Interesting about Nicholas 2. Little-known facts about the last Russian emperor. Relationship with parents

I thought about moving the capital to the Crimea

Nicholas II was very fond of the residence of Russian emperors in Livadia and tried to visit it as soon as possible. Diplomat, Russian General Alexander Mosolov even wrote in his diary how the sovereign talked about his thoughts to move the capital from rainy St. Petersburg to the Crimea.

According to him, one day, returning from Wuchang-Su along a path high above the highway with a beautiful view of Yalta, the emperor noted that he was tied to the southern coast of Crimea and would not like to leave here. And when Mosolov asked if it would be desirable for the emperor to move the capital to Yalta, Nicholas II replied: "This thought flashed through my head more than once."

True, after a few minutes he admitted that it was impossible to do this.

Wanted to pass the throne to a five-year-old daughter

In 1900, the 32-year-old emperor fell ill with typhus. His condition was so fearful that they began to think about the heirs. By that time, there were four daughters in the family of the last Russian emperor, so the question of who to transfer the throne to was extremely relevant. One of two options was assumed: either the throne would pass to Mikhail Alexandrovich, the brother of the emperor, or he would give the crown to his eldest daughter, Olga. However, neither of the two options was spelled out in the succession law. Nicholas himself, as historians point out, was inclined to have Olga become the ruler.

In November 1900, the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, Konstantin Pobedonostsev, in a letter to the Minister of Internal Affairs Dmitry Sipyagin, noted that the Empress was pregnant and a boy might well be born (as it happened), however, the regulations on how to act if Nikolai dies first and the boy appears born a few months later, no. As a result, it was decided, given such a development of events, to swear allegiance to Mikhail Alexandrovich; even if a boy is born, he does not become an emperor.

Became the initiator of the Hague Conference

Last Russian emperor became the first peacemaker on a global scale. Nicholas II planned to carry out disarmament and conclude a general peace. He personally had a hand in the note dated August 16, 1898, which was drawn up on his initiative and sent to a number of powers. The document contained a call for disarmament.

However, most states greeted the note negatively. Thus, the French side saw in the document "the hand of the German Emperor and King of Prussia, Wilhelm II," who supposedly wanted to neutralize all attempts at the country's military revival.

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And Wilhelm himself, having received a note, said that Russia simply could not withstand the arms race. England, however, approved the note, but added that the proposals contained in it did not concern the British fleet. Only Italy and Austria-Hungary reacted positively to the proposal of the Russian emperor.

The first peace conference in The Hague did take place in May 1898. 26 states participated in it: Russia, Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, Spain, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, Portugal, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Japan, China, Siam, Persia, USA, Mexico .

As a result, the conventions "On the Peaceful Settlement of International Clashes", "On the Laws and Customs of War on Land", "On the Application to naval war". As well as declarations: "On the prohibition for a five-year period of throwing shells and explosives from balloons or using other similar new methods", "On the non-use of projectiles that have the sole purpose of spreading asphyxiating or harmful gases", "On the non-use of bullets, easily unfolding or flattening in the human body."

Nicholas II had an adopted son and daughter

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To be more precise, he adopted and adopted his own cousins and sister, who were more than 20 years younger than him.

Their mother died while giving birth to the youngest, Dmitry, in 1891. Father, Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, soon married the former wife of his subordinate, and for an unequal marriage he was expelled from Russia.

As Lyudmila Tretyakova writes in the article "Maria Romanova and Felix Yusupov", Nicholas II personally took care of the children.

They brought them up in the full idea of a high dignity: the ceremonial treatment of others, many servants, luxurious apartments.

The grown-up Dmitry was sent to a cavalry school in the early 1910s. In 1911, as a young officer, he asked for permission to volunteer for Libya, where the Italo-Turkish war was going on at that time, but was refused. He was one of the sporting hopes of Russia in the field of equestrian sports, even participated in the 1912 Olympics.

Dmitry was supposed to marry Grand Duchess Olga, but the wife of Nicholas II demanded to break off relations. The fact is that Dmitry hated Rasputin and did not hide it. In addition, it was he who was Felix Yusupov's accomplice in the murder of the "old man" on December 30, 1916.

He escaped exile only thanks to Nicholas II: he was sent to Persia, to the detachment of Nikolai Baratov. After February Revolution supported the Provisional Government and even wrote a letter to Chairman Georgy Lvov asking if he was allowed to return to Russia. However, after October revolution left for the British service and went to London. AT different time lived in the USA and Paris. He even had an affair with Coco Chanel! And it was he who brought his beloved to Ernest Bo, the perfumer who created Chanel No. 5. And the Cuir de Russie fragrance is dedicated to the romance of Dmitry and Coco.

He died in 1942. He was buried in the palace church on the island of Mainau, which was owned by his nephew Lennart Bernadotte.

Maria with her husband Wilhelm and son Lennart, 1911. Collage © L!FE. Photo: © wikipedia.org © Shutterstock

Now about Dmitry's sister, Maria. She was married in 1908 to Crown Prince Wilhelm of Sweden.

The wedding was celebrated in Pavlovsk in the spring of 1908. Nicholas II was an imprisoned father. However, five years later, the marriage was annulled for reasons that are still not known for certain. It is officially believed that Maria yearned for Russia and could not live in a foreign country, so in 1913 she returned to St. Petersburg. However, they refused to give her son Lennart, born in 1909: he was the heir to the Swedish throne. During the First World War, Maria became a sister of mercy. In 1917, having learned about the abdication of Nicholas II, she returned to St. Petersburg. By that time, her own father had already been allowed to return to Russia.

In September 1917, she married a second time and gave birth to a son. She lived in the Russian capital until 1919, when hunger and lack of work finally forced them and their new husband to flee Russia. Paris was chosen as the destination, and they managed to move thanks to the sale of literally all the jewelry that Mary had. They decided to leave the child in the care of the father. The latter was shot a few months later. And her son died of dysentery.

In Paris, those young Russian women who emigrated without a huge fortune (almost all) tried to somehow cling to the world of high fashion. She refused to walk on the catwalk - after all, Romanova. She considered embroidery and knitting sweaters for richer compatriots quite acceptable for herself.

In the early 1920s, Coco Chanel was looking for someone to order embroidery. Russian acquaintances helped her stumble upon Maria. This happened not without the participation of Dmitry Romanov and Felix Yusupov, who were personally acquainted with the luminary of French fashion. So the girl received several bulk orders and money for them. Gradually, her work became known not only in Paris, but also far beyond its borders. However, in 1923, Maria divorced her second husband and soon left Paris. She lived in Germany, Sweden, Spain, wrote her memoirs, which, by the way, were a success. She died in 1958 in West Germany.

Experienced the soldier's ammunition

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General Mosolov wrote: "The tsar considered himself a military man, the first professional military man of his empire, not allowing any compromise in this respect. His duty was the duty of every soldier." According to the general, the emperor personally toured the troops before sending them to the front.

Mosolov noted that the sovereign delved into many issues related to the military. Once in Livadia, he walked forty miles in a soldier's uniform, with full gear, a rifle and a soldier's ration. So the ruler checked the suitability of new equipment.

The commander of the regiment, whose uniform the sovereign put on, asked, as a favor, to enlist Nicholas II in the first company and call him as a private at roll call. Nicholas II agreed to this and demanded a service record of the lower rank, writing in the column "service life": "To the grave."

hated raven

" I walked for a long time, killed a crow and rode in Gatchinka, "is one of dozens of entries in the diary of the head of state about the killing of birds. By the way, he also hated cats.

Note that the king was fond of hunting, like many of his predecessors. Shortly before the arrival of the sovereign to the hunting place, representatives of the specialized "hunting" department offered the peasants to hand over the caught dogs, cats and even ... sparrows for a certain fee.

Later they became trophies caught by the sovereign. So, only in 1902, according to the report, he shot almost 900 stray dogs and 1322 cats.

Smoked and drank port wine

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In Russia, there was a tradition according to which sons growing up in imperial families could order alcoholic drinks to their chambers. Nikolai Alexandrovich did not refuse to drink even in the morning: on January 1, 1886, the then seventeen-year-old crown prince ordered two bottles of wine, 14 bottles of kvass and a bottle of beer to be brought to his rooms after breakfast. However, whether it was intended for him alone is not indicated.

I tried 6 varieties of port wine and spluttered slightly, which is why I slept well, - an entry in the diary of Nicholas II, made in August 1906.

As for smoking, it is assumed that Nicholas could compete with Peter I in this matter (who, it seems, did not let go of his pipe). In the expenditure documents of 1917, it is noted that in nine months he smoked about 8 thousand cigarettes.

Reduced the length of service in the army and navy

It was the last Russian emperor who significantly reduced the term of service in the army and navy. According to the April reform of 1906, in the infantry, foot artillery and engineering troops it was reduced from 4 to 3 years, in cavalry and horse artillery - from 5 to 4, in the navy - from 7 to 5 years.

In addition, at the initiative of the Emperor Sovereign personally, measures were taken to improve commanders. In 1905-1906, about 7 thousand officers were fired by decision attestation commissions. More than 4.3 thousand of them did not pass by age. Some of the rest did not correspond to the service rank.

The personal library had about 15,000 books.

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Nicholas II can be safely called one of the most well-read Russian rulers: There were 15,000 books in his personal library. Yes, and in his diary he regularly wrote: "After dinner I read", "Walked in the garden and read."

Of the newspapers, he preferred "Russian invalid". He was not indifferent to publications publishing humorous stories with pictures. Of the writers, he loved Arkady Averchenko and Nikolai Gogol the most.

Didn't run away to the UK not out of his own pride

The last Russian emperor never ruled out the possibility of migration. Considering that in Great Britain his cousin George V was king (outwardly they look like two peas in a pod), this outcome was the most expected. Historians are still arguing whether voluntarily royal family decided not to leave, they were not allowed to be stolen, or no one was going to do this.

The most common version is the following. On March 21, 1917, the British ambassador in Petrograd, George Buchanan, reminded Pavel Milyukov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government, of the family ties of the last Russian emperor.

The English side was asked for permission to enter Nicholas II. Preliminary approval was received a few days later, it was brought to Milyukov. However, the head of the Foreign Ministry said that it was too late: not today or tomorrow the Soviets would come to power.

Soon, George himself abandoned this idea. This is partly due to the fact that Alexandra Fedorovna, the wife of Nicholas II, was suspected of almost colluding with Wilhelm II and supporting the German side in general. As a result, the British ambassadors declared that they could not recommend to the king the granting of asylum to the family of Nicholas II.

In August 1917, the Romanovs were brought to Tobolsk, where they stayed until April of the following year. In the spring of 1918 they went on their last trip.

The future Russian emperor was born in 1868, when his father was 23 years old and his mother was 20 years old.

With the baby, a whole staff of employees was immediately formed. Until the age of seven, 24 people were assigned to him, among whom were two chamber-jungfers, two chamber-medhens, an ironer and two valets, a doctor, cooks, stokers, footmen, workers "at the room." His nanny was an Englishwoman, Miss Orci, and his mentor and, in fact, the first teacher, Alexandra Ollongren.

In 1877, Grigory Grigoryevich Danilovich, a general, a professional military teacher, who for many years headed the aristocratic Second Cadet Corps, became his main tutor.

Years later, speaking about the character of the emperor, many contemporaries expressed the opinion that Danilovich's influence on the ward was too strong, that his approaches "broke" the boy's personality, making him withdrawn and secretive.

Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich at the age of 3. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Relationship with parents

True, claims to education were also presented to his parents. Some historians argued that Alexander III, unfortunately, failed to convey his charisma and attitude to power to his son.

"Their (children Alexander III- approx.) were taught too insistently to be "first of all people" and prepared too little for their difficult superhuman role, ”Alexandre Benois reproached him.

At the same time, Maria Fedorovna also got it from her contemporaries. Her strict attitude to some seemed unnecessarily cold.

“Maria Fedorovna does not love her children at all. She never caressed children. The late Alexander III was much more gentle with children than his mother. Despite his severity, it happened that the king would hug his sons, but never the mother. Sometimes, quite unexpectedly, the king went into the children's bedroom, but the mother, like a wound clock, went in neatly at the same hour, just as the children came to her at the same time - to say hello in the morning, to thank after breakfast and dinner and so on. Radzig says that he was the complete master in the bedroom of the heir, there was no control over him, ”general Bogdanovich wrote in her diary.

diaries

As a child, Nikolai Alexandrovich began to keep diaries, which years later helped historians to get an idea of the personality of the last emperor.

Tsesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich. 1889 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

More than 50 voluminous notebooks store notes with experiences, reasoning and historical events that took place in the country and the royal family. The last entry is dated June 30, 1918 according to the old style.

Now the personal diaries of Nicholas II are stored in the fund State Archive Russian Federation(GARF).

After the execution of the royal family on August 9, 1918, excerpts from the diaries of Nicholas II were published in Pravda and Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

Matilda and the boil

The first meeting of the future prima ballerina and heir to the royal throne took place under unusual circumstances. A furuncle helped the ballerina get to know the Tsarevich personally.

In her memoirs, Matilda describes that she had a habit of riding alone with a coachman along the embankment. According to her, at the same time she often met the heir, who also liked to take such walks. Once a ballerina had boils on her eye and leg. She decided that such troubles could not interfere with her daily voyages. Putting on an eye patch, she continued to ride until the wind completely inflamed the abscess. Then she was forced to stay at home.

The Tsarevich probably noticed both the bandage on her eye, and then her absence. Once he came to the house where Kshesinskaya lived with her sister and parents to inquire about her well-being.

“I did not believe my eyes, or rather, one of my eyes, since the other was tied. This unexpected meeting was so wonderful, so happy. He did not stay long that first time, but we were alone and could talk freely. I so dreamed of meeting him, and it happened so suddenly. I never forgot that evening hour of our first date,” she wrote in her memoirs.

Soon she received the first message from him: “I hope that the eye and the leg are getting better ... I still walk like a child. I'll try to come as soon as possible. Nicky."

Bison and Crow Hunter

One of the passions of Nicholas II was hunting. There was even a special court service to satisfy the royal amusements. Later, in the "Journal of the Imperial Hunt No. 9, compiled by the hunter Vladimir Romanovich Dietz," the results of the hunt for the period 1884-1909 were published. During this time, the grand dukes and princesses killed 638,830 animals and birds.

Speaking of Nicholas II, it is known that from 1886 to 1909 Nicholas shot 104 bison. In 1900, he set his personal record by killing 41 bison.

Some historians provide information that the emperor hunted cats and crows, as well as, according to the historian Zimin, dogs. According to Zimin's calculations, Nikolai killed 3,786 dogs, 6,176 cats, and 20,547 crows in just six years. True, some suggest that these figures are greatly exaggerated.

Nicholas II after the hunt, 1912. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Choice of the heart

The first meeting between Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt and the eldest son of Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna took place in St. Petersburg in January 1889. During the six weeks of her stay in the city on the Neva, the young lady was able to charm the 20-year-old Nikolai, and after her departure, a correspondence began between them.

The future emperor’s feelings for the German princess are described in an entry he made in his diary in 1892: “I dream of marrying Alix G someday. I have loved her for a long time, but especially deeply and strongly since 1889, when she spent 6 weeks in Petersburg. All this time I did not believe my feeling, did not believe that my cherished dream could come true "...

wedding in mourning

When the health of Alexander III began to deteriorate rapidly, the engagement of the young was announced. The bride arrived in Russia, where she converted to Orthodoxy with the name of Alexander, began to study the Russian language and culture of the country, which from now on was to become her homeland.

After the death of the emperor, mourning was declared. The wedding ceremony of Nicholas could have been delayed for a year, but, according to some historians, the lovers were not ready to wait so long. A difficult conversation took place between Nikolai and his mother Maria Fedorovna, during which a loophole was found that allowed them to observe certain rules of decency and conduct an early ceremony. The wedding was scheduled for the day when the Empress Dowager was born. This made it possible for the royal family to temporarily interrupt the mourning.

Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. 1896 Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Preparations for the wedding took place in force majeure. The golden wedding dress for the bride was sewn by the best fashion designers of St. Petersburg. The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and the image of the Fedorov Mother of God, wedding rings and a silver saucer were delivered to the Court Cathedral in gold frames.

On November 26, in the Malachite Hall of the Winter Palace, the bride was dressed in a chic dress with a heavy mantle and taken to the Great Church.

03.06.2016

Nicholas II Alexandrovich was the eldest son of Alexander III. From the moment of his birth, his fate was determined: they saw in him the future autocrat, the Emperor of All Russia. Personal inclinations and preferences did not matter: even if the heir were completely devoid of managerial qualities, he had to take on a huge responsibility and stand at the head of an immense empire. Some interesting facts from the biography of Nicholas II will tell us what came of this.

The future Tsar Nicholas II received an excellent upbringing. He was taught at home in an extended gymnasium course, then a number of subjects related to jurisprudence, economics, and social policy were added. It is curious that the Tsarevich listened to lectures, but the teachers did not have the right to arrange control and surveys for him.
Nicholas II married at a young age and was very in love with his wife. Until the end of their days, the crowned husband and wife maintained excellent relations. They say that Alexandra had a great influence on Nicholas and often gave him advice, including on internal and foreign policy states.
Nikolai Alexandrovich received not only an excellent education, but also had the opportunity to see the world, get to know other countries and peoples. In his youth, he made a big trip abroad, visiting Japan, Greece, India, Egypt, China, Austria-Hungary, and traveled to the Far East.
From the very beginning of the reign of Nicholas II, fate, as if warning the sad end of the reign of the new monarch, sent him a formidable sign. During the coronation celebrations, terrible events took place: the people were promised that there would be a rich treat on the occasion of the accession of Nikolai Alexandrovich, and a large crowd gathered at the palace. Due to the uncoordinated actions of the police, a stampede began, in which at least several hundred people died. Accusations fell on the head of the young king, although he did not learn about what had happened until the next day.
Another misfortune overshadowed the reign of Nicholas II long before the 1917 revolution. They called it Bloody Sunday. A completely peaceful crowd of workers went to the "tsar-father" with a petition, which spoke of the difficult living conditions and requests were made to take measures to mitigate the hardships. Police and troops dispersed peaceful demonstrators with weapons. None of the workers expected this. At least 150 people were killed, many were seriously injured. After that, Nicholas II received the nickname Bloody, although he himself not only did not give orders to the troops, but did not know at all about the demonstration: on the day when the workers went to the tsar, he was outside of St. Petersburg.
During the reign of Nicholas II, the Russian economy experienced a significant rise, in many branches of agriculture it confidently took a leading position among other countries of the world. But the strengthening of the economy does not always mean an improvement in the well-being of the population. In Russia, too, the position of the common people remained extremely difficult. Unrest, unrest began, the socio-political situation became extremely aggravated. The Russo-Japanese War, then the First World War - all this could not help strengthen the position of power.
Nicholas II kept a rather pedantic diary all his life, where he entered all the events, and often the announcement of the beginning of the war and the story of a family dinner are next to each other, in adjacent sentences. Nicholas II carefully records in his diary data on the number of deaths in Bloody Sunday and immediately reports what the weather is like and in what composition the family went to serve in the church. He does not seem to be able to draw conclusions from the events taking place, they frighten him and cause confusion. At least, this impression is created when you read his diary entries.
Nicholas II was an exemplary family man. He spent a lot of time with his wife, children, read daily. The king loved to hunt. Shortly before the 1917 revolution, he became interested in collecting cars.
After abdication, arrest and exile in Tobolsk, Nicholas II leads a quiet life. He works in the garden, chop wood, and takes the walks he is allowed to take. One of the soldiers guarding the royal family in exile noticed that a strong peasant would have come out of Nicholas if his fate had not been elevated to the royal throne.

Nicholas II and his family were shot in the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg. This also seems to be a certain sign of fate: after all, the Romanov dynasty began in the Ipatiev Monastery near Kostroma. Today the church has ranked the last Romanovs among the martyrs. One can argue about the extent to which Nicholas II was to blame for the development of revolutionary events for a long time. But, before throwing accusations of weakness of character, indecision, lack of business qualities, it is worth remembering the Russian clause: "Man proposes, but God disposes." Higher powers, God or a powerful elemental flow of people spun Russia so that it was no longer possible for one person to lead it onto a straight road - neither Nicholas nor anyone else.

Didn't abdicate

One of the most enduring misconceptions is the myth that Nicholas II did not abdicate, and the abdication document is a fake. It really has a lot of oddities: it was written on a typewriter on telegraph forms, although there were pens and writing paper on the train where Nicholas abdicated on March 15, 1917. Supporters of the version about the falsification of the renunciation manifesto cite the fact that the document was signed with a pencil.

There is just nothing strange about this. Nikolay signed many documents with a pencil. Another strange thing. If this is really a fake and the tsar did not renounce, he should have written at least something about it in his correspondence, but there is not a word about this. Nicholas abdicated for himself and his son in favor of his brother, Mikhail Alexandrovich.

The diary entries of the tsar's confessor, rector of the Fedorovsky Cathedral, Archpriest Athanasius Belyaev, have been preserved. In a conversation after confession, Nicholas II told him: “... And now, alone, without a close adviser, deprived of liberty, like a caught criminal, I signed an act of renunciation both for myself and for my son’s heir. I decided that if it is necessary for the good of the motherland, I am ready for anything. I'm sorry for my family!"

The very next day, March 3 (16), 1917, Mikhail Alexandrovich also abdicated, transferring the decision on the form of government to the Constituent Assembly.

Yes, the manifesto was obviously written under pressure, and it was not Nicholas himself who wrote it. It is unlikely that he himself would have written: "There is no sacrifice that I would not make in the name of a real good and for the salvation of my dear Mother Russia." However, there was a formal renunciation.

Interestingly, the myths and clichés about the abdication of the king largely came from Alexander Blok's book The Last Days of Imperial Power. The poet enthusiastically accepted the revolution and became the literary editor of the Extraordinary Commission for the affairs of the former tsarist ministers. That is, he literally processed the verbatim records of interrogations.

Against the creation of the role of a martyr king, the young Soviet propaganda actively campaigned. Its effectiveness can be judged from the diary of the peasant Zamaraev (he kept it for 15 years), preserved in the museum of the city of Totma, Vologda region. The head of a peasant is full of cliches imposed by propaganda:

“Romanov Nikolai and his family have been deposed, they are all under arrest and receive all the food on an equal basis with others on the cards. Indeed, they did not at all care about the welfare of their people, and the patience of the people burst. They brought their state to hunger and darkness. What was going on in their palace? This is terrible and shameful! It was not Nicholas II who ruled the state, but the drunkard Rasputin. All the princes were replaced and dismissed from their posts, including the commander-in-chief Nikolai Nikolaevich. Everywhere in all cities there is a new administration, there is no old police.”

7 common misconceptions about Nicholas II
Myths and legends about Russian rulers

Today marks the 147th anniversary of the birth of the last Russian emperor. Although a lot has been written about Nicholas II, much of what has been written refers to "folk fiction", delusions.
Nicholas II Alexandrovich - Emperor of All Russia, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke Finnish, the last Emperor Russian Empire. 1902

The king was modest in dress. unpretentious

Nicholas II was remembered by the many surviving photographic materials as an unpretentious man. In food, he was really unpretentious. He loved fried dumplings, which he often ordered while walking on his favorite yacht Shtandart. The king kept fasts and generally ate moderately, tried to keep himself in shape, so he preferred simple food: cereals, rice cutlets and pasta with mushrooms.

A fancy-dress ball in the Winter Palace in 1903. Emperor Nicholas II in the dress of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - ceremonial clothes of the Russian queen. (wife of Nicholas II in the costume of Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya - the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich)

Among the guards officers, the snack "nikolashka" was a success. Her recipe is attributed to Nicholas II. Powdered sugar was mixed with ground coffee, this mixture was sprinkled with a slice of lemon, which was used to eat a glass of cognac.

With regard to clothing, the situation was different. The wardrobe of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace alone consisted of several hundred items. military uniform and civilian clothing: frock coats, uniforms of guards and army regiments and overcoats, cloaks, sheepskin coats, shirts and underwear made in the capital's Nordenstrem workshop, hussar mentic and dolman, in which Nicholas II was on his wedding day. When receiving foreign ambassadors and diplomats, the tsar put on the uniform of the state where the envoy came from. Often, Nicholas II had to change clothes six times a day. Here, in the Alexander Palace, a collection of cigarette cases collected by Nicholas II was kept.

It must be admitted, however, that out of the 16 million allocated per year for royal family, the lion's share went to the payment of benefits for employees of the palaces (one Winter Palace served a staff of 1200 people), to support the Academy of Arts (the royal family was a trustee, therefore, incurred expenses) and other needs.

The spending was serious. The construction of the Livadia Palace cost the Russian treasury 4.6 million rubles, 350 thousand rubles a year were spent on the royal garage, and 12 thousand rubles a year for photographing.

Each Grand Duke was also entitled to an annual annuity of two hundred thousand rubles. Each of the Grand Duchesses was given a dowry of one million rubles upon marriage. member at birth imperial family received a capital of one million rubles.

The Tsar Colonel personally went to the front and led the armies

Many photographs have been preserved where Nicholas II takes the oath, arrives at the front and eats from the field kitchen, where he is "the father of the soldiers." Nicholas II really loved everything military. He practically did not wear civilian clothes, preferring uniforms.

Nicholas II blesses the soldiers going to the front

It is generally accepted that the emperor himself led the actions of the Russian army in the First World War. However, it is not. The generals and the military council decided. Several factors influenced the improvement of the situation at the front with the assumption of command by Nikolai. Firstly, by the end of August 1915, the Great Retreat was stopped, the German army suffered from stretched communications, and secondly, the situation was also affected by the change of the commanders-in-chief of the General Staff - Yanushkevich to Alekseev.

Nicholas II really went to the front, loved to live in Headquarters, sometimes with his family, often took his son with him, but never (unlike his cousins George and Wilhelm) approached the front line closer than 30 kilometers. The emperor accepted the Order of St. George IV degree shortly after a German plane flew over the horizon during the arrival of the king.

On the domestic politics the absence of the emperor in St. Petersburg had a bad effect. He began to lose influence on the aristocracy and the government. This proved fertile ground for intra-corporate splits and indecision during the February Revolution.

From the diary of the emperor August 23, 1915 (the day he assumed the duties of the Supreme High Command) “I slept well. The morning was rainy: in the afternoon the weather improved and it became quite warm. At 3.30 he arrived at his Headquarters, one verst from the mountains. Mogilev. Nikolasha was waiting for me. After talking with him, he accepted the gene. Alekseev and his first report. Everything went well! After drinking tea, I went to inspect the surrounding area. The train stops in a small dense forest. Dined at 7½. Then I took another walk, the evening was excellent.

The introduction of gold security is the personal merit of the emperor

It is customary to refer to the economically successful reforms that Nicholas II carried out as the monetary reform of 1897, when the gold backing of the ruble was introduced in the country. However, preparations for monetary reform began as early as the mid-1880s, under the finance ministers Bunge and Vyshnegradsky, during the reign of Alexander III.

Emperor Nicholas II (2nd from left) and Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna on vacation in Finland. 1913

The reform was a forced means of avoiding credit money. Sergei Witte can be considered its author. The tsar himself avoided resolving monetary issues; by the beginning of World War I, Russia's external debt was 6.5 billion rubles, only 1.6 billion were secured with gold.

Made personal "unpopular" decisions. Often in defiance of the Duma

It is customary to say about Nicholas II that he personally carried out reforms, often in defiance of the Duma. However, in fact, Nicholas II rather "did not interfere." He didn't even have a personal secretariat. But under him, well-known reformers were able to develop their abilities. Such as Witte and Stolypin. At the same time, relations between the two "second politicians" were far from idyllic.

Explosion on Aptekarsky Island. Assassination attempt on Stolypin, August 12, 1906

Sergei Witte wrote about Stolypin: "No one has destroyed even the semblance of justice as he, Stolypin, and that's all, accompanied by liberal speeches and gestures."

Pyotr Arkadyevich did not lag behind. Witte, dissatisfied with the results of the investigation about the attempt on his life, he wrote: “From your letter, Count, I must draw one conclusion: either you consider me an idiot, or you find that I am also participating in the attempt on your life ... ".

About the death of Stolypin, Sergei Witte wrote succinctly: "Killed."

Nicholas II personally never wrote detailed resolutions, he limited himself to marginal notes, most often he simply put a “reading mark”. He sat on official commissions no more than 30 times, always on extraordinary occasions, the emperor's remarks at meetings were brief, he chose one side or another in the discussion.

The Hague court is a brilliant "brainchild" of the king

It is believed that the Hague International Court was the brilliant brainchild of Nicholas II. Yes, indeed the Russian Tsar was the initiator of the First Hague Peace Conference, but he was not the author of all its decisions.

Stavka meeting Supreme Commander. Mogilev, April 1, 1916

The most useful thing that the Hague Convention was able to do concerned military laws. Thanks to the agreement, the prisoners of war of the First World War were kept in acceptable conditions, they could contact the house, they were not forced to work; sanitary posts were protected from attacks, the wounded were cared for, the civilian population was not subjected to mass violence.

But in reality, the Permanent Court of Arbitration has not brought much benefit in its 17 years of operation. Russia did not even approach the Chamber during the Japanese crisis, and so did the other signatories. “Turned into a zilch” and the Convention on the Peaceful Settlement of International Issues. The Balkans broke out in the world, and then the First World War.

The Hague does not influence international affairs even today. Few of the heads of state of world powers appeal to the international court.

Grigory Rasputin had a strong influence on the king

Even before the abdication of Nicholas II, rumors began to appear among the people about the excessive influence on Tsar Grigory Rasputin. According to them, it turned out that the state was controlled not by the tsar, not by the government, but personally by the Tobolsk "elder".

Grigory Rasputin with his admirers, March 1914

Of course, this was far from true. Rasputin had influence at court, and was well received into the emperor's house. Nicholas II and the Empress called him “our friend” or “Gregory”, and he called them “father and mother”.

However, Rasputin still had an influence on the empress, while government decisions taken without his participation. Thus, it is well known that Rasputin opposed Russia's entry into the First world war and even after Russia's entry into the conflict, he tried to convince the royal family to go with the Germans to peace negotiations.

Most of the Romanovs (Grand Dukes) supported the war with Germany and oriented themselves towards England. For the latter, a separate peace between Russia and Germany threatened defeat in the war.

Do not forget that Nicholas II was a cousin of both the German Emperor Wilhelm II and the brother of the British King George V. Rasputin also performed an applied function at court - he relieved the suffering of the heir Alexei. A circle of exalted admirers really formed around him, but Nicholas II did not belong to them.

Didn't abdicate

The diary entries of the tsar's confessor, rector of the Fedorovsky Cathedral, Archpriest Athanasius Belyaev, have been preserved. In a conversation after confession, Nicholas II told him: “... And now, alone, without a close adviser, deprived of liberty, like a caught criminal, I signed an act of renunciation both for myself and for my son’s heir. I decided that if it is necessary for the good of the motherland, I am ready for anything. I'm sorry for my family!"

The very next day, March 3 (16), 1917, Mikhail Alexandrovich also abdicated, transferring the decision on the form of government to the Constituent Assembly.

Against the creation of the role of the tsar-martyr, young Soviet propaganda carried out active agitation. Its effectiveness can be judged from the diary of the peasant Zamaraev (he kept it for 15 years), preserved in the museum of the city of Totma, Vologda region. The head of a peasant is full of cliches imposed by propaganda:

“Romanov Nikolai and his family have been deposed, they are all under arrest and receive all the food on an equal basis with others on the cards. Indeed, they did not at all care about the welfare of their people, and the patience of the people burst. They brought their state to hunger and darkness. What was going on in their palace? This is terrible and shameful! It was not Nicholas II who ruled the state, but the drunkard Rasputin. All the princes were replaced and dismissed from their posts, including the commander-in-chief Nikolai Nikolaevich. Everywhere in all cities there is a new administration, there is no old police.”