The Diary of Olga Romanov (4 page)

Diplomatically, Olga never actually said that she did not like the Romanian prince as a potential husband. Instead, she insisted that the reason she did not want this marriage was because she did not wish to leave her beloved Russia or
change her nationality, as she would be forced to do if she married Prince Karol. The idea of the Romanian engagement was eventually abandoned, and as Russia entered the world war later that summer, there was no more talk about it.

The coming of war marked a great change in Olga's life. Instead of the social activities and balls of peacetime, Olga and Tatiana joined their mother in training as military nurses or “Sisters of Mercy.” Working together in their contribution to the Russian war effort no doubt strengthened the strong sisterly “We 2” bond between Olga and Tatiana.

After August 1914, Olga's diaries are full of her impressions and thoughts about the infirmary that was set up at the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, which was the sisters' own hospital, and about the patients themselves. The two younger sisters, Maria and Anastasia, had their own separate infirmary; however, they were too young to officially train as Sisters of Mercy.

In the twilight of 1916, events turned progressively more dismal for Olga and her family. Meriel Buchanan recalled: “Spending her days working in the hospital, butting [caring] for the wounded, caring for her brother who had fallen ill again after a visit to Headquarters, the Grand Duchess Olga saw her mother daily more exhausted, more strained, more unhappy, and eventually overwhelmed with grief when Rasputin was murdered on December 16, 1916.”

Olga may have been the only one of her siblings who understood at least some of the implications of what was happening in her country. According to Buchanan, Olga “was keenly aware of the growing menace and dangers of the situation. ‘Why has the feeling in the country changed against my father?’ she asked a lady-in-waiting, and then the latter replied that to explain that it would be necessary to go back to the reign of her grandfather who had countermanded all the progressive,
constitutional plans of her great-grandfather Alexander II. Olga was silent and pensive, not entirely satisfied perhaps, wondering if there were not more ominous reasons for the unrest and ferment that she sensed rather than knew about, but which filled her with a growing anxiety.”

Olga stopped writing in her diary in March 1917, just as the frightening events of the Russian revolution began to intensify. There was no explanation or even a hint of why she chose to stop writing. Later she did write a number of letters to her relatives and friends from exile, but never again did she write another line in her diaries, eventually destroying at least one of them. It is unclear why she chose to burn part of her diaries, just as her two youngest sisters did, and why she left the rest of the volumes intact. Perhaps it was because most of her diaries were packed away in chests and suitcases after the family was moved to Siberia and the Urals, and she had no access to them.

Olga's life ended before her twenty-third birthday, a life that by many accounts was full of potential. What kind of a woman would she have become if she had been given the opportunity to live out her natural life? No one will ever know. What is left behind are the diaries and letters of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova, as well as the reflections of those who knew her. These provide a revealing glimpse into the character of this sensitive and intelligent young woman, who happened to be the eldest daughter of the last tsar of Russia.

1
. The Gregorian calendar (new style) replaced the Julian calendar (old style) in Catholic countries beginning in 1582. This change was also implemented in Protestant and Orthodox countries after a significant delay. In Russia the change took place after the revolution in 1918.

1914

T
he year 1914 started out as any other for the imperial family and for Russia, and they had no way of knowing that this would be the year when everything would change. Anna Vyrubova, a close friend of Empress Alexandra, writes in her memoirs: “1914, the year that became fatal for our poor motherland and for almost everyone in the entire world, started out peacefully and calmly.” At the beginning of the summer the family went to Livadia, Crimea, for their usual Black Sea shore holiday.

In August, Russia entered World War I and life as they knew it would never be the same. To contribute to the war effort, Olga, her sister Tatiana, and her mother Empress Alexandra trained as Sisters of Mercy. Part of the Grand (Catherine) Palace at Tsarskoe Selo was turned into a military infirmary where the two girls and their mother worked, changing dressings, assisting at surgeries, cleaning instruments, distributing medications, reading to patients, and helping them write letters. The girls were also involved in various charitable organizations and events to raise money for war veterans and their families. For the first time Olga was exposed to the darker side of life. The family was also physically apart for extended periods, which had not occurred before. Olga and her siblings missed their father, who was now often away at Stavka (military headquarters) in Mogilev. They corresponded with him regularly and looked forward to his letters and telegrams. Olga turned nineteen in November 1914.

—

Yr. 1914

Tuesday, 7th January.

Went on Vetka [train] to meet Aunt Ella.
¹
Breakfasted in the library with Papa, Mama. Unc. Boris and Unc. Georgiy.
²
During the day we 3 with Papa skied down the hill by the White Tower. Mama at the bottom. Lots of fun. Spoke on the telephone with Aunt Olga. At 10 1/2 to bed. It was boring. Papa in his [rooms] reading.

Wednesday, August [
sic
] 26th.
³

Today is Grandpa's
⁴
birthday. Had breakfast with Grandma
⁵
and Aunt Ksenia
⁶
and Unc. Sandro.
⁷
From there, rode to Krondshtadt, to the Archeological Committee. Watched some interesting digs. Ran into Sh.
⁸
on Nevsky.
⁹
Returned by 4 o'clock for tea and dinner with Papa and Mama. Papa and T. played a little.

1st March, Saturday.
29th February.
[
sic
]

Lessons. At 12 hrs 20 min. we 2 with Papa rode to have breakfast at Grandma's. Ladies-in-waiting were there too. At 2 o'clock to the Fortress.
¹⁰
Panikhida
¹¹
for Great-grandfather
¹²
and Great-grandmother.
¹³
The entire family was there. [It's] warm in the sun. Skied down the hill. Papa worked on the ice. Mama went out in a little sleigh. She was very tired bec.[ause] in church, [illegible] was not long and she received [people]. Tea and dinner with Papa and Mama. Went to
vsenoshnaya
[vespers]. In the evening looked at pictures and sketches of churches in Yaroslavl and Rostov. Sat with Mama until 11 o'clock. Papa read a lot in his [room].

Saturday. 22nd March.

At 10 hrs. 20 min. we 2 [referring to herself and Tatiana] with Papa. Aunt Missy, Nando and Karol
¹⁴
went to the Winter Pal.[ace],
¹⁵
where they watched the parade of new recruits from the windows. Long, but nice. Had breakfast at Grandma's, with Mama, Aunt Olga
¹⁶
Aunt Ksenia, Unc. Sandro and Aunt Marie.
¹⁷
From there went to Grandpa's
¹⁸
museum. The Romanians left…and [we] had tea at home.

Wednesday. 26th March.

Aunt Ella came [onto the train] at 9 3/4 o'clock in Moscow, and stayed until 91/4 until Kursk. Sat with Mama all day.

Holy Christ's Resurrection. 6th April.

At 11 o'clock,
Khristovaniye
¹⁹
downstairs and Mama gave out eggs. During the day to Anya's
²⁰
with Mama. In the evening
went to [see] Aunt Mavra
²¹
…and returned for tea time. Anya [came] for dinner too…. In the evening sat with Mama.

Saturday. 14th June.

Moleben
²²
at 9 1/2 for M.'s birthday (did our hair) and at 10 o'cl. we 4 [refers to herself and her three sisters: Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia] with Papa, Mama, Aunt Olga, Unc. Kyril,
²³
Aunt Ducky
²⁴
and George
²⁵
headed to “Alexandria” in Kronstadt,
²⁶
English squadron. Looked at the “Lion,” a colossal thing. Very classy. It was raining, but warm. Had breakfast [illegible] then departed, Went on the “New Zealand” but did not stay long.
²⁷
Tea with Papa and Mama. Dinner too and with Unc. Kyril and Dmitri.
²⁸

Saturday. 19th July.

Talked with [name in code]. Tea with Papa and Mama and breakfast with Ioann,
²⁹
dinner also, and with Dmitri and Aunt Olga. During the day took a walk with Papa. After
vsenoshnaya
it was announced that the German swine have declared war on us. God help us. So difficult.

—

From the memoirs of Anna Vyrubova:

The days before the war was declared were awful; I saw and felt how the Empress is trying to make a dangerous decision. I played tennis with the children daily; returning I would see the Tsar pale and upset…, At this time a telegram from Rasputin in Siberia arrived, where he was in bed wounded, [he was] begging the Tsar: “do not start a war, with the war it will be the end of Russia and of Themselves and that every last man will be killed.” The Emperor was annoyed by this telegram, and he paid no attention to it.

—

Thursday. 24th July.

We 2 slept with Mama, went on to Alexandria and picked up Aunts Victoria
³⁰
and Ella. Returned for breakfast and left before dinner.

Passed by dear Yalta. Overcast and rainy. During the day sat at home, sewed. Rode our bicycles. Later at 6 o'clock ended up at Anya's with her 3 charming nieces. Aunt Olga came for dinner with [illegible] and talked. Austria declared war on us. Bastards.

—

From the memoirs of Anna Vyrubova:

Their Majesties' Petersburg arrival on the day of declaration of war confirmed the Tsar's prediction that war will wake up patriotic spirit in the people. Thousands of people everywhere with national flags, and the Tsar's portraits. The singing of the hymn “Lord save Thou people.” Not one of the residents of the capital stayed home that day. Their
Majesties arrived in Petersburg via the sea. They walked from the boat to the Palace, surrounded by the people, who cheered them. We barely got through to the Palace; on the stairs, in the halls, [were] crowds of officers all over and various persons who had access to the Court. It is hard to imagine what happened when Their Majesties came out. In the Nikolaevsky Hall, after molebna, the Tsar addressed all present with a speech. At first his voice shook from nervousness, but later he started to speak confidently and with inspiration and ended with the words: “That he will not end the war until every last enemy is driven out of the Russian land.” In response there was a deafening “Hurrah”; sounds of admiration and love; the military crowded around the Tsar, waved their hats and yelled so [loudly] that it seemed that the windows in walls shook…Their Majesties slowly returned and the crowd, ignoring court etiquette, ran to them; the ladies and the soldiers kissed their hands, shoulders, Empress's dress. She glanced at me when she passed by and I saw that her eyes were full of tears. When they came into the Malachite room, the Grand Dukes ran over to ask the Tsar to show himself on the balcony. When they saw him, the entire ocean of people on the Palace Square, all as one got down on their knees in front of him. Thousands of flags bent down, hymns were sang, prayers…Everyone was crying…Among these feelings of endless love and loyalty began the war.

They moved to Tsarskoe Selo where the Empress, forgetting her illnesses, set up a special evacuation point, which included 85 infirmaries at Tsarskoe Selo, Pavlovsk, Peterhof, Lug, Sablin, and other locations.

—

Thursday. 21st August.

After
Znamenie
³¹
[went] to change dressings. I have 3 new [patients] wounded in the arm. Later sat with Mama's officers.
[Name in code] was there for breakfast, for dinner too. Anya [came] for tea. It's sunny—and good news: [we] took Lvov and Galich. Thank God. The Serbs are also winning over those dirty scoundrels. Before tea rode our bicycles along with Papa in a kayak. To bed at 10 o'cl. Gr.[igori] Yef.[imovich]
³²
came by.

Friday, September 19.

Tea with Uncle Kostya
³³
and Aunt Mavra. Around 4 o'clock took a walk with Papa. Mama too. 15 degrees,
³⁴
raining and cold, sunny in the morning. Grigori Yefimovich came by in the evening. Aleksei's knee and arm hurt. [He is] lying down.

—

Letters from Olga to Nicholas II:

20 September.

My golden Papa, may the Lord God keep you. Although it is so hard to part from you, I am glad that you are going. When the army sees you it will be easier for them to fight and it will be nice for you to see them. So, farewell, sunny-Papa. I love you so so much and kiss you.