Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia

Three centuries of rule by the Romanov dynasty ended with the forced abdication of Nicholas II on March 15, 1917.

This is the third and final post on our visit to St. Petersburg. Over the course of our 2-day tour with TJ Travel, we visited 3 places that tell the story of the last emperor of Russia: Catherine Palace; Yusupov Palace; and Peter and Paul Cathedral. We did not visit Alexander Palace, the favourite residence of Nicholas II, and the place where the imperial family was initially imprisoned following the Russian Revolution in February, 1917.

I pieced this blog together with information that our tour guide gave us over two days as we visited cathedrals, museums and parks. I’m sure that I missed lots of important details. All the errors and inaccuracies in this post belong to me.

This painting of Tzar Nicholas II hangs in Catherine Palace

Nicholas was 26 when he became tzar. During his reign, the Russian Empire collapsed. At the start of his reign in 1894, the Russian Empire was one of the greatest powers in the world. At the time of his forced abdication in 1917, the Russian Empire was on the brink of economic and military collapse. Russia was ill prepared for World War I and suffered crushing losses with the deaths of almost 2 million soldiers. Civilians suffered acute food shortages when food was confiscated to feed an army of 15 million soldiers.

The Russian Monarchy was abolished when Nicholas II abdicated

This portrait of Alexei hangs in Catherine Palace

Nicholas II married Alexandra, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. They had four daughters: Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. But Nicholas wanted a son and heir to the Romanov Dynasty. Alexei, their only son, was born in 1904. He suffered from Haemophilia, a hereditary disease that prevents blood from clotting. Alexei inherited the disease from his mother who carried the same gene mutation that afflicted many of Queen Victoria’s descendants. At that time, Haemophilia was a slow and agonizing death sentence with no treatment and no cure.

Alexei’s toy horse is on display at Catherine Palace

Alexandra believed that Rasputin, a self-proclaimed monk, had the power to cure Alexei

Russian doctors were unable to treat or cure Alexei’s disease. A bumpy ride in a carriage could trigger a painful internal bleed that lasted for days and brought Alexei close to death. A desperate mother turned to mystics and miracle workers to find relief for her son. She found Rasputin. His calming influence relaxed both mother and son. Alexandra believed that Rasputin could heal her son. As Rasputin gained the confidence of Nicholas and Alexandra, he wielded great power and influence in the tsarist government.

The established aristocracy in Russia was very unhappy with the influence that Rasputin, a peasant, had over Nicholas and Alexandra. A group of nobles, led by Prince Yusupov, convinced themselves that Rasputin was a threat to the empire. Yusupov inherited an immense fortune and was one of the richest persons in the world. Yusupov and his compatriots hatched a plot to kill Rasputin. Yusupov invited Rasputin to his home. Rasputin liked to hobnob with the rich and famous so he accepted the invitation. Yusupov offered Rasputin cake and wine laced with cyanide. The poison had no effect on Rasputin so Yusupov shot him.

On the second day of our tour, we visited Yusupov Palace where Rasputin was killed. The photo of Rasputin, above, hangs in the hallway outside the room where Rasputin was killed.

This is the room where Rasputin was poisoned and shot

We toured the main floor of the palace, with reception rooms just as they were when Yusupov lived there. Then we went to the basement, to the room where Rasputin was shot. The scene of Rasputin’s murder is recreated with wax figures, sort of a macabre Madame Tussauds.

This is a wax figure of Rasputin, drinking wine laced with cyanide

Rasputin survived the first gun shot. He overpowered Yusupov and ran outside. He was shot two more times. His killers dumped his body in the river. An autopsy revealed that there was no cyanide in his system.

The death of Rasputin did not halt the collapse of the Russian aristocracy. The Russian Revolution took place two months after the death of Rasputin.

After the Revolution, Yusupov and his family fled from their palace with jewels and two paintings by Rembrandt. The jewels included the Blue Sultan of Morocco diamond and the Polar Star Diamond. They sold the paintings and jewels in order to support a lavish lifestyle in exile in Paris. They sold the diamonds to Cartier’s. The Rembrandt paintings are now in the National Gallery in Washington.

Nicholas II and his family are interred in Peter and Paul Cathedral

Nicholas and his family were placed under house arrest after his abdication. In March, 1917, the British government offered the family asylum. There was an uproar in England which led to a withdrawal of the offer. The granddaughter of Queen Victory was not welcome in England with her husband and 5 children.

Nicholas and his family were shuffled to a number of places. On April 30, 1918, Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, his 4 daughters and his son were executed. Alexei was 13 years old.

We visited Peter and Paul Cathedral on a beautiful day in St Petersburg

This is the interior of Peter and Paul Cathedral

This is the room where Nicholas II and his family are interred

The bodies of Nicholas II and his family were moved after their execution. No one knew where. In 1979, an amateur archaeologist uncovered bones under a dirt road near the place where the family was executed. The remains were identified as those of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and three daughters. The remains of Alexei and Anastasia were not found. In 2007, an amateur historian discovered the bones of Alexei and Anastasia. DNA testing in an American lab confirmed the identities of Alexei and his sister.

Nicholas II and his family were interred at St Peter and Paul Cathedral on the 80th anniversary of the executions. This was in 1998, before the remains of Alexei and Anastasia were discovered. They have since been interred with their family. At the ceremony, Russian President Boris Yeltsin said:

Today is a historic day for Russia. For many years, we kept quiet about this monstrous crime, but the truth has to be spoken.

Peter and Paul Cathedral houses the remains of almost all the Russian emperors and empresses, including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Nicholas II.

Peter and Paul Cathedral, the first landmark in St Petersburg, built by Peter the Great, is the final resting spot for two centuries of Romanov rulers.

And that is the end of our two-day “Highlights of St. Petersburg” tour.