Tsarist Miscellania

[Toledo]

Mysterious 'Czar's Parker' surfaces, put up for auction
By Jeffery Kurz, Record-Journal | January 4, 2007

...This is a story about a Meriden shotgun, made for Czar Nicholas II, the last czar to rule Russia.The gun was on its way to Russia when World War I broke out and it was returned to its maker in Meriden, the renowned Parker Brothers. The czar never saw it. Eventually, a new buyer was found...Now the gun has resurfaced, and will be up for auction in early March. It is expected to attract bids from $225,000 to $325,000...

[RhapsodyBrat]

For those who have the National Geographic Channel, they will be featuring the Romanovs on a new series. the title of the series is History's Secrets. the episode featuring the Romanovs is the second one; the first one was about Malaysia's monarch. the show will air on Monday, September 3, 10 PM (GMT+8).

[ysbel]

Mark Twain's meetings and writings on the Russian Imperial Family


A lot of Americans only know Mark Twain from his folkloric novels Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn that described the childhoods of boys who grew up in the semi-unsettled territories of the border states before the American Civil War.

However, after his success, Mark Twain left the United States for large periods of time and became a cultural and literary figure in London and the rest of Europe. His standing job was as a roving reporter for the popular New York newspaper, the New York Herald and he reported on a lot of the comings and goings of Europe's elite, aristocracy and literary giants of the period. During this period, he met with a small delegation of American notables and the group paid a visit to Alexander II in Yalta thanking the czar for supporting the Union during the American Civil War.

Mark Twain on Czars, Siberia, and Russian Revolution

On this webpage is a collection of writings that Mark Twain wrote about Alexander II, his son Alexander III, and the Russian aristocracy. It appears that Mark Twain changed his opinion of the Russian government over the time period that he covered it. He was initially very impressed with Alexander II. It became very well known in America that Alexander II had emancipated the serf most probably because Alexander II supported the North with supplies and men to fight the Civil War. Twain was initially very impressed with Alexander III and compared him favorably to his father and much more favorably to a certain Shah of Persia who shared the stage with the future Alexander III in a conference in London. Twain's initial view of Alexander III was of a stout, simple man who despite his modesty commanded armies and a whole nation.

Later though his attitude about Alexander III began to change and more importantly he began to look with dismay at the Russian aristocracy. He decried the corrupting force of power in the Russian aristocracy and government.

I find this change of view somewhat interesting and I suspect that Twain had not very well thought out his initial first good impression of Alexander II and III for what Twain was most impressed with was the immense power that both men had. Invariably when you look at men of great power, one can find some unsavoury side effects of that power.

Part of my skepticism about Mark Twain stems from the fact that he originally supported the South in the Civil War so initially he was not at all favorably disposed towards Lincoln, Grant, or any of the other notables from the Northern side of the Civil War.

But its interesting to see his viewpoint change over the years and I also find it fascinating to see the meeting of two cultures such as the meeting of Mark Twain's little delegation to Yalta to meet Alexander II. And their rather humble but very corny letter thanking the czar is simply priceless!

[lexi4]

Very interesting post! I am familiar with his writings of the Tsars, but hadn't thought of it in years.
He also wrote: 1691 Conversation, as it was the Social Fireside, in the Time of the Tudors.
Have you read that? I loved it.
Lexi

[OlgaNikolaievna]

This is fascinating. I never knew he had written anything about them. I wonder what he would have said about their eventual fates. Very interesting!

[Faithwhite]

Originally Posted by OlgaNikolaievna

This is fascinating. I never knew he had written anything about them. I wonder what he would have said about their eventual fates. Very interesting!

Of course he wrote about the Tudors! How about The Prince and the Pauper? Twain was rather fascinated by English history... as well as Russian.

[Behiç Giray]

What do you think about war that between Tatars and Slavs?

[Al_bina]

If I may... What exactly would you like to discuss?

[Behiç Giray]

I want people to share documents, pictures, videos and their ideas about this topic.

[lucien]

Anonymous patron buys Nicholas II’s church banners for $20 mln

Interfax-Religion

Moscow, August 20, 2009, Interfax - Church banners of the Tsar family depicting the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan and St. Alexander Nevsky will come back to Russia.

Anonymous Russian businessman bought cloths of great historical and cultural value at the auction approximately for $20 mln, the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily has reported on Friday.

Nicholas II and the royal family prayed before these church banners on the eve of August 17, 1917, when the Romanovs were arrested and convoyed to Yekaterinburg execution, the edition further says.

The shrines were secretly taken abroad in 1930s and were recently found in Holland, then examination was conducted to prove their authenticity.

The church banners will soon travel to Russia with increased security. According to the paper, bullet-prove armored sarcophagi were made especially for this purpose.

[kell]

Where Some Envision Czar's End, Church Sees Building Site - NYTimes.com this is also intersting about the final burial site for Nicholas and family

MOSCOW — Visitors from around the world have turned an isolated ravine in central Russia into a pilgrimage site in recent years. They arrive to gaze at the unadorned earth where the Bolsheviks, in one final act to defile the dynasty that they toppled, are believed to have dumped the remains of Czar Nicholas II and his family in July 1918.

But now the site is being threatened by an unlikely opponent: the powerful Russian Orthodox Church, which to this day has not acknowledged that the bones retrieved there over the last two decades are those of the royals.

The church wants to build a large Russian Orthodox cemetery and cathedral at the site, effectively obliterating its historic and archaeological value, according to professionals who have worked at the site and experts on the royal family. The church hopes to begin construction in April, when its leader, Patriarch Kirill I, visits for a groundbreaking for the project, in Yekaterinburg, in the foothills of the Ural Mountains.

The project will not include memorials or other references to the remains because the church does not believe they are genuine, a position that flies in the face of an overwhelming scientific consensus based on extensive DNA testing by major laboratories in Russia, Europe and North America. The church’s seemingly inexplicable stance has bewildered the experts, particularly because the remains have been so closely scrutinized by so many.

-> photo of the site where the remains were found
.
.

[Vasillisos Markos]

I am puzzled why the Church disputes that the remains of the royal family have been found at this site. Does the Church wish to build a cathedral on the spot to wipe out any connection with the discovery of the skeletons?

[Warren]

Thank you for this link Kell

It's even more puzzling why they are determined to build on the site at all. If the site is of no significance, why have they chosen it for a cemetery and cathedral?
It seems that the Church is having an each way bet, aware that whatever it may say publicly, the site will be recognised for what many already know and acknowledge it is.

[kell]

i just wanna know what saint its gonna be dedicated to excuse the spelling since it will show if its a shift of the church intentions aka what their betting on

[Leslie2006]

I'm really confused! I thought there was a church already built on the former site of the Ipatiev House back in 2003? The Church on the Blood? If not, then what is that Church for?

[kell]

its not the ipatev house site it is were they were found very differant site then the church of the blood site

[kell]

Interfax-Religion this is intersting

Yekaterinburg, April 19, Interfax – Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia believes Russian people has redeemed sins of fighting against God and regicide.
"Standing in this holy place I'd like to say that all our sins are redeemed by blood," Patriarch Kirill said on Sunday after a Divine service in the lower chapel of the Church on the Blood in Yekaterinburg.
Thus he responded to "certain appeals to national repentance inciting people." The Patriarch stressed that he meant "not just emotional stress or intellectuals' tears, but severe redemption by sufferings and blood of our people and violent execution of the tsar family became its symbol."

[Al_bina]

Well ... there is nothing surprising. Perhaps, the Russian government hinted strongly that the Russian church authorities should move to the closure of various debates surrounding the execution of Nicholas II and his family.

[kell]

'Tsar Marathon' plans anger Nicholas II descendants - Telegraph Tsar’s Death Marathon | News | The Moscow Times had no idea were to put em but this is a werid one

[Al_bina]

The idea of marathon is odd indeed. At the same time, "Yes we need to mourn what went on here but this should not be done eternally" might indicate that the Russian Orthodox Church has started a closure of the matters surrounding the demise of Nicholas II and his family. Given the articles the marathon of the Yekaterinburg Diocese appears to have an approval from higher authorities in the Russian Orthodox Church.