The Romanovs. The Real History of the Russian Dynasty. Episodes 5-8. StarMediaEN

[Music] January 17 44 a carriage hurried through the Russian winter carrying a 14 year old German princess who's in Petersburg Christon sophie friederike auguste on russia she would take a new name Catherine she was to marry the heir to the Russian throne must have imagined her future in this frozen land and dreamt of a loving husband but her hopes were in vain the marriage would be loveless this young princess would instead fall in love with Russia 18 years later years 1762 at the Russian Court the age of elaborate wigs and lavish balls was coming to an end they held no interest for Empress Elizabeth successor 34 year old Petr Fedorovitch not even those close to the new emperor knew quite what to expect from him he fidgeted constantly through ceremonies like to play with toy soldiers and often said out loud that he'd rather rule a civilized country like Sweden than a wild one like Russia chapter 1 e to the 3rd feodorovich Peter was born Karl Peter Ulrich son of the German Duke of Holstein a nephew of King Karl the 12th of Sweden his mother was Anna Petrovna daughter of Peter the Great making him heir to both the Russian and Swedish Thrones Peter orphaned at the age of eleven was brought to Russia by his aunt Empress Elisabeth he had him convert to Russian orthodoxy and renounce his claim to the Swedish throne at the age of 17 he married the 16 year old German princess of anhad zaps converted to orthodoxy and took the name Catherine [Music] Peter quickly discovered he had nothing in common with his young wife although she was beautiful he found her doll he played his violin for her and tried to include her in his own hobbies which he was interested neither in his music nor his toy soldiers catherine was intelligent and well-educated but in Russia she felt isolated [Music] Catherine confided her innermost feelings to her diary I see very clearly that the Grand Duke doesn't love me at all she wrote I will be very unhappy with this man-eaters antics meanwhile exasperated those around him his courtiers painted an unflattering portrait suggesting he'd inherited Peter the Great's love of drinking as well as his wild unpredictable behavior which baffled and infuriated his advisers [Music] they reported that he talked such nonsense in front of foreign ambassadors that he'd made our hearts bleed with shame [Music] PETA behaved erratically throughout his adult life some thought he had a form of mental impairment others thought his development had been affected by a serious bout of smallpox as a teenager nevertheless PETA received a brilliant education and excelled in the Natural Sciences mathematics geography and fortification he spoke German French and even some Latin although his Russian remained poor the prospect of becoming Emperor of Russia appealed to him not at all [Music] in contrast his wife Catherine was determined to be accepted in her new homeland she practiced her Russian lessons late into the night and read books about Russian history and the lives of the saints she even studied the old Slavonic language of the church she got up early to help the servants stoke the palace fireplaces and practice her russian with them soon she spoke the language fluently though she never completely lost her German accent [Music] when Peter the third became Emperor in 1762 he began a period of frantic legislation in a hundred and eighty six days he signed a hundred and ninety-two decrees he abolished the hated secret Chancellery and the use of torture and allowed 20,000 people to return from exile in Siberia he ended the persecution of the so called old believers and took land from the monasteries and gave it to the state he ordered that babies should be baptized in warm water he approved the formation of Russia's first state bank and the introduction of the first banknotes he declared forests to be a national resource and granted new civil liberties to the nobility exempting them from compulsory military service and allowing them to travel abroad for the first time there were rumours that Peter intended further sweeping reforms of the church he certainly showed little respect laughing joking and talking loudly through services in contrast his wife Catherine remained standing through long services observed all the fasts and fest her sins and received communion regularly her calm and pious demeanor made the Emperor look like an oaf Catherine never had any illusions about her husband even in the early days of their marriage she recalled one incident in her diary when I entered the chambers of his imperial Highness she wrote I was shocked to see that he had hanged a huge rat I asked him what it meant he explained that the rat had committed a criminal offense it had climbed over the wall of his cardboard fortress and eaten two guards that were on duty so he ordered the criminal to be tried according to military law rat was hanged at once it was to remain there for three days as an example to others [Music] Catherine and Peter were completely unalike they shared no interests it had nothing to say to each other and there was another problem everyone at court knew that Peter and Catherine did not sleep together after a few years it was less an item of court gossip than a looming dynastic crisis Russia and the Romanoff's needed an heir after 9 years of marriage Catherine finally became pregnant according to one account Peter had surgery to correct a condition that had prevented him consummating the marriage according to another account catherine was seduced by her chamberlain sergey saltykov [Music] in any event in 1754 at the Winter Palace in st. Petersburg Katherine gave birth to a son all Petrovitch as far as Empress Elizabeth was concerned Katherine had fulfilled her only duty to provide the Ramon offline with an heir she now intended to raise the precious child herself Katherine's infant son was taken away from her several years she lived virtually alone gave her plenty of time for her favorite pastime reading for a Russian Grand Duchess Catherine had unusual taste her favorite writers were all French philosophers and such as Diderot Voltaire and Montesquieu a rather great passion was for handsome men a first lover Sergey saltykov was soon sent on a diplomatic mission to sweetly but Catherine soon found a new favorite stanislav august Poniatowski a young polish noble attached to the british embassy they had a daughter named anna and in time Catherine would help Poniatowski to become the last Polish King in history when Catherine turned 30 she took a new lover a handsome boisterous guards officer named Grigory Orlov he and his four brothers all officers in the guards wielded enormous influence and effectively controlled the loyalty of their regiments Catherine was cultivating powerful allies in some Petersburg by the time Peter became Emperor husband and wife were barely speaking to each other Peter didn't even know that Katherine was pregnant again this time with Gregorio laughs child the birth of an illegitimate child could be the excuse Peter was waiting for to get rid of his unloved wife it had to be kept secret on the date the baby was due Catherines Chamberlain knowing Peter loved watching huge fires went to an extraordinary lengths to lure him away from the palace he ran to the city and set fire to his own house Peter set off to see the great blaze while Catherine gave birth to a son in a far wing of the Winter Palace in time the Emperor discovered the existence of both his wife's illegitimate children he remarked casually God knows where my wife gets her pregnancies from I don't know [Music] Peter was not a faithful husband either his mistress was Elizabeth valence over a lady-in-waiting and he wanted to marry her but first they would have to remove one major obstacle Catherine Peter plans to imprison his wife and their son Paul in the shlisselburg fortress near San Petersburg rooms had already been prepared for them Catherine knew she had to make her move first she also knew that the Emperor had made himself many powerful enemies close to her the King of Prussia Frederick the Great was Peter the Third's idol it didn't matter to Peter that Russia and Prussia had been at war for several years when Peter became Emperor he immediately made peace with Prussia giving away Russian conquests then he made his own guard regiments adopt Prussian uniform and brought in strict new codes of discipline also based on the Prussian system the guard regiments pampered for years were outraged the guards were the elite troops of the Russian army based on the toy regiments created by Peter the Great for his war games Preobrazhensky seminoff ski and ismail off ski regiments retained a close relationship with the sovereign the liebe guards guarded the Imperial Palace and were a political force to be reckoned with in a span of 37 years the guards were involved in no fewer than six palace revolutions June 28 1762 the Mon plaisir palace 6 a.m. catherine was woken by Aleksey all off record his brother it's time to get up he told her everything is ready for your Proclamation she dressed quickly and got into a carriage a few miles outside San Petersburg they met Grigory Olaf and went on to the barracks of the guard regiments where they were welcomed with cheers Catherine had been preparing the ground for this move for months 10:00 a.m. Peter was still asleep at a rhenium bomb 20 miles outside the city at noon a huge crowd followed Catherine's carriage as it drew up outside the Winter Palace it was met by a welcoming committee of senior state officials [Music] at the peterhof palace Peter was told that the Empress had vanished he searched her chambers in person looking inside her wardrobes and under her bed when it was discovered that catherine was in the city gathering support he sent messengers to find out what was going on none of them returned instead they joined Catherine Peter took a boat to the Naval Base at Kronstadt hoping that the fleet remained loyal to him a galley carrying all the ladies of Court followed him the Emperor intended to use them as hostages since their husbands had all sided with Catherine but the fortress had Kronstadt opened fire on Peters boat the Commandant announced that he recognized no Emperor Russia was ruled by Empress Catherine in San Petersburg the people gathered on the shore with sticks and stones to prevent the Emperor returning to the capital 24 hours later after learning that the Senate army and fleet had all sworn allegiance to Catherine Peter agreed to sign an act of abdication guards arrived to escort him to the Royal hunting lodge at rupture a few miles outside the city Peter went out to the carriage handed his sword to an officer and fainted [Music] Catherine had no legitimate claim to the throne by precedent she could claim no more than to be acting as regent on behalf of her infant son Paul Catherine however chose to present her palace revolution as a fulfillment of the people's will her ascension to the throne was she declared by the will of all our subjects the immediate question was what to do with her husband Peter he'd written to her in French addressing her as her majesty and swearing not to conspire against her or her government he'd added a postscript in bad Russian I also beg you honoring your will in everything to be allowed to go to faraway lands it was too risky to let Peter go abroad perhaps she should send him to the shlisselburg fortress where he could join another former emperor deposed more than 20 years before by the Empress Elizabeth even the sixth but to legitimate ex-emperor z-- owes to greater threat to an illegitimate German born Empress a week after the coup Catherine received a letter from Alexi Olaf who was keeping Peter under house arrest at Robshaw it contained the news that Peter was dead [Music] circumstances of his death remain unclear the official cause was hemorrhoidal colleague that he was almost certainly murdered [Music] two years later the second problem also resolved itself during a rescue attempt at the shlisselburg fortress even the sixth was killed by his guards in September 1762 two months after the coup impressed Catherine was crowned in Moscow chapter 2 Catherine the second alexeyevna at Catherines coronation 1200 foods of silver more than 19 tons were given out to the people crowds were then treated to a masquerade involving thousands of musicians giants dwarfs and jesters the ate fried beef and drank from Fountains of Rhenish wine the festivities lasted three months the main attraction was the great imperial crown containing 4936 diamonds weighing two thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight carats in total on top a red spinner weighing 398 carats and 72 Indian pearls its value 2 million rubles about 200 million dollars today catherine was the first russian empress to dedicate most of her time to work not her own pleasure [Music] compared to her predecessors she led an orderly life she preferred plain food a favorite dish was boiled beef with salted cucumbers and she hardly ever drank even during state banquets she drank blackcurrant juice instead of wine she also kept to a strict daily routine [Music] catherine rose at 6 a.m. read until 8:30 then worked on papers with her secretaries from 9 to 11 from 11:00 to 1:00 she met with courtiers and from 1 to 2 she had lunch koteas read aloud to her between 2:00 and 4:00 then she received visitors until 6 p.m. then she might play cards for a few hours before dining at 9:00 and going to bed no later than 10:00 [Music] [Music] [Music] the philosophical treatises that Katherine had read in her youth now began to bear fruit the Empress decided to establish a new style of government in Russia enlightened absolutism its main principles were to be freedom of thought and speech and equality for all classes before the law Russia still used the legal code that dated back to 1649 known as the subordinate illusion iya Katherine ordered the summoning of a legislative Commission to debate new laws for Russia its delegates were to be drawn from all the classes and regions of the Empire and were to come to Moscow bearing written instructions from their constituents before the Commission met the Empress wrote down her own ideas about the law in a document that became known as the nika's or instruction it took two years to write and contain more than six hundred clauses they discussed the rule of law the abolition of the death penalty the presumption of innocence concept of Liberty different classes and serfdom the macaws provoked extreme responses in Russia and abroad in France the birthplace of the Enlightenment it was bound as dangerously liberal now as her legislative Commission was convened the eyes of Europe were on Catherine and her daring experiment in legal reform the legislative Commission that was to draft the new legal code was made up of all classes except the serfs and clergy 564 deputies were selected thirty percent were Nobles 39% were townsmen 14% were peasants 5% bureaucrats and 12% of the representatives of other estates such as Cossacks and frontier tribesmen they met in no fewer than two hundred and three sessions [Music] the Commission met inside the Kremlin Katherine secretly watched proceedings from a hidden gallery used a hundred years before by the Tsar Ritzer and royal princesses in an age when women weren't allowed to join men at banquets [Music] more the commission taught clearer it was there was little common ground between the different estates sometimes it seemed the soldiers were the only thing that stopped them from attacking each other one issue bridged the gap between the estates merchants Cossacks and industrialists wanted the right to own serfs like the noble state while catherine was striving to nurture Liberty delegates wanted the opposite and weren't afraid to say so the only thing on which the deputies were unanimous was their desire to present Catherine with the titles the great the wise and the mother of the nation Catherine wasn't impressed she wrote irritably I told them to work on the laws and they do an anatomy of my qualities only God is wise great history will judge but she welcomed one title mother of the nation [Music] with the Commission deadlocked Catherine took matters into her own hands she ruled by decree prohibiting the export of grain imposing price controls on salt and creating new laws against corruption but trouble was brewing for Russia abroad the growing might of the Russian Empire was a source of growing unease for France when Catherine put her former lover Spanish wife Poniatowski on the Polish throne she antagonized France yet further she had also broken a promise to Turkey not to interfere in Polish affairs in October 1768 under pressure from French agents turkish sultan declared war on Russia Catherine sent her best troops and Generals against the enemy the Empress had a flair for recognizing talent and promoting those with ability one beneficiary was Kent Peter rumancek former favorite of Peter the third he'd expected to be dismissed after Peters overthrow but instead Catherine gave him command of an army count Alexei Olaf was considered by many to be debauched and dishonest yet Catherine gave him command of a naval squadron Alexander Suvorov was an unassuming 30-year old major when he first met the Empress she gave him her portrait as a gift the moment he later described as paving his way to glory according to some estimates he went on to win 93 battles for Russia and was one of the few generals in history never to be defeated in July 1770 the two armies met at the river lager in modern Moldova Rumi ancef smashed an ottoman army that outnumbered him more than two to 138 thousand Russians defeating eighty thousand Turks that same day at Chashma in the Aegean Sea Alexi Olaf led his naval squadron into action II - one a stunning victory against a much larger force thirty-two thousand Russians defeating 73 thousand Turks on August 1st 1770 near the river cagoule held lumion saif attacked and defeated a turkish army that outnumbered him five to one is 32,000 men routing 150,000 turks four years later at the village of Kos Luger in modern Bulgaria Suvarov won the last great land battle of the war once more attacking and defeating a larger ottoman force is 25,000 men putting to flight 40,000 Turks the string of victories against the Ottoman Empire caught everyone's attention soon ambitious young officers were traveling from across Europe to seek service with the Russian army London was a Spaniard Jose de Ribas future founder of the city of Odessa he was nearly joined by a young Corsican officer named Napoleon Bonaparte who changed his mind because foreigners were hired with a demotion in rank meanwhile at home catherine was waging another war with her lover Grigory Orlov her favorite had a furious temper while she could be jealous and resentful they would often quarrel furiously make up and quarrel again they had had a son together and lived like husband and wife Gregori wanted their relationship to be recognized as such and made official through marriage but catherine was worried it would undermine her position as Empress she asked her closest advisor Kant panin for guidance he told her Russian Empress can do anything she wants but mrs. Oliver can't be the Empress of Russia where panin leant against the wall his powdered wig left a mark on that moment it became a ritual for courtiers to press their foreheads against the mark hoping for Palin's courage when they had to give bad news to the Empress [Music] after 12 years Katherine finally tired of Grigory Orlov that year 1774 plague struck Moscow every day a thousand people perished officials fled the city and riots broke out all are volunteered to go into the plague-ridden city with the guard regiments he restored order organized the burial of the dead and opened hospitals with his own money in one month the epidemic subsided olaf returned to San Petersburg in triumph Empress his love was briefly rekindled but two years later while all off was away negotiating with the Turks she found a new favorite the young officer named Alexander for cyllage cough when all are found out he was furious he broke off negotiations and rushed home to see Catherine but her courier met him on route and handed him strict instructions to go to his palace at Cucina and not to come to court Nagori eventually calmed down and a few months later was allowed to return to court he and the Empress remained friends for the rest of their lives Catherine and Peter's son Paul was now nearly grown up many expected Catherine to hand over power to him soon will make him her co-ruler it was a time when Catherine needed people around her whose loyalty was beyond question so the Empress turned to a 35 year old major-general devoted and trusted friend Gregori Alexandrovich Potemkin Catherine and Potemkin soon became lovers she later wrote of her need to him my heart cannot be content even for an hour without love if you want me to be yours forever show me friendship as well as affection but love me and always speak truthfully she called him my student my friend my idol soon she couldn't bear to be apart from him and when he left the capital she wrote tender letters addressing him as my dear husband [Music] their affair began in the spring of 1774 it's widely suspected though it has never been proven that they were secretly married just a few months later in the Cathedral of sin Samson in st. Petersburg it was also rumored Catherine later bore him a daughter Elizabeth who took the surname simcha na but even this affair brought Catherine only fleeting happiness Catherine and Potemkin were both headstrong and always tried to impose their will on the other eventually Catherine had had enough while Potemkin was away in the provinces Catherine took a new lover Peters avid oski Potemkin wrote to gathering threatening to kill the man who taken his place but she had made her decision and told Potemkin the first sign of loyalty is obedience Javed offski was her favorite for just a year before he was replaced by Simeon Zorich a cavalry officer 14 years Catherine's junior the next lover was even younger 25 years her junior Catherine chose her own lovers but for counsel and company she always returned to Potemkin many years later Catherine's last favorite that on Zubov 38 years her junior wrote Empress always gave in to Potemkin swishes and feared him just like a demanding husband she often pointed to him as the example I should follow it was the tireless Potemkin who oversaw the colonization of Russia's new lands in the south known as novorossiya new russia for centuries this territory had been ruled by the muslim tatars of the crimean khanate but in 1774 as part of the peace treaty of küçük Kannagi he became part of the Russian Empire a few years later taking advantage of Tatar weakness Catherine annexed Crimea itself in just four years Potemkin brought 400,000 settlers to these new lands and founded the cities of yekaterinoslav Nikolaev Mariupol Quezon and Sevastopol the new home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet its warships built in the shipyards in Taganrog and Kasim Potemkin invited Catherine to inspect her new lands in personally he organized every aspect of the trip down to the tiniest detail it was like nothing else in history the Imperial party consisted of 3,000 people travelling in fourteen carriages and a hundred and sixty-four sleighs including 40 spares Catherine herself travelled in a specially constructed giant's a housing an office parlor with room for 8 a card table and a library it was pulled by 40 horses the trip lasted six months and covered 6034 kilometers at every one of the 375 relay stations 550 fresh horses were waiting as well as fresh provisions six cows and calves 30 hens and geese 500 eggs 80 kilos of flour sugar and butter six hams eight kilos of coffee barrel of herrings 50 lemons and three buckets of wine the empress visited 35 cities each of which welcomed her with great fanfare and celebration at balaclava she was greeted by an all-female regiment of Greek Amazon's while at Poltava fifty thousand extras re-enacted Russia's great victory over the Swedes [Music] [Music] Catherines great tour of the South came legendary and gave rise to myths of its own amongst them was a story that Potemkin tried to trick Catherine about the number of new settlements by lining their route with fake villages built from plywood with actors playing the role of peasants story gave birth to the phrase Potemkin village fake construction or facade that creates the illusion of prosperity but the towns and villages of new Russia were real myth was created by foreign observers reluctant to believe that Russia could so quickly consolidate its hold on such a vast region welcomed and acclaimed across new Russia Catherine was made to truly feel like the mother of the nation the austrian emperor joseph ii and other foreigners traveling with her were full of admiration this of course was Catherine's desire to make a powerful international impression the Ottoman Empire however was incensed by this triumphal procession and declared war in a bid to win back its loss plans the result was a series of brilliant Russian victories on land and sea the bright stars of Rumi and seven Suvorov were joined by a new Russian naval hero Fyodor Yakov in the course of two years he fought four battles against the Ottoman fleet all of them won or drawn despite always facing superior numbers his bold tactics rewrote Russian textbooks on naval warfare and would be studied by Russian naval officers for generations to come when peace was made Russian frontier advanced to the river Denis tre taking in the fortresses of Patricof and KGB future city of Odessa Russia status as a great European power was now assured no European state now dared to act without first considering the reaction of Empress Catherine [Music] the Empire's internal situation however was cause for serious concern the most influential woman of her age faced constant challenges to her rule during the first ten years of her reign seven pretenders to the throne emerged all claiming to be czar Peter the third having miraculously escaped death in the 11th year of her reign an eighth Pretender emerged and declared war on the Empress his name was ya million Pugachev until recently he'd been a common Cossack from the dawn region veteran of the Seven Years War returning home he helped some friends desert and as a consequence became a fugitive himself he rode to the Urals and told the cossacks that he was the true Emperor Peter the third back from the dead then he stirred up a peasants revolt Guga Jeff's manifesto promised all things to all men land for the peasants freedom for the Cossacks justice for the Tatas Kazakhs bash gears and kalmyks he promised to protect the people from corrupt government officials live free like the beasts of the steppe you told them Guga Jeff's people lived free indeed taking whatever they wanted by force robbing from the poor as well as the rich a month after puka Jeff's manifesto the Empress responded with one of her own she informed her subjects that a fugitive Cossack named Yemen Pugachev had gathered a band of thieves and vagabonds around him and dared to style himself Emperor she called on his followers to give up their ways or face severe penalties including death but it was too late in just a month hookah chefs 80 followers became 8000 in three months he had an army of twenty four thousand men made up of peasants Cossacks Bosch Kia's and kalmyks from the staff the rebellion had plunged the whole region into Anarchy Catherine would have to do more than write a manifesto to regain control of the Euro region's 89 factories 23 were completely destroyed and 33 more were looted the violence cost the factory owners around 1 million rubles worth about 5 billion roubles today or a hundred and forty million u.s. dollars the losses to factory workers and peasants whose houses were looted or burnt down and whose cattle and property was stolen amounted to about another 1 million roubles many people were killed or went missing amid the violence the official death toll was 2716 catherine sent government troops to crush the rebels but they stumbled into disaster after disaster three provinces has an Nisa garage and Voronezh was soon in flames because of the war against the Turks to the south Catherine had no more troops to send but as soon as peace was made with the Turks regular troops flooded the region and the revolt was suppressed the defeated Cossacks handed over their renegade leader to the government hygge Jeff was brought to Moscow in a cage like a wild stepped beast his treatment and interrogation were authorized by the Empress herself hygge Jeff along with six other ringleaders sentenced to death On January 10 1775 in front of a huge crowd in Moscow's Bolotnaya square one of the most dangerous and charismatic rebels in Russian history was executed by quartering by law Pugachev's legs should have been cut off first then his arms and only then his head but by personal order of the Empress who could Jeff and his comrades were granted a small mercy they were beheaded first the Empress later declared Pugachev's rebellion to be a national tragedy and ordered its events to pass into eternal oblivion and deep silence Catherine believed that the rebellion had been caused by the state of Russia's provincial government archaic incompetent and corrupt the entire administration of the Empire needed overhauling it was to this great task that Catherine turns next my quick quill will be the death of me she wrote to the French philosopher Voltaire I have never written so much in my life the result was 216 pages on reform of the provincial administration of the Russian Empire Catherine's reforms began with a complete reorganization of the Empire doubling the number of provinces from 23 to 50 each province was subdivided into between 10 and 20 districts all of roughly equal size these new provinces and districts would be the new basis for local government 216 towns received city status each city from the capital downwards became a separate administrative unit divided into its own districts and quarters this system was in use with few changes until the Russian Revolution some of its measures even remain in use today then shocking news arrived from France that would hold Catherine's reforms in their tracks louis xvi King of France had been guillotine Catherine had never been a friend of the King but the news made her physically ill French Revolution was the largest political and social upheaval of the age France's monarchy was overthrown in 1792 and a republic based on freedom and equality was proclaimed grande had been laid by enlightenment philosophers such as Voltaire Montesquieu Rousseau and Diderot now revolutionaries like Rob's Pierre Mara and Danton sought to fashion a new state from their ideas the Empress was thrown into panic the French Revolution had been inspired by the same ideas that drove her was she paving the way for a Russian rob's Pierre or Mara would she be the next monarch to lose her head she offered to send Suvarov and an army of 60,000 men to crush the revolution it did not happen but from henceforth Catherine looked on her old enlightenment ideals with deep mistrust [Music] Catherine kept the title mother of the nation close to her heart it was hardly any area of Russian life she didn't look at to see how it might be improved from provincial administration to the duties of Russian midwives arraign saw the birth of Russian journalism and satire she even contributed to such magazines herself in 1795 she joined forces with Frederick William of Prussia and Emperor Joseph of Austria to carve up Poland annexing territory in Belarus Western Ukraine Lithuania and Latvia she wrote no fewer than three dozen literary works including eleven comedies and seven operas arraign saw the construction of great buildings and monuments in Moscow and st. Petersburg designed by men of genius such as version of and Kazakov she initiated smallpox vaccinations in Russia vaccinating herself and her son Paul she amassed an unrivaled collection of artwork that became the basis of the world-famous Hermitage Museum she was a patron of Russian artists who themselves became masters theodoric Atif Dmitry Levitsky and Vladimir barovik offski the scale and breadth of her achievements were all inspiring no one could doubt her right to be called Catherine the Great or Russia Catherines 34 year reign was a period of dramatic growth the population of the Empire soared from nineteen to thirty six million conquests of her reign surpassed even those of Peter the Great twenty-nine new provinces were created and a hundred and forty-four new towns founded the army doubled in size from one hundred and sixty two thousand four three hundred and twelve thousand Navy drew from six frigates and twenty-one ships of the line to 40 frigates and 67 ships of the line the generals and admirals won an incredible 78 military victories meanwhile industrial output boomed the output of cast-iron tripled Russia became the greatest producer of cast iron in the world overtaking the former world leader Great Britain the value of Russia's external trade rose from more than nine million roubles per year to nearly 46 million roubles per year state revenue quadrupled from 16 million to 69 million roubles answerin built on the foundations laid by peter the great 80 years before create a giant and powerful new russian empire many later generations would look back to her reign as the zenith of russian imperial glory but forever mindful of the limitations of power she compared her own work who would drop of water falling in the ocean in 1796 in her 67th year catherine prepared to draft a decree on her succession she intended to pass over her unloved son paul who made her 19 year old favorite grandson Alexander her heir [Music] she did not live to see it completed November 6th 1796 Catherine the Great died of a stroke a 42 year old son Paul became Emperor in just one month it was plain to see why the Empress had tried to remove him from the succession Catherine the Great was never wrong [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] November 1796 brand Duke Paul Petrovich strode through the corridors of the Winter Palace as his mother Catherine the Great they dying he was looking for Catherine's secret will one piece of paper that stood between him and the throne unless it was destroyed the throne would pass directly to his son Alexander as Catherine had wished [Music] unlike his father Alexander seemed born to rule he had every natural gift charm intellect and wit the only thing he lacked was the desire to rule [Music] answer ins will never saw the light of day moment Paul had been waiting for for 34 years had arrived at last he was Emperor but in little more than four years Alexander would stand over his father's bloodied body and Catherine would at last have her way [Music] all's birth had been a joyous event as the great-grandson of Peter the Great his destiny had always been to continue the Romanov line and one day rule Russia but all his early years had been lived in the shadow of his mother Catherine the Great the eternal prince became lonely and secretive retreating into an imaginary world of his own creation many thought he was mad and christened him the Russian Hamlet chapter one all the first Petrovitch immediately after Paul's birth he was taken from his mother by Empress Elizabeth who raised him as her own his mother Catherine was granted almost no access to her son his father the future Peter the third also saw little of the boy it were rumours at court that Paul's real father was not Peter but a courteous Sergey saltykov Catherine herself encouraged these rumors which undermined the husband she later deposed stories about Paul's uncertain parentage delighted courteous but as the prince grew up the resemblance to Peter the third was plain to see both physically and in his strange mannerisms like his father Paul liked to march around his palaces as though on military parade he frequently baffled courtiers and ambassadors with his inane remarks leaving his wife the German princess Maria Fedorovna to cover up his strange behavior as best she could just as Catherine had to do for Emperor Peter nevertheless Empress Elizabeth adored her great-nephew Paul she began to consider making him her successor and by passing his father Peter who she and many others believed was insane to prepare Paul for rule she found him the best tutors in Russia all studied five languages history literature mathematics science craftsmanship and architecture as well as writing fencing dance carpentry and chess Paul himself insisted on studying the military sciences help with navigation lessons his entire table was painted blue and marked up to look like a huge naval chart the Empress Elisabeth died when Paul was seven followed six months later by his father Peter the third was likely murdered by his mother's supporters his mother Catherine became Empress some believed she'd hand over power to her son when he came of age in fourteen years time instead he'd have to wait 34 years as a teenager Paul was prone to depression he was deeply ashamed of his mother's licensures behavior and terrified of her lover's but his tutors noted his intelligence and interest in science art and mystical philosophy from his reading he developed a particular obsession with the Knights of Malta and dreamed of one day joining their ranks becoming Emperor was a daunting prospect for Paul his only happiness came from his friendship with a young count Andre razumovsky all wrote to him your friendship has worked a miracle I'm no longer plagued by all my old fears no more cámaras away black thoughts [Music] when Paul turned 19 his mother found him a bride the 18 year old Wilhelmina Louisa Princess of hesse-darmstadt all fell in love almost immediately after converting to Russian orthodoxy Wilhelmina took the name Natalya alexeyevna but after four years of marriage Natalya died giving birth to a stillborn son all went almost mad with grief his mother chose to console him by revealing letters between Natalya and razumovsky proving his wife had been having an affair with his best friend Paul never recovered from this blow lesson he drew was never to trust anyone again his mother quickly found Paul another German princess to marry six months later he was engaged to Sofia Dorotea overton back who took the Russian name Maria Feodorovna all second marriage was a happy one and in the course of 25 years she gave birth to ten royal children these children would carry on the Romanov dynasty for the next 150 years the sons included the Emperor's Alexander the first and Nicholas the first a grandson was Alexander the second a great-grandson Alexander the third and her great-great grandson Nicholas the second all surviving representatives of the house of Romanov are also her descendants couple honeymooned in Europe traveling incognito under the names count and count s7 eke Russian for of the north few of their hosts were fooled and across Europe Paul was welcomed with a degree of respect he'd never received at home in Vienna the couple went to the court theatre to see a performance of Hamlet but when the lead found out who was in the audience to his set he refused to go onstage declaring I cannot play the part of a prince who seeks revenge for his murdered father with the real thing watching from the Royal Box [Music] Empress Catherine never let Paul interfere in affairs of State she didn't even trust him to raise his own sons Alexander and Constantin to keep him out of the way if she bought him the palace of Gatchina 25 miles outside st. Petersburg for 20 years all devoted himself to creating his own miniature Kingdom at Cucina he had the buildings renovated to imitate the latest European styles and made his guards wear Prussian style uniforms and powdered wigs Catherine's courtiers ridiculed Paul 1 wrote you can't observe the Grand Dukes behavior without disgust he thinks himself the King of Prussia every Wednesday he conducts maneuvers [Music] the two thousand Guardsmen of the Kachina garrison never saw action but instead became the plaything of grand duke paul like his father he was obsessed with soldiering and was determined to make his troops the best drilled in russia they rehearsed volley fire bayonet drill amphibious landings and assaults and trained with artillery by 1796 they were the most disciplined and polished troops in the Russian army [Music] mechina drill went down in Russian military folklore for appearing on duty each soldier was screwed into a special contraption to straighten his head and his back and keep them perfectly still their tight white breeches were pulled on wet and dried on the body so there wasn't a single crease officers made the men practice marching with a glass of water on their head they spilled any water they weren't keeping their head still enough [Music] even minor misdemeanours were punished with beatings changing the guard became an elaborate drill that lasted hours and all soldiers marched with the famous high-stepping parade march still used by russian guard regiments Catherine ridiculed her son's military pretensions she didn't like to have her son around court but she lavished attention on her grandson Alexander in fact she behaved exactly as her predecessor Elizabeth had done towards her own husband Peter which she'd so resented at the time as soon as Alexander turned 16 Catherine arranged for him to marry a German princess and began to talk openly of bypassing her son and leaving the throne to her grandson instead this was when Paul began to fear for his life on the night of November 6th 1796 Paul and his wife had the same dream an unseen force raised them up and carried them through the darkness they woke up in terror just as a messenger arrived from San Petersburg he announced that Catherine the Great was dying [Music] [Applause] within hours Hall was emperor of Russia and he was soon passing laws at a dizzying rate as though he didn't believe he had much time the course of his four and a half year reign Paul passed seven thousand eight hundred and sixty-five acts of legislation twice as many as Peter the Great had passed in his 43 year reign and one and a half times as many as Catherine the Great in her 34 year reign he also found time to issue fourteen thousand two hundred and seven orders concerning the army the emperor rose at 4 a.m. and worked in his office until 9:00 where he received visitors and reports and he rode out usually accompanied by Grand Duke Alexander to visit some state establishment the changing of the guard was held at 11:00 then after an hour's walking through San Petersburg streets the Emperor returned to the parade ground to inspect the guard he even measured the length of the soldiers pigtails and checked the amount of powder in their hair officers were punished severely for the smallest faults in just the first three days of Paul's reign the Emperor dismissed sixteen leftenant generals 57 major generals and three full generals over four years 2594 officers resigned including 333 generals the Emperor's behavior created an atmosphere of permanent anxiety the wife of his military adjutant remembered his victims formed an endless procession to the fortress often their only fault was hair that was too long or a jacket that was too short the wearing of vests was strictly forbidden if the emperor spotted anyone wearing a vest the unfortunate owner was sent straight to the guardhouse even ladies sometimes ended up there if they saw the Emperor and didn't jump out of their carriage quickly enough to make the proper curtsy this is why the streets he used to walk along in some petersburg quickly became deserted everyone trembled before the Emperor all imagined himself as a perfect chivalric night become emperor and he had not forgotten his childhood dream of joining the Knights of Malta when Napoleon conquered their home island in 1798 all offered the Knights a new home in Russia and became their Grand Master even though he was Orthodox and it was a Catholic order all became the first Russian Emperor to meet the Pope Pius the 6th even inviting him to move to Russia when Rome was also occupied by Napoleon in Paul's eyes Napoleon represented a world evil that had to be defeated the allied Russia with the coalition of powers fighting against him and sent an army under the brilliant field marshal super off to Europe in 1799 in northern Italy Suvarov won three battles in just four months it was then forced to execute a dramatic but brilliant strategic retreat across the Swiss Alps in winter the Emperor resented Suvarov for opposing his military reforms but even he confessed his admiration for this latest achievement telling Suvarov the only victory you had yet to win was over nature itself even there you now have the upper hand [Music] all set out to undo all his mother's reforms which meant his next target was Russia's own nobility who had thrived under Catherine's rule he ended their exemption from taxes and corporal punishment turning them into powerful enemies all try to watch everything and everyone stacks of unread reports began to pile up on his desk because of a mass purging of the civil service it weren't enough staff left to run the offices of State British ambassador Sir Charles Whitworth who was watching the Emperor carefully wrote troubling reports to London the emperor has gone mad since the moment he ascended the throne his physical state has worsened the Emperor's behavior became more and more strange he no longer went for walks along the embankment because he feared the strong wind might blow his head away like a soap bubble he suffered from insomnia so his loyal wife Maria walked with him all night so he wouldn't pester the guards with nonsensical questions a conspiracy against him was now formed it included count Palen governor of st. Petersburg Vice Chancellor Nikita panin Catherine's favorite Platon Zubov general Bennigsen general overall and many others perhaps as many as 300 people Grand Duke Alexander didn't join the conspirators but nor did he stop them he only insisted they did not harm a hair on his father's head the conspirators swore to it he wanted Paul to abdicate and retire to Mikhailovsky castle where as a last resort they would lock him up Mikhailovsky castle was Paul's newest palace his fantasy made real the designs had taken years but their realisation had had to wait until catherine the great's death as soon as Paul was emperor construction began and was finished in just three and a half years all ordered the court to move here while the interiors were still unfinished it's dark stairways and eerie corridors created a strange unsettling atmosphere but Paul felt at home [Music] the Emperor's behavior was becoming even more unpredictable he sat for hours in deep thought he began to suspect his wife and sons plotting against him he wrote a secret letter and hid it in a chest with a note reading to be opened by our descendant 100 years after my death it was known that it concerned the fate of the dynasty and that Paul had written it after speaking with a prisoner from the Peter and Paul Fortress named Abel Abel was a monk born Vasily Vasily F in 1757 who took his monastic vows at the island monastery of the Lamb he was later said to have gained the gift of prophecy wrote many of his visions down in a book it's claimed he accurately predicted many events some of which took place during his lifetime such as the death of Catherine the Great the death of Paul Napoleon's invasion of Russia the Decembrist revolt as well as more distant events including the first world war the Russian Revolution the murder of the last Tsar civil war repression and war with Hitler Abel had been locked up for prophesying the death of the last Empress but he was summoned from his prison cell to speak with Paul [Music] when asked what future he saw for the Emperor Abel replied your reign will be short you will be strangled in your bed chamber by scoundrels who even now you hold in your warm embrace he even named the day March 11th on the evening of the 11th all dined with his family at one point he looked into a mirror and joked what a funny mirror I can see myself in it with a broken neck at that moment the conspirators were holding their final meeting at Camp Allen's house when someone asked what they should do with the Emperor resisted Allen answered omelets are not made without breaking eggs [Music] after dinner the Emperor suddenly said what will be will be went to his bedchamber he checked the doors and windows who wondered why the crows in the summer garden were making such a fuss his assassins were passing through the summer garden on their way to the palace when they arrived guards met the men all heard heavy footsteps in the corridor and knew they had come for him the conspirators included ex army officers many of whom were drunk they burst into the Emperor's bedroom and found him hiding behind a screen they tried to make him sign his abdication but he refused n Platon Zubov struck him on the temple with a golden snuffbox like a bear of brass knuckle dusters Emperor fell to the ground or fought bravely one against a dozen they beat him senseless and then throttled him with his own scarf [Music] [Music] Russian people were told Emperor Paul the first had died from an apoplectic stroke indeed inside his joked stroke of a snuffbox to the head [Music] French artist Elizabeth vision Lebrun witnessed the reaction to the Emperor's death the city went wild with delight people were singing dancing and kissing in the streets the people I knew would run up to my carriage shake my hand and exclaim now we are free many households even hung out lights the death of this unhappy Emperor caused universal joy [Music] within hours of Paul's death his son the new Emperor Alexander issued a declaration promising to rule in the spirit of his grandmother Catherine the Great but he did not share in the general sense of jubilation he was sickened by the events of the previous night he had only wanted what was best for Russia but his good intentions had paved the way to hell his own personal hell that would remain with him for the rest of his life [Applause] chapter 2 Alexander the first Pavlovic it was Catherine the Great who chose the name Alexander for Paul's first son officially he was named in honor of the Russian hero Alexander Nevsky in reality after the great Conqueror Alexander the Great the Emperor showered all the motherly affection she had denied to her son Paul on this boy her first grandson [Music] Catherine wrote about the little prince with pride she described a boy who was courteous cheerful and obedient and who made an effort to be liked everyone expected great things from Alexander he was watched all the time it was like being always on stage and in time he developed a mask for every occasion [Music] politician Baron Korff noted the emperor could penetrate minds and see to the bottom of people's souls without ever revealing his own thoughts and feelings Alexander knew his grandmother wanted to leave the throne to him instead of his father but he did not relish the prospect the only person he trusted was his Swiss tutor Frederick la Harpe a Republican and an idealist the harp was appointed by Catherine to instill her own enlightened humanist values in the young Prince Alexander was not yet fifteen when the Empress arranged for him to meet two sisters princesses of Baden thirteen-year-old Louise and eleven-year-old Dorotea Alexander was to choose one of them to marry he chose the elder Louise who converted to orthodoxy and took the name Elizabeth they were married the following year gotee is nicknamed the newlyweds Cupid and Psyche Alexander's charming beautiful bride inspired many artists and poets Fyodor Glinka wrote of her gentle Queen glory of the Tsar's your divine faces worthy of altars Elizabeth would go on to become renowned as a Russian Patriot during the Napoleonic Wars she founded a society to support the sick and wounded and pay for their hospital treatment she founded orphanages and schools for the children of officers killed in the war as well as other charitable institutions Elizabeth was considered the great beauty of her age guards officers formed clubs inspired by their love for her for all of Russian society she became an emblem of love beauty and virtue but when Elizabeth first arrived at the Russian Court during the reign of Alexander's father Paul she founded a place of anxiety and gloominess the Emperor constantly found fault with everyone even Elizabeth and as the young couple grew up their different temperaments became more obvious Alexander was passionate Elizabeth cool he drifted apart and in time you'll gather lovers in the sixth year of marriage Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter Maria but she died within the year [Music] with each passing year Alexander realized he didn't want to become emperor he dreamt of leaving everything behind going to live with Elizabeth by the River Rhine in romantic seclusion in a letter to a trusted friend he confessed I realized that I wasn't born for the title I bear now and even less for the one destined for me I've sworn to myself to refuse it in one way or another [Music] the certainties of the Gatchina parade-ground became almost a place of psychological relief during training a cannon went off next to Alexander leaving him deaf in his left ear his deafness led to a paranoid fear that people were always laughing at him behind his back on one occasion he passed three officers sharing a joke and laughing amongst themselves he ordered one of them to his office as the officer arrived Alexander was examining himself in the mirror what's funny about me he asked why did you laugh at me it was impossible to persuade the grand youth that they've been laughing at something else [Music] when Alexander became Emperor his first acts were to revoke all the unpopular decrees of his father Paul he closed the secret Chancellery allowed Nobles to travel abroad once more restored their other rights and privileges everyone had their own plan to reform the Empire in the name of progress and enlightenment so Alexander assembled a group of friends and advisors all young liberals like himself educated in the European style who decide the way forward within two years Alexander's Privy Committee had created new government ministries to replace the old khaleja and put in place progressive education reforms universities were open to everyone censorship laws were relaxed and five new universities were founded the first step was taken towards reforming Russia's serf laws a new decree allowed serfs to buy their freedom if their own has agreed they would have form a new class of free Plowman reforms moved slowly and faced significant opposition Alexander was dismayed everyone seemed to think only about their own interests no one seemed to share his concern for the common good then he found a man who seemed to understand and share his dream for Russia perfectly extraordinarily intelligent and hardworking his name was Mikhail Speransky he became first the secretary to the privy committee and later the Emperor's right-hand man the Emperor himself took on responsibility for foreign policy the great threat remained Napoleon Bonaparte who had now crowned himself Emperor of the French he threatened to overthrow the established order of Europe and war loomed once more in 1805 at Austerlitz in today's czech republic they met in the Battle of the three emperors Alexander of Russia and Frances ii of austria against napoleon the old veteran general Kutuzov commanded the Russian army but Alexander jealous of Napoleon's martial glory took charge himself [Music] Alexander saw his army crushed and routed and was forced to flee to save his own life those close to him saw the Emperor trembling and weeping the Cossack brought him some wine eventually calmed down fell asleep on a bed of straw inside a shed after the disaster at Austerlitz Alexander never again interfered in military strategy he kept to his own forte diplomacy even his great adversary Napoleon recognized his charm Russian Emperor is intelligent pleasant and well educated but he cannot be trusted he is insincere he is a subtle deceiver devious fellow two more years of war followed then in 1807 the two emperors agreed to meet to negotiate peace their armies were separated by the river Niemann so they met on a specially constructed raft in the middle of the river near the town of Tilsit Alexander and Napoleon sat under a grand canopy one-on-one without generals or attendants and talked for two hours at tills it they signed a peace treaty which committed Russia to join Napoleon's Continental blockade against Britain it caused Russian exports to fall by 20% with serious consequences for the economy French exports fell by a similar amount but soon Russia was preparing for another war against France Alexander was in no doubt that further conflict was unavoidable in anticipation Alexander almost doubled spending on the army from 63.4 million rubles of one hundred and eighteen and a half million [Music] On June 12 1812 Napoleon's Grande armée of 450,000 men began to cross the river Neiman Alexander had no more than 200,000 men with which to face him on the first day of the war Alexander went to Moscow to address his people from the ancient capital during an open air service he was profoundly moved when a peasant shouted out to him feed us dear father we will die all of us but we will win next day Alexander issued an imperial decree stating I will not lay down my arms while a single enemy soldier remains in my realm hot-headed generals like Bhagwati on wanted to meet Napoleon in one great decisive battle but Alexander instead approved a policy of strategic retreat put forward by Barclay de Tolly Napoleon was forced to advance further and further into Russia hoping to trap the Russian army and inflict a crushing defeat that would force Alexander to give in as the people of st. Petersburg prepared to flee fearing Napoleon would soon reach the capital Alexander was haunted by visions of his murdered father he was certain he was to blame for his father's death and the invasion was God's punishment for his unforgiveable sin shared his fears with his close friend Fritz galitsin now let's in turn to the Bible for guidance let a page fall open at random it was a verse from Psalm 91 my refuge and my fortress my god in whom I trust Alexander who'd never shown much interest in religion before was greatly affected he wrote to a friend describing his revelation they devoured the Bible finding its words poured into me and you bringing a peace to my heart that I'd never known before the Emperor stepped aside from military affairs and handed supreme command to the 67 year old Kutuzov two's off a veteran of four wars decided it was time to fight the great battle everyone had been waiting for near a village called Borodino 70 miles from Moscow when news arrived of the outcome it was clear that both sides had suffered heavy losses but the Napoleon had not been stopped Alexander then received news that Kutuzov intended to abandon Moscow the Emperor's nerves were close to breaking he paced around his office for an entire night when he emerged in the morning he was berated by his brother Konstantin while his mother the Dowager Empress became hysterical only his wife noticed the emperor had turned half gray overnight on September 2nd Napoleon entered the Kremlin and settled in Alexander's State Apartments very same day Moscow began to burn from fires lit across the city four days later Napoleon sent his first letter to Alexander offering to negotiate a peace it was no answer Napoleon sent two more letters but Alexander remained silent [Music] the Emperor shared his thoughts in letters to his beloved sister Catherine I'd rather cease to exist and make peace with that monster who brings misery to all I trust in God for the incredible spirit of my people and for the resoluteness with which I decided not to bow down beneath the yoke in October Napoleon's army began its long retreat from Moscow harassed by Cossacks and decimated by the cold it became one of the great catastrophes of military history in November just a few thousand frozen hungry and demoralized soldiers re-crossed the Niemen River pitiful remnants of Napoleon's army [Music] Russia's first patriotic war was over Russian dead totaled 200,000 soldiers civilian death toll was even higher dan eggs and ER had no intention of ending the war Russian army went on the offensive determined to defeat Napoleon once and for all Alexander the first and his allies fought their way across Europe dethroning the upstart monarchs created by Napoleon and restoring the old order on March 19 1814 Alexander entered Paris at the head of the Allied troops all Europe stood in awe of him in London he was made godparent to a future Queen of Great Britain named after him Alexandrina Victoria in Berlin the main square was named Alexanderplatz in his honor in Paris the Russian Emperor made a great impression with his talk of constitutions and liberty he was adored by the public who treated him like a modern celebrity struggling to get a glimpse of him this was his favorite role the Belvoir the great sovereign [Music] from Paris he went to Vienna where a Congress was held to decide the future of Europe Russian Emperor entered an arena populated by the shrewdest minds and most cunning diplomats of the age but he played his part masterfully never revealing his true feelings or intentions people came to call him the mysterious Russian Sphinx Congress of Vienna awarded Alexander yet more titles and more land he was now ruler of all the Russia's king of Poland Grand Duke of Finland 55 titles in total and for his victory over Napoleon he was solemnly named the Blessed when Alexander returned to Russia he was not the same hot-headed handsome boy that had dreamt of liberty and the common good not yet 40 he had already been hailed as the savior of Europe Piron seas were always important to Alexander everything had to be symmetrical faultless precise his uniforms were always immaculate and fitted him exactly no one had ever seen the Emperor dressed casually even at home but now he became a true parent documents had to be the exact same size and placed on his desk in neat piles furniture was arranged according to a plan and nobody was permitted to move a chair or VARs if only it were possible to impose the same order on Russia it was not the enlightened reformist Speransky who was now Alexander's closest companion but the old soldier count Alexei Eric jf an artillery expert who had served the Emperor's father a Kachina his closeness to the Emperor aroused considerable resentment amongst other courtiers who behind his back called him a brute and a gorilla incredible stories were told about the count it was said he got so furious that he tore soldiers moustaches off and once even bitter soldiers ear off but he was honest able and devoted to the Emperor he had Alexander's absolute trust Alexander put Eric chef in charge of his new project inspired by the ideas of a Welsh utopian socialist Robert Owen Alexander wanted to create military settlements where soldiers lived with their families and combined their military service with farming eric jf tried to talk alexander out of the idea he even begged him on bended knee but he had received an order and would carry it out with all his ability the Emperor believed everyone would benefit from the settlements soldiers could live with their families the army would feed itself it would be good order everywhere but conditions in the settlements instead quickly led to rioting life in the settlements was strictly regulated down to the tiniest detail everything was identical from houses to pots and pans every day was ordered around a strict timetable children were enlisted in the army at the age of seven and from then on came under the authority of their officers not their parents opposition and plots against him now caused Alexander to radically change his views he turned his back on his former ideals of tolerance and liberalism instead censorship was tightened so-called free thinkers were placed under surveillance or sent into exile in reports on secret societies he kept seeing the same familiar names through been Sukhoi mu Rav your brother's Alcon ski pestle but he stayed his hand I cannot judge them too severely he said I once shared their ideals alexander began to increasingly question his own purpose in a letter to the french diplomat augusta shwazaa goofier he wrote one needs to stand in my shoes to know what i feel when i reflect that i will have to answer to God for the life of each one of my soldiers now the throne is not my calling if I could with honor change the circumstances of my life I'd do it with pleasure I confess that sometimes I feel like beating my head against the wall his father's murder which had brought into power deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers pursuit of glory that now seemed worthless in his Bible he underlined the words I have seen everything that is done under the Sun and behold or his vanity love of his youth Empress Elisabeth came to his rescue for many years they'd lived separately as strangers but now he recognized in her a loyal friend with whom he could talk about anything when Elizabeth was diagnosed with tuberculosis Alexander decided they must leave some Petersburg and it's damp climate as soon as possible he wrote to his old friend Prince [ __ ] Sookie soon we'll move to Crimea and live as private subjects I've served 25 years after that soldiers are entitled to retire [Music] they did not go to Crimea to the southern city of Taganrog instead the emperor had visited it once and liked it hurried preparations were made for the arrival of the royal couple alexander left first to prepare everything for his wife's arrival he moved into a single storage stone mansion on grecheskaya street he swept the garden paths himself he helped to hang engravings on the wall move the furniture into place and when Elizabeth arrived they enjoyed a quiet peaceful life they went for walks greeting those they knew they read their favorite books to each other they prayed together Alexander seemed rejuvenated as if he had been given a second chance at life but all the while he remained Emperor [Music] Alexander's strange carefree behavior would come at a price it was soon to become the pretext for a tragic and bloody revolt but Alexander did not live to see it his southern idol lasted only two months November the 19th after a short illness he died the Empress Elizabeth died six months later [Music] the emperor's sudden death through many into confusion there were rumors that Alexander had faked his death and gone into hiding somewhere ten years later reports emerged of a mysterious old man named Fyodor kuzmich who lived in a village near Tomsk in Siberia he was well educated spoke several foreign languages was extremely pious he refused ever to discuss his earlier life the old man was tall broad-shouldered and like Alexander deaf in one ear who's Mitch died in 1864 and was buried in the grounds of the Tom's monastery his headstone reads this is the grave of the great blessed elder Fyodor Kuzmich the rumors that Kuzmich was in fact Alexander remained to this day neither proved nor disproved [Music] two years before his death Alexander had talked to his younger brother Grand Duke Nicholas of his intention to abdicate in his favor Nicholas his wife wrote in her diary speaking to us about his abdication the emperor said how I will rejoice when I see you driving past me I'll mingle in the crowd with the rest of them shout rah [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] December 14th 1825 the revolt was over but the Emperor's eldest son Grand Duke Alexander was still trembling with fear boy knew his father had gone out to do his duty might have been killed for it then he heard his father's voice calling him to come outside loyal troops were formed up in the courtyard just an hour earlier they had refused the rebels entry to the palace [Music] the Emperor took his son in his arms and addressed the men I don't need protection but I entrust him to you handed Alexander over to them the soldiers cheered with tears in their eyes young prince was carried aloft in their arms nobody suspected that one day this future emperor would face far greater dangers of his own [Music] Nicholas was a huge baby the size of a three-month-old it was said his grandmother Catherine the Great wrote in admiration I've never seen such a cavalier if he continues to grow this Colossus will dwarf his brothers [Music] chapter one Nicholas the first Pavlovic when Nicholas was five his father the Emperor Paul was brutally murdered by conspirators the children remembered it well youngest brother Michael was playing on his own he built a train of tiny carriages and used it to carry a toy soldier to a potted plant then buried him in the earth when asked what he was doing he answered and burying my father after Paul's death in 1801 his eldest son the 24 year old Alexander became Emperor the second brother Constantine became the new heir to the throne as the third brother Nicholas wasn't expected to inherit the throne he grew up under the strict care of his mother Maria the Dowager Empress at the age of 17 Nicholas and his younger brother Michael were allowed to travel abroad [Music] years later he recalled that's when we started to live stepping from childhood into the light of life it was in Berlin that I saw for the first time the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with a 16 year old Princess Charlotte of Prussia daughter of the king was an ideal match for the Grand Duke they were married two years later and Charlotte took the Russian name Alexandra Fedorovna Grand Duke Nicholas was later appointed chief inspector of the Corps of Engineers and commander of the guards Engineer Battalion every day he rose early for prayer and morning exercise performing complex bayonet drill with a musket the rest of the day was spent writing orders and reports and carrying out inspections Nicholas his elder brother Emperor Alexander the first often hinted that he planned to leave the throne to Nikolas since their middle brother Constantine had no interest in becoming Emperor and so in 1823 Alexander signed a secret will making Nicholas his heir only four people knew of its existence Nikolas was not one of them on November 19th 1825 Alexander died suddenly in the southern city of Taganrog eight days later the news reached San Petersburg Nikolas swore allegiance to his older brother Constantine the presumed heir who was in Warsaw then Alexander's secret will was proclaimed and two weeks later Constantine's renunciation of the throne arrived from Poland [Music] it was a unique case in world history instead of quarreling for the throne to Romanoff brothers were insisting it belonged to the other hand Langer on later paid them a subtle French compliment the Romanovs are so noble they do not ascend but descend to the throne but the resulting confusion was dangerous and encouraged a secret radical society the Decembrists to make their move the Decembrists were made up of liberal minded guards officers and nobles who wished to reform the monarchy and free Russia serfs its members included many high-ranking aristocrats members of its northern society led by Nikita Mora VF favored of constitutional monarchy while members of the southern society under Pavel PESTEL wanted to abolish the monarch and redistribute the land they planned to carry out a military coup d'etat the more radical conspirators we lef and pestle talked of killing the entire Romanov family including the princesses living abroad and their children so no one could ever lay claim to the Russian throne again the troops were due to swear their oaths of loyalty to the new emperor on December 14th the evening before Nicholas visited Mikhailovsky castle where his father had been murdered when he returned he asked his wife to die with honour if need be at 11:20 nicolas was told the Moscow guards regiment had refused to swear the oath and had marched a Senate Square at 11:30 the Emperor went to the square with the loyal palace guards at 12:20 general Milla radevich tried to talk to the rebel troops but was shot dead by a decembrist [Music] at 1:00 p.m. 900 rebel Guardsmen approached the Winter Palace 1:20 p.m. Nicholas sent a bishop to reason with the soldiers would nobody listen to him by 2:00 p.m. there were 3,000 rebel troops in the square loyal troops were arriving all the time but Nicholas continued to delay at 10 past 4:00 cannon opened fire on the rebels the young Empress Alexandra could see the Senate square filled with people at the sound of the first volley she wrote I fell to my knees in a small study and prayed like never before the strain of that day affected Alexandra for the rest of her life her health suffered already thin she lost more weight and became frequently ill [Music] the Emperor ordered the first blast of grapeshot to be fired over the heads of the rebel soldiers but the next volley was fired straight into the crowd when the smoke cleared the death toll stood at one general 18 officers 282 soldiers and 1170 civilians including 79 women and a hundred and fifty children a total of 1271 dead [Music] [Music] 679 people were investigated following the Decembrist revolt but most turned out to have no connection to the secret societies that had organized the coup of those finally put on trial a hundred and twelve lost their titles and all of their property rights 99 were exiled to Siberia 36 of those to labor camps nine officers were demoted to the ranks 36 were sentenced to death 31 by beheading and 5 by quartering Emperor Nicholas himself mitigated many of the sentences and in the end only five Decembrists were executed the included ring leaders such as pestle and the poetry le f and the man who'd shot general mila radevich portering was commuted to hanging the emperor himself paid an allowance to the widows of the executed men their families continued to receive payments from the office of the General Staff for 20 years while the children were put through school at public expense Nicholas ordered the Decembrist grievances to be looked at by a special committee invited Kant Kiselyov a decembrist sympathizer and opponent of serfdom to look into its abolition while receiving a delegation of nobles from Smolensk the Emperor told them plainly I cannot understand how a person became a thing I cannot explain it other than through guile and deceit on one side and ignorance on the other during Nicholas's reign new restrictions were imposed on the owners of serfs landowners could no longer sentence serfs to hard labor or sell them off without land serfs were granted more freedom of movement and the right to conduct their own business the percentage of Russians living as privately owned serfs fell from 57% to 35% the number of schools for peasants rose from sixty to two thousand five hundred and fifty Nicholas was trained as an engineer and fascinated by new inventions in 1835 he was seduced by a project many thought was crazy at that time there were only three railroads in the world two in England and one in America Nicholas studied the schemes on offer carefully and authorized construction of an experimental railroad between San Petersburg and his palace at Saskia sello four years later ignoring the objections of ministers he ordered another line built connecting San Petersburg and Moscow at the time it was the longest railroad in the world at six hundred and forty nine point seven kilometers it's construction costs 67 million rubles one third of the Empire's annual budget all 34 stations and both terminals were designed by one architect Konstantin Tong who was also responsible for the Grand Kremlin palace the rails were 1500 and 24 millimeters apart 89 millimeters wider than in Europe it was believed the Emperor insisted on this difference so an invading army couldn't use its own rolling stock on Russian Railways 100 years later during World War two those 89 millimeters would prove crucial in slowing down the advance and resupply of German troops during the battle for Moscow during Nicholas's reign 700 miles of rail track were laid across Russia it was not much but Russia's first railways did help to stimulate Russian industrial output which grew 30 fold in just three decades Russia's first hardened roads were built connecting Moscow and st. Petersburg Moscow and it quits and Moscow and Warsaw these developments overseen by Russia's engineer Emperor began a much-needed modernization of the country's transport network the Emperor began his working day at 7 a.m. around 11:00 he take a walk along the palace embankment without guards greeting those he knew he then returned to work until around 8 p.m. when he would go out to the theatre or perhaps a ball he returned home at midnight and worked until 3:00 a.m. by today's standards his personal security was non-existent no one saw the need [Music] the Emperor didn't eat much and when he did preferred simple food he loved veal cutlets with mashed potato but often had just a slice of black bread or a salted cucumber for dinner on the road his meals were even simpler [ __ ] and some cabbage soup which he'd eat from the same Bowl he drank mineral water from Salzburg and very rarely wines from Bordeaux he never smoked they said that those of a nervous disposition found it difficult to meet the Emperor's gaze while ladies were known to faint in his presence not from fear but from adoration Nicolas six-foot-two broad shouldered and well-built was considered one of the most handsome men in Europe it was rumoured had caught that Nicolas wore padding underneath his uniform to look more imposing but his private doctor said this was not true the Emperor simply had a very broad chest in public he did not relax for an instant his appearance was immaculate at all times it's no surprise that Nicolas the first became the role model for all future Romanoff's the Emperor brought a sense of calm and stability to Russia in an uncertain age and temporary newspapers depicted France as an exploding bottle of champagne while Russia was a bottle of vodka without a bubble in sight it was a reference to the explosive revolutions sweeping across Europe in the 1840s only Britain the Netherlands and Russia escaped unrest Nicholas's 30 year reign was the most stable period in the history of Czarist Russia Nikolas devoted himself to matters of state no important document crossed his desk without some comment from him his own office the imperial Chancellery came the hub of government the first section of the Chancellery was responsible for preparing Imperial decrees and monitoring their implementation the second section worked on the codification of Russia's laws into a single text the third section was in charge of police surveillance censorship tracing counterfeiters and investigating serf complaints against landowners the fourth section or the office of the Empress Maria worked on charitable projects including shelters hospitals and women's education the fifth section worked on reforms of the serf system the notorious third section of the Imperial Chancellery effectively served as the Tsar's secret police its mission was to gauge the political mood for him and to expose any conspiracies against the regime it had a permanent staff however of just 36 it was led by a hero of the Napoleonic Wars and close friend of the Emperor aunt Alexander Fon benc endorsed au headed the special Corps of Jean Dom who served as a uniformed security police with the strength of 4,000 the prestige and authority of the Corps was very high it's no coincidence that a gendarme appears in the famous final scene of Gogol's play the government inspector Gogol satire only avoided being banned thanks to the Emperor's personal intervention though remembered as a great reactionary Nicholas saw no harm in such an amusing play one of Nicholas's first acts after his coronation was to end the exile of the great russian poet Alexander Pushkin the Emperor even exempted push in from the normal channels of censorship promising to vet his works personally Pushkin dedicated nine poems to Nikolas while the Emperor intervened on a number of occasions to get Pushkin out of trouble even paying off his debts worth the equivalent of several million dollars [Music] in 1837 another great Russian poet mikhail lermontov was transferred from his guard whose ARS regiment to a unit fighting in the far south in russia's endless caucasian war the conflict had begun 20 years earlier in 1817 when the Russian army invaded the north and Caucasus during the reign of Alexander the first the war effort and flowed until reaching a new crescendo in the 1830s when Imam shamil led Chechen and daghestani warriors in a jihad against the Russian invader fighting dragged on for another thirty years until Russia was finally able to impose its rule on the Northern Caucasus by the 1850s a European coalition was forming against Russia alarmed by the expansionist foreign policy of the Russian Empire under Nikolas Russia had won wars against both the Persian and Ottoman empires and its growing influence in the eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia was seen as a threat to British and French imperial interests in 1853 fighting broke out around the Black Sea leading to what became known as the Crimean War Russian troops clashed with Turkish troops in the Balkans and Caucasus while the Black Sea Fleet annihilated a Turkish squadron at the Battle of Sinop days later British and French warships appeared in the Black Sea by 1854 Russia was at war with Britain France Turkey and Sardinia Austria and Prussia remained neutral Nikolas was profoundly depressed that Russia was not only isolated but at war with its former allies the fighting raged on many France from Crimea and the Caucasus in the south to the white sea in the north here a British naval expedition was repulsed but in the Baltic the British naval blockade crippled Russian trade in the Caucasus Russian troops were victorious but in Crimea the main theatres of war a disaster unfolded Russian forces besieged at Sevastopol faced a powerful enemy steam driven warships made up 30% of the Russian fleet but 70% of the Allied fleet Admiral Nakhimov was forced to sink his own ships in the entrance to Sevastopol Harbor it was the only way to keep out the more powerful British and French warships more than a hundred and twenty seven thousand Russians were killed in the siege of Sevastopol the total death toll of the Russian army was about a hundred and forty three thousand Crimean War was a catastrophe for Russia Russian soldiers and sailors fought with incredible bravery but in the end the industrialized might of France and Britain proved too strong in September 1855 Sevastopol fell and the Black Sea Fleet was no more [Music] Nicholas was crushed he couldn't sleep it wore himself out with work doctors told him he needed rest but he didn't listen in a private conversation the Emperor said if it was up to me I would never have chosen this position for myself but it's my watch I have my orders and must fulfill them as best I can at the end of January the Emperor caught a chill his doctor forbade him from going out in the cold but Nicholas insisted on attending a parade for troops leaving for the front he told his doctor you've done your duty now let me do mine it was soon evident the Emperor had contracted pneumonia on February 17th his lungs began to give up the Emperor was fully conscious and knew he had hours to live he said his prayers then bid farewell to his family when told a courier had arrived from Crimea with urgent news he pointed to his son and said this is not for me this is for him then he said to Prince Alexander I hand over command though I do not leave things in the state I would have wished [Music] on February 18th 1855 a banner of mourning rose above the Winter Palace Nikolas the first was dead his successor was his 37 year old son Alexander a man destined to achieve what his great-grandmother Catherine the Great his uncle Alexander the first and his father Nikolas he could not alexander ii would go down in history as the liberator chapter 2 alexander ii Nikolayevich his father used to say I want to bring my son up as a man first and then an emperor the princes tutors such as the Romantic poet Vasily zukovsky were all men with liberal views an Alexander was 13 his father interrupted a lesson to speak to him about the Decembrist revolt what would you do if you were me the Emperor asked I'd forgive them Alexander said [Music] after finishing his studies the Prince traveled across Russia covering 30,000 kilometers and visiting 30 provinces he was the first Romanoff to cross the border of Europe and Asia and to visit Siberia in Tobolsk the prince met the exiled Decembrists and did what he could to make their life easier in viata he met another exile Alexander Hetson the two young men became friends Alexander helped hasten the young writers eventual return to Moscow [Music] Adson later praised the reforming emperor alexander ii did many things the great many things his name stands above that of all his predecessors he fought for the rights of man either the russian people nor history will forget that in 1852 had some moved to London from where he agitated for sweeping social change in his homeland first and foremost he demanded the abolition of serfdom [Music] when he was still a young Prince Alexander's father had often accused him of listening more to his heart and to his mind he certainly had many unrealities he was carefree gentle and sensitive what's more the gallant handsome young prince heir to the Russian throne was constantly falling in love with palace chamber mates in 1838 the 20-year old Alexander was sent to Europe by his parents to find an eligible young princess to marry in Darmstadt he became devoted to a shy and pretty fourteen-year-old Princess maximilliana villain Mina Maria of HESA later in London Alexander was presented to the newly crowned Queen Victoria ruler of the British Empire they met at Windsor Castle on her 20th birthday in her diary Victoria described Alexander as a dear delightful man with a sweet smile and a manly figure they danced together until the small hours of the morning he is so very strong she wrote but in running around you must follow quickly and after that you are whisked around which is very pleasant I have never enjoyed myself more [Music] Alexander was infatuated and prepared to renounce the Russian throne to become the British Prince Consort his courtiers were forced to intervene talking sense into the young prince and reminding him of his duty to Russia not to mention the young princess of Hesser that union was approved by all so the couple were married in Saint Petersburg in 1841 his new wife took the Russian name Maria Alexandrovna for the first few years Alexander was wildly in love with his young wife and spoiled her continuously he even had an apple tree brought into the dining room so maria could pick its fruit herself as she liked but it did not last long they spent less and less time together when they met they discussed only their health their children and the weather they appeared together in public for official functions and visits then went to separate bedrooms in the evening the Empress's health suffered from some Petersburg's cold wet climate as well as from frequent childbirth by 36 she'd had six children and was a shadow of her former self the emperor had many short-lived affairs with ladies-in-waiting chambermaids even older students from the nearby small knee Institute of noble maidens but Alexander was forgiving everything because everyone loved him the country was alive with expectation he was Russia's great hope [Music] when Alexander became Emperor he already had many years experience of the workings of state and got to work immediately his first success was to end the Crimean War signing a peace treaty in Paris which kept Russian losses to a minimum then he turned his attention to what was for Russia the great issue of the age the serfs in one of his first addresses to the Russian nobility the Emperor announced the existing system of owning soles cannot remain unchanged it is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait for it to abolish itself from below until now Russia's rulers hadn't dared to interfere with serfdom for fear of a revolt by the nobles but for Alexander there was no longer any alternative case for reform moral economic and political was irresistible [Music] after seven years of negotiation on February 19th 1861 Emperor issued a manifesto freeing Russia's serfs the act of emancipation freed all serfs in private ownership and gave them the right to buy the land they worked on from the landowner the state helped peasants pay for the land with subsidies and long-term loans peasants would have paid 20% of its value and the state 80% however in some cases only 30 percent of the land they previously worked was eligible for purchase and it was sold at inflated prices state loans also trapped many peasants in debt for decades following the emancipation of the serfs the 100 million peasants in Russia who made up 71 percent of the population owned half as much land as the 1.7 million nobles who made up just 1.5 percent of the population [Music] a wave of liberal reforms followed in 1864 each district and province was granted its own elected assembly known as Samsa the authority of a local education roads medical services and social welfare education reform increased the number of state secondary schools and universities with more schools for the poor the first general education courses for women and the granting of special status and greater autonomy for universities reform of the courts introduced greater equality for all classes before the law as well as public trials Council for defense and prosecution and juries in the army Universal conscription replaced the old quota system and modern weapons such as rifles were introduced [Music] they were the most progressive and liberal reforms in Russia's history when an old courtier warned that now the serfs were free the people would demand a constitution Alexander replied well if Russia clearly desires it and is ready for it I too am ready Alexander sets strict deadlines for his ministers and advisers which he kept to himself despite the huge piles of documents that arrived on his desk every day his goal was to finish all the work begun by his father which meant turning next to the war in the Caucasus [Music] the long Caucasian war finally came to an end in 1864 following the Russian conquest of Chechnya Dagestan Jocasta dab cassia in the next decade Russia also took control of the emirate of bukhara and carnate of keifa pushing south as far as the town of coschka which remained the Empire's most southerly point until the collapse of the Soviet Union the only territory lost in this period was Alaska 1.5 million square kilometers of barren almost uninhabited land which in 1867 was sold to the United States for 7.2 million dollars worth around a hundred and eight million dollars today at the time the deal was considered very profitable typically Alexander worked with short breaks from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 in the evening when he had dinner he spent his evenings with his family or at official functions his favorite sport was hunting he loved long hunting expeditions for bear elk and bison but soon it was Alexander who was being hunted through the very streets of the Russian capital Alexander was the last ruler in Russian history who would be allowed to simply walk the city streets without guards almost every day in st. Petersburg summer garden the regulars pretended not to recognize the tall gentleman in military uniform whose portrait hung in every government office in the Empire Alexander was now 48 and had lost count of the number of affairs he'd had at first his relationship with 19 year old Catherine doll guru cover a student from the Smolny Institute for young maidens seemed like many of the others but after just a few meetings the Emperor was in love many years later Catherine remembered how Alexander always behaved so tenderly towards her treating her rizzo she were a sacred object we saw each other every day she wrote crazy with the joy of loving and understanding each other so completely he swore to me that he would always be faithful to me and that his only dream was to marry me if he ever became free [Music] on April 4th 1866 after meeting with Catherine Alexander was leaving the summer garden when an assassin stepped out the emperor of course knew his enemies might try to overthrow or even murder him an old fortune teller had once told him that there would be seven attempts on his life Alexander always remembered it first attempt was made by a 26 year old lone assassin named Dmitri karakov an impoverished nobleman and former student he believed the Emperor's death would inspire the people to rise up in revolution he was thwarted by a farmer standing next to him named komissarov who grabbed his hand at the last moment and forced him to fire hi Carrick Asif was arrested he said he tried to kill the Czar because his reforms had cheated the people by giving them too little land the entire country was shocked in 1863 the great historian Sergei Aliyev described the situation Russia faced extremes are easy it was easy to tighten the screws in Nicholas his time it was easy to unscrew them in Alexander's time but it's exceptionally difficult to slow down the carriage on a steep hill a reformer like Peter the Great held the reins in an iron grip and the carriage was safe a reformer like Alexander the second lets the horses run full speed down the hill without the strength to restrain them so the whole carriage is threatened with destruction alexander's private life meanwhile was a growing distraction his affair with Catherine nearly 30 years his junior was alienating close friends and family catherine was forced to go abroad for a while but Alexander soon traveled to France under the pretext of visiting the world fair to be with her they walked the grand boulevards of Paris hand in hand Alexander wrote to Catherine I am madly in love with you these wonderful days we spend together make me infinitely happy lovers did not know they were being constantly watched by agents of the French secret police but they couldn't keep him safe a Polish nationalists Anton Berezovsky made the second attempt on Alexander's life he shot at Alexander as he was riding in an open carriage with the French Emperor Napoleon the third with the bullet hit the horse Alexander became accustomed to constant danger when Russia went to war once more with Turkey he went to visit troops at the front and came under fire several times the war was triggered by the Muslim Turks brutal treatment of Orthodox Bulgarians Russia now intended to liberate Bulgaria from the Turkish yoke the war ended in complete victory for Russia Bulgaria became an independent state and the name Alexander the second Tsar Liberator is still commemorated during each service in every Bulgarian Church on April 2nd 1879 as the Emperor was returning from his morning walk he was greeted by a passerby Alexander replied absent mindedly then noticed the passerby was holding a gun 60 year old alexander emperor of russia king of poland grand duke of finland made a zigzag run for his life this third attempt was made by a 33 year old ex student Alexander Salah VF a member of the secret revolutionary society land and freedom he was also working alone after giving chase to the Emperor he fired several times from a range of 10 yards and missed a new left-wing terrorist group the people's will soon emerged its leaders sophia parofsky and and rozelia both began planning a less amateurish attempt on the Czar's life [Music] the fourth attempt was made in November 1879 jellia buffs group planted a mine with an electric detonator under the railway track as the Emperor traveled to the town of Alexandra but the mine failed to explode [Music] the fifth attempt was made by parofsky a--'s group they planted another mine under the railway tracks outside Moscow but the Czar's train left early and the terrorists blew up the wrong train on May 22nd 1880 Empress Maria died after just 40 days mourning Alexander married Catherine doll guru Kova who took the title princess UDF's kia the wedding took place in secret in a small room at the Palace of Saskia sello because both the Tsar's family and public opinion opposed the marriage the Emperor was now guarded more closely than ever but still was not safe [Music] sixth attempt was made by Stefan Katherine a member of the people's will who'd been hired as a carpenter at the Winter Palace over six months he smuggled thirty kilos of dynamite into a cellar under the Tsar's dining room the resulting explosion killed 11 people and wounded 56 all of them staff the Emperor had left the dining room to meet a late guest the Emperor wrote to his son asking that if the worst should happen he must care for his wife and young children on his windowsill Alexander began to find dead pigeons torn to shreds it turned out a kite had made its home on the palace roof it was caught the bird was so incredibly large it was sent to the cabinet of curiosities a hunted Emperor exhausted and sick dreamt of only one thing to abdicate in favor of his eldest son and leave for nice with his wife and children but one important task remained he had ordered work to begin on the introduction of an elected assembly it was to be Russia's first step towards a parliament and constitution Alexander had already approved it on March 4 1881 it was to be put before the ministerial cabinet and then announced to the public [Music] on March 1st the Emperor traveled to the Mikhailovsky Minesh to see the trooping of the color on his way back he visited his sister Grand Duchess Catherine at Mikhailovsky Castle they drank tea and talked about his plans to leave for niece a to 10:00 p.m. Emperor left in his carriage he had to be at the Winter Palace by three o'clock as he promised to take a walk with his wife the Emperor's carriage turned onto the embankment along the Catherine canal six Cossacks accompanied the carriage three on either side officers of the guard including the chief of police followed in two sledges a boy carrying a bread basket was running along the pavement Alexander saw a woman make a signal with a white handkerchief when a man with a packet in his hands appeared before the carriage realized there would be an explosion [Music] seventh attempt on Alexander's life was made by Nicolas Lucic off a twenty year old student and member of the people's will it was severe parousia who had given the signal Bruce a cough through a handmade bomb at the carriage the blast killed two Cossacks and a passing boy injured three horses and shattered the Emperor's bulletproof coach but the Emperor was unharmed Russa cough was quickly apprehended [Music] Chief of Police rushed up to Alexander the Emperor remained calm I offered him my sledge to go back to the palace all right he said that show me the criminal first everyone begged the Emperor to leave but he insisted on seeing rusik off Alexander looked his would-be assassin in the eyes he had survived the seventh attempt everything was behind him now but innocent people had been hurt because of him Alexander wanted to see the wounded the chief of police followed after we taken no more than three steps I was deaf and buy a second explosion amid the smoke and fog I heard his Highness his weak voice cry help I tried to lift him saw that his Highness his legs were completely shattered second bomber was 25 year-old ignite egoriy nowitzki blew himself up along with the Emperor Alexander's last words were hurry home I want to die in the palace [Music] Alexander died an hour later in his study at the Winter Palace [Music] Grand Duke Alexander the Emperor's nephew wrote a huge crowd gathered outside the Winter Palace nobody spoke wide dark bloodstains left a trail up the marble steps and along the corridor to the Emperor's study we realized our idealized vision of Russia with its Tsar father and loyal people no longer existed the future of not only the Russian Empire but the entire world now depended on the outcome of the imminent battle between the new Russian Tsar and the elements of negation and destruction [Music] alexander ii had given his country freedoms it had been demanding for centuries but he turned out he had also unleashed a dangerous new force revolution [Music] [Music] October 28th 1888 20 miles south of Kharkov in eastern Ukraine the Imperial train was on route from Crimea to st. Petersburg Emperor Alexander the third and his family were gathered in the trains elegant dining carriage [Music] [Music] those in the forward carriages were killed instantly children could be heard crying it was unclear who was alive and who was dead the emperor struggled to his feet taking the full weight of the carriage roof on his shoulders he had one thought to save his family but how long would his strength hold by 1881 Russian Empire was one of the largest states in the world and occupied one-sixth of the world's land surface with despite the liberal reforms of alexander ii russia's economy was in crisis during alexander ii drain production of cast iron rose 67% while in Germany it rose three hundred and nineteen percent Russia's foreign debt grew from two billion to six billion rubles corruption flourished like never before senior officials were being offered bribes of up to two hundred thousand rubles about five million dollars today Russia was in a fever decades of discontent and repression had created the Empire's first terrorists the radical group the people's will had declared open season on the emperor and killed him at the eighth attempt his successor inherited an empire in crisis chapter 1 Alexander the third Alexandrovich he was not expected to become Emperor as the second son of Alexander the second it was assumed Grand Duke Alexander would follow a military career it was his elder brother Nicholas who was czarevitch and heir to the imperial throne but during a tour of Europe Nikolas fell seriously ill he was diagnosed with meningitis and died a few months later aged just 21 Alexander spent a lot of time at his brother's bedside alongside Nicholas's fiance princess Dagmar of Denmark they were united by grief [Music] little by little Alexander fell in love with gentle Minnie as her family called her when they were alone looking at some photo albums one day Alexander finally found the courage to speak to her of marriage the marriage was a happy one after converting to orthodoxy many took the name Maria Feodorovna they had four sons and two daughters and lived together happily for 28 years only Alexander's death would separate them during the Russian Revolution Maria left for Denmark where she lived to an old age always refusing to believe the Bolsheviks had shot her sons when Alexander the third was crowned emperor in 1881 he was 36 years old and clear in his purpose it was obvious to him that his father's liberal reforms had weakened the economy and fractured Society he intended to reassert Russian autocracy magistrates courts and village assemblies were abolished merchants and shopkeepers were deprived of the vote strict censorship was reintroduced 15 publications were closed down for their liberal views while 300 book titles were withdrawn from libraries including anything considered critical of the Tsar or his government a new university charter abolished the independence of universities introduced compulsory student uniforms and increased tuition fees fivefold the children of servants were henceforth to be excluded from the top secondary schools this might such reactionary policies this was an age of dramatic progress Russia got its first oil wells and steel rolling mills there were electric lights and paved streets clean running water and flushing toilets bustle dresses bowler hats steam ships the Telegraph electric trams and Ericsson telephones on Alexander's personal initiative Russia's first telephone line was laid between some Petersburg and the Imperial Palace at Cucina a chena also became the first palace to get electricity one of comparatively few extravagance is allowed by Alexander the 3rd most respects the emperor was very frugal he half the number of courtiers reduced the number of balls and cut spending on food and wine hunting however remained a favorite royal pastime Alexander was a keen sportsman an excellent shot but most of all he loved fishing he would return from his fishing trips with perch for the Empress to fry with potatoes and then they were perfectly content [Music] his other great fashion was cigars Alexander was a loving and playful father one day in the garden he crept up behind his youngest son Michael and soaked him with a hose a few days later while his father was smoking a cigar out of his study window Michael hauled a bucket of water up the stairs and poured it on him from the floor above [Music] [Music] the Emperor was six foot four barrel-chested and massively strong he could bend an iron poker into a knot and roll a five kopeck coin into its you his personal habits were plain and unpretentious he got up at 7:00 made himself coffee and drank it without sugar or cream then he took his favorite dog Kamchatka for a walk for listening to ministers reports for a few hours he saved breakfast till 1:00 p.m. he hard-boiled eggs and rye bread between 3:00 and 5:00 he went for a walk with the Empress and their children whatever the weather [Music] at 8:00 p.m. dinner was served the Emperor loved good food crayfish soup or fish pie a side of mutton with kasha and pickled cucumbers he then returned to work often until late at night the emperor made frequent tours of Russia Sergey Vita a railway manager who often accompanied him witnessed scenes that were impossible to imagine about the Emperor's daily life after everyone else had gone to bed I often saw the Emperor's Vallot caught off mending the Emperor's trousers one night when passing by and seeing him at work I asked don't you take a few pairs with you so that if there's a hole in one pair you can give another pair to the Emperor he replied just try if he started wearing a pair of trousers or a jacket he'll wear them until they fall apart at the seams Alexander's reign saw the Alerus style come into fashion dresses decorations interiors and the emergence of a distinct style of architecture known as Russian revival a reinvention of traditional Russian styles culminating in the upper trading rows that face onto Moscow's Red Square and the city's State Historical Museum Alexander supported artists who dealt with themes from Russian history and myth like the painters vasnetsov and surah kahf but the other side to this flourishing of Russian national culture was the oppression of minorities seen as non Russian especially Russia's Jews after 1791 Jews were forced to live in the Empire's western provinces an area known as The Pale of Settlement alexander ii had relaxed controls on jewish settlement for those engaged in certain useful professions jews had began to play a greater role in russian business cultural and intellectual life but now Alexander the third imposed stricter controls in 1891 20,000 Jews were evicted from Moscow and sent to live in the Pale of Settlement while a cap was imposed on the proportion of Jewish students at any school or university 10% within the pale 5% outside it and 3% in some Petersburg this persecution encouraged many young Jews to join illegal revolutionary groups Alexander the third intended to unify his vast empire through strong autocratic government and his reign saw the construction of one great physical embodiment of his vision trans-siberian railway trans-siberian is more than 9,000 kilometers long the longest railway line in the world its longest and most complex sections were built during Alexander's reign from the Urals to Vladivostok 7,000 kilometers across mountains tiger and Siberian rivers it was a spectacular achievement between two and a half thousand and five thousand kilometers of rails were laid each year the cost was approximately 1 million rubles worth around 20 billion u.s. dollars today [Music] alexander's rain witnessed Russia's great railroad boom travel by rail was certainly prestigious fashionable and for some luxurious on October 17th 1888 the Emperor and his family were returning from Crimea to San Petersburg the train was running slightly late so the driver picked up speed as they approached Kharkov reaching 70 km/h the train pulled by twin locomotives included a luggage van workshop a carriage for the minister of railways two kitchen carriages dining carriage and several carriages for the imperial family the servants and guards the 15 carriage train was 300 meters long and weighed 480 tonnes safety regulations stipulated a top speed of just 37 km/h it was doing almost twice that speed at 2:14 p.m. the train derailed 10 out of 15 carriages were completely destroyed the dining carriage containing the imperial family was flung down the embankment and had its roof torn off 10 year-old Grand Duke Michael was buried beneath the wreckage and only freed with difficulty [Music] 20 people were killed and 37 injured the Emperor helped to search the wreckage while the Empress tended the wounded they left for Kharkov only when darkness fell on the way the Emperor remembered a discussion he'd overheard on the train a month before Sergey bitter manager of the local railway had been arguing that such a heavy train shouldn't travel at such speeds vitter himself later recalled the discussion the minister of railways started arguing with me he said we travel at the same speed on the other railways no one has ever dared demand the Emperor's train reduce speed I broke down and said to the minister let others do what they want as for me I don't want to break the Emperor's neck because if you go on like this that's what you'll do Alexander the third summoned Vitter to San Petersburg and persuaded him to become director of state railways it was not a profitable move for Vitter his previous salary of 40,000 rubles at a privately owned rail firm fell to just 8,000 so the Emperor personally paid him an extra eight thousand rubles a year as compensation within two years Vitter was made minister of railways and Minister of Finance thanks in large part to his efforts Russia began to emerge from its economic crisis over the next decade cola would rose by 110 percent oil by one thousand four hundred and sixty eight percent steel by a hundred and fifty nine percent and cast iron by four hundred and eighty seven percent Russian agriculture accounted for 15% of the world's wheat production and 55% of its rye the growth rate of Russian industry doubled to around nine percent thanks largely to an influx of foreign investment particularly from France Russia's gold reserves more than doubled by 1893 the Russian state was running an annual surplus of almost 100 million roubles Russian ruble became a safe haven currency while Russia's economic boom gave the empire new authority on the world stage Alexander began to modernize Russia's armed forces the army was equipped with the new 30 caliber Mawson nagging bolt-action rifle which remained in service until the mid 20th century new more comfortable uniform was introduced including a soldier's tunic that remains in use today standards in military education were raised the Navy received a hundred and fourteen new warships including seventeen battleships and ten armored cruisers Russia's Navy was now the third largest in the world lagging only behind Great Britain and France [Music] Russia however fought no major Wars during Alexander's 13-year reign on the contrary Alexander's efforts to defuse tension between the great powers earned him the nickname the peacemaker but the changing alliances of his reign would have far-reaching repercussions russia's traditional alliance with Germany came to an end Alexander made a new alliance with France instead the country that had provided the bulk of the loans that enabled Russia's economic miracle the new franco-russian Alliance led Germany to fear encirclement a major factor in the outbreak of World War one that war was a catastrophe Alexander the 3rd may have been able to prevent but after the train crash his health began to fail the Emperor had been ignoring chronic back pain for many years in September 1894 he was diagnosed with nephritis an acute inflammation of the kidneys his doctors prescribed a strict diet and sent him to recuperate at the Imperial Palace of Lavanya the warmer climes of Crimea on October 19th the government courier left Livadia with papers signed by Alexander for the last time the Emperor received the last rites and bid farewell to his wife and children he died at 2:15 p.m. Alexander the third was only 49 the Emperor's coffin was taken by train from Crimea the Kharkov Oriel Moscow and finally sent Petersburg it was met along the route by huge crowds who came to say goodbye to the Emperor it had never been such a lengthy and solemn funeral no one could have imagined it would be the last funeral of a Tsar that Russia would ever see [Music] the Russian Empire was at the peak of its economic and political power when Alexander's eldest son 26 year old Nicholas ascended the throne chapter 2 nicholas ii Alexandrovich Nicholas or Nicky as his family called him received an excellent education and had all the skills required to thrive at court he was clever refined and extremely charming in 1886 Princess Victoria Alex Helena Louise Beatrice of hesse-darmstadt or Alex as she was known came to Russia to visit her sister Grand Duchess Elizabeth who had married Nicholas his uncle Nicholas and Alex soon fell in love Nicky's parents did not approve of the match they found her cold and aloof and too tall but their son's devotion to her was soon apparent the young couple used to play a game using the precious stones in their rings to cut each other's names into the glass of the palace windows it became a tradition and their messages of love remained itched into the windows of the Winter Palace for years to come [Music] young Nicholas gave a broach with a 12 carat diamond to his beloved the gift became a symbol of their love it was later found amongst her burnt clothes Alex did not part with it until the last minute of her life when Nicholas his father Alexander the third realized he was dying he agreed to his sons marriage in 1894 after eight years of waiting Nicholas and Alex became engaged she converted to orthodoxy and took the name Alexandra Feodorovna a month after Alexander the thirds death they were married on May 14th 1896 the new Emperor and Empress were crowned in Moscow's Cathedral of the Assumption festivities were to last 20 days for the nobility there were receptions balls and full dress dinners on May 18th a traditional festival was to be held for commoners at Katinka field where there would be entertainment meals and gifts for all each gift included smoked sausage 200 grams a bread roll with raisins 400 grams of the Asthma treacle cake 130 grams sweets and nuts 300 grams and a commemorative mug bearing the news as monogrammed all wrapped up in a handkerchief 30,000 buckets of beer and 10,000 buckets of mead were laid on cost to the state was three hundred and thirty nine thousand five hundred and thirty-six roubles the organizers expected an attendance of four hundred thousand but more than a million [Music] there were wild rumors about the gifts some said that if you got one wrapped in a handkerchief with houses printed on it you would get a new house others claimed every mark contained a gold ruble when word went round that there wouldn't be enough gifts for everyone there was a stampede there were barely two thousand police to hand powerless in the face of such numbers the crowd became a huge struggling mass some were crushed others trampled underfoot 1389 people were killed at 10:30 the Emperor was told about the unfolding disaster at code inca field everyone expected him to go there immediately but he did not arrive until 2 p.m. only the royal household knew that he and his wife had spent the intervening hours praying in private [Music] four days later the Imperial couple attended a long-standing engagement ball at the French Embassy they were there for barely 10 minutes but even so news quickly spread that the Emperor was going to parties while the rest of the city mourned far fewer people were aware that Nicholas had given 90 thousand rubles of his own money to help the victims families instead people got the impression the Emperor cared very little about ordinary Russians some said the CAD Inka field disaster was a bad omen for the rain and noted the Tsar was born on May 6th the day of job the long-suffering and soon there were more dire predictions in 1801 shortly before his murder Emperor Paul the first had written a letter to his descendants to be opened a hundred years after his death now it was time to open the letter only a few trusted servants knew of its existence one of them was Maria Gehringer the Empress's close friend and senior lady-in-waiting she later recalled how on the morning of March 12th 1901 both the Emperor and Empress began the day excited and cheerful they were going to get chena palace to uncover a century-old mystery he prepared for the trip as if for a merry excursion that promised great entertainment they departed in high spirits Maria remembered but returned thoughtful and gloomy they told no one what they had read in the letter but after the trip the Emperor began to refer to 1918 as a fateful year for himself and for the dynasty according to legend the letter contained Paul's account of his conversation with a monk named Abel the Russian Nostradamus Abel was said to have foretold the death of Catherine the Great Paul's own murder the war against Napoleon burning of Moscow revolt of the Decembrists in the reign of Nicholas the first Alexander the second abolition of serfdom the assassination of Alexander the second and the order and peace the reign of Alexander the third of Nicholas the second he said the holy Tsar who is like job the long-suffering he will have the mind of Christ the patience and purity of a dove a crown of thorns will replace his czars crown he shall be betrayed by his people as was the son of God a great war will be fought people will fly in the air like birds and swim underwater like fish they shall destroy each other with stinking sulphur treason shall grow and multiply the eve of victory the Czar's throne will fall blood and tears will water the earth a peasant with an axe will take power and the plagues of Egypt will begin Romanov Nicholas Alexandrovich age 29 religion Russian Orthodox married children one daughter olga 1 year old military rank colonel of the leave guard hussar regiment occupation ruler of Russia in 1897 a census was carried out of the Russian Empire its results were published in 89 volumes and included information on nearly 129 million people in the year of the census the Empress was pregnant for a second time everybody hoped it would be a boy an heir instead they had another daughter Tatiana then a third Maria and a fourth Anastasia many relatives didn't even try to hide their disappointment the Emperor never worried about it but the need for a son obsessed the Empress in 1903 the couple prayed for a son over the relics of sin seraphim at Seraph monastery and on August 12th 1904 czarevitch Alexei was born but the proud parents were soon filled with dread one doctor after another visited the palace by the third day it was confirmed their son had hemophilia and could die at any moment [Music] hemophilia is a hereditary genetic disease that prevents blood clots forming meaning even a small cut can lead to death from blood loss the disease which is incurable normally only appears in males though the gene is also carried by females Alexie's mother Empress Alexandra received the gene from her grandmother Queen Victoria Victoria passed the gene on to many of her children and grandchildren who married into ruling families across Europe and Sima philia also became known as the Royal disease a minor cut or bruise could be life-threatening for alexei at such moments reports on his recovery became front-page news alongside latest reports from the russo-japanese war by 1900 the Far East had become the latest focus of great power rivalry China weak and undeveloped was considered ripe for exploitation Japan the emerging power in the region had its sights set on expansion into Korea and Manchuria the northeastern province of China Russia had its own designs on Manchuria and stood in Japan's way many months of negotiations proved fruitless the two nations seemed locked on a collision course they were also those in Russia who thought war might be a good thing to unite the people and calm unrest at home in February 1904 Japan launched a preemptive strike on the Russian Pacific Fleet at its base in Port Arthur a year-long siege followed leading to the port surrender the next year in February 1905 the Russian army was decisively beaten at the Battle of Mactan then in May Russia suffered a devastating naval defeat at the Battle of Tsushima [Music] Nicholas had had enough his advisors argued that Japan's military strength was ebbing while Russia's would only increase with time they only needed one more year a million roubles and 20,000 more lives but the Emperor was adamant they must make peace the Treaty of Portsmouth was not a harsh settlement but the damage to Russian prestige had already been done and the consequences at home were disastrous it would lead to revolution in January 1905 workers went on strike in st. Petersburg Riga and Warsaw in May Ivanova textile workers followed suit and in June the crew of the battleship potemkin mutinied in October a general strike was supported by 2 million workers all major factories and railways were shut down [Music] Nicholas turned to his father's old adviser Sergei Vitter who persuaded him that political concessions could no longer be avoided the October manifesto drafted by Vitter and signed by Nicholas promised new civil liberties including freedom of speech assembly and Association and the creation of a new National Assembly the Duma [Music] but the unrest only grew there was only one province where order was maintained Saratov so Nicholas summoned its governor 44 year-old the otter Stolypin to San Petersburg after a long conversation with him the Emperor realized it was to leave him not fitter who was the man to pull Russia out of its current crisis Stolypin was appointed Minister of the Interior and two months later became prime minister he clamped down on protests by introducing martial law then he began a major reform of Russian agriculture peasants were to be helped to buy land and set up new farms with the help of cheap government loans over six years the government issued more than 1 billion rubles in loans 6 million farmers 44% applied to buy land with government health of those 10% succeeded in becoming new landowners crop yields rose by a third the Russian Empire reached its economic peak in 1913 and your growth in Russian agricultural output was 2% ranked first in the world growth in industrial output was 5% ranked first in the world population growth was 1.5% ranked first in Europe the Russian empires national income was sixteen point four billion rubles ranked fourth in the world Russia's total industrial output was worth more than six and a half billion rubles ranked fifth in the world stolle pians reforms were expected to take 20 years to bear fruit but it was time that Russia and Stolypin did not have in 1911 at the Kiev Opera House Prime Minister stolypin was assassinated by a socialist revolutionary [Music] three years later World War one broke out it would claim the lives of 37 million people and destroy four empires the austro-hungarian Ottoman German and Russian two alliances dominated Europe Germany austria-hungary and Italy formed the Triple Alliance Russia Britain and France formed the Triple on top when war broke out Turkey and Bulgaria joined the Triple Alliance Italy Romania and America sided with yon taunt each country had its own war Ames Germany sought to dominate its European neighbors and claim new overseas colonies France wanted to recover Alsace and Lorraine lost to Germany in 1871 [Music] austro-hungary looked to defeat Slav nationalism within the Empire and on its borders Britain wanted to eliminate Germany as a colonial rival and also had ambitions in the Middle East Italy wanted to expand its influence in the Balkans while Russia fighting alongside Britain and France was determined to assert its role as defender of the Slavs the pretext for war came in June 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was shot dead in Sarajevo by a Slav nationalist every low principle many Russians welcome the declaration of war against Germany and austria-hungary that summer but when the russian army advanced through poland it suffered a string of catastrophic defeats the following year the russian commander-in-chief the emperor's cousin Grand Duke Nicholas was dismissed from his post the Emperor himself became the Army's commander though it was only a symbolic role and he did not interfere with strategy the German army meanwhile proved a formidable enemy in the summer of 1915 russian army conducted a giant strategic withdrawal in the face of the German onslaught it was hoped that by sacrificing territory Russia could buy enough time to mobilize its vast resources following year 1916 Russian army launched the Brusilov offensive striking a hammer blow against austro-hungarian forces another major offensive was prepared for 1917 but at home events were spiraling out of control while Nikolas was away at army headquarters his wife's influence on policy grew considerably it was a cause of growing resentment not least because the Empress was German by birth now her close relationship with a wandering holy man from Siberia grigory rasputin caused further unease to some he was a visionary and healer to others fraud there were many rumors about the relationship between the Empress and Rasputin she had complete faith in him because he seemed the only person able to relieve the suffering of her sickly son Alexei Empress Alexandra was certain with respite in by his side Alexei would live I believe in our friends wisdom she wrote to the Emperor God sent him to be your help and your guide [Music] Alexandra's regular letters to the Emperor contained advice from Rasputin on many matters even the conduct of the war too many Rasputin's hold over the imperial family was shameful and intolerable it came to an end in December 1916 when Rasputin was murdered by a group of nobles determined to protect the Tsar's reputation on February 22nd 1917 nicholas ii left the capital for army headquarters same day czarevitch Alexei fell ill with measles his sisters soon caught it to all their heads were shaved the Empress was supervising the care of her sick children when news arrived of strikes in the capital the Russian Revolution had begun [Music] On February 28th the Emperor rushed back from the front to be with his family at Saskia sello the next night the Emperor's train was halted near Novgorod the line ahead was blocked by revolutionary troops a great shame I failed to reach Saskia Sela all my thoughts and feelings are there god help us the Emperor traveled instead through scoff headquarters of the northern front he planned to redeploy troops from the front to crush the revolt in the capital but behind his back general alexei f acting commander in chief was sending telegrams to the front commanders asking if it was desirable for the emperor to abdicate all of them answered yes on the night of March 2nd Nikolas signed his abdication in the saloon carriage of the Imperial Train as it stood at the platform in Pskov station from that moment on he was Colonel Nicholas Romanov witnesses were struck by his calmness one general remembered he abdicated the throne as if relinquishing command of a division Nikolas wrote in his diary the bottom line is that to save Russia and keep the army at the front I need to take this step the Emperor's abdication had been demanded by a wide range of political and military figures they were responding to the crisis unfolding within Russia the war had led to huge casualties at the front as well as bread queues shortages and inflation at home soldiers and civilians wanted political change Nicholas's abdication was demanded by the state duma as the only way to achieve political progress it was also demanded by the army whose generals reported that many of their men sympathized with the revolutionaries and could no longer be relied upon to fight for the tsar amongst the Romanoff's there was no agreement on the monarchies future some disliked or blamed the Emperor and his wife others believed the monarchy did need to make changes though none of the Grand Dukes were prepared to take responsibility for making them once it was clear that he himself was the obstacle Nikolas abdicated in favor of his younger brother Michael Michael the favorite youngest son of Alexander the third it would tip the bucket of water on his father's head refused to take the throne and issued his renunciation the next day March 3rd he would later be shot by the Bolsheviks near perm in Siberia his manifesto of March 3rd 1917 stated that he Michael Romanov would not accept the throne until a Constituent Assembly made up of the people's representatives had voted on a new form of government for Russia only then with the people's consent would he accept the throne his grand gesture however was quickly overtaken by events the throne would never be offered to him the monarchy was finished three hundred years of Romanov rule in Russia were at an end power now lay with Russia's provisional government Nikolas his wife and five children were put under house arrest in the Alexander Palace on the outskirts of San Petersburg six months later the provisional government sent the former Tsar and his family to the remote Siberian town of Tobolsk more than a thousand miles from Moscow for their own safety palace staff who wished to join them were allowed to do so family were joined in exile by 45 of their former servants by now Nicholas must have realized he would not be allowed to leave the country and that Russia was sliding into chaos the most frightening of Abel's predictions was coming true before his eyes in October 1917 the Bolsheviks seized power in the capital the Romanoff's were moved from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg and settled in a so-called house of special purpose only five people were allowed to stay with the family a doctor a Vallot a maid a cook and kitchen boy Nicholas and Alexandra tried to ignore the rudeness of the guards theft was what bothered the most the couple feared that two boxes of papers containing Nicholas's diaries and their personal correspondence would disappear I could never have imagined that there was such perfect happiness in the world Alex had once written to Nicholas I love you these three words are my whole life you in the middle of the night the Emperor's family and their servants were ordered to get up and gather in one of the rooms they were told that because of the threat of local unrest they were to be moved to a new location for their own safety [Music] [Music] Aleksey was sick so his father carried him in his arms family were ordered down into the cellar and told to arrange themselves for a photo which would be used to quash rumors of their death then Jakov Yurovsky the house commandant entered the room he announced that they had been sentenced to death by the Presidium of the Ural Soviet [Music] in the early hours of July 17 1918 following people were executed in the cellar of the house Nicholas Romanov aged 50 Alexandra Rehman over age 46 olga romanova age 23 Tatiana Romanova age 21 maria Rahman over aged 19 Anastasio Romanova aged 17 alexei romanov aged 14 and for servants [Music] in 2000 SARS murdered family were canonized as Saints by the Russian Orthodox Church in spring 1918 a few months before her death Grand Duchess olga wrote my father asked me to tell those who remained loyal to him that they should not avenge him as he has forgiven all and prayed for all he asks them to remember that the evil which is now in the world will become even stronger but evil will not triumph over evil only love [Music] you [Music] you

Channel: StarMediaEN

Views: 7,533,348

Rating: 4.2056122 out of 5

Keywords: the romanoffs, the romanoffs series, the romanoffs tv series, the romanoffs 2018, the romanovs, russian royal family, the romanoffs serial, the romanovs сериал, the romanovs tv show, who are the romanovs, the romanovs the history of the russian dynasty, mystery of the romanovs, romanovs, documentary, The Romanovs

Id: PLnYFdAhFLk

Length: 207min 19sec (12439 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 13 2018