It All Ended In A Terrifying Flash

Though the Romanovs held power for over 300 years, their dynasty ended in a single generation, with the last tsar, Nicholas II. Deeply devoted to family and tradition, the last Tsar’s misguided and short-sighted decisions not only ended the Russian monarchy—it doomed the entire family to a horrifying end.

1. He Was Born To Rule

Tsar Nicholas II, the man who began the end of the Romanovs, was the son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. His father was a strict, imposing ruler who believed in autocracy, while his mother, a Danish princess, brought warmth and elegance to the court.

As the eldest sibling, there was a hefty sense of responsibility set upon his shoulders—but if he thought he knew what was coming, he was in for a surprise.

Wikipedia

2. He Was Spoiled

Nicholas grew up in the opulent, strict environment of the Russian imperial court, where he idolized his father, but received little preparation for ruling. Each summer, the family visited Denmark for reunions hosted by his maternal grandparents, King Christian IX and Queen Louise.

Though he was raised with discipline and love, what Nicholas needed was a reality check. 

Wikimedia Commons

3. His Cushy Past Ruined His Future

Alexander III found true joy in his children, often recalling how he cried like a baby when Nicholas was born. Unlike European monarchs, he was lenient with his kids, insisting their tutors raise them as healthy Russian children.

His family shielded him from the harsh realities of leading an empire—and he paid the price for it.

Wikimedia Commons

4. His Family Was Already In Trouble

When Nicholas was just 14 years old, he received the shock of a lifetime. He was at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg when his beloved grandfather, Tsar Alexander II, was brought in following a brutal bombing attack.

The family gathered by their patriarch’s side as he took his final breaths—and their lives changed forever.

Wikimedia Commons

5. He Became The Heir Apparent

After his grandfather succumbed to his injuries, Nicholas’ father became Tsar Alexander III—but that wasn’t the only change. After the terrifying bloodshed, the Romanovs decided to move their residence to Gatchina Palace, which was outside the city.

Not only did they hope to erase the memories of watching their father and grandfather die, they also wanted isolation from the threats that the city posed. Maybe all that trauma and fear was what distracted them from the matter at hand.

Picryl

6. His Father Failed Him

Now that Alexander III was tsar, he not only had to deal with the pressures of ruling, but also of raising his son to one day become his replacement. But since he was only in his 40s, he spent a little too much time on the former, and little on the latter. And he didn’t see what a mistake he was making until it was too late.

Wikipedia

7. He Didn’t Have It In Him

What was the problem with Nicholas Romanov? Though historians agree that he was smart and well-educated, he lacked one essential quality. He had trouble expressing himself and even more trouble making decisions. Pretty essential qualities in a leader, if you ask us.

Nicholas lacked the strength and resolve required to lead Russia effectively. Not only was the time to learn quickly running out, he was also rightfully distracted.

Wikipedia

8. He Fell In Love

In 1884, Nicholas’ uncle married a princess who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. At the wedding, he met one of the bride’s sisters (who also happened to be his distant cousin). Her name was Princess Alix, and developed quite the crush. However, unlike today’s teens, he couldn’t call or text her—so patience was the name of the game.

Nicholas had to wait five long years until she visited Saint Petersburg again—and when they reunited, the feelings were mutual.

Wikimedia Commons

9. He Proposed

At yet another wedding, Nicholas popped the question to the princess—however, he faced a serious roadblock. Not only was she reluctant to convert to Russian Orthodoxy in order to marry him, his parents weren’t exactly impressed with her either. Though she was convinced to convert, his parents ended up approving the union for a far more disturbing reason.

Wikimedia Commons

10. His Time Was Coming

Though he was only in his 40s, Tsar Alexander III began suffering health problems after suffering some blunt trauma during a train accident. As he grew more and more ill, it was clear that he needed to set things in motion for his son to rule—and that included giving his approval to Nicholas and Alix’s marriage. Within a matter of months, Alexander succumbed to nephritis, leaving his son to step into the role of tsar.

Nicholas had little preparation or inclination to rule—but the weight of the world was now on his shoulders.

Picryl

11. He Tied The Knot

After a period of mourning that lasted a whopping week after Alexander III’s funeral, Nicholas married Princess Alix, and she became Alexandra Feodorovna. Soon after, they were crowned Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. Despite their close family ties to Queen Victoria and the British royal family, neither Nicholas or Alexandra’s lineage could shield them from future tragedy.

Wikimedia Commons

12. She Had A Devastating Past

Growing up, Tsarina Alexandra had been nicknamed “Sunny”—but her story was anything but. When she was just six, her mother and her beloved younger sister succumbed to diptheria. Earlier, her brother Friedrich tragically fell from a palace window before his third birthday. Were they cursed, or was it just bad luck? Well—there’s a complicated answer to that.

Wikimedia Commons

13. She Carried A Secret

It hadn’t been the fall from the window that had taken Alexandra’s brother’s life—it was something far more sinister. He suffered from hemophilia, a disease in which the body doesn’t produce the agents needed to clot blood, which leaves suffered in great danger from even trivial accidents. The disease is hereditary—meaning that, as distant cousins, both Alexandra and her husband were potential carriers.

It was almost as though the Romanovs were set up to fail.

Getty Images

14. They Had Whiplash

Nicholas and Alexandra Romanov went from losing a family member to marriage to ruling an entire empire in a period of months. The short mourning period of just a week, and the decision to abruptly end it, was a controversial one. The quick shift to governance added to Nicholas II's challenges and set the tone for his tumultuous reign.

Getty Images

15. Their Coronation Followed Tradition

The coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna in 1896 was a lavish display of imperial grandeur, filled with ceremonies, parades, and celebrations. Moscow was transformed into a stage for the new emperor, with thousands of people gathering to witness the event. However, an unexpected tragedy unfolded amidst the festivities.

Wikimedia Commons

16. Their Coronation Was Marred By Sorrow

During a feast at Khodynka Field, meant to showcase the new emperor’s generosity, things took a disturbing turn. Organizers misjudged the crowd size and the crowding triggered a stampede where 1,282 died, and thousands more were injured.

Despite the tragedy, the celebrations continued without disruption. But it wasn’t the organizers who were the problem.

Picryl

17. He Put A False Façade On Things

When Nicholas was informed of the stampede, his response was twisted. He showed no emotion at all. Though advisors told him that it might be wise to put a stop to his participation in the festivities in order to show respect to the estimated 1,200 victims, he ignored their pleas.

That night, he showed up to a ball in his honor, earning himself an insulting nickname: “Nicholas the Bloody,” and sparking frustration among his subjects.

Picryl

18. The Royal Couple Were Naughty

Nicholas and Alexandra may have been stately monarchs, but they had a very steamy bedroom life. For one, they insisted on—gasp!—sharing a bed. While this may not seem like much, most royal marriages at the time were all business, and many monarchs kept separate bedrooms. Oh, but the Tsar and Tsarina got much dirtier than that.

They didn’t just have pet names for each other, they also had pet names for their private, er, parts. Nicholas was “Boysy” and she was “Lady”. And with all this boudoir talk, the inevitable happened.

Picryl

19. Their First Child Was On The Way

Just months after the royal wedding, the Tsar and Tsarina made a momentous announcement. They were expecting a child. Everyone in the palace eagerly awaited a boy, most especially Alexandra herself. After all, the fate of the Romanov Dynasty was resting on their shoulders.

Plus, giving Russia a male heir would solidify Alexandra’s place in court and transform her from a suspicious outsider to the mother of the crown prince. Well, she was in for a surprise.

Picryl

20. They Didn’t Get Their Boy

On November 15, 1895, Empress Alexandra had gave birth to a baby girl, Olga. Despite her ambitions, both Alexandra and her husband were simply thrilled to a have baby, even if she was a girl, saying, “If she was a boy she would have belonged to the people, being a girl she belongs to us”. However, not every Romanov was happy. 

The Dowager Empress Maria, Nicholas’s mother, was appalled that there was no direct male heir, and worried about what it meant for the family. Oh well—they still had plenty of time, right?

Picryl

21. They Tried Again

Less than two years after Olga was born, Empress Alexandra gave birth to another girl, the Grand Duchess Tatiana. By this time, Alexandra and Nicholas were definitely getting antsy for a boy, and their response was bone-chilling. When she saw that she had given birth to another girl, Alexandra asked, “What will the nation say?”

Luckily, Tatiana had a secret weapon.

Wikipedia

22. She Had It All

Tatiana was a stunning child—and more than that, she looked exactly like her mother Alexandra, who was no slouch in the looks department, either. The young princess also had an innate bearing that courtiers couldn't help but notice, and people said that any dress Tatiana wore would instantly look amazing.

In other words, the girl had style in spades. But one thing she didn’t have? A brother.

Wikipedia

23. The Third Time Was Not The Charm

In 1899, a new catastrophe struck the Romanovs. Empress Alexandra got pregnant again, hoped for a male heir, and got another daughter instead, the Grand Duchess Maria. Now, this was a blow. Two girls in a row might be bad luck, but three was beginning to look like a curse for Alexandra and Nicholas.

Even Queen Victoria weighed in on the matter, writing, "I regret the third girl for the country”. The Romanovs were in trouble. Big trouble.

Picryl

24. History Kept Repeating Itself

The Romanovs were never going to give up on having a male heir—so 1901 was particularly crushing. That was the year they gave birth to their fourth and most famous daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. If the first three girls had successively dampened their morale, Anastasia shattered it. 

Reportedly, when Nicholas heard the news, he had to take a long walk to collect himself. There was, however, a more immediate problem.

Wikipedia

25. She Was A Brat

While the three eldest Romanovs were prim, proper, and ladylike...Anastasia was not. Anastasia was reportedly a naughty child and often got into trouble for her conduct. She would kick and scratch her playmates, pull pranks on household staff, and even climb trees when she didn't want to do homework.

She could be so obstinate in her pranks and teasing that one of her cousins even said that she was “nasty to the point of being evil”. Still, no one deserves the fate she received.

Wikipedia

26. They Cosplayed Real Life

The Romanovs might have lived in the lap of luxury, but their lifestyle was actually somewhat shocking for the time. The Tsar and Tsarina made all their children, starting with Olga, live as simply as possible. The palace servants never called them by their royal titles, and Alexandra even forced them to sleep on hard cots every night while taking cold baths every morning.

But there may have been a heartbreaking reason for their lifestyle choices.

Wikimedia Commons

27. They Were All Alone

We already know that the Romanovs lived spartan lives, but their parents also kept them completely apart from the real world. Due partly to the volatile political climate in Russia, and partly to the fact that they were girls, all the public usually saw of them came from photographs. And when a boy finally did come along, things only got worse.

Wikimedia Commons

28. They Finally Had A Boy

In 1904, the Romanovs finally got what they wanted. Alexandra gave birth to a boy, Alexei. When the Empress finally emerged from her haze, she looked out across the room and saw a sea of joyous faces. She knew exactly what that meant, crying out: "Oh, it cannot be true. It cannot be true. Is it really a boy?" It really was.

The only person who was more excited than the Tsarina? The Tsar himself.

Picryl

29. He Was Going To Save Them

Later that day, Tsar Nicholas II retired to his office to write in his diary, as he often did. He wrote that the day was "a great and unforgettable day for us...there are no words to thank God enough for sending us this comfort in a time of sore trials”. From the very minute of his birth, everyone in the royal family saw Alexei as their great white hope. This hope was sorely misplaced.

Picryl

30. Their Celebrations Were Interrupted

It took only mere moments for the celebration over Tsarevich Alexei's birth to turn terrifying. At first, he seemed a perfectly healthy child. His aunt noted that he was "an amazingly hefty baby with a chest like a barrel" and "the air of a warrior knight." However, when the time came to cut the umbilical cord, they realized something was seriously wrong.

Romanov Empire

31. He Was The Most Vulnerable Of All

After Alexandra's labor, doctors noticed that Alexei’s cut umbilical cord wound wouldn’t stop bleeding. It was the first sign that the worst had happened. Over the next few days, the Imperial family confronted the whole, horrific reality. Alexandra was a carrier of hemophilia and not only that, she had passed it on to her only son. Their reaction was infamous.

Wikimedia Commons

32. They Kept It A Secret

The Romanovs were thunderstruck with grief at Alexei's illness, and it drove them to a controversial decision. They decided to keep his hemophilia a state secret, known only to their loyal inner circle, in order to support stability and peace in their country. It was supposed to save them...but boy, it did not. In no time, the secret took a grievous toll on the family.

Romanov Empire

33. It Did Some Damage

By now, nervous exhaustion and her many disappointing pregnancies had turned Alexandra into a listless and immobile shade of herself. She ate and slept very little, had swollen feet, and took herbal medicine to strengthen her pulse. She was also addicted to Veronal, a kind of sedative; as she once confessed to a friend, “I’m literally saturated with it”.

She wasn’t well—but it was all overshadowed by the problems that cropped up as Alexei grew.

Wikimedia Commons

34. He Was Seriously Ill

Cuts that won't stop bleeding aren't the only problems that come with hemophilia. Alexei had countless other symptoms and concerns, but the worst by far was when internal lesions caused blood to seep into his joints. As his doctor put it, “Blood destroyed bones and tendons; he couldn’t bend or unbend his arms or legs."

In those moments, Alexei could scarcely move without feeling excruciating pain. The family grew desperate—and they found help in a sinister place.

Romanov Empire

35. They Called In For Help

Running out of options, Alexandra called for a strange mystic from Siberia who claimed to be able to heal the boy. His name was Grigori Rasputin, and the Tsarina invited him straight into the royal palace. He prayed over Alexei's withering frame and said: "Your pain is going away. You will soon be well. You must thank God for healing you. And now, go to sleep."

Then Rasputin left and the Romanovs prayed for a miracle. They got one.

Getty Images

36. Their Boy Recovered

By the next morning, Alexei Romanov was a whole new kid. While he'd lay in agony before, scarcely able to move, he now sat up in bed, his fever and swelling gone. It truly did seem like a miracle. From that day, the Tsar and Tsarina trusted Rasputin above all else when it came to Alexei's health. But inviting this mystic into their lives had terrible consequences.

Getty Images

37. She Fell For It

With this "miracle cure," Rasputin had fully enchanted Empress Alexandra. That much has gone down in history, but not many people know the whole, disturbing story. In truth, Alexandra had been taken in by mystics for quite some time by then. Her mother-in-law Maria had even sneered at her taste for “crazy, dirty, religious fanatics" and worried at her judgment. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Wikipedia

38. He Was Enmeshed In Their Lives

Alexei may have been Rasputin's primary charge, but the rest of the Romanovs had disturbing relationships with him too. Alexandra made all her children call him “our friend," and further forced them to share their deepest secrets with the holy man, performing make-shift confessionals with him. Soon enough, people started to notice.

Picryl

39. He Was Too Close To Them

As the Dowager Empress Maria's "dirty" fanatics comment makes clear, not everyone in the palace was under Rasputin’s spell, and the girls' governess Sofia Tyutcheva was decidedly anti-creepy holy dude. One day, the governess entered the royal nursery and made a horrific discovery. The young girls were spending time with Rasputin, all while dressed only in their thin nightgowns.

The fallout to this was more unsettling than you can imagine.Wikimedia Commons

40. Wild Rumors Flew

Nicholas, quite sensibly, requested that any nighttime visits to his female children stop. However, that measured reaction caused his wife to fly into a rage, and she fired the governess who’d brought the matter up. Rumors flew that Rasputin had not only seduced Empress Alexandra, but also the four Romanov girls.

Though this might seem like vicious gossip, there were still disturbing signs. 

Picryl

41. They Were Too Close

One aunt reported seeing Rasputin “caressing” the girls, and the Mad Monk certainly had a retinue of other high-born women keeping him company. Whatever the case, the cracks started to show. Alexandra’s German heritage made Russians suspicious of her, and her obsession with Rasputin didn't help.

As anti-German sentiment rose in the lead-up to WWI, Russian hatred became even more focused on her and her mystic Rasputin. It was about to reach a breaking point.

Getty Images

42. They Had Terrible Timing

In 1914, WWI broke out. It was the worst thing that could have happened to the Romanovs. The Tsar wasn't prepared for battle and his troops were already exhausted from earlier conflicts. Besides that, Germany was now a machine built for warfare—and Russia was basically fighting back with sticks.

It didn't matter how many men Tsar Nicholas had, they just couldn't contend with the Germans. And then Nicholas made a fatal error.

Picryl

43. He Listened To The Wrong Man

Although Rasputin opposed WWI, the mystic claimed to have had a vision where the Russian army would only succeed if the Tsar personally took over command. Nicholas listened and took the charge, but it was a huge mistake. It caused massive losses and unrest, kickstarting the downfall of the Romanovs and nearly everyone they loved.

Picryl

44. It Started With Rasputin

Russia had somehow managed to stick with Nicholas through scandal after scandal—but WWI broke even the trust of Nicholas's aristocrats. They knew something had to change, and they had just the ticket. On December 30, 1916, powerful courtiers infamously captured and took the life of Rasputin, stripping the Romanovs of their great favorite.

When the Romanov children found out the news, a witness said they “huddled up closely together” on their sofa, crying for “Father Grigori”. But not everyone among them was so sad...

Getty Images

45. She Knew He Was Bad

After Rasputin’s death, Grand Duchess Olga made a dark confession. A month later, she admitted to a nurse that Rasputin’s death had been “necessary.” There is even some evidence that of all the Romanovs, Olga was the only one who didn’t attend his funeral. Yet Rasputin’s dark fate was nothing compared to the end of the Romanovs.

Getty Images

46. They Turned On Him

After WWI and Rasputin's end, the Romanovs' realm was in utter shambles. Responding to rumblings of revolution, Tsar Nicholas tried to bring his country back under his control. It was useless. In March 1917, he tried to use his guards to quell unrest in Saint Petersburg. But when he ordered them to fire upon the gathering citizenry, he got the shock of his life.

They completely refused, firing into the air instead. With this, the revolution had begun.

Wikimedia Commons

47. The Romanovs Lost Their Throne

Within days of this mutiny, the government pushed Nicholas to resign. The mere idea horrified the Tsar, but what could he do? He had no support and no troops. He agreed to abdicate, and formally ended his rule on March 15, 1917. In doing so, he brought over three centuries of uninterrupted Romanov rule to an end. But his troubles were far from over.

Picryl

48. They Thought They Were Fine

At first, life wasn't so bad for the disgraced Romanovs. While still staying (under guard) at their luxurious Alexander Palace, Nicholas and his family could pretend that things were totally normal. Besides, they had an escape plan all lined up: Nicholas's cousin King George V of England had already assured the family that they could seek asylum with him.

Fate, however, had much crueler plans.

Picryl

49. He Was Betrayed

King George V looked nearly identical to Nicholas II, and they were very close. Yet when revolution ousted Nicholas, George dealt his cousin an utterly cold-hearted betrayal. He rescinded his offer of safe haven in England. Historians believe that, worried that Nicholas's presence would damage his own monarchy, George reneged out of self-preservation. But he still left the Romanovs to the wolves.

Wikipedia

50. They Didn’t Know Their Fate

The Bolsheviks shuffled the Romanovs around, moving them to Tobolsk, a great distance from Saint Petersburg. The girls ended up catching measles and having to shave their heads. Next, they made the long and miserable journey to Yekaterinburg. After five days of camping in the cold and fording frigid rivers, they were happy to be warm and dry again at the Ipatiev House, but this would be where they’d meet their dark fate.

Wikimedia Commons

51. They Knew They Were In Some Danger

The Romanovs weren’t completely clueless about their prospects. At one point during their captivity, Nicholas and Alexandra urged their children to sew jewels into their clothing in order to conceal them from the Bolsheviks, who were confiscating priceless heirlooms. That way, they’d have valuables on hand if they ever escaped.

A good idea in theory, but these precious baubles would come back to haunt them in the most brutal way.

Wikimedia Commons

52. They Were Gathered Up At Night

The Romanovs had been at the Ipatiev House for about six weeks and had fallen into something of a routine—but one night in July was different. Sometime after midnight, the Imperial Romanovs and their five children were forced into a basement to face a firing squad.

Bullets and gunpowder filled the tiny room, but it was only when the smoke cleared that the soldiers realized the execution had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Wikipedia

53. The Plan Backfired

On the night of the execution, the Romanov siblings were wearing their jewel-encrusted clothing. As a result, the diamonds and stones acted as bullet-proof vests. The bullets bounced off of the clothing, wounding but not killing the children, though Nicholas and Alexandra had perished in the first volley.

When the Bolsheviks discovered that the children were still alive, they had to round them up again and painstakingly finish the job.

Picryl

54. He Was Still With Them

After the Bolsheviks extinguished the entire Romanov family, they set about disposing of the bodies. When they did, they came across a disturbing discovery. Each of the Romanov girls was wearing an amulet with Grigori Rasputin’s image hidden inside. Even years after his death, the Mad Monk still had an eerie hold on them.

Wikimedia Commons

55. They Hid The Truth

The Bolsheviks buried the bodies of the Romanovs in an unmarked grave, and the Soviet Union did not publicize their passing. In fact, the government didn’t even acknowledge the execution of the Romanov family for eight long years. This led to speculation that some of them might possibly still be alive.

Soon, some evidence arose that gave credence to these claims.

Wikimedia Commons

56. She Claimed To Be A Romanov

In 1922, a patient in an asylum in Berlin made a shocking claim. She said she was the youngest Romanov girl, Anastasia. For decades, the so-called "Anna Anderson" was able to fool the extended family into believing she was in fact Anastasia and that the princess had somehow escaped the execution that horrible night. While not everyone bought it, many did comment on how much she looked and acted like the Grand Duchess. 

Until, that is, the day it came crashing down.

Getty Images

57. None Of Them Made It Out Alive

In 1994, experts compared Anna Anderson's tissue to a sample from Anastasia's relative Prince Philip. The findings confirmed the tragic truth. There was no match, disproving Anderson's claim once and for all. Historians now widely believe that Anderson was actually Franziska Schanzkowska, a mentally-ill Polish factory worker.

There was a chilling reason why it was so hard to tell what happened to the Romanovs.

Romanov Empire

58. They Went To Disturbing Lengths

Hoping to cover up what they’d done, the guards in charge of ending the Romanovs stripped the family of all their clothes, drove them out to an abandoned mineshaft, doused them in sulphuric acid so no one could recognize them, then tossed them into the darkness below. That was the final resting place of the Romanov family—except for Alexei and one of his sisters.

The guards had a plan for them that they hoped would throw anyone searching for the lost royals off their scent.

Wikimedia Commons

59. They Split Them Up

Alexei Romanov didn't get to rest with his parents. Guards took his remains, along with the remains of one of his sisters, and burned them in a bonfire. Next, they smashed the bones with a spade, then tossed them into a smaller pit about 50 feet away from the mass grave. They figured anyone who found the remains at the bottom of the mineshaft wouldn't guess it was the royal family, as the Tsarevich and one of the girls wouldn't be there.

In case you couldn't tell yet, the guards were mostly incompetent, but their plan actually worked...for a while.

Wikimedia Commons

60. His Remains Were The Key

Amateur archaeologists discovered the site of the Romanovs' grave in 1979, but they soon realized something was wrong. Two bodies were missing: One of the girls, and Alexei. Rumors persisted for decades that perhaps the boy had somehow escaped—until 2007, nearly a century after his death, researchers found the remains of a preteen boy and a young woman in a firepit nearby.

DNA testing confirmed that the bones had belonged to Alexei and his sister Maria. Finally, after nearly a century, the mystery of the Romanovs' end was settled, once and for all.

Wikipedia

You May Also Like

Scandalous Facts About The House Of Grimaldi, The Messiest Royal Family

Rebellious Facts About The Russian Revolution

Imperial Facts About The Habsburg Empire

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23