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Photos of emperors. Rare photographs of the royal family found in an American library

Komsomolskaya Pravda publishes for the first time rare pictures Emperor from his personal album, which lay in the storage rooms of the Ural Museum for almost a century [KP exclusive]

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To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, a real relic was brought to Yekaterinburg - a photo album that belonged to Nicholas II. It contains 210 rare photographs royal family, most of them have never been published before. Almost all the photos were taken by Nikolai Alexandrovich or his children.

The emperor was very fond of photography and got his wife Alexandra Fedorovna and children addicted to it,” historian and employee of the Patriarchal Compound Museum Milena Bratukhina tells KP. - There was even a photo workshop in one of the park pavilions in Tsarskoe Selo. Nikolai Alexandrovich shot mainly with American cameras, and the Empress ordered photographic equipment from Great Britain.

The photographs are dated 1913-1916. The album contains many shots of army life. Then came the first world war, and the tsar, together with his heir Alexei, often visited the troops. But main value This album contains cards of the daily life of the royal family. Among the pictures there is even a photo with an elephant. It turns out that the first zoo in Tsarskoye Selo Park in St. Petersburg appeared under Nicholas I. It closed in 1917. The children of Nicholas II often came to the Tsarskoye Selo elephant sanctuary with their parents. The Emperor wrote about this in his diary: “He and Alexei brought an elephant to our pond and had fun bathing it.”

The album has been in the Zlatoust Local History Museum since the 30s of the last century. For many years it was carefully stored in storage rooms, and only a few knew about its existence. When the “royal” theme came out of the ban, the album was presented to the general public. But you can’t just watch it - only a few people can touch the album. Once a day, they turn only one page and immediately put it under glass: museum staff fear for the safety of the photographs.

How the album ended up in Zlatoust is a mystery, says Nadezhda Prikhodko, director of the museum in Zlatoust. - Everyone knows that last days The royal family spent their lives in Yekaterinburg, which is 300 kilometers from our city. There is a version that the director of the Museum of the Revolution, Comrade Chevardin, brought the relic from Yekaterinburg. The museum was located in the house of engineer Ipatiev, and it was there that the august persons lived before their death. In 1933, Chevardin was transferred to Zlatoust, and he may have brought the album with him to save it from destruction. According to the second version of the photograph, the photograph was transported by a revolutionary nicknamed Kasyan, aka Chudinov Dmitry Mikhailovich - one of those who escorted royal family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg. He lived in Zlatoust. And after the terrible reprisal against the Romanovs, he appropriated some of their belongings, and it is possible that this album, too.

“KP” thanks the Chrysostom Local Lore Museum and the Yekaterinburg Diocese for the photos provided.

1914 The royal family traditionally went on a summer trip to the Black Sea on the yacht “Standart”. But the photographs: Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Maria Olga, (from left to right) and Anastasia (in the center). The girls have been accustomed to this yacht since childhood. When they grew up, their parents allowed them to bathe on their own. The Grand Duchesses loved to fool around on deck and communicate with officers and courtiers.

1914 Peterhof. The Emperor poses on the shore. Most likely, this photo was taken by one of his children.

1916 Nicholas II and his youngest daughter Anastasia are relaxing in the city garden of Mogilev (during the First World War there was the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief). The Grand Duchess is 15 years old. And don’t let this shot shock you - at that time smoking was not something immoral. In 1915, Anastasia, when the Tsar was at Headquarters and she was in St. Petersburg, wrote to her father: “I’m sitting with your old cigarette that you once gave me, and it’s very tasty.” Of course, the Grand Duchesses did not smoke in public. And this photo is more of a joke.

1916 Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich in one of the parks in Tsarskoe Selo. In the hands of the heir to the throne is his beloved black spaniel Joy (translated from English as “joy”). The dog was with Alexey until the end of his days. The boy took him into exile with him. The dog outlived its owner - after his death, the spaniel was sent to London to Buckingham Palace. Please note: the shadow of the author of the photo, the king, is visible in the photo.

1916 The Emperor plays with his son on the banks of the Dnieper. The two of them arrived in Mogilev on October 1, 1915. The Tsar believed that this trip would benefit the future heir to the throne - instead of ordinary classes with a teacher within four walls, Alexey could see the life of ordinary boys.

1914 Tsarskoe Selo. The Tsarevich and his teacher's children are playing war. Alexey spent his entire childhood with them. The boys played together, drew, made snowmen and went canoeing.

1914 Tsarskoe Selo. Nicholas II and his son ride a boat in a local pond. The Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Maria are waiting for them on the shore. Nicholas II devoted a lot of time to his children, especially his only heir.

On the night of July 17, 1918, in the basement of Ipatiev’s house in Yekaterinburg, the royal family of Russian Emperor Nicholas II and members of her retinue were executed. The execution took place by order of the executive committee of the Ural Regional Council of Workers, Peasants and Red Army Deputies, which was headed by the Bolsheviks.

Resolution:
“In view of the fact that Czech-Slovak gangs threaten the capital of the Red Urals, Yekaterinburg; in view of the fact that the crowned executioner can avoid the trial of the people (a conspiracy of the White Guards has just been discovered, with the goal of kidnapping the entire Romanov family), the Presidium of the regional committee, in fulfillment of the will of the people, decided: to shoot the former Tsar Nikolai Romanov, guilty before the people of countless bloody crimes.”

To this day, there is no unanimity of opinion among modern historians on the questions of whether sanction was given for the execution of Nicholas II without trial, what actually happened, and whether sanction was given for the execution of the entire family, and not just the emperor. In addition, there is also no consensus among lawyers on the question of whether the shooting was authorized by senior management.

According to the records, the participants in the execution did not know how the “execution” would be carried out. On the night of July 17, a truck arrived at Ipatiev’s house to transport corpses, after which doctor Botkin from the royal retinue was awakened, who was informed that everyone urgently needed to go to the basement due to the alarming situation in the city. IN basement Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, five children (Olga, Tatyana, Maria, Anastasia, Alexey) and four people from the royal retinue crossed over. Then the Commandant of the Ipatiev House, Yakov Yurovsky, introduced the firing squad and read out the verdict. The emperor was killed first, but the son and daughters of Nicholas II, as well as the maid and doctor, were not killed immediately by the executioners. According to Yurovsky, the emperor’s daughters wore bodices entirely covered with diamonds and precious stones, which, in some way, saved them from fatal bullets. According to the investigation, the survivors were finished off with a bayonet.

After Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks, the collection personal photos royal family was smuggled out of Russia. The albums offer a look at daily life Romanov family.

The photo is one of the few in the Romanov albums that focuses on the ordinary people of Russia

Grand Duchess Olga - firstborn of Nicholas II

Tsarevich Alexei is the heir to the Russian throne. The boy was 13 years old when he and his family were killed

Empress Alexandra with her devoted friend Anna Vyrubova and daughter Olga. Anna Vyrubova was arrested after the revolution, but managed to escape to Finland with albums that contain more than 2,600 photographs of the Romanovs' private lives. She died in Helsinki in 1964

Found in the Yale University manuscript library rare photos graphies the last Tsar of the Russian Empire, Nicholas II, who were taken from Russia. The photographs are not royal at all; let’s face it, they look more like staged ones.
There are forces that benefit from considering Nicholas II killed in order to lay claim to the Russian throne.

Tsar Nicholas II on the rocky coast of Finland. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

After Tsar Nicholas II and his family were shot by Bolshevik revolutionaries, a collection of personal photographs of the royal family was smuggled out of Russia.

The photographs were found in the Yale University library. We offer a glimpse into the life of the royal family, which ended so tragically.

After early death of his father, Nicholas II admitted to a friend: “I am not yet ready to be a king. I don't know anything about the board."

The young heir suffered from hemophilia, a genetic disorder that prevents blood from clotting.

Anna Vyrubova (right) on the beach with princesses Tatiana and Olga. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

After the royal family was shot, Anna, a close friend of the family, managed to escape from Soviet Russia with 6 albums of family photographs.

Empress Alexandra (left) with Anna Vyrubova and Olga. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

After the revolution, Anna was arrested, but she managed to escape to Finland with albums that contain more than 2,600 photographs of the Romanovs' private life. Vyrubova died in Helsinki in 1964.

Empress Alexandra is welcomed aboard Standart, the imperial yacht. Her little daughters are in the background. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Two Grand Duchesses on board Standard. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

When the children were small, a sailor looked after each one so that they did not fall overboard.

Nicholas II and his daughters in Crimea. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Pedestrian bridge in Spala, Poland. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

When the Siberian mystic Rasputin helped the prince recover from internal bleeding due to a bruised hip, he became a close friend and confidant of the royal family.

Empress Alexandra and her daughter, Grand Duchess Tatiana. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

They were said to be especially close.

Tsar Nicholas II (left) welcomes King Gustav of Sweden aboard Standart. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

The boy was 13 years old when he and his family were shot.

Tsarevich Alexei, third from left, playing soldier. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Gilliard, the family's French mentor, with his students Olga and Tatiana Romanov. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

After the murder of his family, he helped in the investigation, and then fled Russia. U measures in Switzerland in 1962.

On board Standard, the sailors took turns bouncing on the mats. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Tatiana was described as "a poetic girl, always striving for the ideal and dreaming of great friendship."

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria aboard Standart in 1914. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

The sisters were 22, 21 and 19 years old when they were killed.

Empress Alexandra with her likeness in clay. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Olga Romanova in a wicker chair on board Standart. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Villagers in the photo during the trip of the king and his family. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Anastasia, the youngest of the grand duchesses, was photographed after a round of tennis with the officer and her father, Nicholas II. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Within a few months after the 1917 revolution, Grand Duchess Tatyana helps dig a vegetable garden while being captured by the revolutionaries. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale

Tsar Nicholas II and his son Alexei sawing wood while in captivity. Photo: Manuscript Library, Yale University

Nicholas 2 and the three Grand Duchesses sail on a boat along a canal in Tserskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg.

A few months after the 1917 Revolution, Grand Duchess Tatiana helps plant vegetables in her garden while she is being held captive by the Bolsheviks.

Tsar Nicholas 2 and his son Alexei in captivity (by the Bolsheviks) are sawing wood.
(A little boy with hemophilia, at any moment, will cut himself)
They were killed a few months later.
In the diary of one of the high-ranking Soviet leaders it was written that Vladimir Lenin decided to kill the Romanov family and thereby not leave the anti-Bolshevik forces as a living emblem, especially in such difficult circumstances.

Abdicating the throne, Nicholas II tried to negotiate the fulfillment of certain conditions for himself and his family. At that moment, the Romanovs were not yet going to be sent to Tobolsk, so the abdicated emperor insisted on the absence of tight security and unhindered travel to his family in Tsarskoe Selo. Most of all, Nikolai hoped that the children would be able to stay at home without risking their own safety long time. At that time they were suffering from measles and any travel could worsen their condition. Romanov Sr. also asked for permission to travel to England for himself and his family.

First, the Provisional Government agrees to fulfill all the conditions. But already on March 8, 1917, General Mikhail Alekseev informed the Tsar that he “can consider himself, as it were, under arrest.” After some time, a notification of refusal comes from London, which previously agreed to accept the Romanov family. March 21 former emperor Nicholas II and his entire family were officially taken into custody.

A little more than a year later, on July 17, 1918, the last royal family Russian Empire will be shot in a cramped basement in Yekaterinburg. The Romanovs suffered hardships as they moved closer and closer to their grim end. Let's look at rare photos of members of the last royal family of Russia, taken some time before the execution.

1. After February Revolution In 1917, the last royal family of Russia, by decision of the Provisional Government, was sent to the Siberian city of Tobolsk to protect them from the wrath of the people. A few months earlier, Tsar Nicholas II had abdicated the throne, ending more than three hundred years of rule by the Romanov dynasty.

2. The Romanovs began their five-day journey to Siberia in August, on the eve of Tsarevich Alexei's 13th birthday. The seven family members were joined by 46 servants and a military escort. The day before reaching their destination, the Romanovs sailed past the home village of Rasputin, whose eccentric influence on politics may have contributed to their dark ending.

3. The family arrived in Tobolsk on August 19 and began to live in relative comfort on the banks of the Irtysh River. In the Governor's Palace, where they were housed, the Romanovs were well fed and they could communicate a lot with each other, without being distracted by state affairs and official events. Children staged plays for their parents, and the family often went to the city for religious services - this was the only form of freedom they were allowed.

4. When the Bolsheviks came to power at the end of 1917, the regime of the royal family began to tighten slowly but surely. The Romanovs were forbidden to attend church and generally leave the territory of the mansion. Soon coffee, sugar, butter and cream, and the soldiers assigned to protect them wrote obscene and offensive words on the walls and fences of their homes.

5. Things were getting worse and worse. In April 1918, a commissar, a certain Yakovlev, arrived with an order to transport the former tsar from Tobolsk. The Empress was adamant in her desire to accompany her husband, but Comrade Yakovlev had other orders that complicated everything. At this time, Tsarevich Alexei, suffering from hemophilia, began to suffer from paralysis of both legs due to a bruise, and everyone expected that he would be left in Tobolsk, and the family would be divided during the war.

6. The commissar’s demands to move were adamant, so Nikolai, his wife Alexandra and one of their daughters, Maria, soon left Tobolsk. They eventually boarded a train to travel through Yekaterinburg to Moscow, where the Red Army was headquartered. However, Commissar Yakovlev was arrested for trying to save the royal family, and the Romanovs got off the train in Yekaterinburg, in the heart of the territory captured by the Bolsheviks.

7. In Yekaterinburg, the rest of the children joined their parents - they were all locked in Ipatiev’s house. The family was placed on the second floor and completely cut off from outside world, boarding up the windows and posting guards at the doors. Until the end of their days, the Romanovs were allowed to go out on fresh air just five minutes a day.

8. At the beginning of July 1918, the Soviet authorities began to prepare for the execution of the royal family. The ordinary soldiers on guard were replaced by representatives of the Cheka, and the Romanovs were allowed to go to church services for the last time. The priest who conducted the service later admitted that none of the family said a word during the service. For July 16, the day of the murder, five truckloads of barrels of benzidine and acid were ordered to quickly dispose of the bodies.

9. Early in the morning of July 17, the Romanovs were gathered and told about the offensive of the White Army. The family believed that they were simply being moved to a small, lighted basement for their own protection, because it would soon be unsafe here. Approaching the place of his execution, the last king Russia walked past the trucks, in one of which his body would soon lie, not even suspecting what a terrible fate awaited his wife and children.

10. In the basement, Nikolai was told that he was about to be executed. Not believing his own ears, he asked: “What?” - immediately after which the security officer Yakov Yurovsky shot the Tsar. Another 11 people pulled their triggers, filling the basement with Romanov blood. Alexei survived the first shot, but was finished off by Yurovsky’s second shot. The next day, the bodies of members of the last royal family of Russia were burned 19 km from Yekaterinburg, in the village of Koptyaki.

Nicholas II is a controversial personality, historians speak very negatively about his rule of Russia, most people who know and analyze history are inclined to believe that the last All-Russian Emperor had little interest in politics, did not keep up with the times, slowed down the development of the country, was not a visionary ruler, was able to catch the current in time, did not keep his nose to the wind, and even then, when everything practically went to hell, dissatisfaction was already building not only among the lower classes, but also at the top, and even then Nicholas II was unable to draw any correct conclusions. He did not believe that his removal from governing the country was real; in fact, he was doomed to become the last autocrat in Rus'. But Nicholas II was an excellent family man. He should be, for example, a Grand Duke, not an emperor, and not delve into politics. Five children are no joke; raising them requires a lot of attention and effort. Nicholas II loved his wife for many years, he was sad in separation from her, and did not lose his physical and mental attraction to her even after many years of marriage.

I collected many photographs of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Victoria Alice Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of Ludwig IV), their children: daughters Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, son Alexei.

This family loved to be photographed, and the shots turned out very beautiful, spiritual, and bright. Look how attractive the faces of the latter's children are! Russian Emperor. These girls did not know marriage, never kissed their lovers and could not know the joys and sorrows of love. And they died a martyr's death. Although they were not guilty of anything. Many people died in those days. But this family was the most famous, the highest-ranking, and her death still haunts anyone, a black page in the history of Russia, the brutal murder of the royal family. The fate in store for these beauties was this: girls were born in turbulent times. Many people dream of being born in a palace, with a golden spoon in their mouth: to be princesses, princes, kings, queens, kings and queens. But how often was the life of blue-blooded people difficult? They were caught, killed, poisoned, strangled, and very often their own people, close to the royals, destroyed and occupied the vacant throne, alluring with its limitless possibilities.

Alexander II was blown up by a Narodnaya Volya member, Paul II was killed by the conspirators, Peter III died under mysterious circumstances, Ivan VI was also destroyed, the list of these unfortunates can be continued for a very long time. And those who were not killed did not live long by today’s standards; they would either get sick or undermine their health while running the country. And it was not only in Russia that there was such a high mortality rate for royalty; there are countries where it was even more dangerous for reigning personalities. But all the same, everyone was always so zealous for the throne, and they pushed their children there at any cost. I wanted, although not for long, to live well, beautifully, go down in history, take advantage of all the benefits, live in luxury, be able to order slaves, decide the destinies of people and rule the country.

But Nicholas II never longed to be an emperor, but understood that being the ruler of the Russian Empire was his duty, his destiny, especially since he was a fatalist in everything.

Today we will not talk about politics, we will just look at photographs.