On July 17, 1918, a night destined to be remembered by history, the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family suffered a tragic fate in Yekaterinburg. Their tragedy was far more brutal than that of Wanrong, the last Empress of China. In these turbulent times, the Tsar's family went from supreme ruler to prisoner and eventually killed. However, death was not the end of their suffering. In order to cover up the crime, the executioners carried out the heinous disposal of the corpses. This appalling story not only reveals the fall of a dynasty, but also reflects the cruelty and madness of an era.
The Russia Empire at the end of the 19th century seemed prosperous on the surface, but in fact it was full of internal contradictions. In 1894, at the age of 26, Nicholas II inherited the reins of the vast empire.
The young tsar apparently did not realize that he would be the last ruler of the Romanov dynasty for more than 300 years. Nicholas II had a mild personality but lacked decisive leadership.
During his reign, he faced the social changes brought about by industrialization and the people's growing demand for democracy. In November 1894, Nicholas II married Princess Alexandra · Feodorovna of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany.
This beautiful German princess became the last empress of Russia. Shortly after their marriage, on May 26, 1896, Nicholas II and Alexandra held a grand coronation.
However, fate seems to have laid the groundwork for the emperor. At the coronation, an ominous omen appeared: a heavy silver chain of the Order of St. Andrew's slipped off Nikolai's shoulders.
This detail is seen by many as a sign of the impending decline of the empire. Over time, the reign of Nicholas II faced more and more challenges.
In 1904, the Russian-Japanese War broke out, in which Russia suffered a crushing defeat, further eroding the people's confidence in Tsarist rule. In 1905, the first revolution broke out in Russia.
Nicholas II was forced to issue the October Declaration, promising to establish a parliamentary system. However, this concession did not solve the problem at the root.
At the same time, Empress Alexandra is also controversial because of her German heritage and trust in the mystic Rasputin. Rasputin claimed to be able to cure the hemophilia of Alexei, the only son of the tsar.
This allowed him to gain great influence in the court, causing public discontent and suspicion. In 1914, World War I broke out.
Russia entered the war as an Entente side, but the continuation of the war dealt a heavy blow to the already fragile Russian economy. Shortages, inflation and a large number of casualties have led to widespread discontent.
In 1915, Nicholas II personally went to the front to command the army, leaving domestic affairs to Empress Alexandra. This decision further exacerbated the political turmoil.
Alexandra's lack of political experience, combined with her German roots, made it difficult for her to manage domestic affairs. In February 1917, mass demonstrations and strikes broke out in Petrograd.
This marked the beginning of the February Revolution. At first, Nicholas II tried to quell the riots by suppressing them by force. However, the army eventually turned its back and refused to open fire on civilians.
Under these circumstances, Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on March 15. The Romanov dynasty, which had been in town for more than 300 years, came to an end. After the abdication, the Tsar's family was placed under house arrest by the Provisional Government in the Alexandria Palace.
Their fate seems sealed, but the most tragic moment is yet to come. With the October Revolution launched by the Bolsheviks in November 1917, the Tsar's family was in even more precarious situations.
The new regime decided to move them to more remote locations. Eventually, they were sent to Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, where they were held in a place called the "House of Special Purposes".
Here, the rulers of the former empire lived a closely watched life, awaiting their final fate. During this period, Nicholas II and Alexandra showed surprising tenacity.
They try to keep the family normal, educate the children, support each other. However, with the outbreak of the Civil War and the approach of the Czech Legion, the Bolsheviks decided to completely solve the "Romanov question".
In February 1917, the Russian winter had not yet faded, but the streets of Petrograd were already burning with revolutionary fire. Workers, soldiers, and ordinary people poured into the streets to demand an end to the Tsar's autocratic rule.
This mass protest, known as the "February Revolution", completely changed the political landscape in Russia. Nicholas II was inspecting the army at the front and, having received the news, hurriedly returned to the capital.
However, it was too late. He signed the abdication on the train, and the Romanov dynasty ended more than 300 years. The Tsar's family went from supreme ruler to prisoner overnight.
The Provisional Government quickly took over state power, but they did not immediately decide what to do with the former royals. At first, they put the family of Nicholas II under house arrest in Tsarskoyesello, outside Petrograd.
This once magnificent royal palace has now become their cage. Nikolai and Alexandra were stripped of their royal titles and became "citizen romanovs".
Their lives suddenly became restrained and austere. The former emperor began to grow vegetables in the garden, while the empress was busy caring for sick children.
However, as the political situation became increasingly volatile, the Provisional Government decided that it was too dangerous to continue to keep the Tsar's family close to the capital. They decided to move the Romanovs to more remote locations.
In August 1917, a special team led by Alexander · Kerensky secretly transferred the Tsar's family to Tobolsk, Siberia. This small city in Siberia became the new prison camp of the Tsar's family.
They were housed in the residence of the former governor, and although the living conditions were worse than in Tsarskoyeselo, they still retained a certain dignity. Nikolai and his family tried to establish a new normal of life here.
They read, keep a diary, educate their children, and even grow vegetables in their yards. However, this relatively peaceful life did not last long.
In November 1917, the Bolsheviks launched the October Revolution and overthrew the Provisional Government. The new regime has taken a harsher approach to the former royal family.
They decided to move the Romanovs to a more secluded and safe place. In April 1918, the Tsar's family was secretly transferred to Yekaterinburg in the Urals.
The industrial city became their last place of captivity. In Yekaterinburg, the Tsar's family was held in a building called the "House of Special Purposes".
It was a house belonging to the engineer Ipatiev, which was requisitioned as a prison. The windows of the house are painted white to prevent outside spiping eyes.
The living conditions of the tsar's family deteriorated sharply. They were confined to a few rooms, losing the relative freedom they had previously enjoyed in Tobolsk.
🔥 The guards are rude and often insult and taunt them. Nikolai and Alexandra did their best to protect the children, trying to maintain family unity in this difficult environment.
However, with the advance of the Czech Legion in Siberia, the Bolshevik leaders began to fear that the tsar might be rescued. They decided to take more radical measures.
On July 16, 1918, the Tsar's family was told to move to a safer place the next day. They began to pack their bags, not knowing that this would be the last preparation of their lives.
On this night, a special team led by Yakov · Yurovsky arrived at the Ipatiev mansion. They brought with them a secret order from Moscow.
On July 17, 1918, at 2 o'clock in the morning, the night sky of Yekaterinburg was still covered with deep darkness. In the Ipatiev mansion, the Tsar's family and their retinue were asleep, unaware of what was coming.
Suddenly, a sharp knock on the door broke the silence of the night. Yakov · Yurovsky, the man in charge of guarding the Tsar's family, broke into their room.
He declares that there is a riot in the city and that they need to be moved to the basement for safety. Nicholas II and Alexandra got up in a hurry, waking up the children and their entourage.
A group of eleven people was taken to the basement of the house. They stood there, confused and uneasy. Yurovsky, under the pretext of taking pictures of them, asked them to stand in two rows.
At this moment, Yurovsky suddenly pulled out a pistol and shot Nicholas II in the chest. This gunshot completely shredded the last hope of the Tsar's family.
Immediately afterwards, other executors joined in the massacre. Bullets rained down, and the entire basement suddenly became a living hell.
Nicholas II fell almost instantly, while Empress Alexandra and Princess Olga tried to draw a cross before they died. Crown Prince Alexei Tsar, who was only 13 years old, was shot twice by Yurovsky.
The heir to the empire, who had high hopes, fell in a pool of blood. The other princesses screamed and fled, but were soon hit by bullets.
Princess Maria tried to escape through a small window, but was pulled back into the room and ended her life with a bayonet. Princess Anastasia huddled in a corner, repeatedly hit with the butt of a rifle and a bayonet until she lost her life.
The tsar's physician Botkin, cook Haritonov, maid Dmidova and chamberlain Trupp were not spared. The whole slaughter lasted about 20 minutes, but it seemed like eternal torture for the victims.
When the gunfire finally stopped, the basement was filled with a thick smell of gunsmoke and blood. The executors began to check everyone's vital signs to make sure no one survived.
However, they find that the bullets on the princesses seem to be blocked by something. It turned out that the princesses sewed a large number of jewels into their clothes, which to some extent played the role of body armor.
The executors had to mend their knives with bayonets and rifle butts until it was confirmed that everyone was out of breath. After the massacre, Yurovsky and his men began to dispose of the bodies.
They loaded the bodies onto a waiting truck and drove to a grove of woods in the Kopchaki mining area. There, they began the disposal of the corpses.
In order to cover up the crime, they decided to completely destroy the corpse. They first doused the corpse with sulfuric acid in an attempt to deform it.
However, the process did not go smoothly. The effects of sulfuric acid are not as quick and effective as they expected.
In desperation, they decided to take more extreme measures. They dismembered the bodies and then set them on fire with gasoline.
This process lasted two whole days. They are constantly adding fuel to make sure that the flame does not go out. Finally, they threw the charred remains into an abandoned mine shaft and filled the hole with stone and wood.
To further conceal the traces, they sprinkled a large amount of acid on the site, hoping to completely destroy any possible evidence. After disposing of the body, Yurovsky reported to his superiors on the completion of the task.
He claimed that "the matter of the Romanovs is closed". Little did they know, however, that the massacre and subsequent cover-up would become one of the greatest historical mysteries of the 20th century.
On July 18, 1918, the streets of Yekaterinburg were plastered with posters. The Bolshevik government announced that former Tsar Nikolai · Romanov had been executed, while his family had been transferred to a "safe place."
This ambiguous statement immediately sparked all sorts of speculation and rumors. Some say that the Tsar's family were all killed, while others insist that they may have escaped.
The truth was buried in the depths of the Kopchaki woods, and people around the world began a long search and speculation. Immediately after the capture of Yekaterinburg, the White Army launched an investigation.
They found the Ipatiev mansion and saw bullet marks and blood stains in the basement. Investigator Nikolai · Sokolov was appointed to the case, and he began the difficult process of collecting evidence.
Sokolov found some sporadic evidence in the Kopchaki woods: charred bone fragments, jewelry fragments, dentures. These findings support the claim that the Tsar's family was killed, but they are far from sufficient to confirm their identity.
As the civil war progressed, the White Army had to withdraw from Yekaterinburg. Sokolov went into exile with the evidence he had gathered, continuing to pursue the truth.
However, with the consolidation of Soviet power, the fate of the Tsar's family became a taboo subject. The official version is that Nicholas II was executed, while the whereabouts of the rest of the family members are unknown.
This ambiguity has fuelled the growth of conspiracy theories. Some claim that Princess Anastasia survived, and several women even claim to be the missing princess.
The most famous of these is Anna · Anderson, who insists on claiming to be Princess Anastasia and has spent most of her life trying to prove it. Although her claims were eventually proven false, her story garnered global attention and was even adapted into a movie.
At the same time, Romanov descendants around the world have never given up on the search for the truth. They tried to find out the news through various means, hoping to learn about their family's last moments.
It was not until the collapse of the Soviet Union that this historical mystery was revealed. In 1991, the new Russia government decided to re-investigate the fate of the Tsar's family.
Archaeologists and forensic experts were sent to Yekaterinburg, where large-scale excavations began. They found a burial ground in the Kopchaki woods, which contained multiple human remains.
The remains were sent to Moscow for DNA testing. The results showed that the bones did indeed belong to members of the Romanov family. However, curiously, only nine remains were found, instead of the expected eleven.
The missing two bodies have sparked new speculation. It has been suggested that this may confirm rumors that Anastasia or Alexei survived. However, more experts tend to believe that the two bodies may have been buried separately during the treatment.
In 1998, the remains of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra and three daughters were buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The funeral became a symbolic ceremony, marking a kind of reconciliation between Russia and its imperial past.
However, the story doesn't end there. In 2007, archaeologists found two more bodies not far from the first burial site. After DNA testing, the two remains were identified as Crown Prince Alexei Tsar and one of his sisters, most likely Maria or Anastasia.
This discovery has finally solved a mystery that has lasted for nearly 90 years. All the members of the Romanov family have been found, and their common tragic fate has been confirmed.
In 2008, Russia's Supreme Court officially declared Nicholas II and his family "victims of political persecution" and rehabilitated. This decision has sparked widespread discussion in Russia society, with some welcoming this kind of historical confrontment, while others see it as a denial of Soviet history.
Today, the site of the Ipatiev mansion has been built into a church and has become a place of worship for many people. Every year on July 17, people come here to commemorate the last moments of the family.
The fall of the Romanov dynasty was not only a family tragedy, but also the end of an era. It marked the end of authoritarian rule in Russia and the beginning of a new era of violence and turmoil.
This history teaches us that changes in power often come at great cost, and that the search for truth can take generations. Even today, discussions about the last moments of the Romanovs continue and become an important topic in the study of Russia and world history.