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The meeting
Nicholas II and Alessandra Feodorovna met in 1884, at the wedding of Sergei Alexandrovich. They fell in love at first sight at a young age. -
Marriage
This wedding took place after the death of the previous Tsar, Alexander III. They married at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. -
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Daughters
The Emperor and Empress aimed for a son to continue the heir. Their firstborn, however, is Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna. She was born in November 1895. They eventually had three more daughters, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna (1897), Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna (1899), and Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (1901). -
Bad Omen Coronation
Nicholas II entered his reign with a chaotic Russia, which was held in the Uspensky Cathedral, Khodynka. When food and drink were offered out during the celebration, an estimated 1,430 individuals rushed forcefully and ended in a stampede. This tragedy was an eerie welcoming for the upcoming tsar. -
Last heir
Alexei Nikolaevich (1904) became the last heir to the Tsar throne. He was unfortunatly born with hemophilia, which was unknowingly passed by Alessandra. This was seen as a curse, as they any parents would hope for a healthy child. -
Location
The last Romanov family situated in the Alexander Palace, St. Petersburg. They were aware of the revolutionary and seek more security. In which they moved to two different locations leading to their assassination. -
Duma
Nicholas II fought battles and wars that the Russians did not support. People began to protest, which prompted the "Bloody Sunday", where hundreds of civilians were murdered by the government. He did not support the Duma, tainting his relationship with the Russians. -
Rasputin
Grigori Rasputin was an unpopular Russian figure that became a part of the family through the healing process of Alexei. The tsarina felt compassion from him and entrusted her son's condition through his prayers. A great "miracle" occurred when Alexei faced death after a large hematoma, causing high fever and severe bleeding. Alessandra desperately called Rasputin for his prayers, and somehow Alexei's pain stopped the following day. -
World War 1
Russia was unprepared for the word, leading to over 1.8 million deaths in military. Riot began as people began to feel neglected and disappointed in how the empire was heading. Farm and transportation was unreliable and failed immensely. The war also caused in more than 1.5 civilian deaths. -
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Exchange
As they both situated in different countries, emperor Nicolas in Russia and Alexandria in England, their form of communication was through exchanging letters. Nearly 1,600 letters were written between each other. -
Captives
Following the October Revolution (1917), the family was forced to move house from house. Initially moved to Tobolsk, Siberia. It became evident that the Emperor, along with his family, were abducted. Led by Bolshevik leader Lenin, they were a threat. Nicholas II would document his days and encounters through a diary. -
Death upon
The family was then transferred to the final location, Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. The Red Guards were in charge of them, treating them as prisoners with strict regimes. A captive servant described them as “Rude, cocky, constantly smoking, they provoked fear and disgust.” Despite the drastic changes, the family held on to regular family activities, such as Alessandra sewing with her daughters. -
In the basement
After the Bolsheviks' numerous options, Commander Yakov Yurovsky along with other Chekists carried on with their excecution plan. Woken by by Yurovsky around midnight, they were gathered to the basement for "security reasons". They brought two chairs for the Tsarina and Alexei to sit. To end the 300 years reign, they shot bullets, killing Nicholas instantly. Alessandra, the girls, and Alexei wore jewelry that deflected the shots, causing a slow death with more shootings and stabbings.