Posted on No Comments on ALEXEI ROMANOV: HIS FRIEND KOLYA DEREVENKO

ALEXEI ROMANOV: HIS FRIEND KOLYA DEREVENKO

ALEXEI ROMANOV: HIS FRIEND KOLYA DEREVENKO
Tsarevich Alexei with his friend Kolya Derevenko and his brother
Tsarevich Alexei with his friend Kolya Derevenko and Kolya’s brother

Kolya Derevenko was the son of Romanov family physician, Dr Derevenko. Because the boy was close in age to Tsarevich Alexei, the two were introduced as potential playmates and hit it off immediately.

Alexei often mentioned his friend Kolya in his diaries and letters, Kolya even accompanied the heir to Stavka to keep him company. Kolya and his family also followed Alexei and his family to Tobolsk, and after they were no longer allowed to see each other, Alexei always remembered his friend and regularly wrote letters and notes to him. Read more ALEXEI ROMANOV: HIS FRIEND KOLYA DEREVENKO

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Posted on 2 Comments on MARIA ROMANOV’S FIRST LOVE: “FATSO” NIKOLAI DEMENKOV

MARIA ROMANOV’S FIRST LOVE: “FATSO” NIKOLAI DEMENKOV

Nikolai Dmitrievich Demenkov, an officer with whom Grand Duchess Maria fell in love
Nikolai Dmitrievich Demenkov, an officer with whom Grand Duchess Maria fell in love

MARIA ROMANOV’S FIRST LOVE:  “FATSO” NIKOLAI DEMENKOV

The scion of a noble family, who was always associated with the Fleet, Nikolai Demenkov was born on the first day of September, 1885. At 25, he graduated from the Marine Corps. His comrades always referred to him as “the benevolent Demenkov”. Shortly after his release  from the Corps, he enlisted in the Black Sea Navy, and started going on international voyages on “The Kubanetz”. In 1913 he became a Flag Officer in the Mine Division, under the command of V. Trubetskoy.  In July 1913 his division became security guard of Livadia. Demenkov commanded the boats that were close on duty to the Romanov family: guarding them when someone from “The Standard” went for a swim or kayaking. Read more MARIA ROMANOV’S FIRST LOVE: “FATSO” NIKOLAI DEMENKOV

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Posted on No Comments on ROMANOV FAMILY AND RASPUTIN

ROMANOV FAMILY AND RASPUTIN

ROMANOV FAMILY AND RASPUTIN

By Amanda Madru

The Romanov family
The Romanov family

Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin is a magnetic specter in the drama that is Russian history, for the peasant mystic from Pokrovskoe played a defining role in the last days of the Romanov Dynasty. In 1905, the fateful meeting took place. Rasputin requested—and was granted— an audience with the Romanov family at Peterhof, where he presented them with a hand-painted wooden icon of Saint Simeon, a venerated Siberian saint dear to Rasputin’s own heart. He soon became a trusted advisor and confidante to Emperor Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna; Alexandra in particular was convinced that the “staretz” was a gift to her from God Almighty, sent to ease her passage through life as the “Little Mother of Russia,” and especially to preserve the precious life of her only son, the Heir, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. Read more ROMANOV FAMILY AND RASPUTIN

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