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This set of unique documentary materials prepared and presented on the Internet by the Museum in Memory of Emperor Nicholas II’s family features rare footage, made from 98 fragments of film from 1896-1916 shot in diverse localities of Russia and abroad. It is fascinating, deeply significant both historically and emotionally, truly a must for anyone concerned with the fate of our civilization.  Prior to watching it, let us review the milestones of life, service, martyrdom, veneration and canonization of the last Russian Monarch.

Born in 1868, Nicholas ascended to the throne at the age of 26, after the untimely death of his father, Emperor Alexander III, nicknamed the Peacemaker: during his reign Russia gained exceptional military and economical power, yet fought no wars: something quite rare for any time. Yet this legacy proved no guarantee for a peaceful entry in the new century.

The Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05, botched revolution of 1905-1907 and the First World War served as fertile ground for pernicious anti-Russian forces, both internal and external. In the early 1917 Emperor Nicholas was forced to resign by conspirators who maintained that his reign was a hindrance to the victory over Germany and Austria…

WIthin a few months the liberal Provisional Government was overthrown by the Communists. The Russian Empire fell apart, resistance to German forces vanished and the nation plunged into the abyss of suffering.

The Emperor, his wife, his son and five daughters with a group of faithful servants were dispatched to the East; in July of 1918 all of them were brutally murdered in the city of Ekaterinburg. The fate of their remains has been a subject of controversy; only recently an apparent success has been reached in identifying them. Remarkably, the Bolsheviks announced the “execution of the tsar”, staying mum about the fate of his family.

Veneration of the Royal Family by the faithful Christians was steadily spreading in diaspora as well as in Russia proper (even though here, if uncovered, it would send the culprit to death). This martyrdom - wilful, inasmuch the Emperor could easily negotiate his release by conceding to the new rulers - has been viewed as an admission of Monarchial responsibility for the trouble which befell his nation.

In 1981, in New York City, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad canonized the Royal Family with other New Martyrs and Confessors of the XX century. And you know the rest of the story: within ten years Russia was free from the Communist yoke. In the year 2000 the canonization was enacted by full Russian Church at the Council of Bishops in Moscow.

The significance of the last Emperor and the Royal Family for the Russian nation is twofold: firstly, it represents the whole Russian people which followed them to Golgotha of godless Communism; secondly, it is related to Monarchy as principle of government. As it is set forth in the Social Doctrine of the Russian Orthodox Church,

The power of a Monarch ought to be viewed as God-given…  Modern democracies, even those which keep monarchical form, seek no sanction of God for the government… However, there is a possibility for a spiritual revival of the people, by which a more godly form of government becomes natural yet again.

VIDEO CHAPTERS and HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 Intro

00:27 Part 1: Spiritual Life

• this part focuses on the piety of Emperor Nicholas II, it includes film footage of the Tsar and his family attending religious ceremonies in various parts of the Russian Empire, the laying of the foundations for new Orthodox churches, visits to monasteries and churches, attending molebens, and more.

19:34 Part 2: His Majesty’s Vacationing

• includes film footage of Nicholas II kayaking in the Finnish skerries; playing tennis at Livadia including footage of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna taking part; hunting; motoring in the Tsar’s favorite Delauney-Belleville; sailing on the Imperial Yacht Standart; the Grand Duchesses taking part in games with junior officers; Tsesarevich Alexei playing with his friends, under the watchful eye of his boatswain Derevenko; among others.

35:39 Part 3: Emotional Characteristics

• includes an interesting examination of the facial expressions, movements and nervous habits of Nicholas II, which include his constant stroking of his mustache; smooths and adjusts his uniform, touches his cap or crumples his gloves; Empress Alexandra Feodorovna is seen constantly bowing her head low with particular respect to those around her; the Grand Duchesses smiling often and sweetly; various scenes of the Tsar receiving the traditional bread and salt.

03:51 – Nicholas II and the grand dukes carry the coffin with the relics of St. Serephim

06:40 – the foundation of the Feodorovsky Sovereign Cathedral in Tsarskoye Selo

07:40 – the Emperor and his family visiting the St. Petersburg Mosque

09:33 – the Emperor and his family taking part in a procession at the Pechersk Lavra Caves Monastery in Kiev

15:10 – Nicholas II and his family at the Chapel of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow

26:08 – the Imperial Children in matching outfits, playing on the deck of the Imperial Yacht Standart

33:15 – Tsesarevich Alexei playing with his dog Joy

33:55 – Nicholas II and his family embarking on a boat ride on the Dnieper River, near Mogilev, August 1916

41:50 – Nicholas II at the celebration of His Majesty’s Imperial Guard on 4th October 1916, the last film of the Imperial Family before the Tsar’s abdication the following year

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