The Romanov family tree

The Romanov ruling family was one of the richest of its time in lands and wealth. The dynasty began with Mikhail (Michael) Feodorovitch Romanov (1596–1645), a young aristocrat who was elected tsar of Russia on 13 January, 1613. The dynasty ended with Michael Romanov’s descendant Nicholas II, who linked together two powerful royal houses when he married a German princess, Alexandra (Alix) Feodorovna, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. The chart illustrates the lineage of the Romanovs and their royal relatives through marriage beginning with the last tsar and tsaritsa’s parents. The crown symbol indicates those who ruled. Double lines represent marriages; single lines indicate parentage. Dates of birth and death are noted.

 

ALEXANDER III: The father of Nicholas II, he ruled as tsar of Russia for thirteen years until his death in 1894.

MARIE FEODOROVNA: Nicholas’s mother, born Princess Dagmar (called Minnie), was the youngest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and his queen, Louise of Hesse-Cassel.

NICHOLAS II: He was the eldest of the five children of Tsar Alexander III and Empress Marie Feodorovna. Born on 6 May (19 May), 1868, he was crowned tsar on 14 May (26 May), 1896. Nicholas II was assassinated with his wife and children in the early hours of 17 July, 1918, in the Impatiev House (“The House of Special Purpose”) in Ekaterinburg (now Sverdlovsk) in the Urals of western Russia.

ALEXANDRA FEODOROVNA: Was born Alix Victoria Helena Louise Beatrice, Princess of Hesse on 25 May (7 June), 1872. She was the sixth child of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Alice, and Ludwig (Louis) of Hesse-Darmstadt, then one of the German states. She converted to the Russian Orthodox faith and became Alexandra. She married Nicholas II on 14 November (26 November), 1894, in the chapel of the Winter Palace.

 

Children of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra

GRAND DUCHESS OLGA NICHOLAIEVNA: The eldest daughter of Nicholas and Alexandra, she was born on 3 November (16 November), 1895.

GRAND DUCHESS TATIANA NICHOLAIEVNA: The second daughter of Nicholas and Alexandra, born on 29 May (11 June), 1897. She was her mother’s favourite companion.

GRAND DUCHESS MARIA NICHOLAIEVNA: Born 14 June (27 June), 1899, she was known as Marie or Mashka.

GRAND DUCHESS ANASTASIA NICHOLAIEVNA: She was born 5 June (18 June), 1901, and throughout her life was the favourite of her grandmother, Marie Feodorovna.

ALEXIS NICHOLAIEVITCH: Known as Alexei, the tsarevitch was born on 30 July (12 August), 1904. Called Baby and Sunbeam by his parents, just weeks after his birth, they realized he had haemophilia, a blood disorder transmitted only to sons from a mother who has inherited the gene. The family kept this a secret as much as possible.