The Romanov Family: A Long Rule that Met a Bitter End

The Romanov family spend three centuries ruling Russia only to have it come to a bitter end. This was unprecedented in Russian history.

The Russian Revolution

In 1613, Russian ruler Michael I took the throne and began the 304-year rule of the Romanov family. The Romanovs both the longest ruling family of Russia and were the last imperial family to rule the country. Some of the most well-known Russian rulers, including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Alexander I, were from the Romanov line.

But the dynasty came to an end under the rule of Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra, after the Russian Revolution began in 1917. Russia had fallen from its position as a global superpower and had become impoverished, struggling under a large population of peasants and minimal industrialization. In 1917, World War I had just ended, as well, and many Russian citizens blamed Nicholas for Russia’s lack of success in the conflict.

Political and social turmoil had also been inflicting the country for years before that, including Bloody Sunday in 1905, and things came to a head in the February and October Revolutions. By October, Nicholas had stepped down from his throne and a group of Russians called the Bolsheviks, led by the future leader of Russia, Vladimir Lenin, had begun a Communist Revolution that would lead to a Civil War and the tragic and dramatic deaths of the Romanovs.

The Execution of the Romanov Family

After Nicholas I stepped down as ruler, he and the rest of his family, which included his wife, their five children, and several of their closest servants, were imprisoned in Alexander Palace in Yekaterinburg. The family was treated as hostages and were severely restricted as to what they could do, where they could go, and eventually, even what they could eat.

The Romanov family was kept in isolation for months before the government that had taken over decided that to best help the Russian people, the Romanovs had to be executed. In the very early morning hours of July 17, 1917, the seven members of the family were awoken and told to get dressed, that they would be moving to a more secure location because of the rising levels of danger in Yekaterinburg. Instead, Nicholas, Alexandra, and their five children were ushered into a small room in the basement.

Two chairs were brought for Alexandra and the youngest of the children, Alexei, before Yurovsky, one of the men who had been keeping the Romanovs under house arrest, read the notice of execution. Confusion and chaos erupted as the shooting began and the family tried desperately to escape.

Nicholas was killed first, and then Alexandra, but the shooting had to stop quickly after it began due to the amount of noise it was causing, and the dust and smoke that had filled the room. The five children, Tatiana, Olga, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei, were still alive, and the executioners were forced to switch their attack to one that used bayonets and the butts of their guns, as the shooting would only create more noise and smoke.

Terrified Children Executed

Terrified, the children tried desperately to survive as the executioners used bayonets to try to kill them, but hardly any success resulted from it. Eventually, the executioners and Yurovsky were forced to turn back to their guns and kill the girls and Alexei by gunshots specifically targeted at their heads.

It wouldn’t be known by historians until years and years later why the execution had been so difficult and had taken so long; Sewn into the hat of Alexei and the clothes of Maria, Anastasia, and Tatiana were diamonds, topazes, and other precious gemstones that had served as a form of protection against the bullets, and even the bayonets.

The remains of the family were disposed of secretly, and the executioners and Yurovsky did their best to cover up the crimes they had committed, claiming to the Russian people that Nicholas had been the only one killed and the rest of the family had been moved to another “safer” location.

DNA Evidence and Conspiracies Surrounding the Romanov Family

In 1991, excavators in Russia found remains that were determined to be those of Nicholas Alexandra and three of the children. DNA analysts believed that Alexei’s remains were missing, as were those of either Maria or Anastasia.

Mystery surrounded where the remains of the two remaining Romanovs were, and this led to several conspiracy theories, most revolving around the youngest daughter, Anastasia. Dozens of people around the world claimed to be the long-lost princess and to have survived the slaughter in the basement of Alexander Palace.

One of the most famous of these imposters was Anna Anderson. Movies and books were published around the concept. However, in 2007, more archaeologists discovered more bones and determined that they belonged to Maria and Alexei, which means that Anastasia’s remains would have been at the site found in 1991.

The DNA analysis in 2007, and the published results in 2009, brought closure to the tragic end of the Romanovs and the drama and mystery that had surrounded it.