Olga Nikolaevna Romanova is the daughter of Nicholas II, the eldest child. Like all members of the imperial family, she was shot in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg in the summer of 1918. The young princess lived a short, but eventful life. She was the only one of Nikolai’s children who managed to attend a real ball and even planned to get married. During the war, she devotedly worked in hospitals, helping soldiers wounded at the front. Contemporaries warmly recalled the girl, noting her kindness, modesty and friendliness. What is known about the life of the young princess? In this article we will tell in detail about her biography. Photos of Olga Nikolaevna can also be seen below.
Birth of a girl
In November 1894, the newly-married Emperor Nicholas was married with his bride Alice, who, after the adoption of Orthodoxy, became known as Alexandra. A year after the wedding, the tsarina gave birth to her first daughter, Olga Nikolaevna. Relatives subsequently recalled that the birth was rather difficult. Princess Ksenia Nikolaevna, Nikolai’s sister, wrote in her diaries that the doctors were forced to pull the baby out of her mother with forceps. However, little Olga was born a healthy and strong child. Her parents, of course, hoped that a son would be born, a future heir. But at the same time, they were not upset when a daughter was born.
Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was born on November 3, 1895 according to the old style. Doctors took birth in the Alexander Palace, which is located in Tsarskoye Selo. And already on the 14th of the same month she was baptized. Her godparents were close relatives of the king: his mother Empress Maria Fedorovna and uncle Vladimir Alexandrovich. Contemporaries noted that the newly made parents gave their daughter a completely traditional name, which was quite common in the Romanov family.
early years
Princess Olga Nikolaevna was not the only child in the family for long. Already in 1897, her younger sister Tatyana was born, with whom she was surprisingly friendly in childhood. Together with her, they made up the "senior couple", just so jokingly called their parents. The sisters lived in the same room, played together, studied, and even wore the same clothes.
It is known that in childhood the princess was distinguished by a rather quick-tempered disposition, although she was a kind and capable child. Often she was too stubborn and irritable. From entertainment, the girl loved to ride her sister in a double bike, picking mushrooms and berries, drawing and playing with dolls. In her surviving diaries there were references to her own cat, whose name was Vaska. His great princess Olga Nikolaevna was very fond of. Contemporaries recalled that outwardly the girl was very much like her father. She often argued with her parents, it was believed that she was the only one of the sisters who could object to them.
In 1901, Olga Nikolaevna fell ill with typhoid fever, but was able to recover. Like other sisters, the princess had her own nanny, who spoke exclusively in Russian. She was specially taken from a peasant family, so that the girl better assimilates her native culture and religious customs. The sisters lived quite modestly, they were obviously not accustomed to luxury. For example, Olga Nikolaevna slept on a camping folding bed. Her mother, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, was engaged in upbringing. The girl saw her father much less often, since he was always absorbed in the affairs of governing the country.
Since 1903, when Olga was 8 years old, she began to appear more often in public with Nicholas II. S. Yu. Witte recalled that before the birth of his son Alexei in 1904, the tsar seriously considered making his eldest daughter his heiress.
More on parenting
The family of Olga Nikolaevna tried to instill in her daughter modesty and aversion to luxury. Her training was very traditional. It is known that her first teacher was a reader of the Empress E.A. Schneider. It was noted that the princess loved reading more than other sisters, and later became interested in writing poetry. Unfortunately, many of them were burned by the princess already in Yekaterinburg. She was a rather capable child, so her education was easier than other royal children. Because of this, the girl was often lazy, which often angered her teachers. Olga Nikolaevna loved to joke and had an excellent sense of humor.
Subsequently, a whole staff of teachers began to engage in its training, the eldest of which was a teacher of the Russian language P.V. Petrov. The princesses also studied French, English and German. However, at the last of them they never learned to speak. Between each other, the sisters communicated exclusively in Russian.
In addition, close friends of the royal family indicated that Princess Olga had the ability to music. In Petrograd, she studied singing and knew how to play the piano. Teachers believed that the girl had perfect hearing. She could easily reproduce complex musical pieces without music. The princess was also fond of playing tennis and drew well. It was believed that she was more predisposed to art, and not to the exact sciences.
Relations with parents, sisters and brother
According to contemporaries, Princess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was distinguished by modesty, friendliness and sociability, although she was sometimes too hot-tempered. However, this did not affect her relationship with other family members, whom she infinitely loved. The princess was very friendly with her younger sister Tatyana, although they had almost opposite characters. Unlike Olga, her younger sister was stingy with emotions and more restrained, but she was distinguished by her diligence and loved to take responsibility for others. They were practically the weather, grew together, lived in the same room and even studied. Princess Olga was also friendly with other sisters, but because of the age difference, such proximity as with Tatyana did not work out for them.
Olga Nikolaevna also maintained good relations with her younger brother. He loved her more than other girls. During quarrels with his parents, the little Tsarevich Alexei often stated at all that he was now not their son, but Olga. Like other children of the royal family, their eldest daughter was attached to Grigory Rasputin.
The princess was close with her mother, but her most trusting relationship was with her father. If Tatyana outwardly and in character resembled the empress in everything, Olga was a copy of her father. When the girl grew up, he often consulted with her. Nicholas II appreciated his eldest daughter for independent and deep thinking. It is known that in 1915 he even ordered to wake Princess Olga after he received important news from the front. That evening they walked for a long time along the corridors, the king read telegrams to her aloud, listening to the advice that his daughter gave him.
During the first world war
According to tradition, in 1909 the princess was appointed honorary commander of the hussar regiment, who now bore her name. She often took pictures in full dress, appeared at their shows, but that was where her responsibilities ended. After Russia entered the First World War, the empress, along with her daughters, did not sit outside the walls of her palace. The tsar, on the other hand, rarely began to visit his family, spending most of his time traveling. It is known that mother and daughters wept all day after learning about Russia's entry into the war.
Alexandra Fedorovna almost immediately introduced her children to work in military hospitals located in Petrograd. The eldest daughters underwent full-fledged training and became real sisters of mercy. They took part in heavy operations, looked after the military, did them dressings. The younger ones, because of their age, only helped the wounded. Princess Olga also devoted a lot of time to community service. Like other sisters, she collected donations, gave her own savings for medicines.
In the photo, Princess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova, together with Tatyana, works in a military hospital as a sister of mercy.
Possible marriage
Before the start of the war, in November 1911, Olga Nikolaevna turned 16 years old. According to tradition, it was at this time that the great princesses became adults. In honor of this event, a magnificent ball was organized in Livadia. She was also presented with many expensive jewelry, including diamonds and pearls. And her parents began to seriously think about the imminent marriage of their eldest daughter.
In fact, the biography of Olga Nikolaevna Romanova might not have been so tragic if she had nevertheless become the wife of one of the members of the royal houses of Europe. If the princess left Russia in time, she would be able to stay alive. But Olga herself considered herself Russian and dreamed of marrying a compatriot and staying home.
Her desire could well come true. In 1912, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, who was the grandson of Emperor Alexander II, asked for her hands. Judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, Olga Nikolaevna also sympathized with him. Officially, the engagement date was even set - June 6. But soon she was torn at the insistence of the empress, who the young prince categorically did not like. Some contemporaries believed that it was because of this event that Dmitry Pavlovich subsequently took part in the murder of Rasputin.
Already during the war, Nicholas II considered the possible engagement of his eldest daughter with the heir to the Romanian throne, Prince Carol. However, the wedding did not take place, because Princess Olga categorically refused to leave Russia, and her father did not insist. In 1916, the Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich, another grandson of Alexander II, was offered to the girl in grooms. But this time, the empress rejected the offer.
It is known that Olga Nikolaevna was fascinated by Lieutenant Pavel Voronov. Researchers believe that it was his name that she encrypted in her diaries. After the beginning of her work in the hospitals of Tsarskoye Selo, the princess was sympathetic to another military man - Dmitry Shakh-Bagov. She quite often wrote about him in her diaries, but their relationship did not develop.
February revolution
In February 1917, Princess Olga became very ill. At first she fell ill with an inflammation of the ear, and then, like the other sisters, she contracted measles from one of the soldiers. Subsequently, typhoid was also added to it. Diseases proceeded rather hard, the princess for a long time lay in delirium with a high temperature, therefore, she learned about the unrest in Petrograd and the revolution only after her father abdicated.
Together with her parents, Olga Nikolaevna, who had already recovered from her illness, received in one of the offices of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace the head of the Provisional Government - A.F. Kerensky. This meeting greatly shocked her, so soon the princess fell down again, but already from pneumonia. She was able to recover fully only by the end of April.
House arrest in Tsarskoye Selo
After recovering and before leaving for Tobolsk, Olga Nikolaevna with her parents, sisters and brother lived under arrest in Tsarskoye Selo. Their mode was quite original. Members of the royal family got up early in the morning, then walked in the garden, and after a long time worked in the garden they had created. Time was also given to the further education of younger children. Olga Nikolaevna taught her sisters and brother English. In addition, because of the transferred measles, the girls lost hair very much, so it was decided to cut them. But the sisters did not lose heart and covered their heads with special hats.
Over time, the Provisional Government increasingly cut back on their funding. Contemporaries wrote that in the spring there was not enough firewood in the palace, so it was cold in all rooms. In August, a decision was made to transfer the royal family to Tobolsk. Kerensky recalled that he had chosen this city for security reasons. He did not imagine it possible to move the Romanovs to the south or to the central part of Russia. In addition, he pointed out that in those years many of his close associates demanded the execution of the former tsar, so he needed to urgently take his family away from Petrograd.
Interestingly, back in April, the plan of the Romanovs’s departure to England through Murmansk was being considered. The interim government did not oppose their departure, but it was decided to postpone it because of the serious illness of the princesses. But after their recovery, the English king, who was a cousin of Nicholas II, refused to accept them because of the worsened political situation in his own country.
Moving to Tobolsk
In August 1917, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna arrived with her family in Tobolsk. Initially, they were supposed to be placed in the governor's house, but he was not prepared for their arrival. Therefore, the Romanovs had to live another week on the ship "Rus." The royal family liked Tobolsk itself, and in part they were even happy for a quiet life away from the rebellious capital. They were settled on the second floor of the house, but they were not allowed to enter the city. But on weekends you could visit the local church, as well as write letters to your family and friends. However, all correspondence was carefully read by the guard at home.
The former Tsar and his family learned about the October Revolution late - the news came to them only in mid-November. From that moment on, their situation worsened significantly, and the Soldier Committee, which guarded the house, was quite hostile to them. Upon arrival in Tobolsk, Princess Olga spent a lot of time with her father, walked with him and Tatyana Nikolaevna. In the evenings, the girl played the piano. On the eve of 1918, the princess was again seriously ill - this time with rubella. The girl quickly recovered, but over time, she began to become more and more isolated in herself. She spent more time reading and almost did not take part in home performances, which were arranged by other sisters.
Link to Yekaterinburg
In April 1918, the Bolshevik government decided to move the royal family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg. First, the emperor and his wife moved, who were allowed to take only one daughter with them. At first, parents chose Olga Nikolaevna, but she had not yet had time to recover from the disease and was weak, so the choice fell on her younger sister - Princess Mary.
After leaving, Olga, Tatyana, Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei spent a little more than a month in Tobolsk. The guard's attitude towards them was still hostile. For example, girls were forbidden to shut the doors of their bedrooms so that soldiers could come in at any moment and see what they were doing.
Only on May 20 the remaining members of the royal family were sent after their parents to Yekaterinburg. There, all the princesses were placed in one room on the second floor of the house of the merchant Ipatiev. The daily routine was quite strict, it was impossible to leave the premises without the permission of the guard. Olga Nikolaevna Romanova destroyed almost all her diaries, realizing that their situation was getting worse. Other family members did the same. The surviving records of that time are brief, because it was unflattering to describe the guards and the current government could be dangerous.
Together with her family, Olga Nikolaevna led a quiet life. They were engaged in embroidery or knitting. Sometimes the princess carried the already sick prince for short walks. Often sisters sang prayers and spiritual songs. In the evenings, soldiers forced them to play the piano.
The execution of the royal family
By July, the Bolsheviks realized that they could not keep Yekaterinburg from the White Guards. Therefore, in Moscow, it was decided to eliminate the imperial family in order to prevent its possible release. The execution was carried out on the night of July 17, 1918. Together with the family, the whole retinue who followed the king into exile was also killed.
Judging by the recollections of the Bolsheviks who carried out the sentence, the Romanovs did not know what awaited them. They were ordered to go down to the basement because shots came from the street. It is known that Olga Nikolaevna, before being shot, stood up behind her mother, who was sitting on a chair because of an illness. Unlike other sisters, the eldest of the princesses died immediately after the first shots. She was not saved by jewelry sewn into the corset of her dress.
The last time Ipatiev’s house guard saw the princess was alive on the day of the murder on a walk. In this photo Olga Nikolaevna Romanova is sitting in a room with her brother. It is believed that this is her last extant image.
Instead of a conclusion
After the execution, the bodies of members of the royal family were taken out of Ipatiev’s house and buried in the Ganina pit. A week later, the White Guards entered Yekaterinburg and conducted their investigation into the murder.In the 30s of the XX century, a girl appeared in France, posing as the eldest daughter of Nicholas II. She was the impostor Marga Bodts, but the public and the surviving Romanovs paid little attention to her.
The search for the remains of members of the royal family was fully engaged only after the collapse of the USSR. In 1981, Olga Nikolaevna and other members of her family were canonized as saints. In 1998, the remains of the princess were solemnly reburied in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
It is known that the eldest daughter of Nicholas II was fond of poetry. Often, she is credited with the creation of the poem "Lord send us patience," written by Sergei Bekhteev. He was a famous poet-monarchist, and the girl rewrote his creation to her album. Own poems by Olga Nikolaevna Romanova were not preserved. Historians believe that most of them were destroyed after exile. The princess herself burned them together with her diaries so that they would not fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks.