliard, “bent down to him, caressed him, surrounded him with her love, trying with a thousand small worries to alleviate his suffering. The sovereign also came as soon as he had a free minute.
He tried to cheer up the child, to entertain him, but the pain was stronger than motherly caresses and fatherly stories, and interrupted moans resumed. Occasionally the door would open, and one of the Grand Duchesses would tiptoe into the room, kiss her little brother, and, as it were, bring with her a stream of freshness and health. The child opened for a minute his large eyes, already deeply outlined by illness, and immediately closed them again.
One morning I found the mother at the head of her son... The Tsarevich, lying in his bed, moaned plaintively, pressing his head against his mother's hand, and his thin, bloodless face was unrecognizable. From time to time he interrupted his groans to whisper only one word "mother", in which he expressed all his suffering, all his despair. And his mother kissed his hair, forehead, eyes, as if with this caress she could alleviate his suffering, breathe into him a little of the life that was leaving him. How to convey the torture of this mother, helplessly present at the torment of her child for long hours of mortal anxiety ... "
According to many people who surrounded Tsarevich Alexei, he had a strong will, which was not just a hereditary quality, but developed and strengthened due to the frequent physical suffering caused to the child by a terrible illness. The disease became a kind of educator of the little martyr. According to Anna Taneeva, "frequent suffering and involuntary self-sacrifice developed in the character of Alexei Nikolaevich pity and compassion for all who were sick, as well as amazing respect for his mother and all elders."
However, for all his kindness and compassion, the boy did not tolerate when he was treated with insufficient respect as the heir to the throne. S.Ya. Ofrosimova tells the following episode: “The Tsarevich was not a proud child, although the thought that he was the future king filled his whole being with the consciousness of his highest destiny. When he was in the company of noble and close to the Sovereign persons, he had a consciousness of his royalty.
Once the Tsarevich entered the office of the Sovereign, who at that time was talking with the minister. At the entrance of the heir, the interlocutor of the Sovereign did not find it necessary to get up, but only, rising from his chair, gave the Tsarevich his hand. The heir, offended, stopped in front of him and silently put his hands behind his back; this gesture did not give him an arrogant look, but only a regal, expectant pose. The minister involuntarily stood up and drew himself up to his full height in front of the Tsarevich. To this the Tsesarevich responded with a polite handshake. Having told the Sovereign something about his walk, he slowly left the office, the Sovereign looked after him for a long time and, finally, sadly and proudly said: “Yes, it will not be so easy for you to deal with him as with me.”
According to the memoirs of Yulia Den, the maid of honor and friend of the Empress, while still a very young boy, Alexei was already aware that he was the heir: “Once, when he was playing with the Grand Duchesses, he was informed that officers of his sponsored regiment had come to the palace and asked for permission to see Tsesarevich. The six-year-old child, immediately leaving the fuss with the sisters, announced with an important look: “Girls, go away, the heir will have a reception.”
Klavdia Mikhailovna Bitner, who gave lessons to the heir in Tobolsk, recalled the Tsarevich as follows: “I loved Alexei Nikolaevich more than anyone. It was a sweet, good boy. He was smart, observant, receptive, very affectionate, cheerful and cheerful, despite his often severe morbid condition ...
He was used to being disciplined, but disliked the former court etiquette. He did not tolerate lies and would not tolerate them around him if he ever took power. He combined the features of his father and mother. From his father he inherited his simplicity. There was no self-satisfaction, arrogance, arrogance in him at all. He was simple.
But he had a great will and would never submit to outside influence. Here is the Sovereign, if he again took power, I am sure he would forget and forgive the actions of those soldiers who were known in this regard. Alexei Nikolaevich, if he had received power, he would never have forgotten or forgiven them, and would have drawn the appropriate conclusions.
He understood a lot and understood people. But he was reserved and reserved. He was terribly patient, very careful, disciplined and demanding of himself and others. He was kind, like his father, in the sense that he did not have the ability in his heart to do evil in vain.
At the same time, he was frugal. One day he was sick, he was served a dish that he shared with the whole family, which he did not eat because he did not like this dish. I was outraged. How can they not cook a separate meal for a child when he is sick. I said something. He answered me: “Well, here it is! You don't have to spend money because of me."
Favorite Bet. Acquaintance with military life
By tradition, the Grand Dukes on the day of their birth became chiefs or officers of the guards regiments. Alexey became the chief of the 12th East Siberian rifle regiment, and later other military units and the ataman of all Cossack troops. The sovereign introduced him to the Russian military history, the structure of the army and the peculiarities of its life, organized a detachment of the sons of the lower ranks under the leadership of the "uncle" Tsarevich Derevenko and managed to instill in the heir a love for military affairs. Alexei was often present at the reception of deputations and at reviews of troops, and during the First World War, he visited the army with his father, awarded distinguished soldiers, and was himself awarded the silver St. George medal of the 4th degree.
On July 20, 1914, President of the French Republic R. Poincaré presented the heir with the ribbon of the Order of the Legion of Honor. In Petrograd, in the Winter Palace, there were two institutions named after Alexei - a hospital and the Committee for Lump-sum Benefits for Sick and Wounded Soldiers, and many military hospitals also bore his name.
Almost all of 1916, the Tsesarevich spent with his father at the headquarters of the supreme commander in Mogilev. According to A.A. Mordvinov, adjutant wing of Nicholas II, the heir "promised to be not only a good, but also an outstanding monarch." P. Gilliard recalls: “After the review, the Sovereign approached the soldiers and entered into a simple conversation with some of them, asking them about the fierce battles in which they participated.
Aleksey Nikolayevich followed his father step by step, listening with passionate interest to the stories of these people, who had seen the nearness of death so many times. His usually expressive and lively face was full of tension from the effort he made to not miss a single word of what they were saying.
The presence of the heir next to the Sovereign aroused interest in the soldiers, and when he walked away, they could be heard whispering about his age, height, facial expression, etc. in a whisper. But most of all they were struck by the fact that the Tsarevich was in a simple soldier's uniform, no different from the one worn by a team of soldier's children.
The English General Henbury-Williams, with whom the Tsarevich became friends at Headquarters, published his memoirs Emperor Nicholas II as I knew him after the revolution. About his acquaintance with Alexei, he writes: “When I first saw Alexei Nikolaevich in 1915, he was about eleven years old. Having heard stories about him, I expected to see a very weak and not very smart boy. He was indeed frail, for he was stricken with disease. However, in those periods when the heir was healthy, he was cheerful and mischievous, like any boy of his age ...
The prince wore a protective uniform, high Russian boots, proud that he looked like a real soldier. He had excellent manners and was fluent in several languages. Over time, his timidity faded, and he began to treat us like old friends.
Each time, greeting, the Tsarevich came up with some kind of joke for each of us. Approaching me, he used to check whether all the buttons on my jacket were fastened. Naturally, I tried to leave one or two buttons open. In this case, the Tsarevich stopped and remarked to me that I was "again inaccurate." Sighing heavily at the sight of such slovenliness on my part, he fastened my buttons to put things in order.
After visiting the Headquarters, the favorite food of the Tsesarevich became "soup and porridge and black bread, which all my soldiers eat," as he always said. Every day they brought him samples of cabbage soup and porridge from the soldiers' kitchen of the Consolidated Regiment. According to the recollections of those around him, the Tsarevich ate everything and licked the spoon, beaming with pleasure and saying: “This is delicious - not like our lunch.” Sometimes, without touching anything at the table, he quietly made his way to the buildings of the royal kitchen, asked the cooks for a slice of black bread and secretly shared it with his dog.
From Headquarters, the Tsesarevich brought an ugly, sandy-colored kitten with white spots, which he named Zubrovka and, as a sign of special affection, put on him a collar with a bell. Julia Den writes about the Tsarevich's new favorite: “Zubrovka was not a particular admirer of palaces. He kept fighting with the bulldog of the Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, whose name was Artipo, and knocked over all the family photos in Her Majesty's boudoir on the floor. But Zubrovka enjoyed the privileges of his position. What happened to him when the Imperial Family was sent to Tobolsk is unknown.”
In the newspaper "Kronstadt Vestnik" dated November 7, 1915, an article was placed under the heading "Our Hope", dedicated to the stay of the heir at Headquarters. It described the days of Alexei: “... After mass, the Sovereign, together with the heir and retinue, went home on foot. The smile, look, gait of the young heir, his habit of waving his left hand - all this resembled the manners of the Sovereign, from whom the child adopted them. Despite wartime and frequent trips to the fronts with his sovereign parent, the Tsesarevich continued to study...
In the classroom, where classes are held with mentors, the atmosphere of goodwill. Teachers forgive the child for his habit of leaving his dog named Joy and the cat for lessons. "Cat" - that's his name - is present at all the lessons of his master. After class, a game of burners with friends. He does not choose them by origin. As a rule, these are the children of commoners. Having learned that their parents need something, the heir often says to the tutor: "I will ask dad to help them." Both the father and the heir go to the temple and from the temple together. In religion, the child draws clarity of views, simplicity in relations with all people.The Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II himself did a lot to instill in his son attention and compassion for people. P. Gilliard describes the following case: “On the way back, having learned from General Ivanov that there was an advanced dressing station nearby, the Sovereign decided to go straight there. We drove into a dense forest and soon noticed a small building, dimly lit by the red light of torches. The sovereign, accompanied by Alexei Nikolaevich, entered the house, approached all the wounded and talked with them with great kindness. His sudden visit at such a late hour and so close to the front line caused astonishment to be expressed on all faces.
One of the soldiers, who had just been put back to bed after bandaging, looked intently at the Sovereign, and when the latter bent over him, he raised his only healthy hand to touch his clothes and make sure that he really was the Tsar, and not vision. Alexei Nikolayevich stood a little behind his father. He was deeply shocked by the groans that he heard and the suffering that he guessed around him.
On March 2 (N.S. 15), 1917, news was received of the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne for himself and for his son in favor of Mikhail Alexandrovich, younger brother Sovereign. P. Gilliard recalls: “... It was noticeable how she [the Empress] suffered at the thought of how she would have to agitate the sick Grand Duchesses, announcing to them the abdication of their father, especially since this excitement could worsen their health. I went to Alexei Nikolaevich and told him that the Sovereign was returning tomorrow from Mogilev and would not return there again.
Because your father doesn't want to be anymore supreme commander!
You know, Alexei Nikolaevich, your father doesn't want to be Emperor anymore.
He looked at me in surprise, trying to read what had happened on my face.
What for? Why?
Because he was very tired and suffered a lot of hard times lately.
Oh yes! Mom told me that when he wanted to go here, his train was delayed. But then dad will be Emperor again?
I explained to him then that the Sovereign had abdicated in favor of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who, in turn, evaded.
But then who will be the Emperor?
I don't know yet no one!
Not a word about himself, not a hint of his rights as an heir. He blushed deeply and was agitated. After a few minutes of silence, he said:
If there is no longer a Tsar, who will rule Russia?
I explained to him that a Provisional Government had been formed, which would deal with state affairs until the convocation of the Constituent Assembly, and that then, perhaps, his uncle Mikhail would ascend the throne. Once again I was struck by the modesty of this child.”
The last lessons of the Sovereign Father
Since March 8, 1917, the Royal Family was under arrest in Tsarskoye Selo, and on August 1, they were sent into exile in Tobolsk, where they were imprisoned in the governor's house. Here the Sovereign managed to fulfill the dream of raising his son himself. He gave lessons to the Tsarevich in a gloomy house in Tobolsk. The lessons continued in the poverty and squalor of Yekaterinburg imprisonment, where imperial family moved in the spring of 1918
A life Royal Family in the house of engineer N.K. Ipatiev was subject to a strict prison regime: isolation from the outside world, meager food rations, an hour's walk, searches, the hostility of the guards. Back in Tobolsk, Alexei fell down the stairs and received severe bruises, after which he could not walk for a long time, and in Yekaterinburg his illness worsened greatly.
In tragic times, the family was united by a common prayer, faith, hope and patience. Alexei was always present at the service, sitting in an armchair, at the head of his bed hung a lot of icons on a gold chain, which was later stolen by the guards. Being surrounded by enemies, the prisoners turned to spiritual literature, strengthened themselves with the examples of the Savior and St. martyrs, preparing for martyrdom.
Tsarevich Alexei did not live up to his fourteenth birthday for several weeks. On the night of July 17, 1918, he was killed along with his parents and sisters in the basement of the Ipatiev House.
In 1996, the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints, chaired by Metropolitan Yuvenaly (Poyarkov) of Krutitsy and Kolomna, found it “possible to raise the question of canonizing the holy martyrs ... Tsarevich Alexy.” Canonization of St. Passion-bearer Tsesarevich Alexy was held at the Bishops' Council in August 2000.
