Hemophilia Nicholas 2. The Royal Family: real life after an imaginary execution. Life of the royal family after “death”
Private bussiness
Alexey Nikolaevich Romanov (1904-1918) Born in Peterhof, he was the fifth and most long-awaited child in the family of Emperor Nicholas II. Before this, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna gave birth to four daughters one after another. Almost despairing of waiting for their son, the royal couple attended the glorification of Seraphim of Sarov in July 1903 in Sarov, where the emperor and empress prayed for an heir.
However, the parents' joy after the birth of their son was very soon overshadowed by horror - on his mother's side, Alexey inherited hemophilia - a rare hereditary disease associated with a violation of the blood clotting process.
The disease hemophilia became obvious in the Tsarevich already in September 1904, when the baby, not yet two months old, began to have severe bleeding from the navel.
The heir’s illness manifested itself in the fact that every bruise, which resulted in the rupture of even the tiniest internal blood vessel (which in an ordinary person would have resulted in a simple bruise), caused internal bleeding that did not stop. Slowly but without stopping, the blood penetrated into the surrounding muscles and other tissues, a hematoma the size of a large apple formed, the skin lost its elasticity and could no longer stretch, the pressure slowed down the blood circulation, resulting in the formation of a blood clot. After this, the hematoma gradually resolved and the dark purple bruise turned into a spotted yellowish-green. Minor external cuts or scratches anywhere on the surface of the body did not pose a danger - they were immediately healed, and then a tight bandage was applied to them, which compressed the blood vessel and allowed the damage to gradually heal. The exception was bleeding from the mouth or nose, since in such places it was impossible to apply a bandage to the source of bleeding. One day, the prince almost died from a nosebleed, although he did not experience any pain.
The disease caused constant hemorrhages in the joints, which caused Alexei unbearable pain and turned him into a disabled person. Blood, accumulating in the joint space of the elbow, knee or ankle, pressed on the nerve, resulting in severe pain. In addition, the blood that entered the joint destroyed the tendons and tissues, causing the limbs to freeze in a bent position. Sometimes the cause of the hemorrhage was known, sometimes not. It happened that the Tsarevich simply announced: “Mom, I can’t walk today,” or: “Mom, I can’t bend my elbow today.” The best way to get out of this state was constant exercise and massage, but there was always a danger that bleeding would start again. The heir was not given morphine to relieve pain symptoms because of its destructive properties, so he stopped feeling pain only when he lost consciousness. Each case meant weeks of bed rest, and treatment included hot mud baths and a litany of heavy iron orthopedic devices designed to straighten the limbs.
In the fall of 1912, during the traditional stay of the royal family in the hunting ground of Spala in Eastern Poland, the Tsarevich unsuccessfully jumped into a boat and severely bruised the inner side of the thigh in the groin area: the resulting hematoma did not resolve for a long time, the child’s health condition was very serious, there was a real threat of death. These days, for the first and only time, a government bulletin was published about the serious condition of the heir. In it, however, the Tsarevich’s illness was not named.
“The unfortunate little one suffered terribly,” Nikolai wrote to his mother, “the pain seized him in spasms and repeated almost every quarter of an hour. Due to the high temperature, he became delirious day and night, sat up in bed, and pain immediately began from movement. He almost couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t cry either, he just moaned and said: “Lord, have mercy.”
Due to hemorrhages in the joints, the heir was often unable to walk, and in all necessary cases he was carried in the arms of a specially designated “uncle” - the conductor of the Guards crew, A.E. Derevenko, assigned to him from the age of two. His love for Uncle Derevenko was tender, hot and touching. One of his greatest pleasures was playing with his uncle's children and being among ordinary soldiers.
Despite his illness, according to the recollections of his contemporaries, Alexey was a handsome boy, with a clean, open face, although too thin.
The Tsarevich had an easygoing character, he loved his parents and sisters very much, who, in turn, doted on him, especially Grand Duchess Maria. Alexey was a capable student and made progress in learning languages.
During the First World War, Alexey, who was the heir to the throne chief of several regiments and ataman of all Cossack troops, visited the active army with his father, awarded distinguished fighters, etc. He was awarded the silver St. George medal of the 4th degree for the courage shown during visiting a military hospital in a shelled zone.
In March 1917, Nicholas II signed for himself and his son the abdication of the throne in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.
In August 1917, Alexey and his family were sent from Tsarskoye Selo into exile in Tobolsk, and later to Yekaterinburg. The last exacerbation of hemophilia occurred in Tobolsk at the beginning of 1918. T. Melnik described the onset of the illness as follows: “Suddenly Alexey Nikolaevich fell ill. This was a great misfortune for everyone, since he again suffered greatly, he had the same internal hemorrhage from the bruise that had already tormented him so much in Spala. Terribly lively and cheerful, he constantly jumped, galloped and played very violent games. One of them is a ride down the steps of the stairs in a wooden boat on runners, the other is some kind of improvised swing made from a log. I don’t know during which of them, but Alexey Nikolaevich hurt himself and fell ill again.” The Tsarevich never began to move normally until his death.
“Alexey took his first bath after Tobolsk; his knee is getting better, but he cannot straighten it completely. The weather is warm and pleasant. We have no news from outside,” says the last entry in the diary of Nicholas II, dated July 13, 1918.
A few days later - on the night of July 16-17 - Alexey was shot along with his parents and sisters in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.
According to the testimony of Medvedev, one of the participants in the execution, it took several shots to kill the Tsarevich.
In 1991, in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg, the remains of the executed royal family were discovered - Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, their daughters Olga, Tatyana, Anastasia and four people from the royal retinue. After lengthy examinations, it turned out that the remains of Tsarevich Alexei and Princess Maria were not among them.
In August 2007, charred remains were discovered in Porosyonkovo Log near Yekaterinburg, not far from a large burial site, presumably identified as the remains of Alexei and Maria. In 2008, genetic analysis confirmed that the remains belong to the children of Nicholas II. However, the Russian Orthodox Church did not recognize the results and the remains of Tsarevich Alexei were never interred. Since 2011 they have been stored in the State Archives of the Russian Federation
In September 2015, the investigation into the criminal case about the remains of members of the royal family - Grand Duchess Maria and heir to the throne Alexei - was resumed. In December 2015, the remains of Alexei and Maria were transferred for temporary storage to the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow.
His Imperial Highness, Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov.
What is he famous for?
Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke, fifth child and only son of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, who lived only 14 years and struggled with a serious illness throughout his short life.
Historians associate the rise of the elder and his enormous influence on the royal family (primarily Alexandra Feodorovna) and the political life of Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century with Grigory Rasputin’s ability to alleviate Alexei’s suffering. Even the warnings of the Empress’s sister Elizaveta Feodorovna that people’s dissatisfaction with Rasputin was being transferred to the royal family did not in any way affect the attitude of the Tsarevich’s mother towards the “elder”.
According to a number of researchers, it was largely the negative influence of Rasputin that led the country to revolution.
In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Nicholas II, his wife and children, including Tsarevich Alexei, as holy new martyrs and confessors of Russia.
What you need to know
For a number of years after the execution of the royal family, the Soviet authorities stubbornly defended the official version that only Nicholas II was shot in the Ipatiev House, and that his wife and son were transported to a “safe place” (the fate of their daughters was kept silent). This misinformation fueled rumors that some family members managed to escape and escape with their lives. In addition, the body of the crown prince was not found in the common burial of the royal family, which still gives rise to numerous speculations. The number of “Alekseevs”, who at various times posed as the surviving son of the last Russian emperor, has already exceeded eight dozen.
The latest “sensation” that received a wide response on the Internet was the information that in fact the Tsarevich was not shot, but he was saved, grew up and became the Soviet People's Commissar, and then the Prime Minister of the USSR, Alexei Kosygin.
The primary source of the widely circulated sensation is the article “The Royal Family: Real Life after the Imaginary Execution” by Sergei Zhelenkov, called a historian of the royal family, in the newspaper “President”. According to this article, the execution in the Ipatiev House on the night of July 16-17, 1918 was allegedly staged, and the sovereign and his household managed to escape through a secret passage. Personally supervised by Stalin, according to Zhelenkov, Tsarevich Alexei eventually became Soviet Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin.
Direct speech
N. A. Sokolov about Tsarevich Alexei (from the book “The Murder of the Royal Family”):“The heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, was a 14-year-old boy, smart, observant, receptive, affectionate, and cheerful. He was lazy and didn’t particularly like books. He combined the features of his father and mother: he inherited his father’s simplicity, was alien to arrogance, but had his own will and obeyed only his father. His mother wanted to, but could not be strict with him. His teacher Bitner says about him: “He had a great will and would never submit to any woman.” He was very disciplined, reserved and very patient. Undoubtedly, the disease left its mark on him and developed these traits in him. He did not like court etiquette, loved to be with the soldiers and learned their language, using purely folk expressions he overheard in his diary. He was reminiscent of his mother in his stinginess: he did not like to spend his money and collected various thrown things: nails, lead paper, ropes, etc.”
Gun salutes echoed throughout Russia, from Kronstadt on the Baltic, from St. Petersburg and from Peterhof - a child was born in the royal residence. Four times over the last decade shots from these guns were heard - at intervals of two years, Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna gave birth to four daughters. And finally, on August 12, 1904, 300 gun salute shots announced to Russia that the newborn was a boy.
In the summer of 1903, Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna attended the Sarov celebrations, but they behaved like simple pilgrims, fervently praying to St. Seraphim about giving them a son. Their prayer merged with the fiery prayer of the people. Exactly a year later, on August 12, 1904, Tsarevich Alexei was born and became the favorite of the whole family. The child was born strong, healthy, “with thick golden hair and big blue eyes.”
However, the joy was soon darkened by the news that the Tsarevich had an incurable disease - hemophilia, which constantly threatened his life. Even when it was possible to control the external bleeding and protect the boy from the slightest scratches, which could be fatal, nothing could be done about the internal hemorrhages - they caused excruciating pain in the bones and joints.
This required enormous amounts of mental and physical strength, boundless faith and humility from the family. During an exacerbation of the disease in 1912, doctors pronounced the boy a hopeless verdict, but the Emperor humbly answered questions about the Tsarevich’s health: “We trust in God.”
The heir was an unusually beautiful and intelligent child with an open soul; traces of physical suffering were visible on his thin face. The Empress taught her son to pray: at exactly 9 o'clock in the evening he went up to his room with his Mother, read prayers loudly and went to bed, overshadowed by her banner of the cross.
Those who knew the Royal Family closely noted the nobility of the Tsarevich’s character, his kindness and responsiveness. “There is not a single vicious trait in the soul of this child,” said one of his teachers.
The only son of Emperor Nicholas II, given by God in response to a long, diligent parental prayer, probably, without exaggeration, can be called the most attractive and most mysterious child figure in Russian history. “During the baptism of the baby, a remarkable incident occurred that attracted the attention of all those present,” wrote Abbot Seraphim (Kuznetsov). “When the newborn Tsarevich was anointed with holy myrrh, he raised his hand and extended his fingers, as if blessing those present.” What could this boy have become if he had lived to adulthood? One can only assume that a great tsar was begged for Russia. But history does not know the “if” phrase. And although we understand that the figure of the young Tsarevich Alexei is too bright and unusual, we still turn to his bright image, wanting to find an example for teaching and imitation in the relationship of this boy with the outside world.
Attitude towards women is the best way to test a man's nobility. He must treat every woman with respect, regardless of whether she is rich or poor, high or low in social position, and show her every sign of respect,” Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary. She could write such words with confidence: an example of male nobility, a chivalrous attitude towards a woman was always before her eyes - her husband, Emperor Nicholas.
It is very important that from childhood the little Tsarevich Alexei could see respectful attitude towards women from a man whose authority was undeniable for him. The Emperor did not ignore even the little things, thanks to which it was possible to teach his son a lesson.
Claudia Mikhailovna Bitner, who gave lessons to the heir in Tobolsk, recalled him: he combined the features of his father and mother. From his father he inherited his simplicity. There was no complacency, arrogance or arrogance in him at all. He was simple. But he had a great will and would never submit to outside influence. Now, the sovereign, if he took power again, I am sure, he would forget and forgive the actions of those soldiers who were known in this regard. Alexey Nikolaevich, if he received power, would never forget or forgive them for this and would draw the appropriate conclusions.
He understood a lot and understood people. But he was closed and reserved. He was terribly patient, very careful, disciplined and demanding of himself and others. He was kind, like his father, in the sense that he did not have the ability in his heart to cause unnecessary harm. At the same time, he was thrifty. One day he was sick, he was served a dish that was shared with the whole family, which he did not eat because he did not like this dish. I was indignant. How can they not prepare a separate meal for a child when he is sick? I said something. He answered me: “Well, here’s another thing. You don’t have to spend money just because of me.”
Anna Taneyeva: “The life of Alexei Nikolaevich was one of the most tragic in the history of the royal children. He was a charming, affectionate boy, the most beautiful of all children. His parents and his nanny Maria Vishnyakova spoiled him a lot in his early childhood. And this is understandable, since it was very difficult to see the constant suffering of the little one; Whether he hit his head or his hand on the furniture, a huge blue tumor would immediately appear, indicating an internal hemorrhage that was causing him great suffering. As he began to grow up, his parents explained his illness to him, asking him to be careful. But the heir was very lively, loved the games and fun of boys, and it was often impossible to restrain him. “Give me a bicycle,” he asked his mother. “Alexey, you know you can’t!” - “I want to learn to play tennis like my sisters!” “You know you don’t dare play.” Sometimes Alexey Nikolaevich cried, repeating: “Why am I not like all the boys?”
He needed to be surrounded with special care and concern. That is why, on doctors’ orders, two sailors from the imperial yacht were assigned to him as bodyguards: the boatswain Derevenko and his assistant Nagorny. His teacher and mentor Pierre Gilliard recalls:
“Alexei Nikolaevich had great agility of mind and judgment and a lot of thoughtfulness. He sometimes amazed me with questions above his age, which testified to a delicate and sensitive soul. In the little capricious creature that he seemed at first, I discovered a child with a heart that was naturally loving and sensitive to suffering, because he himself had already suffered a lot.”
The upbringing of any boy as the future head of the family should consist of instilling responsibility, independence, and the ability to make a decision in the right situation, without looking at anyone. At the same time, it is necessary to cultivate compassion and sensitivity and an important property - the ability to listen to the opinions of Other people. The boy needs to be prepared for the role of husband, father and master of the house. For Tsarevich Alexei, all of Russia was such a home.
“The queen inspired her son that everyone is equal before God and that one should not be proud of one’s position, but one must be able to behave nobly without humiliating one’s position” (Hegumen Seraphim (Kuznetsov). “Orthodox Tsar-Martyr”). If the mother had not made efforts to do this, then the position of the heir’s educator, which was already difficult, would have become even more difficult.
“I understood more clearly than ever how much environmental conditions were hindering the success of my efforts. I had to contend with the servility of the servants and the absurd admiration of some of those around me. And I was even very surprised to see how the natural simplicity of Alexei Nikolaevich resisted these immoderate praises.
I remember how a deputation of peasants from one of the central provinces of Russia once came to bring gifts to the heir to the crown prince. The three men of whom it consisted, by order given in a whisper by the boatswain Derevenko, knelt before Alexei Nikolaevich to present him with their offerings. I noticed the embarrassment of the child, who blushed crimson. As soon as we were alone, I asked him if he was pleased to see these people kneeling in front of him. “Oh no! But Derevenko says that’s how it’s supposed to be!”
I then spoke with the boatswain, and the child was delighted that he was freed from what was a real nuisance for him.”
I. Stepanov recalls: “In the last days of January 1917, I was in the Tsar’s Alexander Palace with the tutor of the heir Gilliard, and we went with him to the Tsarevich. Alexey Nikolaevich and some cadet were animatedly playing a game near a large toy fortress. They positioned soldiers, fired cannons, and their whole lively conversation was full of modern military terms: machine gun, airplane, heavy artillery, trenches, etc. However, the game soon ended, and the heir and the cadet began to look at some books. Then Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna entered... All this furnishing of the heir’s two children’s rooms was simple and did not give any idea that the future Russian Tsar was living here and receiving his initial upbringing and education. There were maps hanging on the walls, there were cabinets with books, there were several tables and chairs, but all this was simple, modest to the point of extremes.
“Alexey was a very affectionate boy. Nature endowed him with a penetrating mind. He was sensitive to the suffering of others because he suffered so much himself. But constant surveillance irritated and humiliated him. Fearing that the boy would begin to be cunning and deceive in order to evade the constant supervision of his guardian, I asked Alexey for more freedom to develop internal discipline and self-control in the boy.”
The Empress's maid of honor A. A. Vyrubova noted that “frequent suffering and involuntary self-sacrifice developed in the character of Alexei Nikolaevich pity for everyone who was sick, as well as amazing respect for the Mother and all elders.” The heir had deep affection and reverence for his sovereign Father and considered the days spent under Nicholas II at headquarters in Mogilev to be the happiest times.
He was alien to arrogance and pride, he easily played with the children of his sailor uncle, while Alexei learned early that he was the future Tsar and, being in the company of noble people and people close to the Tsar, he became aware of his royalty.
One day, when he was playing with the Grand Duchesses, he was informed that officers from his sponsored regiment had come to the palace and asked permission to see the Tsarevich. The six-year-old Heir, leaving the fuss with his sisters, said with a serious look: “Girls, go away, the Heir will have a reception.”
It happened that even during days of illness, the Heir had to attend official ceremonies, and then at a brilliant parade, among strong and healthy people, the Tsarevich was carried past the rows of troops in the arms of the tallest and most powerful Cossack.
Teacher Pierre Gilliard described the behavior of the 13-year-old Heir at the news of the fall of the monarchy: “But who will be the Emperor? - “I don’t know, now - no one”... Not a single word about myself, not a single hint of my rights as an Heir. He blushed deeply and was worried. After several minutes of silence, he says: “If there is no longer an Emperor, who will rule Russia?” Once again I am amazed at the modesty and generosity of this child.”
Alexey Nikolaevich, speaking to me, recalled our conversation with him when he was on the train with the sovereign in the fall of 1915 in the south of Russia: “Remember, you told me that in Novorossiya Catherine the Great, Potemkin and Suvorov tied Russian influence and Turkish The sultan forever lost its significance in the Crimea and the southern steppes. I liked this expression, and I told my dad about it. I always tell him that I like it.”
In the summer of 1911, Pierre Gilliard became Alexei's French teacher and tutor. This is how Gilliard spoke about his pupil: “Alexey Nikolaevich was then nine and a half years old, for his age he was quite tall. He had a long face with regular, soft features, brown hair with a reddish tint and large gray-blue eyes, like his mother's. He genuinely enjoyed life - when it allowed him to - and was cheerful and playful... He was very resourceful, and he had a shrewd, sharp mind. Sometimes I was simply amazed by his serious questions beyond his age - they testified to his subtle intuition. It was not difficult for me to understand that everyone around him, those who did not need to force him to change habits and teach him discipline, constantly experienced his charm and were simply fascinated by him... I discovered a child with a naturally good character, sympathetic to the suffering of others precisely because he himself experienced terrible suffering ... "
We think that these sufferings of his were, in essence, suffering for Russia. The boy wanted to be strong and courageous in order to become a real king in his beloved country. According to the memoirs of S. Ofrosimova, “often an exclamation escaped him: “When I am king, there will be no poor and unhappy people, I want everyone to be happy.”.
Ready to play pranks even during church services, he was very religious. In the spring of 1915, the empress writes to Nicholas during Alexei’s illness that he is most concerned about whether he will be able to be at the service on Maundy Thursday. Everyone who witnessed the difficult moments (and sometimes difficult hours) of the illness noted the great patience of the prince.
It was especially clearly demonstrated that the boy cared a lot about Russia, but little about himself, in the episode told by Gilliard. However, the little prince’s modesty did not at all interfere with his awareness of himself as the heir to the throne. The episode that S. Ya. Ofrosimova told about is quite well known: “The Tsarevich was not a proud child, although the thought that he was a future king filled his entire being with the consciousness of his highest destiny. When he was in the company of noble people and people close to the sovereign, he became aware of his royalty.
One day the Tsarevich entered the office of the sovereign, who at that time was talking with the minister. When the heir entered, the sovereign’s interlocutor did not find it necessary to stand up, but only, rising from his chair, offered his hand to the crown prince. The heir, offended, stopped in front of him and silently put his hands behind his back; this gesture did not give him an arrogant appearance, but only a regal, expectant pose. The minister involuntarily stood up and straightened up to his full height in front of the crown prince. The Tsarevich responded to this with a polite handshake. Having told the sovereign something about his walk, he slowly left the office, the sovereign looked after him for a long time and finally said with sadness and pride: “Yes. It will not be as easy for you to cope with him as with me.”
According to the memoirs of Yulia Den, Alexey, while still a very small boy, already realized that he was the heir:
“Her Majesty insisted that the Tsarevich, like his sisters, be raised completely naturally. In the heir's daily life, everything happened casually, without any ceremony, he was the son of his parents and the brother of his sisters, although sometimes it was funny to watch him pretend to be an adult. One day, when he was playing with the Grand Duchesses, he was informed that officers from his sponsored regiment had come to the palace and asked permission to see the Tsarevich. The six-year-old child, immediately leaving the fuss with his sisters, said with an important look: “Girls, go away, the heir will have a reception.”
Klavdia Mikhailovna Bitner said: “I don’t know if he thought about power. I had a conversation with him about this. I told him: “What if you reign?” He answered me: “No, it’s over forever.” I told him: “Well, what if it happens again, if you reign?” He answered me: “Then we need to arrange it so that I know more about what is going on around me.” I once asked him what he would do with me then. He said that he would build a large hospital, appoint me to manage it, but he would come himself and “interrogate” everything, whether everything was in order. I’m sure that with him there would be order.”
Yes, one can assume that under Emperor Alexei Nikolaevich there would be order. This tsar could have been very popular among the people, since will, discipline and awareness of his own high position were combined in the nature of the son of Nicholas II with kindness and love for people.
A. A. Taneyeva: “The heir took an ardent part if the servants experienced any grief. His Majesty was also compassionate, but did not actively express it, while Alexey Nikolaevich did not calm down until he immediately helped. I remember the case of a cook who for some reason was denied a position. Alexey Nikolaevich somehow found out about this and pestered his parents all day until they ordered the cook to be taken back again. He defended and stood up for all his people.”
On July 28, 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia and, despite the fact that Kaiser Wilhelm and the Emperor of Russia exchanged telegrams, on the evening of August 1, Germany declared war on Russia. Alexey realized that war was a horror, but his own life became much more interesting: the sailor suits were replaced by a soldier’s uniform, and he was given a model of a rifle.
At the end of October, the Tsar, Alexei and his retinue left for Headquarters in Mogilev. Alexandra Feodorovna, like Nicholas II, believed that if the soldiers could see the Heir in person, this would raise their morale. The Emperor hoped that such a trip would broaden the Tsarevich’s horizons, and in the future he would understand what this war cost Russia. At the review of the troops in Rezhitsa, Gilliard observed Alexei, who did not leave his father and listened carefully to the stories of the soldiers... “The presence of the Heir next to the Tsar greatly excited the soldiers... But the greatest impression on them was that the Tsarevich was dressed in the uniform of a private - this made him equal to any young man who was in military service,” writes Gilliard in his diary.
S. Ya. Ofrosimova: “The heir, the crown prince, had a very soft and kind heart. He was passionately attached not only to those close to him, but also to the ordinary employees around him. None of them saw arrogance or harsh behavior from him. He especially quickly and passionately became attached to ordinary people. His love for Uncle Derevenko was tender, hot and touching. One of his greatest pleasures was playing with his uncle's children and being among ordinary soldiers. With interest and deep attention, he peered into the lives of ordinary people, and often an exclamation escaped him: “When I am king, there will be no poor and unhappy people, I want everyone to be happy.”
The Tsarevich’s favorite food was “cabbage soup and porridge and black bread, which all my soldiers eat,” as he always said. Every day they brought him sampler and porridge from the soldiers’ kitchen of the Consolidated Regiment; The Tsarevich ate everything and still licked the spoon. Beaming with pleasure, he said: “This is delicious - not like our lunch.” Sometimes, eating almost nothing at the royal table, he quietly made his way with his dog to the buildings of the royal kitchen and, knocking on the glass windows, asked the cooks for a hunk of black bread and secretly shared it with his curly-haired favorite.”
P. Gilliard: “We set out immediately after breakfast, often stopping at the exit of oncoming villages to watch how the peasants worked. Alexey Nikolaevich loved to question them; they answered him with the good nature and simplicity characteristic of a Russian peasant, completely unaware of who they were talking to.”
Emperor Nicholas himself did an enormous amount to instill in his son attention and compassion for people. Gilliard recalled the time when the Tsarevich was with the sovereign at Headquarters: “On the way back, having learned from General Ivanov that there was an advanced dressing station nearby, the sovereign decided to go straight there.
We drove into a dense forest and soon noticed a small building, dimly lit by the red light of torches. The Emperor, accompanied by Alexei Nikolaevich, entered the house, approached all the wounded and talked to them with great kindness. His sudden visit at such a late hour and so close to the front line caused amazement to be expressed on all faces. One of the soldiers, who had just been put back to bed after bandaging, looked intently at the sovereign, and when the latter bent over him, he raised his only good hand to touch his clothes and make sure that before him was really a king, and not vision. Alexey Nikolaevich stood slightly behind his father. He was deeply shocked by the groans he heard and the suffering he sensed around him.”
The heir adored his father, and the sovereign in his “happy days” dreamed of raising his son himself. But for a number of reasons this was impossible, and Mr. Gibbs and Monsieur Gilliard became Alexei Nikolaevich’s first mentors. Subsequently, when circumstances changed, the sovereign managed to fulfill his desire.
He gave lessons to the crown prince in a gloomy house in Tobolsk. The lessons continued in the poverty and squalor of Yekaterinburg captivity. But perhaps the most important lesson that the heir and the rest of the family learned was the lesson of faith. It was faith in God that supported them and gave them strength at a time when they were deprived of their treasures, when their friends abandoned them, when they found themselves betrayed by that very country, more important than which nothing in the world existed for them.
Tsarevich Alexei was not destined to become Tsar and glorify the greatness of the Russian State, which he loved so dearly. However, throughout his short and unusually bright and sorrowful life until his last breath, he was able to glorify the greatness and beauty of the Christian soul, which from a young age ascended to God along the way of the cross, and, having accepted the crown of martyrdom, now prays for us at the Throne of God in the host of new martyrs of the Orthodox Churches.
Holy Martyr Tsarevich Alexei, pray to God for us!Tsarevich Alexei was a long-awaited child. Beloved by everyone, he grew up surrounded by family and servants, but his life was darkened by a terrible disease - hemophilia.
Long-awaited child
Tsarevich Alexei was a long-awaited child. After the birth of four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia (the difference between them was two years), the emperor and empress really wanted a son who would become the heir to the throne.
Anastasia Fedorovna was especially worried. She was so worried that she developed pathological mysticism. All sorts of “advisers” began to revolve around her. One of them, the Frenchman Philip, was able to convince the empress that he could provide male offspring. After his exhortations, the empress even developed a false pregnancy out of nervousness.
Only a few months later, Alexandra Feodorovna agreed to a medical examination, which showed that the empress was not pregnant. The charlatan was exposed by agents of the tsarist police in France.
Seraphim's help
Both Nicholas II and the Empress were deeply religious people. They fervently prayed for the birth of an heir to the recently canonized Seraphim of Sarov. The proposal to canonize Sarovsky was made by the emperor himself. In his family, the Elder of Sarov was revered for a long time: according to legend, Alexander I visited him incognito, and the 7-year-old daughter of Alexander II was cured of a serious illness with the help of the mantle of St. Seraphim.
About the role of the Empress in this matter, Count Witte said: “They say that they were sure that the Sarov saint would give Russia an heir after four Grand Duchesses. This came true and finally and unconditionally strengthened the faith of Their Majesties in the holiness of the truly pure Elder Seraphim. A large portrait appeared in His Majesty’s office - the image of St. Seraphim.”
Name
There are two points of view as to why the boy was named Alexey. According to one, the Tsarevich was named in honor of the Moscow Metropolitan Alexy, according to the other - in honor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It is known that Nicholas II considered him one of the best Russian sovereigns. And there was a reason for it. Although Alexey Mikhailovich was called “the quietest,” he pursued a purposeful and tough policy, annexed Left Bank Ukraine and extended Russia’s borders to the Pacific Ocean. At a costume ball in 1903 (a year before the birth of his son), Nicholas II wore the costume of Alexei Mikhailovich.
Hemophilia
The heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei was born on July 30, 1904. However, the birth of a son did not bring peace to the imperial family. Two months after his birth, the Tsarevich began to experience severe bleeding, which could not be stopped for a long time. Then Alexandra Feodorovna heard a terrible word: hemophilia. In this disease, the lining of the arteries is so thin that any injury can cause the vessels to rupture. Before this, Alexandra Feodorovna’s three-year-old brother died from the consequences of hemophilia.
Hemophilia is inherited. The first carrier of the gene was Queen Victoria of England. Her children inherited the fatal gene from her. Her son Leopold died of hemophilia at age 30, and two of her five daughters, Alice and Beatrice, were carriers of the ill-fated gene.
Rasputin
The heir to the throne’s hemophilia was also associated with his closeness to the court of Grigory Rasputin, who was able to quickly relieve its symptoms.
The Empress's maid of honor, Anna Vyrubova, wrote about one of the most severe cases of bleeding of Tsarevich Alexei, whose nose was bleeding: “Professor Fedorov and Doctor Derevenko fiddled around him, but the bleeding did not subside. Fedorov told me that he wanted to try the last resort - to get some kind of gland from guinea pigs. The Empress knelt beside the bed, racking her brains about what to do next. Returning home, I received a note from her with an order to call Grigory Efimovich. He arrived at the palace and went with his parents to Alexei Nikolaevich. According to their stories, he approached the bed, crossed the Heir, told his parents that there was nothing serious and they had nothing to worry about, turned and left. The bleeding has stopped."
Most often, Rasputin did not even touch the heir, but began to pray fervently, after which the bleeding stopped. However, sometimes Rasputin also used natural remedies. Anna Vyrubova recalled that during one of the bleedings, the “elder” took a lump of tree bark from his pocket, boiled it in boiling water and covered the boy’s entire face with this mass. The bleeding has stopped. In this case, it is obvious that Rasputin used the properties of oak bark to stop bleeding.
“The prince is alive as long as I am alive,” said Rasputin. He turned out to be right. Tsarevich Alexei outlived the elder by only a year and a half.
Seven nannies
Due to Alexei’s terrible illness, bodyguards were assigned to him from an early age: two sailors from the imperial yacht, the boatswain Derevenko and his assistant Klimenty Nagorny.
At the age of seven, Tsarevich Alexei began to study. His studies were supervised by the empress herself, and she also chose teachers for her beloved son. Alexey’s teacher of the law was the confessor of the imperial family, Archpriest Alexander Vasiliev, and the Russian language was taught by Privy Councilor P.V. Petrov, arithmetic - State Councilor E.P. Tsytovich, tutor and teacher of the French language was a teacher of French language and tutor - Pierre Gilliard, the heir to the throne was taught English by Charles Gibbs, as well as Alexandra Fedorovna herself.
He loved to take his pets - a dog named Joy and a cat Kotik - to the classroom where the Tsarevich was trained.
Alexey treated his mentors with great love. Anna Vyrubova recalled: “The heir took an active part if the servants experienced any grief. I remember the case of a cook who for some reason was denied a position. Alexey Nikolaevich somehow found out about this and pestered his parents all day until they ordered the cook to be taken back again. He defended and stood up for all his people.”
Character
Tsarevich Alexei was a very active boy. He loved to play pranks. Georgy Shavelsky writes in his memoirs: “Sitting at the table, the boy often threw
generals with lumps of bread; took butter from the saucer onto his finger and smeared it with it
neck to a neighbor, so it was with Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhailovich. One day, for
"At breakfast, the Heir smeared oil on his neck three times."
Death
Since March 8, 1917, the royal family was under arrest in Tsarskoe Selo. August 1 - exiled to Tobolsk. There the royal family was under arrest in the governor's house.
Here, in exile, in the Tobolsk house, the long-standing dream of Nicholas II came true - he himself raised his son, taught him history and other sciences. His father's lessons continued for Alexei in the Yekaterinburg house, where the royal family was transported in the spring of 1918.
The Tsarevich's illness followed him and worsened. In Tobolsk, he fell down the stairs and was badly hurt, after which he could not walk for a long time. In Yekaterinburg, his illness worsened even more.
Alexey adopted deep religiosity from his parents; icons on a gold chain hung at the head of his bed (it was stolen by guards after the execution of the royal family). The Tsarevich always, even when he could not walk, attended services and sat in a chair.
The Tsarevich did not live until his 14th birthday only a few weeks. On the night of July 17, 1918, he was killed along with his parents and sisters in the basement of the Ipatiev House. In August 2000, the canonization of the holy passion-bearer Tsarevich Alexy took place.
A short, poignant life.....Tsarevich Alexei did not live several weeks before his 14th birthdayA short, poignant life.....Tsarevich Alexey
And mistakes are forgotten
And the sorrow that torments us,
At the sight of a royal smile
Your innocent, childish eyes.
On July 30 (August 12, new style), 1904, the only son of the last Russian Sovereign Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, heir to the throne of the Russian Empire, Tsarevich Alexei, was born in Peterhof.
He was the fifth and very long-awaited child of the royal couple, for whom they prayed a lot and fervently, including during celebrations dedicated to the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov July 17-19, 1903
The first discovery of the relics of Seraphim of Sarov, with the participation of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, 1903
The royal family before Seraphim, painting by priest Sergius Simakov
On September 3, 1904, in the church of the Great Peterhof Palace, the sacrament of Baptism of the Tsarevich was performed with the name in honor of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow. According to a number of researchers, the heir received the name Alexey in memory of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676). The successors of the porphyritic baby were the English and Danish kings, the German emperor, as well as the Russian Grand Dukes.
Baptism of Tsarevich Alexei, son of Nicholas II, Ilyas Faizullin
Since Russia was at war with Japan during this period, all officers and soldiers of the Russian army and navy were proclaimed honorary godparents of the heir. According to tradition, in connection with the birth of an heir, charitable organizations were established: a military hospital train named after the heir-cresarevich, the Alekseevsky Committee for providing assistance to children who lost their fathers in the Russian-Japanese War.
The educator and teacher of the royal children, Pierre Gilliard, in his memoirs recalls how he first saw the Tsarevich, who was then one and a half years old, in February 1906: “... I was already preparing to finish my lesson with Olga Nikolaevna, when the Empress entered with the Grand Duke Heir in her arms . She came to us with the obvious intention of showing me her son, whom I did not yet know. The joy of her mother shone on her face, having finally seen her most cherished dream come true. It was felt that she was proud and happy with the beauty of her child.
And in fact, the Tsarevich was at that time the most marvelous child one could dream of, with his wonderful blond curls and large gray-blue eyes, shaded by long, curled eyelashes. He had the fresh and rosy complexion of a healthy child, and when he smiled, two dimples appeared on his round cheeks. When I approached him, he looked at me seriously and shyly, and only with great difficulty did he decide to extend his small hand to me.
During this first meeting, I saw several times how the Empress hugged the Tsarevich to her with the tender gesture of a mother who always seems to tremble for the life of her child; but this caress and the look that accompanied it revealed so clearly and so strongly hidden anxiety that I was already amazed by it. It was only a long time later that I came to understand its meaning.”
Terrible disease.
On his mother's side, Alexey inherited hemophilia, the carriers of which were some of the daughters and granddaughters of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901). The disease became evident already in the fall of 1904, when a two-month-old baby began to bleed heavily. Any scratch could lead to the death of the child; the lining of his arteries and veins was so weak that any bruise, increased movement or tension could cause rupture of blood vessels and lead to a fatal end: a fall, a nosebleed, a simple cut - everything that would be a trifle for an ordinary child could be fatal for Alexey.
Grand Duchess Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei
From the very first years of his life, the Tsarevich required special care and constant vigilance, as a result of which, on doctors’ orders, two sailors from the imperial yacht were assigned to him as bodyguards: the boatswain Derevenko and his assistant Nagorny
Tsarevich Alexey and boatswain Derevenko
The Empress's maid of honor Anna Taneyeva wrote: “The life of Alexei Nikolaevich was one of the most tragic in the history of the Tsar’s children. He was a charming, affectionate boy, the most beautiful of all children. In early childhood, his parents and nanny Maria Vishnyakova spoiled him greatly, fulfilling his slightest whims.
And this is understandable, since it was very difficult to see the constant suffering of the little one; Whether he hit his head or his hand on the furniture, a huge blue tumor would immediately appear, indicating an internal hemorrhage that was causing him great suffering. At the age of five or six he passed into the hands of men, to uncle Derevenko. This one used to be less pampering, although he was very loyal and had great patience.
I hear Alexei Nikolaevich’s voice during his illnesses: “Raise my hand,” or: “Turn my leg,” or: “Warm my hands,” and often Derevenko calmed him down. When he began to grow up, his parents explained his illness to Alexei Nikolaevich, asking him to be careful. But the heir was very lively, loved the games and fun of boys, and it was often impossible to restrain him. “Give me a bicycle,” he asked his mother. “Alexey, you know you can’t!” - “I want to learn to play tennis like my sisters!” - “You know that you don’t dare to play.” Sometimes Alexey Nikolaevich cried, repeating: “Why am I not like all the boys?”
Alexey understood perfectly well that he might not live to reach adulthood. When he was ten years old, his older sister Olga found him lying on his back and looking at the clouds. She asked what he was doing. “I like to think, reflect,” Alexey answered. Olga asked what he liked to think about. “Oh, a lot of things,” the boy replied, “I enjoy the sun and the beauty of summer while I can. Who knows, maybe one of these days I won’t be able to do this anymore.”
Life in Tsarskoe Selo
Outwardly, Alexei resembled the Empress and Grand Duchess Tatiana: he had the same delicate facial features and large blue eyes. P. Gilliard describes him as follows: “Alexey Nikolaevich was then nine and a half years old. He was quite large for his age, had a thin, elongated oval face with delicate features, wonderful light brown hair with bronze tints, large blue-gray eyes, reminiscent of his mother's eyes.
He thoroughly enjoyed life when he could, like a playful and cheerful boy. His tastes were very modest. He was not at all proud of the fact that he was the heir to the throne; this was the last thing he thought about. His greatest happiness was playing with the two sons of the sailor Derevenko, who were both somewhat younger than him.
He had great quickness of mind and judgment and a lot of thoughtfulness. He sometimes amazed me with questions above his age, which testified to a delicate and sensitive soul. I easily understood that those who, like me, were not supposed to instill discipline in him, could easily succumb to his charm without a second thought. In the little capricious creature that he seemed at first, I discovered a child with a heart that was naturally loving and sensitive to suffering, because he himself had already suffered a lot.”
Resident of Tsarskoye Selo S.Ya. Ofrosimova shares the following impressions: “The heir Tsarevich had a very soft and kind heart. He was passionately attached not only to those close to him, but also to the ordinary employees around him. None of them saw arrogance or harsh behavior from him. He especially quickly and passionately became attached to ordinary people. His love for Uncle Derevenko was tender, hot and touching. One of his greatest pleasures was playing with his uncle's children and being among ordinary
With interest and deep attention, he peered into the lives of ordinary people, and often an exclamation escaped him: “When I am king, there will be no poor and unhappy! I want everyone to be happy."
A.A. Taneyeva recalled: “The heir took an ardent part if the servants experienced any grief. His Majesty was also compassionate, but did not actively express it, while Alexey Nikolaevich did not calm down until he immediately helped. I remember the case of a cook who for some reason was denied a position. Alexey Nikolaevich somehow found out about this and pestered his parents all day until they ordered the cook to be taken back again. He defended and stood up for all his people.”
At the age of seven, Alexey began to study. The classes were led by the Empress, who herself chose the teachers: the spiritual teacher of the imperial family, Archpriest Alexander Vasiliev, became the teacher of the law, and Privy Councilor P.V. became the teacher of the Russian language. Petrov, arithmetic teacher - State Councilor E.P. Tsytovich, French teacher and tutor - P. Gilliard, English was taught by C. Gibbs and Alexandra Fedorovna herself.
Confessor of the Tsar's Senya, Archpriest Alexander Vasiliev, 1912
Life in Tsarskoe Selo was of a close family nature: the retinue, with the exception of the ladies-in-waiting on duty and the commander of the consolidated guards regiment, did not live in the palace, and the Royal family, except when visiting relatives, gathered at the table without strangers and quite easily. The Tsarevich's lessons began at nine o'clock with a break between eleven and noon, during which the heir and his teacher went for a walk in a carriage, sleigh or car. Then classes resumed until lunch, after which Alexey always spent two hours outdoors. The Grand Duchesses and the Emperor, when he was free, joined him. In winter, Alexey had fun with his sisters, descending from an icy mountain built on the shore of a small artificial lake.
Just like his sisters, the Tsarevich adored animals. P. Gilliard recalls: “He loved to play with his donkey Vanka, who was harnessed to a small sleigh, or with his dog Joy, a dark brown lapdog on low legs, with long silky ears falling almost to the floor. Vanka was an incomparable, smart and funny animal. When they wanted to give Alexey Nikolaevich a donkey, they turned to all the dealers in St. Petersburg for a long time, but to no avail; then the Ciniselli circus agreed to give up the old donkey, who, due to his decrepitude, was no longer suitable for performances. And this is how Vanka appeared at the Court, apparently fully appreciating the palace stables. He amused us very much, as he knew many of the most incredible tricks. With great dexterity, he turned out his pockets in the hope of finding sweets in them. He found a special charm in old rubber balls, which he casually chewed with one eye closed, like an old Yankee.
These two animals played a big role in the life of Alexei Nikolaevich, who had very little entertainment. He suffered mainly from the lack of comrades. Fortunately, his sisters, as I said, loved to play with him; they brought fun and youth into his life, without which it would have been very difficult for him. During his daytime walks, the Emperor, who loved to walk a lot, usually walked around the park with one of his daughters, but he also happened to join us, and with his help we once built a huge snow tower, which took on the appearance of an impressive fortress and occupied us for several weeks.” .
At four o'clock in the afternoon, lessons resumed until dinner, which was served at seven o'clock for Alexei and at eight for the rest of the family. The day ended with reading aloud some book the Tsarevich loved.
All of Alexei’s relatives noted his religiosity. Letters from the Tsarevich have been preserved, in which he congratulates his relatives on the holidays, and his poem “Christ is Risen!”, sent by him to his grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. From the memoirs of S.Ya. Ofrosimova: “A festive service is underway... The temple is flooded with the radiance of countless candles. The Tsarevich stands on the Tsar's Elevation. He has almost grown to the level of the Emperor standing next to him. The glow of quietly burning lamps pours onto his pale, beautiful face and gives him an unearthly, almost ghostly expression. His large, long eyes look with a serious, mournful gaze that is not childish... He is motionlessly turned towards the altar, where the solemn service is being performed... I look at him, and it seems to me that somewhere I saw this pale face, these long, mournful eyes."
In 1910, Patriarch Damian of Jerusalem, knowing about the piety of the heir, gave him for Easter an icon of the “Resurrection of Christ” with particles of stones from the Holy Sepulcher and Golgotha.
According to P. Gilliard, Alexey was the center of the closely knit Royal family; all affections and hopes were focused on him. “His sisters adored him and he was the joy of his parents. When he was healthy, the whole palace seemed transformed; it was a ray of sunshine that illuminated both things and those around them. Happily gifted by nature, he would have developed quite correctly and evenly if his illness had not prevented this.”
S.Ya. Ofrosimova recalls: “His liveliness could not be tempered by his illness, and as soon as he felt better, as soon as his suffering subsided, he began to play pranks uncontrollably, he buried himself in pillows, crawled under the bed to scare the doctors with an imaginary disappearance... When the Princesses came, especially Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, terrible fuss and pranks began. Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna was a desperate naughty girl and a faithful friend in all the Tsarevich’s pranks, but she was strong and healthy, and the Tsarevich was forbidden from these hours of childhood pranks that were dangerous for Him.”
Raising an heir to the throne
In 1912, while on vacation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the Tsarevich unsuccessfully jumped into a boat and severely bruised his thigh: the resulting hematoma did not resolve for a long time, the child’s health condition was very serious, and bulletins were officially published about him. There was a real threat of death. “The Empress sat at her son’s bedside from the beginning of the illness,” writes P. Gilliard, “bent over to him, caressed him, surrounded him with her love, trying with a thousand small concerns to alleviate his suffering. The Emperor also came as soon as he had a free minute.
He tried to cheer up the child, entertain him, but the pain was stronger than the mother's caresses and father's stories, and the interrupted moans were resumed. From time to time the door opened, and one of the Grand Duchesses tiptoed into the room, kissed her little brother and seemed to bring with her a stream of freshness and health. The child opened his large eyes, already deeply outlined by illness, for a minute, and immediately closed them again.
One morning I found a mother at the head of her son... The Tsarevich, lying in his crib, moaned pitifully, pressing his head against his mother’s hand, and his thin, bloodless face was unrecognizable. Occasionally he interrupted his groans to whisper only one word, “mother,” in which he expressed all his suffering, all his despair. And his mother kissed his hair, his forehead, his eyes, as if with this caress she could ease his suffering, breathe into him a little of the life that was leaving him. How to convey the torture of this mother, helplessly present at the torment of her child during long hours of mortal anxiety...”
According to the opinion of many people surrounding Tsarevich Alexei, he had a strong will, which was not just an inherited quality, but developed and strengthened due to the frequent physical suffering caused to the child by a terrible disease. The disease became a kind of teacher of the little martyr. According to Anna Taneyeva, “frequent suffering and involuntary self-sacrifice developed in the character of Alexei Nikolaevich pity and compassion for everyone who was sick, as well as amazing respect for his mother and all elders.”
However, for all his kindness and compassion, the boy did not tolerate it when he, as the heir to the throne, was treated with insufficient respect. S.Ya. Ofrosimova recounts the following episode: “The Tsarevich was not a proud child, although the thought that he was a future king filled his entire being with the consciousness of his highest destiny. When he was in the company of noble people and people close to the Emperor, he became aware of his royalty.
One day, the Tsarevich entered the office of the Tsar, who at that time was talking with the minister. When the heir entered, the Tsar’s interlocutor did not find it necessary to stand up, but only, rising from his chair, offered his hand to the Tsarevich. The heir, offended, stopped in front of him and silently put his hands behind his back; this gesture did not give him an arrogant appearance, but only a regal, expectant pose. The minister involuntarily stood up and straightened up to his full height in front of the Tsarevich. The Tsarevich responded to this with a polite handshake. Having told the Emperor something about his walk, he slowly left the office. The Emperor looked after him for a long time and finally said with sadness and pride: “Yes, it will not be as easy for you to cope with him as with me.”
According to the memoirs of Yulia Den, maid of honor and friend of the Empress, while still a very small boy, Alexei already realized that he was the heir: “Once, when he was playing with the Grand Duchesses, he was informed that officers of his sponsored regiment had come to the palace and asked permission to see Tsesarevich. The six-year-old child, immediately leaving the fuss with his sisters, said with an important look: “Girls, go away, the heir will have a reception.”
Claudia Mikhailovna Bitner, who gave lessons to the heir in Tobolsk, recalled the Tsarevich this way: “I loved Alexei Nikolaevich most of all. He was a sweet, good boy. He was smart, observant, receptive, very affectionate, cheerful and cheerful, despite his often severe painful condition...
He was used to being disciplined, but did not like the former court etiquette. He could not stand lies and would not have tolerated them around him if he had ever taken power. He combined the features of his father and mother. From his father he inherited his simplicity. There was no complacency, arrogance or arrogance in him at all. He was simple.
But he had a great will and would never submit to outside influence. Now, the Emperor, if he took power again, I’m sure he would forget and forgive the actions of those soldiers who were known in this regard. Alexey Nikolaevich, if he received power, would never forget or forgive them for this and would draw the appropriate conclusions.
He understood a lot and understood people. But he was closed and reserved. He was terribly patient, very careful, disciplined and demanding of himself and others. He was kind, like his father, in the sense that he did not have the ability in his heart to cause unnecessary harm.
At the same time, he was thrifty. One day he was sick, he was served a dish that was shared with the whole family, which he did not eat because he did not like this dish. I was indignant. How can they not prepare a separate meal for a child when he is sick? I said something. He answered me: “Well, here’s another one!” There’s no need to waste money just because of me.”
Favorite Bet. Introduction to military life
According to tradition, grand dukes became chiefs or officers of guard regiments on their birthday. Alexey became the chief of the 12th East Siberian Rifle Regiment, and later other military units and the ataman of all Cossack troops. The sovereign introduced him to Russian military history, the structure of the army and the peculiarities of its life, organized a detachment of the sons of lower ranks under the leadership of the “uncle” Tsarevich Derevenko and managed to instill in the heir a love of military affairs.
Alexey was often present at the reception of deputations and at parades of troops, and during the First World War he visited the active army with his father, awarded distinguished soldiers, and was himself awarded the silver St. George medal of the 4th degree.
On July 20, 1914, the President of the French Republic R. Poincaré presented the heir with the ribbon of the Order of the Legion of Honor. In Petrograd, in the Winter Palace, there were two institutions named after Alexei - a hospital and the Committee of One-Time Benefits for Sick and Wounded Soldiers, and many military hospitals also bore his name.
The Tsarevich spent almost the entire 1916 with his father at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Mogilev. According to A.A. Mordvinov, the aide-de-camp of Nicholas II, the heir “promised to be not only a good, but also an outstanding monarch.” P. Gilliard recalls: “After the review, the Emperor approached the soldiers and entered into a simple conversation with some of them, asking them about the fierce battles in which they had participated.
Alexey Nikolaevich followed his father step by step, listening with passionate interest to the stories of these people who had seen the proximity of death so many times. His usually expressive and moving face was full of tension from the effort he made not to miss a single word of what they were saying.
The presence of the heir next to the Sovereign aroused the interest of the soldiers, and when he walked away, they could be heard exchanging impressions in a whisper about his age, height, facial expression, etc. But what struck them most was that the Tsarevich was in a simple soldier’s uniform, no different from the one worn by the team of soldiers’ children.”
The English General Hanbury-Williams, with whom the Tsarevich became friends at Headquarters, published after the revolution his memoirs “Emperor Nicholas II as I Knew Him.” About his acquaintance with Alexei, he writes: “When I first saw Alexei Nikolaevich in 1915, he was about eleven years old. Having heard stories about him, I expected to see a very weak and not very bright boy. He was indeed of a frail build, as he was stricken with illness. However, during those periods when the heir was healthy, he was cheerful and mischievous, like any boy of his age...
Tsarevich Alexei in Mogilev
The Tsarevich wore a protective uniform and high Russian boots, proud of the fact that he looked like a real soldier. He had excellent manners and spoke several languages fluently. Over time, his shyness disappeared, and he began to treat us like old friends.
Every time, greeting, the Tsarevich came up with some joke for each of us. When he approached me, he used to check that all the buttons on my jacket were fastened. Naturally, I tried to leave one or two buttons undone. In this case, the Tsarevich stopped and noticed to me that I was “sloppy again.” Sighing heavily at the sight of such sloppiness on my part, he buttoned up my buttons to restore order.”
After visiting Headquarters, the Tsarevich’s favorite food became “cabbage soup and porridge and black bread, which all my soldiers eat,” as he always said. Every day they brought him sampler of cabbage soup and porridge from the soldiers’ kitchen of the Consolidated Regiment. According to the recollections of those around him, the Tsarevich ate everything and still licked the spoon, beaming with pleasure and saying: “This is delicious - not like our lunch.” Sometimes, without touching anything at the table, he would quietly make his way to the royal kitchen buildings, ask the cooks for a hunk of black bread and secretly share it with his dog.
From Headquarters, the Tsarevich brought an ugly, sand-colored kitten with white spots, which he named Zubrovka and, as a sign of special affection, put a collar with a bell on it. Julia Den writes about the Tsarevich’s new favorite: “Zubrovka was not a particular admirer of palaces. Every now and then he fought with Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna’s bulldog, whose name was Artipo, and knocked over all the family photographs in Her Majesty’s boudoir to the floor. But Zubrovka enjoyed the privileges of his position. What happened to him when the Imperial Family was sent to Tobolsk is unknown.”
The newspaper “Kronstadt Bulletin” dated November 7, 1915 published an article entitled “Our Hope”, dedicated to the heir’s stay at Headquarters. It described the days of Alexei: “...After mass, the Emperor, along with the heir and retinue, went home on foot. The smile, look, gait of the young heir, his habit of waving his left hand - all this was reminiscent of the manners of the Emperor, from whom the child adopted them. Despite wartime and frequent trips with his sovereign parent to the fronts, the Tsarevich continued to study...
Tsarevich Alexei with his teachers on the train
There is a friendly atmosphere in the classroom where classes with mentors take place. Teachers forgive the child for his habit of leaving his dog, Joy, and cat for lessons. “Kitty” - that’s his name - is present at all his master’s lessons. After class, play burners with friends. He doesn't choose them based on their origin. As a rule, these are the children of commoners. Having learned that their parents need something, the heir often says to the tutor: “I’ll ask dad to help them.” The father and heir go to and from the temple together. In religion, a child finds clarity of views and simplicity in relationships with all people.”
The Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II himself did a lot to instill in his son attention and compassion for people. P. Gilliard describes the following incident: “On the way back, having learned from General Ivanov that there was a forward dressing station nearby, the Emperor decided to go straight there. We drove into a dense forest and soon noticed a small building, dimly lit by the red light of torches. The Emperor, accompanied by Alexei Nikolaevich, entered the house, approached all the wounded and talked to them with great kindness. His sudden visit at such a late hour and so close to the front line caused amazement to be expressed on all faces.
With P. Gilliard at Headquarters. 1916
One of the soldiers, who had just been put back to bed after bandaging, looked intently at the Tsar, and when the latter bent over him, he raised his only good hand to touch his clothes and make sure that it was really the Tsar in front of him, and not vision. Alexey Nikolaevich stood slightly behind his father. He was deeply shocked by the groans he heard and the suffering he sensed around him.”
On March 2 (15th Art.), 1917, news was received of the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne for himself and for his son in favor of Mikhail Alexandrovich, the Sovereign’s younger brother. P. Gilliard recalls: “... It was noticeable how she [the Empress] suffered at the thought of how she would have to worry the sick Grand Duchesses by announcing to them the abdication of their father, especially since this excitement could worsen their health.
The last lessons of the Sovereign Father
From March 8, 1917, the Royal Family was under arrest in Tsarskoye Selo, and on August 1 they were sent into exile to Tobolsk, where they were imprisoned in the governor’s house. Here the Emperor managed to fulfill his dream of raising his son himself. He gave lessons to the Tsarevich in a gloomy house in Tobolsk. The lessons continued in the poverty and squalor of the Yekaterinburg confinement, where the imperial family was transported in the spring of 1918.
Life of the Royal Family in the house of engineer N.K. Ipatieva was subject to a strict prison regime: isolation from the outside world, meager food rations, an hour-long walk, searches, hostility from the guards. While still in Tobolsk, Alexey fell down the stairs and received severe bruises, after which he could not walk for a long time, and in Yekaterinburg his illness worsened greatly.
From the first days of his reign, Nicholas II dreamed of an heir. The Lord sent only daughters to the emperor.
Tsesarevich was born on August 12, 1904. The heir to the Russian throne was born a year after the Sarov celebrations. The entire royal family fervently prayed for the birth of a boy. Alexey inherited all the best from his father and mother.
His parents loved him very much, he reciprocated them greatly. His father was a real idol for Alexei Nikolaevich. The young prince tried to imitate him in everything.
The royal couple did not even think about what to name the newborn. Nicholas II had long wanted to name his future heir Alexei.
The Tsar said that “it’s time to break the line between Aleksandrov and Nikolaev.” Nicholas II also liked the personality, and the emperor wanted to name his son in honor of his great ancestor.
The young prince had beautiful hair, large gray-blue eyes, the skin of his face was softly pink, and charming dimples were visible on his plump cheeks. When the smile shone on his face, it could only be described as angelic. He was a beautiful child. Those who saw the heir in the first years of his life unanimously noted this.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova devoted a lot of time to her son. She bathed him, played with him and looked after him. The mother's sensitivity and care were necessary for the child. As it turned out later, the prince was sick with hemophilia. The disease was a serious blow to the royal family and the entire state.
To protect the child from bruises and other injuries that could cause the child severe pain due to illness, a nanny, Maria Ivanovna Vishnyakova, was assigned to him. Later, the boatswain Derevenko was involved in raising the prince, and Nagorny and the footman Sednev helped him. All three were assigned to the child as uncles. The duty of these people was to constantly be with the child and monitor his actions.
Despite his illness, the prince grew up as an unpretentious child. He was not capricious, did not show any anger or irritation. He was surrounded by ordinary Russian people, who had a great influence on the formation of the heir’s inner world.
Alexey loved people very much, tried to help them, and never remained indifferent. He especially pitied those who, in his opinion, were unfairly offended, and said that when he reigns, there will be no poor and unhappy people in Russia. He said: “I want everyone to be happy.”
Alexey was sincere and simple in his communication. What he disliked most was lying. He had a decisive, but at the same time soft and affectionate character. He really loved everything Russian and was a true patriot. The prince was the chief of all Cossack troops. The Cossacks loved their young ataman and their future emperor.
Describes one incident that occurred when the heir was only one and a half years old. In January 1907, Nicholas II decided to show his heir to the Life Guards Ataman Regiment. Krasnov was the commander of one of the hundreds. When the Emperor and his son passed by the Cossacks, Krasnov noticed how the Cossacks from his hundred were shaking their sabers. Annoyance cringed in Krasnov’s heart, “Are you really tired!” - he thought.
Peter followed the sovereign, and saw the standard bend down, and tears flowed down the face of the stern sergeant. The sovereign and his heir walked along the Cossacks. The Cossacks were crying, the checkers were swinging in the mighty Russian hands... “I couldn’t and didn’t want to stop this swinging,” Krasnov recalled. This incident shows the devotion and love of the Cossacks for Tsarevich Alexei.
One day, at the age of six, the heir was enthusiastically playing with his sisters. And then he was informed that the Cossacks had arrived and wanted to see him. He immediately stopped all games and received the guests.
Of the toys, the prince recognized only soldiers. He really liked to tinker with them. He also liked soldiers' food. Alexey did not always eat what was given at the royal table. Secretly from his parents, he ran away to the royal kitchen, where he asked for black bread and ordinary cabbage soup. This is the kind of food my beloved soldiers eat, the prince said, I want it like them.
The prince was growing up, he had to study. But illness prevented me from taking science seriously. One day he carelessly jumped into a boat and began bleeding internally. The disease was very difficult, but he survived.
Recovery was slow. After his final recovery, the prince began to study science seriously. As the teachers noted, the heir was very smart, and like his sister, he grasped everything on the fly.
Soon the revolution broke out. After her there was the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, where the heir to the Russian throne and his family were brutally murdered on July 17, 1918. Tsarevich Alexei, like other members of his family, was canonized.
