Curated playlist
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
- Nicholas IINicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, carried a large dragon tattooed on his right forearm. The artist was Hori Chiyo, and the tattoo was a souvenir of the young heir's visit to Japan. That same journey nearly ended in disaster. At…
- Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)Alexandra Feodorovna, the last empress of Russia, was judged by her own court as a woman who "holds herself as if she'd swallowed a yardstick." She was born a German princess and became the consort of Tsar Nicholas II. On the 17th of July…
- Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of RussiaGrand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia was born on the 18th of June 1901, and her father needed a long walk before he could bring himself to visit her. Tsar Nicholas II had hoped for a son, someone who would become heir to the…
- Alexander III of RussiaAlexander III of Russia answered an Austrian ambassador's threat by twisting a silver fork into a knot.
- Catherine the GreatCatherine the Great seized Russia's throne by overthrowing her own husband. The coup came in July 1762.
- Alexander I of RussiaAlexander I of Russia died in 1825, but a legend says he faked it. The story claims he became a Siberian hermit.
- Nicholas I of RussiaOn his first full day as tsar in 1825, Nicholas I ordered troops to crush a revolt.
- Alexander II of RussiaOn the morning a bomb killed him, Alexander II signed a step toward representative government.
- Paul I of RussiaPaul I of Russia's first act as emperor was a search for his mother's will. He wanted to destroy it.
- Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)Maria Feodorovna, born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, was buried twice, and the second burial came almost 78 years after she died. At the 2006 ceremony in Saint Petersburg, where she was laid beside her husband, the crowd around the coffin…