The Diary of Olga Romanov (2 page)

The family doted on the little boy; he was overprotected and spoiled. In 1912, when Aleksei was eight years old, he came close to death after a minor accident while the family was on a holiday in Poland. Aleksei's life was apparently saved by the intervention of a Siberian peasant named Grigori Rasputin. It was not the first time that Rasputin's seemingly miraculous powers had been evoked. On this occasion, Rasputin had not even been present in Poland but had communicated via telegraph from his own home in Siberia.

An obituary to announce the passing of the heir to the throne had already been prepared, and the imperial doctors had all but given up on the seemingly dying boy. But amazingly, Aleksei slowly recovered after Rasputin's telephone call. Hence the man whom Aleksei's parents referred to as “Our Friend” and “Father Grigori” solidified his role as the savior of their beloved son, as well as their own spiritual advisor whom they viewed as their liaison with God.

During the summer of 1913, the Romanov dynasty commemorated its tercentennial. The dark “times of trouble” of 1905 seemed like a long-forgotten and unpleasant dream. To celebrate, the tsar and his family made a pilgrimage to ancient historical landmarks around the Moscow region, and the people cheered. Nicholas and Alexandra were once again convinced that their people loved them and that their policies were on the right track.

It would have been difficult for anyone to imagine at this time that only four years after these days of glory, a revolution
would depose the Romanov dynasty from its imperial throne. The family that was hailed enthusiastically during the celebrations of 1913 would no longer rule Russia in 1917. Instead, they would be under arrest, and a little more than a year after that they would be dead—murdered by their own people.

Numerous factors influenced the events that led to the sudden end of a three-hundred-year-old Russian imperial dynasty. Terrible losses during World War I and continuous rumors and a widespread belief that Rasputin was ruling Russia through his influence on the imperial couple were among the reasons that events spiraled out of control. The bloody climax came on the night of July 17, 1918, when a Bolshevik execution squad shot, bludgeoned, and bayoneted the tsar and his family to death.

It is difficult to say whether history would have been different if the baby boy who was destined to inherit the Russian crown had been born as healthy as his sisters. Would the historical outcome for Russia and the world have been any different? Clearly the nature of Aleksei's medical condition contributed in many ways to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty. Their son's hemophilia was one of the main reasons Nicholas and Alexandra isolated themselves in Tsarskoe Selo, trying their best to keep the heir's condition secret not only from their subjects but even from their extended family members. Aleksei's hemophilia was the principal cause of Alexandra's terrible anxieties and various physical ailments, real or imagined. These led her to avoid society, thus alienating the imperial family from their subjects. This uncharacteristic behavior was misinterpreted by Russia's aristocratic upper class and antagonized those who might have supported Nicholas and Alexandra during difficult times. The isolation of the tsar's family fostered a climate of misunderstanding, frustration, and ultimately resentment.

Perhaps if more people in Russia had known about Aleksei's hemophilia, they would have not harbored some of the suspicions and sinister innuendos arising from the close relationship of Alexandra, in particular, with the hated Siberian peasant. The degree of Grigori Rasputin's influence, while certainly great, was in fact exaggerated. But often perception becomes reality.

There is no denying that Aleksei's hemophilia was the principal reason why Rasputin came into the lives of the Russian imperial family in the first place. He inadvertently but significantly contributed to discrediting Nicholas as a ruler among his subjects during a major war, which led to the tsar's abdication and to his and his family's eventual deaths.

The story of the last reigning Romanovs continues to fascinate scholars as well as Russian history buffs. In it there is something for everyone: a great royal romance between a handsome young tsar—the ruler of one eighth of the entire world—and a beautiful German princess who gave up her strong Lutheran faith and life as she knew it for love. There were their beautiful children: four lovely daughters, and a baby boy born with a disease from which he could die at any moment. There was the controversial “holy” man who seemed to have wormed his way into the imperial palace, and who was seen to have a corrupt and immoral influence on the tsar, the empress, and their children. There was even an unlikely simpleton, or in some people's opinion a cunning “best friend” to the empress. This was Anna Vyrubova, who allegedly manipulated the empress and even the emperor behind the scenes, in league with Rasputin.

There were political assassinations of the powerful, shootings of the innocent, partisan intrigues, worker strikes, mass uprisings, and a world war; a murder, a revolution, and a bloody civil war. And finally there was regicide: a secret execution in the middle of the night of the tsar, the empress, all of their children, their servants, even their pets, in the cellar of the “House of Special Purpose” in the heart of Russia's Urals.

The last reigning Romanov family unwittingly created a thorough historical legacy. Due to their love of photography, their habit of letter writing, and the tradition of keeping daily diaries, they provided detailed evidence of their lives. Tsar Nicholas, his wife, and all of his children kept diaries, starting at the age of about nine to eleven. The diaries were not in any way intended for pouring out their souls, but rather to keep track of daily events, in an almost subjective manner. Occasionally, emotions and opinions inevitably made their way into the diaries. Many of the diaries were destroyed by their owners when the revolution broke out, but some did survive.

The diaries of the eldest daughter of the tsar, the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, will be the focus of this book. The original diaries are currently held at GARF (State Archives of Russian Federation) in Fond # 673, op. 1, 271 ed. All the documents contained in this Fond are dated 1895–1917. Fond 673 also contains additional documents which reflect the grand duchess's other activities, connected to her work at the infirmary, her patronage of various committees, military regiments of which she was chief, as well as her correspondence with relatives and friends. The diaries, however, are arguably the most valuable of these documents.

Olga Nikolaevna kept her diaries from the age of nine, writing in Russian. The first entry was made on January 1, 1905 (“I was in church with Papa and Mama”), the last on March 15, 1917, which was almost exactly a year and four months before her death. The rest of the pages from the 1917 book were torn out. It is unclear whether there may have been more writing on the torn-out pages, but judging by the last page this was probably not the case.

There are twelve of Olga's diary books in total. From 1905 until 1912 they are custom-made memorial gift books (9 by 13 inches or 22.86 x 33.02 centimeters), a different color for each year, in silk bindings, with the dates on the cover. From 1913 until 1916 they are contained in large notebooks with dark leather bindings, which fit the entire year plus a few months of the next. The entire 1910 diary is missing—probably burned by Olga after the revolution.

All the diaries consist of short entries about regular events, activities, and meetings kept daily during the year. Only during the early years do we come upon missed entries. As Olga got older, the diary entries were kept more carefully and consistently.

From 1911 on, the grand duchess began using her own special codes. When Crimean researcher Maria Zemlyanichenko read Olga's diaries she was the first to take notice of the abbreviation “S.,” which referred to the name of the grand duchess's love interest. Upon closer inspection this seemed to be a letter referring to a person's nickname rather than their given name. Knowing that the imperial family liked to use affectionate nicknames for each other, like “Sunny” or “Sunshine,” we can speculate that this is what this letter may have stood for. Her beloved was her “Sunshine,” who brought light into her somewhat monotonous world. Different codes referred to other love interests.

In the diaries we can follow how these crushes became real psychological attachments: she longs to see “him” all the time, be near “him,” misses “him.” And she is always full of happiness when she does see her “dear one,” “charming one,” “golden one.” When Olga's diaries are compared to other journals, it is possible to figure out some of the names of the mysterious love interests and other secret codes. Some of the decoded lines are included in this book.

Starting in August 1914, the events of World War I and the work with the wounded at the infirmary where Olga worked as a nurse filled her entire life. This is clearly reflected in her writings. Her empathy toward the wounded soldiers who fought for their country, her loyalty to Russia, love for her parents and siblings, and her strong religious faith are always evident in her diary entries.

Olga and her three younger sisters collectively referred to themselves as “OTMA,” an acronym for the first four letters of their respective names: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. Their brother Aleksei was usually viewed as a separate entity, not just because he was the only boy, but also due to his grand status as the heir to the Russian throne.

One of the most famous Russian rulers was Empress Catherine the Great. Why could not the eldest daughter of the tsar inherit the throne? The answer goes back several generations. After the death of his mother, Catherine's son, Tsar Paul I, quickly instated the Salic law because of his hatred toward the late empress. Paul wanted to prevent any other woman from ruling Russia again.

If it were not for the Salic law, the eldest imperial daughter would have been recognized as the heir presumptive and become empress in the absence of a legitimate male heir. In the case of Nicholas and Alexandra, there would not have been an imperative to keep trying for a son, and later to ensure the son's survival at any cost, at least not for political reasons. In 1917 the tsar abdicated; the fact that a daughter could not inherit the throne, coupled with Aleksei's delicate health, meant that this spelled the end of the Romanov dynasty.

Again, there is no way to tell how differently history would have turned out if the Salic law had not prevented Olga, or one of her sisters, from being crowned as empress. This young woman was a witness to historical events, and if
certain decisions and actions of her forebears had been different, Olga might have played a much more significant role in the history of not only Russia but most likely the entire world.

As things actually stood in 1917–18, Grand Duchess Olga was relatively irrelevant in political terms. She was murdered along with her parents and siblings not because of what she did or could have done, but because of who she was.

The surviving diaries of all of Nicholas II's daughters were kept under strict supervision in Russian archives until very recently. Most of them have not been translated into English or published at all. This book contains translations of representative excerpts from Grand Duchess Olga's diary covering the time period 1914–1917, from World War I to the Russian Revolution. It also includes some previously unpublished letters to her father during the same time period. Where Olga's diary abruptly leaves off, I have allowed Nicholas II to continue the story with his own diaries, supplemented by memoirs written by close family friends and associates and other documents pertaining to the period. The memoirs of close family friends and associates such as Anna Vyrubova, and such major players as the head of the Provisional Government Alexander Kerensky are included in the narrative, to offer a wider perspective of the events. This is the first time most of these documents have been translated into English and published.

THE CHILDHOOD OF OLGA ROMANOV

We know little about this great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. We have seen pictures of her sitting with her sisters, standing alone in Court dress, or on horseback in the uniform of her regiment. We have heard details of her life, of her devotion to her sisters, her parents, her little brother, but few know that her mentality, her intelligence, her gifts, would have made her a remarkable personality, had she lived.—Meriel Buchanan

W
ho was the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova? The daughter of the British ambassador, Meriel Buchanan, talks about the Grand Duchess Olga as a figure of considerable mystery during her short life. Olga's own diaries give remarkable insight into the life and times of the eldest daughter of Russia's last tsar.

A very large baby girl came into the world on November 15 (old style
¹
: November 3) 1895, in St. Petersburg, Russia. On that day her father, Tsar Nicholas II, wrote in his diary:
“A day I will remember forever…at exactly 9 o'clock a baby's cry was heard and we all breathed a sigh of relief! With prayer we named the daughter sent to us by God ‘Olga’!”

Olga's aunt the Grand Duchess Ksenia wrote a more cynical diary entry for November 3: “The birth of a daughter to Nicky and Alix! A great joy, although it's a great pity it's not a son!…The baby is huge—weighing 10 pounds—and had to be pulled out with forceps!”

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was the first of Tsar Nicholas II's and Tsarina Alexandra Fedorovna's five children. Born at the Anichkov Palace, Nicholas's childhood home where the newlywed imperial couple initially settled, Olga was born “in the purple”—during the imperial reign of her parents. Her Russian title “Velikaya Knyazhna” is most precisely translated as “the Grand Princess,” which means that Olga, as an “Imperial Highness,” was higher in rank than other princesses in Europe who were merely “Royal Highnesses.” “Grand Duchess” is the more common English translation.

Olga's mother, Alexandra, startled her own grandmother, Queen Victoria of England, by insisting on breastfeeding her firstborn, which was quite unusual for aristocratic, let alone royal, women in the nineteenth century. Olga was the only one of her siblings to meet in person her formidable English great-grandmother, who was also one of her godmothers. The tiny grand duchess was probably too young to remember her visit to the British court, as it occurred during the family's trip abroad when she was just an infant. Empress Alexandra, known to her family as Alix, was one of Queen Victoria's favorite granddaughters. Victoria was delighted to meet her new great-granddaughter and spend time with her, posing for numerous photos.