The Romanovs today are genealogy. Direct descendants of the Romanovs, their photos and biographies

His Eminence Pavel (Fokin Pavel Semyonovich), Metropolitan of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut.

Born on January 9, 1956 in the village of Kucherovka, Glukhovsky district, Sumy region (Ukraine).

From 1974 to 1976 he served in the ranks Soviet army... Since 1981 he has worked as a choir director of the children's choir and the choir of secondary school teachers. In 1985 he moved to Leningrad. He carried the obedience of a reader and psalmist in the Transfiguration Cathedral. In 1989, on the recommendation of the rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral, professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy, Archpriest Nikolai Gundyaev, he entered the LDS. In 1992, after graduating from the seminary, he entered the LDA. In 1996 he defended his Ph.D. thesis on "The Order of Malta and its Historical Development."

On September 21, 1996, Archbishop Alexander of Kostroma and Galich was ordained a deacon, on September 27 - a presbyter.

On October 8, 1996, he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Paul in honor of the Monk Paul, the Obnorsk and Komel miracle worker.

On October 31, 1996, he was approved as the governor of the Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma.

During his service in the Kostroma diocese, he bore the obedience of a member of the diocesan council, dean of churches in the city of Kostroma, chairman of the diocesan court, teacher of the Kostroma theological seminary. At the same time, he bore the obedience of the rector of the church of St. ap. John the Theologian in Kostroma and supervised the completion of the church of the Prophet Elijah in the village of Ilyinskoye, Kostroma region.

From October 16, 2002 to January 15, 2003, he served as an assistant to the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem without interrupting the management of the monastery.

By the decision of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and the Holy Synod of December 26, 2003, he was relieved of his post as governor of the Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery and was appointed rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral in San Francisco (USA).

By the decision of the Holy Synod of August 21, 2007 (magazine No. 65), he was relieved of his post as rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral in San Francisco and appointed to the post of rector of St. Nicholas Stavropegic parish in Rome.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of May 30, 2011 (magazine No. 43), he was elected the ruling bishop of the newly formed Khanty-Mansiysk diocese.

On June 11, 2011, in the Throne Hall of the Patriarchal Apartments of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he was named, on June 12, at the Divine Liturgy at the Dormition Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he was ordained Bishop of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut. The divine services were led by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The website of the Association of the Romanov Family Members (www.rdnevnik.ru and the Cyrillic domain domromanovykh.rf), created in preparation for the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov (to be celebrated in 2013), has been launched. The site will collect materials about the history of the dynasty and the modern life of the Romanov family. Ivan ARTSISHEVSKY, representative in Russia of the "Association of members of the Romanov family", spoke about how the Romanovs live now.

- ANDvan Sergeevich, how did you become the representative of the Romanov family in Russia?
- In 1998, we met and got acquainted with Prince Nikolai Romanovich - the great-great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I. He often came with his brother Dimitri Romanovich (namely Dimitri - that was his name since childhood) and turned to me with requests to help in organizing their stay in Russia. And when the transfer of the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, members of his family and servants from Yekaterinburg to St. Petersburg became a reality, I, being the leader working group on reburial, was actively engaged in the reception and accommodation of all members of the Association and maintaining contacts with them. Since, by virtue of my biography, I perfectly understood both the feelings with which they came to Russia, and the measure of their isolation from real life in our country, which recently ceased to be the Soviet Union, we have developed a very open, trusting relationship. This was even expressed in the fact that when Nikolai Romanovich was asked to speak in front of students or schoolchildren, he could ask me to write him “six points” - the topic of the speech, since at that time he did not have a very good idea of ​​what could be of interest to modern youth. But with the presentation of thought, the older Romanovs have no problems - they speak Russian perfectly.

- When did the Romanovs first come to Russia?
- The first to come to Russia was the Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. At the beginning of his work as mayor of Leningrad, Anatoly Sobchak went to Paris, where he was introduced to Vladimir Kirillovich, the son of Nicholas II's cousin. When Anatoly Alexandrovich returned, his first phrase was: “I saw the emperor, the real Romanov! I want to invite him here. " So in 1991, at the invitation of the mayor of Leningrad, Vladimir Kirillovich, together with his wife Leonida Georgievna, came to Russia to rename our city to St. Petersburg. There were many unrest in connection with this visit - and the experience had not yet been gained, and it was difficult to finance (I even had to look for sponsors), and no one knew how Prince Romanov himself would behave.

- It was still Soviet Union…
- Yes, that's why there were many subtleties: it was important to present all this ideologically correctly. That is, of course, there was no "God Save the Tsar!" Our goal was to neatly link different historical eras.

- What impression did the visit to Russia make on him?
- Honestly, the impression is the strongest. Probably, we cannot even imagine the full extent of his shock when he saw with his own eyes what his parents had told him for decades. We traveled around Petersburg, and he was happy to see this city with his own eyes. For the longest time he stood at the window of his grandfather's office, the brother of Emperor Alexander III (the Palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, now the House of Scientists), and looked at the Peter and Paul Cathedral. We stood next to him, afraid to move. Who among us could have known then that in six months he would be buried in this cathedral.

- How did he perceive modern Russia?
- He was here only five days and experienced a tremendous moral shock, and he was already 74 years old ... Therefore, it is difficult for me to say what he thought about modern Russia. But the fact that he did not at all understand what life was like in the Soviet Union, could not imagine empty store shelves, is a fact. The Romanovs have lived all their lives in a different reality and, of course, often do not understand modern Russia. Although the history of the Fatherland is known to perfection.

- When they talk about the descendants of the Romanovs, they name two societies - the Society of the members of the Romanov family and the Imperial House of the Romanovs. Where did this division come from?
- You probably mean the Association of members of the Romanov family? Yes, it exists - it is a public organization registered in Switzerland and uniting all the descendants of the Romanovs. And the Russian Imperial House is an organization that includes two people who consider themselves the empress and crown prince of a certain ephemeral throne of Russia. Therefore, it is difficult to call it division. They are all Romanovs, and all are in morganatic marriages. If we delve deeper into the study of the "Institution of the Imperial Family", then we will understand why the legitimacy of the Russian Imperial House is untenable. In short, the heirs to the throne after Emperor Nicholas II were: Tsarevich Alexei, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. But in 1906, Kirill Vladimirovich married a divorced cousin, Princess Victoria Melita, who was also a Lutheran. After the wedding, Nicholas II ordered to expel Cyril from Russia, deprive him of his right to the throne and give the children the name of the Romanovskys. True, in 1910, Nikolai nevertheless recognized the marriage and allowed his brother to return. But the return of the right to the throne was out of the question.

- Thus, Cyril could not claim the throne?
- Yes, I couldn't. The year 1917 comes, and Kirill Vladimirovich takes the side of the February Revolution, and according to the testimony of those years, he walks with a red bow and brings his guards crew to guard the Tauride Palace, where the State Duma was located. After the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II (for himself and for his son), Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich abdicates: until the decision of the Constituent Assembly. And Kirill Vladimirovich also joined in the refusal of Mikhail before the decision of the Constituent Assembly. In 1917, after the arrest of Nicholas II and his family, Kirill managed to escape to Finland, then he and his family moved to Paris. Later, Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of Emperor Nicholas II, and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., grandson of Nicholas I, leave Russia. And when in 1924 Kirill writes them a letter, where he openly expresses his desire to become a Russian emperor, and asks for their blessing on this step, instead of a blessing, he received a sharp refusal. Despite this, Kirill Vladimirovich publishes a manifesto in which he proclaims himself the Emperor of the All-Russian Cyril I.

- Was it legal?
- No, because back in 1906 he violated the law on succession to the throne. Soon, the son of Kirill Vladimirovich, Vladimir Kirillovich, is growing up, who, following the example of his father, considers himself the head of the Russian Imperial House. And he himself again violates the law on succession to the throne, when in 1948 he enters into a civil marriage with Leonida Georgievna Kirby (nee Bagration-Mukhranskaya). The fact is that Leonida Georgievna was not only a divorced woman, but she had a child from her first marriage. After the death of Kirill Vladimirovich, Vladimir Kirillovich takes the title of head of the Imperial House. Vladimir Kirillovich proclaims his daughter, Maria Vladimirovna, the sole heiress.

- Can a woman inherit the right to the throne?
- No, if you follow the laws established by Paul I. Moreover, Maria Vladimirovna married Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, a German prince. According to Roman law, the wife receives the surname and title of the husband: that is, after marriage, Maria Romanova becomes Maria Hohenzollern ( nee Romanova). This is evidenced by the "Gothic Almanac" (genealogical collection of titled nobility). This handbook is published under the patronage of Spanish king- I think you can trust him.

- Why then Maria Vladimirovna calls herself the head of the House of Romanov?
- The House of the Romanovs is a family, it is more than 20 people of direct descendants of Russian emperors and more than 100 people of their family members. The head of the family is now Prince Nikolai Romanovich, the great-great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I. As for Maria Vladimirovna, the Association of members of the Romanov family considers her to be its member, but not the head of the Imperial House. She is also not a Grand Duchess, since the last Grand Duchess of the Imperial family was the sister of the murdered Tsar Nicholas II, Olga Alexandrovna, who died in Canada in 1960. All living members of the Romanov family bear the titles of princes and princesses.

- And what is the Imperial House?
- As I said, these are two people: Maria Vladimirovna and her son Georgy Hohenzollern.

- And what does the head of the house do?
- Comes with visits to Russia, attends exhibitions, temples, educational establishments, which, in fact, do many Romanovs. But, in addition, she gives out orders, medals and titles of nobility- although only ruling monarchs have this privilege. And when deputies of the State Duma or the chairman of the Central Election Commission become the objects of reward, this, in my opinion, causes skepticism and surprise in society.

- Do the Romanovs themselves feel like descendants of the emperor?
- You know, it is very easy to communicate with them, they have no false mannerisms. And they probably feel themselves as descendants, because they have the same grandmothers and grandfathers as we do.

- Do monarchs of other states recognize the descendants of the Romanovs as an imperial family?
- Yes, of course, and this is confirmed by the Gothic Almanac. For example, Dimitri Romanovich visits the Danish queen. And in August, when Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev was in Denmark, the Danish Queen Margrethe II instructed Dimitri Romanovich to be the main escort of our president.

- Is the House of the Romanovs a political phenomenon or a cultural one?
- Nostalgic. Although attempts to tie politics here do not stop. They call me different people, claiming their connection with the Romanovs. Today a man called, claiming that he was the illegitimate son of the Grand Duchess Mary, that he had documents that confirm this. Nikolai Romanovich is very angry when this happens, and does not do such things at all. So I have to work with it.

- Does any of the Romanovs want to return to Russia?
- So far, only Maria Vladimirovna has voiced her desire to return to Russia, but only as the head of the Russian Imperial House of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna. With the receipt special status, by analogy with the Russian Orthodox Church. Of course, none of the other Romanovs would think of this. They are glad to have the opportunity to come to Russia, they run charitable programs here, some of the Romanovs try different partnership projects with Russia, but they never interfere in politics. There is no talk of returning yet. But who knows, maybe in the future such ideas will appear, because some representatives of the younger generation of the Romanovs seriously study the Russian language and regularly come to our country. .

Anastasia Dmitrieva

400 years ago, Russia chose a tsar for itself. On February 21 (March 3, new style), 1613, the Zemsky Sobor was elected to the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - the first representative of the dynasty that ruled Russia for more than three centuries. This event put an end to the horrors of the Time of Troubles. But what did the era of the Romanovs turn out to be for our country? ...

Roots of the genus

The Romanov family has ancient origins and went from the Moscow boyar of the time of Ivan Kalita Andrei Kobyla. The sons of Andrey Kobyla became the founders of many boyars and noble families, including the Sheremetevs, Konovnitsins, Kolychevs, Ladygins, Yakovlevs, Boborykins, etc.
The Romanovs came from the son of Mare Fyodor Koshka. His descendants were first called the Koshkins, then the Koshkins-Zakharyins, and then the Zakharyins.

Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina was the first wife of Ivan IV the Terrible. She alone knew how to pacify the temper of Ivan the Terrible, and after she was poisoned and she died at the age of 30, Grozny compared every next wife to Anastasia.

Anastasia's brother, boyar Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin, began to be called Romanov after his father, Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin-Koshkin.

So, the first Russian tsar from the Romanov family, Mikhail Romanov, was the son of the boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov and the boyar Ksenia Ivanovna Romanova.

Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (1596-1645) - the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty.

The accession of the Romanovs: versions

Since the Romanovs, thanks to the marriage of Anastasia, were related by kinship with the Rurik dynasty, during the reign of Boris Godunov they fell into disgrace. Mikhail's father and mother were forcibly tonsured into monks. He himself and all his relatives were exiled to Siberia, but were subsequently returned.

After the end of the Time of Troubles in 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich as a new sovereign. Then he was only 16 years old. In addition to him, the Polish prince Vladislav (future Vladislav IV), the Swedish prince Karl Philip, as well as representatives of many noble boyar families claimed the throne.

At the same time, the Mstislavskys and Kurakins collaborated with the Poles during the Troubles, the Godunovs and Shuisks were relatives of the recently overthrown rulers. Representative of the Vorotynsky clan, member of the "Seven Boyarshchyna" Ivan Vorotynsky, official version, recused himself.

According to one of the versions, the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov was considered a compromise, in addition, the Romanov family did not so stain itself in Time of Troubles like other noble families. However, not all historians adhere to this version - they believe that the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov was imposed on the Zemsky Sobor, and the cathedral did not represent all the Russian lands at that time, and the Cossack troops greatly influenced the course of the meetings.

Nevertheless, Mikhail Romanov was elected to the kingdom and became Mikhail I Fedorovich. He lived for 49 years, during the years of his reign (1613 - 1645) the tsar managed to overcome the consequences of the Time of Troubles, to restore centralized power in the country. New territories in the east were annexed, and peace was concluded with Poland, as a result of which the Polish king ceased to claim the Russian throne.

Figures and facts

Most of the Russian tsars and emperors from the Romanov dynasty lived long enough short life... Only Peter I, Elizabeth I Petrovna, Nicholas I and Nicholas II lived for more than 50 years, and Catherine II and Alexander II lived for more than 60 years. Nobody lived to be 70 years old

Peter I the Great.

Catherine II lived the longest life and died at the age of 67. Moreover, she did not belong to the Romanov dynasty by birth, but was German. Peter II lived the least of all - he died at the age of 14.

The direct line of succession to the throne from the Romanovs was interrupted in the 18th century, all Russian emperors, starting from Peter III, belonged to the Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov dynasty. The Holstein-Gottorp were a German ducal dynasty and at some point in history became related to the Romanovs.

The longest (34 years) the country was ruled by Catherine II for 34 years. Peter III ruled least of all - 6 months.

Ivan VI (John Antonovich) was a baby on the throne. He became emperor when he was only 2 months and 5 days old, and his regents ruled in his place.

Most of the impostors passed themselves off as Peter III. After he was overthrown, he died under unexplained circumstances. The most famous impostor is considered Emelyan Pugachev, who led the peasant war in 1773-1775.

Of all the rulers, the most liberal reforms was carried out by Alexander II, and at the same time the most attempts were made on him. After a series of unsuccessful assassination attempts, the terrorists still managed to kill the tsar - he was killed by a bomb that the People's Will threw at his feet on the embankment of the Catherine Canal in St. Petersburg.

The last emperor Nicholas II, who was shot by the Bolsheviks, as well as his wife and children were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as martyrs.

The Romanov dynasty in persons

Mikhail I Fedorovich
The first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty
Lived: 1596 - 1645 (age 49)
Reign: 1613 - 1645

overcoming the consequences of the Time of Troubles; restoration of centralized
authorities in the country; annexation of new territories in the east; peace with Poland, in
as a result of which the Polish king ceased to claim the Russian throne.

Alexey I Mikhailovich
Son of Fyodor Mikhailovich. For the absence of major upheavals in the country during the years of his
reign was named the Quietest
Lived: 1629 - 1676 (age 46)
Reign: 1645 - 1676
Achievements and government initiatives:
military reform; a new set of laws - the Cathedral Code of 1649; ecclesiastical
reform of Patriarch Nikon, which caused a split in the church.

Fedor III Alekseevich
Son of Alexei Mikhailovich. He had poor health, which is why he died early
Lived: 1661 - 1682 (20 years old)
Reign: 1676 - 1682

Achievements and government initiatives:
census of the country's population in 1678; abolition of parochialism - distribution
official positions, taking into account the origin and official position of the ancestors; introduction
household taxation with direct taxes; fight against schismatics.

Sofya Alekseevna
Regent over Ivan V and Peter I, who were both recognized as tsars. After
displacement tonsured into a nun
Lived: 1657 - 1704 (age 46)
Reign: 1682 - 1689

Achievements and government initiatives:
the signing of "Eternal Peace" with Poland, according to which Kiev was recognized as part of
The Russian kingdom; - fight against schismatics.

Ivan V
The son of Alexei Mikhailovich and the elder brother of Peter I. He had poor health and did not
interested in government affairs
Lived: 1666 - 1696 (age 29)
Reign: 1682 - 1696 (co-ruler Peter I)

Peter I
The last Russian tsar and the first emperor Russian Empire(since 1721).
One of the most famous rulers of Russia, who radically changed
historical destiny of the country
Lived: 1672 - 1725 (age 52)
Reign: 1682 - 1725

Achievements and government initiatives:
large-scale reforms on a radical reorganization of the state and social
way of life; the creation of the Russian Empire; creation of the Senate - the highest body
state power, subordinate to the emperor; victory in Northern War with
Sweden; the creation of a military fleet and a regular army; construction
St. Petersburg and the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg from Moscow; Spread
education, the creation of secular schools; publication of the first newspaper in Russia;
annexation of new territories to Russia.

Catherine I
The wife of Peter I. She took little part in public affairs
Lived: 1684 - 1727 (43 years old)
Reign: 1725 - 1727

Achievements and government initiatives:
the creation of the Supreme Privy Council, with the help of which the entourage
empresses actually ruled the state; opening of the Academy of Sciences, creation
which was conceived under Peter I.

Peter II
Grandson of Peter I, the last direct male descendant of the Romanov dynasty. V
due to his young age, he did not take part in public affairs and indulged in
entertainment, his entourage ruled instead
Lived: 1715 - 1730 (14 years old)
Reign: 1727 - 1730

Anna Ioanovna
Daughter of Ivan V. Favoritism flourished during her reign.
Lived: 1693 - 1740 (47 years old)
Reign: 1730 - 1740

Achievements and government initiatives:
the dissolution of the Supreme Privy Council and the creation of a cabinet of ministers; institution
The Office of Secret Investigation Affairs; conversion in the army: limitation of service for
nobles for 25 years, the creation of new guards regiments, the establishment of the Shlyakhetsky cadet corps.

Ivan VI (Ioann Antonovich)
Great-grandson of Ivan V. Was an emperor in infancy during the regency of Anna's favorite
John Ernst Biron and his mother Anna Leopoldovna, was overthrown, his
spent his childhood and the rest of his life in prisons
Lived: 1740 - 1764 (age 23)
Reign: 1740 - 1741

Elizabeth I Petrovna
Daughter of Peter I, the last heir to the throne from the Romanov dynasty
straight female line.
Lived: 1709 - 1761 (age 52)
Reign: 1741 - 1761

Achievements and government initiatives:
the abolition of the cabinet of ministers and the restoration of the role of the Senate; reform
taxation, elimination of internal customs duties and taxes; expansion of the rights of the nobility; creation of the first Russian banks; accession of new territories in Central Asia to Russia.

Peter III
Grandson of Peter I and son of his eldest daughter Anna Petrovna. Due to unpopular measures
in foreign policy and in the army lost the support of the ruling circles and soon after
accession to the throne was overthrown by his own wife Catherine, who also
was his second cousin
Lived: 1728 - 1762 (age 34)
Reign: 1761 - 1762

Achievements and government initiatives:
the abolition of the Secret Chancellery; the beginning of the secularization of church lands; the publication of the Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility, which expanded the privileges of this class; an end to the persecution of the Old Believers.

Catherine II
Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst, daughter
the Prussian-General-Field Marshal and the wife of Peter III. Deposed her husband in 6
months after he ascended the throne
Lived: 1729 - 1796 (age 67)
Reign: 1762 - 1796

Achievements and government initiatives:
provincial reform, which determined the territorial structure of the country before
revolution of 1917; the maximum enslavement of the peasantry and the deterioration of it
provisions; further expansion of the privileges of the nobles ("Certificate of Merit
the nobility "); annexation of new lands to Russia - Crimea, Black Sea region,
parts of the Commonwealth; introduction of paper money - banknotes; development
education and science, including the creation Russian Academy; renewal
persecution of Old Believers; secularization of church lands.

Paul I
Son of Peter III and Catherine II. Was killed by officers as a result of a conspiracy, about which
the general public was not known until the beginning of the twentieth century
Lived: 1754 - 1801 (age 46)
Reign: 1796 - 1801

Achievements and government initiatives:
improving the position of the peasantry; creation of the State Treasury;
abolition of part of the privileges of the nobility granted by Catherine II the military
reform.

Alexander I
Son of Paul I and beloved grandson of Catherine II. It was during his reign that Russia
won in Patriotic War 1812 with Napoleon
Lived: 1777 - 1825 (47 years old)
Reign: 1801 - 1825

Achievements and government initiatives:
restoration of the validity of the "Charter to the nobility"; institution
ministries instead of collegia; "Decree on free farmers", thanks to which
the landowners received the right to free the peasants; establishment of military settlements for
manning the army; accession of new territories, including Georgia,
Finland, Poland, etc.

Nicholas I
Brother of Alexander I. Ascended the throne after the abdication of his second eldest
brother Constantine, then there was an uprising of the Decembrists
Lived: 1796 - 1855 (58 years old)
Reign: 1825 - 1855

Achievements and government initiatives:
suppression of the Decembrist uprising; increased censorship; creation of the Third
offices of the office for political investigation; the war in the Caucasus; improvement
the position of the peasants - it was forbidden to exile them to hard labor and sell them one by one
and without land; joining the mouth of the Danube to Russia, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus
and Transcaucasia; unsuccessful Crimean War.

Alexander II
Son of Nicholas I, actively spent political reforms and was killed as a result
terrorist attack by Narodnaya Volya
Lived: 1818 - 1881 (62 years old)
Reign: 1855 - 1881

Achievements and government initiatives:
the abolition of serfdom in 1861; Zemstvo reform - management issues
local zemstvos began to work; creation of a unified system of courts; creation
city ​​councils in cities; military reform and the emergence of new types of weapons; joining the empire of Central Asia, North Caucasus, Of the Far East; sale of Alaska to the USA.

Alexander III
Son of Alexander II. After killing his father, he brought to naught many of him
liberal reforms
Lived: 1845 - 1894 (age 49)
Reign: 1881 - 1894

Achievements and government initiatives:
curtailment of many reforms in the field local government, judicial
systems, education; strengthening supervision over peasants; explosive growth
industry; restriction of factory work of minors and night work
adolescents and women.

Nicholas II
The last Russian emperor, son of Alexander III. For the time of his reign
all three Russian revolutions fell, after the 1917 revolution he renounced
throne and was killed by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg along with his family
Lived: 1868 - 1918 (age 50)
Reign: 1894 - 1917

Achievements and government initiatives:
general population census of 1897; monetary reform that established the gold
ruble standard; unsuccessful Russo-Japanese war; limitation of working hours for
enterprises; the publication of the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, granting the entire population
countries' basic civil rights and freedoms; creation of the State Duma;
entry into the First World War.

Facts and myths

The most terrible secret of the Romanovs was “Russian iron mask"- the failed Russian emperor Ivan Antonovich. According to the will of the childless Anna Ioannovna (she died in 1740), the son of her niece was to become her heir. At the age of one, the boy was dethroned by the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth. Ivan spent his whole life in confinement and was killed by guards in 1764 while trying to free him by the conspirators.

Princess Tarakanova is an impostor posing as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. While in Europe, she announced her claims to the throne in 1774. She was kidnapped by order of Catherine II and brought to Russia. During the investigation, she did not admit her guilt and did not disclose her origin. She died in prison in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Strictly speaking, the direct branch of the Romanov family ended after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1761. Since then, it is more correct to call the dynasty Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovskaya. There was practically no Slavic blood in its representatives, which did not prevent some of them from being deeply Russian people.

The most counterfeited "brand" in the history of the Romanovs is the ousted Emperor Peter III in 1762. More than 40 impostors are known to hide behind his name. The most famous false Peter is Emelyan Pugachev.

According to legend, Alexander I did not die in 1825 in Taganrog, but faked his death and lived in Siberia for another half century under the name of Elder Fyodor Kuzmich. Whether this is true or not is unknown.

By the way…

After the 1917 revolution, the Russian Imperial House lost political power, but retained the role of a historical institution.

“The status of the current Russian Imperial House is recognized by all modern royal houses. Its head is the Empress The grand duchess Maria Vladimirovna (b. 1953), great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Alexander II.

Her grandfather Kirill was a cousin of Nicholas II and headed the dynasty after the death of the Tsar, his son Alexei and his brother Mikhail, - said Kirill Nemirovich-Danchenko, advisor to the Chancellery of E.I.V. on interaction with public organizations and the state authorities of the Russian Federation. - The second member of the House is the heir to the Tsarevich and Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich (born in 1981), her son.

All other descendants of the members of the dynasty, in accordance with dynastic laws, do not possess the rights to the throne and do not belong to the Imperial House (the supremacy of Maria Vladimirovna is disputed by Nikolai Romanov, the son of the prince of the imperial blood Roman Petrovich. ... The total number of people in whose veins the blood of the Romanovs flows in the whole world is more than 100. Those who rightfully bear this surname are about 15.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich

Maria Vladimirovna lives in Spain. Since 2003, the dynasty has been represented at home by the Chancellery of the Russian Imperial House, whose goal is to promote the integration of the House into the social life of Russia. Maria Vladimirovna has repeatedly come to Russia, since 1992 she has personally known Vladimir Putin. After his election to the presidency, there have been brief meetings, but no detailed conversation has yet taken place.

The Grand Duchess and her son are citizens Russian Federation, declare their complete loyalty to the Constitution and the existing government, firmly oppose restitution and believe that the development of cooperation between the Imperial House and the modern state has a perspective. "