7 “We are obliged to let him”: N to MF, 120. “Thank God the German visit is over”: ibid., 121.
8 Alexandra’s dislike of William: Mosolov, 203.
9 “Without the lumbering and indiscreet apparatus”: Pares, 166. “The task set us by the Lord of Lords”: ibid., 166.
10 “The people will fall on their knees”: ibid., 167. “More speeches and more parades”: Botkin, 103.
11 “It is not the friendship of France and Russia”: Mansergh, 63–4.
12 “You must know, my men”: ibid., 55. “Clearly, it is the great task of the future”: ibid., 52; Pares, 167; Balfour, 189.
13 “The Admiral of the Atlantic”: Mosolov, 203.
14 “Russia has nothing to do in the West”: Pares, History, 423.
15 “We must try to tie Russia down in East Asia”: Balfour, 189. “Glad news”: N to MF, 130.
16 “It is evident to every unbiased mind”: Pares, 168.
17 “A small victorious war”: Witte, 250. New Year’s Day, 1904: Harcave, 37.
18 “I am still in good hopes”: Mansergh, 103. “Nicholas is doing himself a lot of harm”: ibid., 104.
19 Admiral Alexeiev’s telegram: N to MF, 171–2. N’s Diary, 157.
20 “Sharp grief for the fleet”: ibid., 159.
21 The opposing armies and navies: Pares, History, 440.
22 “News of inexpressible sadness”: N’s Diary, 162.
23 “My conscience is often very troubled”: N to MF, 173.
24 Alexandra at the Winter Palace: Vyrubova, 9.
25 Rozhdestvensky’s pessimism: Kokovtsov, 46.
26 “Bless its voyage, Lord”: N’s Diary, 179.
27 Dogger Bank: Novikoff-Priboy, 26–32.
28 “The English are very angry”: N to MF, 174.
29 Buying extra battleships: Kokovtsov, 46–9.
30 Tsushima: Novikoff-Priboy, passim. Mahan, 82–4, 263–82; Florinsky, 1276; Pares, History, 445; Charques, 117.
31 Nicholas learns of Tsushima: Mosolov, 14–15.
32 “When a sewer has to be cleaned”: Kokovtsov, 53.
33 “Representative of the greatest empire on earth”: Witte, 138–9.
34 “I may say that I succeeded”: ibid., 140.
35 “Send Witte my order”: ibid., 158.
36 “Ice water instead of wine”: ibid., 144. “No culinary taste”: ibid., 151. “The most naïve judgments”: ibid., 162. “I cannot say that I liked him”: quoted by Florinsky, 1261 n.
37 “The Emperor Nicholas was morally compelled”: Witte, 161.
38 “No diplomat by profession could have done it”: Izvolsky, 24. “I am creating him a count”: N to MF, 175.
39 The Kaiser’s attitude: Kokovtsov, 391.
40 “I agree fully”: Willy-Nicky, 74–5.
41 Björkö: Cowles, 215; Balfour, 258.
42 “No longer find your emperor alive”: Cowles, 219.
43 “Your ally notoriously left you”: Willy-Nicky, 130–2.
CHAPTER 9 1905
1 Plehve: Pares, History, 408, 425.
2 Kishenev pogrom: Harcave, 35. “To the devoutly Orthodox Russians”: Sacher, 80–1.
3 “Police socialism”: Harcave, 39.
4 Father Gapon: Harcave, 66; Mazour, 352–3.
5 The Putilov strike: Harcave, 70–2. Gapon’s vision: ibid., 81, 88.
6 William Howard Taft: Tuchman, Proud Tower, 409. Theodore Roosevelt: ibid., 424.
7 “Capitalistic exploiters, crooks”: Mazour, 354–5.
8 The Blessing of the Waters: Harcave, 77–8.
9 The day before: ibid., 83–5.
10 “Troops have been brought”: N’s Diary, 207.
11 The march: Harcave, 88–9.
12 Casualty figures for Bloody Sunday: Pares, 79.
13 “And so we have no Tsar”: Mazour, 355. “Bloodstained creature” and “common murderer”: Virginia Cowles, The Gay Monarch (New York, Harper, 1956), 346.
14 “Nicholas Romanov … soul murderer”: Mazour, 356. Gapon’s death: Harcave, 95; Mazour, 357; Florinsky, 1172.
15 “A painful day”: N’s Diary, 207.
16 Witte’s suggestion: Harcave, 121. The workers at the palace: Kokovtsov, 39–40.
17 Alexandra’s letter: Buxhoeveden, 108–10.
18 Grand Duke Serge: Vyrubova, 13; Paléologue, I, 156–60. The Convent of Mary and Martha: Paléologue, I, 161.
19 “It makes me sick to read the news”: N to MF, 183.
20 The Potemkin: Harcave, 156. The October general strike: ibid., 179, 183; Charques, 124.
21 The Soviet: Pares, 85; Harcave, 188; Mazour, 358.
22 “So the ominous quiet days began”: N to MF, 184–5.
23 “I have a constitution in my head”: von Laue, 25.
24 “At the University, I worked day and night”: Witte, 13.
25 “I acquitted myself with success”: ibid., 19.
26 “It will not be an exaggeration”: ibid., 52.
27 “Fools!”: ibid., 76.
28 “She obtained her divorce”: ibid., 35.
29 “A kindly, well-bred youth”: ibid., 179.
30 “Alexandra does not lack physical charms”: ibid., 198
31 “The only man who can help you now is Witte”: MF to N, 180.
32 “I shall kill myself”: Witte, 247; Mosolov, 90; Vyrubova 26; Pares, 86.
33 The text of the October Manifesto: Harcave, 196.
34 “Three cocks were crowing at the same time”: ibid., 211.
35 “The proletariat knows”: Florinsky, 1178–9.
36 Black Hundreds: Harcave, 204.
37 Lenin in Russia: Fischer, 51. “Go ahead and shoot”: ibid., 54.
38 Nicholas’s letters on Witte: N to MF, 188, 192, 195, 211.
39 “To the Emperor of all the Russias”: Harcave, 249.
40 “You see before you the happiest of mortals”: Kokovtsov, 124.
41 “As long as I live”: N to MF, 120.
42 200,000 roubles: Kokovtsov, 332.
43 “A great never-to-be-forgotten day”: N’s Diary, 174.
44 Alexis’s birth: Vyrubova, 10. Russia celebrates: Buxhoeveden, 103.
45 His Imperial Highness: Almedingen, 80.
46 The christening: N’s Diary, quoted by Catherine Radziwill, The Taint of the Romanovs (London, Cassell, 1931), 179–80; Buxhoeveden, 104.
47 “Alix and I have been very much worried”: N’s Diary, quoted by Radziwill, op. cit., 181.
48 “There again was some blood”: ibid., 181.
49 “I have a secret conviction”: Paléologue, I, 98.
CHAPTER 10 THE TSAR’S VILLAGE
1 “Tsarskoe Selo was a world apart”: Botkin, 18.
2 The park at Tsarskoe Selo: ibid., 15–17; Alexander, 158, 163; Meriel Buchanan, 66. The Cossacks: Paléologue, I, 244.
3 Building of the palaces: Botkin, 16. A masterpiece under glass: ibid., 17.
4 Inside the palace: Almedingen, 187–8. The Imperial Guard: Paléologue, I, 243–5.
5 Palace police: Vyrubova, 158; Botkin, 62.
6 “Resplendent in snow-white garters”: Bykov, 34.
7 Court protocol: Botkin, 32.
8 “Has anything happened?”: ibid., 58.
9 “You are called”: ibid., 83.
10 Count Fredericks: Mosolov, 101, 111, 127; Vyrubova, 93. “The very personification of court life”: Paléologue, I, 20–1.
11 “Fredericks went to announce the Prince”: Botkin, 41. “Oh, I thought you were somebody else”: ibid., 41.
12 Orlov: Mosolov, 122, 163; ibid., 43–4.
13 “The enchanted little fairyland”: Botkin, 61.
14 “They were not soldiers”: Vyrubova, 9. Jim Hercules: Vorres, 26.
15 Alexandra’s routine: Vyrubova, 56, 84. Shared the same bed: Vorres, 128. The bedroom: Dehn, 66. Chapel and bathroom: ibid., 67.
16 The mauve boudoir: Vyrubova, 54, 70; Dehn, 70; Buxhoeveden, 51–2.
17 Talked in English: Vyrubova, 73.
18 “Sunny”: ib
id., 59. The bird call: ibid., 3–4.
19 Alexandra’s gowns: ibid., 55. Her bath: Dehn, 66. Her hair: Vyrubova, 74. “Only rubies today”: ibid., 74.
20 “Do you really like this skirt?”: Dehn, 68.
21 Brissac: Vorres, 93. Lingerie and shoes: Dehn, 68.
22 “Advancing through the masses of greenery”: ibid., 39.
23 Dr. Botkin: Botkin, 20–30. English collies: Vyrubova, 16.
24 Father Vassiliev: Botkin, 80–1.
25 The Imperial table: Mosolov, 225–9; Almedingen, 120–1. Cubat: Vyrubova, 76.
26 “Prepare Her Majesty’s carriage”: ibid., 159. The coachman: Botkina, 8. Policemen: Vyrubova, 159. Petitions for the Tsar: Spiridovitch, I, 72. Orlov and the young girl: ibid., I, 73.
27 Tea: Vyrubova, 57–8.
28 “Although my audience was a private one”: Paléologue, I, 190.
29 “I’m afraid I’ve wearied you”: ibid., 197.
30 Evenings: Vyrubova, 58–9.
31 “Remarkably clear enunciation”: ibid., 61. The Tsar’s books: Mosolov, 31. “He could not endure the sight”: Vyrubova, 56.
32 English biscuits: Vorres, 128.
CHAPTER 11 OTMA AND ALEXIS
1 Footsteps overhead: Vyrubova, 54. The girls’ rooms and nurses: ibid., 77; Vorres, 107.
2 “Once she even forgot that Marie was in her bath”: Vorres, 107.
3 Descriptions of the four girls: Gilliard, 73–7; Buxhoeveden, 153–60; Dehn, 75–80; Vorres, 108–12; Kobylinsky, 220–1; Gibbs, in Wilton, 254–5.
4 “You must wait, Mama”: Botkin, 65.
5 “Merde”: Gilliard, 74.
6 “You felt that she was the daughter of an Emperor”: Kobylinsky, 220.
7 OTMA: Gilliard, 73.
8 “We sisters always borrow from each other”: Buxhoeveden, 159.
9 “My mother asks you to come”: Botkina, 11.
10 “May it please Your Imperial Highness”: Buxhoeveden, 158.
11 “The girls enjoyed every minute of it”: Vorres, 112.
12 “The Big Pair” and “The Little Pair”: Vyrubova, 77; Gilliard, 75.
13 Frilly dressing tables, perfumes, etc.: Dehn, 78.
14 The crippled child: Buxhoeveden, 159.
15 “Alexis was the center”: Gilliard, 72.
16 “My dear little Tsarevich”: Mosolov, 29–30.
17 First signs of hemophilia: Vyrubova, 81.
18 “Poor little Alexei fell on his forehead: MF to N, 231.
19 Orthopedic devices: Pares, 132.
20 Derevenko and Nagorny: Gilliard, 38.
21 “Lift my arm. Put up my leg”: Vyrubova, 81.
22 The strawberry episode: Mosolov, 53.
23 “He thoroughly enjoyed life”: Gilliard, 40.
24 “Derevenko says it must be so”: ibid., 85.
25 “Now girls, run away”: Dehn, 82.
26 “When the Heir to the Russian throne”: Catherine Radziwill, The Taint of the Romanovs (London, Cassell, 1931), 197. “It’s really nice of you”: Buxhoeveden, 151. “To illustrate and write the jingles”: Botkin, 76.
27 “Can’t I have my own bicycle?” Vyrubova, 81.
28 “Daredevil Reaction”: Agle, 79.
29 Bicycle on the parade ground: Told to the author by the late Mr. Oleg Rodomar, who witnessed the scene.
30 “All grownups have to go”: Botkina, 13.
31 “Great railways with dolls”: Fülöp-Miller, 82.
32 Joy: Vyrubova, 84. Vanka: Gilliard, 71.
33 The sable: Mosolov, 55–9.
34 Playmates: Vyrubova, 83–4.
35 “Luckily, his sisters liked playing with him”: Gilliard, 71.
36 “I like to think and wonder”: Radziwill, op. cit., 199.
37 “At times his visits would suddenly cease”: Gilliard, 26.
38 “Rather tall for his age”: ibid., 40. “The kind of child who can hardly bear correction”: ibid., 39.
39 Gilliard’s account: ibid., 38–43.
CHAPTER 12 A MOTHER’S AGONY
1 Prince Leopold: ibid., 257–8, 398. Bitten on the knee: Balfour, 75.
2 “Not in our family”: Longford, 235.
3 “His Royal Highness”: McKusick, 89. “The peculiar ability of the Prince to suffer severe hemorrhage”: ibid., 90.
4 Victoria’s reaction: Longford, 398. The Order of the Garter: ibid., 367.
5 “She cannot bring herself to consent”: McKusick, 90.
6 Balmoral Volunteers: Longford, 398. Slipped away to Paris: ibid., 422. Married: ibid., 447.
7 Leopold’s death: McKusick, 90. “For dear Leopold himself”: Longford, 461.
8 Frittie: McKusick, 91.
9 Drs. Otto and Nasse: ibid., 88.
10 “It is predictable”: Haldane, Sang Royal, 39.
11 “Our poor family seems persecuted”: McKusick, 88.
12 “I saw the Tsarevich”: Vyrubova, 16.
13 “I could see she was transfused”: Gilliard, 205.
14 Doctors shake their heads: ibid., 251.
15 “God is just”: Pares, 133. The private chapel: Kokovtsov, 449; Pares, 132; Fülöp-Miller, 112, 122.
16 “God has heard me”: Gilliard, 52. Guilt feeling: Kokovtsov, 451; Gilliard, 53.
17 “I must have a person to myself”: Buxhoeveden, 166.
18 Urge to help others: Gilliard, 127.
19 “The Empress had great moral influence”: Buxhoeveden, 169.
20 “I feel somehow nearer her like this”: ibid., 214.
21 Anna and Alexandra: Vyrubova, 28; Dehn, 48. “I remember Vyrubova”: Botkina, 8.
22 Lieutenant Vyrubov: Vyrubova, 30; Pares, 128.
23 “I thank God”: Vyrubova, 23. “Now you have subscribed”: Pares, 128.
24 “When Their Majesties came to tea with me”: Vyrubova, 35.
25 Anna at the palace: Paléologue, I, 229.
26 “No royal favorite”: Fülöp-Miller, 95; Paléologue, I, 229.
27 “I will never give Anna an official position”: Dehn, 49.
28 “A vehicle,” “A gramophone disc”: Pares, 129.
29 A virgin: Vyrubova, 395; Kerensky, Crucifixion, 170.
30 The Empress’s health: AF to N, 272, 284, 289, 295, 296, 298, 299, 301, 302, 305, 308, 360; Vyrubova, 10–11; Buxhoeveden, 197.
31 “Indeed a sick woman”: Vorres, 130.
32 “A family weakness of the blood vessels”: Kobylinsky, 219.
33 “I have been ill nearly all the time”: Buxhoeveden, 128. “Don’t think my ill health depresses me”: ibid., 126.
34 “She keeps to her bed”: N to MF, 248. “Botkin has persuaded her”: ibid., 254. “It is too sad and painful”: MF to N, 237–8.
35 “Some trouble of the circulation”: Marye, 394.
CHAPTER 13 THE ROYAL PROGRESS
1 “This bog”: Kokovtsov, 304.
2 The Imperial train: Mosolov, 241–5; Vyrubova, 97.
3 Zakouski: Vyrubova, 97; Bruce Lockhart, 57; Mosolov, 224.
4 Heat and discomfort: N to MF, 247. Silver toboggans: Mosolov, 55.
5 The Finnish fjords: Gilliard, 97.
6 The Standart: Mosolov, 246.
7 Informality aboard the yacht: Botkin, 10; Almedingen, 120.
8 “During performances of the opera”: Vorres, 92. Sailor-nannies: Vyrubova, 29.
9 Nicholas ashore: ibid., 18, 28–9. Alexandra aboard: ibid., 18, 29.
10 “Just like any other grandmother”: ibid., 88. Evening prayer: ibid., 29. Rocked to sleep: ibid., 18.
11 Shipwrecked: Mosolov, 247; Vyrubova, 33; Buxhoeveden, 114.
12 “The Emperor rather disheveled”: Vyrubova, 33.
13 “Ashore and afloat, there were dinner parties and balls”: Heckstall-Smith, 77.
14 Prince Albert’s whooping cough: Wheeler-Bennett, 42.
15 “The one and only time I ever saw Tsar Nicholas”: Windsor, 69.
16 “Dear uncle … most kind”: Buxhoeveden, 122.
17 “He said he would be ha
ppy”: N to MF, 122. “His joke … was in very doubtful taste”: MF to N, 125.
18 “Emperor William’s visit was a success”: N to MF, 269.
19 The flowering of the Crimea: Vyrubova, 36.
20 “To see a cavalcade of Tartars”: ibid., 38.
21 Livadia Palace: ibid., 41–3; Botkina, 13.
22 The Empress at Livadia: Vyrubova, 39.
23 “Little Alexis and I saw it happen”: Vorres, 110.
24 “Just now, Alexei has come in”: N to MF, 250.
25 “Madame, this is for umbrellas”: Botkina, 9.
26 The Tsar at Livadia: Vyrubova, 39.
27 Nicholas’s march in private’s uniform: Mosolov, 22; Botkina, 9–10.
28 Easter at Livadia: Vyrubova, 47.
29 Fabergé: This account of the master jeweler and his art draws heavily on Bainbridge and Dennis. In addition, I have seen Fabergé collections at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, at Mrs. Merriweather Post’s home in Washington, D.C., in the Kremlin in Moscow and in the Hermitage in Leningrad.
30 The Great Siberian Railway Easter Egg: Tupper, 260–70.
31 “They should realize the sadness”: Buxhoeveden, 180.
32 Alexis at the charity bazaars: Vyrubova, 26.
33 Yalta parties: Vorres, 56; Vyrubova, 44.
34 The Emir of Bokhara: Vorres, 92; Vyrubova, 39.
35 Olga’s necklace: Vyrubova, 43.
36 Olga’s birthday ball: ibid., 44–5.
CHAPTER 14 “THE LITTLE ONE WILL NOT DIE”
1 “Darling Madgie”: Buxhoeveden, 129.
2 Borodino Centenary: Botkin, 89. “A common feeling of deep reverence”: N to MF, 270.
3 Moscow ceremonies: N to MF, 273; Bruce Lockhart, 74. “Alexis got hold of a glass of champagne”: N to MF, 274.
4 Bialowieza: Mosolov, 251. “The weather is warm”: N to MF, 274. Alexis fell jumping into a boat: ibid., 275.
5 The house at Spala: Vyrubova, 91. The Road of Mushrooms: ibid., 92. Flaming torches: ibid., 91.
6 “Alexis had looked to me ill”: Gilliard, 28.
7 “An experience in horror”: Vyrubova, 92.
8 Botkin’s examination: N to MF, 276. “The days between the 6th and the 10th were the worst”: ibid., 276. Screams pierced the walls: Gilliard, 29.
9 “Mama, help me!”: Buxhoeveden, 132.
10 “I was hardly able to stay in the room”: N to MF, 276. Nicholas weeping: Vyrubova, 93.
11 “It will not hurt any more, will it?”: Buxhoeveden, 132. “Build me a little monument”: Vyrubova, 93.
Nicholas and Alexandra: The Classic Account of the Fall of the Romanov Dynasty Page 69