Report on approval of a special assessment of working conditions. Report on a special assessment of working conditions - sample. Who prepares the reporting documents

Sunday, May 19, 2013 02:11 + to the quotation book

the last Russian emperor.

The last Russian Emperor Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov), the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, was born on May 19 (May 6, old style) 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo (now the city of Pushkin, Pushkin district of St. Petersburg).

WITH Immediately after his birth, Nikolai was included in the lists of several guards regiments and appointed chief of the 65th Moscow Infantry Regiment.

D The childhood years of the future Tsar of Russia were spent within the walls of the Gatchina Palace. Nikolai's regular homework began when he was eight years old. Training program included an eight-year general education course and a five-year course in higher sciences. In the general education course, special attention was paid to the study of political history, Russian literature, French, German and English. The course of higher sciences included political economy, law and military affairs (military jurisprudence, strategy, military geography, service of the General Staff). Classes in vaulting, fencing, drawing, and music were also conducted. Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna themselves selected teachers and mentors. Among them were scientists, statesmen and military figures: Konstantin Pobedonostsev, Nikolai Bunge, Mikhail Dragomirov, Nikolai Obruchev and others.

IN In December 1875, Nikolai received his first military rank - ensign, and in 1880 he was promoted to second lieutenant, and 4 years later he became a lieutenant. In 1884, Nikolai entered active military service, in July 1887 he began regular military service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment and was promoted to staff captain; in 1891 Nikolai received the rank of captain, and a year later - colonel.

D To get acquainted with government affairs, in May 1889, Nikolai began to attend meetings State Council and the Committee of Ministers. In October 1890, he undertook a sea voyage to Far East. In 9 months he visited Greece, Egypt, India, China, Japan, and then returned to the capital of Russia by land through all of Siberia.

IN In April 1894, the future emperor was engaged to Princess Alice of Darmstadt-Hesse, daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. After converting to Orthodoxy, she took the name Alexandra Feodorovna.

2 November (October 21, old style) 1894 Alexander III died. A few hours before his death, the dying emperor obliged his son to sign the Manifesto on his accession to the throne.

TO The oronation of Nicholas II took place on May 26 (14 old style) 1896. May 30 (18 old style) 1896 during the celebration of the coronation of Nicholas II in Moscow.

Coronation of Nicholas II, 1894

IN The reign of Nicholas II was a period of high economic growth in the country. The Emperor supported decisions aimed at economic and social modernization: the introduction of gold circulation of the ruble, the Stolypin agrarian reform, laws on workers' insurance, universal primary education, religious tolerance.

C The reign of Nicholas II took place in an atmosphere of growing revolutionary movement and the complication of the foreign policy situation (Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905; Bloody Sunday; revolution of 1905-1907; World War I; February Revolution of 1917).
Under the influence of a strong social movement in favor of political reforms, on October 30 (17 old style) 1905, Nicholas II signed the famous manifesto “On Improving the State Order”: the people were granted freedom of speech, press, personality, conscience, meetings, and unions; The State Duma was created as a legislative body.

P The turning point in the fate of Nicholas II was 1914 - the beginning of the First World War. The tsar did not want war and until the very last moment tried to avoid a bloody clash. On August 1 (July 19, old style), 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. In August 1915, Nicholas II assumed military command (previously held by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich). After this, the tsar spent most of his time at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Mogilev.

IN At the end of February 1917, unrest began in Petrograd, which grew into mass protests against the government and the dynasty. The February Revolution found Nicholas II at headquarters in Mogilev. Having received news of the uprising in Petrograd, he decided not to make concessions and to restore order in the city by force, but when the scale of the unrest became clear, he abandoned this idea, fearing great bloodshed.

IN midnight on March 15 (2 old style), March 1917, in the salon carriage of the imperial train, standing on the tracks at the Pskov railway station, Nicholas II signed an act of abdication, transferring power to his brother Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who did not accept the crown.

20 (7 old style) March 1917, the Provisional Government issued an order for the arrest of the Tsar. On March 22 (9 old style) March 1917, Nicholas II and the royal family were arrested. For the first five months they were under guard in Tsarskoye Selo; in August 1917 they were transported to Tobolsk, where the royal family spent eight months.

IN At the beginning of 1918, the Bolsheviks forced Nikolai to remove his shoulder straps as a colonel (his last military rank), which he perceived as a grave insult.

IN In May 1918, the royal family was transported to Yekaterinburg, where they were placed in the house of mining engineer Nikolai Ipatiev. The regime for keeping the Romanovs was extremely difficult.

IN night from 16 (3 old style) to 17 (4 old style) July 1918 Nicholas II, Tsarina, their five children: daughters - Olga (1895) -22 years old, Tatiana (1897) -21 years old, Maria (1899) -19 years old and Anastasia (1901) -17 years old, son - Tsarevich, heir to the throne Alexei (1904) -13 years old and several close associates (11 people in total), were shot without trial in a small room on the ground floor of the house.

The last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife and five children
in 1981 they were canonized as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, and in 2000 they were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, and are currently revered by it as

"Holy Royal Passion-Bearers."

Holy royal passion-bearers, pray to God for us.

On October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and members of his family as victims of illegal political repression and rehabilitated them.

On December 12, “Channel One” will show an 8-episode series dedicated to the last days of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, as well as one of the most mysterious close associates of the royal family - the elder. Nicholas II and his family (wife and children) are the last representatives of the House of Romanov and the last rulers of the Russian Empire, shot by the Bolsheviks in July 1918.

In Soviet textbooks, the autocrat was presented as a “strangler of freedoms” who was not interested in state affairs, and the Russian Orthodox Church (though already in our days) canonized the tsar as a martyr and passion-bearer. Let's figure out how modern historians evaluate life and government.

Life and reign of Nicholas II

Nicholas, the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III, was born in Tsarskoe Selo on May 6 (18), 1868. The heir to the throne received a thorough education at home: he knew several languages, world history, and understood economics and military affairs. Together with his father, Nikolai made many trips to the provinces of Russia.

Alexander III did not make concessions: he wanted his offspring to behave like ordinary children - they played, fought, sometimes played pranks, but most importantly, they studied well and “didn’t think about any thrones.”

Contemporaries described Nicholas II as very easy to communicate with, full of true dignity as a person. He never interrupted his interlocutor or raised his voice, even to those of lower rank. The emperor was lenient towards human weaknesses and had a good-natured attitude toward ordinary people - peasants, but never forgave what he called “dark money matters.”

In 1894, after the death of his father, Nicholas II ascended the throne. The years of his reign came during a turbulent period in history. Revolutionary movements arose all over the world, and the First World War began in 1914. However, even in such difficult times, he managed to significantly improve the economic situation of the state.

Here are just some facts about the reign of Nicholas II:

• During his reign, the population of the empire increased by 50 million people.
• 4 million rubles, left by Alexander III as an inheritance to his children and kept in a London bank, were spent on charity.
• The emperor approved all petitions for pardon that were sent to him.
• The grain harvest has doubled.
• Nicholas II carried out a military reform: he shortened the terms of service, improved living conditions for soldiers and sailors, and also contributed to the rejuvenation of the officer corps.
• During the First World War, he did not sit in the palace, but took command of the Russian army, finally managing to repel Germany.

However, the emerging revolutionary sentiments increasingly captured people's thoughts. On March 2, 1917, under pressure from the high command, he handed over the Manifesto of Abdication, in which he bequeathed the army to obey the Provisional Government.

Modern historians believe that the Manifesto was a fake. In the original draft, Nicholas II only called for listening to your superiors, maintaining discipline and “defending Russia with all your might.” Later, Alekseev only added a couple of sentences (“For the last time I am addressing you...”) to change the meaning of the autocrat’s words.

Wife of Nicholas II - Alexandra Feodorovna

The Empress (nee Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt) was born on May 25 (June 6), 1872. She received a new name after baptism and marriage to Nicholas II. The future empress was raised by the English Queen Victoria, who adored her granddaughter.

Alice graduated from the University of Heidelberg with a Bachelor of Philosophy.

In May 1884, at the wedding of her sister Elizaveta Fedorovna, she met Nikolai Alexandrovich. The wedding took place on November 14 (26), 1894, just 3 weeks after the death of Emperor Alexander.

During the war, Empress Alexandra and the Grand Duchesses personally assisted in operations in hospitals, accepted amputated limbs from surgeons and washed purulent wounds.

Despite the fact that the empress was not popular in her new fatherland, she herself fell in love with Russia with all her soul. Doctor Botkin’s daughter wrote in her diary that after Nicholas II read out the manifesto on the war with Germany (her historical homeland), Alexandra cried with joy.

However, liberals considered her the head of the court Germanophile group and accused Nicholas II of being too dependent on his wife’s opinion. Because of the negative attitude, the once sparkling joy of the princess, the “Windsor ray of sunshine” (as Nicholas II called Alexandra in his time) gradually became isolated in a narrow circle of her family and 2-3 close associates.

Her friendship with the elder, Siberian peasant Grigory Rasputin, caused a lot of controversy.

Children of Nicholas II

The family of Nicholas II Romanov raised five children: four daughters (Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia) and a son, the heir to the throne, Alexei Nikolaevich.

Olga Nikolaevna Romanova

Olga, the eldest daughter of Nicholas II, gave the impression of a gentle and fragile girl. WITH early years She had a passion for books and was a very erudite child. However, at times the Grand Duchess was hot-tempered and stubborn. Teachers noted that the girl had an almost perfect ear for music - she could play almost any melody heard somewhere.

Princess Olga did not like luxury and was distinguished by modesty. She didn’t like housework, but she enjoyed reading, playing the piano and drawing.

Tatyana Nikolaevna Romanova

Tatyana Nikolaevna was born on May 29, 1897. As a child, what she loved most was riding a pony and a tandem bicycle with her sister Olga; she could spend hours wandering around the garden, picking flowers and berries.

Tatyana's character was similar to her mother: she laughed less often than the other sisters, and was often thoughtful and strict.

Unlike her older sister, the girl loved to be in charge, and she was great at it. When her mother was away, Tatyana embroidered, ironed clothes and managed to look after the younger children.

Maria Nikolaevna Romanova

The third daughter in the family of Nicholas II - Maria - was born on the night of June 14, 1899 at the summer residence in Peterhof. Very large and strong for her age, she later carried her brother Alexei in her arms when it was difficult for him to walk. Because of her simplicity and cheerful disposition, the sisters called her Masha. The girl loved to talk with the guard soldiers and always remembered the names of their wives and how many children they had.

At the age of 14 she became a colonel of the 9th Kazan Dragoon Regiment. At the same time, her affair with officer Demenkov broke out. When her lover went to the front, Maria personally sewed a shirt for him. IN telephone conversations he assured that the shirt fit. Unfortunately, it's the end love story was tragic: Nikolai Demenkov was killed during the civil war.

Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova

Princess Anastasia was born when the family of Nicholas II and Alexandra already had three daughters. Outwardly she looked like her father, she often laughed and laughed loudly. From the diaries of those close to the royal family, you can find out that Anastasia had a very cheerful and even mischievous character. The girl loved to play lapta and forfeits, could tirelessly run around the palace, play hide and seek, and climb trees. But she was never particularly diligent in her studies and even tried to bribe teachers with bouquets of flowers.

Alexey Nikolaevich Romanov

The long-awaited son of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna was the youngest of the children of the royal couple. The boy was born on July 30 (August 12), 1904. At first, the Tsarevich grew up cheerful a cheerful child, however, later a terrible genetic disease appeared - hemophilia. This complicated the upbringing and training of the future emperor. Only Rasputin managed to find a way to alleviate the boy’s suffering.

Alexei Nikolaevich himself wrote in his diary: “When I am king, there will be no poor and unhappy people, I want everyone to be happy.”

Execution of Nicholas II and his family

After signing the manifesto, from March 9 to August 14, 1917, the royal family of Nicholas II lived under arrest in Tsarskoe Selo. In the summer they were transported to Tobolsk, where the regime was a little softer: the Romanovs were allowed to go across the street to the Church of the Annunciation and lead a quiet home life.

While imprisoned, the family of Tsar Nicholas II did not sit idle: the former monarch personally chopped wood and looked after the garden.

In the spring of 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to transfer the Romanov family to Moscow for trial. However, it never took place. On July 12, the Ural Council of Workers' Deputies decided to execute the former emperor. Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, their children, as well as Doctor Botkin and the servants were shot in Yekaterinburg in the “House special purpose” on the night of July 17, 1918.

Nature did not give Nicholas the properties important for the sovereign that his late father possessed. Most importantly, Nikolai did not have the “mind of the heart” - political instinct, foresight and that inner strength that those around him feel and obey. However, Nikolai himself felt his weakness, helplessness before fate. He even foresaw his bitter destiny: “I will undergo severe trials, but will not see reward on earth.” Nikolai considered himself an eternal loser: “I succeed in nothing in my endeavors. I have no luck”... Moreover, he not only turned out to be unprepared for ruling, but also did not like state affairs, which were torment for him, a heavy burden: “A day of rest for me - no reports, no receptions... I read a lot - again they sent heaps of papers…” (from the diary). He didn’t have his father’s passion or dedication to his work. He said: “I... try not to think about anything and find that this is the only way to rule Russia.” At the same time, dealing with him was extremely difficult. Nikolai was secretive and vindictive. Witte called him a “Byzantine” who knew how to attract a person with his trust and then deceive him. One wit wrote about the king: “He doesn’t lie, but he doesn’t tell the truth either.”

KHODYNKA

And three days later [after the coronation of Nicholas on May 14, 1896 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin] on the suburban Khodynskoye field, where public festivities were supposed to take place, a terrible tragedy occurred. Thousands of people, already in the evening, on the eve of the day of festivities, began to gather there, hoping in the morning to be among the first to receive at the “buffet” (of which a hundred were prepared) the royal gift - one of 400 thousand gifts wrapped in a colored scarf, consisting of a “food set” ( half a pound of sausage, sausage, sweets, nuts, gingerbread), and most importantly - an outlandish, “eternal” enameled mug with a royal monogram and gilding. The Khodynskoe field was a training ground and was all pitted with ditches, trenches and holes. The night turned out to be moonless, dark, crowds of “guests” arrived and arrived, heading to the “buffets”. People, not seeing the road in front of them, fell into holes and ditches, and from behind they were pressed and pressed by those who were approaching from Moscow. […]

In total, by morning, about half a million Muscovites had gathered on Khodynka, compacted into huge crowds. As V. A. Gilyarovsky recalled,

“steam began to rise above the million-strong crowd, similar to swamp fog... The crush was terrible. Many became ill, some lost consciousness, unable to get out or even fall: deprived of feelings, with their eyes closed, compressed as if in a vice, they swayed along with the mass.”

The crush intensified when the bartenders, fearing the onslaught of the crowd, began handing out gifts without waiting for the announced deadline...

According to official data, 1,389 people died, although in reality there were much more victims. The blood ran cold even among seasoned military men and firefighters: scalped heads, crushed chests, premature babies lying in the dust... The king learned about this disaster in the morning, but did not cancel any of the planned festivities and in the evening he opened a ball with the charming wife of the French ambassador Montebello... And although the tsar later visited hospitals and donated money to the families of the victims, it was too late. The indifference shown by the sovereign to his people in the first hours of the disaster cost him dearly. He received the nickname "Nicholas the Bloody".

NICHOLAS II AND THE ARMY

When he was heir to the throne, the young Sovereign received thorough combat training, not only in the guard, but also in the army infantry. At the request of his sovereign father, he served as a junior officer in the 65th Moscow Infantry Regiment (the first time a member of the Royal House was assigned to the army infantry). The observant and sensitive Tsarevich became familiar with the life of the troops in every detail and, having become Emperor of All Russia, turned all his attention to improving this life. His first orders streamlined production in the chief officer ranks, increased salaries and pensions, and improved soldiers' allowances. He canceled the passage with a ceremonial march and run, knowing from experience how difficult it was for the troops.

Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich retained this love and affection for his troops until his martyrdom. Characteristic of Emperor Nicholas II’s love for the troops is his avoidance of the official term “lower rank.” The Emperor considered him too dry, official and always used the words: “Cossack”, “hussar”, “shooter”, etc. It is impossible to read the lines of the Tobolsk diary of the dark days of the cursed year without deep emotion:

December 6. My name day... At 12 o'clock a prayer service was served. The riflemen of the 4th regiment, who were in the garden, who were on guard, all congratulated me, and I congratulated them on the regimental holiday.”

FROM THE DIARY OF NICHOLAS II FOR 1905

June 15th. Wednesday. Hot quiet day. Alix and I took a very long time at the Farm and were a full hour late for breakfast. Uncle Alexei was waiting for him with the children in the garden. Took a long trip in a kayak. Aunt Olga arrived for tea. Swimmed in the sea. After lunch we went for a drive.

I received stunning news from Odessa that the crew of the battleship Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky that arrived there had mutinied, killed the officers and taken possession of the ship, threatening unrest in the city. I just can't believe it!

Today the war with Turkey began. Early in the morning, the Turkish squadron approached Sevastopol in the fog and opened fire on the batteries, and left half an hour later. At the same time, “Breslau” bombarded Feodosia, and “Goeben” appeared in front of Novorossiysk.

The scoundrel Germans continue to retreat hastily in western Poland.

MANIFESTO ON THE DISSOLUTION OF THE 1st STATE DUMA JULY 9, 1906

By Our will, people chosen from the population were called to legislative construction […] Firmly trusting in the mercy of God, believing in the bright and great future of Our people, We expected from their labors the good and benefit for the country. […] We have planned major transformations in all sectors of the people’s life, and Our main concern has always been to dispel the people’s darkness with the light of enlightenment and the people’s hardships by easing land labor. A severe test has been sent down to Our expectations. Those elected from the population, instead of working on legislative construction, deviated into an area that did not belong to them and turned to investigating the actions of local authorities appointed by Us, to pointing out to Us the imperfections of the Fundamental Laws, changes to which can only be undertaken by Our Monarch’s will, and to actions that are clearly illegal, such as an appeal on behalf of the Duma to the population. […]

Confused by such disorders, the peasantry, not expecting a legal improvement in their situation, moved in a number of provinces to open robbery, theft of other people's property, disobedience to the law and legitimate authorities. […]

But let our subjects remember that only with complete order and tranquility is a lasting improvement in the people’s life possible. Let it be known that We will not allow any self-will or lawlessness and with all the might of the state we will bring those who disobey the law to submission to our Royal will. We call on all right-thinking Russian people to unite to maintain legitimate power and restore peace in our dear Fatherland.

May peace be restored in the Russian land, and may the Almighty help us to carry out the most important of our royal labors - raising the well-being of the peasantry. an honest way to expand your land holdings. Persons of other classes will, at Our call, make every effort to implement this great task, the final solution of which is in legislative order will belong to the future composition of the Duma.

We, dissolving the current composition of the State Duma, confirm at the same time Our constant intention to keep in force the very law on the establishment of this institution and, in accordance with this Decree of Ours to the Governing Senate on July 8th, set the time for its new convening on February 20, 1907 of the year.

MANIFESTO ON THE DISSOLUTION OF THE II STATE DUMA JUNE 3, 1907

To our regret, a significant part of the composition of the second State Duma did not live up to our expectations. Many of the people sent from the population began to work not with a pure heart, not with a desire to strengthen Russia and improve its system, but with a clear desire to increase unrest and contribute to the disintegration of the state. The activities of these individuals in the State Duma served as an insurmountable obstacle to fruitful work. A spirit of hostility was introduced into the environment of the Duma itself, which prevented a sufficient number of its members who wanted to work for the benefit of their native land from uniting.

For this reason, the State Duma either did not consider the extensive measures developed by our government at all, or delayed discussion or rejected it, not even stopping at rejecting laws that punished the open praise of crimes and especially punished the sowers of trouble in the troops. Avoiding condemnation of murders and violence. The State Duma did not provide moral assistance to the government in establishing order, and Russia continues to experience the shame of criminal hard times. The slow consideration by the State Duma of the state painting caused difficulties in the timely satisfaction of many urgent needs of the people.

A significant part of the Duma turned the right to interrogate the government into a way of fighting the government and inciting distrust of it among broad sections of the population. Finally, an act unheard of in the annals of history took place. The judiciary uncovered a conspiracy by an entire part of the State Duma against the state and tsarist power. When our government demanded the temporary, until the end of the trial, removal of the fifty-five members of the Duma accused of this crime and the detention of the most incriminated of them, the State Duma did not fulfill the immediate legal demand of the authorities, which did not allow any delay. […]

Created to strengthen the Russian state, the State Duma must be Russian in spirit. Other nationalities that were part of our state should have representatives of their needs in the State Duma, but they should not and will not appear in a number that gives them the opportunity to be arbiters of purely Russian issues. In those outskirts of the state where the population has not achieved sufficient development of citizenship, elections to the State Duma should be temporarily suspended.

Holy Fools and Rasputin

The king, and especially the queen, were susceptible to mysticism. The closest maid of honor to Alexandra Fedorovna and Nicholas II, Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (Taneeva), wrote in her memoirs: “The Emperor, like his ancestor Alexander I, was always mystically inclined; The empress was equally mystically inclined... Their Majesties said that they believe that there are people, as in the time of the Apostles... who possess the grace of God and whose prayer the Lord hears.”

Because of this, in the Winter Palace one could often see various holy fools, “blessed” people, fortune tellers, people supposedly capable of influencing people’s destinies. This is Pasha the perspicacious, and Matryona the barefoot, and Mitya Kozelsky, and Anastasia Nikolaevna Leuchtenbergskaya (Stana) - the wife of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. The doors of the royal palace were wide open for all sorts of rogues and adventurers, such as, for example, the Frenchman Philip (real name Nizier Vashol), who presented the empress with an icon with a bell, which was supposed to ring when people “with bad intentions” approached Alexandra Feodorovna. .

But the crown of royal mysticism was Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, who managed to completely subjugate the queen, and through her, the king. “Now it is not the tsar who rules, but the rogue Rasputin,” Bogdanovich noted in February 1912. “All respect for the tsar has disappeared.” The same idea was expressed on August 3, 1916 by former Minister of Foreign Affairs S.D. Sazonov in a conversation with M. Paleologus: “The Emperor reigns, but the Empress, inspired by Rasputin, rules.”

Rasputin […] quickly recognized all the weaknesses of the royal couple and skillfully took advantage of it. Alexandra Fedorovna wrote to her husband in September 1916: “I fully believe in the wisdom of our Friend, sent to Him by God, to advise what you and our country need.” “Listen to Him,” she instructed Nicholas II, “...God sent Him to you as an assistant and leader.” […]

It got to the point that individual governors-general, chief prosecutors of the Holy Synod and ministers were appointed and removed by the tsar on the recommendation of Rasputin, transmitted through the tsarina. On January 20, 1916, on his advice, V.V. was appointed chairman of the Council of Ministers. Sturmer is “an absolutely unprincipled person and a complete nonentity,” as Shulgin described him.

Radzig E.S. Nicholas II in the memoirs of those close to him. New and recent history. No. 2, 1999

REFORM AND COUNTER-REFORMS

The most promising path of development for the country through consistent democratic reforms turned out to be impossible. Although it was marked, as if by a dotted line, even under Alexander I, later it was either subject to distortion or even interrupted. Under that autocratic form of government, which throughout the 19th century. remained unshakable in Russia, the final word on any issue about the fate of the country belonged to the monarchs. They, by the whim of history, alternated: reformer Alexander I - reactionary Nicholas I, reformer Alexander II - counter-reformer Alexander III (Nicholas II, who ascended the throne in 1894, also had to undergo reforms after his father’s counter-reforms at the beginning of the next century) .

DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA DURING THE REIGN OF NICHOLAS II

The main executor of all transformations in the first decade of the reign of Nicholas II (1894-1904) was S.Yu. Witte. A talented financier and statesman, S. Witte, having headed the Ministry of Finance in 1892, promised Alexander III, without carrying out political reforms, to make Russia one of the leading industrialized countries in 20 years.

The industrialization policy developed by Witte required significant capital investments from the budget. One of the sources of capital was the introduction of a state monopoly on wine and vodka products in 1894, which became the main revenue item of the budget.

In 1897, a monetary reform was carried out. Measures to increase taxes, increased gold production, and the conclusion of external loans made it possible to introduce gold coins into circulation instead of paper bills, which helped attract foreign capital to Russia and strengthen the country's monetary system, due to which state income doubled. The reform of commercial and industrial taxation carried out in 1898 introduced a trade tax.

The real result of Witte's economic policy was the accelerated development of industrial and railway construction. In the period from 1895 to 1899, an average of 3 thousand kilometers of tracks were built in the country per year.

By 1900, Russia took first place in the world in oil production.

By the end of 1903, there were 23 thousand factory enterprises operating in Russia with approximately 2,200 thousand workers. Politics S.Yu. Witte gave impetus to the development of Russian industry, commercial and industrial entrepreneurship, and the economy.

According to the project of P.A. Stolypin, agrarian reform began: peasants were allowed to freely dispose of their land, leave the community and run farmsteads. The attempt to abolish the rural community was of great importance for the development of capitalist relations in the countryside.

Chapter 19. The reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917). Russian history

BEGINNING OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

On the same day, July 29, at the insistence of the Chief of the General Staff Yanushkevich, Nicholas II signed a decree on general mobilization. In the evening, the head of the mobilization department of the General Staff, General Dobrorolsky, arrived at the building of the St. Petersburg main telegraph and personally brought there the text of the decree on mobilization for communication to all parts of the empire. There were literally a few minutes left before the devices were supposed to start transmitting the telegram. And suddenly Dobrorolsky was given the tsar’s order to suspend the transfer of the decree. It turned out that the tsar received a new telegram from Wilhelm. In his telegram, the Kaiser again assured that he would try to reach an agreement between Russia and Austria, and asked the Tsar not to make this difficult for him with military preparations. After reading the telegram, Nikolai informed Sukhomlinov that he was canceling the decree on general mobilization. The Tsar decided to limit himself to partial mobilization directed only against Austria.

Sazonov, Yanushkevich and Sukhomlinov were extremely concerned that Nikolai had succumbed to the influence of Wilhelm. They were afraid that Germany would get ahead of Russia in the concentration and deployment of the army. They met on the morning of July 30 and decided to try to convince the king. Yanushkevich and Sukhomlinov tried to do this over the phone. However, Nikolai dryly announced to Yanushkevich that he was ending the conversation. The general nevertheless managed to inform the tsar that Sazonov was present in the room, who would also like to say a few words to him. After a short silence, the king agreed to listen to the minister. Sazonov asked for an audience for an urgent report. Nikolai was silent again, and then offered to come to him at 3 o’clock. Sazonov agreed with his interlocutors that if he convinced the Tsar, he would immediately call Yanushkevich from the Peterhof Palace, and he would give an order to the main telegraph to the officer on duty to communicate the decree to all military districts. “After this,” Yanushkevich said, “I will leave home, break the phone, and generally make it so that I can no longer be found for a new cancellation of the general mobilization.”

For almost an entire hour, Sazonov proved to Nikolai that war was inevitable anyway, since Germany was striving for it, and that under these conditions, delaying general mobilization was extremely dangerous. In the end, Nikolai agreed. […] From the lobby, Sazonov called Yanushkevich and reported the tsar’s sanction. “Now you can break your phone,” he added. At 5 pm on July 30, all the machines of the main St. Petersburg telegraph started knocking. They sent out the tsar's decree on general mobilization to all military districts. On July 31, in the morning, it became public.

The beginning of the First World War. History of Diplomacy. Volume 2. Edited by V. P. Potemkin. Moscow-Leningrad, 1945

THE REIGN OF NICHOLAS II IN THE ASSESSMENTS OF HISTORIANS

In emigration, there was a split among researchers in assessing the personality of the last king. The debates often became harsh, and the participants in the discussions took opposing positions, from praise on the conservative right flank to criticism from liberals and denigration on the left, socialist flank.

The monarchists who worked in exile included S. Oldenburg, N. Markov, I. Solonevich. According to I. Solonevich: “Nicholas II, a man of “average abilities,” faithfully and honestly did everything for Russia that He knew how to do, that He could. No one else was able or able to do more”... “Left-wing historians speak of Emperor Nicholas II as mediocrity, right-wing historians as an idol whose talents or mediocrity are not subject to discussion.” […].

An even more right-wing monarchist, N. Markov, noted: “The sovereign himself was slandered and defamed in the eyes of his people, he could not withstand the evil pressure of all those who, it would seem, were obliged to strengthen and defend the monarchy in every possible way” […].

The largest researcher of the reign of the last Russian Tsar is S. Oldenburg, whose work remains of paramount importance in the 21st century. For any researcher of the Nicholas period of Russian history, it is necessary, in the process of studying this era, to get acquainted with the work of S. Oldenburg “The Reign of Emperor Nicholas II”. […].

The left-liberal direction was represented by P. N. Milyukov, who stated in the book “The Second Russian Revolution”: “Concessions to power (Manifesto of October 17, 1905) not only could not satisfy society and the people because they were insufficient and incomplete. They were insincere and deceitful, and the power that gave them did not for a moment look at them as if they had been ceded forever and finally” […].

Socialist A.F. Kerensky wrote in “History of Russia”: “The reign of Nicholas II was fatal for Russia due to his personal qualities. But he was clear about one thing: having entered the war and linking the fate of Russia with the fate of the countries allied with it, he did not make any tempting compromises with Germany until the very end, until his martyrdom […]. The king bore the burden of power. She weighed him down internally... He had no will to power. He kept it according to oath and tradition” […].

Modern Russian historians have different assessments of the reign of the last Russian Tsar. The same split was observed among scholars of the reign of Nicholas II in exile. Some of them were monarchists, others had liberal views, and others considered themselves supporters of socialism. In our time, the historiography of the reign of Nicholas II can be divided into three directions, such as in emigrant literature. But in relation to the post-Soviet period, clarifications are also needed: modern researchers who praise the tsar are not necessarily monarchists, although a certain tendency is certainly present: A. Bokhanov, O. Platonov, V. Multatuli, M. Nazarov.

A. Bokhanov is the largest modern historian in the study pre-revolutionary Russia, positively assesses the reign of Emperor Nicholas II: “In 1913, peace, order, and prosperity reigned all around. Russia confidently moved forward, no unrest occurred. The industry was operating at full capacity, Agriculture developed dynamically, and every year brought greater harvests. Prosperity grew, and the purchasing power of the population increased year by year. The rearmament of the army has begun, a few more years - and Russian military power will become the first force in the world” […].

Conservative historian V. Shambarov speaks positively about the last tsar, noting that the tsar was too lenient in dealing with his political enemies, who were also enemies of Russia: “Russia was destroyed not by autocratic “despotism,” but rather by the weakness and toothlessness of power.” The Tsar too often tried to find a compromise, to come to an agreement with the liberals, so that there would be no bloodshed between the government and part of the people deceived by the liberals and socialists. To do this, Nicholas II dismissed loyal, decent, competent ministers who were loyal to the monarchy and instead appointed either unprofessionals or secret enemies of the autocratic monarchy, or swindlers. […].

M. Nazarov in his book “To the Leader of the Third Rome” drew attention to the aspect of the global conspiracy of the financial elite to overthrow the Russian monarchy... […] According to the description of Admiral A. Bubnov, an atmosphere of conspiracy reigned at Headquarters. At the decisive moment, in response to Alekseev’s cleverly formulated request for abdication, only two generals publicly expressed loyalty to the Sovereign and readiness to lead their troops to pacify the rebellion (General Khan Nakhichevansky and General Count F.A. Keller). The rest welcomed the abdication by wearing red bows. Including the future founders of the White Army, Generals Alekseev and Kornilov (the latter then had the task of announcing to the royal family the order of the Provisional Government for its arrest). Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich also violated his oath on March 1, 1917 - even before the Tsar’s abdication and as a means of putting pressure on him! - removed his military unit (the Guards crew) from guarding the royal family, came to the State Duma under a red flag, provided this headquarters of the Masonic revolution with his guards to guard the arrested royal ministers and issued a call for other troops to “join the new government.” “There is cowardice, treason, and deceit all around,” these were the last words in the tsar’s diary on the night of his abdication […].

Representatives of the old socialist ideology, for example, A.M. Anfimov and E.S. Radzig, on the contrary, negatively assess the reign of the last Russian Tsar, calling the years of his reign a chain of crimes against the people.

Between two directions - praise and overly harsh, unfair criticism are the works of Ananich B.V., N.V. Kuznetsov and P. Cherkasov. […]

P. Cherkasov adheres to the middle in his assessment of the reign of Nicholas: “From the pages of all the works mentioned in the review, the tragic personality of the last Russian Tsar appears - a deeply decent and delicate man to the point of shyness, an exemplary Christian, a loving husband and father, faithful to his duty and at the same time an unremarkable statesman an activist, a prisoner of once and for all acquired convictions in the inviolability of the order of things bequeathed to him by his ancestors. He was neither a despot, much less an executioner of his people, as our official historiography claimed, but during his lifetime he was not a saint, as is sometimes now claimed, although by martyrdom he undoubtedly atoned for all the sins and mistakes of his reign. The drama of Nicholas II as a politician lies in his mediocrity, in the discrepancy between the scale of his personality and the challenge of the time” […].

And finally, there are historians of liberal views, such as K. Shatsillo, A. Utkin. According to the first: “Nicholas II, unlike his grandfather Alexander II, not only did not give overdue reforms, but even if they were wrested from him by force by the revolutionary movement, he stubbornly strove to take back what was given “in a moment of hesitation.” All this “drove” the country into a new revolution, made it completely inevitable... A. Utkin went even further, agreeing to the point that the Russian government was one of the culprits of the First World War, wanting a clash with Germany. At the same time, the tsarist administration simply did not calculate the strength of Russia: “Criminal pride destroyed Russia. Under no circumstances should she go to war with the industrial champion of the continent. Russia had the opportunity to avoid a fatal conflict with Germany.”

A biography of Emperor Nicholas II from birth and adolescence to the heir to the throne until the last days of his life.

Nicholas II (May 6 (19), 1868, Tsarskoe Selo - July 17, 1918, Yekaterinburg), Russian Emperor (1894-1917), eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1876).

His reign coincided with the rapid industrial and economic development of the country. Under Nicholas II, Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which was one of the reasons for the Revolution of 1905-1907, during which the Manifesto was adopted on October 17, 1905, which authorized the creation political parties and established the State Duma; The Stolypin agrarian reform began to be implemented. In 1907, Russia became a member of the Entente, as part of which it entered the First World War. Since August (September 5), 1915, Supreme Commander-in-Chief. During the February Revolution of 1917, on March 2 (15), he abdicated the throne. Shot along with his family. In 2000 he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Nikolai's regular homework began when he was 8 years old. The curriculum included an eight-year general education course and a five-year course in higher sciences. It was based on a modified classical gymnasium program; Instead of Latin and Greek, mineralogy, botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology were studied. Courses in history, Russian literature and foreign languages ​​were expanded. Cycle higher education included political economy, law and military affairs (military jurisprudence, strategy, military geography, service of the General Staff). Classes in vaulting, fencing, drawing, and music were also conducted. Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna themselves selected teachers and mentors. Among them were scientists, statesmen and military figures: K. P. Pobedonostsev, N. Kh. Bunge, M. I. Dragomirov, N. N. Obruchev, A. R. Drenteln, N. K. Girs.

From an early age, Nicholas 2 had a passion for military affairs: he knew the traditions of the officer environment and military regulations perfectly, in relation to the soldiers he felt like a patron-mentor and did not shy away from communicating with them, resignedly endured the inconveniences of army everyday life at camp gatherings or maneuvers.

Immediately after his birth, he was enrolled in the lists of several guards regiments and appointed chief of the 65th Moscow Infantry Regiment. At the age of five he was appointed chief of the Life Guards of the Reserve Infantry Regiment, and in 1875 he was enlisted in the Erivan Life Guards Regiment. In December 1875 he received his first military rank - ensign, and in 1880 he was promoted to second lieutenant, and 4 years later he became a lieutenant.

In 1884, Nikolai entered active military service, in July 1887 he began regular military service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment and was promoted to staff captain; in 1891, Nicholas 2 received the rank of captain, and a year later - colonel.

On October 20, 1894, Nicholas, at the age of 26, accepted the crown in Moscow under the name of Nicholas II. On May 18, 1896, during the coronation celebrations, tragic events occurred on the Khodynskoye field. His reign occurred during a period of sharp aggravation of the political struggle in the country, as well as the foreign policy situation (Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905; Bloody Sunday; Revolution of 1905-1907 in Russia; World War I; February Revolution of 1917).

During the reign of Nicholas 2, Russia turned into an agrarian-industrial country, cities grew, railways were built, industrial enterprises. Nicholas supported decisions aimed at the economic and social modernization of the country: the introduction of gold circulation of the ruble, Stolypin's agrarian reform, laws on workers' insurance, universal primary education, and religious tolerance.

Not being a reformer by nature, Nicholas II was forced to make important decisions that did not correspond to his inner convictions. He believed that in Russia the time had not yet come for a constitution, freedom of speech, and universal suffrage. However, when a strong social movement in favor of political change arose, he signed the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, proclaiming democratic freedoms.
In 1906, the State Duma, established by the Tsar's manifesto, began to work. For the first time in Russian history, the emperor began to rule with a representative body elected by the population. Russia gradually began to transform into a constitutional monarchy. But despite this, the emperor still had enormous power functions: he had the right to issue laws (in the form of decrees); appoint a prime minister and ministers accountable only to him; determine the course of foreign policy; was the head of the army, court and earthly patron of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The personality of Nicholas II, the main traits of his character, advantages and disadvantages caused conflicting assessments of his contemporaries. Many noted “weak will” as the dominant feature of his personality, although there is a lot of evidence that the tsar was distinguished by a persistent desire to implement his intentions, often reaching the point of stubbornness (only once was someone else’s will imposed on him - the Manifesto of October 17). Unlike his father Alexander III, Nicholas 2 did not give the impression of a strong personality. At the same time, according to the reviews of people who knew him closely, he had exceptional self-control, which was sometimes perceived as indifference to the fate of the country and people (for example, he met the news of the fall of Port Arthur or the defeats of the Russian army during the First World War with composure, striking the royal entourage). In dealing with state affairs, the tsar showed “extraordinary perseverance” and accuracy (he, for example, never had a personal secretary and himself stamped letters), although in general the rule of a huge empire was a “heavy burden” for him. Contemporaries noted that Nicholas II had a tenacious memory, keen powers of observation, and was a modest, friendly and sensitive person. At the same time, most of all he valued his peace, habits, health and especially the well-being of his family.

Nicholas's support was his family. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt) was not only a wife for the Tsar, but also a friend and adviser. The habits, ideas and cultural interests of the spouses largely coincided. They got married on November 14, 1894. They had five children: Olga (1895-1918), Tatiana (1897-1918), Maria (1899-1918), Anastasia (1901-1918) and Alexey (1904-1918).
The fatal drama of the royal family was associated with the incurable illness of their son, Tsarevich Alexei - hemophilia (incoagulability of blood). The illness of the heir to the throne led to the appearance in the royal house of Grigory Rasputin, who, even before meeting the crowned crown bearers, became famous for his gift of foresight and healing; He repeatedly helped Tsarevich Alexei overcome attacks of illness.
The turning point in the fate of Nicholas 2 was 1914 - the beginning of the First World War. The tsar did not want war and until the very last moment tried to avoid a bloody clash. However, on July 19 (August 1), 1914, Germany declared war on Russia.

In August (September 5), 1915, during a period of military failures, Nicholas 2 assumed military command (previously, this position was held by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich). Now the tsar visited the capital only occasionally, and spent most of his time at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Mogilev.

The war exacerbated the country's internal problems. The tsar and his entourage began to be held primarily responsible for military failures and the protracted military campaign. Allegations spread that there was “treason in the government.” At the beginning of 1917, the high military command led by the Tsar (together with allies - England and France) prepared a plan for a general offensive, according to which it was planned to end the war by the summer of 1917.

At the end of February 1917, unrest began in Petrograd, which, without encountering serious opposition from the authorities, a few days later grew into mass protests against the government and the dynasty. Initially, the tsar intended to restore order in Petrograd by force, but when the scale of the unrest became clear, he abandoned this idea, fearing much bloodshed. Some high-ranking military officials, members of the imperial retinue and political figures convinced the king that in order to pacify the country, a change in government was required, his abdication of the throne was necessary. On March 2, 1917, in Pskov, in the lounge carriage of the imperial train, after painful thoughts, Nicholas signed an act of abdication, transferring power to his brother Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

On March 9, Nicholas 2 and the royal family were arrested. For the first five months they were under guard in Tsarskoye Selo, in August 1917 they were transported to Tobolsk. In April 1918, the Bolsheviks transferred the Romanovs to Yekaterinburg. On the night of July 17, 1918, in the center of Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the Ipatiev house, where the prisoners were imprisoned, Nicholas, the queen, five of their children and several close associates (11 people in total) were summarily shot.

Birth and youth of Nicholas II. Nikolai Alexandrovich - Grand Duke

Tsar Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov was born on May 6/19, 1868, into the family of Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich and His wife Maria Fedorovna, the first-born was born, for whom no one predicted an early reign. For the boy's grandfather - the fifty-year-old Russian Emperor Alexander II - was a strong, healthy man, whose Reign could last decades, and his father was the future Emperor Russian Alexander The third is a young man, twenty-three years old. The following entry was preserved in the diary of Alexander the Third: “God sent us a son, whom We named Nicholas. What kind of joy there was, it’s impossible to imagine. I rushed to hug my darling wife, who at once cheered up and was terribly happy. I cried like a child, and my soul was so light and pleasant... and then Ya. G. Bazhanov came to read prayers, and I held My little Nikolai in my arms.” (Oleg Platonov. Conspiracy of the Regicides. P. 85-86.)
Let us note that Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich does not know the prophecies of the Monk Abel, neither about His fate, nor about the fate of His son, for they are sealed and are in the Gatchina Palace. But He names His firstborn son Nicholas. For this obedience to His heart, the Lord endows the Tsarevich with joy that “cannot be imagined,” gives tears of joy, and His soul “felt light and pleasant”!

Birth on the day of Job the Long-Suffering

The birth of the future Tsar Nicholas II took place at 14.30 in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo on the day when the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Saint Job the Long-Suffering. Both Nikolai Alexandrovich Himself and many of those around Him attached great importance to this coincidence as a harbinger of terrible trials.
“Truly,” St. John Chrysostom wrote about the righteous Job, “there is no human misfortune that this man, harder than any adamant, would not endure, who suddenly experienced hunger, and poverty, and illness, and the loss of children, and the deprivation of such wealth; and then, having experienced treachery from his wife [from his neighbors], insults from friends, attacks from slaves. In everything he turned out to be harder than any stone, and, moreover, to law and grace." According to the teachings of the Church, Saint Job is a prototype of the suffering Redeemer of the world.” For all his sufferings were not because of his sins; the words have nothing to do with him: those who shouted wickedness and sowed evil reaped it; they perish by the breath of God and disappear by the spirit of His wrath (Job 4:8-9).
To his friends, who told him: how can a man be right before God, and how can one born of a woman be pure? (Job 25:4) - and many other similar things, Saint Job answered: what do your accusations prove? Are you making up diatribes? You are throwing your words into the wind (Job 6:25-26). As God lives, who has deprived me of judgment, and the Almighty, who has grieved my soul, so that while my breath is still in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my mouth will not speak unrighteousness, and my tongue will not utter a lie! I am far from recognizing you as fair; Until I die, I will not yield to my integrity (Job 27:2-5).
And the Lord, summing up the denunciations of the “pious” friends, said to one of those who accused the righteous Job: My anger burns against you and against your two friends because you did not speak about Me as truly as My servant Job (Job 42:7 ). If it were not for his sake, I would have destroyed you (Iov. 42:8). That is, you were pardoned for the sake of his prayers, for you his prayers are saving. And the accusers of their wrong faith went and did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord (Job 42:9) forgave their sins for Job’s sake (Job 42:9). And the Lord restored Job’s loss when he prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10). Here we see that God’s plan included the most difficult temptations of the righteous Job and the holy Tsar Nicholas II, including from relatives and friends, and the prayer of the tempted for those who tempted them. And in the case of Saint Nicholas II, the Lord God intended prayer for the entire Russian people, who, having broken the vow given to God in 1613 to faithfully serve the legitimate Tsars from the Reigning House of Romanov, committed the sin of perjury. Abel the Seer directly predicted this: “The people are between fire and flame... But they will not be destroyed from the face of the earth, as the prayer of the martyred King is sufficient for them!”

The character of Emperor Alexander Alexandrovich the Third is based on truth, honesty and directness.

“Nicholas’ father, Tsarevich Alexander, was a truly Russian man in both soul and appearance, a deeply religious, caring husband and father. With His life, He set an example for those around Him: He was unpretentious in everyday life, wore clothes almost full of holes, and did not like luxury. Alexander was distinguished by physical strength and strength of character, most of all he loved the truth, calmly thought through every matter, was remarkably easy to use, and generally preferred everything Russian.” (Oleg Platonov. Conspiracy of the Regicides. P. 86).
“In addition to general and special military education, Tsarevich Alexander was taught political and legal sciences by invited professors from St. Petersburg and Moscow universities. After the premature death of His dearly beloved elder brother, the Sovereign Heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (April 12, 1865), hotly mourned by the August family and the entire Russian people, His Imperial Highness Alexander Alexandrovich, having become the Heir Tsarevich, began to continue both theoretical studies and implementation many responsibilities for state affairs entrusted to Him. As ataman of the Cossack troops, chancellor of the University of Helsingfors, head of successively various military units (including command of the district troops), member of the State Council, His Imperial Highness was involved in all areas government controlled. The travels undertaken throughout Russia strengthened the seeds of deep love for everything truly Russian and historical that had been buried since childhood.
During the last Eastern War with Turkey (1877-1878), His Highness was appointed commander of the Rushunsky detachment, which played, tactically, both an important and difficult role in this campaign, glorious for the Russian name.” (Encyclopedia of the Russian Monarchy, edited by V. Butromeev. U-Factoria. Yekaterinburg, 2002).
“Alexander the Third became Emperor at thirty-six years old. For 16 of these years He was Tsarevich, preparing, in the words of his father, “to intercede for me every minute.” By this age, even an ordinary, average person enters a period of maturity. The Emperor differed from any of His subjects in that on His shoulders lay a huge responsibility before the country and people, for which He was answerable only to God and Himself. Such a heavy burden could not but affect the formation of the Heir’s worldview, His actions, and attitude towards others.

A capacious psychological portrait of Alexander III of that period was recreated many years later by Prince V.P. Meshchersky: “The Emperor was then 36 years old. But He was undoubtedly older in spiritual age in the sense of life experience. This tempering was greatly facilitated by His life as the leader of the Rushchuk detachment during the war, where, separated from his family in constant concentration, He experienced all impressions alone in front of Himself, and then His also lonely political life after the war in those difficult years 79, 80 and 81st, when again in Himself He had to conceal so many difficult impressions from the heard role of spectator and participant in the course domestic policy, where His voice of straightforwardness and common sense did not always have the power to carry out what He considered necessary and interfere with what He recognized as harmful...
Three main characteristics were firmly at the core of His character: truth, honesty and integrity. I will not be mistaken if I say that it was precisely thanks to these three main features of His spiritual personality, which made it truly beautiful, that disappointment began to penetrate His soul even when it was very young...
But this disappointment... did not influence His spiritual personality enough to arm Him against people with the armor of fundamental distrust or implant the beginnings of apathy in His soul...” “.
“A kind and caring, but at the same time domineering and intolerant of any contradiction father in the family, the Emperor transferred this patriarchal-fatherly attitude to His huge country. [Which many of His entourage, damaged by Western freethinking, did not like.] None of the Romanovs, according to contemporaries, corresponded to such an extent with the traditional popular idea of ​​the real Russian Tsar as Alexander the Third. A mighty brown-bearded giant, towering above any crowd, He seemed to be the embodiment of the strength and dignity of Russia. Alexander III’s commitment to domestic traditions and interests greatly contributed to His popularity [among the Russian people and the fierce hatred of the enemies of God, the enemies of His Anointed One and the enemies of the Russian people].” “As a politician and statesman, the father of Nicholas II showed a strong will in implementing the decisions made (a trait that, as we will see later, His son inherited).
The essence of the policy of Alexander the Third (the continuation of which was the policy of Nicholas the Second) can be characterized as the preservation and development of Russian foundations, traditions and ideals. Assessing the reign of Emperor Alexander III, the Russian historian V. O. Klyuchevsky wrote: " Science will give Emperor Alexander III his rightful place not only in the history of Russia and the entire country, but also in Russian historiography, will say that He won a victory in the area where victories are most difficult to achieve, defeated the prejudice of peoples and thereby contributed to their rapprochement, conquered the public conscience in the name of peace and truth, increased the amount of good in the moral circulation of humanity, encouraged and raised Russian historical thought, Russian national self-awareness." ...
Alexander the Third had great physical strength. Once, during a train accident, He managed to hold on to the falling roof of the carriage for some time until His wife and children were safe.».
You and I will remember the prophecy of the Monk Abel about Emperor Alexander the Third, told to Emperor Paul the First, which the Emperor Himself did not know: “Your great-grandson, Alexander the Third, is the true Peacemaker. Glorious will be His reign. He will besiege the accursed sedition, He will bring peace and order. But he will only reign for a short time.” “There is an opinion that the king is played by his retinue. The personality of Alexander the Third completely contradicts this established measure of the merits of statesmen. [And it’s clear why: the king may be played by his retinue, but the Anointed One is “played” by the Lord God Himself!]
There were no favorites in the Emperor's entourage. He was the sole master and director, determining...[the rules for preparing His subjects for life in the Kingdom of Heaven] on one sixth of the world's landmass, in His, Alexander the Third, Russian Empire. Even such outstanding statesmen as S. Yu. Witte, K. P. Pobedonostsev, D. A. Tolstoy could not claim exclusivity, a special place at the Court or the government - here everything was decided by one person - Autocrat of All-Russia Alexander III Alexandrovich Romanov . Emperor Alexander the Third sought to set by personal example a model of behavior that he considered true and correct for each of His subjects. The basis of it ethical standards behavior, His entire worldview came from deep religiosity. It is unlikely that any of the twelve predecessors of Alexander III on the Russian Imperial throne was more devout and sincerely religious. [At the same time, one should still remember that all legitimate Kings - the Anointed of God, being the Incarnate Name of God - are always sincere believers and the most devout Christians, for the Lord God Himself chose Them to shepherd His people, Jacob, and the earthly Church - His inheritance, Israel, and the Lord Himself helps Them to do this in the purity of His heart and to lead them with wise hands (Ps. 77:71-72).]
The faith of Emperor Alexander III - pure and free from dogmatism [more precisely: from inertia and fanaticism] - explained both the divine choice of the Russian Autocracy and the special Russian path that His power should follow. For Alexander III, believing was as natural as breathing. He scrupulously observed Orthodox rituals, whether fasting or divine services, and regularly visited St. Isaac's and Peter and Paul Cathedrals, the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and palace churches.
Not all clergy could boast of such knowledge of the intricacies of the complex church Orthodox rite as the Russian Emperor sometimes showed. ...The faith of Alexander the Third was combined with a sober, rational mind that did not tolerate sectarianism or obscurantism. The emperor watched with undisguised skepticism the attempts of some hierarchs to strengthen their political influence.
[Any Orthodox hierarch (from bishop to metropolitan and patriarch) is a monk who has renounced this world; being a clergyman, any bishop has the power from God only to shepherd spiritually, without dominating the inheritance of God (1 Peter 5:3). And therefore, even the patriarch (as we remember, the ruling bishop of the city of Moscow) does not have any lordly power and cannot interfere in the decisions of worldly affairs, and, therefore, no bishop can have any political influence on life in the Orthodox Kingdom.]
When the Kiev Metropolitan Philotheus, deciding to be like John Chrysostom, gave the Emperor a note in which he reproached Him [the Anointed One!] for distancing himself from the people, Alexander the Third only shrugged his shoulders and offered to examine the Bishop’s mental abilities. [Or maybe it is necessary to check the mental abilities of those who came up with the idea of ​​calling the Orthodox ruling bishop of the city of Moscow “Great Lord and Our Father of all Russia” instead of the canonical “Holy Patriarch”, and those who, instead of praying for the coming victorious Tsar, at every service he repeatedly offers “prayers” (in reproach of himself!) for the “Great Master...”. After all, a sick person, deprived of intelligence by God, will not be judged at the Last Judgment as a papist heretic!] A deeply religious Orthodox man, Emperor Alexander the Third professed Christian norms not only when solving state problems, but also in private life.” (Unknown Alexander the Third. pp. 197-198).

“I need normal, healthy Russian children”

There were five children in the family - Nikolai (the eldest), Georgy, Ksenia, Mikhail and Olga. The father taught his children to sleep on simple soldier's beds with hard pillows, to douse themselves with cold water in the morning, and to eat simple porridge for breakfast. Nikolai's first, of course unconscious, acquaintance with ordinary Russian people took place through his wet nurse. Mothers were chosen from Russian peasant families and, at the end of their mission, went back to their native villages, but had the right to come to the palace, firstly, on the day of the Angel of their pet, and secondly, on Easter and for the Christmas tree, on Christmas day.
During these meetings, teenagers talked with their mothers, absorbing into their consciousness the popular expressions of Russian speech. As rightly noted, “with the incredible mixture of blood in the Royal Family, these mothers were, so to speak, a precious reservoir of Russian blood, which poured into the veins of the Romanov House in the form of milk and without which it would have been very difficult to sit on the Russian Throne. All the Romanovs who had Russian mothers spoke Russian with a touch of common folk. That’s what (Nicholas’ father) Alexander the Third said. If He didn’t take care of himself, then in His intonations... there was something of Varlamov’s boomingness.”
From 1876 until the age of ten, Nikolai’s teacher was Alexandra Petrovna Ollengren (nee Okoshnikova), the daughter of an admiral, Knight of St. George, and the widow of a Russian officer of Swedish origin. Nicholas’s first teacher was tasked with teaching Him basic Russian literacy, basic prayers, and arithmetic.
The dialogue that took place between Nikolai’s father and his first teacher is very characteristic (I present it briefly):
- You are given two boys who are too early to think about the Throne, who you need not to let go of and not give in to. Keep in mind that neither I nor the Grand Duchess want to turn Them into greenhouse flowers. They should be naughty in moderation, play, study, pray well to God and not think about any thrones,” said Tsarevich Alexander.
- Your Highness! - Ollengren exclaimed. - But I still have little Vladimir.
- How old is he? - asked the Heir.
- Eighth year.
- Just the same age as Nika. “Let him be brought up together with My children,” said the Heir, “and you will not be separated, and Mine will have more fun.” Everyone is an extra boy.
- But he has character, Your Highness.
- What character?
- Pugnacious, Your Highness... [In the words of this Vladimir: “By the age of seven, I had developed into that type of street boy who in Paris is called “gaman.” ...My main concern was to achieve the title of “first strongman” on Pskovskaya Street [outskirts of St. Petersburg]. This title, as is known in boyish circles all over the globe, is developed in tireless battles and feats close to military ones. And so bruises and lanterns were, to my mother’s horror, permanent marks of my differences.” As we can see, behind the word “pugnacious” is really the character of the street “Daredevil” of the St. Petersburg outskirts.]
- It's nothing, honey. This is before the first deal. Mine are not heavenly angels either. There are two of them. With their united forces, They will quickly bring your hero to the Christian faith. Not made from sugar. Teach the boys well, don’t give them any concessions, enforce them to the fullest extent of the law, don’t encourage laziness in particular. If anything, address yourself directly to Me, and I know what to do. I repeat that I don’t need porcelain. I need normal, healthy Russian children. They'll fight, please. But the informer gets the first whip. This is My very first requirement. Do you understand me?
- Got it, Your Imperial Highness. From childhood, the future Tsar Nicholas II cultivated in himself a deep religious feeling and genuine piety. The boy was not burdened by long church services, which were held strictly and solemnly in the palace. The child empathized with the torments of the Savior with all his soul and, with childish spontaneity, thought about how to help Him. The son A.P. Ollengren, who grew up with Nicholas, recalled, for example, how the ceremony of taking out the Shroud on Good Friday, solemn and mournful, struck Nicholas’s imagination. He became mournful and depressed all day and asked to tell how the evil high priests tortured the good Savior. [In March 1917, the high priests of the Russian Orthodox Church were in the forefront of those who betrayed the Anointed Tsar Nicholas II.] “His little eyes filled with tears, and He often said, clenching his fists: “Oh, I wasn’t there then, I would have shown them!” And at night, left alone in the bedchamber, the three of us (Nikolai, His brother George and Ollengren’s son Volodya. - O.P.) developed plans for the salvation of Christ. Nicholas II especially hated Pilate, who could have saved Him and did not. I remember that I was already dozing off when Nikolai came up to my bed and, crying, said mournfully: I feel sorry for God. Why did they hurt him so much? And I still can’t forget His big excited eyes.”
In his childhood and youth, Nicholas 2 slept on a narrow iron bed with a simple mattress. He spent a significant part of his time outdoors, playing sports. Even in the cold season, in order to harden his son, the Father insisted on walks. Active children's games and physical work in the garden were encouraged. Nikolai and the other children of Tsarevich Alexander often visited the poultry yard, greenhouse, farm, and worked in the menagerie. They were given birds, geese, rabbits, bear cubs, which They themselves looked after: they fed them, cleaned them. Birds constantly lived in the children's rooms - bullfinches, parrots, canaries, which the children took with them when they went to Gatchina in the summer.
During the years 1876-1879, Nikolai passed all the subjects in the program for admission to secondary school educational institution. To test Nikolai's knowledge, a special commission was assembled, which gave him an exam. The commission was very pleased with the success of the ten-year-old boy. To further continue the teaching of his son, Tsarevich Alexander invited Adjutant General G. G. Danilovich, who at his discretion chose teachers of the Law of God, the Russian language, mathematics, geography, history, French and German for Nicholas.

To be able to restrain yourself... to fulfill your duty... to love ordinary people... - the main traits of Tsarevich Nicholas

The child grew up quiet and thoughtful. From an early age, the main features of His character are already reflected in him, and - above all - self-control. “It happened, during a major quarrel with brothers or playmates,” says His teacher K.I. Heath, “Nikolai Alexandrovich, in order to refrain from a harsh word or movement, silently went into another room, took up a book and, only having calmed down, he returned to the offenders and took up the game again, as if nothing had happened.”
And another trait: a sense of duty. The boy studies his lessons diligently; He reads a lot, especially what concerns the life of the people. The love of His people... This is what He always dreams of. One day He reads with His teacher Heath one of the episodes from the history of England, which describes the entry of King John, who loved the common people, and whom the crowd greeted with enthusiastic cries: “Long live the king of the people!” The boy’s eyes sparkled, he blushed all over with excitement and exclaimed: “Oh, I would like to be like that!”
To be able to restrain yourself... to step away silently... to fulfill your duty... to love ordinary people... These traits of the boy reflect the whole of Emperor Nicholas II.
But by His character, a boy, and then a youth and a young man, is far from gloomy sadness; Even the flame of naive and carefree fun burns in Him, which, later, under the pressure of the heavy burden of power, worries and grief, will fade and occasionally only manifest itself in quiet humor, in a smile, in a good-natured joke.

Used Books:

See the prophecy of St. Abel the Seer of Mysteries, section 2.1.
Tsar's collection. Compiled by S. and T. Fomin. Services. Akathists. Monthsword. Memorial. Prayers for the King. Coronation. From-Pilgrim. 2000. [below is the Tsar's collection.] P. 414.
Let us pay attention to the fact that on the icon of the holy Tsar-Redeemer Nicholas II, on the scroll that the Tsar holds in His hands, these are precisely these words.
The prophecy of St. Abel the Seer of Mysteries is given in section 2.1.
O. Barkovets, A. Krylov-Tolstikovich. Unknown Alexander the Third. RIPOL CLASSIC. M. 2002. [below - Unknown Alexander the Third.] P. 106-107.
Nikolai Romanov. Pages of life. Compiled by N. Yu. Shelaev and others. "Faces of Russia". SPb.2001. [below - Pages of life.] P. 8.
Oleg Platonov. Russia's crown of thorns. Nicholas II in secret correspondence. Spring. M. 1996. [below - O. Platonov. Nicholas II in secret correspondence.] pp. 10-11.
For this reason, not a single Orthodox clergyman (from a simple priest to His Holiness Patriarch) cannot bear the title of our Great Master and Father. If someone calls a clergyman the Great Master, then this someone loudly declares to the Lord and the coming victorious King that he is in the heresy of papism, just like the Catholics, who honor the Pope as the Great Master.
Compiled by R.S., a fragment of chapter 14 from Oleg Platonov’s book “Conspiracy of the Regicides” is given.
Surguchev I. Childhood of Emperor Nicholas II. Paris, b/g. pp. 138-139.
His brother Georgiy also studied with Nikolai.
Ilya Surguchev. The childhood of Emperor Nicholas II. A royal matter. St. Petersburg 1999. pp. 11-13.
Babkin Mikhail Anatolyevich - candidate of historical sciences, senior lecturer at the South Ural University state university. In the journals of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Questions of History” (No. 6 2003, No. 2-5 2004, No. 2 2005) and “Domestic History” (No. 3 2005). And also in the book “The Russian Clergy and the Overthrow of the Monarchy in 1917” (Materials and archival documents on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Indrik Publishing House. 2006) he published interesting documents “dedicated to the history of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) for the period from early March to mid-July 1917. From them one can get an idea of ​​the attitude of the clergy to the overthrow of the Monarchy in Russia, the establishment of the power of the Provisional Government and its activities.” But most importantly, these documents very effectively cure mild and moderate degrees of spiritual damage to Orthodox Christians by the heresy of papism!
Surguchev I. Childhood of Emperor Nicholas II. Paris, b/g. P. 108.
Compiled by R.S., a fragment of the 1st chapter from the book by I.P. Yakobiy “Emperor Nicholas II and the Revolution” is given.

After the murder of his grandfather, Nikolai Alexandrovich became the Heir to the Throne of the Russian Empire.

After several unsuccessful assassination attempts, Emperor (Anointed!!!) Alexander II, the dear and beloved grandfather of Nicholas II, was villainously killed by Alexander II (1818-1881), who was included in Russian history under the name of the Tsar Liberator, was one of the most outstanding statesmen of Russia of the 19th century.
The greatest act of His reign was the signing of the Manifesto on February 19, 1861 on the abolition of serfdom of some Orthodox Christians over others.

The question that arose during the reign of Boris Godunov, which weighed heavily on all the Tsars and Emperors from the Royal House of Romanov and before which all His predecessors hesitated, was resolved by Him.

The world's evil, through the hands of spiritually corrupt half-educated Russian intellectuals, responded to the liberation of God's chosen Russian people from serfdom with such a terrible crime - the murder of the Father of the great Russian people.

“The mysterious prediction of a fortune teller has come true, who once prophesied to Alexander the Second that He would survive seven attempts on His life. This tragedy became an important milestone in the development of Nikolai’s personality and character.”

The end of the serene childhood of Tsarevich Nicholas

But this was an important milestone for all humanity. And before, tsars and kings were publicly killed, but the Lord God allowed His Anointed Ones, due to the sins of His chosen Russian people, to be killed only secretly.
And although Emperor Paul the First was brutally killed (on the night of March 11 - on Sophronius of Jerusalem in 1801) by drunken “guards” officers, he was also drunk at night!

And then the artists spent the whole night making up what the world evil of English origin had created at the hands of drunken Russian traitors to God, the Tsar, and the Fatherland. The murder was declared a death from apoplexy, that is, from a rapidly developing hemorrhage in the brain, supposedly a natural death. So, “Nicholas’s serene childhood ended on March 1, 1881.

On this day, a thirteen-year-old boy was faced with a terrible crime that amazed Him with its monstrous cruelty - the murder of his grandfather, Emperor Alexander II, by political bandits. The criminals pelted the Emperor [the Anointed One!!!] with bombs, seriously wounding Him. Alexander II was brought to the Winter Palace bleeding, with his legs broken.” (Oleg Platonov. Conspiracy of the Regicides. P. 89).

You and I will remember the prophecy spoken to Emperor Paul the First by the Venerable Abel about Emperor Alexander the Second, which Alexander the Second Himself did not know: “Your grandson, Alexander the Second, was ordained to be the Tsar-Liberator. Your plan will be fulfilled: He will give freedom to the serfs, and after that He will beat the Turks and free the Slavs from the yoke of the infidel. The Jews will not forgive Him for his great deeds, they will begin to hunt for Him, they will kill Him in the middle of a clear day in the loyal capital with the hands of renegades. Like You, He will seal the feat of His service with Royal blood, and on the blood the Temple will be erected.”

It was Emperor Alexander II who turned the bedroom into the home’s “Temple on the Blood” where Emperor Paul the First was killed as a result of a conspiracy planned in the English embassy, ​​but at the hands of Russian officers who forgot their oaths to faithfully serve their Emperor. From the windows of this “Church on Blood”, behind the trees of the park of the Russian Museum, another “Temple on Blood” is clearly visible - the Church of the Resurrection of Christ - “Savior on Blood”, built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded in 1881.
As Abel the Seer predicted, “the Jews did not forgive Him for His great deeds, they organized a hunt for Him and on the eighth attempt they killed Him “in the middle of a clear day in the capital of a loyal subject with renegade hands.”

Already on March 2, 1881, at an emergency meeting, the city duma asked Emperor Alexander III to “allow the city public administration erect... at the expense of the city a chapel or monument.” The emperor replied: “It would be desirable to have a church... and not a chapel.” However, they temporarily decided to build a chapel. Already in April the chapel was erected. Every day, memorial services were served in the chapel in memory of the murdered Emperor Alexander II. This chapel stood on the embankment until the spring of 1883, then, in connection with the start of construction of the cathedral, it was moved to Konyushennaya Square. Emperor Alexander the Third expressed his wish that the temple be in the style of Russian churches of the 16th-17th centuries. Naturally, the Emperor's desire became prerequisite. In October 1883, the ceremonial laying of the temple took place. Its construction took 24 years. For the construction of the temple-monument, the state allocated an estimated 3 million 600 thousand rubles in silver. This was huge money at that time. However, the actual cost of construction exceeded the estimate by 1 million rubles. The Royal Family contributed this million rubles to the construction of the memorial temple. On August 19/September 1, 1907, the Cathedral of the Resurrection was consecrated.

“Together with his younger brother George, Nikolai was present at the death of His Grandfather.” “My Father led Me to the bed,” the last [currently] Autocrat later recalled. - “Dad,” He said, raising his voice, “Your ray of sunshine” is here.” I saw my eyelashes tremble, My Grandfather’s blue eyes opened, He tried to smile. He moved his finger, He could not raise his hands or say what he wanted, but He undoubtedly recognized Me...” [“On the night of the assassination of Alexander II, a solid crowd of people loyal to the Sovereigns did not disperse through the streets of the capitals. Sovereign Nicholas II remembered that day and night...” (Pavlov. His Majesty Sovereign Nicholas II. P. 47).]

The shock he experienced remained in Nikolai’s memory until the last days of His life; He remembered it even in distant Tobolsk. “...Anniversary of the death of Apap (Alexander II. - Author),” noted in the diary on March 1, 1918. - At 2 o’clock we had a memorial service. The weather was the same as then - frosty and sunny...”

In 1881, “for a week, twice a day, Nikolai, along with the entire Family, came to solemn funeral services in the Winter Palace. On the morning of the eighth day, the body [of the deceased Anointed of God] was solemnly transferred to the Peter and Paul Cathedral. So that the Russian people could say goodbye to the Tsar-Liberator, the Tsar-Great Martyr, the longest path was chosen along all the main streets of the capital, which Nicholas took along with everyone else.

The murder of Grandfather changed the political situation and [status] of Nicholas. From a simple Grand Duke He became Heir to the Throne of the Russian Empire, clothed with enormous responsibility before the country [and before the earthly Church of Christ, as the Heir to the Throne of David].

A few hours after the death of Alexander II, the Highest Manifesto was issued, which said: “We announce to all Our faithful subjects: the Lord God was pleased in His inscrutable ways to strike Russia with a fatal blow and suddenly recall to Himself its benefactor, the State. Imp. Alexandra II. He fell from the sacrilegious hand of murderers who made repeated attempts on His precious life. They encroached on this so precious life because they saw in it the stronghold and guarantee of the greatness of Russia and the prosperity of the Russian people. Humbling ourselves before the mysterious dictates of Divine Providence and raising prayers to the Almighty for the repose of the pure soul of Our deceased Parent, We ascend to Our Ancestor Throne of the Russian Empire...

Let us lift the heavy burden that God places on Us, with firm hope in His Almighty help. May He bless Our labors for the good of Our beloved Fatherland and may He direct Our strength to create the happiness of all Our loyal subjects.

Repeating the vow given to Us by Our Parent, sacred before the Lord Almighty, to devote, according to the behest of Our ancestors, Our entire life to the care of the prosperity, power and glory of Russia, We call upon Our loyal subjects to unite their prayers with Our prayers before the Altar of the Most High and command them to take an oath of allegiance to Us and the Heir Ours, His Imp. High Tsarevich Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich."

[The above text from the Manifesto makes it possible for Orthodox Christians, and all believers in God, to see how the Anointed Tsar, chosen by God Himself for the Royal Service, differs from the President elected by people. In addition, the Russian Tsar strives to direct all His forces to “arranging the happiness of all His loyal subjects,” and not just the Russian people. The atheist in the above text will see some meaningless, from his point of view, spells and appeals to “some” God, he will see an attempt by Alexander the Third to shift all responsibility for governing the country to the incomprehensible entity “God” for the atheist. This is for such atheists, offended by God or punished by Him, “the institution of monarchy has only historical and sentimental significance in the modern world.” The only thing that can be done for those enlightened by the world’s evil is to pray to God for them, so that He would grant them “if death, then instantaneous,” but it would be better, if still possible, then He would grant them at least a handful of the mind of Christ!]

For the teenager Nikolai, such a terrible death of Grandfather became an unhealing mental wound. He could not understand why the murderers raised their hands against the Tsar, who was famous among the Russian people for his justice, kindness and meekness, who freed the serfs, who established a public court and self-government local authorities authorities. Even then, Nikolai begins to realize that not all subjects of Russia want the good of their Motherland [that is, not all subjects are loyal subjects, but it turns out that in Russia the Anointed of God has subjects who want to serve not God, the Tsar and the Fatherland, but Satan , world evil and the underworld]. Dark, atheistic forces rebelled against Holy Rus' and the Russian state and social structure, the existence of which the boy was once told about by His mentor according to the Law of God.

Nicholas’s consciousness also included the understanding that the most essential thing in the state life of Russia had been violated - the traditional spiritual, patriarchal connection between the Tsar and the Russian people.” It became clear after March 1, 1881 that the Russian Tsar would never again be able to treat His subjects with boundless trust. He will not be able to forget the regicide and devote himself entirely to state affairs.

Training course for gymnasium and university, from ensign to colonel

Tsarevich “Nicholas was slightly taller than average, physically well developed and resilient - this was the result of his father’s training and the habit of physical labor, which He did, at least little by little, all his life.
The king had an “open, pleasant, thoroughbred face.” Everyone who knew the Tsar, both in his youth and in his mature years, noted His amazing eyes, so wonderfully conveyed in the famous portrait of V. Serov. They are expressive and radiant, although sadness and defenselessness lurk in their depths.

The upbringing and education of Nicholas II took place under the personal guidance of His Father, on a traditional religious basis in Spartan conditions. “Since Nicholas by His very birth was destined for the future supreme power, the closest attention was paid to His upbringing and education.
His systematic education began at the age of eight according to a special program developed by Adjutant General G. G. Danilovich, who was obliged to supervise Nikolai’s educational activities. The program was divided into two parts.

An eight-year general education course in general outline corresponded to the gymnasium, although with significant changes. The ancient [classical] languages ​​- Greek and Latin - were excluded, and instead of them, the Tsarevich was taught political history, Russian literature, geography, and the elementary fundamentals of mineralogy and biology in an expanded volume. In the first eight years of study, special attention was paid to studying modern European languages.

Nikolai mastered English and French perfectly, but knew German and Danish less well.
Since childhood, he fell in love with historical and fiction, read it both in Russian and in foreign languages and even once admitted that “if I were a private person, I would devote myself to historical works.” Over time, His literary preferences were also revealed: Tsarevich Nikolai turned with pleasure to Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, loved Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov...”

The higher course of education, “the next five years were devoted to the study of military affairs, legal and economic sciences necessary for a statesman. The teaching of these sciences was carried out by outstanding Russian scientists with a worldwide reputation: [presbyter] Yanyshev I.L. taught canon law in connection with the history of the church, the most important departments of theology and the history of religion”; "HER. Zamyslovsky conducted political history; professor-economist, minister of finance in 1881-1889 and chairman of the committee of ministers in 1887-1895 N. H. Bunge taught - statistics and political economy [financial law]; Russian Foreign Minister in 1882-1895 N.K. Girs introduced the Tsarevich into the complex world of European international relations; Academician N.N. Beketov taught a course in general chemistry. Professor and corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences... Infantry General G. A. Leer was entrusted with courses in strategy and military history. Military engineer General Ts. A. Cui... conducted classes on fortification. The history of military art was read by A.K. Puzyrevsky. This series was supplemented by professors of the Academy of the General Staff, generals M.I. Dragomirov, N.N. Obruchev, P.K. Gudima-Levkovich, P.L. Lobko and others. The role of the Tsarevich's spiritual and ideological mentor undoubtedly belonged to K. P. Pobedonostsev, a prominent lawyer who taught Nicholas courses in jurisprudence, state, civil and criminal law.

Tsarevich Nikolai studied a lot. By the age of fifteen, He had more than 30 lessons a week, not counting the daily hours of self-study. During the training process, the mentors could not grade Him for his performance and did not ask questions to test his knowledge, but in general their impression was favorable. Nikolai was distinguished by perseverance, pedantry and innate accuracy. He always listened carefully and was very efficient. ...The heir, like all the children of Alexander III, had an excellent memory. He easily remembered what he heard or read. A fleeting meeting with a person (and there were thousands of such meetings in His life) was enough for him to remember not only the name and patronymic of the interlocutor, but also his age, origin and length of service. Nikolai’s natural tact and delicacy made communicating with him pleasant.” (Pages of life. 12-13).
“In order for the future Tsar to become practically acquainted with military life and the order of military service, the Father sends Him to military training. First, Nikolai served for two years in the ranks of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, performing the duties of a subaltern officer and then a company commander. Two summer seasons Tsarevich Nikolai serves in the ranks of the cavalry hussar regiment as a platoon officer and then as a squadron commander. And finally, the future Emperor holds one camp meeting in the ranks of the artillery.” He received successive officer ranks, starting with warrant officer, and successively held corresponding positions in the troops.

“According to the testimony of contemporaries, He was loved in the guards regiments, noting the amazing evenness and goodwill in relations with fellow officers, regardless of ranks and titles. The Tsarevich was not one of those who were frightened by the hardships of camp life. He was hardy, strong, unpretentious in everyday life and truly loved the army. ...

Nicholas's military career reached its peak on August 6, 1892, when He was promoted to colonel. Due to the premature death of Alexander the Third, His Son was not destined to become a general in the Russian army, which were all of His predecessors on the Throne and most of the Grand Dukes. The emperors did not assign military ranks to themselves... “But He was awarded general ranks in the armies of the allies.

The Tsarevich's activities were not limited to military service. At the same time, the Father introduces Him to the affairs of governing the country, inviting Him to participate in the sessions of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers.

“By the age of 21, Nikolai had become a highly educated person with a broad outlook, an excellent knowledge of Russian history and literature, and a perfect command of the main European languages.... Nikolai’s brilliant education was combined with deep religiosity and knowledge of spiritual literature, which was not often found among young people from higher education. , the ruling class of the time. Alexander the Third managed to instill in His Son selfless love for Russia and a sense of responsibility for its fate. [All this gave Him the opportunity to bear the cross of the redemptive feat, to become like Jesus Christ!] From childhood, Nicholas became close to the idea that His main purpose was to follow the Russian Orthodox, spiritual foundations, traditions and ideals.” (Oleg Platonov. Conspiracy of the Regicides. P. 94.)

The miraculous rescue of the Royal Family in Borki

On October 17, 1888, Tsarevich Nikolai experienced a terrible shock. On this day, near the Borki station, the entire Royal Family could have died during a train accident. When the Tsar's train passed through a deep beam, subsidence occurred and several cars fell into a hole at full speed.
The Royal Family was in the dining car at the time of the crash. Breakfast was coming to an end when everyone felt a terrible shaking. The disaster had three moments. Two shocks, and then not even a second had passed before the wall of the carriage began to shatter into pieces.
This is what the newspaper “Citizen”, published at that time, wrote: “ After the first shock there was a stop.
The second push, the force of inertia, knocked out the bottom of the car. Everyone fell onto the embankment. Then came the third moment, the most terrible: the walls of the carriage separated from the roof and began to fall inward. By the will of the Lord, the falling walls met and formed a roof onto which the roof of the carriage fell: the dining car turned into a flattened mass.

The entire course of the wheels was thrown far to the side and broken into tiny pieces. The roof, then folded and thrown aside, revealed the pitiful remains of a carriage. It seemed that the Royal Family was buried under the rubble.
But the Lord showed a great miracle. The Tsar, Queen and Royal Children were preserved for the Fatherland by a miracle of the Almighty.

The roof fell on them askew, says eyewitness Zichy, who was in the carriage.
“There was a hole between the wall of the carriage and the roof through which I entered. Countess Kutuzova came in behind me. The Empress was taken out of the carriage window. The Sovereign Emperor had a flattened silver cigarette case in his pocket on the right side».

According to an eyewitness, the crash site presented a terrible picture. The kitchen car went downhill.
The roof of another, ministerial, carriage was blown towards the lake. The first four cars were a pile of wood chips, sand and iron. The locomotive, undamaged, stood on the track, but the rear wheels dug into the ground, derailing.
The second locomotive dug into the sand of the embankment. When Alexander III saw the picture of the crash, tears came to his eyes.
Little by little, the retinue and all the survivors began to group around the Sovereign. The only witnesses to the crash were the soldiers of the Penza Infantry Regiment, numb with horror, standing in a chain in this area. Seeing that there was no way to provide assistance to the victims using the forces and means of the broken train, the Emperor ordered the soldiers to shoot. The alarm began. Soldiers came running all along the line; a doctor from the Penza regiment was with them; appeared dressings, although in meager quantities.

There was slush, there was a fine, cold rain with frost. The Empress was wearing only a dress, which was badly damaged at the time of the disaster. There was nothing at hand to cover Her from the cold, and an officer's coat was thrown over Her shoulders. At the first moment, many of the generals who were on the spot, wanting to provide all possible assistance, each made their own orders, but this only slowed down the overall progress of the relief work. Seeing this, the Emperor took upon himself the order to provide assistance.”

Since 1889, the Sovereign began to attract Nicholas to work in higher government agencies, inviting to participate in the sessions of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. Alexander III developed a practical educational program to get acquainted with various regions of Russia.

For this purpose, the Heir accompanied His Father on numerous trips around the country. [“To complete His education, Nicholas II traveled around the world. In nine months He traveled through Austria, Trieste, Greece, Egypt, India, China, Japan, and then by land through all of Siberia.”]

In Vladivostok, He participated in the opening of the construction of the Siberian railway, at the laying of the dock and monument to Admiral Nevelsky.

In Khabarovsk, the Heir attended the consecration of the monument to Muravyov-Amursky. Through Irkutsk, Tobolsk, and Yekaterinburg, Nikolai returned to Tsarskoe Selo, matured and stronger. He spent 9 months away from his parents (from October 23, 1890 to August 4, 1891), traveling 35 thousand miles.

After such a school of life, which the Heir went through during his trip around the world, Alexander III began to entrust Him with more serious matters. Nikolai was appointed chairman of the Siberian Railway Committee. He attended all its meetings, treating this appointment with great responsibility. His father also instructed Nikolai to chair a special committee for the delivery of aid to the population of the provinces affected by crop failure (valid until March 5, 1893). The committee collected donations worth more than 13 million rubles and distributed them among the starving peasants.

In addition to working on these committees, Nikolai is constantly invited to meetings of senior government agencies, where he practically gets acquainted with the science of governing a great country.

“Oh, You, Heavenly Chosen One, Oh, great redeemer, You are above all!”

The sermon delivered after the war by Bishop (then Archpriest) Mitrofan (Znosko-Borovsky) on the name day of the Tsar-Redeemer is very interesting and explains a lot in the actions of Tsar Nicholas II during His Reign and in Russian events after 1917.

[The sermon tells a prophecy about the stunningly grandiose role of the holy Tsar, then still Tsarevich, Nicholas in the destinies of the whole world, in the salvation of the Russian people, in the victory of good over evil.]

A). All Buddhism, represented by Buddhist clergy, bowed before the Tsarevich

“Our tortured and murdered Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, while still the Heir, [in April 1891] visited Japan. This interesting voyage is described by Prince Ukhtomsky in his 2-volume work. May the Lord bless me to tell you, my dears, about this interesting and extremely important, but little known, page from the life of the Redeemer King before we begin to pray for Him. [It would be more correct to turn to Him in prayer!] During this journey, the general attention, says the historian, a participant in the journey, was attracted by those special signs of veneration and honors that were shown to the Heir Tsarevich by Buddhist clergy when He visited Buddhist temples. These were not just honors given to the Heir to the Throne of the Great Power - in their person, it was as if all Buddhism bowed before the Tsarevich. [Isn’t this the preaching of Orthodoxy by Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, and by Buddhism the recognition of the omnipotence of Jesus Christ!]

One day, one of the thoughtful companions of the Tsarevich rightly noted that each such meeting bore the character of some incomprehensible mysterious cult, performed before the highest incarnation, who, by the will of Heaven, came to earth with a special mission. When the Tsarevich entered the temple, the Buddhist clergy prostrated themselves before Him, and when He raised them, they looked at Him with reverence and awe, solemnly, barely touching Him, they introduced Him into the sanctuary of their temple.

If anyone from the retinue wanted to enter after the Tsarevich, he was not allowed in. Once Prince George of Greece made such an attempt, but the lamas blocked his path.

[Here let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul: the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified, for when the pagans, who do not have the law, by nature do what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves: they show that the work of the law they have it written in their hearts, as their conscience and their thoughts testify to (Rom. 2:13-15).

Buddhists are pagans who do not have the law of Christ, but by their nature, having cleansed their hearts from earthly passions by observing moral laws, they can find the Truth, which will be written in their hearts! This is what Jesus Christ Himself said about such pagans: Blessed are the pure heart, for they will see God (Matt. 5:8).

And the Buddhists saw the earthly God - the Redeemer King, who redeemed, for the likeness and glory of Christ, the collective sin of treason committed by His subjects; they saw an earthly man whose holy feat is in likening the Most Important Feat of Jesus Christ - in likening His Redemptive Feat.

To the possible question of why the Lord revealed to the Buddhists, but hid the “ascetics” from the “Orthodox”, we will answer together with the Apostle Paul: “The Lord gives Orthodox Christians a reason to boast of a pure heart, and even pagans, so that they may have something to say to those who boast in their appearance, and not with the heart” (2 Cor. 5:12).

And about the “Orthodox” Christians who blasphemed and blaspheme the holy Tsar Nicholas II, Jesus Christ says: these people draw near to Me with their lips, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; but in vain they worship Me, teaching doctrines, commandments and wisdom of men (Matthew 15:8-9). Here is one of these human wisdom: “The Priesthood is higher than the Kingdom!” Why would this be like this???

And the Lord explains why they think so, He convicts them: your heart is hardened (Mark 8:17), and therefore the Holy Spirit does not penetrate such a heart and does not cleanse it of human wisdom. If anyone among you thinks that he is pious and does not bridle his tongue about the anointed of God, but deceives his heart with his arrogance, his piety is empty (James 1:26).

To those who reject the order of holiness, the “King Redeemer” said Jesus Christ: O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe everything that the prophets predicted! (Luke 24:25) For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears are hard to hear, and they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, that I might heal them (Matt. 13) ,15; Acts 28:27) from the heresy of kingship, from the non-Orthodox understanding of the dogmas of Icon Veneration and Redemption. Fierce-necked! People with uncircumcised hearts and ears! you always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did, so do you (Acts 7:51).

To all priests and other thieves of the Royal power, the Lord's brother the Apostle James strongly advises: if in your heart you have bitter envy towards the owners of the power of the Anointed of God and are quarrelsome, because you do not understand Their actions, then do not boast about your piety and do not lie about the truth (Jas. 3.14).

This is said about them: a veil lies over their heart (2 Cor. 3:15), and their eyes are filled with lust and incessant sin; they seduce unsteady souls; their heart is accustomed to covetousness: these are the sons of the curse (2 Peter 2:14).

Therefore I was indignant at this generation and said: they continually err in heart, they have not known My ways; therefore I have sworn in My wrath that they will not enter My rest (Heb. 3:10-11).]

B). “There is no more blessed than Thy sacrifice for all Thy people!”

In Japan, the Heir Tsarevich was pleased to visit on one island the cemetery of our sailors from the frigate "Askold", which circumnavigated the world in the 1860s under the command of the outstanding Unkovsky and was under repair for a long time near this island.

In the Tsarevich's retinue were the sons of two officers from Askold - Ukhtomsky and Eristov. The heir charmed with His affection and attention the old Japanese, the keeper of the graves of our sailors. During a meal in a purely Japanese spirit and taste, he asked the Heir for the grace to give Him advice, for which he received the Highest permission. “The distinguished Guest is going to visit our sacred ancient capital of Kyoto,” began the Japanese, the keeper of the graves of Russian sailors, “not far from the latter our famous hermit monk Terakuto labors, to whose gaze the secrets of the world and the fate of people are revealed. There is no time for it and it gives only signs of deadlines. He does not like to interrupt his contemplative solitude and rarely goes out to see anyone. If the Royal traveler wishes to see him, he will come out to Him, if there is a blessing from Heaven.

In civilian dress, accompanied by Prince George of Greece and an interpreter - the Marquis of Ito, a prominent figure in Japan, the Heir Tsarevich walked on foot to Terakuto, who lived in one of the groves near Kyoto. Already from a distance, those approaching saw the prostrate figure of a reclusive Buddhist. The heir bent down and carefully picked it up from the ground. No one said a word, waiting for what the recluse would say. Looking with unseeing eyes, as if cut off from everything earthly, Terakuto spoke:

O You, Heavenly Chosen One, O great Redeemer, shall I prophesy the secret of Your earthly existence? You are above all. There is no guile or flattery in my mouth before the Almighty. And here is a sign for this: danger hovers over Your head, but death will recede and the reed will be stronger than the sword... and the reed will shine with brilliance. Two crowns are destined for You, Tsarevich: earthly and heavenly. Precious stones play on Your crown, Lord of the mighty Power, but the glory of the world passes away and the stones on the earthly crown will fade, but the radiance of the heavenly crown will remain forever. The heritage of Your ancestors calls You to sacred duty. Their voice is in Your blood. They are alive in You, many of them are great and beloved, but of all of them You will be the greatest and most beloved.

Great sorrows and upheavals await You and Your country. You will fight for EVERYONE, and EVERYONE will be against You. Beautiful flowers bloom on the edge of the abyss, but their poison is pernicious; children rush to flowers and fall into the abyss if they do not listen to the Father. Blessed is he who lays down his life for his friends. Thrice blessed is he who lays it down for his enemies. But there is nothing more blessed than Your sacrifice for all Your people. [That is, none of the earthly people has and will not have a feat higher than the holy Tsar Nicholas!] It will come that You are alive and the people are dead, but it will come true: the people are saved, and (You) are holy and immortal. Your weapon against anger is meekness, against resentment is forgiveness. Both friends and enemies will bow before You, and the enemies of Your people will be destroyed. [While there is still a little time, the enemies of the God-bearing Russian people may still try to become friends and allies of the Russians against the world behind the scenes to save their souls and bodies! The Russians accept everyone who comes in peace.

But whoever comes to Rus' with a sword will die by the sword! This happens for one single reason: God is with us, with the Russians, and therefore tremble, Gentiles, and submit! And remember what Abel the Seer of the Mystery said about the Jewish yoke to Emperor Paul the First: “do not be sad, Father the Tsar, the Christ-killers will bear their toll.” “Russia will then be great, having thrown off the Jewish yoke.

He will return to the origins of his ancient life, to the times of the Equal-to-the-Apostles, and will learn wisdom through bloody misfortune [the bloody scourge of the Jewish yoke!]. ... A great destiny is destined for Russia. [That is why the enemies of God hate everything Russian; everything connected with Russia; everything that reminds of its great past and future greatness! That is why Russians should not forget their destiny, their service to God!] That is why she will suffer in order to be cleansed and kindle the light in the revelation of tongues... “] I see tongues of fire above Your head and Your Family. This is dedication. I see countless sacred lights in the altars before you. This is execution. May a pure sacrifice be made and atonement be accomplished. You will become a shining barrier to evil in the world. Terakuto told You what was revealed to him from the Book of Fates. Here is wisdom and part of the mystery of the Creator. Beginning and the end. Death and immortality, moment and eternity. Blessed be the day and hour at which You came to old Terakuto.

IN). The cane turned out to be stronger than the sword and the cane began to shine

Having touched the ground, Terakuto, without turning around, began to move away until he disappeared into the thicket of trees. [What reverence this Buddhist monk has for the saint, whose feat of serving God in terms of height and likeness to Jesus Christ is the highest among those possible for humans. What a powerful reproof for their lack of the Spirit of Christ to all “Orthodox” Christians who lived at the same time as Saint Nicholas Alexandrovich and who still blaspheme and revile Him.

Holy Tsar Nicholas said that the Old Believers and Cossacks would not understand Him. And it’s clear why: these two communities of people, and now fighters against the Taxpayer Identification Number, with globalization, with new passports, etc., have a firmly established practice of zealously pleasing God to serve Satan!

These communities of Orthodox Christians, zealously engaged in the virtues of fallen nature, are zealous to serve God as and where they themselves decide, and not as and where the Lord will bless. And therefore they absolutely do not understand that the heart of the King is in the hand of God ( Proverbs 21:1), and not in their hands. They do not understand that the Lord God Himself guides His Anointed One, and not servile wisdom! But they wear a cross and go to church regularly, and now they also offer fervent prayers for the Great Lord and Father of all papist heretics!]

The Tsarevich stood with his head bowed. His companions too. The Tsarevich returned excitedly and asked not to talk about Terakuto’s prediction. A few days later, an attempt was made on the life of the Heir to the Tsarevich in Kyoto.

A Japanese fanatic [also zealous to serve God!] hit Him on the head with a saber, but the blow only slipped, causing a harmless wound. Prince George of Greece hit the criminal with all his might with a bamboo cane, which saved the life of the Tsarevich. Upon the return of the heir to the Tsarevich in St. Petersburg, talking with Prince George, Emperor Alexander III expressed a desire to receive a cane for a while. The Emperor returned it to Prince George already in a frame of the finest jewelry, all sprinkled with diamonds. The sign came true, the first prediction of old Terakuto: the cane turned out to be stronger than the sword and the cane began to shine.

On June 23, 1901, the Sovereign Emperor was pleased to receive in the great hall of the Peterhof Palace a special mission of the Dalai Lama, who arrived from Tibet. The embassy bowed low when His Majesty entered the hall, accompanied by his retinue. The Tibetan embassy carried with it a heavily shackled chest, which it never left for a moment.

Presenting His Majesty with the robes taken out of the chest, the head of the embassy, ​​the old honored lama, said: “These are the original robes of the Buddha, which no one touched after him. They belong to you alone by right, and now accept them from all of Tibet.” The words of the embassy from Tibet, like those predicted by the recluse Terakuto, are the key to understanding the secret sealed from Above of our Sovereign and Russia.” (Bishop Mitrofan (Znosko). Chronicle of one life. To the sixtieth anniversary of pastoral ministry IX.1935-IX.1995. M. 1995. pp. 294-297).

The Tsarevich showed himself to be deeply religious, selflessly loving and possessing an exceptionally strong character

A). “Everything is in the will of God. Trusting in His mercy, I calmly and humbly look to the future."

The Heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich had to endure the first serious test of willpower in connection with His marriage, when, thanks to His stubborn persistence, endurance and patience, He successfully overcame three seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Back in 1884, when He was only sixteen years old, He first met the twelve-year-old strikingly beautiful Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, who came to the wedding of His elder sister Vel. Book Elizaveta Feodorovna and Vel. Book Sergei Alexandrovich - uncle of the Heir to the Tsarevich.

From that moment on, a close friendship arose between Them, and then a holy, selfless, selfless and ever-increasing love that united Their lives until their joint acceptance...[martyrdom].

Such marriages are a rare gift of God even among mere mortals, and among Crowned Persons, where marriages are performed mainly for political reasons and not for love, this is an exceptional phenomenon.

In 1889, when the Heir Tsarevich was twenty-one years old and had reached adulthood, according to Russian laws, He turned to His Parents with a request to bless Him for marriage with Princess Alice. Emperor Alexander III’s answer was brief: “You are very young to get married.” There is still time, and, in addition, remember the following: You are the Heir to the Russian Throne, You are betrothed to Russia, and we will still have time to find a wife.”

Before the will of the Father - heavy, unwavering - what is said, that is, the law, Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich resignedly resigned himself for a while and began to wait.

A year and a half after this conversation, He wrote in His diary: “Everything is in the will of God. Trusting in His mercy, I look calmly and humbly to the future.”

From Princess Alice's side of the family, Their marriage plans also did not meet with sympathy. Since She lost Her mother when She was only 6 years old, and her father at eighteen, She was raised mainly by Her maternal grandmother, Queen Victoria of England.

This Queen, so celebrated in the Anglo-Saxon world, during many decades of her 64-year reign (1837-1901), pursued an extremely ignoble foreign policy, built on intricate insidious intrigues directed mainly against Russia.

Queen Victoria especially disliked the Russian Emperors Alexander II and Alexander III, who in turn responded to Her with contemptuous hostility. It is no wonder that with such unfriendly relations between the Russian and English Courts, the Heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich could not find support from the grandmother of Princess Alice. [“For Alexander III, his son’s love did not seem something serious. The marriage of the Heir to the Russian Throne was always too serious a political event for only tender feelings to be taken into account. Although Nikolai’s parents did not intend to forcefully marry him, at different times he was offered several options for a possible marriage.

One of the brides was the daughter of the Count of Paris, head of the Bourbon dynasty, possible president of France. This marriage could significantly strengthen the Russian-French alliance, the favorite foreign policy brainchild of Alexander III. Princess Margaret of Prussia was considered as another contender for the role of the future Empress.

Nikolai wrote at the end of 1891: “December 21. In the evening at Mom's...they talked about family life...; involuntarily this conversation touched the most living string of my soul, touched the dream and the hope with which I live every day. A year and a half has already passed since I talked about this with Papa in Peterhof... My dream is to someday marry Alix G. I have loved her for a long time, but even deeper and stronger since 1889, when she spent six weeks in St. Petersburg! I resisted my feeling for a long time, trying to deceive myself with the impossibility of realizing my cherished dream. ... The only obstacle or gap between her and me is the question of religion! Apart from this barrier, there is no other; I'm almost sure that our feelings are mutual! [Everything is in the will of God. Trusting in His mercy, I calmly and humbly look to the future]"...

Maria Fedorovna decided to distract Him a little from thoughts about Alex. At this time, a new star shone on the stage of the Imperial Mariinsky Theater - ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. [The parents of the Tsarevich contributed to the rapprochement of the young people... “There was gossip about this affair, but in Nicholas’s Family they did not attach serious importance to it - the Heir seemed too responsible and devoted to duty to connect His life with a dancer. Alexander the Third was condescending towards his son’s hobby and, perhaps, even hoped that Kshesinskaya would help him forget the German princess his parents didn’t like.”]

Of course, Kshesinskaya understood the hopelessness of their romance, and Nikolai’s love for the Darmstadt princess was not a secret to her: “We have more than once talked about the inevitability of His marriage and the inevitability of our separation. Of all those whom He was prophesied as a bride, He considered her the most suitable and that He was attracted to her more and more [for they were created for each other according to God’s plan!], that she would be His chosen one, if parental permission followed.”]

Five years have passed since the day when Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich turned to His August Father with a request to allow Him to marry Princess Alice.

[During these ten years, they saw each other only when Princess Alice came to Russia twice (in 1884 and 1889). They are united by the Lord God. And those around Them only see that “between Them there are only fantasies and memories, correspondence fueling passions through sister Ella” (through Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna).]

In the early spring of 1894, seeing the unshakable decision of His Son, His patience and meek submission to the Parental will, Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna finally gave Their blessing for the marriage.

At the same time, in England, Princess Alice, who by this time had lost Her father, who died in 1890, received a blessing from Queen Victoria. The last obstacle remained - a change of religion and the adoption by the August Bride of holy Orthodoxy.

B). Tsarevich Nicholas managed to reveal to Princess Alice the truth of His Orthodox faith

Princess Alice was extremely religious. She was raised Protestant and was sincerely and deeply convinced of the truth of Her religion. At the same time, She knew that She could not become the Russian Empress without accepting Holy Orthodoxy, but changing religion.

She considered it a betrayal of Her most sacred feelings and beliefs. Being extremely honest with herself, distinguished by her nobility and devotion to Her ideals and, moreover, being well educated - She received a PhD from Oxford University - She was not able to sacrifice Her entire inner world as a sacrifice of love for her loved one.

Thus, this question became a matter of conscience for Princess Alice, since the Russian Throne, although the most brilliant of that era, in itself, did not seduce Her, especially since, thanks to Her amazing beauty and inner attractiveness, She enjoyed enormous success among European Crowned Grooms and Heirs to Thrones.

So, the last obstacle to the marriage of the Heir to the Tsarevich and Princess Alice seemed insurmountable. There was only one possible way out - a complete reversal of Her religious views, i.e. sincere understanding of the falsity of the Protestant faith and sincere acceptance of holy Orthodoxy. This difficult and complex task fell to the lot of Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich himself.

At the beginning of April, He visited Coburg and spent twelve days in the palace of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, where Princess Alice was also staying. Here Their fate was to be decided, depending on the conviction of the Heir to the Tsarevich in the correctness of His arguments. On the third day, a decisive conversation took place between Them. There was no one in the living room. They were left alone to decide the question of their lives. The princess was lovely. There was no need to speak, it was clear without words. He now knew that Their love was mutual, that in this love was the happiness of the future life. One obstacle remained - a change of religion; He had foreseen this before, but did not imagine that this obstacle could turn out to be so decisive and difficult.

He saw mental struggle Princess Alice - the true real struggle of a Christian woman. He understood that it now depended on Him to convince Her that She was not committing apostasy, that by accepting Orthodoxy, She was approaching God in the brightest forms of communication with Him. And He found wonderful words in His heart. “Alix, I understand and respect your religious feelings. But we believe in Christ alone; there is no other Christ. God, who created the world, gave us a soul and a heart. He filled both my heart and yours with love, so that we could merge soul with soul, so that we would become united and walk the same path in life.

Without His will there is nothing. Let your conscience not disturb you that my faith will become your faith. When you learn later how beautiful, gracious and humble our Orthodox religion is, how majestic and magnificent our churches and monasteries are and how solemn and stately our divine services are, you will love them, Alix, and nothing will separate us “...

At that moment, the great, immense one appeared before Him - from the Solovetsky monasteries to the New Athos monasteries, from the northern grayish-blue waters of the Baltic Sea to the bright blue Pacific Ocean - His sovereign Mother Russia, Holy God-Bearing Orthodox Rus'. Tears of tenderness and delight appeared in my eyes. The Princess listened attentively, looking into His blue eyes, at His excited face, and a transformation took place in Her soul. Seeing the tears, She could not help herself. Then she whispered only two words: “I agree.” Their tears mixed together.

He laid out the sequence of His conversations, told how He convinced Her to change religion and how She felt.

... “She cried all the time and only from time to time said in a whisper: “No, I can’t.” I, however, continued to insist and repeat my arguments, and although this conversation lasted two hours, it did not lead to anything , because neither she nor I gave in. I gave her your letter and after that she could no longer argue. She decided to talk with Aunt Michen (Grand Prince Maria Pavlovna (senior)). As for me, during these three days I was always in the most anxious state... This morning we were left alone, and then, from the very first words, she agreed. Only God knows what happened to me. I cried like a child and so did she. But her face expressed complete contentment.

No, dear Mom, I cannot express to you how happy I am, and at the same time, how sorry I am that I cannot hold you and my dear Dad to my heart. The whole world immediately changed for me: nature, people, everything; and everyone seems kind, sweet and happy to me. I couldn’t even write, my hands were shaking so much. She completely changed: she became cheerful, funny, talkative and tender... The Savior told us: “Everything that you ask of God, God will give you.” These words are endlessly dear to me, because for five years I prayed with them, repeating them every night, begging Him to ease Alix’s transition to the Orthodox faith and give me her as a wife...

It's time to finish the letter. Goodbye my dear Mom. I hug you tightly. Christ is with you. Niki, who loves you warmly and with all my heart.” He took an elegant dark crimson notebook of shagreen leather - his diary and made the following entry in it: “A wonderful, unforgettable day in my life - the day of my engagement to my dear, beloved Alix... God, what a weight has fallen from my shoulders; what joy we managed to please dear Dad and Mom. I walked around all day as if in a daze, not fully realizing what had actually happened to me.”... [After breakfast we went to Comrade Marie’s church and served a thanksgiving prayer service.]... (S. Pozdnyshev. Op. Cit., pp. 11-16).

On the same day, April 8/21, 1894, their engagement was officially announced. [Until her death, Alexandra Fedorovna wore Nicholas's groom's gift - a ring with a ruby ​​- around her neck along with a cross. (Oleg Platonov. Conspiracy of the Regicides. P. 102.) “The news delivered to Russia on the same day prompted a response telegram from the parents, and a few days later... a personal message from Alexander the Third arrived. “Dear, dear Niki,” the father wrote, “you can imagine with what a feeling of joy and with what gratitude to the Lord we learned about your engagement! I confess that I did not believe the possibility of such an outcome and was sure of the complete failure of your attempt, but the Lord instructed you, strengthened you and blessed you, and great gratitude to Him for His mercies... Now I am sure that you are doubly enjoying and everything you have gone through, although forgotten, I am sure it has brought you benefit, proving that not everything comes so easily and for nothing, and especially such a great step that decides your entire future and your entire subsequent family life"" (Pages of Life. P. 24.)]

Ten years have passed since the August Bride and Groom met for the first time, and five years have passed since the Parents refused to bless Their marriage. The heir Tsarevich meekly humbled himself, but waited patiently and steadily strived towards His goal. Over these years, He managed to gradually overpower His August Father, a mighty hero distinguished by his unshakable willpower, overcome the lack of sympathy for His plans on the part of Empress Maria Feodorovna and Princess Alice’s grandmother, Queen Victoria of England, and, finally, without being a theologian, reveal to Princess Alice the truth of His faith, change Her firm religious convictions and incline Her to a sincere, sincere acceptance of holy Orthodoxy. Only a deeply religious and selflessly loving person with an exceptionally strong character could overcome all these obstacles.

[“After almost a quarter of a century, She [Alexandra Feodorovna] will remind Him [Nikolai Alexandrovich] of the events of that day with words in which sincere love is felt: “On this day, the day of our engagement, all my tender thoughts are with you, filling my heart with endless gratitude for the deep love and happiness that you have always given me, since that memorable day - 22 years ago. May God help me to repay you a hundredfold for all your affection!

Yes, I,” I say quite sincerely, “I doubt that there are many wives as happy as I am; you have shown me so much love, trust and devotion in these long years in happiness and sorrow. For all my torment, suffering and indecision, you gave me so much in return, my precious fiancé and husband... Thank you, my treasure, do you feel how I want to be in your strong arms and relive those wonderful days that brought Are we getting new evidence of love and tenderness? Today I will wear that expensive brooch. I can still feel your gray clothes and smell them - there by the window in Coburg Castle.

How vividly I remember all this! Those sweet kisses that I dreamed and yearned for for so many years and which I no longer hoped to receive. You see how, already at that time, faith and religion played a big role in my life. I cannot take this simply and if I decide on something, it is forever, the same is true in my love and affection.

The heart is too big - it devours me. Also, love for Christ - it was always so closely connected with our lives during these 22 years! “(Correspondence of Nikolai and Alexandra Romanov. M.-L. 1926. T.4. P. 204).

Before leaving for Russia, Nikolai decided to tell his bride about his affair with Kshesinskaya. “What happened, happened,” Alice writes with tears in her eyes, “the past can never be returned. We are all subject to temptation in this world, and when we are young, it is especially difficult for us to resist and not give in to temptation. But if we can repent, God will forgive us. Sorry that I talk about this so much, but I want you to be sure of my love for you. I love you even more after you told me this story. Your trust touched me deeply. I will try to be worthy of him. God bless you, my beloved Nicky...”

The words that Alice writes in her fiancé’s diary are imbued with the most sublime feeling of love, the light of which they were able to carry throughout their lives.” Just before leaving England, She will write in His diary: “I am yours, and you are mine, rest assured. You are locked in my heart, the key is lost, and you will have to stay there forever."]

Used Books:
Pages of life. P. 7.
As Abel the Seer of the Seer predicted to the holy Emperor Paul the First.
G. P. Butnikov. Savior on Spilled Blood. St. Petersburg B/g.
This is how Emperor Alexander II called his beloved grandson Tsarevich Nicholas.
Pages of life. P. 7.
About the oath, see the explanation of St. Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, given in the notes “ Christian Doctrine about the Royal Power and the duties of loyal subjects."
A popular proverb teaches us: “Whoever God wants to punish, He takes away his reason.”
TVNZ. March 23, 2006.
Oleg Platonov. Plot of regicides. 89-91.
"The perfection with which the Heir wielded English language, it was such that the Oxford professor mistook Him for an Englishman.” (Oleg Platonov. Conspiracy of the Regicides. P. 94.)
Pages of life. P. 12.
O. Platonov. Nicholas II in secret correspondence. P. 11.
Oleg Platonov. Plot of regicides. P. 94.
Pages of life. P. 14.
Compiled by R.S., a fragment of chapter 16 from Oleg Platonov’s book “Conspiracy of the Regicides” is given.
O. Platonov. Nicholas II in secret correspondence. pp. 11-12.
The compiler R.S. quotes the text from the book compiled by S. Fomin “Orthodox Tsar-Martyr”. (Hegumen Seraphim (Kuznetsov). Pilgrim. 1997. [below - Hegumen Seraphim. Orthodox Tsar.] P. 499-501.)
In Russia, the book of Bishop Mitrofan (Znosko-Borovsky) “Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Sectarianism” (Lectures on comparative theology, read at the Holy Trinity Theological Seminary) is known. (Publication of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (reprint). 1991.) We draw attention to this fact in order to prevent in advance possible accusations by “zealots” not according to the mind of Christ of this bishop of ignorance of the teachings of the Orthodox Church and of being unorthodox, of having a biased attitude towards Buddhism and predictions of the Buddhist hermit monk Terakuto.
S. Fomin has it here and everywhere below: Tsar-Martyr.
Who boast of their theological or other education, their ordination to the priesthood, their “Orthodoxy,” their belonging to the Russian chosen people of God, their social status, etc. It should be understood that all of these are talents given by God, which impose an obligation on their owners to use them in a godly manner and thereby acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit.
The double-headed eagle in the State Emblem of the Russian Empire clearly indicates that both the Priesthood and the Kingdom are in obedience to the Anointed Tsar!
The root of this word is “fornication,” and therefore being deceived in heart means spiritual fornication.
That is, chosen as the King of Heaven!
No one has greater love than this, but one who lays down his life for his friends (John 15:13) - Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).
The compiler cites the 2nd chapter from the book by E. E. Alferyev “Emperor Nicholas II as a man of strong will.” (Published by Holy Trinity Monastery. Jordanville, 1983. pp. 15-21.)
S. Pozdnyshev. Crucify Him. Paris. 1952. P. 9.
Ibidem, p. 10.
From Queen Victoria, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna inherited, as a transmitter, the fatal disease hemophilia. which She passed on to Her son, the Heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. See The Last Courts of Europe - A Royal Family Album 1860-1914. Introductory text by Robert K. Massie. J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd., London, 1981, p. 25.
Pages of life. P. 20.
Pages of life. P. 18.
Unknown Alexander the Third. pp. 215-216.
Pages of life. P. 18.
Wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, daughter of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna is the third lady in the Russian Empire after both Empresses. She was considered the head of the grand ducal opposition to Emperor Nicholas II. (Encyclopedia of the Russian Empire. Edited by V. Butromeev. U-Factoria. Yekaterinburg. 2002.) (Note from the compiler R.S.).
Pages of life. P. 22.
E. E. Alferev. Letters from the Royal Family from captivity. Publication of the Holy Trinity Monastery. Jordanville, 1974, pp. 340-341.
Unknown Alexander the Third. P. 218.
Oleg Platonov. Plot of regicides. pp. 101-102.

home » Loans » Report on approval of a special assessment of working conditions. Report on a special assessment of working conditions - sample. Who prepares the reporting documents