Nicholas II
Documents Name
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History 8
From: Andrei Mayiunas and Sergei Mironenko, A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas & Alexandra,
Their Own Story (New York: Doubleday, 1997.
1-Memoirs of Olga [Nicholas’ sister] (42)
It was my father’s fault. He would not even have Nicky sit in Council of State until 1893. I can’t tell you why. I know how my father disliked the mere idea of state matters encroaching on our family life—but, after all, Nicky was the heir. And what a ghastly price was paid later for the mistake. Of course, my father had always enjoyed an athlete’s health.
2-Diary of Nicholas II,
My God! What a
day. After coffee at about
3-Diary of Nicholas II,
A wonderful, unforgettable day in my life—the day of my betrothal [engagement] to my dear beloved Alix… God, what a mountain has fallen from my shoulders; with what joy have I been able to delight dear Papa and Mama! I spent the whole day in a haze, not quite knowing what happened to me!
4-Nicholas to Alexandra,
Oh! How impatient I am for the moment when I can again press my lips to your sweet soft face! Alix, my own darling, you don’t know how you have changed me by stretching out a fond hand and by making me rise up to you—the emblem of pure love and faith! No! Do not think that these are vain words, no they come from my innermost feeling of admiration, trust and love that you have inspired me with.
5-Diary of Nicholas II,
My God, my god, what a day! The Lord has called unto Him our adored, dearly beloved Papa [who had fallen ill in mid-September from kidney disease]…. It was the death of a Saint! Lord, help us in these terrible days.
6-Memoirs of Sandro
[(Alexander), husband of Nicholas’ Aunt Xenia]
[On the comments of Nicholas II after his father’s
death] “Sandro,
what am I going to do,” he exclaimed pathetically. “What is going to happen to me, to you, to
7-Diary of Nicholas II,
And so, I’m a married man! [Nicholas and Alexandra had married the day before, less than a month after his becoming Tsar] Happily, no one came to disturb us this morning—we answered our telegrams in peace!
8-Letter from George (the future King George V of
I do think Nicky is a very lucky man to have got such a lovely and charming wife; and I must say I never saw two people more in love with each other or happier than they are.
9-Nicholas II to Queen Victoria following his marriage,
To have such a sweet loving and devoted wife, as darling Alicky is—that is really a blessed gift that God has sent me!
Still it was a very sad ceremony for me, especially for dearest Mama, to think that my beloved Father was taken away only a few weeks ago, he who had longed so much to see me married!
Yes truly we have lived through very hard and trying days.
10-Diary of Konstantin Romanov
[Cousin and close friend of Nicholas II, commonly referred to as KR],
I asked whether He had received any advice from his Father before the latter’s death. Nicky replied that his Father had never once mentioned the responsibilities that awaited Him. During confession Father Yanyshev [a priest] had asked the dying Emperor whether he had talked to his Heir. The Emperor had replied: No, he himself knows everything.
11-Speech of Nicholas II to representatives from rural zemstvos, January 1895 (122)
I am aware that recently in some zemstvos there have arising the voices of people carried away by senseless dreams of taking part in the business of government.
Let everyone know that I will retain the principles of autocracy as firmly and as unbendingly as my unforgettable late father.
12-Memoirs of Sandro, (152)
Nicky spent the first ten years of his reign sitting behind a massive desk in the palace and listening with near awe to the well-rehearsed bellowing of his towering uncles. He dreaded to be left alone with them.
13-Diary of KR,
I talked a lot with Sandro; he grieves, and not without reason, that the Emperor is so indecisive. In truth, he remains too often under the impression, and consequently under the influence, of the last words spoken to him. May God grant that time will develop his sense of independence, although it seems a lot to hope for. But he does have inestimable qualities: for instance calm, restraint, the absence of any impatience.
14-Diary of
[Upon the birth of Nicholas and Alexandra’s first child, Olga] What a joy that everything has ended safely, and the anxiety of waiting is over at last, but what a disappointment that it isn’t a son. Poor Alix! We, of course, are delighted either way—whether it’s a son or a daughter.
15-Diary of KR,
I was invited to stay for lunch; the reception dragged on and the Empress had to wait 20 minutes for the Emperor. She is looking very beautiful and despite her pregnancy, feels wonderful, unlike the other occasions; for this reason, everyone is anxiously hoping that this time it will be a son.
16-Diary of
Alix feels splendid—but my God! What a disappointment! …a fourth girl! They have named her Anastasia. Mamma sent me a telegram about it, and writes “Alix has again given birth to a daughter.”
17-Diary of KR,
After dinner, I talked with Nikolai [Sandro’s
brother, a historian]… He always has a
somber view of life; he considers the present situation in
18-Diary of Nicholas II,
A great and unforgettable day for us,
during which we were clearly visited by the grace of God. At
19-Memoirs of Olga (244)
You know that my sister-in-law had never quite given up hope that she would have a son born to her, and I am sure it was Serafim who brought it about [Nicholas and Alexandra had made a pilgrimage to Sarov in July 1903 for the canonization of Father Serafin, an eighteenth century priest who was credited with performing miracles. A French religious mystic, Doctor Phillippe, had convinced Alexandra that Serafin be made a saint and instructed the Tsar and his wife to bathe in a spring that was said to have been blessed by the saint.].
20-Memoirs of Maria Pavlovna {the younger} [Nicholas’ niece] (248)
Even in our house a certain melancholy reigned. My uncle and aunt undoubtedly knew already that the child was born suffering and that from his birth he carried in him the seeds of an incurable illness, hemophilia—a tendency to bleed easily, an inability of the blood to clot quickly…. from that moment, troubled and apprehensive, the Empress’s character underwent a change, and her health, physical as well as moral, altered.
21-Diary of
As far as Grigory [Rasputin, a Siberian religious mystic who had been introduced to Alexandra] is concerned, she [Alexandra] said how can she not believe in him, when she can see that the boy feels better the moment he is near him, or prays for him.
It seems that in the
22-A Police Department report on the activities of
Grigory Rasputin,
Rasputin did not often go out alone, but when he did, he usually made his way to the Nevsky prospect [a main avenue in St. Petersburg] or other streets where there are prostitutes, and accosted them, then took one of them and went with her to a hotel or the baths….
On 22nd November, as he was walking along the streets, Rasputin accosted several women with lewd suggestions, to which they responded with threats, and some even spat on him.
23-Diary of Nicholas II,
At
Soon after his departure the pain in Alexei’s arm started to go away, he himself became calmer and began to fall asleep.
24-Memoirs of Pierre Gilliard [Tutor to the Tsar’s children] (380)
Rasputin said: “Believe in the power of my prayers; believe in my help and your son will live!”
The mother clung to the hope he gave her as a drowning man
seizes an out-stretched hand. She
believed in him with all the strength that was in her. As a matter of fact, she had been convinced
for a long time that the savior of
Rasputin had realized the state of mind of the despairing mother who was broken down by the strain of her struggle and seemed to have touched the limit of human suffering. He knew how to extract the fullest advantage from it, and with a diabolical cunning he succeeded in associating his own life, so to speak, with that of the child.
25-Memoirs of Pierre Gilliard (398)
The events of the end of July [1914] had enabled the
Emperor to see through the duplicity of
26-Memoirs of Maurice Paléologue [French Ambassador to
As he [Nicholas] has no taste for either pomp or company all he desires is to forget the responsibilities of power in the tranquil delights of family life. His wife is an unhappy neurotic who carries an atmosphere of unrest and worry about with her.
27-Memoirs of Maurice Paléologue (417)
[On meeting Rasputin in January 1915] Dark, long and ill-kempt hair; stiff black beard; high forehead; broad, aquiline (eagle-like) nose. But the whole expression of the face was concentrated in the eyes—light-blue eyes with a curious sparkle, depth, and fascination. His gaze was at once penetrating and caressing, naïve and cunning, direct and yet remote. When he was excited it seemed as if his pupils became magnetic.
28-Memoirs of Maurice Paléologue (419)
As the Emperor never ventures to decide anything without
his wife’s opinion, or rather approval, the net result is that it is the
Empress and Madame Vyrubova [a close friend of both
Alexandra and Rasputin] who really govern
29-Alexandra to Nicholas,
I have absolutely no faith in Nikolasha [Grand Duke Nicholas, brother of the Tsar who had criticized Rasputin’s influence]—know him to be far from clever and having gone against a man of God’s, his work can’t be blessed, nor his advice be good.
30-Alexandra to Nicholas,
Nikolasha knows my will, and fears my influence (guided by Grigory) upon you; its all so clear.
31-Memoirs of Olga (455)
And not once did I hear him [Rasputin] beg for any favors from Nicky and Alicky. I often heard him make requests for others. I am sure that his attachment to my brother and his wife was utterly devoid of self-interest. He might so easily have amassed a fortune, but he died owning a Bible, some clothes, and a few things given him by the Empress for his personal use.
32-Alexandra to Nicholas,
Our Friend [the common reference used by Nicholas and Alexandra to Rasputin in their letters] begs very much that you should not name Makarov as minister of the Interior… it would indeed be a great mistake to name him.
33-Testimony of Ella [Nicholas’ Aunt] (489)
In December 1916 I had a final, decisive conversation with the Tsar and Tsarina on the subject of Rasputin. I pointed out that Rasputin rankled society, was compromising the imperial family and leading the dynasty to ruin. They replied that Rasputin was a great man of prayer, that all the rumors about him were slanders, and asked me not to touch on the question any further.
34-Memoirs of V. M. Purishkevich [The leader of a right-wing faction in the Duma, describing the murder of Rasputin in the apartment of Prince Felix Yusupov, husband of the Tsar’s niece, Irina] (502-503)
Slipping away from me, Yusupov dashed into the study, snatched from the desk a rubber dumb-bell, and rushed back downstairs towards Rasputin's body.
For having poisoned him and seen the poison have no effect, shot him and seen the bullet did nothing—he obviously couldn't believe that Rasputin was really dead, and now began to beat him around the temples as hard as he could with the two-pound weight, in an unbelievable state of frenzy and wild rage.
From my position at the top of the stairs, I did not at first understand and was even more dumbfounded when, to my greatest amazement, Rasputin still appeared, even now, to display signs of life.
Turned over face upwards, he was rasping, and I saw quite clearly from upstairs how the pupil of his open right eye rolled as if looking at me, uncomprehending yet terrifying (even now I can see that eye before me)…
I ordered the soldiers to obtain some material quickly from somewhere and to wrap the corpse in it completely from head to toe and bind it tightly with rope.
The body was completely wrapped in some sort of blue material; it even seemed to me it might be a curtain, tightly bound with rope. The head was covered. Now I saw that Rasputin was indeed a corpse and could no longer come to life...
…we dragged Rasputin's body into the grand duke's car, where we added two two-pound weights and some chains I had brought that night to Yusupov's apartment and, getting in, we drove to the place we had chosen for drowning the corpse of the victim.
…the four of us (Dmitri Pavlovich was standing guard by the car) dragged out Rasputin's body and threw it through the broken ice under the bridge: we had forgotten to attach the weights to the corpse with the chains, so we hurriedly threw them in too, while we stuffed the chains into the victim's coat and threw that into the same hole. Dr Lazavert felt round the car in the dark and found one of Rasputin's boots, which he also hurled from the bridge…
This was the sequence of events from the evening of the 16th December to the morning of the 17th [1916].
35-Alexandra to Nicholas,
You are brave and patient, but my very soul feels and suffers with you, far more than I can say.
I can do nothing but pray and pray and Our dear Friend does so in yonder world for you - there He is yet nearer to us—tho' one longs to hear His voice of comfort and encouragement. God will help, I feel convinced and send yet the great recompense for all you go through - but, how long to wait still.
It seems as tho' things were taking a better turn—only, my Love, be firm, show the Master hand, it's that what the Russians need. Love and kindnesses you have never failed to show—now let them feel your fist at times. They ask for it themselves - how many have told me -'we want to feel the whip'—it's strange but such is the Slave nature, great firmness, hardness even—and warm love. They must learn to fear you, love is not enough. A child that adores its father, must still have fear to anger, displease or disobey him—one must play with the reins, let them loose and draw them in, always let the master-hand be felt; then they also far more value kindness - only gentleness they do not understand.
36-Alexandra to Nicholas,
It's a 'hooligan' movement, young boys and girls running about and screaming that they have no bread, only to excite - then the workmen preventing others from work - if it were very cold they would probably stay indoors. But this will all pass and quieten down—if the Duma would only behave itself—one does not print the worst speeches.
37-Telegram from
the Chairman of the State Duma, M. V. Rodzianko, to
Emperor Nicholas II,
MOST HUMBLY I REPORT TO YOUR MAJESTY, THAT THE POPULAR
DISTURBANCES WHICH HAVE BEGUN IN
THE GOVERNMENT IS COMPLETELY PARALYSED, AND TOTALLY
INCAPABLE OF RESTORING ORDER WHERE IT HAS BROKEN DOWN. YOUR MAJISTY, SAVE
38-Diary of Nicholas II,
Serious disturbances started in
39-Statement of the
Interim Committee of the State Duma,
In view of the
grave situation of internal disorder, caused by measures taken by the old
government, the Interim Committee of Members of the State Duma has found itself
obliged to take into its own hands the restoration of state and public
order. While recognizing the great
responsibility of the decision they have taken, the Committee express their
confidence, that the people and the army will give their support to the task of
creating a new government, which will reflect the aspirations of the people and
will be able to enjoy their confidence.
40-Diary of Nicholas II,
At night we had to
turn back from Malaia-Vichera as Liuban
and Tosno turned out to be in the hands of the
insurgents. Shame and dishonor! It isn't possible to get to Tsarskoe, although all my thoughts and feelings are
constantly there! How difficult it must
be for poor Alix to have to go through all this
alone! Help us, Lord!
41-Memoirs of
Maurice Paléologue,
The Executive Committee of the Duma and the Council of Workmen's and Soldiers' Deputies have come to an agreement on the following points:
(1) Abdication of the Emperor; (2) Accession of the Tsarevich; (3) The Grand Duke Mikhail (the Emperor's brother) to be regent; (4) Formation of a responsible ministry; (5) Election of a constituent assembly by universal suffrage; (6) All races to be proclaimed equal before the law.
Then he [Nicholas II] is reported to have added, with his
usual apathy: 'If the revolution succeeds, I shall abdicate voluntarily. I'll
go and live at Livadia [in the