Romanovs and the Russian Empire by Zeyd Anwar

Established in the year 1721, the Russian Empire was the third largest empire in human history, spanning twenty to point eight million kilometres and ruled by the House of Romanovs for over three hundred years. Russia during this time functioned as an absolute monarchy, predicated on the principles of Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality under Nicholas I.

Among one of the great events in the history of the Russian Empire was the Revolution of 1917, most notable for its execution of the Romanovs. There are several accounts of what happened on the day of their execution, and few historians agree on the exact scope of events. What is known is that the Romanovs were led to their death in the basement of Ipatiev House, a consequence of a ten-men firing squad who executed Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra and their children.

The events of the Revolution changed the future of Russia entirely, ending the Russian system of monarchy and leading to the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922. Indeed, the Russian Revolution was simply the beginning of a new struggle for global power, one that took place over fifty years.

“The world thinks the Russian Revolution is at an end,” said Alexander Kerensky, the lawyer and politician. “Do not be mistaken. The Russian Revolution is just beginning.”

All images and colourisations are courtesy of Klimbim.

16 February, 2021

Tsar Nicholas II at the opening ceremony of the First Duma, St. Petersburg, 1906

Alix, Princess of Hesse, 1984

Freilina Empress Alexandra (left) with her sister Alexandra Taneyva in costumes for performance at the Russian ball, date unknown

Anna Pavlova in "Giselle", date unknown

Isaac Levitan (standing second left) in a group of artists at MSAL Photo, 1899

Mathilde Kschessinska in "Camargo", date unknown

Anton Chekhov, date unknown

Fyodor Dostoevsky, date unknown

Confirmation in Moscow in the Church of St Louis, date unknown

Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, date unknown

Elizabeth Feodorovna, date unknown

Grand Duchess Olga on horseback, 1900

Jacob Schiff of Kuhn Loeb and Co, primary financier of the Russian revolutionary movement, date unknown

Gorky; Andreeva; Nordman-Severova; Repin, 1905

Unknown

Grand Duchess Olga, date unknown

Grand Duchess Olga on "Standart", date unknown

Grand Duchess Olga, date unknown

Painting studio of Professor V.E. Makovsky in the Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg, 1913

Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (center, with beard) with assistants and students at the Imperial Military Academy of Medicine, St. Petersburg, 1912-14, prior to a demonstration of his experiment on a dog.

Grand princesses Anastasia, Maria Romanova, Tatiana and Olga, date unknown

The Romanov children, date unknown

James Fillis, Officer Cavalry School, date unknown

Russian nurse during WW1, date unknown

Sisters of mercy, date unknown

Zenaida Yusupova, date unknown

Young Stalin, 1910

Princess Ekaterina Valdirmirovna, date unkown

Nicholas II with his daughters, 1914

Luzhniki, Old Moscow, date unknown

Church of the Intercession at Fili in Moscow, date unknown

Saint Mardarije (Uskokovic), date unknown

Vladimir Mayakovsky, 1910

Maria Feodorovna with children, 1898

Nicholas II with his subordinates, date unknown

Nicholas II under house arrest after abdication, summer 1917

General Pustovoitenko, Tsar Nicholas II and General Alekseyev, date unknown

Nikolai Rodionov, Senior Lieutenant of the Russian Imperial Guard date unknown

Nuns at the well of the Serafimo-Diveyevsky Monastery, Diveevo, between 1895 and 1905

Grand Duchess Olga, date unknown

Sir George William Buchanan, 1918

Institute for Noble Maidens, 1912

Grand Duchess Olga, date unknown

Alexandra Feodorovna with her daughter, date unknown

Grand Duchesses of Russia Olga and Tatiana, date unknown

Iconostasis in the The Governor's Mansion, Tobolsk, date unknown

Baths near the village of Olszyna, date unknown

Vasily Vereshchagin, date unknown

Vasily Zvyozdochkin - creator of the Russian Matryoshka doll, date unknown

Zenaida Yusupova, date unknown

Alfred Milner, 1916

Tamara Karsavina as Columbine in “Carnaval”, date unknown

Moscow, Ostozhenka street, date unknown

Tamara Karsavina in Schéhérazade, date unknown

Grand Duchess Anastasia, date unknown

Alix and Ella of Hesse , date unknown

Alexandra Feodorovna, date unknown

Sister of Mercy from WW1, date unknown

Nicholas II in old Russian falconer costume, date unknown

Russian monk, 1897

Epiphany Church on Gutuevsky Island (Saint Petersburg), 1897

Rasputin and Tsar's family, date unknown

Grand Duchesses, date unknown

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Lenin, center, among the members of the Union for the Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class. From left standing: A. Malchenko, P. Zaporozhets, A. Vaneyev. From left sitting: V. Starkov, G. Krzhizhanovsky, V. Ulyanov Lenin, Yu. Martov-Tsederbaum. St Petersburg, Russia, 16th February 1897.

Vladimir Purishkevich, date unknown

Nicholas II during WW1, date unknown

Nicholas II among high-ranking military leaders of the allied forces, i.e., Baron Rickel, Belgium, General Williams, Britain, Colonel Marsengo, Italy, Marquis de Guiche, France and Colonel Londkievic, Serbia. - Sept 8, 1916 Mogilev

Mansi fisher with fishing spear, 1908

Crew of furniture makers in the village of Suburovo, 1900s

Nicholas II, date unknown

Grigory Rasputin, date unknown

Eugene Botkin, date unknown

Nicholas II, Crimea, May 1914

Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, date unknown

Yakov Sverdlov, date unkown

Vyacheslav Plehve, date unknown

Maria Bochkareva, date unknown

Nicholas II, date unknown

Vasili Oshchepkov, date unknown

Anatoly Iordansky, date unknown

St. John of Kronstadt, date unknown

Leo Tolstoy with wife Sofia, date unknown

Ilya Muromets II, 1916

Aleksandr Popov, Russian inventor of the radio, date unknown

Nicholas II, date unknown

Inessa Armand, date unknown

Russian troops during WWI, date unknown

Nicholas II, date unknown

Stalin, date unknown

Nicholas II, date unknown

Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia Romanov, date unknown

Leo Tolstoy, date unknown

Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia, date unknown

Maria and Olga Romanov, date unknown

A participant of the Costume Ball 1903

Ivan Ilyin, date unknown

Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Rodionov, date unknown

Nicholas II, date unknown

Anton Chekhov in Melikhovo, date unknown

The Grand Duchesses, date unknown

Nicholas II with his Family and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorov, August 1917

Four of the Hesse sisters: (left to right) Irene, Alix, Elisabeth and Victoria, date unknown

White Sea Karelia, 1894

Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana Romanov in a military hospital, date unknown

Mikhail Fokin and Vera Fokina in the ballet "Le carnaval", 1914

Mikhail Fokin in the ballet "Scheherazade", date unknown

Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia, date unknown

Nicholas IIn the uniform of the Life-Guards 4th The Imperial Family's Rifle Regiment, date unknown

Leo Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana, 1908

Musical evening at Stasov, date unknown

Leo Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana, 1908

Anton Chekhov, date unknown

Leo Tolstoy, date unknown

Alexandra Feodorovna at the Costume Ball of 1903

Russians during WW1, date unknown

Grand Duchess Tatiana, date unknown

Nicholas II, date unknown

Lenin, date unknown

Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, Costume Ball in 1903

Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, date unknown

Russian Emperor Tsar Nicholas II, date unknown

Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana with tutor Pierre Gilliard at Livadia, 1911

Lenin, date unknown

Anton Chekhov with wife, date unknown

Russian soldiers during WW1, date unknown

Church of St Nicholas, Moscow, September 1856

Mikhail Rodzianko, date unknown

Igor Sikorsky and "Ilya Muromets", date unknown

Shell hole, date unknown

Grigori Rasputin, date unknown

Lenin, date unknown

Leo Tolstoy, date unknown

Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, date unknown

Alexander III of Russia, 1893

Burial of a fallen Russian soldier, 1916

Anna Pavlova - The Dying Swan, date unknown

Andrey Zabrodsky, Cossack of His Majesty's Own Convoy, 1905

Leo Tolstoy by Carl Bulla, date unknown

Anton Chekhov, date unknown

Imperial Russian yacht "Standart", date unknown

Maxim Gorky, Nizhniy Novgorod, 1901

Lenin at the Red Square, 5 March 1919

Leo Tolstoy, 1908

The widow of Colonel Grigory Kuchin Vera Ivanovna and her daughter Xenia and her son Constantin. (Constantin G. Kuchin, born 14.01.1891, fought in World War One and the Civil War. He was shot by the Bolsheviks in Simferopol on November 22, 1920) Picture taken in January 1915.