On this day in 1918 Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and his consort, Alexandra Feodorovna as well as their 5 children are brutally executed in the cellar of the Ipatiev house in the city of Ekaterinburg. Also executed was the Tsar’s personal physician Eugene Botkin, his wife’s maid Anna Demidova, the family’s chef, Ivan Kharitonov, and footman, Alexei Trupp.
The 5 children were:
- Ольга – Olga Nikolaevna Romanova (15 November 1895 – 17 July 1918) was the eldest daughter.
- Татьяна – Tatiana Nikolaevna Romanova (10 June 1897 – 17 July 1918) was the second child.
- Мария – Maria Nikolaevna Romanova (26 June 1899 – 17 July 1918) was the third and middle child.
- Анастасия – Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova (18 June 1901 – 17 July 1918) was the fourth and youngest daughter.
- Алексе́й – Alexei Nikolaevich Romanova (12 August 1904 – 17 July 1918) was the only son and heir apparent or presumptive in the Russian Empire.
In 1979, the bodies of the Tsar and Tsaritsa as well as three of their daughters, and those of four non-family members killed with them, were discovered near Sverdlovsk (formerly Ekaterinburg) and they were recovered in January 1998 and officially identified. The missing daughter’s body (either Anastasia or Maria) fuelled the rumour that Anastasia had escaped the murder. DNA confirmed the identification of the remains. More bones were discovered in July 2007 and DNA tested and it was concluded that these belonged to Alexei and a daughter (Maria).
Russian_Imperial_Family_1913
(Nicholas II of Russia with the family (left to right): Olga, Maria, Nicholas II, Alexandra Fyodorovna, Anastasia, Alexei, and Tatiana. Livadiya, Crimea, 1913. Portrait by the Levitsky Studio, Livadiya. This work is in the public domain in Russia according to article 1256 of Book IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation No. 230-FZ of December 18, 2006. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia )
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