The Children of Tsar Nicholas II ("OTMAA")


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More great photos of Olga,Tatiana and Maria.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd359/olga-romanova/1895-1903/quqzq81n.jpg
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd359/olga-romanova/1895-1903/12-1.jpg
th_olgaandtatiana1900.jpg

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd359/olga-romanova/1895-1903/30_1.jpghttp://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd359/olga-romanova/1895-1903/21-1.jpg
I love these pictures. At the first I really like Tatiana's look on the face. And I love how Olga and Tatiana have captured Marie on the second one :)
 
I like Olga in that photo, Shamaine. It's beautiful.
Here are more lovely sets of photos from Yale archive.:cool:
Enjoy these.











 
Thank you so much for posting those, Val!
I love that one of Maria standing on a rock with Olga and Tatiana and also OTMA in the snow... They look so adorable!
 
I doubt Olga would have married the future Edward VIII. It was thought about in a official way but never actually seriously planned, and there was nothing between them personally- however, it is quite possible one of OTMA would have become a queen in some country. Dierna23, have you ever read about how Mounbatten wanted to marry Marie N, and how he kept her photo until the day he died? He ended up marrying someone else, but he never forgot his beautiful cousin. Olyashka, thanks for the photo of Maria and Olga 1914 that you posted by itself. I don't believe I had ever seen it. Do you know who is the photo with them? Is that Anna Vyrubova?
 
I doubt Olga would have married the future Edward VIII. It was thought about in a official way but never actually seriously planned, and there was nothing between them personally- however, it is quite possible one of OTMA would have become a queen in some country. Dierna23, have you ever read about how Mounbatten wanted to marry Marie N, and how he kept her photo until the day he died? He ended up marrying someone else, but he never forgot his beautiful cousin. Olyashka, thanks for the photo of Maria and Olga 1914 that you posted by itself. I don't believe I had ever seen it. Do you know who is the photo with them? Is that Anna Vyrubova?

Yes, I know this story, a very touching and quite romantic story IMO. Its such a lovely imagination that Lord Louis remembered her all his life. I have a quote from one of my biographies about Mountbatten:

"Oh, they (OTMA) were lovely and terribly sweet, far more beautiful than their photographs show. I was crackers about Marie, and was determined to marry her. She was absolutely lovely. I keep her photograph on the mantlepiece in my bedroom - always have."

And thats the photograph:
Maria%201914%204.jpg
 
Maria! My fav OTMMA girl! that pic is definetely going to my collection! Thanks Dierna!
 
I think it's possible that Marie would have married Mountbatten had things turned out differently, although had the Revolution happened she would not have brought much or any money into the marriage, and I believe it was neccesary for Mountbatten to have a bride with money, since his own family was not that well off. He married an heiress, Edwina Ashley. Also, had the revolution not happened, Mountbatten, having lost his title of Prince after George V decided to rid the family of German titles, may have been regarded as too low ranking for a Grand Duchess, but then again he was of royal birth.
 
It's possible but I never read or heard of Maria's feelings and minds about cousin Dickie. So its possible that it was a onesided crush or just a teenage puppy love (but I read as well, that Louis himself seriously intended to marry her after the war). As for the money - Victoria of Battenberg wasn't happy about Edwina's wealthiness when Louis told her that he liked to marry Edwina Ashley. She said: "It never can be a good thing when a woman is so much more rich than the man."
 
I hadn't remembered Louis's mother said that, it has been awhile since I read about it. It would certainly have been an interesting marriage had it happened. Marie would have had the revolution not happened brought a lot of money into the marriage too, of course. Victoria of Battenberg was very practical/ down to the earth, it's not surprising she said that.
 
Olyashka, thanks for the photo of Maria and Olga 1914 that you posted by itself. I don't believe I had ever seen it. Do you know who is the photo with them? Is that Anna Vyrubova?


It´s Queen Maria of Romania, Picture was taken during the imperial visit to Constanza.

As for Dickie Mountbatten and Maria possible marrige: If Maria was to marry Dickie (who was btw one year her junior) she would have to abandon Orthodox faith even though Dickie´s status didn´t "needed" it, because Russian Orthodox church forbides marriages between first cousins - and that´s exactly what Dickie and Maria were.

But he certainly had puppy love for her: "I was mad about her and absolutely determined to marry her. You couldn´t imagine anyobe more beautiful than her..."
 
Thanks for telling me who that was. For some reason, I thought it was Anna V. But it was just Marie of Romania in her later years when she had put on weight. That fact makes it hard to recognize her.
 
The picture is not of greatest quality and if you have not seen the ones taken the same day, you could easily mistake Maria for somebody else. I forgot to write it is the year 1914. The visit was organized to encourage the possible marriage between Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna and Prince Carol, but both declined. When Carol visited Russian court in1916, he was quite taken by Olga´s younger sister Marie and asked for her hand, but the Tsar only laughed that sixteen-years-old Marie is "just a schoolgirl".
 
Thanks for your reply Fireweaver. It seems only about 50 years before that, England and Germany attacked Russia when they invaded Turkey? (somewhere south of the Crimea), so it would seem they weren't too intimidated. It might have been due to all the crimes the tzar was charged with so of course the Bolsheviks would want to try him supposedly. Now Putin wants all those crimes pardoned and the family has already been canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

But it is more understandable in those terms. The USA doesn't appreciate other countries which give safe harbor to certain individuals either. :doh:

It was France and England not Germany
 
The Tsar and Tsarevich

I came across this photo of the Tsar and Tsarevich. A formal photograph presenting a captured German machine gun just after WWI started in 1914. This was just after the Tsarevich's 10th Birthday. The Tsarevich had twisted his ankle, thus he is seated.

With 14 million peasant drafts lead by an officer corps one percent of that size, the Russian army was short of every single thing except soldiers, bravery and enemies.

Tsar Nicholas II with Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich.
The Lower Dacha (New Palace), at Peterhof, 1914.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=30436455&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=20553032932&aid=-1&id=1497778218&oid=20553032932

I have friend on Facebook that send me photos, and I realize this URL is very long. If anyone has trouble viewing, please fell free to request it via email.

HMB
 
A serious note needed to correct Toscany:

... [in part]...

With 14 million peasant drafts lead by an officer corps one percent of that size, the Russian army was short of every single thing except soldiers, bravery and enemies.
..... HMB

It is a Bolshevik/Communist myth that has been repeated so many times, it became fact rather than fiction. There were no shortages at the beginning of the Great War (WW1). Shortages did occur later when the revolutionaries became involved and started to convince the peasants to stop productions of everything, which included the hospital trains from the front and trains carrying ammunition, boots and food from the factories and farms to the cities.

This is Fige's statements about Russia and if it was prepared for WWI p. 253: "By 1914 Russia was spending more than Germany on her armed forces: over one-third of all government expenditures. It is not true, as historians later claimed, that the Russian army was unprepared for war. In manpower and material it was at least the equal of the German army, and, thanks to the recent improvements of Russia's western railways, took only three days more than its enemy to complete its mobilization."


BOOK: Orlando Figes's book is: A PEOPLE'S TRAGEDY, THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION 1891-1924.

AGRBear
 
Bear, I'm reading the Crawfords "Michael and Natasha" and they report that Michael and Natasha sent trains with supplies paid for by them to the front. Food for Michael's men (Michael had ulcers and had to be on a strict diet) and other things.

The Crawford's also reveal that Alexandra talked plenty of baby talk to Nicholas in her letters. I am wondering if she spoke to her daughters that way and they were rather socially inept because of this.
 
Bear, I'm reading the Crawfords "Michael and Natasha" and they report that Michael and Natasha sent trains with supplies paid for by them to the front. Food for Michael's men (Michael had ulcers and had to be on a strict diet) and other things.

The Crawford's also reveal that Alexandra talked plenty of baby talk to Nicholas in her letters. I am wondering if she spoke to her daughters that way and they were rather socially inept because of this.

It is my next reading on the shelf. I am currently reading Pauline Gray's book that I have just received on inter-library loan.

HMB
 
A serious note needed to correct Toscany
My statement actually was meant for later on, and not the onset of the war.

The Army was massive, and Russia's railway sytem was an important strategy in moving both troops, food, horses, and weapons.

I should not have mentioned Russia's mighty army with the photograph of 1914. It was not intended to be confusing.

I must reference this book. Thank you for including it.

HMB
 
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Bear, I'm reading the Crawfords "Michael and Natasha" and they report that Michael and Natasha sent trains with supplies paid for by them to the front. Food for Michael's men (Michael had ulcers and had to be on a strict diet) and other things.

The Crawford's also reveal that Alexandra talked plenty of baby talk to Nicholas in her letters. I am wondering if she spoke to her daughters that way and they were rather socially inept because of this.

Crawford's book is a good read and helps a person view Russian history from where Michael was sitting which was between a rock and a hard place.

AGRBear
 
I´m sorry to hear that the Russian Orthodox Church refuses to canonize and recognize those remains as Alexei and Maria´s. I don´t understand why the church won´t accept DNA evidence as the proof those were the children´s remains. This is sad that the children aren´t going to be buried together with the rest of their family. I was hoping for the Russian Orthodox Church to see the DNA tests as evidence. Anyways, I´m glad that a relative of the Romanovs is trying to do something to have a burrial for the children´s remains.:sad:
 
Hmm... It's a mystery to me as well why the Russian Orthodox Church refuses to regognize the remains as Alexei and Maria. :confused: I would be very upset if they won't be buried together with the rest of their family... :ermm:
 
Hmm... It's a mystery to me as well why the Russian Orthodox Church refuses to regognize the remains as Alexei and Maria. :confused: I would be very upset if they're won't be buried together with the rest of their family... :ermm:
I think that the Russian Orthodox church won't accept the remains because the they believed that Alexei and Maria's remains were completely destroyed, just as others thought before July 2007. I think this might be the reason, why the church doesn't want to change their original thought.
 
Russian Orthodox Church

I´m sorry to hear that the Russian Orthodox Church refuses to canonize and recognize those remains as Alexei and Maria´s. I don´t understand why the church won´t accept DNA evidence as the proof those were the children´s remains. This is sad that the children aren´t going to be buried together with the rest of their family. I was hoping for the Russian Orthodox Church to see the DNA tests as evidence. Anyways, I´m glad that a relative of the Romanovs is trying to do something to have a burrial for the children´s remains.:sad:

Agreed. However, it has only been since 2007 that the DNA evidence was presented. These things take time. Look how long they waited to have a final resting place for the family.

HMB
 
Agreed. However, it has only been since 2007 that the DNA evidence was presented. These things take time. Look how long they waited to have a final resting place for the family.

HMB
Yes, it has only been two years, Tuscany. I know that some don't see the DNA as evidence and prefer to believe in their own opinions as the truth.
But, if you saw the Finding Anastasia show on Saturday, the documentary explained why the remains were Maria and Alexei's.Their bone fragments were small, fragile and over 90 years old, and bones in that condition are usually hard to identify. The scientists worked hard for months in trying to identify these small remains by accounts from the murderers and forensic evidence.So, the forensic evidence should be counted as accurate evidence...
 
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