1
Remley C. Fraley
Hist- 491-B01
Research Paper
October 19th, 2018
Nicholas and Alexandra
Martyrs to their own Beliefs?
Was their fate avoidable?
2
The fallacy of “Love conquerors all” is something that everyone would love to believe
and to support his idea countless movies, books, cartoons and even songs have been written or
created to further protect and project this theory. In the early nineteenth century this theory was
a paramount value in the personal lives of Imperial Russia’s last occupants of the Imperial
Throne of all the Russia’s Tsar Nicholas Alexandrovich and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. A
childhood crush between distant cousins would continue to grow into adolescent infatuation until
two young adults admitted a deep love. Tragedy would move forward their marriage and the
start of their lives together and disaster would strike shortly there after however their love
remained strong throughout their marriage up until their deaths. Nicholas and Alexandra would
come from two divergent families as well as upbringings, political beliefs, but Alexandra
emerged as more of an autocrat than her husband. While many today may find the ideas of an
autocracy ruled by a supreme autocrat abhorrent many would argue that it is a valid and
sometimes even necessary political concept. In any society both past and present history has
shown that it is better to be supported from the bottom, rather than overthrown by it. Nicholas
and Alexandra both had plenty of warning signs that the Russian Autocracy was changing and it
had to change in order to survive and yet sadly they could not accept the change nor adapt to it.
Would changing one or two of their actions have brought a different outcome? Nicholas was at
the highest pinnacle of power in Russia and had he had a back bone or at least enough political
sense to preserve his family (Dynasty) I believe that the entire revolution of 1917 could have
been avoided. While he viewed himself a fatalist he died a martyr.
3
The Tsarevich Nicholas
Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov was born on May 18th, 1868 in the Alexander Palace,
Tsarshoye Selo, the Imperial Village outside of Saint Petersburg. Nicholas was born to the
Tsarevich (heir) Alexander Alexandrovich and his wife the Tsarevna Marie Feodorovna,
formerly Princess Dagmar of Denmark.1 Nicholas was born into the richest royal family, the
Romanovs of Russia. At the time of his birth Nicholas was the heir presumptive to his father
The Tsarevich (the Heir Apparent), and his Grandfather, His Imperial Majesty Alexander II, Tsar
of all the Russia’s.
Nicky (as he was known to his family) grew up in a spartan existence despite the family’s
wealth, in a home filled with love with two parents who were devoted to each other.
The biggest event of Nicky’s childhood came on March 1st 1881 when his grandfather
was assassinated by revolutionaries on his return to the Winter Palace. When Nicholas’s father
Alexander (sasha) stood over his fathers mangled, blown up body it was noted that a rare case of
father vs. son, conservatism vs. his father’s liberalism was battling within the New Tsar. On the
eve of his death Tsar Alexander II had signed a decree giving a portion of the state council over
to election. His first step (cautious) towards a Constitutional Monarchy. Sasha did not believe
his father had been a model monarch nor a model father and he immediately stamped out his two
philosophies which would endure through out Nicholas’s childhood and early adulthood.
Autocracy and Orthodoxy. Sasha was a giant of a man compared to his tiny wife and son. Sasha
had firm ideals about how Russia would be governed and who would do it.
1Massey, Robert K. 1967. Nicholas and Alexandra. Canada. Mclelland and Stewart,
Ltd.
4
Nicholas grew up in awe of his father and their relationship suffered from it in the long
run. Nicholas was a shy and withdrawn man who while handsome was also very short compared
to most Romanov men.2 Nicholas, at the age of twenty-one was 7 inches shorter than his father
and his only qualities were gentleness, kindliness, and friendliness. With an education of
Military (common to young Grand Dukes) and very stern lectures on Autocracy Nicholas grew
up a pampered youth who floundered through society in frivolity. Nicholas knew nothing about
the government he would one day succeed to run or the Russian people at all. The Tsar
commented about his son while hearing Serge Witte’s proposal in making the Tsarevich
Chairman of the Railroad committee, “saying at the age of 25 he was a child who knew
nothing”.3
2Perry, John Curtis and Constantine Pleshakov. 1999. The Flight of the Romanovs.
New York, New York. Basic Books
3 idib
5
Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine
Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix was born June 6th, 1872 to Their Royal Highness’s
Prince Louis of Hesse and Princess Alice, formerly of the United Kingdom. While born into the
German Grand Duchy of Hesse Alix grew up relatively poorer than her future husband. Alix was
born Lutheran and Nicky Orthodox. Alix grew up with a somewhat tragic childhood due to the
early death of her of her younger sister and the tragic death of her older brother “Frittie” who fell
out of a window and bled to death. When Alix’s sister died from diphtheria, her mother the
Grand duchess Alice succumbed to it as well. Alix was known to have been the favorite
granddaughter of Queen Victoria and spent a large part of her childhood around her English
family. Alexandra could not have not known the role she would be called up in several years but
she would have been well knowledge in the subtleties of a Constitutional Monarch and the duties
and roles required of such. Her fathers Grand Duchy had been incorporated into the German
Empire (a federated state) and Hesse was a constitutional Grand Duchy as well.
6
Tragedies and married Life:
For many years the pressure to marry a wife and propriate an heir kept getting stronger
and stronger on Nicholas. When the Tsar got ill in 1894 Nicholas declared he would marry Alix
or no one.4 This was however one of the few if only times in his life that Nicholas ever asserted
his will against any opposition. While Tsar Alexander was dying of Nephritis in the palace at
Livadia, Nicholas summoned Alix to be with him. The tsar died on November 1st , 1894 and
Nicholas broke down crying, unprepared to accept the mantle of his father as well as the fate of
millions in the Empire.5 Nicholas immediately wanted to get married and he had to arrange the
funeral of his father and the massive scale of preparations it entailed. Nicholas sadly did not
know where to start and he allowed his uncles to run the show. Alexandra feeling unnoticed was
quick to remark to Nicky that he was the Tsar, and that everyone and everything should come to
him, not his Russian uncles.6 This tendency to give sway and bow to the will of others was not
something his father would have done and this would later prove to be disastrous in the future to
come.
The wedding of Nicholas and Alexandra was followed by the Coronation of a new Tsar
and Tsarina on May 26th, 1896. The Khodynka affair of may 27th would forever be a stain on
the reign of Nicholas and he had no direct control and activity to do with it. This feast is held
the day after the coronation of a Tsar and a public field (Khodynka field) for the masses. Food,
drink, coronation souvenirs are given to the people. The city government of Moscow under the
4Van Der Kiste, John. 1998. The Romanovs 1818-1959. Gloucestershire, England.
Sutton Publishing Limited
5Maylunas, Andrei, and Sergei Mironenko. 1997. A lifelong Passion: Nicholas &
6 idib
Alexandra. Their Own Story. New York, New York. Doubleday Publishing
7
direction of Nicholas’s uncle The Grand Duke Serge simply was not prepared for the number of
people who showed up. Because the proper preparations had not been made almost 1500 people
died and their bodies were later thrown into open ditches.7The Imperial Family turned on each
other and most laid blame at the Grand Duke Serge’s door (Uncle of Nicholas) but Nicholas did
not accept his resignation. Later that night there was a Coronation ball being held by the French
Ambassador with and Nicholas by his own admission (diary entry) wanted to cancel it and spend
the time in prayer. The uncles (Vladimir, Alexi, Serge, and Paul) all convinced him not to in
order to not offend their allies, the French. His Nicky’s cousin and brother in-law the Grand
Duke Sergei (Sandro) and his 3 brothers all left in protest, Uncle Alexi turned to the French
Ambassador and said “There go the four Imperial Followers of Robespierre”.8 This event and
the tragedy that followed it further put a reign started in suspicion under further ill- repute.
When you add in the fact that Nicholas could never say no to his Mother and while they were
very loving, Nicholas and Alexandra were newly-weds and unnecessary friction was caused
between the two parties (The Empress Dowager and the New Tsarina). When you add to it that
in Russia the Dowager Empress outranks any new Empress this too caused many unnecessary
problems between the young couple and the Dowager.
Nicholas was already starting to show traits that he was weak, timid, and did not have the
backbone to go up against older men. Had Nicky followed what he originally thought
appropriate then the people would not have always blamed him for the disaster. The Grand
Duke Sandra said that “Nicholas spent the first ten years of his reign sitting behind a massive
7Maylunas, Andrei, and Sergei Mironenko. 1997. A lifelong Passion: Nicholas
& Alexandra. Their Own Story. New York, New York. Doubleday Publishing.
8 idib
8
desk in the palace and listening with near-awe to the well-rehearsed bellowing of his towering
uncles”.9
9Massey, Robert K. 1967. Nicholas and Alexandra. Canada. Mclelland and Stewart,
Ltd.
9
1905-1914
Nineteen Hundred and Five would be the year that would become the penultimate year
for the Russian Autocracy and the Romanov Dynasty. The nine years prior Nicholas and
Alexandra had secluded themselves at Tsarskoe Selo (Imperial Village) for many reasons.
Alexandra disliked Russian society and they in turn returned it in kind. During this time
Alexandra gave birth to four daughters, none of which could inherit the Imperial Throne because
of the Pauline Law passed by Tsar Paul. This pressure drew the Tsar and Tsarina even closer but
this was also political suicide. The war with Japan was lost and Russia was humiliated, as well
as what came to be known as Bloody Sunday further eroded what love the people felt for their
Tsar (little Father). Hundreds of marchers went to the Winter Palace to see the Tsar not realizing
that Nicholas was not even in St. Petersburgh. Nicholas was alerted about what was then a
peaceful workers march and did not deem it important enough to go to the city but the soldiers
became agitated and shooting started and over 1000 killed and 2000 wounded later came to call
the Tsar Bloody Nicholas. Once again had Nicholas acted rather than being indecisive or inept
then another catastrophe might have been avoided. The only saving grace and possibly the only
good news the people reacted to was the birth of the Tsarevich Alexis. Sadly, Nicholas and
Alexandra erred again because Alexis was born with hemophilia which had been inherited
through his mother. Rather than share this within the family they withdrew even further into
their bubble and eradicated any support for Alexandra within the family they might have
garnered. This too was another fatal error in the lover’s cocoon.
10
Nicholas and Alexandra both were born into worlds with privileges most people could
not dream about. Both were born into Reigning Royal Families and yet at the same time both
seemed to have forgotten the biggest maxim of Royalty. Nicholas the First of Russia many times
proclaimed himself the “First Servant of the State” and it was the same principle of Alix’s
grandmother and grandfather (Victoria and Albert), that those born into wealth and power have a
duty to those that are not.10 The fact that Nicholas had year by year become more of a fool living
in paradise.
With the entrance of Russia into world war I, Nicholas had been overconfident in two
things, one being his personal relations with the Kaiser and two the Russian ability to make a
modern war. When Nicholas took the decision to lead the troops personally from the front and
he left Alexandra to rule as de-facto regent he made the most fatal of all his mistakes. Alexandra
had never been liked by the Russian society and because of her German heritage she was even
more an epithet of the people’s angers despite the fact that she hated and despised the Kaiser
Wilhelm (her first cousin). Could their tragic fate have been avoided? The simple answer is yes.
While Nicholas is known to have been a fatalist and deeply devout he in his own diary said that
“God meant me to Rule, whatever happens is his will”.11 Nicholas was not trained by his own
father to be the Autocrat that Nicky thought he was, he neither had to ability to pick a minister
and trust him to do the job.
10 Perry, John Curtis and Constantine Pleshakov. 1999. The Flight of the Romanovs.
New York, New York. Basic Books.
11 idib
11
While being great parents and honoring his wife and Empress at the same time, Nicholas
excelled at this. He and Alix both are known to have been loyal friends, brooking no opposition
with their close friends (example : Anna Vyruba) but when it came to being the supreme autocrat
Nicholas lacked a spine. While being supreme autocrat he was also Head of the Romanov
Family and Nicholas could not even stand up to nor make mind his numerous relatives. Had
Nicholas taken action in 1905 with the riots and shot the strikers, protesters, or even exiled them
to Siberia like his Great-Grandfather did with the Decembrist Revolt almost 50 years earlier then
the people would have known he meant business, and this would not be tolerated just like in his
father’s reign. Nicholas also could have made sure his heir whether it be Alexei or his brother
(who eventually succeeded him) Michael Alexandrovitch was well trained and prepared to rule.
He did not. Alexandra would not let him train Michael, nor give him the title of Tsarevitch.12
Nicholas could have avoided the war with Japan. What did Russians need with Korea? He also
could have avoided World War I by not starting the domino effect mobilization in defense of the
Slavic people, and most importantly he could have stood up to his wife and her meddling in state
affairs. A ruler who does not first serve his people is no ruler.
12 Van Der Kiste, John. 1998. The Romanovs 1818-1959. Gloucestershire,
England. Sutton Publishing Limited.
12
Epilogue:
On July 17th, 1918 Nicholas and his family were executed in Yekaterinburg in one of the
most violent executions to this day. Husband and wife, all 5 children, and several members of
their household where all shot multiple times and the bodies later disposed of horribly. Most
members of the Imperial family were also assassinated, and their bodies disposed of as well.
One hundred years later Nicholas and Alexandra have been canonized by the Russian Orthodox
church (both home and abroad). Their lives are testaments that sometimes love simply isn’t
enough.
Bibliography:
13
Primary Sources :
Massey, Robert K. 1967. Nicholas and Alexandra. Canada. Mclelland and Stewart,
Ltd.
Maylunas, Andrei, and Sergei Mironenko. 1997. A lifelong Passion: Nicholas &
Alexandra. Their Own Story. New York, New York. Doubleday
Publishing.
Romanov, Alexander, Grand Duke of Russia. 1932. Twilight of Royalty. Ray Long and
New York. Richard R. Smith Publishing
Romanov, Marie, Grand Duchess of Russia. 1930. The Education of a Princess.
New York, NY. Macmillan Publishing.
14
Secondary Sources:
Massie, Robert K. 1995. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter. New York, New York.
Random House Publishing.
Perry, John Curtis and Constantine Pleshakov. 1999. The Flight of the Romanovs.
New York, New York. Basic Books.
Van Der Kiste, John. 1998. The Romanovs 1818-1959. Gloucestershire, England.
Sutton Publishing Limited.
Radzinsky, Edward. 1992. The Last Tsar: The Life and Death of Nicholas II.
New York, New York. Doubleday Publishing..
