(1872-1918)
Part 6
On April 16, Vladimir Ilitch Ulianov, Lenin, a bolchevique leader that had been exiliated in Switrland for 10 years, returned to Russia. When he arrived to Petrograd he was received and acclaimed by a crowd at the station of Finland. The morning after his arival, Lenin talked at the Conference of All the Soviets of Russia and he issued his famous "Thesis of April" demanding the overthrowing of the Provisionla Government, the abolition of the police, the army and the beaurocracy, and the end of the war, His thesis inmediately rejected by the crowd. But Lenin didn't give up; he continued with his attacks against teh Provisional Government. The bolcheviques popularized a slogan: "Peace and Land, all the power for the Soviets. Neverteless, Lenin's thesis had many followers and each day the Provisional Government weakened.
Russia's war allies, Great Britain, France and United States, were affraid that Russia could retire from the war at Lenin suggestions, so they pressure the Provisional Government. The United States even lend Russia a great amount of money. Kerenski, who had become Prime Minister at prince Lvov' resignation, prepared a new offesive at the Galitsia front. At te begining, it wa succesful and the Russian troops advanced but when the German reinforcements arrived and attacked, teh Russians had to retreat..
The popular reaction in Petrograd caused by the Rusain defeat, was against te Provisional Government. The crowd, instigated by the bolcheviques, marched through the streets shouting: "Down with the Provisional Government! Down with the war!" But the bolcheviques were not yet prepared for a revolution and the Provisional Government soon controlled the rebelion, and Trotsky, another bolchevique leader, was imprissoned and Lenin ran away to Finland.
In spite of "the July uprising" as this first bolchevique revolution was known, Kerenski began to fear again for the Imperial family's security. He at first considered Livadia as a possible place for sending the family. but at last he decided for Tobolsk in Siberia. The election was made based on the security of the north railway rout, trhough the Urals. It went through great extensions of forests and few cities on the contrary to the Livadia route, which went through densely populated cities, meaning a danger for the family. On August 11, a day before Alexis' s 13th birthday, kerenski announced Nicholas that he and his family would have to leave Tsarkoe Selo. Nicholas inmediately understood that their destiny would not be Livadia. Kerenski exitedely began to explain te reasons for not having chosen that place in the Crimea, but Nicholas interrupted him, saying calmly: "I am not afraid. I trust in you".
Altough the train provided by Kerenski for the Imperial family journey to Tobolsk was not of Imoperial quality, it was it was a confortable and luxurious train. The Tsar and his family were accomopanied by a numerous suite, ladies and gentlemen in waiting, maids, valets, a butler, cookers, a nurse, Dr.Botkin and his children, Gleb and Tatiana, Dr. Dverevenko, the teacher Pierre Gilliard and Mademoiselle Schneider, and two spaniel dogs, Joy and Jimmy. General Kobylinski, in charge of the guard at Tsarkoe Selo as well as his soldiers. Alexandra and her daughters brought with them chests full of jewels.
On August 17 the train arrived at Tiumen, which was by the side of the Tura river. Here the family and their suite had continue they trip by ship. They boarded the steamer Russ wich would take them to Tobolsk that was 320 kilometers to the north-east up the Tobol and Tura rivers. After two days of journey, they arived to their destiny. The family would be lodge at the governor's house which was in very bad conditions and without furniture. Colonel Kobylinski was in charge or preparing the house to be inhabited and meanwhile the family would remain on board the Russ. Once the house was ready, the family moved to it. At first Kobylinski did not post guards inside the house and the family could enjoy of certain freedom.
People in Tobolsk were still devoted to the Tsar and when they passed before the governor's house, thery removed their caps. When Alexandra was sitting at her window, peole used to make a reverence at her. The town's merchants sent the family food and gifts, the nuns of the local convent brought them sugar and cakes and the farmers sent them butter and eggs. Kobylinski remained the only authority until september when two civil commisionaires arrived, Vasili Pankratov and Alexander Nikolski. Pankratov was kind to the family but not the same was Nikolski, who was rude and bad mannered. Nevetheless, it was in Tobolsk where the family spent the less bad days of their captivity.
While Nicholas and his family were imprissoned in Tobolsk, in Petrograd the bolcheviques were strenghtening. In September they won the majority in the Soviet and on October 23, Lenin returned from Finland. Finally, on November 6 the bolcheviques gave a coup d'etat against the Provisional Government; they took the railway stations, the bridges, the banks, the posto office and other public buildings. They also took the Winter Place, where the Provisional Governemnt had its residence. Kerenski left the palace on the morning of Novemebr 7, in an open car, without being disturbed. He road to the south to try to raise help from the army. He wopuld not fins any help and he would never return to Petrograd. Everything was done in peace without bloodshed. It had been so easy for Lenin to depose Kerenski and his Provisional Government. Kerenski would remained hidden for sseveral months I May 1918, he returned to Moscow, where he got a false identificationand left Russia from Murmansk, never to return again.
When Nicholas, from his prisson in Tobolsk, heard of Kerenski's fall and that Lenin and Trotski were now at the head of the government, he regreted his abdication; he considered the two bolchevique leaders as German spies. Altough hte governement in Russai had chnaged, the life in Tobolsk, at first, remained the same for the Imperial family; nevertheless, it would be changing little by little.. Alexis and his sisters took their lessons daily with Monsiur Gilliard and Mr. Gibbs. The four Grand Duchesses, who were now young women (Olga and Tatiana in their early twenties and Marie and Anastasia in their last teens) were sometime board with that tedious life so they began to represent theatre plays.Nicholas, Alexandra and Alexis also partiicpated; even Pierre Gilliard and Dr. Botkin were included too.
As the bolchevique movement advanced towards Tobolsk, the soldiers that guarded the family became more hostiles. They do not easily submitted to Kobylinski's authority and they even forbid Nicholas to use his epaulets. Kerenski's government had assigned a certain sume of money for the the family' expenses and when the money ran out, Kobylinski received more money. When the Provisional Government was replaced by the bolcheviques Kobylinski received no more money. Many memebers of the Imperial suite had to be dismissed to reduce expenses. Meals had to be reduced too; coffee and butter were now considered luxuiries.
Lenin had not yet a total controll of the whole Russain territory. To consolidate his government he needed peace at any price and the Germans were setting a terrible one: the lost of almost all the territory Russia had won since the times of Peter the Great (Poland, Finland, the Baltic States, Ucrania, Crimea and almost the whole Caucasus). As the German advanced towards Petrograd, the bolchevique government had to move to Moscow. In order to save the revolution and his government, Lenin agreed to sign peace. He signed the humilliating treaty on March 3, 1918 in the city of Brest Litovsk.
When Nicholas knew about the conditions of the treaty, he said it was a disgrace and a suicide for Russia. "I should have never tought that Kaiser Wilhelm and his government could shake hands with that miserable traitors (the bolcheviques)", he said. The Kaiser was in fact ashamed of having shaken hands with the bolcheviques. Infact, his intentions were to demand that the Tsar and his family were handed over to him unharmed. The bolcheviques, fearing the Kaiser's intentions, decides to put the Imperial family under a more confident vigilance.
Altough all the inconvenients, during the spring of 1918, Alexandra hoped that some miracle would happen and Russia would be save. She felt glad because the soldiers allowed her to attend mass. Alexis was also happy and high spirited. Sometimes he used to invent some dangerous games. One day he ran down the inside stairs with a boat with runners; he fell and began to bleed into the groin. The crisis was similar to that of Spala. The pain was intolerable and the boy shouted: "Mama, I want to die!". Alexandra felt impotent.
On April 12, Alexandra wrote to Anna Vyrubova: "Yesterday for the first time he (Alexis), smiled and talk with us, even played cards, and slept two hours during the day. He is frightfully thin with enormous eyes, just as in Spala... A great number of troops have come from everywhere. A new Kommissar has arrived from Moscow, a man named Yakovlev and today we shall have to make his acquaintance". The next day, Nicholas wrote on his dairy: "At 10:30 in the morning, Kobylinski appeared with Yakovlev and his suite. I recieved him in the hall with the girls". Taht same day, Pierre Gilliard wrote: "Yakovlev came at 11 o'clock. After an inspection of the whole house, he went to see the Tsar who accompanied him to the room of Alexis, who is in bed. Not having benn able to see the Tsarina, who was not ready to receive him, he came again a little later with the regimental doctor. He wanted to be assured by his doctor that the boy was really ill. As he was going away, he asked the commandant wheter we had much luggage. Can this mean we are to move?". The next Gilliard wrote: "We are in a real state of mental anguish. We feel we are forgotten by everyone, abandoned to our own resources, and at the mercy of this man. Is it possible that no oen would raise a finger to save the Imperial family? Where are those who have remained loyal to the Tsar? Why do they delay?".
Indeed, in March the Ural Soviet had asked Moscow permisson for transfering the Tsar to Ekaterimburg. Off all the soviets of Russia, this one was the most ardently bolchevique. Once in Ekaterimburg, the fmaily would not be any more pawns in a game of international politics. On April 13 a detachment from Ekaterimburg arrived at Tobolsk, but as Moscow had not answered the Ural Soviet's request for transfering the Tsar, Kobylinski did not allow the detachment to take the Tsar with them It was in this moment when Moscow sent Yakovlev. At first no one really knew what was the real misson of Yakovlev until the morning of April 24 when he showed Kobylinski a document signed by Jakob Sverdlov, Lenin's friend, who was presidenrt of the Executive Central Committee of the Congress of the Soviets of All the Russias. Yakovlev had been commisioned to take the whole family out from Tobolsk.
That same day, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Yakovlev paid a visit to Nicholas and explained him what his misson was, but as Alexis was ill, Nicholas must depart alone. The Tsar refused. Yakovlev said: "I am being forced to execute the order. If you refuse I must take you by force or resign my charge and the Committee would probably send a less scrupoulus man to replace me. be calm; I respond with my life for your security. If you do not want to leave alone, you can take with you al the people you want. Get ready we will leave tomorrow morning morning at four". Nicholas asked Kobylinski where would they take him The colonel answered that probably to Moscow. The idea of being taken to Moscow made Nicholas thought that they want to force him to sign the treaty of Brets Litvosk, which he would refuse. Alexandra decided to go with him and would take Marie with them. They started packing the basic necesities. Yakovlev said that he would return to take Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia and Alexis with their parents.in about three weeks. Nobody could sleep that night
On April 26 Nicholas wrote from the train that was taking him out of Tobolsk: "At four o'clock in the morning we said goodbye to the dear children and climbed into the coaches. I with Yakovlev, Alix with Marie, Valia (Dolgouruki) with Botkin. The following of our people also came with us: Nyuta (Anna) Demidova, Chemodurov and Sedrev... the weather was cold with an unpleasant wind".
Yakovlev'orders were, indeed, to take the prissoners to Moscow. He learnd that if he passed by Ekaterimburg the train would be stopped and the Ural Soviet would take charge of the Tsar and his family, so he decided to avoid the way through Ekaterinburg. But the Ural Soviet realized tha Yakovlev was taking another route so he was proclaimed traitor to the revolution. The train had to pass through Omsk and he Ural Soviet requested the Omsk Soviet to stop the train at its way trough the city. The Omsk Soviet obeyed and sent troops to surround the train before he entered the city. Yakovlev was informed he was considered aq traitor so he went to Omsk to argue with the Soviet; he could not convince them. He telegraph to Moscow and talked directly with Sverdlov, who ordred him to go back and take the prissoners to Ekaterinburg. According to author Edvard Radzinski, Yakovlev acted under the Sverdlov's orders, which were to take the Tsar to Moscow by the Omsk's route. Sverdlov reached an agreement with the Ural Soviet and then he changed his orders, demanding Yakovlev to go back and take the Tsar to Ekaterinburg. Yakovlev advised Sverdlov that if the Romanovs fell un the Ural Soviet's hands, Moscow would never recover them. But the orders were terminant. In author Robert K. Massie's opinion, Yakovlev was trying to help the Tsar to escape; he knew that from Omsk, there was a free route to the Pacific. It could have been posssible, since later on, Yakovlev abandoned the bolcheviques and joined the White Army.
Sverdlov's real intentions were to put Nicholas far away from the German hands and it would be possible only in Ekaterinburg, under the severe vigilance of the Ural Soviet. The Imperial prissoners arrived at Ekaterinburg on April 30 at 8:40 in the morning. They were lodge in a house that belonged to a succesful merchant who had been odered to leave the house, which was known as the Ipatiev House.
Nicholas described the house as follows: "this is how we installed oursleves: Alix, Marie and I together in the bedroom, sharing the dressingroom. Demidova in the dinning room. Botkin, Cherodurov and Sednev in the hall. The duty officer's room is by the entrance. In order to go to the bathroom or the Wc, it is necessary to go past the sentry at the door of the duty office. There is a very high wooden palisade built all around the house, about two sajens from windows; all along there is aline of sentries, in the little garden also":
Meanwhile, in Tobolsk, the other children were impatient for having news of their parents and sister. Demidova wrote them a letter, dictated by Alexandra, giving them instructions about the "medicines", which in the family's secret code meant "jewels". The three Grand Duchesses spent the following days sewing the jewels to their underwear clothes. Kobylinski was replaced by a rude young man named Rodionov, who received the order to take the children to Ekaterinburg as soon as Alexis could travel. Rodionov forbid the Grand Duchesses to lock their doors at night; on the contrary; Rodionov ordered Alexis's door to be locked up at night. Nagorny protested, the doctor needed to have free acces to the child's room in case of an emergency, but his protests were in vain. For March 19, Alexis was well enough to travel. Nagorny took him in arms to the steamer Russ (the same that had brought the family to Tobolsk) and Alexis and his sisters, accompanied by their suite, sailed for Tiumen. From Tiumen they traveled by train to Ekaterinburg where they arrived at midnight. When they got off the train, the children were separated form most of their suite. General tatischev, Countess Hebdrikov and Mademoiselle Schneider were sent to jail to join Prince Dolgouruki, who had been there since his arrival with the Tsar. Dr. Derevenko, Baronness Buxhoeveden, Sideny Gibbs and Pierre Gilliard were surprisely realised. The cooker Kharitonov, the footman Trupp and the kitchen boy Leonid Sednev were sent to the Ipatiev House to join the family.
The Imperial family were very happy when they joined again. It was not the same in Ekaterinburg as in Tobolsk. Here the family was really inprissoned, guarded by rude bolchevique soldiers. The Tsar, his family and the few members of their suite were cofined to five upstairs rooms. Nicholas and Alexandra had the room at the corner, the four Grand Duchesses shared a room; Alexis and Nagorny shared another (afterwards Alexis woul be move to his parent's ). Anna Demidova slept in the dinningroom, Botkin in the hall and Trupp, Kharitonov and Sednev in a large hallway. Their lifes at the Ipatiev House were full of a monotonous routine. Each morning they got up at eight and prayed; then they had black bread and tea as breakfast. They ate again at two, only soup and cutlets. They were allowed to walk in the garden two times a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, 30 minutes each. They drank tea at five and supper was served at eigth. Nicholas used to read aloud to the family. When the electricity was cut off by night they read and play cards by candlelight.
Alexis was ill since his arrival; he and his mother had most of their meals in her bedroom. Dr. derevenko was allowed to paid regular visits to the boy, only in the presence of Alexandrr Dimitrievitch Avdeev, commandant of the guard at the Ipatiev House. Most of the time Alexandra felt sick; she had constant headaches and felt dizzy. She spent her time reading her Bible and he prayer books. Her sister, Grand Duchess Elisabeth, sent some coffee and chocolate.
On May 26, one of the guards tried to steal a thin gold chain from Alexis. Nagorny intended to stop him but he was inmediately arrested. The sailor was took to the jail and some days later he was shot. Without Nagorny, it became Nicholas's task to take Alexis in arms to the garden. The task was shared with Dr. Botkin, Trupp, Kharitonov and even by Marie.
On July 4, Avdeev was dismissed by the Ural Soviet and a new commandant took controll of the Ipatiev house, Yakov Mijhailovich Yurovski, who inmediately after his arrival made a list and collected all the jewels and gold ornaments worn by the family. At Yurovski's arrival, the family spirit decreased. Before he arrived, although Alexandra was constantly ill, Nicholas, the girls and Alexis were in high spirits almost all the time. After the commandant's arival they became anxious and depressed. On July 11, Nicholas recorded on his dairy: " In the morning at 10:30, three woekmen came up to the open window, lifted up a heavy grill and fixed it to the outside of the frame, without any warning from Yurovsky. We like this man less and less". And on July 13, he wrote: "Alexis took his first bath since Tobolsk. His knee is getting better but he still cannot straighten it completely. The weather is warm and pleasant. we have absolutely no news from the outside".
On Tuesday, July 16, the family gathered to pray and had tea. Yurovsky arrived to make his routine inspection and exceptionally borught milk and eggs for Alexis. When he retired, he took the kitchen bor, Leonid Sednov, with him. Nicholas, Olga Marie and Anastasia went out for a walk during half an hour. Tatiana stayed with her mother and they read the book of the Prophets Amos and Obadiah. At four Nicholas and his daughters went out again. At eight the whole family had supper and afterwards the children went to bed. Nicholas and Alexandra played bezique until 10:30 when Alexandra made her last entry to her dairy: "15 degrees". Then she went to bed.
At midnight Yurovsky awoke the family, ordering them to dress quickly. He explained that the Soviet had decided to transfer them because of the proximity of the White army and the Czechs. The family obeyed. Nicholas was the first one who came down the stairs carrying Alexis in his arms. The rest of the family, the doctor and the servants followed him. Anastasia took her spaniel dog, Jimmy, in her arms. Yurovsky took them to a basement and told them to wait there for the cars to arrive. Nicholas asked for chairs and Yurovsky brought three. Alexandra sat on one; Nicholas sat on the other, holding Alexis , who was lay back across the third one. Standing behind their mother were the four Gand Duchesses and Botkin, Demodova, Kharitonov and Trupp were besides them. Demidova was carrying a pillow which contained inside a box with he Imperial jewels.
Suddenly Yurovsky entered the room again accompanied by a Cheka squadron, carrying revolvers and declared abruptly: "Your relatives had tried to save you. They have failed and we must shoot you now". NIcholas tried to stand form his chair to protect Alexandra and Alexis but Yurovsky shot him in the head; he died instantly. Theother men began shooting. Alexandra made the signal of hte Cross and fell down, killed by a single bullet. Olga, Tatiana, marie, Botkin, Kharitonov and Trupp fell dead too. Demidova survived the first fire; she ran like a trpped animal all around the room but the soldiers pursued her and killed her with bayonets. Alexis, laying on the floor, in his father's arms , made a slow movement. One of the executioners wildly kicked him on the head with his boot. Then Yurovksy fired into the boy's ear. Anastasia, who was only fainted recovered consciousness and screamed; all the men went over her, killing the girl with boots and bayonets. Then everything was calm.
Yurovsky and his men took the dead bodies to a nearer forest in a truck. They arrived a place called "The four Brothers" and Yurovsky ordered the corpses laid out on the grass and undressed. The men found , sewed on the girls' corsets, rows of diamonds. The naked bodies , with their faces violently dsefigurated, were thrown into a mine shaft. Apparently, two bodies were burned, supposely, Alexis's and Anastasia's.
The bolchevique government kept silence about the fate of the Imperial famiuly. When the White Army and the Czechs took Ekaterinburg, the bolcheviques ran away leaving proofs of their crime everywhere. The white officers found Joy, Alexis's spaniel dog, wandering around in search of his master. The basement, altough cleaned up, had scratches and scars of bullets on the walls. A year later, the bolcheviques admitted the family was dead but they didn't recognize their responsabiliy in the crime.
There have been many theories and investigations around the murder of the Tsar and his family. It was until July 1991 when 9 skeletons were exhumated from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg. After several DNA tastes, the skeletons were recognized to have belonged to Nicholas, Alexandra, Dr. Botkin, Kharitonov, Trupp, Demidova, and three of the Grand Duchesses. Two bodies are still missing (the supposely burned ones). One is certainly rthe one of Alexis; the other is tought to be Anastasia's or Marie's.
During all these years many impostors have appeared claming to be one or another member of the Imperial family, mainly Alexis or Anastasia. The most famous was a woman named Anna Anderson, who in 1920 appeared in Berlin claiming to be Grand Duchess Anastasia and during all her life she fought to be recognized as the Tsar's daughter. Anastasia's aunts, Princess Irene of Prussia and Grand Duchess Olga failed to recognized Anna as their niece. Finally, some years after Anna's death, the DNA tastes practiced on the skeletons found in Ekaterinburg, revealed that Anna Anderson was not Grand Duchess Anastasia.
On July 17, 1998, the bones of the Imperial family were buried in the St.Peter's and St.Paul's Cathedral in St. Petrsburg, 80 years after their murders and now they are considered martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Buxhoeveden, Sophie: Life and Tragedy of Alexandra Feodorovna
Gilliard, Pierre: Thirteen years at the Russain Court
King, Greg: The Last Empress
King, Greg: The Man who killed Rasputin
Massie, Robert K. Nicholas and Alexandra
Massie, Robert K.: The Final Chapter
Maylunas, Andrei & Mironenko, Serguei: A Life Long Passion
Radzinski, Edvard: The Last Tsar
Vyrubova, Anna: Memories of the Russian Court
Yusupov, Prince Felix: The murder of Rasputin
