Los Romanovs

The Romanovs
The story begins in 1868. The year that Nicholas II, heir to the Russian throne, is born. His parents were Tsarevich Alexander and Grand Duchess Marie Feodorovna, (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark). Nicholas Alexandrovich, as it was the Russian custom to give the child the middle name of the father, withvich, (for a boy) or ovna or evna (for a girl), would always have to live in theshadow of his huge, powerful father. Nicholas was not an only child, by any means! He had 3 brothers, Alexander Alexandrovich (1869-1870), George Alexandrovich "Georgie" (1871-1899), Michael Alexandrovich "Misha" (1878-1918); and 2 sisters, Xenia Alexandrovna (1875-1960), and the baby, Olga Alexandrovna (1882-1960). In the year 1881, Nicholas had the traumatic experience of seeing his belovedgrandfather, Alexander II asassinated before his very eyes! His grandfather was killed by revolutionaries. Alexander III became the Tsar. Frightened by his father's murder, Alexander became a hard, stern Tsar, the exact opposite of his liberal father. The Romanov children led a simple life growing up. They slept on hard camp beds, took cold baths every morning, and ate simple meals. Nicholas was ashy, gentle, yet kind and humorous child. When Nicholas was sixteen, he met the love of his life: Princess Alix of Hesse-Dharmdst, who was 12. They met at the wedding of her elder sister Ella to his uncle Sergei. For the rest of their lives, Nicky and Alix would love each other most passionately. When Nicholas was 23, his father died. The very next day, Alix converted to Russian Orthodox, taking thename Alexandra Feodorovna. They were married soon after. Unlike Nicholas, Alix led a very sad childhood. Her mother died of diptheria when Alix was only seven years old; soon after Alix's baby sister, May, age 4 died of the same illness. Her older brother Freddie died when Alix was only a baby. Freddie was only two, and was a hemophilliac. He fell from a two story window, and hemorhaged to death.Their mother, Princess Alice, the daughter of Queen Victoria of England, became very depressed. Alix grew up in a home of funerals and morning. After her mother's death, Alix went to live with her grandmother, Victoria, for most of her life. Victoria loved her granddaughter dearly, nicknaming her "Sunny", which is what her future husband would call her later on. Victoria brought the beautifulyoung princess up to be modest, polite, well educated, and self reliant. Alix rarely relied on servants to do things for her, and she later taught her children these traits. Alix and Nicky met in 1884, at the wedding of her elder sister, Ella, and his uncle, Sergei. Alix was only twelve, and Nicky, a handsome young man of sixteen. It was love at first sight, and neither of them forgot the other. Butboth Queen Victoria and the Tsar were opposed to the match. It wasn't until 1894, ten years later, that Alexander finally relented: he was dying. Nicholas had refused all other potential wives, and Alexander, knowing that his quiet, gentle son would soon be Tsar, gave in. Alix and Nicky were formally engaged in 1894. Alix was at first very reluctant to give up her Lutheran faith, and convert toRussian Orthodox. But she finally gave in. A friend recalls Alix running into her room that day, throwing her arms around her friend's neck, and crying, "I'm going to marry Nicky!" Nicholas and Alexandra were to enjoy many years of marital and family bliss. The birth of four lovely daughters, Olga Nicholaievna, Tatiana Nicholaievna, Marie Nicholaievna, and Anastasia Nicholaievna. But Nicky and Alixlonged for the birth of son, an heir to the Russian throne. Their prayers were finally answered in 1904 with the birth of the Tsarevich, Alexsei Nicholaievich Romanov. But alas, tragedy was soon to strike. Alexsei soon began to suffer from uncontrollable bleeding at the navel. Nicky and Alix had to face the terrible truth: Alexsei was a hemophilliac. His life would forever be in peril. Thus, the...