RomExile

July 14, 1998

The Romanovs' Time In Exile

By John Varoli

WHILE the Romanov dynasty ended its 305-year reign in 1917, and the last tsar and his family were executed in July 1918, the Romanov dynasty itself continued in exile.

Today, there are an estimated 60 surviving Romanovs, seven more than the 53 Romanovs alive on March 2, 1917, when Nicholas II abdicated.

Beside the grisly execution of the last tsar and his family in 1918, another 17 Romanovs were caught and murdered by the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution and the ensuing Civil War. One more died of sickness at the time.

Nicholas II's brother, Mikhail, was executed in the Ural Mountains city of Perm, just five days before Nicholas and his family. Mikhail has been called by some the last Russian tsar because Nicholas II abdicated in his brother's favor. Mikhail in turn abdicated for the entire Romanov line.

Another five Romanovs were thrown down a mine shaft at Alapayevsk in the Ural Mountains region in July 1918, including Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, cousin of the emperor, and the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the sister of the Empress.

Elizabeth's body was later recovered by the White Army and buried in St. Mary Magdalene's Church in Jerusalem. Well known for her work with poor, to this day many Russian Orthodox believers consider her a saint.

Three other cousins and one uncle of Nicholas II were executed in the Peter and Paul Fortress in January 1919.

In 1981, all the murdered Romanovs, with the exception of the left-leaning Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich, were canonized by the Orthodox Church Abroad. This church recognizes all victims of the Soviet Terror as saints.

One reason why so many Romanovs were caught and killed is that they did not abandon Russia at the first sign of trouble. Many held on to the last, according to research done by professor Kent Sole, of Georgia Southwestern State University.

European governments had offered help in evacuation but it was only in early 1920 that the last of the 35 surviving Romanovs left the country.

Today, the surviving Romanovs break down into four main branches - the Alexandrovichi; the Konstantinovichi; the Nikolaevichi; and the Mihailovichi. Each descends from and is named for the four sons of Emperor Nicholas I, the great-grandfather of Nicholas II who ruled Russia from 1825 to 1855. Nicholas II, for example, was of the Alexandrovichi.

The Romanovs now live in Europe and the United States, and various branches of the family compete for the non-existent title of heir to the throne, retaining hopes that Russia will one day re-establish the monarchy.

Duke Georgy Hohenzollern-Romanov, 17, is the most aggressive candidate. Or rather, it is his ambitious mother, Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, 45, who is most responsible for pushing her son's candidacy. Throughout the 1990s she has carefully courted the media to create the impression that her son is the Romanov heir.

Her grandfather, the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, Nicholas II's first cousin, proclaimed himself Tsar and Autocrat of all the Russias in 1924. He died in 1938 and his remains were laid to rest in the Peter and Paul Fortress' Crypt of the Great Dukes in 1995.

The next Romanov who would be tsar is Duke Nikolai Romanovich Romanov, 76. A republican at heart, he does not believe in the restoration of the monarchy in Russia - even though many consider him the rightful heir. Nikolai unites the 42 members of the Romanov family name who are opposed to Georgy's bid to the throne.

Russian and Romanov tradition is on their side. In the early 19th century, Paul I decreed that succession to the throne could only be passed through the male line. Therefore, Maria Vladimirovna has no right to pass the right of succession to her son.