Posted on 07/17/2008 7:44:18 AM PDT by Borges
Russian Orthodox Churches have been holding services to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the murder of their last royal family.
Processions were held in Moscow as well as the site of the killings - the city of Yekaterinburg near the Ural Mountains.
Officials have re-affirmed that DNA tests on bone and teeth fragments discovered in a shallow grave a year ago belong to two of the children of former Russian Tsar Nicholas II.
Crown Prince Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria were killed along with their parents and sisters by Bolsheviks on the morning of July 17 1918, but the whereabouts of their remains was until recently a mystery.
The Tsar was forced to abdicate in March 1917 following the Russian Revolution, and was held captive until his execution in a basement in Yekaterinburg one year later.
Remains identified as those of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and three of their daughters were discovered in 1991.
They were buried in a symbolic but controversial funeral in 1998 and the family was canonised as saints by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.
As celebrations take place senior investigator, Vladimir Solovyov again confirmed: "The remains that were found belong to Alexei and Maria. We can say that with certainty."
Oops. The source is Sky News. Sorry about that.
The tragedy for them and the world resulted in the illness of their only son and heir, who suffered from leukemia - and they fell under the spell of the devil himself, Rasputin, who seemed to be the only one that could save is life after an episode of bleeding... 
Of particular interest to us were the artifacts of the family of Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra.
On display were the exquisite, gem-studded Faberge Easter eggs, the clothing and jewels, the dinnerware and toys, the swords and sleighs, the furniture and portraits, the thrones and carriages, the jewelled samovars, Holy Crosses and Icons, the royal robes and linens of this royal family.
Amid our viewing of the now-decaying, fading treasures representative of the opulence of the Russian Court of the time, I remarked on how mundane and unostentatious was the daily private life of the Tsar's family........plus how very tiny in stature were the people in those days.
As a person who is a student of pre-communist Russian history, I reveled in the probably once-in-a-life time opportunity to view what was very definitely a collection of "treasures" from an intriguing period of world history.
I wish the Russian government would approve another traveling exhibit of Tsarist artifacts to be displayed in cities across this country. If this fortunate happenstance should occur, I hope everyone can get to see it if at all possible.
Although such travelling exhibits are generally moderate money-makers, the importance of the irreplaceable objects, the perils in shipping them around the world, and general security concerns play a great part in making the Russians loathe to allow the artifacts out of their country.
Leni
If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world."Our Lady's message to the children of Fatima, Portugal
1917
Alexi did not have leukemia. He was a hemophiliac, a bleeder.
There is a great book called Nicolas and Alexandra I read years ago. Would like to read it again.
If I am not mistaken, Tzar Nicolas had an older brother who had died and he asended to the throne. He was not raised to run the kingdom and he hated being tzar. As a result so many mistakes were made by listening to advisors and such he surrounded himself with.
I think Rasputin was the last straw and the shooting of people who appeared in the court yard of one of the palaces to protest involvement in the war, and the starvation of people, resulted in abocation and subsequently the death of the entire family.
Just facinating history.
You might also find the book, Queen Victoia’s Gene by DM Potts interesting. The author suggests a quite surprising theory as to how Victoria came to carry the gene and how it became a major factor in the downfall of the Spanish as well as the Rusian royal families.
My son has a form of hemophilia so I have a avid curiosity about the disease.
Rusian should be Russian.
I'm wondering if the theory you heard about Queen Victoria was that she must have been fathered by someone other than the Prince? I heard that he did not have hemophilia, nor did his family have a history so it would have been impossible for him to really have been her father.
I will check it out.
Also, to Leni, please check my post and make any corrections. I would love to see the collection.
Recent research into sperm and fertility shows that the sperm of older men is more likely to have genetic defects. Victoria’s putative father was 51 when she was born. This doesn’t exclude the possibility that the real father was someone else. Of course, the idea that Queen Victoria was illegitimate is a salacious tidbit, and without absolute proof to the contrary it is certain never to be put to rest.
I can’t see the Royal Family allowing tests to be done, even if father and daughter’s remains are in a state that would allow it to be possible. I mean, what purpose does it serve?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso%2C_Prince_of_Asturias_%281907-1938%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infante_Gonzalo_of_Spain
I can't see any discussion there of how the hemophilia itself became a factor in the downfall of the Spanish as the poster above suggested.
I know how it was a factor with the Russians (because it caused the queen to lean on Rasputin with his supposed healing powers which caused great disgust among the Russians in general) but have not seen how it may have caused the Spanish monarchy to collapse.
There are so many sources, so many books, so many paths and tunnels, so many twists and turns, so many unknown facts and known myths in regards to the histories of the royal families of Russian and Europe that it's impossible to even begin on this thread. I just don't have the time.
The internet will provide an abundance of leads for anyone interested to pursue them and get answers to their questions.
Don't even get me started on pre-revolutionary France and the long history of its monarchy......another favorite subject of mine with a myriad of spell-binding events and complex personalities to explore.
Leni
Of course, it didn’t have any effect on the fall of the Spanish monarchy, just the personal effect on the lives of the royal family members.
May they all rest in peace, in Jesus name, amen./Just Asking - seoul62.....
I love icons. That is an especially beautiful one.
You are right - I had a senior moment.
I've studied the Romanovs for decades - I even met a gal a few years ago that is descended from a branch - they - her grandparents - escaped Russia, changed their name and even kept their real name from their new generations -
She only knew that her grandparents had escaped back during the Bolshevik Rev.
I met her through my art (portrait) and told her she was a carbon copy of Anastasia/Maria. She had a photo of her father, and he was a mirror image of the Tsar. The Tsar was a cousin to George, who would become King George V of England. They were almost mirror twins - Tsar Nicolas's mother was also a Fyodorovna (a bit diff. spelling.)
So she asked a great uncle what their name had been - and he felt that, by now, it was safe enough to tell her.
She called me and said, no, they weren't from the Romanovs - the name was Fedorovna.
Fedorovna! She was shocked when I told her that that was the Tsarina's (Alexandra Fedorovna) maiden name...and granddaughter of Queen Victoria (So she called Uncle back and learned the truth. She's a beautiful women 0 with the deep red hair, gray eyes and bone structure that the English line has been famous for generations...)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.