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Tzar Nicholas (Nikolai) Romanov II was born May 18, 1868, the son of Alexander III. He had three brothers, Alexander (who died in infancy), George, and Michael (Mikhail), and two sisters, Xenia and Olga. Nicky was the oldest, not counting Alexander. Nicky was content more to spend time with his family than rule his country, but he loved Russia and her people. The people needed him to rule, and he did not know how. But he was stubborn, a firm believer in Divine Right, which means he truly believed God himself gave him the right to rule Russia. He called political reformers "senseless dreamers." He paid for his stubbornness with his life, and with the lives of his family.
Alexandra (Princess Alix of Hesse) was born May 26th, 1872 in Germany. She was the granddaughter of one of the most influential queens in British history, Queen Victoria. This extraordinary woman (Alexandra) has had so many hardships it amazes me that she remained as strong as she was. Her brother died from the same blood disease that her son had, not to mention that she blamed herself for every pain her son Aleksey had. I think of her as a tragic romantic historical figure, I suppose, like Cleopatra or Guinevere or even Joan of Arc. With everything shes been through in her life its no wonder hat she depended on the Mad Monk to soothe Aleksey, and her worries also. I know this simply from a biography of her I mentally put together, of tragic events that happened in her life. My sympathy goes out to her even more, to live without knowing a sibling is hard. Her unofficial pictures seem to tell her sad story right when you look into her eyes. | |
