Whenever we read or hear the name Romanov, we immediately think about the last Romanov royal family, especially the story of Anastasia, Rasputin, or the tragic death of the entire family. But their story only captivates us out of morbid interest, since, frankly, Nicholas was probably one of the lamest tsars and rulers in Russian history. Moreover, the Romanovs go back centuries to Feudal Russia and, like the last members, their story is just as or even more fascinating. So, who were they and how did they become one of the richest and most influential families in history?
We’ll have to go back to the story of the famous Ivan IV, better known as “Ivan the Terrible.” After his death in 1584, Russia saw itself immersed in a dark period known as the Times of Troubles, in which the crown passed from head to head to people unrelated to the royal family, without really managing to find stability. What’s fascinating is that the story of the Romanov dynasty started as it ended. It all started one morning in 1613, when Ivan’s 16-year-old great-nephew awoke to the news he had been elected Tsar by the national assembly. And so, the long royal dynasty of the Romanov begun.
The Bachelor:
Mikhail Fyodorovich I (1596-1645)
The sickly teenager marked the start of the Romanov dynasty. Against all odds, he made this feudal empire thrive, conquering most of the Siberian territory and ensuring an immediate succession lineage. How? By finding the perfect bride through a bride contest. The contest involved over 500 candidates from all over the country who were closely analyzed by him and his advisors in all ways you can imagine: beauty, charisma, and, yes, physical traits.
When his beloved bride passed away only four months after the contest, the contest’s committee took a look back at the finalists and decided the next best choice was Eudoxia Streshnyova, with whom he had 10 children. Now, what makes of Mikhail a fascinating character is that his kind of creepy way of selecting a bride didn’t only become a tradition for the tsars who followed, but also quite the event for the masses, making them forget the horrible peasant life they endured for a while. More importantly, he set the foundations for his name to last for centuries to come.
The Great:
Peter Alexeyevich I (1672-1725)
Peter’s father, Alexis I (son of Mikhail I), had thirteen children with his first wife (though most of them passed away at a young age), and three with his second one. When Alexis died, his eldest son, Fyodor III, took the crown, though only for six years. When he died without an heir, troubles began. On the one hand, there was Ivan V, the only surviving male heir of Alexis’ first wife, a mentally and physically impaired sixteen-year-old. On the other hand, there was Peter, the healthy ten-year-old half-brother who was the better option of the two. After a rebellion, it was agreed that both siblings would rule under the regency of their eldest sister, Sofia Alexeevna.
In 1696, Peter became the one and only Tsar of the Russian empire and one of its greatest monarchs. In his 43-year reign, he made of Russia a world power through the expansion of the territory, naval routes that connected the country with the West, impressive international relations, and a cultural and scientific revolution like the territory hadn’t seen in its history (not to mention he built his own city in honor of, well, himself, St. Petersburg). All in all, he was a reformer who, unlike his predecessors, understood that all the good should go to the state rather than the church.
He was the first Tsar to leave the country on diplomatic tours as well as the first one to actually divorce his elected wife to marry a peasant, Martha Skavronskaya, who changed her name to Catherine and was crowned Empress despite the court’s reticence. But it wasn’t all good… Peter had some odd tastes when it came to entertainment. It’s said he had his own alternative court called “The All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters,” which included his “beloved” dwarves, and he even organized weddings and fights between them. He also had a particularly creepy predilection for executing traitors with his own hands.
The Terrible:
Anna Ivanovna (1693-1740)
With the death of a childless Peter II, Peter the Great’s grandson, the direct male line of the Romanov’s was death. It was clear there would not be a next tsar but an empress. The question was who? Peter the Great had two surviving daughters with Catherine, but since they had been born out of wedlock, they weren’t considered the best choice. Ivan V, Peter’s brother, had three daughters, and despite the fact that they were farther down the line, compared to the last tsar, the decision was easier. As such, Anna, the eldest, was chosen to be Empress of all of Russia and its conquered territories.
Anna’s reign was known as the “Dark Era” mainly because she became an absolutist monarch based on an autocracy, meaning she didn’t care about councils and advisors (not to mention the creation of a secret police department in charge of all her enemies). Her strict and often cruel ways earned her the nickname of “Iv-anna the Terrible.” How terrible? It’s said she even forced a prince to become her personal jester. Humiliating, isn’t it? Not only that, she would laugh at poor Prince Mikhail Golitsyn’s wedding, to a very unappealing bride, she had a palace made entirely of ice and forced the newlywed couple to spend the night there, telling them the only way to survive hypothermia was by spending the night having sex.
As terrible as she was, she was determined to leave a legacy. She ended some of the unfinished projects of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. She was convinced that the success of a country depended on its militia. But far from preparing a horde of killers, she believed they had to be educated men who understood what they were doing. Everybody with a military rank had to be trained in the arts and sciences as well. This policy would be widely promoted by her successors.
The Despot:
Catherine Alekseyevna I (1729-1796)
Born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, this Prussian princess might be one of the most fascinating characters in Russian history. Converted into Russian Orthodoxy as Ekatherina Alekseyevna, she married Peter III (Empress Anne’s Nephew) in 1745 to what became a hellish marriage. When Peter was crowned Tsar, he found a way to get rid of his wife by trying to divorce her, claiming adultery, and that their son Paul wasn’t his. After conspiring with other aristocrats who weren’t happy with Peter’s pro-Prussian inclinations of his lack of Russianness, Peter was arrested and murdered while Catherine seized the throne for herself.
Considered the Golden Age of Russia, Catherine’s ruling was strict, but open at the same time. During the Enlightenment, Catherine adopted and adapted most of these precepts and ideals into a country that had lagged behind other European nations. Often thought of as an enlightened despot, Catherine became one of Russia’s biggest patrons of the arts and sciences. Actually, the famous Hermitage Museum started as Catherine’s personal collection, and even some of the most influential authors of the time praised her writing and wits.
Of course, she’s not famous because she made the country thrive while making it a refuge to migrants fleeing from religious persecution, her life was also filled with rumors regarding her many lovers and favorites, or even her sometimes too explicit sexual memories, which, by the way, were so open that it was even rumored she had died after having sex with a horse. Her open enjoyment of sex wasn’t a secret, but it became more evident when almost 200 years later her secret room of pleasures was discovered at the Tsárskoye Seló’s palace. Great for the great Catherine, isn’t it?
The Liberator:
Alexander Nikolayevich II (1818-1881)
Catherine was the last female ruler of Russia (even to our days). After her death, her son Paul took the throne. Then came his eldest son Alexander I (famous for his victory against Napoleon), followed by his younger son Nicholas I, and then the latter’s son, Alexander II, known as the Liberator. Why the name? Well, it was under his reign that serfdom was abolished after centuries of injustice.
During his reign, Alexander, who was more of a liberal tsar, introduced several social reforms, including a new judicial system, the abolition of corporal punishment, the promotion of education at all levels, and the end of some noble privileges. He was also a kind of pacifist who didn’t want his empire to be immersed in another futile war. For that reason, he decided to separate Russia from Napoleon III’s France and even sold Alaska to the US to avoid any useless confrontation with the Brits, who were after the territory as well. Of course, avoiding war was harder than he thought, and Russia had some conflicts including a feud with the Turks.
It all sounds really good, but his reforms weren’t well-received by many, especially those that thought he was “benefiting” from them. Alexander suffered several assassination attempts by a group called Narodnaya Volya or People’s Will (considered to be one of the first terrorist organizations). Eventually, they succeeded when one of the members threw an explosive that hit and killed Alexander.
This group, which included characters like Lenin’s elder brother, would be the roots of the revolution that ended with the Romanov dynasty one morning in 1918. Just as it had started over three centuries before, with the early awakening of a teenager, this time, it was Tsar Nicholas II’s young boy Alexei the one who would be woken up only to shut a long-lasting dynasty down.
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