topic Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS in Community Chat

THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

Oznell — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 12:53:07 GMT

This week marks an anniversary of the massacre of the family which took place on July 17, 1918. I wonder why it took me so long to read Robert Massie's popular masterpiece of the Sixties, "Nicholas and Alexandra". It is a page turner about a doomed family of endless fascination.

Massie immediately sets the stage by bringing us to 1894 Russia. His descriptions are vivid:

"Here and there, thinly scattered across the broad land, lived the one hundred and thirty million subjects of the Tsar: not only Slavs but Balts, Jews, Germans, Georgians, Armenians, Uzbeks and Tatars....... For the interminable months of winter, the open country bacame a wasteland of freezing whiteness. Inside their huts... the peasants sat around their huge clay stoves and argued and pondered the dark mysteries of nature and God."

Beautiful St. Petersburg-- "Venice of the North", "Babylon of the Snows" is brought to life. Members of the Imperial family are always speeding along the Nevsky Prospect to one ball or another. All the ingredients for unrest and the coming revolution are there....

Alexander was madly in love, as was his shy German fiancee, Alix of Hesse, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Upon their marriage, her name was changed to Alexandra Feodorovna, and she finally broke with her beloved Lutheran Protestantism to embrace Orthodoxy.

Their five children, Olga, Tatiana (Tatyana), Maria, Anastasia and Alexei, were a madcap lot, although Alexei suffered mightily with the family curse, hemophilia.

The middle daughter, Maria, often suffered from being considered the "good", non-mischievous one, which annoyed her sisters Olga and Tatyana.

As the two oldest, Olga and Tatyana joined their mother in nursing soldiers during World War I.

Alexei had horrific, painful bouts with hemophilia, during which all he could do was scream. Morphine was not administered to him, because of the other deleterious effects it would have had. Mudbaths were part of his treatment.

Anastasia, caught in a pensive moment. After the Romanovs were assassinated in their "house imprisonment" in Siberia, a series of supposed surviving Anastasia imposters proliferated. DNA testing finally demonstrated that she had perished along with her family.

Olga, the "poetic" daughter, on the royal "Standart"

French tutors must be tolerated...

Mischief afoot.

In captivity. The children ranged in age from about 22 to 13 when their lives ended:

Personally, I find it slightly disconcerting, reading about Russia in our current turbulent times. The book is very well-written. Recommended! Pulitzer-winner Massie originally became interested partly because his own son had hemophilia. He was also the biographer of Peter the Great, and Catherine.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

kaydee50 — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 12:57:55 GMT

I read that book years ago and it was fascinating. I love bios! Thanks for the pix.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

coffee drinker — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:03:44 GMT

@Oznell I'll recommend this to a friend who enjoys historical novels. I may take a look at it, too.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

vermint — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:12:31 GMT

I still re-read that book occasionally, it's very well done, and fascinating! Thanks for the pictures.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

Johnnyeager — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:20:48 GMT

The film version, released in 1971, was considered quite the prestige movie at the time, but is largely forgotten today. While a commercial failure, it earned 6 Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Janet Suzman and Best Picture.

It won 2, for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

Visually stunning and sumptuous, but quite the slog with a 190 minute running time.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

50Mickey — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:38:34 GMT

I read the book years ago. I hope that I still have it. I would like to read it again. Also saw the 1971 film of the same title that was based on this book.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

Sooner — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:46:27 GMT

@Oznell Thank you for adding so many wonderful posts to this group. You have enriched my life more than you can imagine.

I have always been moved by their story and the haunting photos of a beautiful family.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

SharkE — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:54:48 GMT

As you probably know , Oznel, I'm a Royal buff and first the English

then the colorful characters of Russia.

Unfortunately, those that inherit their positions are usually not equipped mentally for their task. They are just born on the right side of the blanket. Nicholas , was 1 of these.

His wife kept going till they had a son. Women back then and in that

exalted position HAD to get a male . She would had done anything in the world to have cured her son of the inherited disease. Why she got mixed up with Rasputin and that was her downfall.

These leaders don't respond to the cries of the people till it becomes too late. People were dying left and right from starvation, bad crops, bitter Russia cold. Then they would see the magnificent jewels, fancy clothes, palaces and they were taxed to death.

Just like Marie Antoinette of France they didn't get out in time before everything boiled over. At first indication that you might get captured and your guards can't be counted on to protect you . It's time to get out of Dodge. Stay around too long and you put your family at risk.

Louis the XVI was as mentally slow as the Romanovs.

They appealed to Nicholas English cousin who , at first, said they could come to England, but, that invitation was withdrawn when George the V advisors said wasn't good idea because the English wouldn't want to have more Royals to support. The invitation from the King was denied.

Interesting, that Queen Mary later on either bought or 'obtained' some of the Russian jewels of Alexandra's. Queen Mary, like myself, was a 'fine' jewelry freak. LOL She's a whole other story.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

kaydee50 — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 14:44:37 GMT

@SharkE I have requested from our library the book "George, Nicholas and Wilhelm Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I." I'm looking forward to reading it.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

JamandBread — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 14:53:35 GMT

An extremely attractive family. I've always considered Nicholas one of the hotties of history.

Young Joseph Stalin wad very good looking too.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

Sushismom — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 15:10:16 GMT

I'm sure you know this, but the Romanovs are an imperial and not a royal family. Also, you mentioned Alexander instead of Nicholas as the last czar's name.

The book by Massie is good but certainly not excellent. I've read about all the books about the Romanovs written in English. Not sure exactly what I think about Alexandra; whether or not she was a bit loony or all out crazy. She certainly wasn't normal.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

Oznell — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 15:58:50 GMT

Thank you, @Sooner , that makes me happy! I've also always found them to be so poignant, especially with that hideous ending.

Thanks, @Sushismom , I misspoke in referring to Nicholas the second time.

I'm aware of the "imperial" designation, but a colloquial little devil in me wanted the catchy alliteration of the two "r's" for my thread title -- royal romanovs!

Wow, @SharkE , I didn't know about Mary gaining possession of Alexandra's jewels. How interesting. I have always thought that George must have been tortured by guilt for not giving refuge to the family.

George and Nicholas had that family resemblance:

The family connections among the English, Russian, Danish, German, etc. ruling families are so tangled, but here are a couple of family trees showing various connections, to anyone who's interested:

I always find them confusing-- even my own family tree is so convoluted.

Interestingly, I think it was Prince Philip, coming to the rescue with his own DNA, who was able to establish that none of the immediate Romanov family members survived that unspeakable late night massacre.

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Somertime — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:27:39 GMT

@Oznell It was and is one of my favorites! A beautiful love story, a story of sadness and pain and betrayal. The richness of the life they lived in staggering detail. A very handsome family. The story of a Mother's heartbreak regarding her child, her willingness to believe anything or anyone who would be able to alleviate the pain and cure her treasured son.

I remember how vain Nicholas' mother was and the facelifts she endured. Apparently, they injected wax into her face and a some later date, it was extremely hot and from being in the sun watching a parade pass, her face started to melt. I remember reading that passage over a few times because I could not understand injecting wax under the skin and then to have it melt. Amazing the things that stick in your brain!

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

BlueFinch — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:38:34 GMT

Thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed these photos and reviewing some of the history.

A strikingly beautiful family gradually moving into chaos, with untimely end. A story told, so sad, that when I first studied it, I wanted to believe it was fiction, fully knowing it wasn't.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

Pearlee — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 18:27:43 GMT

@Johnnyeager wrote:
The film version, released in 1971, was considered quite the prestige movie at the time, but is largely forgotten today. While a commercial failure, it earned 6 Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Janet Suzman and Best Picture.

.

It won 2, for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

Visually stunning and sumptuous, but quite the slog with a 190 minute running time.

I saw the film when came out and thought it was incredibly boring. I could barely sit through it.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

SharkE — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 18:38:02 GMT

@kaydee50 wrote:
@SharkE I have requested from our library the book "George, Nicholas and Wilhelm Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I." I'm looking forward to reading it.

@kaydee50 I was gonna say you'll be amazed at how much alike George V

and Nicholas looked alike. NIcholas's mother was a sister to Alexendra the wife of Edward the VII who was the Father of George V. So, they were cousins. I see somebody posted a pic of the two.

You really have too like history to try and remember who was who, who married who, kids they had. If you don't like history or can't understand it best find something else. LOL

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

chessylady — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:36:34 GMT

Years ago I read the book and saw the movie. It is sad when children are murdered which happened to the entire family. Social unrest and regime change often brings violence and cruelty. No one is exempt from the fallout.

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

Oznell — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 18:57:57 GMT

What an exceptional, sort of metaphorical image that is of the injected wax melting, @Somertime -- chills!

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

SharkE — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 19:28:32 GMT

I, had never read that, myself. I hate it when they make stuff up in the movies they do of historical figues. Usually just a load...................LOL

Re: THE ROYAL ROMANOVS

RespectLife — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 19:50:12 GMT

@Johnnyeager

The movie was just on Turner not that long ago.

I taped it so I could take breaks...lol, it is so long.

I hadn't seen it in years.