The eternal love of Nicholas II, the last Romanov tsar

The Last Russian Emperor of the Romanov dynasty, Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, daughters Maria, Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia, and son Alexei were killed by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918 and later were canonized as saints. / The last photograph ever taken of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the company of her daughters Olga (right) and Tatiana (left), Tobolsk, Siberia, 1918.

Alexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse and by Rhine) was born in 1872 in Darmstadt, German Empire. Her mother died when Alix was 6 years old. The youngest of many children, she was taken to the house of her grandmother, Queen Victoria, ruler of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. / Alix of Hesse in the arms of her mother, Princess Alice of Hesse and by Rhine, in 1873.

Nicholas II was born in Alexander Palace, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire in 1868. He was the eldest of the six children of Emperor Alexander III. / Nicholas II as a child with his mother, Maria Feodorovna, in 1870.

Alexandra Fyodorovna, the future wife of Emperor Nicholas II, at the age of 3.

After Alexander III died, it became apparent that Nicholas, his oldest son, would assume the throne. After his father’s funeral in 1894, Nicholas married Alix of Hesse (the future Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna). / Alexandra Fyodorovna Romanova, 1894.

Despite his parents’ disapproval, Nicholas and his beloved exchanged letters through Sergey, Nicholas' brother. / Crown Prince Nicholas Alexandrovich and his future wife, Alix of Hesse, 1894.

The future spouses’ next meeting occurred 5 years later, when Alexandra Fyodorovna spent a month and a half visiting her sister in St. Petersburg. Nicholas’ parents were against their marriage. / Crown Prince Nicholas and his future wife, Alix of Hesse.

Alix of Hesse, the future Alexandra Fyodorovna, first visited Russia when her older sister Ella married Nicholas’ younger brother, Sergey Alexandrovich, Alix of Hesse was 12 years old. Nicholas, the heir of the throne, was 16 and immediately fell in love. / Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse, with his daughters and Prince Louis of Battenberg. Alix of Hesse is standing to the left.

The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in mourning. / Photo of Alexandra Fyodorovna Romanova, 1894.

Nicholas II had five children from his marriage to Alexandra Fyodorovna: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and their son, Alexei. / Alexandra Fyodorovna, Nicholas II, their youngest daughter Olga Nikolaevna, Queen Victoria, and the Prince of Wales.

Princesses Maria and Anastasia (sitting) were the youngest and most amicable daughters. Encouraged by Anastasia, Maria started to play tennis, which had recently become popular at the time. The girls would also get carried away with their jokes, knocking paintings and other valuable items from the palace walls. / Nicholas II with wife and children, 1904.

The Emperor’s only son inherited hemophilia, a disease that makes it hard for the body to control blood clotting, which is why every scratch causes grave consequences. / Alexandra Fyodorovna with son Alexei, 1913.