The last days of Emperor Nicholas 2. The last days of the life of the Romanovs. "Now it's their turn."

Student Beloborodov’s secret telegram to the Secretary of the Council of People’s Commissars, Gorbunov, dated July 17, 1918, reads: “Tell Sverdlov that the whole family suffered the same fate as the head, officially the family will die during the evacuation.” The story of the tragic death royal family

Today it has acquired many legends, versions and opinions. It is probably no longer possible to completely reliably establish some facts, taking into account the fact that initially all the information was completely classified by the Bolsheviks and deliberately distorted. And in this article we only provide information from various historical and literary sources.

“On Lenin’s conscience, as the main organizer, is the destruction of the royal family: the former Tsar Nicholas II, who voluntarily abdicated the throne, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and their five children - son Alexei and daughters Olga, Maria, Tatiana and Anastasia. Along with them, Doctor B.S. Botkin, room girl Demidova, servant Troup and cook Tikhomirov were killed. This monstrous act was committed in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918" - Arutyunov A. A. "VLADIMIR ULYANOV (LENIN) Documents. Data. Evidence. Research".

All victims fell. The death of the Tsar, Empress, three children and footman Troupe was instantaneous. Tsarevich Alexei was on his last legs, the youngest Grand Duchess was alive. Yurovsky finished off the Tsarevich with several shots from his revolver; the executioners finished off Anastasia Nikolaevna with bayonets, who was screaming and fighting back. When everything calmed down, Yurovsky, Voikov and two Latvians examined the executed, firing a few more bullets into some of them for good measure or piercing them with bayonets. Voikov said that it was terrible picture.

The corpses lay on the floor in nightmarish poses, with faces disfigured from horror and blood. The floor became completely slippery... Only Yurovsky was calm. He calmly examined the corpses, removing all the jewelry from them... Having established the death of everyone, they began to clean up... The room in which the beating took place was hastily put in order, trying mainly to hide traces of blood, which, in the literal expression of the narrator , "shoved with brooms." By three (six) o'clock in the morning everything in this regard was completed. (From the testimony of M. Tomashevsky, data from the commission of I.A. Sergeev).

Yurovsky gave the order, and the Latvians began to carry the corpses across the yard to the truck parked at the entrance. ...We set off outside the city to a pre-prepared place near one of the mines. Yurovsky left with the car. Voikov remained in the city, as he had to prepare everything necessary to destroy the corpses. For this work, 15 responsible members of the Yekaterinburg and Verkhne-Isetsk party organizations were allocated. All were equipped with new, sharpened axes of the type that are used in butcher shops for chopping up carcasses. Voikov, in addition, prepared sulfuric acid and gasoline...

The hardest work was cutting up corpses. Voikov remembers this picture with an involuntary shudder. He said that when this work was completed, near the mine lay a huge bloody mass of human stumps, arms, legs, torsos, heads. This bloody mass was poured with gasoline and sulfuric acid and immediately burned. They burned for two days. The stocks of gasoline and sulfuric acid taken were not enough. We had to bring in new supplies from Yekaterinburg several times... It was a terrible picture,” Voikov concluded. - Even Yurovsky, in the end, could not stand it and said that a few more days like this, and he would have gone crazy.

Towards the end we began to hurry. They raked into a heap everything that was left of the burned remains of those executed, threw several hand grenades into the mine to break through the never-melting ice in it, and threw a bunch of burnt bones into the resulting hole... At the top, on the platform near the mine, they dug up the earth and they covered it with leaves and moss to hide the traces of the fire... Yurovsky left immediately after July 6 (19), taking with him seven large chests full of Romanov goods. He undoubtedly shared the spoils with his friends in Moscow.

One of the even more monstrous versions about the last days of the Romanovs is described in the historical chronicle of S. A. Mesyats “SEVEN COMMENTS ON THE COMMUNIST PARTY” (Commentary 5 THE HISTORY OF THE KILLINGS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY): “Shortly before the execution of the Tsar, the Bolsheviks committed a monstrous crime. They raped members of the imperial family, including the emperor himself. The boy Alexei was also supposed to be raped, but the act of pedophilia did not occur: Nicholas II, in order to save the prince, took upon himself torment and humiliation for the second time. This may seem incredible, and for a long time I myself did not believe that this was possible. ...But read the officially published “Diaries of Emperor Nicholas II” (M., 1991, p. 682).

There is not a word about the crime itself, but what do the entries from May 24 and 25, 1918 mean: “All day I suffered from pain from hemorrhoidal cones... Dear Alix (wife - S.M.) spent his birthday in bed with severe pain in his legs and in other places!” The Emperor, neither before nor after this, does not express a single complaint about hemorrhoids, but this is a long and painful disease that lasts for months and years. And what is this “dr. places"? Why did the emperor not even dare to name them in his personal diary? Why did I mark them with a meaningful exclamation mark?

After these entries, 3 days in a row were missed, although Nicholas II made entries daily for 24 years without missing a single day. This rule was not even affected by the abdication of the throne - an event that disrupted the natural course of events in the imperial family and throughout Russia. (Perhaps the rapists tore out several incriminating pages from the diary: it is difficult to believe that the emperor’s punctuality was so unexpectedly violated). What so extraordinary happened on the 20th of May 1918? Since there are no intelligible answers to these questions, we are forced to accept that nightmare version.

Last days life of the Romanovs.

The history of the tragic death of the royal family today is overgrown with many legends and versions.

Beloborodov’s secret telegram to the Secretary of the Council of People’s Commissars, Gorbunov, dated July 17, 1918, reads: “Tell Sverdlov that the whole family suffered the same fate as the head, officially the family will die during the evacuation.” The story of the tragic death of the royal family today is overgrown with many legends, versions and opinions. It is probably no longer possible to completely reliably establish some facts, taking into account the fact that initially all the information was completely classified by the Bolsheviks and deliberately distorted. And in this article we only provide information from various historical and literary sources.

The Romanov dynasty began in the Ipatiev Monastery, from where Mikhail Romanov was called to the throne, and ended in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. On April 30, 1918, the family of Nicholas II entered these doors, never to leave them again. After 78 days, the bodies of the last tsar, his wife, four daughters and the heir to the Russian throne were taken from the basement where they were shot by truck to the Ganina pit.

Hundreds of publications are devoted to the history of the execution of the royal family. Ten times less is known about how the crowned spouses and their children spent the last two and a half months before their execution. Historians told Russian Planet what life was like in the House special purpose, as the Bolsheviks called the Ipatiev House in the late spring - early summer of 1918.

Domestic terror

Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Maria were brought from Tobolsk to the requisitioned mansion of retired military engineer Ipatiev. Three more daughters and the heir to the throne Alexei joined them later - they waited in Tobolsk until the Tsarevich could get back on his feet after his injury, and arrived at the Ipatiev House only on May 23. Also allowed to live with the Romanovs were the royal family's physician Evgeniy Botkin, the chamberlain Aloysius Trupp, the Empress's room girl Anna Demidova, the senior cook of the imperial kitchen Ivan Kharitonov and the cook Leonid Sednev, who shared their sad fate.

Ipatiev's house. Source: wikipedia.org

“The history of the stay of the family of the last Russian emperor and its entourage in Yekaterinburg is unique in terms of its study in that we can reconstruct events from the memories of both the prisoners themselves and their guards,” historian Stepan Novichikhin tells a RP correspondent. - All 78 days spent in custody in the Ipatiev House, Nicholas II, Maria Fedorovna and the Grand Duchesses kept diaries, according to the custom established in the royal family. They knew that they could be read at any moment, but they did not hide their thoughts, thus showing their contempt for the jailers. Many of those who kept citizen Romanov in custody also left their memories - it was here, in the Ipatiev House, that it was henceforth forbidden to address Nicholas II as “Your Majesty.”

The Bolsheviks decided to turn Ipatiev’s house into a prison for citizen Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov, as he was now supposed to be called, because of the convenient location of the building. The spacious two-story mansion was located on a hill in the suburbs of Yekaterinburg, the surrounding area was clearly visible. The requisitioned house was one of the best in the city - it had electricity and running water. All that remained was to build a high double fence around it to prevent all attempts to free the prisoners or lynching them, and to post guards with machine guns.

Immediately after arriving at the Ipatiev House, the guards conducted a thorough search of all the luggage of the imperial family, which lasted several hours, historian Ivan Silantiev tells the RP correspondent. - They even opened bottles of medicine. Nicholas II was so enraged by the mocking inspection that almost for the first time in his life he lost his temper. This most intelligent of kings never raised his voice or used rude words. And here he spoke extremely categorically, saying: “Until now, I have dealt with honest and decent people.” This search was only the beginning of systematic humiliation, from which the “natural feeling of modesty” suffered, as Nicholas II wrote.

In Yekaterinburg, the royal prisoners were treated incomparably harsher than in Tobolsk. There they were guarded by riflemen of the former guards regiments, and here by Red Guards recruited from former workers of the Sysert and Zlokazov factories, many of whom went through prisons and hard labor. To take revenge on citizen Romanov, they used all means. The deprivations associated with hygiene turned out to be the most sensitive for the royal family.

Nicholas II often notes in his diary whether he managed to take a bath that day or not, says Stepan Novichikhin. - The inability to wash was extremely painful for the clean emperor. The Grand Duchesses were extremely embarrassed by the need to visit the common water closet, as they called it, under the supervision of security. Moreover, the guards decorated all the walls of the latrine with cynical drawings and inscriptions on the topic of the empress’s relationship with Rasputin. The cleanliness of the faience vessel was so questionable that Nicholas II and Doctor Botkin hung a piece of paper on the wall with the inscription “We kindly ask you to leave the chair as clean as you occupied it.” The call had no effect. Moreover, the guards did not consider it shameful to take a spoon from the dinner table and try food from other people’s plates, after which the Romanovs, of course, could not continue the meal. Minor everyday abuse also included singing indecent ditties and revolutionary songs under the windows that shocked royal family. The windows themselves were whitewashed with lime, after which the rooms became dark and gloomy. The prisoners could not even see the sky.

There were even bigger problems. So, one of the guards shot at Princess Anastasia when she went to the window to get some fresh air. By luck, the bullet missed. The security guard said that he was doing his duty - allegedly the girl was trying to give some signs. Although it was obvious that through the high double fence surrounding the Ipatiev House, no one could see them. They also shot at Nicholas II himself, who stood on the windowsill to view the Red Army soldiers marching to the front through the painted window. Machine gunner Kabanov recalled with pleasure how, after the shot, Romanov “fell head over heels” from the windowsill and never got up on it again.

With the tacit approval of the first commandant of the Ipatiev House, Alexander Avdeev, the guards stole valuables that belonged to the imperial family and rummaged through their personal belongings. Most of the products that were brought to the royal table by novices from the nearby Novo-Tikhvin convent ended up on the table of the Red Army soldiers.

Only Joy survived

Nicholas II and his relatives perceived all humiliation and bullying with feeling inner dignity. Ignoring external circumstances, they tried to build a normal life.

Every day the Romanovs gathered between 7 and 8 a.m. in the living room. Together they read prayers and sang spiritual chants. Then the commandant conducted a mandatory daily roll call, and only after that the family received the right to go about their business. Once a day they were allowed to go for a walk fresh air, in the garden behind the house. We were only allowed to walk for an hour. When Nicholas II asked why, he was told: “To make it look like a prison regime.”

The former autocrat, in order to keep himself in good physical shape, enjoyed chopping and sawing wood. When allowed, he carried Tsarevich Alexei for a walk in his arms. Weak legs could not support the sick boy, who hurt himself again and suffered from another attack of hemophilia. His father put him in a special stroller and rolled him around the garden. I collected flowers for my son and tried to entertain him. Sometimes Alexei was carried out into the garden by his older sister Olga. The Tsarevich loved to play with his spaniel named Joy. Three other family members had their own dogs: Maria Feodorovna, Tatyana and Anastasia. All of them were subsequently killed along with their mistresses because they started barking while trying to protect them.

Only Joy survived, says Ivan Silantiev. “The morning after the execution, he stood in front of the locked rooms and waited. And when he realized that the doors would not open again, he howled. He was taken by one of the guards, who felt sorry for the dog, but Joy soon ran away from him. When Yekaterinburg was captured by the White Czechs, the spaniel was found on Ganina Yama. One of the officers identified him and took him in. He went into exile with him, where he passed on the last living memory of the Romanovs to their English relatives - the family of George V. The dog lived to a ripe old age in Buckingham Palace. Perhaps it was a silent rebuke to the British monarch who refused to accept the family of the deposed Russian emperor in 1917, which would have saved their lives.

Nicholas II read a lot in prison: the Gospel, the stories of Leikin, Averchenko, Apukhtin’s novels, Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” Saltykov-Shchedrin’s “Poshekhon Antiquity” - in general, everything that could be found in the bookcase of the former owner of the house, engineer Ipatiev. In the evenings, I played my favorite games with my wife and daughters - card bezique and backgammon, that is, backgammon. When Alexandra Fedorovna could get out of bed, she read spiritual literature, painted watercolors, and embroidered. I personally gave my husband a haircut so that he would look neat.

To relieve boredom, the princesses also read a lot and often sang in chorus - mostly spiritual and folk songs. They played solitaire and played trick-or-treating. They washed and mended their things. When cleaners from the city came to the House of Special Purpose to wash the floors, they helped them move the beds and clean the rooms. Then they decided to take lessons from chef Kharitonov. We kneaded the dough ourselves and baked the bread. The father, stingy with praise, assessed the results of their work in his diary in one word - “Not bad!”

Together with their mother, the Grand Duchesses often “prepared medicines” - this is how Maria Feodorovna encrypted in her diary an attempt to save family jewelry, continues Ivan Silantiev. “She sought to preserve as many diamonds and gems as possible, which could help bribe the guards or provide the family with a normal life in exile. Together with her daughters, she sewed stones into clothes, belts, and hats. Later, during the execution, the mother’s thriftiness will play a cruel joke on the princesses. The precious chain mail into which their dresses will eventually turn will save the girls from being shot. The executioners will have to finish them off with bayonets, which will prolong the torment.

Executioner instead of "bastard"

Observing the dignified life of the imperial family, the guards involuntarily gained respect for her.

Therefore, it was decided to change the guards and appoint a new commandant of the Special Purpose House. On July 4, when there were only 12 days left before the execution, Yakov Yurovsky came to replace the always half-drunk Alexander Avdeev, whom Nicholas II, who never used swear words, dubbed “bastard” in his diary, says Stepan Novichikhin. - He wrote with indignation about his predecessor that he gladly accepted cigarettes from the hands of the emperor and smoked with him, respectfully addressing him: “Nikolai Alexandrovich.” The Bolsheviks needed a less tolerant commandant who did not know pity. The fanatic Yurovsky was ideal for the role of jailer and executioner. He replaced the internal guards of the Special Purpose House with Latvian riflemen, who poorly understood Russian and were famous for their cruelty. They all worked in the Cheka.

With the advent of Yurovsky, who brought strict order, the life of Nicholas II’s family even improved for some time. The stern commandant put an end to the theft of food and personal belongings of the imperial family, and sealed chests and jewelry. However, the Romanovs soon realized that Yurovsky’s fanatical adherence to principles did not bode well. When a grill was installed on the only window that was periodically allowed to be kept open, Nicholas II wrote in his diary: “We like this guy less and less.” And on July 11, the new jailer forbade the novices of the monastery from delivering cheese, cream and eggs for the royal prisoners. Then he will again allow you to bring the package - but already in last time, the day before the execution.

The family of the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas Romanov, was killed in 1918. Due to the concealment of facts by the Bolsheviks, a number of alternative versions appear. For a long time there were rumors that turned the murder of the royal family into a legend. There were theories that one of his children escaped.

What really happened in the summer of 1918 near Yekaterinburg? You will find the answer to this question in our article.

Background

Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century was one of the most economically developed countries peace. Nikolai Alexandrovich, who came to power, turned out to be a meek and noble man. In spirit he was not an autocrat, but an officer. Therefore, with his views on life, it was difficult to manage the crumbling state.

The revolution of 1905 showed the insolvency of the government and its isolation from the people. In fact, there were two powers in the country. The official one is the emperor, and the real one is officials, nobles and landowners. It was the latter who, with their greed, licentiousness and short-sightedness, destroyed the once great power.

Strikes and rallies, demonstrations and grain riots, famine. All this indicated decline. The only way out could be the accession to the throne of an imperious and tough ruler who could take complete control of the country.

Nicholas II was not like that. It was focused on construction railways, churches, improving the economy and culture in society. He managed to make progress in these areas. But positive changes affected mainly only the top of society, while the majority of ordinary residents remained at the level of the Middle Ages. Splinters, wells, carts and everyday life of peasants and craftsmen.

After joining Russian Empire to the First world war The people's discontent only intensified. The execution of the royal family became the apotheosis of general madness. Next we will look at this crime in more detail.

Now it is important to note the following. After the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II and his brother from the throne, soldiers, workers and peasants began to take the leading roles in the state. People who have not previously dealt with management, who have a minimal level of culture and superficial judgments, gain power.

Small local commissars wanted to curry favor with the higher ranks. The rank and file and junior officers simply mindlessly followed orders. Time of Troubles, which came during these turbulent years, brought unfavorable elements to the surface.

Next you will see more photos of the Romanov royal family. If you look at them carefully, you will notice that the clothes of the emperor, his wife and children are by no means pompous. They are no different from the peasants and guards who surrounded them in exile.
Let's figure out what really happened in Yekaterinburg in July 1918.

Course of events

The execution of the royal family was planned and prepared for quite a long time. While power was still in the hands of the Provisional Government, they tried to protect them. Therefore, after the events in July 1917 in Petrograd, the emperor, his wife, children and retinue were transferred to Tobolsk.

The place was deliberately chosen to be calm. But in fact, they found one from which it was difficult to escape. By that time railways have not yet been extended to Tobolsk. The nearest station was two hundred and eighty kilometers away.

They sought to protect the emperor's family, so the exile to Tobolsk became for Nicholas II a respite before the subsequent nightmare. The king, queen, their children and retinue stayed there for more than six months.

But in April, after a fierce struggle for power, the Bolsheviks recalled “unfinished business.” A decision is made to transport the entire imperial family to Yekaterinburg, which at that time was a stronghold of the red movement.

The first to be transferred from Petrograd to Perm was Prince Mikhail, the Tsar’s brother. At the end of March, their son Mikhail and three children of Konstantin Konstantinovich were deported to Vyatka. Later, the last four are transferred to Yekaterinburg.

The main reason for the transfer to the east was Nikolai Alexandrovich’s family ties with the German Emperor Wilhelm, as well as the proximity of the Entente to Petrograd. The revolutionaries feared the release of the Tsar and the restoration of the monarchy.

The role of Yakovlev, who was tasked with transporting the emperor and his family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg, is interesting. He knew about the assassination attempt on the Tsar that was being prepared by the Siberian Bolsheviks.

Judging by the archives, there are two opinions of experts. The first ones say that in reality this is Konstantin Myachin. And he received a directive from the Center to “deliver the Tsar and his family to Moscow.” The latter are inclined to believe that Yakovlev was a European spy who intended to save the emperor by taking him to Japan through Omsk and Vladivostok.

After arriving in Yekaterinburg, all prisoners were placed in Ipatiev’s mansion. A photo of the Romanov royal family was preserved when Yakovlev handed it over to the Urals Council. The place of detention among the revolutionaries was called a “house of special purpose.”

Here they were kept for seventy-eight days. The relationship of the convoy to the emperor and his family will be discussed in more detail below. For now, it is important to focus on the fact that it was rude and boorish. They were robbed, psychologically and morally oppressed, abused so that they were not noticeable outside the walls of the mansion.

Considering the results of the investigations, we will take a closer look at the night when the monarch with his family and retinue were shot. Now we note that the execution took place at approximately half past two in the morning. Life physician Botkin, on the orders of the revolutionaries, woke up all the prisoners and went down with them to the basement.

A terrible crime took place there. Yurovsky commanded. He blurted out a prepared phrase that “they are trying to save them, and the matter cannot be delayed.” None of the prisoners understood anything. Nicholas II only had time to ask that what was said be repeated, but the soldiers, frightened by the horror of the situation, began to shoot indiscriminately. Moreover, several punishers fired from another room through the doorway. According to eyewitnesses, not everyone was killed the first time. Some were finished off with a bayonet.

Thus, this indicates a hasty and unprepared operation. The execution became lynching, which the Bolsheviks, who had lost their heads, resorted to.

Government disinformation

The execution of the royal family still remains an unsolved mystery of Russian history. Responsibility for this atrocity may lie both with Lenin and Sverdlov, for whom the Urals Soviet simply provided an alibi, and directly with the Siberian revolutionaries, who succumbed to general panic and lost their heads in wartime conditions.

Nevertheless, immediately after the atrocity, the government began a campaign to whiten its reputation. Among researchers studying this period, the latest actions are called a “disinformation campaign.”

The death of the royal family was proclaimed the only necessary measure. Since, judging by the ordered Bolshevik articles, a counter-revolutionary conspiracy was uncovered. Some white officers planned to attack the Ipatiev mansion and free the emperor and his family.

The second point, which was furiously hidden for many years, was that eleven people were shot. The Emperor, his wife, five children and four servants.

The events of the crime were not disclosed for several years. Official recognition was given only in 1925. This decision was prompted by the publication of a book in Western Europe that outlined the results of Sokolov’s investigation. Then Bykov is instructed to write about “the current course of events.” This brochure was published in Sverdlovsk in 1926.

Nevertheless, the lies of the Bolsheviks at the international level, as well as hiding the truth from the common people, shook faith in power. and its consequences, according to Lykova, became the reason for people's distrust of the government, which did not change even in post-Soviet times.

The fate of the remaining Romanovs

The execution of the royal family had to be prepared. A similar “warm-up” was the liquidation of the Emperor’s brother Mikhail Alexandrovich and his personal secretary.
On the night from the twelfth to the thirteenth of June 1918, they were forcibly taken from the Perm hotel outside the city. They were shot in the forest, and their remains have not yet been discovered.

A statement was made to the international press that Grand Duke was kidnapped by attackers and went missing. For Russia, the official version was the escape of Mikhail Alexandrovich.

The main purpose of such a statement was to speed up the trial of the emperor and his family. They started a rumor that the escapee could contribute to the release of the “bloody tyrant” from “just punishment.”

It was not only the last royal family that suffered. In Vologda, eight people related to the Romanovs were also killed. The victims include the princes of the imperial blood Igor, Ivan and Konstantin Konstantinovich, Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Prince Paley, manager and cell attendant.

All of them were thrown into the Nizhnyaya Selimskaya mine, not far from the city of Alapaevsk. Only he resisted and was shot. The rest were stunned and thrown down alive. In 2009, they were all canonized as martyrs.

But the thirst for blood did not subside. In January 1919, four more Romanovs were also shot in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Nikolai and Georgy Mikhailovich, Dmitry Konstantinovich and Pavel Alexandrovich. The official version of the revolutionary committee was the following: the liquidation of hostages in response to the murder of Liebknecht and Luxemburg in Germany.

Memoirs of contemporaries

Researchers have tried to reconstruct how members of the royal family were killed. The best way to cope with this is the testimony of the people who were present there.
The first such source is notes from Trotsky’s personal diary. He noted that the blame lies with local authorities. He especially singled out the names of Stalin and Sverdlov as the people who made this decision. Lev Davidovich writes that as Czechoslovak troops approached, Stalin’s phrase that “the Tsar cannot be handed over to the White Guards” became a death sentence.

But scientists doubt the accurate reflection of events in the notes. They were made in the late thirties, when he was working on a biography of Stalin. A number of mistakes were made there, indicating that Trotsky forgot many of those events.

The second evidence is information from Milyutin’s diary, which mentions the murder of the royal family. He writes that Sverdlov came to the meeting and asked Lenin to speak. As soon as Yakov Mikhailovich said that the Tsar was gone, Vladimir Ilyich abruptly changed the topic and continued the meeting as if the previous phrase had not happened.

The history of the royal family in the last days of its life is most fully reconstructed from the interrogation protocols of the participants in these events. People from the guard, punitive and funeral squads testified several times.

Although they are often confused, the main idea remains the same. All the Bolsheviks who were close to the tsar in recent months had complaints against him. Some were in prison themselves in the past, others had relatives. In general, they gathered a contingent of former prisoners.

In Yekaterinburg, anarchists and Socialist Revolutionaries put pressure on the Bolsheviks. In order not to lose authority, the local council decided to quickly put an end to this matter. Moreover, there was a rumor that Lenin wanted to exchange the royal family for a reduction in the amount of indemnity.

According to the participants, it was the only solution. In addition, many of them boasted during interrogations that they personally killed the emperor. Some with one, and some with three shots. Judging by the diaries of Nikolai and his wife, the workers guarding them were often drunk. That's why real events cannot be restored for certain.

What happened to the remains

The murder of the royal family took place secretly and was planned to be kept secret. But those responsible for the disposal of the remains failed to cope with their task.

A very large funeral team was assembled. Yurovsky had to send many back to the city “as unnecessary.”

According to the testimony of the participants in the process, they spent several days with the task. At first it was planned to burn the clothes and throw the naked bodies into the mine and cover them with earth. But the collapse did not work out. I had to remove the remains of the royal family and come up with another way.

It was decided to burn them or bury them along the road that was just under construction. The preliminary plan was to disfigure the bodies with sulfuric acid beyond recognition. It is clear from the protocols that two corpses were burned and the rest were buried.

Presumably the body of Alexei and one of the servant girls burned.

The second difficulty was that the team was busy all night, and in the morning travelers began to appear. An order was given to cordon off the area and prohibit travel from the neighboring village. But the secrecy of the operation was hopelessly failed.

The investigation showed that attempts to bury the bodies were near shaft No. 7 and the 184th crossing. In particular, they were discovered near the latter in 1991.

Kirsta's investigation

On July 26-27, 1918, peasants discovered a golden cross with precious stones. The find was immediately delivered to Lieutenant Sheremetyev, who was hiding from the Bolsheviks in the village of Koptyaki. It was carried out, but later the case was assigned to Kirsta.

He began to study the testimony of witnesses pointing to the murder of the Romanov royal family. The information confused and frightened him. The investigator did not expect that this was not the consequences of a military court, but a criminal case.

He began questioning witnesses who gave conflicting testimony. But based on them, Kirsta concluded that perhaps only the emperor and his heir were shot. The rest of the family was taken to Perm.

It seems that this investigator set himself the goal of proving that not the entire Romanov royal family was killed. Even after he clearly confirmed the crime, Kirsta continued to interrogate more people.

So, over time, he finds a certain doctor Utochkin, who proved that he treated Princess Anastasia. Then another witness spoke about the transfer of the emperor’s wife and some of the children to Perm, which she knew about from rumors.

After Kirsta completely confused the case, it was given to another investigator.

Sokolov's investigation

Kolchak, who came to power in 1919, ordered Dieterichs to understand how the Romanov royal family was killed. The latter entrusted this case to the investigator for particularly important cases of the Omsk District.

His last name was Sokolov. This man began to investigate the murder of the royal family from scratch. Although all the paperwork was handed over to him, he did not trust Kirsta’s confusing protocols.

Sokolov again visited the mine, as well as Ipatiev’s mansion. Inspection of the house was made difficult by the location of the Czech army headquarters there. However, a German inscription on the wall was discovered, a quote from Heine's verse about the monarch being killed by his subjects. The words were clearly scratched out after the city was lost to the Reds.

In addition to documents on Yekaterinburg, the investigator was sent cases on the Perm murder of Prince Mikhail and on the crime against the princes in Alapaevsk.

After the Bolsheviks recapture this region, Sokolov takes all office work to Harbin, and then to Western Europe. Photos of the royal family, diaries, evidence, etc. were evacuated.

He published the results of the investigation in 1924 in Paris. In 1997, Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, transferred all paperwork to the Russian government. In exchange, he was given the archives of his family, taken away during the Second World War.

Modern investigation

In 1979, a group of enthusiasts led by Ryabov and Avdonin archival documents discovered a burial near the 184 km station. In 1991, the latter stated that he knew where the remains of the executed emperor were. An investigation was re-launched to finally shed light on the murder of the royal family.

The main work on this case was carried out in the archives of the two capitals and in the cities that appeared in the reports of the twenties. Protocols, letters, telegrams, photos of the royal family and their diaries were studied. In addition, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, research was carried out in the archives of most countries Western Europe and the USA.

The investigation of the burial was carried out by the senior prosecutor-criminologist Soloviev. In general, he confirmed all of Sokolov’s materials. His message to Patriarch Alexei II states that “under the conditions of that time, the complete destruction of the corpses was impossible.”

In addition, the investigation of the late 20th - early 21st centuries completely refuted alternative versions events that we will talk about later.
The canonization of the royal family was carried out in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, and in Russia - in 2000.

Since the Bolsheviks tried to keep this crime secret, rumors spread, contributing to the formation of alternative versions.

So, according to one of them, it was a ritual murder as a result of a conspiracy of Jewish Freemasons. One of the investigator's assistants testified that he saw "kabbalistic symbols" on the walls of the basement. When checked, these turned out to be traces of bullets and bayonets.

According to Dieterichs' theory, the emperor's head was cut off and preserved in alcohol. The finds of remains also refuted this crazy idea.

Rumors spread by the Bolsheviks and false testimonies of “eyewitnesses” gave rise to a series of versions about the people who escaped. But photographs of the royal family in the last days of their lives do not confirm them. And also the found and identified remains refute these versions.

Only after all the facts of this crime were proven, the canonization of the royal family took place in Russia. This explains why it was held 19 years later than abroad.

So, in this article we got acquainted with the circumstances and investigation of one of the most terrible atrocities in the history of Russia in the twentieth century.

Most of the Russian tsars of the great Romanov dynasty lived relatively short life. Last Russian Emperor Nicholas II is no exception. Martyrdom is far from the only secret of the royal family. What other amazing facts does history keep about the Romanovs?

Direct descendant of the Romanov dynasty

Nicholas II is a descendant of the great Romanov dynasty, which dates back to 1613. She remained in power for 304 years until February revolution 1917.

Nikolai had titles since birth. He accepted the throne in 1894 in Crimea after the death of his father Alexandra III. His predecessor died in a terrorist attack organized by the populists. Three weeks after ascending the throne, he married Alexandra Feodorovna. Since during this period there was still mourning for the departed father, the honeymoon passed in the atmosphere of funeral services.

Not many people know that amazing fact that the sovereign was like two peas in a pod like his cousin on his mother’s side. In adolescence, “George” and “Nicky” were confused even by close relatives. The “double” was destined to become English king George V.

Nicholas II, like his eminent ancestors, loved to travel. For trips around Russia, his family had at its disposal the yacht “Standard” and two trains. He was one of the first in Russia to appreciate such a new “thing” as a car. Nikolai drove the car personally and had a sizable fleet of vehicles.

Before the February Revolution of 1917, the ruling Romanov dynasty was one of the richest families in Europe. Works of art that served as decoration imperial court, were created by the best masters of those times. To give the jewelry national characteristics, court jewelers complemented them with double-headed eagles and golden ears of corn. Chests with relics of the Russian crown were first preserved within the walls of the St. Petersburg Winter Palace. With the outbreak of the First World War, they were transported to the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. Now they can be found in museums in Russia and private collections around the world.

Achievements of the Russian Tsar

Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov ruled the state for 23 years. A man known for his religiosity, he was actively involved in economics and foreign policy. During the reign from 1890 to 1913, thanks to competent leadership Country's GDP grew 4 times. During the global economic crisis, which lasted from 1911 to 1912, unlike other countries, the economy of the Russian Empire was at its peak. At the beginning of the 20th century Royal Russia was rightfully considered the absolute leader who “fed half of Europe.”

During the reign of Nicholas II, the population grew by 40%, reaching 50 million people. Moreover, along with natural growth people were able to increase their overall level of well-being.

Nicholas became the first global peacemaker. With his input, a program for an international convention regarding the general limitation of weapons was developed. The king introduced military reform, according to which the service life was reduced and the living conditions of sailors and soldiers were improved. During the First World War, he without hesitation took command of the Russian army and gave a worthy rebuff to Germany.

The great sovereign himself was very educated person, who owned the 5th foreign languages and well versed in military affairs, economics and world history. Through his efforts, the program for introducing universal education came into force in 1908, thanks to which elementary education became publicly available and free.

Using funds from the foundation created by the tsar, 140 thousand schools were organized in different parts of the Russian Empire. As a result, by 1916 the number of literate people in the state was 85%. On the eve of the revolution, over 100 universities were already functioning in the country.

Life of the royal family

He met his future wife Alexandra Fedorovna in May 1884 at the wedding of Elizaveta Fedorovna. Having married for love, the couple managed to maintain a reverent relationship with each other until their death. Many people know that the family raised five children: daughters Olga, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia and son Alexei.

Few people know the amazing fact about the Romanovs that, in addition to their children, the couple raised the offspring of their uncle Pavel Alexandrovich - Maria and Dmitry. The adopted children called the emperor and his wife “mom and dad.” As fate would have it, it would be Dmitry in the future, together with Yusupov, who would kill the famous Rasputin, for which he would go into exile. Having passed all the tests, he will subsequently escape to Europe, where he will even have time to start an affair with the inimitable Coco Chanel.

In order to maintain the strictness of upbringing, the life of the imperial family was not pompous. The daughters were accommodated two to a room. The young ladies slept on folding army beds, each of which was crowned with an inscription with the name of the owner. Near the beds there were small bedside tables and a sofa. The walls were decorated with numerous photographs, for which the king had a weakness, and icons.

As in simple families, younger sisters had to wear the clothes of their elders. With the weekly pocket money, the girls could spoil each other with inexpensive gifts.

Parents paid great attention to their children's education. At the age of 8 they began to learn the Law of God, reading, arithmetic and penmanship. A little later, the program was expanded by adding 4 languages: Russian, French, English and German. Also, without fail, girls learned the rules of etiquette, playing musical instruments, natural Sciences and dancing.

Family relationships were built on mutual love and respect. According to the recollections of contemporaries, the palette of children’s feelings for their father was so wide that it included almost religious worship and the most cordial friendship.

Favorite of the Russian Emperor

The life of the imperial family was darkened by the incurable illness of the heir. But her parents were forced to hide their experiences, since her character was a state secret. Realizing that traditional medicine was powerless in this situation, the empress pinned her hopes only on a miraculous healing.

One of those people who was able to alleviate the suffering of the young crown prince was the holy elder Rasputin. Spiritual mentor, martyr, spy, sorcerer... They called the layman whatever they called him. Only one thing is clear - he was an extraordinary person.

Researchers believe that the elder helped relieve Alexei’s painful attacks and reduce bleeding using hypnotic techniques. By instilling the idea of improving the boy’s condition, Rasputin helped overcome the crisis and thereby calm both the sufferer and his family.

Blindly believing in the “visions” and the unearthly gift of the man who alleviated the suffering of her son, the empress began to consult with him on many state issues. Contemporaries noted that people appointed to government positions were forced to go through the “Rasputin filter.” The family's spiritual mentor greatly influenced even strategic decisions during the First World War. This fueled passions in society and caused general rejection.

Attempts by members of the royal family to influence the ruling couple were unsuccessful. Therefore, starting in 1914, several attempts were organized on Rasputin’s life. It was possible to achieve the desired goal only in 1916.

Last days of reign

The widespread claim that Nikolai Alexandrovich abdicated the throne is nothing more than a myth. The surviving manifesto on the renunciation and will of the army to obey the Provisional Government was found to be fake. Although the great sovereign had the opportunity to escape with his family abroad, he remained true to his idea, for which he died.

On April 30, 1917, along with his family and some servants, the Tsar was transported to the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg. For more than two months, the family had to huddle in four rooms, two of which were reserved for the restroom and dining room. The Red Army soldiers did not stand on ceremony with them. Food was given out in minimal portions.

Throughout this time, the top Soviet leadership decided how to destroy the “remnants of the tsarist regime”: publicly try the sovereign or immediately shoot him. The sentence was carried into effect on the night of July 17, 1918. A family with children was shot in the basement of the house. The youngest son, Alexei, was only 14 years old at that time.

The bodies of the murdered were loaded into a truck and taken to the forest, where they were doused with acid and hastily burned. The information that the entire family died along with the king was kept secret for a long time. The official version: the wife and children were exiled to a safe place. True information was made public only several years later. This misinformation contributed to rumors that some family members managed to escape. Some pretended to be the “miracle surviving” children of Nicholas II intentionally, others – due to mental disorders. According to the most conservative estimates, over the century since the tragedy, the number of impostors has exceeded two hundred.

Romanovs today

The remains of the Romanov family, found in July 1991 under the embankment of the old Koptyakovskaya road, were identified and carefully studied by scientists. The researchers were most interested in DNA. Many years of research have led to the conclusion that in the genes youngest son Emperor Alexei had mutations that led to hemophilia. This was manifested in the Tsarevich by frequent hemorrhages in the organs, which could be provoked by ordinary bruises. Mother Anna Fedorovna and sister Anastasia were also carriers of the hemophilia gene. But this gene did not manifest itself in the female line.

On July 17, 1998, the remains of members of the imperial family were buried in St. Petersburg in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

In 1917, the new government failed to find and destroy all the Romanov representatives. The house of the great family consisted of 65 people. Those who were abroad during this period were able to avoid a sad fate. Today, 4 branches of “survivors” are officially recognized. These are all male descendants of the sons of Nicholas I:

The Alexandrovichs are descendants of Alexander II; among the living representatives are the brothers Dmitry and Mikhail Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky.
Nikolaevich - the female line still exists, but the male line, represented by brothers Nikolai and Dmitry Romanovich, was interrupted in 2017.
Kirillovich - Prince Nikolai Kirillovich, princes Yuryevsky. Among the living representatives of the branch is Maria Vladimirovna, head of the Russian imperial house, and her son Georgy Mikhailovich born in 1981.
Mikhailovichs - this branch includes all the other living Romanov men. The youngest male representative was born in 2013.

Most of them live in the USA and Western European countries. They are united in the “House of Romanov”. Pretend to Russian throne may descendants of the branch of Alexander II. It is the “Kirillovichs” who are recognized as dynasties of European monarchs.