Nicholas and Alexandra

ibid., 104.

 6 “The Lord has called to him … Papa”: ibid., 107.

 7 “I saw tears in his blue eyes”: Alexander, 168–9.

 8 The embalmers: N’s Diary, 111. At that time the Orthodox Church did not normally permit embalming of the dead. Exceptions were made, however, in the cases of sovereigns who were to lie in state for many days.

 9 “Even in our great grief”: ibid., no. “Alix read beautifully”: ibid., no. “The truly believing Grand Duchess Alexandra Fedorovna”: Buxhoeveden, 41.

10 “Mama, many others and I”: N’s Diary, 110. The uncles’ view: Buxhoeveden, 41. “My dear Papa was transferred”: N’s Diary, 112.

11 Across the Ukraine: ibid., 114. Moscow: ibid., 114; Almedingen, 37. St. Petersburg: N’s Diary, 115; Almedingen, 37–8. “Behind a coffin”: Gilliard, 48.

12 “I have received so many delegations”: N’s Diary, 120. “I almost broke into sobs”: ibid., 122.

13 “Every day, after lunch … another service”: Pope-Hennessy, 301–2. “One’s feelings”: Buxhoeveden, 44. “Such was my entry into Russia”: Fulop-Miller, 80.

14 The wedding: N’s Diary, 125; Buxhoeveden, 43; Vyrubova, 21.

15 “Nicky is a very lucky man”: Pope-Hennessy, 300. “When they drove from the Winter Palace”: Nicolson, 57. “Alix had a headache”: N’s Diary, 125.

16 “At last, united”: Buxhoeveden, 50. “Never did I believe”: N’s Diary, 125; Buxhoeveden, 50.

17 Six rooms: Vorres, 71; Buxhoeveden, 45–6.

18 “I am indescribably happy with Alix”: N’s Diary, 125. Reading at night: ibid., 131. Sleigh rides: Buxhoeveden, 47.

19 “It is hard to think”: N’s Diary, 126.

20 The mother-in-law: Vorres, 72, 93; Buxhoeveden, 49; Vyrubova, 87.

21 The jewels: Almedingen, 43.

22 “I cannot yet realize that I am married”: Buxhoeveden, 44. “I feel myself completely alone”: Vyrubova, 21–2.

23 “How contented and happy I am”: Buxhoeveden, 51.

24 “It has become very big and kicks about”: N to MF, 96. “Sad to leave Peterhof”: ibid., 93–4.

25 “It is understood, isn’t it”: MF to N, 100.

26 Birth of Olga: N’s Diary, 132; Buxhoeveden, 56.

27 “You can imagine our intense happiness”: Buxhoeveden, 56.

CHAPTER 5 THE CORONATION

 1 River ice beginning to crack: N to MF, 101.

 2 “I believe we should regard”: ibid., 107.

 3 Petrovsky Palace: Vorres, 74.

 4 Whitewash, evergreens, flags: Bovey, 10, 32. Cossacks, peasant women, Caucasians, Turks: ibid., 14–15, 22.

 5 Nicholas enters Moscow: Bovey, 13; Kschessinska, 58. “It was agonizing”: Kschessinska, 58.

 6 The procession: Bovey, 15–17; Kschessinska, 58.

 7 The Red Staircase: Bovey, 21.

 8 The hairdresser: Naryishkin-Kurakin, 148.

 9 Down the Red Staircase: Bovey, 23–4.

10 Diamond Throne and Ivory Throne: Duncan, 165, 160.

11 Coronation ceremony: Buxhoeveden, 64–5. Chain of St. Andrew: Izvolsky, 262.

12 Nicholas’s tide: Almanach de Gotha, 79–80.

13 Nicholas preferred Monomakh’s Cap: Buxhoeveden, 64. The Imperial Crown of Russia: Alexander, 157.

14 Homage from the family: Vorres, 76.

15 Leaving the cathedral: Bovey, 25.

16 Susanin’s descendants: Buxhoeveden, 66. Scroll and menu: Bovey, 26. Nicholas and Alexandra dined alone: Vorres, 76.

17 Crown over his eyes: Bovey, 27.

18 Coronation ball: ibid., 28, 30, 40.

19 Illuminations: ibid., 33: Vorres, 77; Kschessinska, 59; Buxhoeveden, 66.

20 Khodynka Meadow: Alexander, 171–2; Bovey, 35, 36. Buxhoeveden, 67–9.

21 French tapestries and roses: Vorres, 79. “Far from being insensible”: Izvolsky, 259.

22 Balmoral in the rain: N to MF, 109–10.

23 “She is marvelously kind”: ibid., 110.

24 Poincare, “Those of us who reached manhood”: quoted by Mansergh, 35.

25 Artificial chestnuts: Buxhoeveden, 74. Police every twenty yards: N to MF, 112.

26 The visit to France: N to MF, 112–17; Buxhoeveden, 74–6.

27 “German helmets … dark and boring”: N to MF, 117.

CHAPTER 6 THE NEW TSAR

 1 “The various affairs you left me”: N to MF, 82. “Just before the ministers go on leave”: ibid., 83.

 2 “I must talk to you, darling Mama”: ibid., 88–9.

 3 The uncles: Alexander, 137–40. “Fast women and slow ships”: ibid., 139. Anna Karenina: Paleologue, I, 152.

 4 “Bellowing of his towering uncles”: Alexander, 173.

 5 Imperial estates and income: ibid., 156–63; Vorres, 94–6.

 6 Nicholas preferred to be Russian: Mosolov, 19–21. Peter the Great: ibid., 16. Tsar Alexis his favorite: Izvolsky, 269. The 1903 Court Ball: Alexander, 210–11; Buxhoeveden, 98–9; Izvolsky, 264.

 7 Kept his own calendar: Vyrubova, 55.

 8 Nicholas ignores his aide-de-camp at Livadia: Mosolov, 14.

 9 Nicholas and his ministers: Pares, 52, 59; Mosolov, 8–10.

10 A man of narrow conviction: Harcave, 50.

11 “The young Emperor … seeds of the best”: Witte, 96.

12 The Tver Zemstvo: Pares, 57; Florinsky, 1147.

13 “I am delighted”: Kaun, 134.

14 Nicholas’s unawareness of Franco-Russian alliance: Florinsky, 1141.

15 The Disarmament Conference of 1898: Florinsky, 1260–1. Witte’s view: Witte, 96–7. Bliokh’s book: Billington, 758.

16 “Nonsense and rubbish”: Tuchman, Proud Tower, 239. “Dissolving his regiments”: ibid., 241. Establishment of the Hague Court: Florinsky, 1261.

17 “The Silver Age”: Billington, 446; Florinsky, 1241–51; Mazour, 236–94. Sholom Aleichem: The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, 516–18.

18 Narodny Dom: Paleologue, II, 206–7.

19 “Eating raw ham”: MF to N, 128.

20 “A new happy event”: N to MF, 130. “We have finished War and Peace,” ibid., 132.

21 Death of Grand Duke George: Buxhoeveden, 84.

22 “Nicky was really an angel”: ibid., 87.

23 “Alix looked after me”: N to MF, 140.

24 “I long to see her dear old face”: Buxhoeveden, 90.