Jul 16, 2026 · 6 min · 7 segments
Bonus episode from the newsletter On This Day in Women's History! In the evening of July 16, 1918, the Romanov family went to bed as usual in Ipatiev House, where they were being held under house…
The Romanovs did not know the day or hour of their deaths, but their murder was not unexpected.
The Romanov royal house had been in peril for years.
Every monarchy is in trouble when it doesn't have an heir apparent.
Alexandra and Nikolai had four girls before they produced a son.
And when they did, little Alexei was proved to have hemophilia.
it was more than possible that he would not live to inherit.
That would make things unstable, even if other circumstances were good, and other circumstances were decidedly not good.
Changes in world politics had left many Russians fully aware that other countries were not led by divinely appointed autocratic rulers.
Nikolai and Alexandra seemed unwilling to gracefully cede rights and powers as the British monarchs had done.
Instead, they had a series
of public relations disasters, even though several of them were not their fault.
Changes in the world economy had left Russia technologically backwards and many of its people very poor.
In 1917, Nikolai was forced to abdicate, and the Russian revolutionaries had to decide what to do with the former Tsar and his family.
They were held under house arrest and moved several times.
But ultimately, the Bolsheviks had no interest in paying the household expenses of a former Tsar.
Nor were they interested in allowing said Tsar to live outside the country where he might rally support.
Ironically, the people most interested in orchestrating a prison break were the Germans.
Empress Alexandra was appalled by this idea.
On that point alone, Alexandra and the Bolsheviks were in total agreement.
The Romanovs did not know the day or hour of their deaths, but their murder was not unexpected.
The Romanov royal house had been in peril for years.
Every monarchy is in trouble when it doesn't have an heir apparent.
Alexandra and Nikolai had four girls before they produced a son.
And when they did, little Alexei was proved to have hemophilia.
it was more than possible that he would not live to inherit.
That would make things unstable, even if other circumstances were good, and other circumstances were decidedly not good.
Changes in world politics had left many Russians fully aware that other countries were not led by divinely appointed autocratic rulers.
Nikolai and Alexandra seemed unwilling to gracefully cede rights and powers as the British monarchs had done.
Instead, they had a series
of public relations disasters, even though several of them were not their fault.
Changes in the world economy had left Russia technologically backwards and many of its people very poor.
In 1917, Nikolai was forced to abdicate, and the Russian revolutionaries had to decide what to do with the former Tsar and his family.
They were held under house arrest and moved several times.
But ultimately, the Bolsheviks had no interest in paying the household expenses of a former Tsar.
Nor were they interested in allowing said Tsar to live outside the country where he might rally support.
Ironically, the people most interested in orchestrating a prison break were the Germans.
Empress Alexandra was appalled by this idea.
On that point alone, Alexandra and the Bolsheviks were in total agreement.
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