The Old Russian chronicle of the XII century "The Tale of Bygone Years" introduces us to a very interesting event that happened in 862. It was in this year that the Varangian Rurik was invited by the Slavic tribes to reign in Novgorod.

This event became fundamental in counting the beginning of the statehood of the Eastern Slavs and received the conditional name "The Calling of the Varangians." It is from Rurik that the countdown of the rulers of the Russian lands begins. Our history is very rich. It is filled with both heroic and tragic events, and all of them are inextricably linked with specific personalities that history has arranged in chronological order.

Novgorod princes (862-882)

Novgorod princes of the pre-Kiev period. The state of Rurik - this is how the emerging Old Russian state can be called conditionally. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, this time is associated with the calling of the Varangians and the transfer of the capital to the city of Kyiv.

Kyiv princes (882-1263)

We refer to the Kievan princes the rulers of the Old Russian state and the Kievan principality. From the end of the 9th to the beginning of the 13th century, the throne of Kiev was considered the most prestigious, and it was occupied by the most authoritative princes (as a rule, from the Rurik dynasty), who were recognized by the other princes in the order of succession to the throne. At the end of the 12th century, this tradition began to weaken, the influential princes did not personally occupy the throne of Kiev, but sent their proteges to it.

Ruler	Years of government	Note
Yaropolk Svyatoslavich
Svyatopolk Vladimirovich	1015-1016; 1018-1019
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Vseslav Bryachislavich
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Svyatoslav Yaroslavich
Vsevolod Yaroslavich
Izyaslav Yaroslavich
Vsevolod Yaroslavich
Svyatopolk Izyaslavich
Mstislav Vladimirovich the Great
Yaropolk Vladimirovich
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich
Vsevolod Olgovich
Igor Olgovich	August 1146
Izyaslav Mstislavich
Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich	August 1150
Izyaslav Mstislavich	August 1150
	August 1150 - early 1151
Izyaslav Mstislavich
Vyacheslav Vladimirovich		co-ruler
Rostislav Mstislavich	December 1154
Izyaslav Davydovich
Izyaslav Davydovich
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Izyaslav Davydovich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Vladimir Mstislavich	March - May 1167
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Gleb Yurievich
Mstislav Izyaslavich
Gleb Yurievich
Mikhalko Yurievich
Roman Rostislavich
Yaropolk Rostislavich		co-ruler
Rurik Rostislavich
Yaroslav Izyaslavich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich	January 1174
Yaroslav Izyaslavich	January - 2nd half 1174
Roman Rostislavich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich
Rurik Rostislavich	late August 1180 - summer 1181
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich
Rurik Rostislavich	summer 1194 - autumn 1201
Ingvar Yaroslavich
Rurik Rostislavich
Rostislav Rurikovich	winter 1204 - summer 1205
Rurik Rostislavich
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	August - September 1206
Rurik Rostislavich	September 1206 - Spring 1207
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	spring - October 1207
Rurik Rostislavich	October 1207 - 1210
Vsevolod Svyatoslavich Chermny	1210 - summer 1212
Ingvar Yaroslavich
Mstislav Romanovich
Vladimir Rurikovich
Izyaslav Mstislavich	June - late 1235
Vladimir Rurikovich	late 1235-1236
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich	1236 - 1st half of 1238
Vladimir Rurikovich
Mikhail Vsevolodovich
Rostislav Mstislavich
Daniel Romanovich
Mikhail Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich

Grand Dukes of Vladimir (1157-1425)

The Grand Dukes of Vladimir are the rulers of North-Eastern Rus'. The period of their reign begins with the separation of the Rostov-Suzdal principality from Kyiv in 1132 and ends in 1389, after the entry of the Vladimir principality into the Moscow principality. In 1169, Andrei Bogolyubsky captured Kyiv and was proclaimed the Grand Duke, but did not go to Kyiv to reign. From that time on, Vladimir received the status of grand duke and turned into one of the most influential centers of the Russian lands. After the start of the Mongol invasion, the princes of Vladimir are recognized in the Horde as the oldest in Rus', and Vladimir becomes the nominal capital of the Russian lands.

Ruler	Years of government	Note
Mikhalko Yurievich
Yaropolk Rostislavich
Mikhalko Yurievich
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Konstantin Vsevolodovich
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich
Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich	1246 - early 1248
Mikhail Yaroslavovich Khorobrit	early 1248 - winter 1248/1249
Andrey Yaroslavovich
Yaroslav Yaroslavovich Tverskoy
Vasily Yaroslavovich Kostroma
Dmitry Alexandrovich Pereyaslavsky	December 1283 - 1293
Andrey Alexandrovich Gorodetsky
Mikhail Yaroslavovich Tverskoy
Yuri Danilovich
Dmitry Mikhailovich Terrible Eyes (Tverskoy)
Alexander Mikhailovich Tverskoy
Alexander Vasilievich Suzdalsky
		co-ruler
Semyon Ivanovich Proud
Ivan II Ivanovich Red
Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy	early January - spring 1363
Dmitry Konstantinovich Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod
Vasily Dmitrievich

Moscow princes and grand dukes (1263-1547)

During the period of feudal fragmentation, Moscow princes were increasingly at the head of the troops. They managed to get out of conflicts with other countries and neighbors, seeking a positive solution to their own political issues. The Moscow princes changed history: they overthrew the Mongol yoke, returned the state to its former greatness.

Ruler	Years of government	Note
	nominally 1263, actually from 1272 (no later than 1282) - 1303
Yuri Danilovich
Semyon Ivanovich Proud
Ivan II Ivanovich Red
Vasily II Vasilyevich Dark
Yuri Dmitrievich	spring - summer 1433
Vasily II Vasilyevich Dark
Yuri Dmitrievich Zvenigorodsky
Vasily Yurievich Kosoy
Vasily II Vasilyevich Dark
Dmitry Yurievich Shemyaka
Vasily II Vasilyevich Dark
Dmitry Yurievich Shemyaka
Vasily II Vasilyevich Dark
		co-ruler Basil II
Ivan Ivanovich Young		co-ruler
Dmitry Ivanovich Vnuk		co-ruler
		co-ruler of Ivan III

Russian tsars

Rurikovichi

In 1547, the Sovereign of All Rus' and the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan IV Vasilievich the Terrible was crowned Tsar and took the full title "Great Sovereign, by the grace of God the Tsar and Grand Duke of All Russia, Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, Ryazan, Tver, Yugorsky, Perm, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others"; later, with the expansion of the borders of the Russian state, the title was added "Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Siberia", "and the ruler of all the Northern countries."

Godunovs

The Godunovs are an ancient Russian noble family, which, after the death of Fyodor I Ivanovich, became the Russian royal dynasty (1598-1605).

Time of Troubles

At the very beginning of the 17th century, the country was struck by a deep spiritual, economic, social, political and foreign policy crisis. It coincided with the dynastic crisis and the struggle of boyar factions for power. All this has brought the country to the brink of disaster. The impetus for the beginning of the Troubles was the suppression of the royal dynasty of Rurikovich after the death of Fedor I Ioannovich and the not very clear policy of the new royal dynasty of the Godunovs.

Romanovs

The Romanovs are a Russian boyar family. In 1613, a Zemsky Sobor was held in Moscow to elect a new tsar. The total number of electors exceeded 800 representing 58 cities. The election of Mikhail Romanov to the throne put an end to the Troubles and gave rise to the Romanov dynasty.

Ruler	Years of government	Note
Mikhail Fedorovich
Patriarch Filaret		Co-ruler of Mikhail Fedorovich from 1619 to 1633 with the title "Great Sovereign"
Fedor III Alekseevich
Ivan V Alekseevich		Ruled until 1696 with his brother
		Until 1696 he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V

Russian emperors (1721-1917)

The title of Emperor of All Russia was adopted by Peter I on October 22 (November 2), 1721. This adoption took place at the request of the Senate after the victory in the Great Northern War. The title lasted until the February Revolution of 1917.

Ruler	Years of government	Note
Peter I the Great
Catherine I
Anna Ioannovna
Elizaveta Petrovna
Catherine II the Great
Alexander I
Nicholas I
Alexander II
Alexander III
Nicholas II

Provisional Government (1917)

In February 1917, the February Revolution took place. As a result, on March 2, 1917, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the Russian throne. Power was in the hands of the Provisional Government.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government was overthrown, the Bolsheviks came to power and began building a new state.

These people can be considered formal leaders only because the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Committee of the RCP (b) - VKP (b) - CPSU after the death of V. I. Lenin was actually the most important state position.

Kamenev Lev Borisovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Sverdlov Yakov Mikhailovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Vladimirsky Mikhail Fedorovich		And about. Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich		Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, from 12/30/1922 - Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, from 01/17/1938 -
Shvernik Nikolai Mikhailovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Mikoyan Anastas Ivanovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Podgorny Nikolai Viktorovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich
Kuznetsov Vasily Vasilievich
Andropov Yury Vladimirovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council, at the same time General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU
Kuznetsov Vasily Vasilievich		And about. Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council, at the same time General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU
Kuznetsov Vasily Vasilievich		And about. Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Gromyko Andrey Andreevich		Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich		Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council, at the same time General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU

General Secretaries of the Central Committee of the RCP(b), VKP(b), CPSU (1922-1991)

Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich		First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich		Until 04/08/1966 - First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, from 04/08/1966 - General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Andropov Yury Vladimirovich
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich

President of the USSR (1990-1991)

The post of President of the Soviet Union was introduced on March 15, 1990 by the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR with the introduction of appropriate amendments to the Constitution of the USSR.

Presidents of the Russian Federation (1991-2018)

The post of President of the RSFSR was established on April 24, 1991 on the basis of the results of the All-Russian referendum.

Historian Andrey Burovsky - about the rise and fall of the monarchical dynasty that ruled Russia for more than three hundred years

The fate of any dynasty and at all times is a mysterious and somewhat mystical subject. There is a legend that the ghost of Peter the Great appeared to Paul I and predicted the terrible end of the Romanovs. And Anna Ivanovna saw her own ghost in 1740. Is it true? It is not known, but there are several striking coincidences in the history of this dynasty.

Judge for yourself: the Romanovs were called to the kingdom in the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. The last emperor of this dynasty, Nicholas II Alexandrovich and his only son Alexei, heir, were killed on July 17, 1918 in the house of Nikolai Nikolaevich Ipatiev. During the coronation, the first tsar of the dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, ascended the 23 steps to the throne. Nicholas II Alexandrovich ruled for 23 years, and went down 23 steps to the basement of the Ipatiev House. How can you not believe in the magic of numbers ?!

Mikhail Romanov is chosen as king - version by the 18th-century artist Grigory Ugryumov

Even more incredible is the fact that the royal dynasty of the Romanovs both began and ended with the murder of a child. One of the candidates for the throne of the “Moscow kingdom of the Russian state” of the Zemsky Sobor of 1612 was the son of Marina Mnishek Ivan, who was born on January 5, 1611. After Mikhail Romanov came to power, a three-year-old child was hanged near the Serpukhov Gate in Moscow on July 16, 1614. The child, anticipating something, kept asking: “Where are you taking me ?!” And he received comforting assurances that they were taking him to his father and mother. According to eyewitnesses, for a very long time, several hours, the failed Moscow Tsar died from an unknown father: a thick rope did not tighten on the baby’s thin neck.

And the last Romanov in the imperial line, Tsarevich Alexei, was killed a month before he was supposed to be 14 years old. He was killed at the hands of his father: during the exile of the imperial family to Tobolsk, Alexei fell down the stairs and received severe bruises; he could not walk on his own, and his father carried him to the execution cellar in his arms. The Tsarevich was shot several times until he died.

These coincidences are facts, and facts are very stubborn things.

And it is precisely the facts that show what not everyone would have dared to hint at before 1917: that under the pseudonym of the Romanovs, not one dynasty, but at least three, sat on the Russian throne.

February 21, 1613. A secret conspiracy led to the accession to the throne

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, a representative of the boyar family, a descendant of Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla and the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita, was chosen as the king of Muscovy. Here is one of the mentions of him in the annals: in 1347 he was sent from Moscow to Tver for the bride of the Grand Duke Simeon the Proud, the daughter of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich.

The first Romanov on the throne, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich

The Romanovs justified their rights to the throne by the fact that they became related to the Rurikovichs: the daughter of the okolnichi Roman Yuryevich Koshkin-Zakharyin-Yuriev, Anastasia Romanovna, was the first wife of Ivan IV the Terrible. She was born in 1530 or 1532, died (or was poisoned) in 1560. Almost all of her children died in infancy. Ivan Ivanovich (1554-1581) - the heir and drinking companion of his father, an active participant in all his atrocities, married three times, died or was killed by his own father, Ivan the Terrible, childless at the age of 27.

So Ivan the Terrible had their wife, the Romanovs, but the Romanovs did not have common descendants with the Rurikovichs. Forgive me, but if Prince Obolensky, for example, cohabited with his serf maid, then her brothers would not become Obolensky from this and would not receive rights to the title.

The Romanovs were neither "natural sovereigns" nor even their close relatives. Therefore, the first Romanovs married Russian young ladies, and not foreign princesses - none of the ruling persons gave their daughters to them. Not "natural", artistic, semi-legal.

At the Zemsky Sobor of 1612, applicants both more knowledgeable than the Romanovs and more deserved were considered. Nevertheless, they chose not the hero of the Time of Troubles, Prince Pozharsky, not Prince Trubetskoy (both Rurikovich). They chose the inconspicuous, quiet 17-year-old Romanov ... They still argue why it was him?

One of the most convincing versions - there was a secret agreement between the electors, the Earth (the people) and the Romanovs. Not a young king, of course, but his domineering parents. Others did not agree to such an agreement, but the Romanovs did.

Now it is difficult to imagine how new it was: the Earth chooses a king for itself! Before the suppression of the royal line of the Rurik clan, Muscovy was thought of as the possession of the Rurikovichs. The dynasty was the main one, the Earth was an appendage. The tsar will conquer a new land, no matter who is inhabited, and this will also be Muscovy.

The Time of Troubles made the Earth think with its own head. And the agreement with the Romanovs, a kind of unwritten constitution, is exactly the case when there was no happiness, but misfortune helped: involuntarily, the Romanovs ruled very democratically, relying on the Zemsky Sobors.

Why, they could not rely on anyone but their own people, with all their desire. In the eyes of the whole world, they were "not real."

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

The first three tsars of the Romanov dynasty - Mikhail Fedorovich, Alexei Mikhailovich, named after his great-grandfather Fedor Alekseevich - are perhaps the most likeable rulers in the entire history of Russia: good-natured, reasonably generous, cultured. Muscovy under them became one of the most democratic states in Europe. In Britain, only 2% of the population were political subjects and elected parliament, while in Muscovy at least 5% elected deputies to Zemsky Sobors. France and England were ruled by armies of tens of thousands of officers. Self-government was widespread in Muscovy, and there were no more than 3-3.5 thousand officials in the entire vast country.

It seems that the complex of artistry also made the Romanovs worthy to be crowned emperors as well. So devoured by his "cockroaches" in his head, a different "new Russian" buys either a count's title or an academic degree. Peter I simply declared himself emperor, that's all. And, having married according to the Orthodox rite with fr Johann Kruse, in 1724 he married her to the empress (so fr Kruse became Catherine I). And his grandson in 1728 was the first to be crowned as emperor...

Until 1453, there were two emperors in the world: the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantium, and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the successor of the emperors of the Western Roman Empire. After the capture of Constantinople by Muslims in 1453 and the assassination of the last emperor of the East, Constantine XII Dragos, only one emperor remained in the world.

From any side, by no means is it possible to prove the succession of the Romanovs from Octavian Augustus or Constantine Porphyrogenic, and Russia from Byzantium. The Russian Empire is pure fiction, which only the force of arms helped to assert. Now the Romanovs were not elective monarchs dependent on the Earth, but legitimate emperors and could spit on the will of the people.

It is no coincidence that it was after the laying on of themselves the imperial crown that the Romanovs lost the appearance of pretty "people's" monarchs. They no longer need the support of the Earth - tea, emperors !!!

Muscovy of the 17th century was one of the freest states in Europe. After Peter, she was denounced as "condo and wild pre-Petrine Russia." But. It was after the reign of Peter the "civilized" Russian Empire turned into a slave-owning state, where 56% of the population became the private property of two percent of the population.

XVIII century. "Side" fathers and children

The first tsars of the dynasty were indeed from the Romanov family. The serial numbers of the kings, starting with Peter the Great, are unclear - after all, it is not clear whether Sophia and Ivan, who ruled simultaneously with Peter, should be considered kings.

All the Romanovs, starting with the first Tsar Mikhail and his father Filaret, were, roughly speaking, small and fat. The children of Alexei Mikhailovich from Miloslavskaya also grew up as typical Romanovs - small, well-fed, psychologically stable, good-natured. His maternal relatives, the Naryshkins, were neither tall nor particularly strong.

So who, then, did the heavy neurotic Peter go to - a height of 2 meters 9 centimeters, who could roll a silver plate into a tube or cut a piece of cloth with a sharp knife on the fly?

Alexei Mikhailovich, nicknamed "The Quietest"

Moreover, neither the Romanovs nor the Naryshkins had pathologically cruel people. It is strange to think that Peter is the son of a smart, insightful Alexei Mikhailovich, who knew how to understand people, appreciated a smart book and smart conversation ... Finally, he drank alcohol very moderately. It is worthy of surprise that the not very laudable title of “Antichrist” was awarded to the son of the king, nicknamed the Quietest. Alexey Mikhailovich fully deserved his nickname The Quietest - both by his calm, sedate behavior, and the meek conduct of public affairs, and the complete absence of personal malice. It is even more strange that Peter is the younger brother of the intellectual tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, one of the smartest and most educated tsars in the entire history of Rus'. Fedor, by the way, was also a “quiet” person. Peter is so unlike his father and older brothers that, quite possibly, this is not just a palace tale, launched by envious people to discredit the young queen Natalya Naryshkina. They spoke too stubbornly about this, naming, moreover, various "real fathers" of Peter. Many of these versions are so close to the truth that historians indeed sometimes begin to conduct anthropological studies of Patriarch Joachim (supposed father) and Peter...

Natalya Naryshkina, wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, mother of Peter I

It remains to be assumed that there was no smoke without fire. Apparently, the behavior of Tsaritsa Natalya made it possible to make such assumptions. After all, neither about love amusements on the side of Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, nor assumptions about who could be the “side” father of Tsarevich Fedor or Princess Sophia, has never been made. Apparently, the reputations of the two wives of the king were very different. Rumor called as the true father of Peter and Patriarch Joachim, and the groom Mishka Dobrov, and the bed-keeper Streshnev, and several relatives of Naryshkina ... These latter, by the way, are especially stubborn. Including a cousin, Pyotr Fomich Naryshkin, and Fyodor's brother ... This last one is absolutely incredible, because Fyodor was 8 years old when Peter was born. Peter himself chose a rather original way to find out about his origin - and very much in the spirit of his reign: he raised Fyodor on the rack, began to torture him with his own hands so that he would “confess”. Apparently, he assumed: if Fedor is not his real father, then he should know the actual father. He locked himself up for a long time, and then gave out: a lot of us, they say, went to the “mother queen”, and the devil knows whose son you are! It is difficult to take for objective, conclusive evidence what is said on the rack. But after all, the assumption that Peter was actually the son of his mother's own brother explains a lot. Including his incredible resemblance to the Naryshkins in the complete absence of features of the Romanovs.

July 26, 1718. Elimination of an unwanted heir

The reign of Peter is estimated in extremely different ways. The cult of this ruler is the subject of a special study. But few even of the historians disposed towards him doubt that Tsarevich Alexei, who was killed by him, was definitely not to blame for anything. Not only did he not commit and did not intend any treason - he is not even guilty of weak will and "weakness of the body", of which he was also accused. Weakness of the body? But already during the flight abroad, somewhere in Poland, robbers attacked Alexei's carriage. And then the "feeble bodily", "cowardly" prince jumped out of the carriage with a sword in his hands. Perhaps the coachman saved the situation, who shouted: they say, the Russian tsar is coming! There is an assumption that the robbers rushed to their heels at the mere mention of the name of Peter: after all, they also did not know who exactly this “Russian Tsar” was. The spectacle of seasoned criminals fleeing in panic from the mere mention of Peter ... There is something to think about - for example, about the reputation of the tsar-priest. But in any case, Tsarevich Alexei jumped out of the carriage in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar place and against several robbers. He even tried to pursue them - he is our "weak-hearted" and "worthless"!

Another question is that “physical frailty” became for Tsarevich Alexei an excellent way to disown any occupation that he did not want to indulge in at all. For example, from participation in the "assemblies", which were supposed to drink soundly for several hours in a row. Tsarevich Alexei, if he attended assemblies, did not drink. Never. Never. Not a gram. If Alexei really were so weak-willed, pitiful, weak, he would not be able to stand it; he would certainly begin to drink along with everyone, already in order to get away from this whole nightmare ... and relieve stress. And he, denounced as a weakling, for several hours confronts all drunkards, locked in a room under guard. And the furious eyes of his father. And to the whole spirit of society, for which the assembly is the most common thing, and who does not want to accept the rules of the game is a dangerous and stupid stranger.

To behave like Alexey, you just need iron willpower!

By the way, Tsarevich Alexei never participated in the meetings of Peter's favorite brainchild: "the most extravagant, most joking and all-drunk cathedral."

All the "comrades-in-arms of Peter", including the descendants of ancient families, the same Dolgoruky and Golitsyn, at least once, but visited the "cathedral". And Tsarevich Alexei never participated in any meeting of the "cathedral". They called, pulled, ordered, threatened ... He showed up sick, even went to bed, but did not go.

Here the old tale about “illness” and “weakness of the body” really turned out to be very “in the vein” ... It helped!

But this “illness” did not in the least prevent him from galloping twenty miles on horseback to his beloved Euphrosyne, spending the night with her by no means in “bodily rest”, but in the morning again galloping twenty miles and after a day and a half spent in the saddle and in the wedding bed, not fall asleep, but take an active part in the difficult fatherly assignments. The unkind myth of Peter's supporters is exposed even by portraits of the prince. They show the face of a smart, subtle guy with a "mobile" soul, nervous and with an excellent sense of humor.

Peter I interrogates his son, Tsarevich Alexei

The reason for the "elimination" of an unloved son from an unloved wife is simpler than it seems.

On October 12, 1715, Alexei's son Peter was born. Ekaterina is also in the middle of a pregnancy, a baby is due soon... On October 28, she gives birth to a son, also named Peter. So, two Peters, a son and a grandson. The son-heir from an unloved wife, not close and even, apparently, unpleasant. The second is a son from his beloved wife ...

And on October 27, 1715, Peter gives his eldest son a letter entitled: “Announcement to my son.”

On October 31, Alexei sends a letter back to his father, in which he abdicates the throne: “And now, thank God, I have a brother, to whom, God, give me health.”

As you can see, Alexei is also quite frank, and calls things, albeit politely, but quite by their proper names. It seems that Peter's goal has been achieved ... But not quite! Renunciation can be taken back ...

To tonsure the son in monks? But he can cut his hair after the death of his father.

Byzantine emperors crippled pretenders to the throne. But in Rus', both a blind and a noseless person could become a king! Vasily the Dark sat on the throne back in the 15th century! He was crippled according to the Byzantine custom, but he still ruled.

Alexei has an unenviable position - he is dangerous not because he takes some position, does or does not do something. No matter what he does, no matter how he demonstrates his loyalty, there is no salvation for him: he exists, and thus is doomed.

And Alexei flees abroad ...

And as soon as they manage to lure him back, promising "forgiveness", on the same day, February 3, 1718, Alexei was removed from the throne as a "traitor" and "conspirator" by a special manifesto, and Pyotr Petrovich, Catherine's son, was proclaimed heir.

The verdict was passed on June 24, 1718. But on June 25 and 26 Alexei was again tortured; June 26 - in the presence of Peter. What was discussed this time, what the son hanging on the rack and the father standing in front of him said to each other, we do not know.

On the same day, June 26, "in the afternoon at 6 o'clock, being under guard, Tsarevich Alexei reposed." According to the official version, Alexei died of a "cruel illness, which at first was similar to apoplexy." This is how the cause of Alexei's death was explained to the ambassadors of foreign countries. In St. Petersburg, they immediately started talking about the fact that the prince could not stand the torment and died "from exhaustion." They also said that the veins were opened to the prince. And that Peter cut off his head with his own hand. No one believed that the death of the prince was natural.

The day after the death of Alexei, Peter received congratulations on the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, then had a solemn dinner and fun. Before the burial of Alexei, he celebrated his name day and celebrated the launch of the new ship with cheerful fireworks. However, Peter probably really had reason to rejoice: after all, he managed to outwit his already seemingly runaway, almost saved son and kill him!

Peter I made a choice between two sons ... Catherine tried very hard to persuade Peter to this choice, in favor of the second, youngest son. And before it happened that the second royal wife pushed the legitimate heir aside so that her child would sit on the throne. There are good reasons to believe that Peter's father and brother were poisoned by his mother, Natalya Naryshkina.

However, the proclaimed heir son Peter was short-lived - he died in 1719. They made the next son, Pavel, the heir (in 1717), but he died the very next day after his birth. And here again is a mystery. Whether Paul was the son of Peter is unknown. Pavel was born in Wesel on January 2, 1717. At this time, Peter I was separated from his wife, in Amsterdam. Upon learning that he had once again become a father, Peter wrote to Prince Golitsyn literally the following: Catherine gave birth to a soldier, Pavel. As they say, short and clear.

Of course, Peter has a crowd of bastards! Their total number reaches at least 90 or 100 people. The number of Peter's children who remain unknown is very likely to be even greater. For example, a professor at St. Petersburg University, Okun, at his lectures, somehow threw out the phrase that “of course, we will never take everyone into account, but science can vouch for a few hundred.” Among the obvious bastards is Rumyantsev, the father of the famous winner of the Turks. Among the possible - and Lomonosov.

But here's an undoubted fact: the murder of Tsarevich Alexei by his own dad knocked down the dynasty. She survived only after many tossings and survived only through the female line.

End of the 18th century. One dynasty or three?

After Peter I - either the fourth, or the sixth Romanov, that is, Peter Alekseevich - such a monarchical Makhnovshchina reigned on the throne that it was not at all easy to figure it out. There is no law of succession; now the top of the nobility, then the guard puts on the throne whomever they want.

In the dynastic chaos of the 18th century, from 1725 to 1796, the Romanovs of the imperial branch sat on the throne for only 22 and a half years - in 1728-1730, 1741-1761 and half a year in 1761-1762. And that's it. And this, in fact, ended the "those" Romanovs.

Another 11 years, from 1730 to 1741, representatives of another branch of the Romanov family, descendants of Peter the Great's half-brother Ivan, sat on the throne. These are the Romanovs, but in fact they are already a different dynasty! Moreover, the descendants of Tsar Ivan ruled in such a way that the throne could well have passed under another, German, Welf dynasty.

And for the longest time, 36 years, in 1725-1727 and 1762-1796, the wives of the Romanovs sat on the throne - the purest usurpers of the throne, because they sat on the throne in the presence of direct and legitimate heirs.

For example, in the presence of the grandson of Peter the Great, Alexei, the Belarusian peasant woman Katka Skavroshchuk, she was baptized into Protestantism, Marta Skavronskaya, she was also the legal wife of the Swedish grenadier, the venerable Fr Kruse, she was the “Empress” Catherine I. And we call this disgrace dynasty?!

The Romanovs became emperors as follows: Peter I took and named himself emperor. And then he crowned the Empress and Catherine

Both branches of the Romanovs of the 18th century are Romanovs only in the female line. In the male line, they go back to the German dynasties: the royal line of the Romanovs, in the female line, to the Braunschweig (part of the Welfs). Imperial line - to Holstein-Gottorp.

Of course, Elizaveta Petrovna is the native daughter of Peter Alekseevich, the fifth generation from the founder of the Romanov dynasty, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich of Muscovy.

But after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, the direct branch of the Romanov family on the All-Russian throne was cut short. There is evidence that she had children, but "illegal", from Razumovsky, who had no right to occupy the throne.

On January 5, 1762, the son of Elizabeth's sister, Anna Petrovna and Duke Karl-Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, their common and legitimate son Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, sat on the throne of the Russian Empire.

Let's be completely clear: any dynastic treaty can be drawn up. You can baptize the Lutheran Peter-Ulrich into Orthodoxy and call him Peter. You can elevate him to the throne of the Russian Empire under the name of Peter III Fedorovich (naming his father Karl Friedrich Fedor).

It is impossible only to change the dynastic laws and rules for compiling genealogies that have developed over the centuries. And according to these laws, from January 5, 1762, the imperial family on the throne of the Russian Empire is called Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovsky.

From 1763 until the end of World War II, the Gotha Almanac (Almanach de Gotha) was published in the German city of Gotha - a genealogical collection that included all the genealogical lists of the ruling houses and the most significant families of the titled nobility of Europe.

In the Gotha almanac, even an entry in Russian was introduced: Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov dynasty of the imperial house of Romanov. The Romanovs who sat on the throne were very upset by this record and insisted on the “correct” name of their dynasty: they are not Holstein-Gottorp at all! They are Romanovs, period!

But the protests were protests, and they called the dynasty that way. Sometimes I think that the Gothic Almanac was not renewed, among other things, because more than one “our” dynasty could read in it what they did not want to know and see. Since at least 1997, several attempts have been made to resume the publication of the almanac, and all of them have been unsuccessful. It's not that they don't give money - nobody needs it.

So it turns out that three large periods are distinguished in the history of the Romanov dynasty:

1. The Tsarist period of the first four (or six) Romanovs, including Peter the Great.

2. The period of confusion and vacillation of 1725-1796, when the throne was occupied either by the descendants of Peter, then by other (“lateral”) Romanovs, or by their inconsolable widows. Both Catherines.

3. The period of 1796-1917, when the renewed Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov dynasty existed consistently and within the framework of dynastic rules - legally. But this is already some kind of third dynasty, which either has nothing to do with the Romanovs at all, or at best, the seventh water on jelly.

The last Romanov who sat on the throne (moreover, Romanov only through the female line) was overthrown and killed by the hands of his lovers by his wife, Sophia Frederick Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. From then on, from 1762 until 1917, anyone but the Romanovs sat on the throne of the Russian Empire. The son of Sophia Frederica, baptized into Orthodoxy as Catherine, did not even know himself whether he comes from the “titular” father, the half-German Peter Fedorovich (aka Karl Peter Ulrich) or from Sergei Saltykov.

Pavel I. Whether he was the son of Peter I is unknown

At least Pyotr Fedorovich spoke about his heir more than once in such a way that it is embarrassing to convey, and no censorship will let him through. Was he right? Until now, it is not known ... The late Romanovs themselves treated the “problem” with a great sense of humor. A legend has been preserved - one of those that can neither be refuted nor confirmed - how the great historian Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky came to Emperor Alexander III.

- Your Majesty, here is evidence that you are not descended from the legitimate emperor, but from Sergei Saltykov ...

Thank God we are Russians! The emperor crossed himself widely.

Two weeks later, Vasily Osipovich is forced to upset the emperor:

– Your Majesty… You are still descended from Peter III…

Thank God we are legit! - Alexander III crossed himself just as widely, with the same satisfied smile.

If one should call Paul I Petrovich, he has a quarter of Russian blood in him. If Sergeyevich, then half. After the death of Catherine in 1796, emperors sat on the throne, who married strictly German princesses, and in the great-great-grandson of Paul, Nicholas II of Russian blood is already one thirty-second (if Paul is Russian by father) or even one sixty-fourth (if Paul is legal).

From left to right: Grand Dukes Alexander Pavlovich, Konstantin Pavlovich, Nikolai Pavlovich, Empress Maria Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, Maria Pavlovna, Anna Pavlovna, Emperor Paul I, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna and Elena Pavlovna.

XIX century. The threat of a change of dynasty

In the 1870s, a new perspective arose of a very real change of dynasty. Since 1866, Alexander II was actually married to Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (1847–1922). He gave her the title of the Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya and lived with her in the Winter Palace - in the same place where Empress Maria Alexandrovna and her children lived.

Ekaterina Dolgorukova, morganatic wife of Alexander II

He could officially marry her only in 1880, after the death of his wife. And then he legitimized the children, His Serene Highness Princes George (1872-1913), Olga (1873-1925), Boris (1876-1876) - posthumously.

More than meets the eye with this second wife of Alexander II. There are many reasons to believe that the emperor wanted to change the branches of the dynasty: Ekaterina Mikhailovna constantly participated in official events, the king often said that George after him would be the best king imaginable. Relations between the children from the emperor's two marriages were extremely tense.

Alexander II

It is very curious that many historians ask the question: weren't the Narodnaya Volya, who killed Alexander II, only executors of someone else's bad will? Indeed, the emperor officially married Dolgoruky, made the children legal too ... What prevents him from now declaring George as the heir and removing Alexander Alexandrovich from the inheritance? Moreover, father and son were not close people. In any case, the constitutional plans of Alexander II did not find understanding among Alexander III.

Under such conditions, it is completely logical to “remove” the emperor. I do not insist on anything, but such assumptions were made by many, as well as assumptions about the likelihood of the murder of Alexander II by his son or people close to him ... For example, Grand Dukes Vladimir and Alexei, Count Pavel Petrovich Shuvalov, Prince A.G. Shcherbatov…

It is believed that the underground monarchist organization "Holy Squad" was created to protect Tsar Alexander III in the conditions of rampant revolutionary terror. That it was created immediately after the assassination of Emperor Alexander II on March 13, 1881 and lasted until the end of 1882. But all this is very doubtful. It was a huge organization: up to fifteen thousand members and assistants, leaders - Minister of the Court and Appanages Count I. I. Vorontsov-Dashkov, Prince A. G. Shcherbatov, General R. A. Fadeev, Minister of Internal Affairs N. P. Ignatiev, Minister of State Property M. N. Ostrovsky ... What comes out? The top of the aristocracy somehow instantly creates and just as instantly dissolves a secret organization. Moreover, it dissolves when no stated tasks have yet been resolved. And this organization is engaged exclusively in the protection of the emperor. As one of my acquaintances, a former intelligence officer, says: “And you want me to take it and believe it ?!”

Alexander II not only abolished serfdom (1861), but also intended to change the branches of the dynasty: the tsar often said that his son George (born from Dolgorukova) after him would be the best tsar you can imagine

The “Holy Squad” clearly arose earlier than the officially declared date and did not disappear anywhere in 1882. We know little about what this perfectly conspiratorial society was doing. But to put things in order in the dynasty, to remove the emperor-constitutionalist, who was also going to change the dynasty, she could well ...

January 1905. 23 steps down

During the 1897 census, Nicholas II declared himself: "the owner of the Russian land." He was the head of the government of the Russian Empire. But how did he behave during the revolutionary unrest? In fact, he retired himself. Come out the king to the demonstrators singing “God Save the Tsar”, wave them with a royal hand from the balcony, show the slightest readiness for at least some kind of dialogue ...

And tens of thousands of people who took to the streets would become greater monarchists than other great princes. However, the ruling dynasty itself actively created a revolutionary situation: stubbornly not solving the problems facing Russia. She herself did not decide, but she did not give it to others either, literally leaving the people no other chance for any transformations. Except the overthrow of this dynasty.

XX century. Shards of a dynasty

At the beginning of 1917, the Romanov dynasty consisted of 32 males. 13 of them were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918–1919. But even today, 12 direct descendants of the three sons of Nicholas I live in the USA and Europe. Let's also take into account the false Romanovs. Even without a direct prospect of “sitting on the throne”, the “miraculously saved princes Alexei” and their descendants are almost crowds from time to time.

At the moment there are either five or six of them in Russia. The “miraculously saved” descendants of the Grand Duchesses are also a considerable number. At various times, both in Russia and abroad, up to 20 of them appeared (some did not even know the Russian language). Finding out which of the Romanovs should be placed on the throne, and which of them has more rights, modern monarchists with delightful simplicity do not specify: do the Romanovs themselves want to take the throne? Neither Pavel Dmitrievich, nor his sons Dmitry and Mikhail, who live in the USA, have ever put forward claims to the primacy in the dynasty, and even more so to the return of the throne to them.

Vladimir Kirillovich's daughter Maria Vladimirovna, who calls herself the head of the Imperial House, and Nikolai Romanovich, who heads the Association of Members of the Romanov House, which includes most of the living representatives of the dynasty, claim to be the head of the dynasty.

The great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, Nikolai Nikolayevich Romanov, believes that the question of the monarchy in Russia, as well as who can take the throne, should be decided at a national referendum in Russia. That is, it does not claim anything. Nikolai Nikolaevich knows Russian well, in 1998 he attended the burial ceremony in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg of the remains of Nicholas II and members of his family and servants. He collects information about all members of the dynasty, owns a huge archive and, in essence, became the family historian of the Romanov dynasty.

In 1979, he created the public organization "Association of members of the Romanov family." But this is not a reason for the return to power of the Romanovs.

Article 3 of the charter of the "Association ..." states: "The main goal of the Association of members of the Romanov clan is to strengthen ties between its members." But only.

Article 4, paragraph 2: “Members of the Association of Members of the Romanov Family agree that all questions relating to the form of government in Russia, and, consequently, all questions of a dynastic nature, can only be decided by the great Russian people in the course of a“ universal, direct, equal and secret voting" in accordance with the Manifesto of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, signed after the abdication of the throne of Emperor Nicholas II.

In a word, the Italian aristocrat of Russian origin, Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov, never even tried to agitate for the return of the throne to himself or his descendants. And his Association does not exist for revenge.

What is the point of occupying the Russian throne for the children and grandchildren of Pavel Romanovsky-Ilyinsky? He was a colonel in the American army, mayor of Palm Beach, married to an American, and even at home speaks the American version of English.

Michael of Kent, great-nephew of Emperor Nicholas II, with his daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor, a possible heiress ... but not the Russian, English throne

The great-nephew of Emperor Nicholas II, Michael George Charles Franklin (Michael of Kent), tries not to forget the Russian language. Member of the British royal family, grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, he is named after Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, the younger brother of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II and cousin of his grandfathers. But this is not a Russian emigrant at all, but a British aristocrat, quite adapted to life in Britain. He participates in the life of the royal family, heads his own consulting company, does business in different countries of the world. Due to his marriage to a Catholic, Prince Michael lost his right to the British throne, but the couple's children were brought up in the Anglican faith. These possible heirs ... but not the Russian, English throne, are called Lord Frederick Windsor (born April 6, 1979) and Lady Gabriella Windsor (born April 23, 1981).

But what does this have to do with the Romanov dynasty?

Suppose a Zemsky Sobor is held, and Russia invites Lord Frederick Windsor to the throne - well, what will this have to do with the revival of the dynasty and the return of the Romanovs to the throne?

There are also four young men among the direct descendants of the ruling dynasty. Call one of them to the throne? But none of these four “right holders” is included in the Imperial House, since they were all born in unequal marriages. And the accession of any possible contender will no longer be a continuation of the dynasty, but the creation of a completely new one, albeit related to the previous dynasty by kinship.

The restoration of the monarchy in Russia, if a dispute ever flares up in connection with this, and the restoration of the Romanovs to the throne are two completely different issues.

The Romanov dynasty does not have any exceptional talents, there are no special merits. Why is Michael of Kent better than the descendants of the creators of entire industries, Bill Gates or the creator of the Internet, Dr. Licklider? Or the descendants of great scientists - Nahum Chomsky or Isaac Asimov? And their role in the modern world is quite comparable with the role of Rurik in the Middle Ages. And the ancestors of Naum Chomsky and Isaac Asimov lived in the Russian Empire. To their throne?

Besides, why are new Varangians absolutely necessary? Candidates can also be found in Russia.

In the beautiful fairy tale by C. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia, a cabman is chosen as king. The main thing is that the person was decent and decent. Why not? And the Romanovs… Alas, the time of monarchical ambitions for Holstein-Gottorp, whatever one may say, has passed.

photo: LEGION-MEDIA; STATE RUSSIAN MUSEUM, SAINT PETERSBURG; STATE MUSEUM RESERVE "PAVLOVSK"; RDA/VOSTOCK PHOTO

The Russian Romanov dynasty began to rule in 1613. Later, its representatives ruled over Poland, Lithuania and Finland, occupied the throne of Holstein-Gottorp and Oldenburg, were members and masters of the Order of Malta. The purebred line was stopped after the death of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, but then it was restored along the female branch. Rod was forced to relinquish power in 1917.

There are many controversial points in the biography of the Romanov family, most of which relate to the origin of the surname. Its first bearer was Patriarch Fyodor Nikitovich, who calls himself Filaret. He chose the name Roman as the basis, that was his grandfather's name. Fedor himself was from the Zakharyin family, it was from them that the great royal family could begin. Previously, members of the royal dynasty did not officially use surnames. They were called exclusively by their first and patronymic names, which can be read under the portraits.

In 1761, the descendant of the son of Anna Petrovna and Karl-Friedrich, who had the title of Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, began to rule in the state. This line of the Oldenburg dynasty was considered the youngest; it became known only at the beginning of the 12th century. Therefore, in the genealogical sources, all the kings descended from Peter III were called Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovs. But this was not taken into account when naming the Russian Imperial House. The people called it the House of the Romanovs. The coat of arms of the boyar family was included in official legislative acts, and in 1913 the 300th anniversary of the ruling dynasty was solemnly celebrated.

After the October Revolution, the surname of the Romanovs was legally assigned to all members of the royal house. Only children and other relatives of Prince Dmitry Pavlovich were excluded. He was the only one from the entire dynasty who recognized the power of Kirill Vladimirovich, the emperor in exile. The prince married an American Audrey Emery, their descendants received the title of princes and the surname Romanovsky-Ilyinsky.

Other rulers also entered into morganatic marriages, but they did not change the surname of the imperial family.

Emperors and kings

According to history, the Romanov family appeared at the beginning of the 14th century in the state of Prussia, from where they came to Rus'. Although, according to other sources, the ancestors of the royal family were natives of Novgorod. The first representative of the nobility is Andrey Kobyla, he served with Prince Proud Simeon. The second branch went from Fedor Koshka, his children received the surname Koshkin-Zakharyin, and his grandchildren wore only its second part. And Yuri laid the foundation for the Zakharyin-Yuryev family.

Anastasia Romanovna from this family married Ivan the Terrible, which brought her ancestors closer to the royal family. It was this intersection with the imperial branch that gave Zakharyin-Yuriev the right to inherit the throne.

Historians note 1613 as the date of the accession of the Romanov dynasty. The grandson of Anastasia's sister, Mikhail Fedorovich, had a chance to reign during this period. It was his descendants who held power in their hands until 1917. There were five kings:

• Michael;
• Alexey Mikhailovich;
• Fedor Alekseevich;
• Ivan V;
• Peter I.

The latter occupied the dynastic throne from 1721. After him began the chronology of emperors. Then Catherine I ruled, but her origin remains unsolved for historians to this day. It is impossible to confidently assert that she is a full member of the ruling family. When she died, the throne was taken by the grandson of the first spouse - Peter II. With his death, the branch of Mikhail Fedorovich completely stopped.

The coming to power of the children of Peter the Great was suspended due to palace intrigues. The throne was received by his own niece - Anna Ioannovna. Her heir was John Antonovich, the only member of the Mecklenburg-Brunswick-Romanov dynasty. He was overthrown during his lifetime by Peter's daughter, Empress Elizabeth. She never married, she had no descendants. Therefore, the woman gave the crown to her nephew, the son of Anna Petrovna. Elizabeth herself became the last representative of the royal family who did not enter into relations with foreign rulers.

Board in the XVIII-XIX centuries

The wedding of Anna Petrovna with the titled Duke of Holstein-Gottorp marked the beginning of the Romanov dynasty, mixed with a foreign family. Their son Peter III was officially recognized as a member of the ruling family. This was reflected in the family and imperial coat of arms.

The ruler married Elizabeth II, the couple had a son, Paul I. From him, power was transferred in one line sequentially due to the fact that he issued a decree on inheritance exclusively through the male branch. In 1797, his son, Alexander I, who had no offspring, received the throne. His brother renounced the throne, which was the main reason for the Decembrist uprising. Therefore, another son of Paul, Nicholas I, became the next ruler. Then Catherine the Great came to power, after her all the heirs, how many there were, already received the title of Tsarevich in order.

After that, Russia was ruled by Alexander II and his descendants, of which there were three. The first died at the age of 21 from consumption. The second son - Alexander III - transferred the throne to Nicholas II. But he renounced his right and was shot. For the next 16 hours, the state was ruled by Mikhail Alexandrovich, a titled prince. But he also refused the throne.

The family tree of the Romanovs greatly increased with the onset of the 19th century. During this period, a special law was adopted on the establishment of the royal family. He was able to regulate the rights, duties and all the benefits of the members of the dynasty, the material aspects of their reign.

For distant relatives of the family, the title of princes of imperial blood was established.

A complete list of all surnames associated with the royal family through the female line:

• Leuchtenberg;
• Oldenburg;
• Mecklenburg.

The first branch went from the daughter of Nicholas I - Mary, who married the Duke of Leuchtenberg. The era of the Dukes of Oldenburg began with Peter Georgievich and Ekaterina Pavlovna. And Ekaterina Mikhailovna became the wife of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitzky, a third line came from their romance.

Life of the Romanovs after 1917

According to historical tables, which indicate the years of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, during the entire period of its existence, 65 people were born, belonging to the royal family. Of these, 18 were destroyed by the Bolsheviks. There were 32 men in the family, 13 representatives of the dynasty were shot in Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and Alapaevsk in 1918-1919. Only 47 people were saved, but they had to go into exile and go abroad.

Until the 1930s, most members of the ruling family still expected the fall of the Soviet system and the return of the monarchy. But the development of the USSR could not be completed, so they had to flee. In November 1920, the Russian princess Olga Konstantinovna was the regent of the Greek state, so she took in almost all the surviving members of the dynasty. In 1942 they were offered to take the throne in Montenegro, but this did not happen. To this day, the Association of members of the Romanov clan operates. It includes all the offspring of the sons of Nicholas I:

• Alexandrovich;
• Konstantinovich;
• Nikolaevich;
• Mikhailovich.

The Alexandrovich branch, from which three representatives still live, could come from Emperor Alexander II. His great-great-granddaughter Maria Vladimirovna has a descendant Georgy Mikhailovich, and her great-grandson Kirill Vladimirovich appeared from her daughter Maria Kirillovna. Princes Yuryevsky and Romanovsky-Ilyinsky belong to the same line.

The establishment of the second branch began from Prince Konstantin Nikolayevich. But she stopped in the male line in 1973 with the death of Vsevolod Ioannovich, and his sister died in 2007. The Nikolaevich branch could begin from Nikolai Nikolaevich the Elder. In 2016, the last men died, but the women of the clan are still alive - Elizabeth, Tatyana and Natalya. The remaining representatives of the dynasty, according to the sequence of obtaining the throne, are assigned to the line of Mikhailovich, the youngest was born in 2013.

Although the reign of the great family has come to an end, its descendants still live. The genealogical tree and the scheme of the Romanov dynasty with dates of reign can still be seen in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where members of the royal family are buried.

The House of Romanov celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2013. The day when Mikhail Romanov was proclaimed tsar remained in the distant past. For 304 years, the descendants of the Romanov family ruled Russia.

For a long time it was believed that with the execution of the imperial family of Nicholas II, the entire royal dynasty was finished. But even today the descendants of the Romanovs live, the Imperial House exists to this day. The dynasty is gradually returning to Russia, to its cultural and social life.

Who belongs to the dynasty

The Romanov clan originates in the 16th century, with Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin. He had five children, who gave rise to numerous offspring that have survived to this day. But the fact is that most of the descendants no longer bear this surname, that is, they were born on the maternal side. Representatives of the dynasty are considered only the descendants of the Romanov family in the male line, who bear an old surname.

Boys in the family were born less often, and many were childless. Because of this, the royal family was almost interrupted. The branch was revived by Paul I. All the living descendants of the Romanovs are the heirs of Emperor Pavel Petrovich,

Branching family tree

Paul I had 12 children, two of them illegitimate. Their ten legitimate children are four sons:

• Alexander I, who ascended the Russian throne in 1801, did not leave behind legitimate heirs to the throne.
• Konstantin. He was married twice, but the marriages were childless. Had three who were not recognized as descendants of the Romanovs.
• Nicholas I, All-Russian Emperor since 1825. He had three daughters and four sons from his marriage to the Prussian princess Frederica Louise Charlotte, in Orthodoxy Anna Feodorovna.
• Michael was married with five daughters.

Thus, only the sons of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I continued the Romanov dynasty. So all the remaining descendants of the Romanovs are his great-great-great-grandchildren.

Continuation of the dynasty

Sons of Nicholas I: Alexander, Constantine, Nicholas and Michael. They all left behind offspring. Their lines are informally called:

• Alexandrovichi - the line went from Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov. Now live the direct descendants of the Romanovs-Ilyinskys Dmitry Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich. Unfortunately, they are both childless, and with their passing away, this line will be stopped.
• Konstantinovichi - the line originates from Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov. The last direct descendant of the Romanovs in the male line died in 1992, and the branch was cut short.
• Nikolaevichi - descended from Romanov Nikolai Nikolaevich. To this day, a direct descendant of this branch, Dmitry Romanovich, lives and lives. He has no heirs, so the line is fading.
• The Mikhailovichi are the heirs of Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov. It is to this branch that the rest of the Romanov-men who live today belong. This gives hope to the Romanov family for survival.

Where are the descendants of the Romanovs today

Many researchers were interested in whether the descendants of the Romanovs remained? Yes, this great family has male and female heirs. Some branches have already been interrupted, other lines will soon fade away, but the royal family still has hope for survival.

But where do the descendants of the Romanovs live? They are dispersed throughout the planet. Most of them do not know the Russian language and have never been to the homeland of their ancestors. Some people have different last names. Many got acquainted with Russia exclusively through books or reports from television news channels. And yet, some of them visit their historical homeland, they do charity work here and consider themselves Russians at heart.

When asked if there were descendants of the Romanovs, one can answer that today there are only about thirty known offspring of the royal family living in the world today. Of these, only two can be considered purebred, because their parents entered into marriages according to the laws of the dynasty. It is these two who can consider themselves full representatives of the Imperial House. In 1992, they were issued Russian passports to replace the refugee passports they used to live abroad until that time. Funds received as sponsorship from Russia allow family members to pay visits to their homeland.

It is not known how many people live in the world who have "Romanov" blood in their veins, but they do not belong to the family, as they came from the female line or from extramarital affairs. Nevertheless, genetically they also belong to an ancient family.

Head of the Imperial House

Prince Romanov Dmitry Romanovich became the Head of the House of Romanov after the death of Nikolai Romanovich, his elder brother.

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Prince Nicholas Nikolaevich, son of Prince Roman Petrovich and Countess Praskovia Sheremetyeva. He was born in France on May 17, 1926.

Since 1936 in Italy, later - in Egypt. In Alexandria, he worked at the Ford automobile plant: he worked as a mechanic, he sold cars. Upon returning to sunny Italy, he worked as a secretary in a shipping company.

I visited Russia for the first time back in 1953 as a tourist. When he got married in Denmark with his first wife, Johanna von Kaufmann, he settled in Copenhagen and worked there for more than 30 years in a bank.

All numerous members of the royal family call him the Head of the House, only the Kirillovich branch believes that he does not have legal rights to the throne due to the fact that his father was born in an unequal marriage (Kirillovichi, the heirs of Alexander II - this is Princess Maria Vladimirovna, who herself claims to the title of head of the Imperial House, and her son Georgy Mikhailovich, who claims the title of crown prince).

Dmitry Romanovich's old hobby is orders and medals from different countries. He has a large collection of awards, about which he writes a book.

The second time he was married in the Russian city of Kostroma with Dorrit Reventrow, a Danish translator, in July 1993. He has no children, therefore, when another last direct descendant of the Romanovs goes into the world, the branch of the Nikolaevichs will be cut short.

Legitimate members of the house, the fading branch of Alexandrovich

Today, such true representatives of the royal family are alive (in the male line from legal marriages, direct descendants of Paul I and Nicholas II, who bear the royal surname, the title of prince and belong to the Alexandrovich line):

• Romanov-Ilyinsky Dmitry Pavlovich, born in 1954 - the direct heir of Alexander II in the male line, lives in the USA, has 3 daughters, all married and changed their last names.
• Romanov-Ilyinsky Mikhail Pavlovich, born in 1959 - the half-brother of Prince Dmitry Pavlovich, also lives in the USA, has a daughter.

If the direct descendants of the Romanovs do not become fathers of sons, then the Alexandrovich line will be interrupted.

Direct descendants, princes and possible successors of the Romanov family - the most prolific branch of Mikhailovich

• Alexey Andreevich, born in 1953 - a direct descendant of Nicholas I, married, no children, lives in the USA.
• Petr Andreevich, born in 1961 - also a purebred Romanov, married, childless, lives in the USA.
• Andrei Andreevich, born in 1963 - legally belongs to the Romanov family, has a daughter from his second marriage, lives in the USA.
• Rostislav Rostislavovich, born in 1985 - the direct successor of the clan, not yet married, lives in the USA.
• Nikita Rostislavovich, born in 1987 - a legitimate descendant, not yet married, lives in the UK.
• Nicholas-Christopher Nikolaevich, born in 1968, is a direct descendant of Nicholas I, lives in the USA, has 2 daughters.
• Daniel Nikolaevich, born in 1972 - a legal member of the Romanov family, married, lives in the USA, has a daughter and a son.
• Daniil Danilovich, born in 2009 - the youngest legitimate descendant of the royal family in the male line, lives with his parents in the United States.

As can be seen from the family tree, only the branch of Mikhailovich gives hope for the continuation of the royal family - the direct heirs of Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov, the youngest son of Nicholas I.

Descendants of the Romanov family who cannot inherit the royal family, and controversial applicants for membership of the Imperial House

• Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, born in 1953 - Her Imperial Highness, who claims the title of Head of the Russian Imperial House, is the legitimate heiress of Alexander II, belongs to the Alexandrovich line. Until 1985, she was married to Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, from whom in 1981 she gave birth to her only son George. At birth, he was given the patronymic Mikhailovich and the surname Romanov.
• Georgy Mikhailovich, born in 1981 - the son of Princess Romanova Maria Vladimirovna and the Prince of Prussia, claims the title of Tsarevich, however, most representatives of the Romanov family rightly do not recognize his rights, since he is not a descendant in the direct male line, namely, the right of inheritance is transferred through the male line. His birth is a joyful event in the Prussian palace.
• Princess Elena Sergeevna Romanova (by her husband Nirot), born in 1929, lives in France, one of the last representatives of the Romanov family, belongs to the Alexandrovich line.
• born in 1961 - the legal heir of Alexander II, now lives in Switzerland. His grandfather George was an illegitimate son from the Emperor's relationship with Princess Dolgorukova. After the relationship was legalized, all the children of Dolgorukova were recognized as legitimate from Alexander II, but the Yuryevsky received the surname. Therefore, de jure, George (Hans-Georg) does not belong to the Romanov family, although de facto he is the last descendant of the Romanov dynasty in the male line of the Alexandrovichs.
• Princess Tatyana Mikhailovna, born in 1986 - belongs to the house of the Romanovs along the line of Mikhailovich, but as soon as he gets married and changes his surname, he will lose all rights. Lives in Paris.
• Princess Alexandra Rostislavovna, born in 1983 - also a hereditary descendant of the Mikhailovich branch, not married, lives in the USA.
• Princess Karline Nikolaevna, born in 2000 - is the legal representative of the Imperial House in the line of Mikhailovich, unmarried, lives in the USA,
• Princess Chelly Nikolaevna, born in 2003 - a direct descendant of the royal family, not married, a US citizen.
• Princess Madison Danilovna, born in 2007 - on the line of Mikhailovich, a legal family member, lives in the USA.

Unification of the Romanov family

All other Romanovs are children of morganatic marriages, and therefore cannot belong to the Russian Imperial House. All of them are united by the so-called "Association of the Romanov family", which was headed in 1989 by Nikolai Romanovich and performed this duty until his death, in September 2014.

The biographies of the most prominent representatives of the Romanov dynasty of the 20th century are described below.

Romanov Nikolai Romanovich

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I. Watercolor painter.

Saw the light on September 26, 1922 near the French city of Antibes. There he spent his childhood. In 1936 he moved to Italy with his parents. In this country, in 1941, directly from Mussolini, he received an offer to become the king of Montenegro, which he refused. Later he lived in Egypt, then again in Italy, in Switzerland, where he married Countess Svevadella Garaldeschi, then returned to Italy again, where in 1993 he took citizenship.

"Association" headed in 1989. On his initiative, in Paris in 1992, a congress of the Romanov-men was convened, at which a decision was made to create the Russian Relief Fund. In his opinion, Russia should be a federal republic, where the central government is strong, the powers of which are strictly limited.

He has three daughters. Natalia, Elizaveta and Tatyana started families with Italians.

Vladimir Kirillovich

Born on August 17, 1917 in Finland, in exile with Sovereign Kirill Vladimirovich. He was raised as a truly Russian person. He was fluent in Russian, many European languages, knew the history of Russia perfectly, was a well-educated erudite person and felt true pride that he belongs to Russia.

At twenty, the last direct descendant of the Romanovs in the male line became the Head of the Dynasty. It was enough for him to enter into an unequal marriage, and by the 21st century there would no longer be legitimate members of the imperial family.

But he met Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhranskaya, daughter of the Head of the Georgian Royal House, who became his legal wife in 1948. In this marriage, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna was born in Madrid.

For several decades he was the Head of the Russian Imperial House and, by his own decree, announced the right of his daughter, born in a legal marriage, to inherit the throne.

In May 1992 he was buried in St. Petersburg in the presence of many family members.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna

The only daughter of Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, a member of the Imperial House in exile, and Leonida Georgievna, daughter of the Head of the Georgian Royal House, Prince George Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhransky. Born legally on December 23, 1953. Her parents provided her with a good upbringing and an excellent education. At the age of 16, she swore allegiance to Russia and its peoples.

After graduating from Oxford University, she received a degree in philology. He is fluent in Russian, many European and Arabic languages. She has worked in administrative positions in France and Spain.

The imperial family owns a modest apartment in Madrid. The house in France was sold due to the inability to maintain it. The family maintains an average standard of living - by the standards of Europe. Has Russian citizenship.

Upon reaching the age of majority in 1969, according to the dynastic act issued by Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, she was proclaimed guardian of the throne. In 1976, she married Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. With the adoption of Orthodoxy, he received the title of Prince Mikhail Pavlovich. The current pretender to the Russian throne, Prince Georgy Mikhailovich, was born from this marriage.

Tsesarevich Georgy Mikhailovich

He claims to be the heir to the title of His Imperial Highness the Sovereign.

The only son of Princess Maria Vladimirovna and the Prince of Prussia, born in marriage on March 13, 1981 in Madrid. A direct descendant of the German Emperor Wilhelm II, Russian Emperor Alexander II, Queen Victoria of England.

He graduated from school in Saint-Briac, then continued his studies in Paris at the College of St. Stanislaus. Lives in Madrid since 1988. He considers French to be his native language, he is fluent in Spanish and English, he knows Russian a little worse. He first saw Russia in 1992, when he accompanied the body of his grandfather, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, together with his family to the burial place. His independent visit to the Motherland took place in 2006. He worked in the European Parliament, the European Commission. Single.

In the House's anniversary year, it established a cancer research fund.

Andrey Andreevich Romanov

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Alexander III. Born in London on January 21, 1923. Now lives in the United States, California, in Marin County. He knows the Russian language perfectly, because always and everyone in his family spoke Russian.

Graduated from London Imperial Service College. During World War II, he served on a warship of the British Navy as a sailor. It was then, escorting cargo ships to Murmansk, that he visited Russia for the first time.

He has been an American citizen since 1954. In America, he was engaged in agriculture: farming, agronomy, agricultural technology. I studied sociology. He worked for a shipping company.

Among his hobbies are painting and graphics. Creates works in a "childish" manner, as well as color drawings on plastic, which is later heat-treated.

He is in his third marriage. From the first marriage he has a son Alexei, from the second two: Peter and Andrey.

It is believed that neither he nor his sons have rights to the throne, but how candidates can be considered by the Zemsky Sobor on a par with other descendants.

Mikhail Andreevich Romanov

The great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, the great-grandson of Prince Mikhail Nikolaevich, was born in Versailles on July 15, 1920. Graduated from the Royal College of Windsor, London Institute of Aeronautical Engineers.

He served in the Second World War in Sydney in the Volunteer Air Force Reserve of the British Navy. He was demobilized in 1945 to Australia. There he remained to live, being engaged in the aviation industry.

He was an active member of the Maltese Order of the Orthodox Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, even elected protector and Grand Prior of the Order. He was part of the Australians for Constitutional Monarchy movement.

He was married three times: in February 1953 to Jill Murphy, in July 1954 to Shirley Crammond, in July 1993 to Julia Crespi. All marriages are unequal and childless.

He passed away in September 2008 in Sydney.

Romanov Nikita Nikitich

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I. Born in London on May 13, 1923. Childhood passed in the UK, then in France.

He served in the British Army. In 1949 he moved to the USA. He received a master's degree in history from Berkeley University in 1960. He earned his living and studying by himself, working as a furniture upholsterer.

At Stanford University, and later at San Francisco, he taught history. He wrote and published a book about Ivan the Terrible (co-author - Pierre Payne).

His wife is Janet (Anna Mikhailovna - in Orthodoxy) Shonvald. Son Fedor committed suicide in 2007.

He repeatedly visited Russia, visited the estate of his business Ai-Todor in the Crimea. For the last forty years he lived in New York until he died in May 2007.

Brothers Dmitry Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich Romanov-Ilyinsky (sometimes under the surname Romanovsky-Ilyinsky)

Dmitry Pavlovich, born in 1954, and Mikhail Pavlovich, born in 1960

Dmitry Pavlovich is married to Martha Mary McDowell, born in 1952, has 3 daughters: Katrina, Victoria, Lela.

Mikhail Pavlovich was married three times. First marriage to Marsha Mary Lowe, second to Paula Gay Mair and third to Lisa Mary Schiesler. In the third marriage, a daughter, Alexis, was born.

Currently, the descendants of the Romanov dynasty live in the United States, they recognize the legitimacy of the rights of members of the Imperial House to the Russian throne. Princess Maria Vladimirovna recognized their right to be called princes. Dmitry Romanovsky-Ilyinsky is recognized by her as the senior representative of the male gender of all the descendants of the Romanovs, regardless of what marriages they have.

Finally

For about a hundred years there has been no monarchy in Russia. But to this day, someone breaks spears, arguing about which of the living descendants of the royal family has the legal right to the Russian throne. Some still strongly demand the return of the monarchy. And although this issue is not easy, since laws and decrees relating to issues of succession to the throne are interpreted in different ways, disputes will continue. But they can be described by one Russian saying: the descendants of the Romanovs, whose photos are presented in the article, "share the skin of an unkilled bear."

According to some sources, the Romanovs are not of Russian blood at all, but came from Prussia, according to the historian Veselovsky they are still Novgorodians. The first Romanov appeared as a result of the plexus of childbirth Koshkin-Zakharyin-Yuryev-Shuisky-Rurik in the guise of Mikhail Fedorovich, elected tsar of the Romanov dynasty. The Romanovs, in different interpretations of surnames and names, ruled until 1917.

The Romanov family: a story of life and death - a summary

The era of the Romanovs is a 304-year-old usurpation of power in the expanses of Russia by one boyar family that was born. According to the social classification of the feudal society of the 10th - 17th centuries, the boyars were called large landowners in Moscow Rus'. IN 10th - 17th for centuries it was the upper stratum of the ruling class. According to the Danube-Bulgarian origin, "boyar" is translated as "noble". Their history is a time of unrest and an irreconcilable struggle with the kings for complete power.

Exactly 405 years ago, a dynasty of kings of this name appeared. 297 years ago, Peter the Great took the title of All-Russian Emperor. In order not to degenerate by blood, leapfrog began with its mixing along the male and female lines. After Catherine the First and Paul II, the branch of Mikhail Romanov sank into oblivion. But new branches sprang up, mixed with other bloodlines. Fyodor Nikitich, Patriarch of Russia Filaret, also bore the surname Romanov.

In 1913, the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty was splendidly and solemnly celebrated.

The highest officials of Russia, invited from European countries, did not even suspect that a fire was already warming up under the house, which would burn the ashes of the last emperor and his family in just four years.

In the times under consideration, members of the imperial families did not have surnames. They were called crown princes, grand dukes, princesses. After the Great October Socialist Revolution, which critics of Russia call a terrible coup for the country, its Provisional Government decided that all members of this house should be called Romanovs.

More on the main reigning persons of the Russian state

16-year-old first king. Appointment, election of essentially inexperienced in politics or even young children, grandchildren during the transition of power is nothing new for Russia. Often this was practiced in order for the curators of minor rulers to solve their own tasks before they came of age. In this case, Mikhail the First razed the "Time of Troubles" to the ground, brought peace and brought the almost collapsed country together. Of his ten family offspring, also 16-year-old Tsarevich Alexei (1629 - 1675) succeeded Michael as king.

The first attempt on the Romanovs by relatives. Tsar Theodore the Third dies at the age of twenty. The tsar, who was in poor health (even barely survived the time of the coronation), meanwhile, turned out to be strong in politics, reforms, organization of the army and civil service.

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He forbade foreign tutors who poured from Germany, France to Russia to work without control. Russian historians suspect that the tsar's death was prepared by close relatives, most likely his sister Sophia. What will be discussed below.

Two kings on the throne. Again about the infancy of Russian tsars.

After Fedor, Ivan the Fifth was supposed to take the throne - the ruler, as they wrote, without a king in his head. Therefore, two relatives shared the throne on the same throne - Ivan and his 10-year-old brother Peter. But all state affairs were in charge of the already called Sophia. Peter the Great removed her from her affairs when he found out that she had prepared a state conspiracy against his brother. He sent an intriguer to the monastery to atone for sins.

Tsar Peter the Great becomes a monarch. The one about whom they said that he cut a window to Europe for Russia. Autocrat, military strategist, who finally defeated the Swedes in the wars of twenty years. Titled Emperor of All Russia. The monarchy changed the reign.

The female line of monarchs. Peter, already nicknamed the Great, died in another world, without officially leaving an heir. Therefore, power was transferred to the second wife of Peter, Catherine the First, a German by birth. Rules for only two years - until 1727.

The female line was continued by Anna the First (Peter's niece). During her ten years on the throne, her lover Ernst Biron actually reigned.

The third empress along this line was Elizaveta Petrovna from the family of Peter and Catherine. At first she was not crowned, because she was an illegitimate child. But this grown-up child made the first royal, fortunately, bloodless coup d'état, as a result of which she sat on the All-Russian throne. Eliminating the regent Anna Leopoldovna. It is to her that contemporaries should be grateful, because she returned to St. Petersburg its beauty and significance of the capital.

About the end of the female line. Catherine II the Great, arrived in Russia as Sophia Augusta Frederick. Overthrew the wife of Peter III. Rules for over three decades. Becoming a Romanov record holder, a despot, she strengthened the power of the capital, increasing the country territorially. Continued to improve architecturally the northern capital. Strengthened the economy. Patron, loving woman.

New, bloody, conspiracy. The heir Paul was killed after refusing to abdicate.

Alexander the First entered the government of the country on time. Napoleon went to Russia with the strongest army in Europe. The Russian one was much weaker and bled dry in battles. Napoleon is within easy reach of Moscow. We know from history what happened next. The Emperor of Russia agreed with Prussia, and Napoleon was defeated. The combined troops entered Paris.

Assassination attempts on a successor. They wanted to destroy Alexander II seven times: the liberal did not suit the opposition, which was already ripening then. They blew it up in the Winter Palace of the Emperors in St. Petersburg, shot it in the Summer Garden, even at the world exhibition in Paris. In one year there were three assassination attempts. Alexander II survived.

The sixth and seventh assassination attempts took place almost simultaneously. One terrorist missed, and the Narodnaya Volya Grinevitsky finished the job with a bomb.

The last Romanov is on the throne. Nicholas II was crowned for the first time with his wife, who had previously had five female names. It happened in 1896. On this occasion, they began to distribute the imperial present to those gathered on Khodynka, and thousands of people died in the stampede. The emperor seemed not to notice the tragedy. Which further alienated the bottom from the top and prepared the coup.

The Romanov family - the story of life and death (photo)

In March 1917, under pressure from the masses, Nicholas II terminated his imperial powers in favor of his brother Mikhail. But he was even more cowardly, and refused the throne. And that meant only one thing: the end of the monarchy. At that time, there were 65 people in the Romanov dynasty. Men were shot by the Bolsheviks in a number of cities in the Middle Urals and in St. Petersburg. Forty-seven managed to escape into exile.

The emperor and his family were put on a train and sent to Siberian exile in August 1917. Where all those objectionable to the authorities were driven into severe frosts. The small city of Tobolsk was briefly identified as the place, but it soon became clear that Kolchak’s men could capture them there and use them for their own purposes. Therefore, the train was hastily returned to the Urals, to Yekaterinburg, where the Bolsheviks ruled.

Red terror in action

Members of the imperial family were secretly placed in the basement of a house. The shooting took place there. The emperor, members of his family, assistants were killed. The execution was given a legal basis in the form of a resolution of the Bolshevik Regional Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies.

In fact, without a court decision, and it was an illegal action.

A number of historians believe that the Yekaterinburg Bolsheviks received the sanction from Moscow, most likely from the weak-willed All-Russian headman Sverdlov, and maybe personally from Lenin. According to testimony, the people of Yekaterinburg rejected the court hearing because of the possible advance of Admiral Kolchak's troops to the Urals. And this is legally not a repression in retaliation for tsarism, but a murder.

The representative of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Solovyov, who investigated (1993) the circumstances of the execution of the royal family, argued that neither Sverdlov nor Lenin had anything to do with the execution. Even a fool would not have left such traces, especially the top leaders of the country.