Jan Sobczak
Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of
Russia
Echa Przeszłości 12, 143-156
2011
ECHA PRZESZŁOŚCI XII, 2011
ISSN 1509-9873
Jan Sobczak
ALEXEI NIKOLAEVICH, TSAREVICH OF RUSSIA
T h is article does n o t asp ire to give a n ex h a u stiv e account o f th e life of
A lex ei N ik o la ev ich , n ot on ly for rea so n s o f lim ited space. T he role played by
th e you n g lad w ho w a s m uch loved by th e n ation , becam e th e R u ssia n
tse sa r e v ic h and w a s m urdered a t th e ten d er age o f 14, w ould n ot ju stify such
an effort. In a d d ition to d eliv erin g g en eral b iographical in form ation about
A lex ei th a t can be found in a v a riety of sources, I w ill a ttem p t to throw som e
lig h t on the le ss know n aspects of h is life th a t profoundly affected the fate of the
R u ssian Em pire and brought tragic consequences for the young im perial h eir 1.
A lex ei N ik o la ev ich w a s born in P e te r h o f on 12 A u g u st (30 J u ly) 1904 on
F riday a t noon, d urin g an u n u su a lly h ot su m m er th a t had sta rted alread y in
February, a t th e b eg in n in g o f R u ssia ’s m u ch u n fortu n ate w ar a g a in st Japan.
A lex ei w a s th e fifth child and th e on ly son o f N ich o la s II and A lexan d ra
F eodorovna. H e had four older sis te r s w ho w ere th e G rand D u ch esses: O lga
(8.5 y ea rs older th a n A lexei), T atian a (7 y ea rs older), M aria (5 y ea rs older)
and A n a sta sia (3 y ea rs older). In lin e w ith th e la w o f su ccession , A lexei
a u to m a tica lly becam e h eir to th e th rone, and h is b irth w a s herald ed to th e
public by a 3 0 0 -g u n sa lu te from th e P eter and P a u l F ortress. According to
N ich o la s II, th e im p eria l h eir w a s n am ed A lexei to break aw ay from a n early
century-old tra d itio n o f n a m in g th e o ld est so n s A lexan d er and N ich o la s and
to com m em orate P eter th e G reat’s father, A lexei M ikhailovich, th e second
tsa r o f th e R om anov d y n a sty th a t had ruled over R u ssia for n early 300 years
from th e 17 t h century. N ich o la s II h eld A lexei M ik h ailovich in g r e a te st e s ­
te e m from am ong a ll of h is p red ecessors. A su p rem e m a n ifesto w a s issu e d on
th e occasion, sta tin g th a t in th e e v e n t o f th e Tsar’s p rem atu re d eath , Grand
D u ke M ik h ail A lexand rovich w a s to becom e th e regen t, and it placed th e
im p eria l h eir in A lexan d ra’s care 2 .
1 F or th e u n a b rid g e d v ersion of th is article, refer to: A le ksy (1904-1918) - o statni cesarzewicz i następca tronu rosyjskiego in th e m em orial book pub lish ed b y A dam M ickiewicz U niversity
of P o z n a ń to com m em orate th e 70th b irth d a y a n n iv e rsa ry of Professor A rtu r K ijas. See: S tu d ia
z dziejów E uropy W schodniej, ed. G. B łaszczyk a n d P. K raszew ski, P o z n a ń 2010, pp. 267-287.
2 S.S. O ldenburg, Tsarstvovanye Im p e ra to ra N ik o la y a II, Moscow 1992, p. 227.
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Jan Sobczak
The beaming father wrote in his meticulously kept diary: “An unforgetta­
ble and great day, on which we received so evident a sign o f God’s love. A t a
quarter past one in the afternoon Alix had a son, who was named Alexei
during prayers. [...] No words are adequate to thank God for the consolation
he has bestowed on us in this year o f difficult tribulations!”3 Alexei’s mother,
Alexandra, wrote: “Weight - 4660, height - 58, head circumference - 38, chest
circumference - 39”4 . The royal family’s joy knew no bounds as the birth of
four successive daughters left Nicholas II and Alexandra with little hope of
producing an imperial heir. Various treatm ents, visits to the spa, pilgrimages
to holy places and the assistance of venerated elders did not bring the
desired results. Alexandra was even diagnosed with a false pregnancy. Sud­
denly, great happiness was bestowed upon the family.
The prolonged waiting for the birth of a successor to the monarch’s
throne caused concern in the royal court and political circles across the
country, turning into a serious worry th a t occupied the tsa r’s mind. After
Alexandra had given birth to their third daughter, Maria, in 1899, Nicholas II
became so irritated th a t he had to take a long walk in the park before
greeting his newborn child 5 . The tsarina’s every successive pregnancy raised
hopes, and every delivery th a t did not meet expectations fuelled public speculations 6 . The inability to produce a successor became a state affair. In his
coronation manifesto, published in Livadya on 3 November (21 October) 1894
directly after the death of Alexander III, Nicholas II requested an oath of
allegiance not only to the monarch but also to Duke George “who would
remain his legal successor until God blesses his future marriage with Princess
Alix o f Hesse”7 . This was not an extraordinary request. During regular and
3 F ro m N ick y ’s d iary , M ik o ła j I I i A le k s a n d r a : n ie z n a n a ko re sp o n d en c ja , S electio n ,
A. M aylunas, S. M ironienko, tra n s la te d b y M. Dors, W arszaw a 1998, pp. 267-268. E n g lish
tra n sla tio n : a rticle b y A u g u sta P obedinskaja, R oyal R u ssia - Directory, http://w w w .angelfire.com /
p a /Im p eria lR u ssian /ro y a lty /ru ssia /a le k se i.h tm l. F o r th e original R u ssia n te x t of th e cited excerpt,
re fe r to: D n yevn iki Im peratora N iko la y a II, ed. K. F. Shachillo, Moscow 1991, p. 222.
4 F ro m th e d ia ry of A le x a n d ra F eodorovna, M ik o ła j I I i A le k s a n d ra , p. 267.
5 G. K ing, Im p e ra tritsa A le x a n d ra F eodorovna. B iografia, Z akharov-M oscow 2000, p. 185.
6 D u rin g h is s ta y in G a tc h in a on 10 J u n e (29 M ay) 1897 w h e n th e t s a r ’s o ld est d a u g h te r,
O lga, w a s born, G ra n d D uke C o n sta n tin e C o n stan tin o v ich , th e t s a r ’s uncle, w ro te in h is diary:
“T he new s tra veled fa st, b u t everyone w as d isa p p o in te d because th is tim e, they were expecting
a boy” in: F ro m K R’s diary, M ik o ła j I I i A le ksa n d ra , p. 183. T he t s a r ’s b ro th er, G eorge, also
n o ted in a le tte r to N icholas II “I hope y o u w ill forgive m e - I fe lt slig h tly d isa p p o in te d th a t it
w as a girl. I w as g e ttin g rea d y to retire [to give u p h is fu n c tio n of im p e ria l heir], b u t it looks like
I w ill n o t be able to do so fo r a w h ile ”, G eorge’s le tte r to N icky of 14 (2) J u n e 1897 from A bbas
T um an, ibidem . S im ila r a ttitu d e s a re found in th e le tte rs w ritte n b y o th e r m em b e rs of the
t s a r ’s family, in clu d in g ts a r in a A le x a n d ra a n d Q ueen V ictoria, u p o n th e b ir th of successive
d a u g h te rs. Som e of th em , in clu d in g G ra n d D uke C o n sta n tin e C o n stan tin o v ich , w ro te a fte r
M a ria ’s b irth : “I do regret th a t it w as n o t a boy. Poor A lix ! R u s s ia w ill be so d isa p p o in te d by this
n ew s”. F ro m th e d ia ry of KR, 26 (14) J u n e 1899, ibidem , p. 205.
7 See J . Sobczak, Cesarz M iko ła j II. M łodość i p ierw sze la ta p a n o w a n ia 1868-1900, P a r t I
- M łodość, O lsztyn 1998, p. 326. A bout N icholas II see also idem , N icholas I I - the L a s t E m peror
o f A ll the R u ssia s: the stu d y o f personage a n d the evolution o f pow er, tra n s la te d by J . H etm an -Paw laczyk, O lsztyn 2010, p. 329.
ALEXEI NIKOLAEVICH. TSAREVICH OF RUSSIA
145
obligatory services for the imperial family in Orthodox and Catholic church­
es, members of the congregation raised their prayers to “His Highness the
Almighty Great Monarch, Emperor and Autocrat o f All Russias, Our King
Nicholas II Alexandrovich” as well as “His Successor, the Revered Tsesarevich
Grand Duke George Alexandrovich”8 . After George’s death in 1899, the
throne was passed down to the Tsar’s younger brother, Grand Duke Mikhail,
yet the issue of royal succession remained unresolved. Some grand dukes
argued th a t neither George nor Mikhail had formally used the titles of
tsesarevich and imperial heir. As noted by Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich during a mourning service for George on the morning of 10 July
(29 June) 1899: “the names o f the tsar, both tsarinas and the entire royal
fam ily were mentioned, but not a word was said about the heir to the throne”.
The following statem ent found its way to the announcement of the tsarevich’s death: “since God chose not to bless us with a son, under the sacred laws
o f the Empire, the right o f succession to the Russian throne belongs to our
dear brother, Grand Duke M ikhail’”9 . The announcement did not resolve the
matter. The problem of succession resurfaced in late 1900 when Nicholas II
was stricken down with typhoid fever during his stay in Crimea10. The issue
was discussed at length by Count Sergei Witte and the tsa r’s mother who
complained th a t neither of her sons had the character or the will power
required of a monarch11. An unrealistic suggestion was made to pass down
the throne to Olga, the monarch’s oldest daughter. The m atter was discussed
with Witte in the company of several m inisters and Grand Duke Mikhail
Nikolaevich. Mikhail’s candidacy was considered as the natural and formally
acclaimed choice. The question remained, however, whether Mikhail should
give up the throne if the tsarina, who was once again pregnant, would
produce a male heir. Court speculators turned their attention to Alexander
III’s younger brother and Nicholas II’s uncle, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexan­
drovich, and his children as potential successors to the imperial throne in
the event of formal complications. Alexei’s birth put an end to those specula­
tions, but they had already reached tsarina Alexandra, making her resentful
of W itte12.
In these circumstances, it does not come as a surprise th a t Alexandra
Feodorovna was very anxious to give birth to a male heir. But to her great
8 M o d litw a za M onarchę i D om C esarski. K sią żeczka m o d lite w n a do nabożeństw , b.m.w.
[1895], pp. 4 9 6 -4 9 9 . See J . Sobczak, M ik o ła j I I - o sta tn i car, pp. 105-106.
9 F ro m th e d ia ry of KR, M ik o ła j I I i A le ksa n d ra , p. 206; Y. K u d rin a , Im p e ra tritsa M a ria
F eodorovna R om a n o va , (1847-1928 gg.). D n yevn iki. P ism a . V ospom inanya, Moscow 2000, p. 83.
10 M ik o ła j I I i A le ksa n d ra , pp. 2 1 9 -2 2 2 .
11 Y. K u d rin a , Im p e ra tritsa M a ria Feodorovna.., p. 91. A lth o u g h th e book is excellently
re sea rc h ed , th e a u th o r is w ro n g in d a tin g th e t s a r ’s illn e ss in C rim e a to la te 1902.
12 See D. L ieven, N ich o la s II. E m p e ro r o f a ll the R u ssia s, L ondon 1993, p. 162; M ik o ła j I I
i A le k s a n d ra , p. 220; S. Y. W itte, Isb ra n ye v o sp o m in a n y a , 1849-1911 gg., M oscow 1991,
pp. 3 8 6 -3 8 8 .
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Jan Sobczak
d isa p p o in tm en t, co n secu tiv e p reg n a n cies produced d a u gh ters w ho could su c­
ceed to th e th ron e o n ly i f a ll o f th e tsa r ’s m ale r ela tiv e s died or w ere
rem oved from th e lin e o f su ccessio n . In 1900, A lexan d ra took th e advice of
P r in c e sse s M ilica and A n a sta sia o f M ontenegro, th e w iv es of G rand D u k es
N ich o la s and P eter N ik o la ev ich , and sh e becam e en gaged in occult practices
and h y p n o sis th a t w ere to g u a ra n tee th e b irth o f a h ea lth y son. T he first
a lleg ed doctor w ho s e t ou t to h elp th e tsa r in a w a s P h ilip p e o f Lyons, France.
T he perform ed tr e a tm e n ts required P h ilip p e’s p resen ce in A lexan d ra’s pri­
v a te qu arters w h ich fu elled gossip abou t th e tsa r in a ’s alleged affair. M aria
F eodorovna, th e tsa r ’s m oth er and w idow of A lexan d er III, dem anded th a t
th e F ren ch m an be o u sted from th e court, b u t N ich o la s II w a s u n ab le to
refu se h is w ife’s p lea s to receive tre a tm e n t in w h ich sh e v este d h ig h hopes.
P h ilip p e assu red A lex a n d ra th a t th e p o sition o f th e sta rs g u aran teed a m ale
heir, b u t in 1901, th e tsa r in a g ave b irth to th e fourth daughter, A n a sta sia 13 .
T he ridicu led F ren ch m an w a s first replaced by yurodivy (“holy fool”) D im itri
and la te r by D a ria O sipow a w ho su ffered from ep ilep sy and w a s proclaim ed
a prophet by th e grand d u ch esses. N e x t, for m an y days, th e tsa r and h is wife
prayed in so litu d e by th e grave of S era p h im of Sarov. N ich o la s II deeply
b eliev ed th a t it w a s on ly th a n k s to th e sa in t’s a ssista n c e th a t A lexan d ra’s
fifth pregn an cy produced th e long a w a ited m ale h e ir 14 . The b irth o f a son,
a su ccessor to th e th ron e, cam e a s a r e lie f to R u ssia ’s political e lite s who
sup p orted th e m on arch y 15 . A lread y upon birth, th e in fa n t w a s g iv en th e title
o f H is Im p erial H ig h n ess, tsesa rev ich , h eir to th e th ron e (th e tsa r ’s brother,
Grand D u ke M ikh ail, ceased to hold th is title) and grand duke.
T he im p eria l h eir w a s b ap tized on 3 S ep tem b er 1904 in th e O rthodox
ch ap el a t th e P eterh o f court. T he cerem ony w a s a tten d ed by n u m erou s
m em ber o f th e tsa r ’s fam ily, in clu d in g h is great-grandfather, C h ristian IX of
D enm ark , w ho w a s 87 a t th e tim e. A le x e i’s p rincipal god p aren ts w ere h is
p a tern a l grandm other, M aria F eodorovna, and Grand D uke A lexei A lex a n ­
drovich Rom anov. H is oth er g od p aren ts in clu d ed h is e ld e st sister, Grand
D u c h e ss O lga, h is great-g ra n d fa th er C h ristian IX o f D enm ark, th e P rince of
W ales E dw ard W indsor la ter K ing o f E n glan d as E dw ard II, W illiam II
H oh en zollern , K aiser of G erm any, and Grand D u k e A lexei A lexandrovich
Rom anov. N ich o la s II and A lex a n d ra F eodorovna w ere n ot p r esen t b ecau se
13 E . R ad ziń sk i, J a k n a p ra w d ę zg in ą ł car M ik o ła j II, tra n s la te d by E. Siem aszkiew icz,
W arsz a w a 1994, pp. 88-90.
14 Ibidem , pp. 91 -9 4 .
15 T he a tm o sp h e re t h a t accom panied th e long w a itin g a n d th e gossip su rro u n d in g th e
tsa re v ic h ’s b ir th also gave rise to less joyous a ttitu d e s in th e public. A le x an d e r S u v o rin q u o tes
h is c a rp e n te r in a r a th e r sp itefu l e n tr y of h is d ia ry d a te d 31 J u ly 1904: “C arpenter M ikh a ilo v
to ld m e today: I ’m r id in g the tra in to the city fro m m y su m m e r cottage. T he passengers are
ta lk in g a b o u t the new ly born m onarch. S u d d e n ly , a m a n sa ys o u t loud: ‘Those R u ssia n s are
strange. A new lice h a s in fe ste d th e ir hair, it w ill soon sta rt biting, b u t th ey ’re a ll h a p p y .’
E veryone su d d e n ly w e n t quiet. I t is su r p risin g how c a n d id people can be abo u t it”. A. S uvorin,
D zien n ik, tra n s la te d by J e rz y P a ń sk i, W arszaw a 1975, p. 521.
ALEXEI NIKOLAEVICH. TSAREVICH OF RUSSIA
147
according to th e O rthodox trad ition , th e p a ren ts do n ot a tten d the cerem ony.
P erso n a l confessor to th e im p eria l fam ily, fath er Ioann Y anishev, dipped the
in fa n t in th e b a p tism a l font, ev o k in g a loud cry o f shock from th e tsa rev ich
w h en h is h ea d cam e in to con tact w ith cold w ater.
A lex ei’s b irth w a s celeb rated w ith revelry th rou gh ou t th e country. A c­
cording to Sophie B u x h o ev ed en ’s m em oirs, in a m a n ifesto issu e d on the
occasion, the tsa r g ran ted m a n y favors to h is subjects, in clu d in g a m n e sties,
shorter prison se n te n c e s, m ed a ls and c a sh p r iz es16. T he tsa rev ich w a s ap ­
p ointed com m ander o f sev era l re g im e n ts form ed in h is honor. A lex ei m ade
th e im p ressio n o f a stron g and h e a lth y boy upon birth. P ierre G illard re ­
ferred to h is stu d e n t a s a v ery liv ely and ev en n a u g h ty child w ho w a s m ore
in clin ed to p lay th a n study. B u t u n lik e h is sister s, A lexei w a s n ot allow ed to
p lay te n n is or ride a b icycle, an d he sp en t m ost o f h is d ays u n d er the
w atch fu l eye o f tw o gu ard s, sailor C lem en s N agorny and retired b oatsw ain
A ndrei D erevenk o. A lexan d ra F eodorovna took p erson al care o f her son
w h en h e w a s n ot fe e lin g w ell. In con seq u en ce, A lexei w a s an extrem ely
sp oiled child, and any a tte m p ts a t in s tillin g in h im the p rin cip les o f court
etiq u e tte en d ed in failu re. T he tsa rev ich op en ly m ocked h is fa th er’s g u ests
w h en he w a s allow ed to a tten d official recep tion s. S o m etim es, he w ould even
jo k in g ly slap th e people w ho bow ed before him in g r ee tin g 17. A lexei w as
a w h im sica l child w ho gave freq u en t d isp la y s o f rude behavior. W hen the
tsa rev ich w a s 6, he sa w A lexan d er Izvolsky, th e m in iste r o f foreign affairs,
w a itin g ou tsid e th e tsa r’s office. T he m an did not rise from h is chair a t the
sig h t o f A lexei. T he boy, com pletely ta k en aback by th e lack o f respect to w hich
he had b een accustom ed, approached Izvolsky and reprim anded him loudly:
“when the heir to the Russian throne enters the room, people have to rise”18.
A lex ei w a s ten d erly called S u n sh in e, A gu n yu sh ek , L ittle M an or B aby by
h is p aren ts. S ev era l w e e k s after birth, he w a s d iagn osed w ith h em op h ilia,
th e disease o f kings, w h ich h e h ad in h erited from h is m other, th e carrier of
a d efective g en e, an d from h is m a tern a l great-grandm other, Q u een Victoria.
The d isea se w a s in cu rable a t the tim e, and the y o u n g m onarch w a s co n sta n t­
ly a t risk o f p rem atu re d eath . T he first sym p tom s o f h em op h ilia, a sudden
b leed in g th a t w a s very d ifficult to sta u n ch , surfaced w h en A lexei w a s only
6 w e e k s o ld 19.
16 S. B uxhoeveden, T he R u sso -Ja p a n ese W ar a n d the B ir th o f A le xis, W ikipedia. Alexei
S uvorin, w ho w a s very c ritica l a b o u t th e t s a r in h is diary, no ted w ith sa rc a sm t h a t on th e
joyous occasion of th e tsa re v ic h ’s b a p tism , th e m o n arc h did n o t a n n o u n ce th e R u ss ia n flee t’s
a n o th e r d e fea t in th e w a r a g a in s t J a p a n . H e w a s re fe rrin g to th e sin k in g of th e R u ss ia n c ru ise r
N ovik n e a r S a k h a lin : “D efeats a n d disa sters are n o t ackn o w led g ed w h en the tsa r is rejoicing”.
See A. S urovin, D zien n ik, p. 530.
17 G. K ing, P. W ilson: T he F ate o f the R o m a n o v s. J o h n W iley a n d Sons, 2003, p. 53;
E. H eresch: M ik o ła j II. “Tchórzostwo, k ła m stw o i z d r a d a ”. G d y n ia 1995, p. 138.
18 R. K. M assie, M ikołaj i A leksandra, tra n s la te d by K. K w iatkow ski, W arszaw a 1995, p. 126.
19 M ik o ła j I I i A le k s a n d ra , p. 271; D n y ev n iki Im peratora, p. 228.
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On th e third day, th e blood flow from th e n a v el stopped com pletely, but
in th e m o n th s an d y ea rs th a t follow ed, every tim e th e toddler, and la ter the
little boy, tripp ed and fell, h is arm s and leg s w ould becom e covered w ith
b ru ises and b um ps th a t tu rn ed in to b lu e sw ellin g s. The blood under th e boy’s
sk in w ould n ot clot. W hen h e w a s th ree and a h alf, A lex ei tripped and h it h is
face w h ich sw elled so profoundly th a t he w a s u n ab le to open h is eyes. A t one
point, th e p a ren ts had to b ecom e reconciled w ith th e sad tr u th th a t th e longa w a ited h eir to th e th ron e suffered from h em op h ilia. T he d ise a se w a s lo n g
k ep t secret, an d A lex ei’s p erson al p h y sicia n w a s th e on ly m em ber o f th e
court w ho k n ew th e tru th . B u t no secret can be k ep t eternally, esp ec ia lly if it
concerns a m on arch and th o se c lo se st to him . W ith tim e, it becam e obvious
th a t th e tsa rev ich suffered from a h e a lth problem . T he carefu lly guarded
secret w a s g ra d u a lly rev ea led to a broader public, alth ou gh it w a s n ot offi­
cia lly co m m u n icated for a lo n g tim e. R um ors b eg a n to spread. A lready in
m id D ecem ber 1904, A lex a n d ra B ogdanovich, th e g en era l’s w ife and a re­
now n ed scan d alm on ger in th e royal court and n ot only, w rote in her m em oirs
th a t sh e h ad overh eard B oris Stürm er, an in flu en tia l politician , la ter the
R u ssia n prim e m in ister, ta lk about th e tsa re v ich ’s h ered itary d isea se. She
did not m en tio n th e n a m e o f th e a ilm en t, b u t w e n t on to add th a t a surgeon
w a s p erm a n en tly sta tio n ed in th e court on account o f th e d ise a se 20. The gene
resp o n sib le for th e blood clo ttin g disorder w a s p a ssed dow n by m oth ers to
th e ir son s (tsa rin a A lex a n d ra w a s th e gran d d au gh ter o f Q u een Victoria,
a h em o p h ilia carrier)21. E very sk in cu t and n ose b leed posed a th r ea t to
A lex ei’s life, b u t jo in t b leed in g w a s th e m o st p ain fu l and a lm ost crippling
exp erience. T he tsa rev ich ’s illn e ss sev erely d ep ressed h is m other. E ver sin ce
th e d ise a se had b een discovered, A lex a n d ra devoted every m in u te o f h er life
to A lexei, e v e n at th e ex p en se o f h er d au gh ters. T he life o f th e en tire fam ily
becam e focused on th e heir. U n ited in th e ir concern for A lex ei’s w ell-being,
m em b ers o f th e fa m ily iso la te d th e m se lv e s from social life and its elites.
P ierre G illard, th e tsa r e v ic h ’s S w iss tutor, recalled th a t th e atm osp h ere in
tsa r ’s court w a s la rg ely d ep en d en t on A lex ei’s h e a lth and mood on a giv en
day. For a s lo n g a s it w a s p ossib le, th e tsa r ’s fam ily concealed th e boy’s
d isea se, ev e n from th e serv a n ts an d th e ch ild ren ’s tu tors, and w h e n th e
secret fin a lly cam e out, th e y n ev er told th e en tire tr u th about th e sev erity o f
h is condition and h is attack s. A lexei w a s fully aw are o f th e sta te o f h is h ea lth
and th e fact th a t he could die. D u rin g atta ck s o f hem ophilia, h e w elcom ed the
p o ssib ility o f death a s the m uch coveted r e lie f from h is suffering22.
20 A. B ogdanow icz, T ri p o s le d n ik h sa m o d ye rtsa . D n y ev n ik, forew ord b y A. Bokhanov,
M oscow 1990, p. 313.
21 See J . T h orw ald, K rew królów. D ra m a tyc zn e dzieje h e m o filii w europejskich rodach
książęcych, tra n s la te d b y K. Ja c h im c z a k , K raków 1994, p. 230.
22 “W hen I die, it w o n ’t h u r t a n y more, w ill it, m u m ? ,” h e a sk e d one day. W h en h e s ta rte d
to recover se v e ra l days late r, h e told h is p a re n ts: “W hen I die, b u ild m e a little tom b o f stones in
the p a r k .” G. K ing, Im p e ra tritsa A le x a n d r a ..., p. 238.
ALEXEI NIKOLAEVICH. TSAREVICH OF RUSSIA
149
A le x e i r e c e iv ed a w ell-ro u n d ed ed u c a tio n , an d h e g rew to becom e
a h a n d som e and en erg etic y o u n g m a n w ith a liv e ly d isp osal, m an y ta len ts
and in te r e sts. T he tsa r e v ic h ’s F ren ch tutor, P ierre G illard, le ft b eh in d d e­
ta iled m em oirs w h ich h e w rote on ly after th e revolu tion o f 1917. In itially
p u b lish ed in E n g lish , th e y w ere la te r tr a n sla te d in to m a n y la n g u a g e s, in ­
c lu d in g an ab ridged v e r sio n in P o lish 2 3 . “Alexei was the center o f this united
family, the focus o f all its hopes and affections. His sisters worshipped him.
He was his parents’ pride and joy. When he was well, the palace was trans­
formed. Everyone and everything in it seemed bathed in sunshine, ” w rote
G illard 2 4 .
J u s t lik e h is father, A lex ei loved m ilita ry parades. U p on birth, h e w as
ap poin ted h e tm a n o f all C ossack reg im en ts, and h e received a C ossack u n i­
form , com p lete w ith a fur h a t, boots an d a dagger. In th e sum m er, h e donned
th e uniform o f a sailor from th e tsa r ’s fleet. A lex ei w a s a very m u sica l child.
H is siste r s p layed th e piano, b u t h e h ad a preference for th e b a lalaik a. He
enjoyed p la y in g w ith p ets.
N ich o la s lik ed to sh ow h is son o ff before th e g u e sts, em p h a sizin g his
good looks. T he tsa r so m etim es took A lexei w ith h im to reg im en t parades.
T he am u sed sold iers w ould cheer Hurray, and A lexei w ould sm ile sw eetly. It
seem ed th a t after th e rath er u n fo rtu n a te reign o f N ich o la s II, w ho d esp ite
m a n y reform s and th e su ccessfu l tran sform ation o f R u ssia from a tyran n ical
sta te to a n ea rly co n stitu tio n a l m onarchy w a s u n ab le to g a in social acclaim ,
a w ise, en erg etic and p opular m onarch w ould fin a lly ascen d th e R u ssian
throne. T here w a s ju s t one problem - th e above-m en tion ed d isease.
D u e to h em o p h ilia , A lex ei grew up u n d er th e close su p erv isio n o f nu rses.
W h en h e tu rn ed 5, p h y sicia n s recom m en ded th a t th e y o u n g tsa rev ich be
placed in th e care o f tw o m a le n u rses, and sailors D ereven k o and N agorny
w ere g iv en th e job. T heir du ty w a s to k eep th e boy safe from any p h ysical
injury, and th ey often took h im for w a lk s in th e park and carriage rides. In
som e periods o f h is childhood, A lex ei seem ed to be free o f th e d ise a se , and he
w ould play b o istero u sly w ith h is sisters. H e w a s a loud, liv ely and n a u gh ty
child, b u t he also enjoyed serious conversations w ith ad u lts. L ike m an y boys
o f h is age, A lex ei collected trea su res su ch as n a ils, p ieces o f strin g and
p eb b les in h is pockets. G illiard w rote in h is m em oirs: “Alexei [—] was tall for
his age. He had an oval, beautifully carved face with delicate features, auburn
hair with a coppery glint and large grey-blue eyes like his mother’s. He was
a cheerful child, and he enjoyed life whenever he could. Alexei was a happy,
mischievous boy. His preferences were not sophisticated, and he never drew
23 Im p e ra to r N ik o la y I I i yevo sem ya (Peterhof, se n tya b r 1905 - Yekaterinburg, m a y 1918).
Po lic h n y m vo sp o m in a n y a m P. Z ih la ra , byvsheho n a sta v n ik a n a sle d n ik a A lexeya N iko la e vich a ,
forew ord b y S.D. Sazonov, V ie n n a 1921, re p rin te d in Mowcow 1991; P. Z hiliar, Im p e ra to r
N ik o la y I I i yevo sem ya, M owcow 1992; P. G illiard, Tragiczny los cara M iko ła ja I I i jeg o rodziny,
tr a n s la te d b y J . P. Z ajączkow ski, W arszaw a 1990.
24 R o b ert K. M assie, N ich o la s a n d A le x a n d ra , D ell P u b lish in g Co., 1967, p. 137.
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Jan Sobczak
false satisfaction from his position o f imperial heir which was the last thing
on his mind. [—] He was very bright and inquisitive, he took a lively interest in
everything. Sometimes, he would take me by surprise by asking questions
which showed that he was mature beyond his age, sensitive and highly intui­
tive ’”2 5 . T h is is n ot to im p ly th a t A lex ei w a s u n aw are o f h is sp ecial sta tu s in
th e fam ily. D u rin g form al occasion s, he w ould occupy th e se a t by h is fa th er’s
side. T he crowds in th e streets w ould greet him w ith joyful cheers Tsesarevich,
successor to the throne. P a ssers-b y w ould ga th er around A lex ei in hope of
to u ch in g him , and d eleg a tio n s o f p e a sa n ts w ould drop to th eir k n ee s before
th e tsarevich . It w a s A lexei, an d n ot h is siste r s, w ho received reg im en ta l
d eleg a tio n s an d w a s sh ow ered w ith gifts.
D esp ite th e above, A lex ei w a s g en era lly an ob ed ien t child, and he w ould
succum b to h is s is te r s ’ a u th o rity w ith o u t m uch p rotest. L ively and curious as
little boys are, h e rarely rem em b ered to exercise cau tion d u rin g play. He
could n ot com e to term s w ith th e fact th a t u n lik e h is p eers, he w a s deprived
o f m an y p le a su r e s o f boyhood. A lex ei w a s n o t allow ed to ride th e bicycle as it
en ta ile d a sig n ifica n t risk o f fallin g. H e ignored all b a n s and orders. In
add ition to h is n a tu ra l d esire to play, it w a s also h is w ay o f p ro testin g
a g a in st th e e x cessiv e care o f h is over-protective p a ren ts and tutors. D u rin g
th e tsa r ’s in sp ectio n o f th e palace guard, A lexei took everyone by su rp rise by
rid in g a n appropriated b icycle into th e cen ter o f th e palace square. To m ake
up for all th e p le a su r e s o f childhood th a t A lexei w a s denied, h is p aren ts tried
to bribe him w ith e x p en siv e and sa fe g ifts. The boy’s room w a s filled w ith
extraord in ary toys, b u t th ey could n ev er com p en sate for u n b rid led fun o u t­
doors. A lex ei’s ed u cation w a s freq u en tly in terru p ted on account o f h is d is­
ea se , and th e boy grew to be so m ew h a t lazy w ith o u t m uch in te r e st in books.
H e w a s in te lle c tu a lly m atu re beyond h is age, and he w a s able to produce
a clever and w itty rip oste th a t te stifie d to th e depth o f h is th o u g h t and
ju d g m en t. H e lik ed to th in k an d wonder. W hen ask ed w h a t he w a s th in k in g
about, he w ould a n sw er th a t he enjoyed th e su n and the b ea u ty o f sum m er
a s lo n g a s he could b eca u se one o f th e se days, he could be p reven ted from
d oing it. A lex ei w a s a clever boy, b u t lik e h is siste r s, sa v e for O lga, he w as
a r e lu c ta n t academ ic. H e often a sk ed p e n etra tin g q u estio n s th a t te stifie d to
an in te lle c t w e ll beyon d h is y ears. D u e to h is d isea se , h e w a s brought up in
grea ter iso la tio n th a n th e tsa r ’s r e m a in in g children. N e x t to h is p aren ts, the
y o u n g e st o f h is siste r s, A n a sta sia , w a s th e fam ily m em ber h e fe lt c lo sest to.
Y evgeny B otkin , privat-d ocen t a t th e M ilitary M edical A cadem y in P e ­
tersb urg, w a s th e court p h y sicia n for th e tsa r’s fam ily w ho w a s m uch lik ed
by N ic h o la s’ children. The P e te r h o f P alace and th e im p erial resid en ce in
T sarskoye Selo w ere also v isite d by sp e c ia lists. V lad im ir D erevenko, a you n g
doctor, p erso n a lly a tten d ed to A lex ei w h en h is d isea se took a w orse turn.
D erev en k o ’s daughter, T atiana, w rote e x te n siv e ly in h er m em oirs about the
25 Z p a m ię tn ik ó w P ierre’a G illiarda, in: M ik o ła j I I i A le k sa n d ra , p. 402.
ALEXEI NIKOLAEVICH. TSAREVICH OF RUSSIA
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resp ect th a t A lex ei an d th e en tire im p erial fam ily b estow ed upon th e court
p h y sicia n s, in clu d in g B o tk in 26.
T he co n sta n t fears th a t A lex ei m ig h t be k illed by th e th e n incurable
d isea se contribu ted to th e m uch overrated in flu en ce o f Grigori R asp u tin ,
a self-proclaim ed prophet, drunk and debaucher, in th e im p erial court. R a s­
p u tin w a s purported to h a v e su p ern a tu ral pow ers (w hich are exp lain ed by
p arapsychology today) th a t g ave h im th e a b ility to a llev ia te p a in and stop
b leed in g 27. A lexan d ra F eodorovna b eliev ed th a t R a sp u tin could h ea l A lexei
ev e n from a d ista n ce by sp ea k in g to th e boy on th e telep h o n e or sen d in g
a so o th in g teleg ra m . S k ep tics a ttrib u te R a sp u tin ’s h e a lin g pow ers to h yp n o­
sis. R a sp u tin had a con siderable in flu en ce on A lexan d ra w ho tu rn ed a d ea f
ear to a n y reports about h is sca n d a lizin g life sty le and d isa stro u s in flu en ce
on th e im p eria l fa m ily ’s rep u tation . A lexan d ra F eodorovna b elieved th a t only
R a sp u tin could h ea l h er so n 28. The su g g estio n th a t tsa rev ich A lexei w a s the
son o f s ta r e ts G rig o ri, m ad e by M axim Gorky in a letter to h is friend A lex a n ­
der A m fiteatrov in 191429, is com p letely absurd. R a sp u tin h ad b een now here
n ear th e im p erial court w h en A lex ei w a s born in 1904.
T he a b solu te tr u st th a t th e n eurotic and su p er stitio u s tsa rin a A lexan d ra
h ad v e ste d in R a sp u tin w hom sh e b eliev ed to be th e only m an capable of
k eep in g h er b eloved son aliv e, h er ign oran ce o f any evid en ce th a t p ointed to
R a sp u tin ’s im m oral beh avior and corrupt p olitical p ractices u n d erm in ed th e
public’s tr u st in th e im p eria l fam ily. R a sp u tin ’s in flu en ce ten d s to be e x a g ­
g era ted in lite r a tu r e , b u t h e u n d oub ted ly exercised som e control over th e
tsa r ’s fam ily, and h e w a s resp o n sib le for th e d ism issa l o f at le a s t tw o su c ce s­
siv e prim e m in iste r s, P yotr S to ly p in and V ladim ir K okovtsov30. T he above
could su b sta n tia te a h y p o th e sis th a t if it w ere not for A lex ei’s b irth and
h em o p h ilia w h ich in itia te d th is ch a in o f u n fortu n ate e v e n ts and dem onic
forces, i f it w ere not for R a sp u tin ’s contribution to a lle v ia tin g A lex ei’s suffer­
in g and th e in flu en ce he ex ercised on A lexan d ra and N ich o la s, if it w ere not
for th e m y stic h e a le r ’s a ttem p ts to u n d erm in e th e rep u tation o f th e tsa r ist
fam ily, esp ecia lly d u ring W orld War I, th e R u ssia n m onarchy w ould have
26 See T. M ieln ik (R a zh d y e n n ay a B otkina), V osopm inanya o tsarskoy sem lye i yevo zh izn y
do e p osle re v a lu tsy i, Moscow 1993, p. 208.
27 F o r a b ro a d e r re fe re n ce , see E. R a d z iń sk i, R a s p u tin , tr a n s la te d b y E. M ad ejsk i,
W arszaw a 2000, p. 408.
28 E. H eresch , M ik o ła j II. Tchórzostwo, k ła m stw o i zd ra d a , G d y n ia 1995, pp. 2 4 1 -2 4 2 ,
260, 278; E. R a d ziń sk i, J a k n a p ra w d ę z g i n ą ł . , pp. 252, 266.
29 L itera tu rn o ye nasled tsvo , Vol. 95: G orky e ru sk a y a zh u r n a lis tk a n a c h a la X X v y e k u ,
Moscow 1988, p. 453.
30 W .N. Kokovtsov, Is m oyevo proshlovo. V ospom inanya 1911-1919, selection, ed., forew ord
by S.A. Volkh, Moscow 1991, pp. 410-418; A.P. B orodin, S to ly p in , R efo rm y vo im y a R a syi,
Moscow 2004; J . Sobczak, P ostać G riszki R a s p u tin a w św ietle o sta tn ic h p u b lik a c ji h isto rycz­
nych, in: J . Sobczak, R osyjskie ścieżki K lio. W ybór szkiców i esejów h isto ryczn ych oraz fra g m e n ­
tów “D z ie n n ik a ” A u to r a w y d a n y z okazji jeg o 75. rocznicy urodzin, P u łtu sk -W arsza w a 2007, pp.
155-167.
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su rvived for m a n y m ore y ea rs, and th e reform s in itia ted by A lexan d er II and
N ich o la s II w ould h a v e ad vanced R u ssia ’s in d u stria l, civiliza tio n and social
d evelop m en t.
W hen A lexei w a s around 8 or 9, N ich o la s II b eg a n to prepare him for his
d u ties o f a m onarch. H e w ould ta k e A lexei to m e etin g s w ith govern m en t
m in iste r s and m ilita ry com m an ders, and h e forced th e boy to w ear a g a la
uniform w h ich is so m eth in g th a t A lex ei quickly grew fond of. From h is
e a r lie st y ea rs, A lex ei spoke only R u ssia n , and h is p aren ts in stille d in him
a love for R u ssia n cu isin e, folk art and costu m es. A dvised by G illard, th ey
cea sed to control A lex ei’s every m ove in hope o f tea ch in g th eir son to becom e
resp o n sib le for h is ow n safety. W ith age, A lexei suffered few er life-th r ea ten ­
in g a tta ck s o f h em op h ilia. T he m o st seriou s occurrence took place in th e fall
o f 1912 w h en th e T sar and h is fa m ily w ere a t th eir h u n tin g lodge in Spala,
n ear th e K ozien ice P rim eval F o rest in P oland. A lexei injured h im self, and
th e b ru isin g ca u sed a blood infection. T he tsa rev ich w as in su fferin g for 11
days, an d th e doctors b eg a n p rep aring h is p aren ts for th e w orst. A n official
sta te m e n t ab out A lex ei’s con d ition w as p u b lish ed . D u rin g daily p rayers for
th e tsesa rev ich , th e lodge w a s surrounded by crowds o f P o lish p ea sa n ts
w e e p in g for a sick ch ild 31. A lex ei recovered only after R a sp u tin ’s in ex p lica ­
ble, rem ote in terv en tio n . P rim e m in iste r K okovtsov gave a d eta iled account
o f th o se b lea k days in h is m em oirs. H e w rote th a t all R u ssia n officials had
b een frozen still, as if w a itin g for A lex ei’s d eath th a t w ould u ltim a te ly lead
to a n a tio n a l tragedy. E v en K okovtsov did n ot h ave th e h ea rt to sen d urgen t
paperw ork to th e m onarch, a lth o u g h A le x e i’s illn e ss coincided w ith election s
to th e F ou rth S ta te D um a, and th e tsa r ’s a tten tio n w a s required to an alyze
th e p o ten tia l d istrib u tio n o f p olitical forces in th e n ew p a rlia m en t32. T he
above ex a m p le d em o n stra tes th a t in a country w h ere th e autocratic sy ste m
h ad b een ab olish ed, alth ou gh N icholas II undoubtedly continued to exercise
h is pow er in an autocratic style, th e h e a lth o f th e im perial fam ily’s m em ber
had a sta g g erin g effect on sta te affairs. In an attem p t to celebrate A lexei’s
recovery and, as N icholas told K okovtsov in Spala, to do som e good, th e tsar
pardoned m em bers o f th e security service who, during K iev celebrations o f
Septem ber 1911, failed to preem pt an a ssa ssin a tio n attem p t on Pyotr Stolypin,
G eneral P a v el Kurlov, deputy m in ister o f the interior and com m ander o f the
G endarm es, N ik olai K ulabka, C h ie f o f th e K iev O khranka, M itrofan Verigin,
depu ty director o f th e police d ep a rtm en t and a ss is ta n t to G eneral Kurlov,
and G en eral A lexan d er Spiridovich, c h ie f o f th e tsa r’s p erson al police33.
A lex ei’s d ise a se h ad seriou s con seq u en ces for th e im p erial su ccession
procedure in th e R om anov dynasty. T he rum ors about th e h eir’s prem ature
31 Y.W. K u d rin a , Im p e ra tritsa M a ria F eodorovna, p. 134.
32 W .N . Kokovtsov, Is m oyevo proshlovo, p. 166.
33 Ibidem , p. 175. See also: L. Bazylow, O statnie la ta R osji carskiej. R z ą d y S tołypina,
W arsz a w a 1972, pp. 4 4 8-450.
ALEXEI NIKOLAEVICH. TSAREVICH OF RUSSIA
153
d ea th forced N ic h o la s’ brother, G rand D uke M ikhail, to ta k e decisive action.
M ik h ail w ould a ssu m e th e thron e in th e e v e n t o f A lex ei’s d eath. T he Grand
D uke w a s con vin ced th a t u n d er th ese circu m stan ces, th e im p erial fam ily
w ould n ev er co n sen t to h is m arriage w ith N a ta lia W ulfert-B rasova, the
form er w ife o f an ordinary cavalry cap tain , w ho had b een tw ice divorced. In
1908, M ik h ail fell p a ssio n a te ly in love w ith N a ta lia who gave b irth to their
son, G eorge, alread y in J u ly o f th a t year. O n 31 O ctober 1912, M aria Feodorovna, th e ts a r ’s widow, received a le tte r from C annes: “My Dear Mother! [—]
My heart is heavy with the news I have to share with you [—], but two weeks
ago, I married Natalia Sergeyevna. I m ight have never taken that step if it
were not for little Alexei’s illness”3 4 . T he w ed d in g cerem ony took place a t the
S erb ian O rthodox C hurch in V ienn a. M ik h ail notified the tsa r o f h is m orga­
n a tic m arriage. N ich o la s II refu sed to acknow ledge it, h e b an n ed M ikhail
from re-en terin g R u ssia , he d ism isse d him from a ll p osts in th e arm y and
exercised oth er sa n ctio n s, in clu d in g fin an cial. M ik h ail’s m arriage to N a ta lia
w a s leg itim ized only after th e ou tb reak o f W orld War I. M ik h ail w a s allow ed
to retu rn to R u ssia and con tin u e h is service in th e army. N a ta lia and th eir
son w ere g ran ted th e noble title o f B rasov co u n ts35.
A fter th e ou tb reak o f W orld War I and N ich o la s II’s rise to th e p ost o f
C h ief C om m ander o f th e R u ssia n Army, th e tsa r w illin g ly took A lexei to the
G eneral H ead q u arters. The boy w a s fa scin a ted by ad u lt life, w ar and the
com pany o f m en w h ich differed rad ically from th e pred om in an tly fem ale
su rrou n d in gs in T sarskoye Selo. W earing th e arm y uniform , he took a great
in te r e st in can n o n s, riflem en tra in in g , he strolled dow n the tren ch es and
other fo rtification s and lea rn ed m ore about daily life in the army. A lexei
accom panied h is fa th er d u rin g trip s to d islocated reg im e n ts o f th e army. In
recogn ition o f h is v is it to th e so u th -w estern reg im en t th a t w a s sta tio n ed
n ear th e area o f m ilita ry o p eration s, h e received a 4 th c la ss Order o f St.
G eorge a s w e ll a s h is first and la s t m ilitary ran k o f corporal. The sold iers
w arm ed tow ard s th e little boy, th e ir future m onarch, who lik ed to play
a soldier. T hose ex p erien ces and th e a w a r e n ess o f the deadly r isk s carried by
h em o p h ilia m ade A lex ei m ore serio u s and se n sitiv e to other p eop le’s needs.
In M arch 1917, N ich o la s II decided to abdicate in favor o f tsesa rev ich
A lexei, and proclaim ed h is brother, G rand D uke M ik h ail Rom anov, as the
regen t. N ich o la s sig n ed th e m a n ifesto on th e n ig h t o f 15 (2) to 16 (3) M arch
u nd er w h ich a 13-year-old boy w ould b ecom e th e ruler o f a g ia n t em pire.
G eneral R uzsky, p lea sed th a t th e m onarch had e a sily m ade a h istoric d eci­
sion, p resen ted N ich o la s II w ith an abdication sta te m e n t from th e G eneral
H ead q u arters. N ich o la s sig n ed it. T he clock struck 3 p.m ., and th e docum ent
w a s d ated 15 M arch. In lin e w ith th e la w o f im p erial su ccession , th e R u ssian
34 E. R ad zin sk i, R a sp u tin , tra n s la te d b y E. M adejski, W arszaw a 2000, p. 181.
35 T he title re fe rs to th e g ra n d d u k e ’s e s ta te in th e O rlov go v ern o rate. See W .I. Fiedorczienko, R a siy sk y Im p e ra to rsky i D om e yevropeyskye m o n a rk h i, Moscow 2006, pp. 193-194.
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throne would be passed down from father to son. But Petrograd officials
insisted th a t the abdication statem ent be signed by witnesses. Alexander
Guchkov and Vasil Shulgin, deputies to the Fourth Duma, were dispatched
to Nicholas, and the document was not to be published before their return.
While the deputies were on their way, Nicholas had the time to rethink his
decision and answer a question th a t had been long occupying his mind:
should he place the burden of power on the arms of his underage and sick
son in those troubled times? He had a long and honest talk with the court
surgeon, Professor Sergei Feodorov36, who further asserted Nicholas’ fears
th a t Alexei was not a prime candidate for imperial monarch on account of his
disease and the probability of prem ature death. The surgeon also pointed out
th a t the young monarch would have to be separated from the family to
prevent his dethroned parents from influencing his decisions. As the result of
this sad consultation, the tsar changed his initial decision to make Alexei his
successor and his brother Mikhail the regent. Having arrived from Petrograd
which was engulfed by the revolution, Guchkov delivered an elaborate expla­
nation relating to the abdication statement. The tsar interrupted him, saying
th a t the abdication statem ent had already been drafted but in a new,
changed form. Nicholas II abdicated the throne on behalf of himself and his
13-year-old son, tsarevich Alexei, nominating his brother, Mikhail, to succeed
him. “Since We do not wish to part from Our beloved son, We transmit the
succession to Our brother, Grand Duke M ikhail Alexandrovich, and give Him
Our blessing to mount the Throne o f the Russian Empire,” read the state­
ment37.
The statem ent spurred controversy and criticism among the monarchists
who argued th a t Nicholas had no right to abdicate and deprive his underage
son of the right to succession. Nikolai Basily, Director of the Diplomatic
Chancellery at the General H eadquarters of the Chief Commander of the
Russian Army, who drafted the first version of the abdication statem ent, did
not hide his indignation: “The tsarevich’s ascension to the throne was the only
measure that could have stopped the revolution. The young Alexei Nikolaevich
would have been backed not only by law, but also by the army and the nation”3 8 . Perhaps this would have been the case. Sergei Sazanov, former (until
1916) m inister of external affairs, confessed to the French ambassador, M au­
rice Paleoloque, that: “I do not need to assure you o f my love and dedication to
the tsar” - he said with tears in his eyes. ”B ut until my dying day, I shall
never forgive him for abdicating in his son’s name. He hadn’t the least right to
do it. Is there a law anywhere in the world that can deprive a minor o f his
36 N ot w ith Yevgeny B otkin, a s claim ed b y M ik h a il H e lle r in H isto ria Im p e riu m rosyj­
skiego.
37 A k t ab d yka cji M iko ła ja II, in: M ik o ła j I I i A le k sa n d ra , p. 571. E n g lish tra n s la tio n :
W ikipedia, h ttp ://e n .w ik ip e d ia .o rg /w ik i/N ic h o las_ II_ o f_ R u ssia . V arious P o lish tr a n s la tio n s of
th is do cu m en t a re cited in m a n y p ublications.
38 J . Sobczak, M ik o ła j I I - o sta tn i car R osji, p. 524.
ALEXEI NIKOLAEVICH. TSAREVICH OF RUSSIA
155
rights?" 39 To th is day, th e R u ssia n m o n a rch ists con tin u e to argue th a t the
abd ication sta te m e n t sign ed on A le x e i’s b e h a lf w a s ille g a l b eca u se it violated
th e la w o f im p eria l su ccessio n , y e t in th eir in d ign ation , th e y fail to account
for th e fear o f a fath er w ho trem b led a t th e very th o u g h t of p a rtin g w ith h is
son. T he tra g ed y th a t occurred in th e b a sem e n t o f th e sp ecial purpose h ou se
in Y ek aterin bu rg on th e n ig h t o f 16 to 17 J u ly 1918 could n o t h ave been
fo reseen by th e b e st str a te g ist. T he story o f th is atrocious m urder, com m itted
92 y ea rs ago, h a s b een w id ely d iscu ssed in m an y p u b lication s, and th ere is
no n eed to rep ea t th e d eta ils. L et m e only sa y th a t A lex ei w a s tw o w e ek s sh y
o f h is fo u rteen th b irth d a y w h en h e w a s m urdered 4 0 .
The search for th e bodies o f th e tsa r’s family, in particular th e tsesarevich ,
co n tin u ed for a v ery lo n g tim e. T he R om anovs’ rem a in s w ere discovered in
J u n e 1991, and th e y w ere buried in St. P eter and P a u l’s C athedral in St.
P etersb u rg on 17 J u n e 1998. T he ex ca v ated r em a in s w ere n ever officially
id en tified a s th o se o f A lex ei and h is s iste r M aria, how ever. T heir sk eleton
fra g m en ts w ere found only in A u g u st 2 0 0 7 n ea r th e m a ss graves w h ere th e
rem a in in g b od ies h ad b een buried.
T he lon g sea rch for A lex ei’s r em a in s and p erson al b elon gin gs fuelled
rum ors about h is m iracu lou s su rv iv a l and escap e from Y ekaterinburg. A s
a r e su lt o f th is, th ere h a v e b een m en w ho p reten d ed to be th e tsarevich ,
am ong th em M ichał G o len iew sk i, a h ig h -ra n k in g official o f th e secret service
in so c ia list P olan d , w ho em igrated to W estern E urope and proclaim ed h im ­
s e lf th e so n o f form er tsa r N ich o la s II 4 1 . T here is also th e sen sa tio n a l version
by th e th ree R u ssia n au th ors o f The E sca p e o f A lexei 42 w ho claim ed th a t
A lex ei had m ira cu lo u sly su rvived th e ex ecu tion and w e n t on to live as
39 Ibidem . T he o rig in a l sto ry of th e t s a r ’s a b d icatio n , enforced by a plo t of S ta v k a g e n era ls
h e a d e d b y M ik h a il Alexeiev, a n d a n in te re s tin g p o rtra it of A lexei a s th e im p e ria l successor is
given by: V. Kobylin, A n a to m y a ism yeni. Im p era to r N iko la y I I e G yeneral-adyutant M. V. Alexeiev,
ed. L. E. Bolotin, Isto k i a n tim o n a rk h ic h esko v o zagovora, S .-P ie te rb u rg 1998, pp. 2 8 8 -3 3 5 .
40 See S. P. M ielgunow , S u d b a im peratora N ik o la y a I I posle otryechenya, N ew York 1991,
pp. 422; V. V. Alexeiev, G hibel tsa rsko y sem ly: m ify e ryalnost, N o viye d o k u m e n ty o tragedi na
Urale, Y e k a te rin b u rg 1993; E .E . Alfieriew , P is m a tsarskoy sem ly is zatochenya, Jo rd a n v ille
1984; P. B e nckendorf, L a s t d a y s o f T sarskoe Selo, L ondon 1927; Y. B ogosłow skaja, T ayna
tse sa zh e v ic h a : d lih n a y a doroga k istnye, P iK , 8 F e b r u a ry 1997, No. 8(747); Y. B uranov,
V. K h rustalov, G hibel tsarskovo dom a, M oskw a 1992; Y. B uranov, V. K h rustalov, U hbeytsy tsara.
U hnichtozhenye d in a sty i, Moscow 1997; T a yn a tsa rske h ostankov. M aterya li n a u ch n o y konferentsy “P a sled n a y a stra n itsa istoryi tsarskoy sem yi: itogi isu ch en ya Y eka terin b u rh sko y tregedyi",
Y e k ate rin b u rg 1994; P. Z ylhiar, T ra h ich eska ya su h d b a ru h sko y im peratorskoy fa m ily i, T allin
1921.
41 See Z. S iem iątkow ski: W yw iad a w ładza. W yw iad c yw iln y w system ie sp ra w o w a n ia
w ła d zy p o lity czn ej P R L , W arszaw a 2009, pp. 9 3 -9 7 , 151-153.
42 G.B. Egorov, I.B . Lysenko, V.V. Petrov, Sp a sen ye tsarevicha A lexeia. Isto rik o -krim in a listich eska ya re k o n stru k tsya rastryela tsarskoy sem ly, St. P e te rs b u rg 1998, pp. 288. T he sto ry of
th e alleg ed escape of th e t s a r ’s c h ild ren , in clu d in g A lexei, e x ists in d iffere n t v ersio n s. See
A.N. G ria n n ik , Z a vesh ch a n ye N ik o la y a II, p a r t I-II, R iga 1993; N . W ojtowicz, S e h o d n y a k a h zd y
d elayet vybor. In terview s im peratorem N ik o la y e m III, K aleidoscope, J a n u a ry /F e b ru a ry 1997,
No. 5(236), p. 5.
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a provincial tea ch er o f geograp hy u n d er th e n am e o f V asil K senfontovich
F ila to v . A ccording to th e au th ors, F ila to v h ad revealed h is true id e n tity to
h is ch ild ren an d fa m ily sh o rtly before h e died in 1988. T he a ssu m p tio n th a t
a provincial tea ch er w a s th e esca p ed m onarch is h ig h ly im probable, even
im p o ssib le, b u t it ca n n o t be ru led out. T he tsa r ’s fam ily w ere m urdered and
th e ir b od ies w ere tran sp orted to th e grave a t n ig h t and in com plete organ i­
za tio n a l ch aos w h ere a n y th in g could happen. M ost o f th e gu ard s w ere drunk.
It sh ou ld also be n oted th a t R u ssia h a s a stron g and h istorically rooted
tra d itio n o f “sa m o sv a n e ts”, im p ostors w ho appear from n ow here and m ake
cla im s to th e R u ssia n th ron e43.
43 A c u rre n t m a n ife s ta tio n of th e e n d u rin g m y th of su rv iv a l of m em b e rs of th e Im p e ria l
F a m ily is a book b y th e p ro m in e n t R u ss ia n h is to ria n V la d le n S iro tk in , e n title d : A n a sta ssia ili
k o m u vygoden m i f o gibeli R o m a n o v y k h , M oskva 2010, p. 255.