Olga Nikolaevna Romanova - daughter of Nicholas II, the eldest child. Like all members of the imperial family, she was shot in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg in the summer of 1918. The young princess lived a short but eventful life. She was the only one of Nikolai's children who managed to attend a real ball and even planned to get married. During the war years, she selflessly worked in hospitals, helping soldiers wounded at the front. Contemporaries warmly remembered the girl, noting her kindness, modesty and friendliness. What is known about the life of the young princess? In this article we will tell in detail about her biography. Photos of Olga Nikolaevna can also be seen below.
Birth of a girl
In November 1894, the wedding of the newly-made Emperor Nicholas with his bride Alice, who after the adoption of Orthodoxy became known as Alexandra, took place. A year after the wedding, the queen gave birth to her first daughter, Olga Nikolaevna. Relativessubsequently recalled that the birth was quite difficult. Princess Xenia Nikolaevna, Nikolai's sister, wrote in her diaries that the doctors had to pull the baby out of the mother with forceps. However, little Olga was born a he althy and strong child. Her parents, of course, hoped that a son, a future heir, would be born. But at the same time, they were not upset when their daughter was born.
Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was born on November 3, 1895 according to the old style. Doctors took childbirth in the Alexander Palace, which is located in Tsarskoye Selo. And already on the 14th of the same month she was baptized. Her godparents were close relatives of the tsar: his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, and uncle Vladimir Alexandrovich. Contemporaries noted that the newly-made parents gave their daughter a completely traditional name, which was quite common in the Romanov family.
Early years
Princess Olga Nikolaevna was not long the only child in the family. Already in 1897, her younger sister, Tatyana, was born, with whom she was surprisingly friendly in childhood. Together with her, they made up the "senior couple", that's what their parents jokingly called them. The sisters lived in the same room, played together, studied together, and even wore the same clothes.
It is known that in childhood the princess had a rather quick temper, although she was a kind and capable child. Often she was too stubborn and irritable. From entertainment, the girl loved to ride a double bicycle with her sister, pick mushrooms andberries, painted and played with dolls. In her surviving diaries, there were references to her own cat, whose name was Vaska. His Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna loved him very much. Contemporaries recalled that outwardly the girl was very much like her father. She often argued with her parents, it was believed that she was the only one of the sisters who could object to them.
In 1901, Olga Nikolaevna fell ill with typhoid fever, but was able to recover. Like other sisters, the princess had her own nanny, who spoke exclusively in Russian. She was specially taken from a peasant family so that the girl would better learn her native culture and religious customs. The sisters lived quite modestly, they were obviously not accustomed to luxury. For example, Olga Nikolaevna slept on a folding folding bed. Her mother, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, was engaged in upbringing. The girl saw her father much less often, as he was always absorbed in the affairs of governing the country.
Since 1903, when Olga was 8 years old, she began to appear more often in public with Nicholas II. S. Yu. Witte recalled that before the birth of his son Alexei in 1904, the tsar seriously considered making his eldest daughter his heiress.
More about parenting
Olga Nikolaevna's family tried to instill modesty and dislike for luxury in their daughter. Her teaching was very traditional. It is known that her first teacher was the reader of the Empress E. A. Schneider. It was noted that the princess loved to read more than other sisters, and later became interested in writing poetry. Tounfortunately, many of them were burned by the princess already in Yekaterinburg. She was a fairly capable child, so learning was easier for her than other royal children. Because of this, the girl was often lazy, which often angered her teachers. Olga Nikolaevna loved to joke and had an excellent sense of humor.
Subsequently, a whole staff of teachers began to study her, the eldest of whom was the Russian language teacher P. V. Petrov. The princesses also studied French, English and German. However, at the last of them, they never learned to speak. Between themselves, the sisters communicated exclusively in Russian.
In addition, close friends of the royal family pointed out that Princess Olga had a gift for music. In Petrograd, she studied singing and knew how to play the piano. Teachers believed that the girl had perfect hearing. She could easily reproduce complex pieces of music without notes. The princess was also fond of playing tennis and was good at drawing. It was believed that she was more inclined towards art, rather than the exact sciences.
Relationships with parents, sisters and brother
According to contemporaries, Princess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was distinguished by modesty, friendliness and sociability, although she was sometimes too quick-tempered. However, this did not affect her relationship with other family members, whom she loved infinitely. The princess was very friendly with her younger sister Tatyana, although they had almost opposite characters. Unlike Olga, her younger sister was stingy with emotions and morerestrained, but distinguished by diligence and loved to take responsibility for others. They were practically the same age, grew up together, lived in the same room and even studied. Princess Olga was also friendly with other sisters, but due to the difference in age, such closeness as with Tatyana did not work out for them.
Olga Nikolaevna also maintained good relations with her younger brother. He loved her more than other girls. During quarrels with his parents, the little Tsarevich Alexei often stated that he was no longer their son, but Olga. Like other children of the royal family, their eldest daughter was attached to Grigory Rasputin.
The princess was close to her mother, but she developed the most trusting relationship with her father. If Tatyana looked like the empress in appearance and character, then Olga was a copy of her father. When the girl grew up, he often consulted with her. Nicholas II valued his eldest daughter for her independent and deep thinking. It is known that in 1915 he even ordered to wake up Princess Olga after he received important news from the front. That evening they walked along the corridors for a long time, the king read telegrams aloud to her, listening to the advice that his daughter gave him.
During World War I
Traditionally, in 1909, the princess was appointed honorary commander of the hussar regiment, which now bore her name. She was often photographed in dress uniform, appeared at their reviews, but that was the end of her duties. After Russia's entry into the First World War, the Empress togetherwith her daughters did not sit out behind the walls of her palace. The tsar, on the other hand, rarely visited his family at all, spending most of his time on the road. It is known that the mother and daughters wept all day when they learned about Russia's entry into the war.
Alexandra Fedorovna almost immediately introduced her children to work in military hospitals located in Petrograd. The eldest daughters went through full-fledged training and became real sisters of mercy. They took part in difficult operations, cared for the military, made bandages for them. The younger ones, because of their age, only helped the wounded. Princess Olga also devoted a lot of time to social work. Like other sisters, she was involved in fundraising, giving her own savings for medicines.
In the photo, Princess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova, together with Tatyana, works as a nurse in a military hospital.
Possible marriage
Even before the start of the war, in November 1911, Olga Nikolaevna turned 16 years old. According to tradition, it was at this time that the Grand Duchesses became adults. In honor of this event, a magnificent ball was organized in Livadia. She was also presented with a lot of expensive jewelry, including diamonds and pearls. And her parents began to seriously think about the imminent marriage of their eldest daughter.
In fact, the biography of Olga Nikolaevna Romanova could not be so tragic if she nevertheless became the wife of one of the members of the royal houses of Europe. If the princess had left Russia in time, she could have survived. But herselfOlga considered herself Russian and dreamed of marrying a compatriot and staying at home.
Her wish might well come true. In 1912, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, who was the grandson of Emperor Alexander II, asked for her hand. Judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, Olga Nikolaevna also sympathized with him. Officially, the date of the engagement was even set - June 6th. But soon it was torn apart at the insistence of the empress, who categorically did not like the young prince. Some contemporaries believed that it was precisely because of this event that Dmitry Pavlovich subsequently took part in the murder of Rasputin.
Already during the war, Nicholas II considered the possible engagement of his eldest daughter with the heir to the Romanian throne, Prince Carol. However, the wedding never took place, because Princess Olga categorically refused to leave Russia, and her father did not insist. In 1916, Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich, another grandson of Alexander II, was offered to the girl as a suitor. But this time, the empress also rejected the offer.
It is known that Olga Nikolaevna was carried away by Lieutenant Pavel Voronov. Researchers believe that it was his name that she encrypted in her diaries. After the beginning of her work in the hospitals of Tsarskoye Selo, the princess sympathized with another military man - Dmitry Shakh-Bagov. She wrote about him quite often in her diaries, but their relationship did not develop.
February Revolution
In February 1917, Princess Olga became very ill. At first she came down with an ear infection, and then, likeother sisters, contracted measles from one of the soldiers. Subsequently, typhus was also added to it. The illnesses were rather difficult, the princess was delirious for a long time with a high temperature, so she learned about the riots in Petrograd and the revolution only after her father abdicated.
Together with her parents, Olga Nikolaevna, who had already recovered from her illness, received the head of the Provisional Government, A. F. Kerensky, in one of the offices of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace. This meeting greatly shocked her, so the princess soon fell ill again, but from pneumonia. She could finally recover only by the end of April.
House arrest in Tsarskoye Selo
After her recovery and before leaving for Tobolsk, Olga Nikolaevna lived under arrest in Tsarskoye Selo with her parents, sisters and brother. Their mode was quite original. Members of the royal family got up early in the morning, then walked in the garden, and then worked for a long time in the garden they created. Time was also devoted to the further education of younger children. Olga Nikolaevna taught her sisters and brother English. In addition, because of the transferred measles, the girls' hair fell out badly, so it was decided to cut them off. But the sisters did not lose heart and covered their heads with special hats.
Over time, the Provisional Government cut their funding more and more. Contemporaries wrote that in the spring there was not enough firewood in the palace, so it was cold in all the rooms. In August, a decision was made to transfer the royal family to Tobolsk. Kerensky recalled that he chose thiscity for security reasons. He did not see it possible for the Romanovs to move south or into central Russia. In addition, he pointed out that in those years, many of his close associates demanded that the former tsar be shot, so he urgently needed to take his family away from Petrograd.
Interestingly, back in April, a plan was being considered for the Romanovs to leave for England via Murmansk. The provisional government did not oppose their departure, but it was decided to postpone it due to the serious illness of the princesses. But after their recovery, the English king, who was Nicholas II's cousin, refused to accept them because of the deteriorating political situation in his own country.
Moving to Tobolsk
In August 1917, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna arrived in Tobolsk with her family. Initially, they were supposed to be placed in the governor's house, but he was not prepared for their arrival. Therefore, the Romanovs had to live for another week on the ship "Rus". The royal family liked Tobolsk itself, and in part they were even glad of a quiet life away from the rebellious capital. They were settled on the second floor of the house, but they were forbidden to go out into the city. But on weekends, you could visit the local church, as well as write letters to your family and friends. However, all correspondence was carefully read by the guards at home.
The former tsar and his family found out about the October Revolution belatedly - the news came to them only in mid-November. From that moment on, their situation deteriorated significantly, and the Soldiers' Committee, which guarded the house, treated them quitehostile. Upon arrival in Tobolsk, Princess Olga spent a lot of time with her father, walking with him and Tatyana Nikolaevna. In the evenings, the girl played the piano. On the eve of 1918, the princess fell seriously ill again - this time with rubella. The girl quickly recovered, but over time, she became more and more withdrawn into herself. She spent more time reading and hardly took part in the home plays that the other sisters put on.
Link to Yekaterinburg
In April 1918, the Bolshevik government decided to move the royal family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg. First, the transfer of the emperor and his wife was organized, who were allowed to take only one daughter with them. At first, the parents chose Olga Nikolaevna, but she had not yet recovered from her illness and was weak, so the choice fell on her younger sister, Princess Maria.
After leaving, Olga, Tatyana, Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei spent a little more than a month in Tobolsk. The attitude of the guards towards them was still hostile. So, for example, girls were forbidden to close the doors of their bedrooms so that soldiers could come in at any time and see what they were doing.
Only on May 20, the remaining members of the royal family were sent after their parents to Yekaterinburg. There, all the princesses were placed in one room on the second floor of the house of the merchant Ipatiev. The daily routine was quite strict, it was impossible to leave the premises without the permission of the guards. Olga Nikolaevna Romanova destroyed almost all her diaries, realizing that their situation was getting worse. Sameother members of the family did the same. The surviving records of that time are brevity, because it is unflattering to describe the guards and the current government could be dangerous.
Together with her family, Olga Nikolaevna led a quiet life. They were engaged in embroidery or knitting. Sometimes the princess took the already sick crown prince for short walks. Often the sisters sang prayers and spiritual songs. In the evenings, the soldiers forced them to play the piano.
The execution of the royal family
By July, it became clear to the Bolsheviks that they could not keep Yekaterinburg from the Whites. Therefore, in Moscow, it was decided to eliminate the royal family in order to prevent its possible release. The execution was carried out on the night of July 17, 1918. Together with the family, the entire retinue that followed the king into exile were also killed.
Judging by the memories of the Bolsheviks who carried out the sentence, the Romanovs did not know what awaited them. They were ordered to go down to the basement because shots were heard from the street. It is known that Olga Nikolaevna, before being shot, stood behind her mother, who was sitting on a chair due to illness. Unlike other sisters, the eldest of the princesses died immediately after the first shots. She was not saved by the jewels sewn into the corset of her dress.
The last time the guards of the Ipatiev house saw the princess alive on the day of the murder on a walk. In this photo, Olga Nikolaevna Romanova is sitting in a room with her brother. This is believed to be her last surviving image.
Instead of a conclusion
After the execution, the bodies of members of the royal family were taken out of Ipatiev's house and buried in Ganina's hole. A week later, the Whites entered Yekaterinburg and conducted their own investigation into the murder. In the 30s of the XX century, a girl appeared in France, posing as the eldest daughter of Nicholas II. She turned out to be the impostor Marga Bodts, but the public and the surviving Romanovs paid little attention to her.
The search for the remains of members of the royal family was fully engaged only after the collapse of the USSR. In 1981, Olga Nikolaevna and other members of her family were canonized as saints. In 1998, the remains of the princess were solemnly reburied in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
It is known that the eldest daughter of Nicholas II was fond of poetry. Often she is credited with the creation of the poem "Send us, Lord, patience", written by Sergei Bekhteev. He was a famous monarchist poet, and the girl copied his creation into her album. Olga Nikolaevna Romanova's own poems have not been preserved. Historians believe that most of them were destroyed after exile. They were burned by the princess herself, along with her diaries, so that they would not fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks.
