House of Romanov
House of Romanov Романовы | |
---|---|
Parent house | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (since the mid-18th century)[a] |
Country | |
Founded | 21 February 1613 |
Founder | Michael I |
Current head | Disputed since 1992:
|
Final ruler |
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Titles |
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Connected families | Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, House of Windsor, Saltykov family, Rakhmanov |
Deposition | 1917 (February Revolution) |
Cadet branches | Several minor branches |
The House of Romanov
The house consisted of
Michael's grandson,
The
Surname usage
Legally, it remains unclear whether any ukase ever abolished the surname of Michael Romanov (or of his subsequent male-line descendants) after his accession to the Russian throne in 1613, although by tradition members of reigning dynasties seldom use surnames, being known instead by dynastic titles ("Tsarevich Ivan Alexeevich", "Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich", etc.). From January 1762 [O.S. December 1761], the monarchs of the Russian Empire claimed the throne as relatives of Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (1708–1728), who had married Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Thus they were no longer Romanovs by patrilineage, belonging instead to the Holstein-Gottorp cadet branch of the German House of Oldenburg that reigned in Denmark. The 1944 edition of the Almanach de Gotha records the name of Russia's ruling dynasty from the time of Peter III (reigned 1761–1762) as "Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov".[4] However, the terms "Romanov" and "House of Romanov" often occurred in official references to the Russian imperial family. The coat-of-arms of the Romanov boyars was included in legislation on the imperial dynasty,[5] and in a 1913 jubilee, Russia officially celebrated the "300th Anniversary of the Romanovs' rule".[6]
After the
History
Origins
The Romanovs share their origin with two dozen other Russian noble families. Their earliest common ancestor is one
His actual origin may have been less spectacular. Not only is Kobyla Russian for "
Rise to power
The family fortunes soared when Roman's daughter,
Throughout Feodor's reign (1584–1598), the tsar's brother-in-law,
The Romanovs' fortunes again changed dramatically with the fall of the Godunov dynasty in June 1605. As a former leader of the anti-Godunov party and cousin of the last legitimate tsar, Filaret Romanov's recognition was sought by several
On being offered the Russian crown, Filaret's 16-year-old son
Dynastic crisis
Mikhail was succeeded by his only son
New dynastic struggles followed the death of Peter. His only son to survive into adulthood, Tsarevich
Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
The
Age of Autocracy
Paul I was murdered in his palace in Saint Petersburg in 1801. Alexander I, succeeded him on the throne and later died without leaving a son. His brother, crowned
Alexander II, son of Nicholas I, became the next Russian emperor in 1855, in the midst of the Crimean War. While Alexander considered it his charge to maintain peace in Europe and Russia, he believed only a strong Russian military could keep the peace. By developing the Imperial Russian Army, giving increased autonomy to Finland, and freeing the serfs in 1861 he gained much popular support for his reign.
Despite his popularity, however, his family life began to unravel by the mid-1860s. In 1864, his eldest son, and heir, Tsarevich
His son Alexander III succeeded Alexander II. This tsar, the second-to-last Romanov emperor, was responsible for conservative reforms in Russia. Not expected to inherit the throne, he was educated in matters of state only after the death of his older brother, Nicholas. Lack of diplomatic training may have influenced his politics as well as those of his son, Nicholas II. Alexander III was physically impressive, being not only tall (1.93 m or 6'4", according to some sources), but of large physique and considerable strength. His beard hearkened back to the likeness of tsars of old, contributing to an aura of brusque authority, awe-inspiring to some, alienating to others. Alexander, fearful of the fate which had befallen his father, strengthened autocratic rule in Russia. Some of the reforms the more liberal Alexander II had pushed through were reversed.
Alexander had inherited not only his dead brother's position as
His eldest son, Nicholas, became emperor upon Alexander III's death due to kidney disease at age 49 in November 1894. Nicholas reputedly said, "I am not ready to be tsar...." Just a week after the funeral, Nicholas married his fiancée,
The six crowned representatives of the Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov line were:
Downfall
The February Revolution of 1917 resulted in the abdication of Nicholas II in favor of his brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich.[1] The latter declined to accept imperial authority save to delegate it to the Provisional Government pending a future democratic referendum, effectively terminating the Romanov dynasty's rule over Russia.
After the February Revolution, Nicholas II and his family were placed under house arrest in the
Executions
Late on the night of 16 July, Nicholas, Alexandra, their five children and four servants were ordered to dress quickly and go down to the cellar of the house in which they were being held. There, the family and servants were arranged in two rows for a photograph they were told was being taken to quell rumors that they had escaped. Suddenly, a dozen armed men burst into the room and gunned down the imperial family in a hail of gunfire. Those who were still breathing when the smoke cleared were stabbed to death.
The remains of Nicholas, Alexandra and three of their children were excavated in a forest near Yekaterinburg in 1991 and positively identified two years later using DNA analysis. The Crown Prince Alexei and one Romanov daughter were not accounted for, fueling the persistent legend that Anastasia, the youngest Romanov daughter, had survived the execution of her family. Of the several "Anastasias" that surfaced in Europe in the decade after the Russian Revolution, Anna Anderson, who died in the United States in 1984, was the most convincing. In 1994, however, scientists used DNA to prove that Anna Anderson was not the tsar's daughter but a Polish woman named Franziska Schanzkowska.[11]
Initially, gunmen shot at Nicholas who immediately fell dead as a result of multiple bullet wounds. Then the dark room where the family was held filled with smoke and dust from the spray of bullets. With limited visibility, the gunmen shot blindly, often hitting the ceiling and walls, creating more dust and debris. As a result of this many of the gunmen themselves became injured. Alexandra was soon shot in the head by military commissar Peter Ermakov and was killed. It was not until after the room had been cleared of smoke that the shooters re-entered to find the remaining imperial family still alive and uninjured. Maria attempted to escape through the doors at the rear of the room, leading to a storage area, but the doors were nailed shut. The noise produced as she rattled the doors attracted the attention of Ermakov. Some of the family were shot in the head, but several of the others, including the young and frail tsarevich, would not die either from multiple close-range bullet wounds or bayonet stabs. The gunmen then proceeded to shoot each family member once again. Even so, two of the daughters were still alive 10 minutes later, and were then bludgeoned with the butt of a rifle ending their lives. Later it was discovered that the bullets and bayonet stabs had been partially blocked by diamonds sewn into the children's clothing.[12]
Following the murder of the Romanov family, the Bolsheviks made several attempts to dispose of the bodies. Initially the bodies were to be thrown down a mineshaft; however, the location of the disposal site was revealed to locals, causing them to change the location. Instead of a burial, the Bolsheviks decided to burn two of the corpses of the former royal family. Burning the corpses proved to be difficult as it took significant time, so the group resorted to disfiguring the pair with acid. In a rush, the Bolsheviks threw nine additional bodies into a grave and covered them with acid as well.
The bodies of the Romanovs were then hidden and moved several times before being interred in an unmarked pit where they remained until the summer of 1979 when amateur enthusiasts disinterred and re-buried some of them, and then decided to conceal the find until the fall of communism. In 1991 the grave site was excavated and the bodies were given a state funeral under the nascent democracy of post-Soviet Russia, and several years later DNA and other forensic evidence was used by Russian and international scientists to make accurate identifications.[13]
The Ipatiev House has the same name as the
Nicholas II and his family were proclaimed
Remains
In the mid-1970s, Dr. Alexander Avdonin discovered the mass grave containing the remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, and three of five Romanov children. The remains were found near Old Koptyaki road in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The grave contained 44 heavily degraded bone and tooth fragments. Avdonin released his discovery following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 prompting investigation by the Russian government.[13]
The area where the remains were found was near the old Koptyaki Road, under what appeared to be double bonfire sites about 70 meters (230 ft) from the mass grave in Pigs Meadow near Yekaterinburg.[13] The archaeologists stated that the bones were from a boy who approximately between the ages of 10 and 13 years at the time of his death and of a young woman who was between the ages of 18 and 23 years old.[14] At the time, Anastasia was 17 years old while Maria was 19 years. Their brother Alexei would have been 14 within two weeks of his murder.[citation needed] Alexei's elder sisters Olga and Tatiana were 22 and 21 years old at the time of the murder respectively. The bones were found using metal detectors and metal rods as probes. Also, striped material was found that appeared to have been from a blue-and-white striped cloth; Alexei commonly wore a blue-and-white striped undershirt.
In mid-2007, a Russian archaeologist announced a discovery by one of his workers. The excavation uncovered the following items in the two pits which formed a "T":
- remains of 44 human bone fragments;
- bullet jackets from short barrel guns/pistols;
- wooden boxes which had deteriorated into fragments;
- pieces of ceramic which appear to be amphoras which were used as containers for acid;
- iron nails;
- iron angles;
- seven fragments of teeth;
- fragment of fabric of a garment.
Geneticists used a combination of autosomal STR and mtDNA sequencing to detect relationships between the family members' remains. Using a DNA sample from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a distant cousin of Alexandra, scientists matched his DNA to her and her children’s remains found in the mass grave. The investigation concluded that Alexei and one Romanov daughter were missing. Experts continue to debate which daughter was missing from the grave as United States experts believe the missing child is Anastasia while Russian experts believe it to be Maria.[15] Many[who?] believe that the two children that were not discovered in the grave managed to escape Russia before persecution.[citation needed]
As for Nicholas II, scientists used mtDNA heteroplasmy using samples from Princess Xenia Cheremeteff Sfiri and the Duke of Fife. In the early 1990s, considerable controversy surrounded the accuracy of mtDNA heteroplasmy for DNA testing particularly for distant relatives. In an attempt to refine the results of the investigation, Russian authorities exhumed the remains of Nicholas II’s brother, George Alexandrovich. George’s remains matched the heteroplasmy of the remains found in the grave indicating that they did in fact belong to Tsar Nicholas II.
After the bodies were exhumed in June 1991,[16] they remained in laboratories until 1998, while there was a debate as to whether they should be reburied in Yekaterinburg or St. Petersburg. A commission eventually chose St. Petersburg. The remains were transferred with full military honor guard and accompanied by members of the Romanov family from Yekaterinburg to St. Petersburg. In St. Petersburg remains of the imperial family were moved by a formal military honor guard cortege from the airport to St Petersburg’s Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral where they (along with several loyal servants who were killed with them) were interred in a special chapel near the tombs of their ancestors. At the cathedral, the remaining Romanov family hosted a formal funeral for Tsar Nicholas II attended by many relatives and representatives from nations worldwide.[17]
Other executions
On 18 July 1918, the day after the killing at
The bodies were recovered from the mine by the
On 13 June 1918,
The exiled Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich of Russia died on 26 January 1918, with some rumors claiming he was killed by the Bolsheviks. His morganatic son Prince Artemy Nikolayevich Romanovsky-Iskander was killed the following year in the Russian Civil War.[citation needed]
In January 1919, revolutionary authorities killed Grand Dukes
Exiles
Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna
In 1919, Maria Feodorovna, widow of Alexander III, and mother of Nicholas II, managed to escape Russia aboard
In 2005 the coffin with her remains was moved to the
Other exiles
Among the other exiles who managed to leave Russia were Maria Feodorovna's two daughters, the Grand Duchesses
Elizaveta Mavrikievna, widow of Konstantin Konstantinovich, escaped with her daughter Vera Konstantinovna and her son Georgii Konstantinovich, as well as her grandson Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich and her granddaughter Princess Catherine Ivanovna to Sweden. Her other daughter, Tatiana Konstantinovna, also escaped with her children Natasha and Teymuraz, as well as her uncle's aide-de-camp Alexander Korochenzov. They fled to Romania and then Switzerland. Gavriil Konstantinovich was imprisoned before fleeing to Paris.
Ioann Konstantinovich's wife, Elena Petrovna, was imprisoned in Alapayevsk and Perm, before escaping to Sweden and Nice, France.
Olga Constantinovna of Russia, Dowager Queen of Greece, who had returned to Russia in her widowhood, was able to escape to Switzerland with the help of the Danish embassy.
Pretenders
Since 1991, the succession to the former Russian throne has been in dispute, largely due to disagreements over the validity of dynasts' marriages.
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia claims to hold the title of empress in pretense with her only child, George Mikhailovich from the House of Hohenzollern, as heir apparent.
Others[who?] have argued in support of the rights of the late Prince Nicholas Romanov, whose brother Prince Dimitri Romanov was the next male heir of his branch after whom it was passed to Prince Andrew Romanov and then to his son Prince Alexis Romanoff.[citation needed]
In 2014, a micronation calling itself the Imperial Throne, founded in 2011 by Monarchist Party leader Anton Bakov, announced Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, who claims to be a Romanov descendant that still originated from Maria's branch, as its sovereign. In 2017, it renamed itself as "Romanov Empire".
Branches
The
- The Alexandrovichi (descendants of Emperor Alexander II of Russia) (with further subdivisions named The Vladimirovichi and The Pavlovichi after two of Alexander II’s younger sons)
- The Konstantinovichi (descendants of Grand Duke Constantine Nicholaevich of Russia)
- The Nikolaevichi (descendants of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia)
- The Mikhailovichi (descendants of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaevich of Russia)
Alexandrovichi
The Alexandrovichi last male-line members are represented by descendants of Paul Ilyinsky (son Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia) and natural son of Alexander II, Prince George Alexandrovich Yuryevsky. However, both lines are unable to press their claim to the defunct Russian throne because of their morganatic status.
Alexandrovichi line is thus claimed to be represented by Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia with her only child, George Mikhailovich from the House of Hohenzollern. The Grand Duchess claim to the throne is based on a claim that all male lines of Romanov are either extinct, illegitimate, or morganatic. Thus triggering semi-salic succession, as the closest female to the last dynast.
Nikolavevichi
The legitimate male line of this branch is extinct with the death of Prince Dimitri Romanov in 2016. The male line of this branch, however, is survived by the illegitimate Nikolayev family, descendant of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1831–1891) to his mistress Catherine Chislova.
Mikhailovichi
This branch was descended from Grand Duke Michael Nicolaevich of Russia. The last common ancestor of the surviving male line of this branch was Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia. The Grand Duke had 6 sons, Andrei, Feodor, Nikita, Dmitri, Rostislav, and Vasili.
- Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia, his male line is represented only by Prince Andrew Romanoff's three sons, As they were born between 1959 and 1969, and has no male descendant, the headship of this branch would likely pass to a descendant of Prince Rostislav
- Feodor, his male line died out, only survived by his great-granddaughter, Tatiana Alexandra (b. 1986), whose status was illegitimate.
- Prince Nikita Alexandrovich of Russia, his line died out with his descendant, Prince Fedor Nikitich Romanoff, suicide on 25 August 2007
- Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich of Russia, only had a daughter
- Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich of Russia, he had two sons. From his first son, there are three members of the House of Romanov, born in 1985 and 1987. While from his second, there are three members, born in 1968, 1972, and 2009.
- Prince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia, only had a daughter
Thus this branch only has eight male line members left.
Contemporary Romanovs
There have been numerous post-Revolution reports of Romanov survivors and unsubstantiated claims by individuals to be members of the deposed Tsar Nicholas II's family, the best known of whom was Anna Anderson. Proven research has, however, confirmed that all of the Romanovs held prisoners inside the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg were killed.[24][13]
Grand Duke
Artyom Alekseevich is the great-grandson of Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich, (the first child of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, the younger brother of Russian Emperor Alexander II. Grandson of Nicholas I, cousin of Alexander III.)
The Romanov Family Association (RFA) formed in 1979, a private organization of most living male-line descendants of Emperor Paul I of Russia (other than Maria Vladimirovna and her son), publicly acknowledges that dynastic claims of family members should not be advanced, and is officially committed to support which ever form of government chosen by the Russian people.[25]
Romanov family jewelry
The collection of jewels and jewelry collected by the Romanov family during their reign are commonly referred to as the "Russian Crown Jewels"[26] and they include official state regalia as well as personal pieces of jewelry worn by Romanov rulers and their family. After the Tsar was deposed and his family murdered, their jewels and jewelry became the property of the new Soviet government.[27] A select number of pieces from the collection were sold at auction by Christie's in London in March 1927.[28] The remaining collection is on view today in the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow.[29]
On 28 August 2009, a Swedish public news outlet reported that a collection of over 60 jewel-covered cigarette cases and cufflinks owned by Grand Duchess Vladimir had been found in the archives of the
Heraldry
The Imperial Arms of the House of Romanov, with and without background shield, which were restricted in use to the Emperor and certain members of the Imperial Family |
Smaller coat of arms (elements)
The centerpiece is the coat of arms of Moscow that contains the iconic Saint George the Dragon-slayer with a blue cape (cloak) attacking golden serpent on red field.
The wings of double-headed eagle contain coat of arms of following lands:
- Right wing
- Tsardom of Kazan, the coat of arms of Kazan that contains black crowned Zilant with red tongue, wings and tail on white field.
- Tsardom of Poland, the coat of arms of Poland that contains a crowned white eagle on a red field.
- Tsardom of Tauric Chersoneses, the coat of arms of Byzantine Crimea that contains black crowned double-headed eagle on golden field, which has a smaller coat of arms with triple crossbeam cross on blue field.
- Grand Duchies of Kiev, Vladimir, and Novgorod, the combined coat of arms of three grand duchies:
- Grand Duchy of Kiev, the coat of arms of Kiev that contains armed archangel (archistrategos) Michael in white on blue field.
- Grand Duchy of Vladimir, the coat of arms of Vladimir that contains golden crowned leopard holding a cross on red field.
- Republic of Novgorod, the coat of arms of Novgorod that contains two black bears holding onto a throne on which crossed stand scepter and cross located under triple candlestick(trikirion) on silver field and two silver fishes on blue field.
- Left wing
- Tsardom of Astrakhan, the coat of arms of Astrakhan that contains five arches golden crown over silver scimitar on blue field.
- Tsardom of Siberia, the coat of arms of Siberia that contains two black sables who hold a crown and a red bow with two crossed arrows pointed down on ermine field.
- Tsardom of Georgia, the Coat of arms of Georgia that also contains the Saint George the Dragon-slayerwith a red cape (cloak) attacking green serpent on golden field.
- Grand Duchy of Finland, the coat of arms of Finland that contains golden crowned lion holding straight sword and curved sabre on red field with roses.
Family tree
Gallery
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The Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow
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Throne of the Tsar, the Empress and the Empress Mother in the Grand Kremlin Palace
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The Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg
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The Peterhof Palace, Saint Petersburg
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Aerial view of the Peter and Paul Fortress with Peter and Paul Cathedral, mausoleum of the Romanovs
See also
- Romanov impostors
- Ancestors of Nicholas II of Russia
- List of monarchs of Russia
- List of grand duchesses of Russia
- List of grand dukes of Russia
- List of films about the Romanovs
- The Romanovs Collect: European Art from the Hermitage (exhibition)
Notes
- ^ The Romanov descendants of Peter III descend in the male line from the House of Holstein-Gottorp, a cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg.
- ^ Pronunciation: /ˈroʊmənɒf/, US also /ˈroʊmənɔːf, -nɔːv, roʊˈmɑːnəf/, UK also /roʊˈmɑːnɒf/, Russian: [rɐˈmanəf].
References
- ^ ISBN 0-85011-023-8
- ^ "Просмотр документа – dlib.rsl.ru". rsl.ru.
- ^ Isaeva, Ksenia (25 March 2015). "Dmitri Romanov: Immigration, friendship with Coco Chanel, the Olympics". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Almanach de Gotha. Gotha, Germany: Justus Perthes. 1944. pp. 103–106.
- ^ Compare Romanov coat-of-arms .
- ^ "Origins of Romanov surname. Russian royalists site". Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Romanovs lectures. The history of the Russian state and the Romanov dynasty: current problems in the study. Kostroma. 29–30 May 2008".
- ^ Веселовский С.Б. Исследования по истории класса служилых землевладельцев. pp. 140–141.
- Alexander Gorbatyi-Shuiskyof a Rurikid princely house]
- ^ James Cracraft, The Revolution of Peter the Great (Harvard University Press, 2003) online edition Archived 8 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Romanov family executed, ending a 300-year imperial dynasty- HISTORY". Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Jamie, Hendrickson. "The End of a Dynasty: The Death of the Romanov Family". Parkland College.
- ^ PMID 19277206.
- S2CID 34826923.
- PMID 19277206.
- ^ "Nicholas and Alexandra (February 5, 1996) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "17 July 1998: The funeral of Tsar Nicholas II". www.romanovfamily.org. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ "Books: Death at Ekaterinburg". Time magazine. 22 April 1935. Archived from the original on 4 June 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ Nicholas and Alexandra, The Last Imperial Family of Tsarist Russia, 1998, Booth-Clibborn, London
- ^ "The Representative of Romanov family in the Russian Federation does not exclude the possibility of transferring from China to Russia the remains of Alapayevsk martyrs". Orthodox News China. 23 June 2005. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ King & Wilson, Gilded Prism, p. 184
- ^ "La Embajada de la Federación de Rusia en la República Oriental del Uruguay". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ Harris, Carolyn. "From St. Petersburg to Toronto: The Life of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882–1960)". Carolyn Harris – Historian and Author. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ "DNA proves Bolsheviks killed all of Russian czar's children". CNN. 11 March 2009.
- Prince Nicholas Romanovich Romanov. The Romanoff Family Association Archived 17 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Russian Crown Jewels". 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ "Russian Crown Jewels shown Goodrich Party". The Washington Post. 3 July 1922. p. 4.
- ^ "Russian Jewels: Sold for 80,561 Pounds". The Scotsman. 17 March 1927. p. 9.
- ^ Kvasha, Semyon (1 May 2013). "Treasures of Imperial Russia on display in Moscow and St. Petersburg". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
- ^ Sveriges Radio (28 August 2009). "Russian Jewels Found at Foreign Ministry". sverigesradio.se.
Further reading
External links
- Historical reconstruction series "Romanovs" – First Channel, Star Media, Babich Design (2013).
- The Russian Imperial Collection at the Library of Congress has books from the Romanov family.
- Romanov Collection. General Collection. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.