Romanov family extra

This an extra entry regarding Nicholas II and the Russian imperial family in power at the time of the Russian Revolution – the Romanovs. For info about the Cold War and what to work with for class, see the entries from week 9 and 7.

The story about the last days of the Romanov family and the fate they met at the hands of the Bolsheviks is documented in the account given by Yakov Yurovsky, the leader of those charge with carrying out the execution of the family at the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg (also spelled Yekaterinburg).

The story of how the family was kept imprisoned and executed in secret the night of July 16-17, 1918, and the various scenarios that gradually unfolded are told in a book by Robert K. Massie called The Romanovs: The Final Chapter. Here, Yurovsky’s account is presented dramatically (the family had been told that they were going to be photographed and that was why they were being summoned), including the improbable way in which bullets bounced off the daughter’s bodices, not unlike bullets ricocheting off of Superman. Once the dead bodies were unclothed, 18 lbs. (8 kg.) of diamonds were found, many sewn into the women’s corsets.

Following the execution, the Bolsheviks attempted to blast, burn (with fire and then sulfuric acid), and hack with axes the bodies to destroy evidence of the execution.

The Communists, under Lenin’s leadership, did not announce the execution of the imperial family, in part because this occurred while the civil war between the Reds and Whites was going on, and it was known that this could have a negative effect on the Communists’ (Reds’) image. Furthermore,  Empress Alexandra was of German royalty and a cousin of German Kaiser Wilhelm, and German officials had made it clear that they wanted the empress and her family to be kept safe. So there were political reasons both at home and abroad for hiding the fact that the execution had taken place.

There is also evidence in the form of communication that indicates that the Communist government had both approved and ordered the execution.

The book tells of how, in the 1970s, a new search was started to find the remains of the Romanovs. Only a few fingers and other small remnants had been found by royalists bak in 1919, once news of the execution had gotten out. But decades later, once scientists pondered further on how difficult it is to actually get rid of human remains, and how charring bones can actually make them more difficult to completely render to ash, new speculations arose. Had there been a thorough search for the bones? Were there still remains in the woods outside Ekatarinburg?

In May, 1979, a few skulls were dug up. Note that this was still well in the Cold War. The Communists are in charge, and their narrative of what happened to the imperial family is not one that they want researched. So this excavation was being done in secret. Thus, with fear winning out over scientific inquiry, the skulls were re-buried in 1980.

Finally, in 1991, after the Soviet Union had dissolved, the search for any and all remains began in earnest. Now they found skulls, ribs, leg bones, arm bones, and vertebrae. Examination of these remains made it possible to “read” the various types of violence inflicted on the individuals.

Various testing made on the remains – including using the teeth, using comparative anatomy skills, and using DNA tests – are recounted in detail in the book. It’s a fascinating story that not only focuses on science but also on political intrigue – both domestic and international – and even mixes in religion, as Orthodox faith, long suppressed within the Soviet Union, revived nearly instantaneously, showing that it was never truly eliminated, merely under wraps, like a buoy held under water that immediately pops up over the surface once pressured has been removed. The book even deals with the whole Anastasia mystery – which was definitively ended with the recovery of the remains.