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FULL-LENGTH ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

Cover Story: Empress Marie Feodorovna: The Beginning of the End
by Coryne Hall

(1) Since her evacuation from Russia on the British warship HMS Marlborough in 1919 the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, the most senior of the Romanov survivors, had been living in her native Denmark. The author discusses the final days leading up to her death on 13 October, 1928, her funeral in Copenhagen, and burial at Roskilde. In 2005, an agreement between Russia and Denmark paved the way for her remains to be reburied alongside those of her husband Emperor Alexander III in the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The following year, the author received invitations from the Court of Denmark to attend the service in Roskilde Cathedral and the Royal Danish Consulate-General in St Petersburg to attend the reburial ceremonies in Russia. Ms Hall shares her memories of taking part in these historic events of which she bore witness to.

SPECIAL TO ROYAL RUSSIA

The Investigation Into the Deaths of the Russian Royal Family and Persons of Their Entourage
by Archpriest Oleg Mitrov / Translated from Russian by Irene W. Galaktionova

(2) The questions raised by the murders of the Russian Royal family, including the discovery of their remains in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg, as well as the recognition or non-recognition of their authenticity, have been unsettling our society for the last 25 years. Recently, many people have been looking to the Russian Orthodox Church for its verdict on the matter. But expressing an objective view requires the Church to conduct a thorough examination of the historical records as well as the investigation materials and the results of scientific enquiries.

In this first English language translation, Mitrov addresses the ROC's questions and concerns regarding the Ekaterinburg remains. Among them are the previous forensic studies of the remains carried out in the 1990s, Sergeev and later Sokolov's investigation in the 1920s, disturbing issues regarding the excavations conducted in 1979, 1991 and 2007, and much more.

Archpriest Oleg Mitrov is a member of the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints, and is also currently engaged in the study of the issues surrounding the murders of Russia’s last royal family.

My Russia. Trubetskoy Prison: Tsarist Prison With a Dark Page in Romanov History
by Paul Gilbert

(3) The story of The Trubetskoy Bastion Prison in St. Petersburg, which served as the main political prison of Imperial Russia is told through archival documents, photographs, multimedia programs, audio records with prisoners' memoirs. The prison walls, cells, corridors and grim prison cells. are eloquent reminders of the gruesome past associated with this place, one which involved real or imaginary “enemies of the Revolution”, including former Tsar’s officers and officials, clergy and businessmen, professors, ordinary citizens, and members of the Russian Imperial family.

The Smolnii, Russia’s Most Prestigious Institute for Girls of the Nobility
by Margarita Nelipa

(4) The uniqueness of the Smolnii Institute lay in its objective – the advancement of middle-level education for girls in Russia under the patronage of various Empresses. Since its inception some 250 years ago, the Smolnii Institute remains in history as the most privileged educational establishment for noble girls. Peter the Great paved the way for the creation of the first learning institute for girls about to enter society. He held that educated girls became better wives. His daughter, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna embarked upon her father’s vision and established a monastery and the early stages of a school for girls. Upon her death, the school became Catherine the Great’s foremost concern. Recognizing that the State had responsibility to ensure the success of women’s education and influenced by French philosophers such as Rousseau, Catherine II was before her time in recognizing that a nation’s prosperity related to its level of education. In 1764, the Smolnii Institute came into existence. For the first time, girls of noble birth studied not only foreign languages, but also arithmetic, history and geography. With the ascension of Paul I, the Institute came under the patronage of Empress Mariya Fyodorovna. She applied far-reaching reforms to modernize the education and care of the students. The Smolnii’s last patron was Alexander III’s consort, Mariya Fyodorovna. Despite its prestige, the Smolnii Institute met immense problems. Students suffered from long-term isolation from their families, authoritarian discipline and the meager provision of food. Nonetheless, some 7,000 graduates passed through its doors, with several notable alumna. This first English language article discusses the historic development of the Smolnii Institute, its tribulations and triumphs.

Ivan Antonovich: The Forgotten Emperor
by Irene Galaktinovna

(5) Of all the Romanovs, the baby Emperor Ivan VI (1740-1741) is arguably the least known. His successors condemned his name to oblivion, erasing it from history books; even the coinage bearing his image was collected and destroyed. Still, Ivan Antonovich continued to pine in exile for years afterwards until his tragic death at the age of 23 when the unfortunate young man, unhinged by years of solitary confinement, was killed during his supporters' clumsy attempt to liberate him. The article covers the complex succession issues of the mid-1700s Romanov dynasty and pays special attention to the circumstances of Ivan Antonovich and his family's lives in exile, culminating in the events of his tragic demise in July 1764.

The Unknown History of Maple & Co: The Famous Furniture Manufacturer in the Interiors of the Palaces of the Russian Imperial Family
by Galina Korneva and Tatiana Cheboksarova

(6) Maple & Co was founded in England in 1841 by a budding 26-year-old entrepreneur, John Maple (1815-1900). The wholesale consumer goods shop he opened in London grew over time into a world-renowned company. By the end of the 19th century the interiors of many splendid buildings including palaces including those of members of the Russian Imperial family were decorated and furnished by this company. Maple & Co. are probably best known for their the decoration of Empress Alexandra’s private quarters in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo.

The House of Martha and Mary
by Rheta Childe Dorr

(7) The author was an American journalist who on the afternoon of the day in 1917, when Nicholas II, deposed emperor and autocrat of all the Russias, with his wife and children left Tsarskoe Selo and began the long journey toward their place of exile in Siberia, Dorr sat in a peaceful room of the Martha and Mary Convent in Moscow and talked with almost the last remaining member of the Russian royal family left in complete freedom in the empire. This was Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, sister of the former empress and widow of the Grand Duke Serge, uncle of the emperor.

The Convent at the Saviour Gates: A History of the Ascension Monastery
by Maria Saprykina

(8) In 1407, Grand Duchess Evdokia, wife of Dmitry Donskoi passed away and was laid to rest in the church of the Ascension Convent in the Moscow Kremlin. The cathedral became the new burial place for women of the princely family. Grand duchesses and tsarinas became patrons of the convent, made generous donations and, after death, found eternal peace there. The author explores the history of the convent up until its destruction by the Soviets in 1929. In July 2014 President Vladimir Putin proposed the demolition of the 14th Corps Building, and reconstruct the Chudov Monastery and Ascension Convent, pending the approval of UNESCO.

NEW - Royal Russia News
Compiled, Translated and Edited by Paul Gilbert

- This new addition to our periodical offers Romanov enthusiasts and lovers of Imperial Russian history with a multi-page news supplement, featuring the top news stories and photographs from Russian media sources on the Romanovs, their legacy and Imperial Russian history, translated from Russian and presented in English for the first time.

PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS IN THIS ISSUE

Frozen in Time
Photographic Memories of the Russian Imperial Family

The Lost World of Imperial Russia
Vintage Photographs of Russia Before the Revolution