Sources:
Letters of the Tsaritsa to the Tsar, 1914-1916, published by Duckworth & Co., 1923
The letter:
No. 101.
Tsarskoje Selo, Aug. 25-th 1915
My own Sweetheart,
Thanks for your dear telegram, Lovy. I am glad the country near Mohilev is pretty — Glebov always said it was very picturesque — but that was natural, as he was born there. But still I suppose you will choose a nearer place, so as that you can quicker & easier move about. When do my letters reach you? I give them out at 8 & they leave town at 11 at night. — Am anxiously awaiting when the change will be made public. It is pouring again & quite dark. — Baby's night was not famous, slept little, but pain not too strong. Olga & Tatiana sat with him fr. 11½-12½ & they kept him cheery. — In the papers, there was an article as tho' people, 2 men & a woman had been cought near Varsovie, who were going to make an attempt upon Nikolasha's life — people say Savorin invented it to be more interesting (the censor told A. those were "canards"). A month ago all the redacteurs from the St. Pbg. were at the H.-Q. & Janushkevitch gave them his instructions, — this the military censor, under Frolov told A. — Samarin seems to be continuing to speak against me, well all the better, he too will fall into the pit he is digging for me. Those things dont touch me one atom & leave me personally cold, as my conscience is clear & Russia does not share his opinions — but I am angry, because it indirectly touches you. We shall hunt for a successor. —
How do you find work with Alexeiev? Pleasant & quick I am sure. Have no particular news; only Mekk let me know that my central stores (Lvov, Kovno) fr. Proskurov will probably have to move in 5 weeks to Poltava — I cannot grasp why, & hope it will not be necessary. Marie's ladies fr. Jitomir ask if one has to evacuate that town, where her hospital is to move to — all this is a bit early to decide, I think. — How very sad Molostvov's death is, I hear you have made Velepolsky your a. d. c. I suppose Voyeikov begged for him — he is not a very sympathetic man & such a "saloon" fellow. I suppose his health obliges him to leave the regiment & therefore you take him — but the Suite ought not to be a place like the honor. curator, where one pokes people into it. I alas, begged for my Maslov, but he had commanded the reg. for several months at the war already. Vel. is Olga O's sweetheart (a great secret she had to make a fausse couche fr. him a few years ago) he was not nice to her after — not a famous type, but Vojeikov's friend, so suppose good officer. —
The enclosed picture is for N. P. —
Is not this ugly, again somebody wishing to be nasty to N. P., so you better tell Fred. to have printed (privately not fr. his name) that there wont be a lieutenant as you have now the big chancellry & Dr. & Kira remain on; it comes I am sure fr. the same source as the story of the telegr. then at the H.-Q. I fastened so, for you to show Vojeikov as easy to slip out — one need only let the military censor Vissarionov know what to write, as he is Frolov's chief censor & a good man; — its Suvorin's doing, last night & this morning. — So anxious no telegram yet, cannot imagine why the change has not been officially announced, it would have cleared & uplifted the minds & quicker have changed the current of thoughts in the Duma. I thought to-day was already the longest to wait as N. leaves — now yr. yesterday's wire was fr. H.-Q. — on Sunday evening Imp. H.-Q., it sounded so nice & promising. These are fasting days approaching fr. to-morrow on, so the news ought to have come before & the Te Deum, its a mistake all falling to-gether, was necessary beforehand, forgive my saying this — who again begged you put off the official announcement, did wrong — no harm N. being there, as it will be known you were working already with Alexeiev. It was a bad council — how against it one party is, one sees it by this. The quicker officially known, the calmer all spirits, all get nervous awaiting the news wh. never comes — its never good such a situation & false — & only cowards can have proposed it to you, as Voyeikov & Fred. they think of N. before you — its wrong being kept secret, none think of the troops who are yearning for the good news — I see my black trousers are needed at the H.-Q., too bad, idiots — & such perfection the jubilation & then fasting to pray for your success — & Tuesday passes & nothing; out of despair I wired this morning early, but got no answer & its already 7 o'clock. — Marie, A & I went to Cath. C. again & then to the hospital, where I talked with the wounded. We lunched upstairs & will dine there too. The rain & darkness make one quite ramolie. Baby has much less pain & slept in the morning.
Helene & Vsevolod came to tea & then I received my lancer Toll with more photos. He says Kniazhevitch entreats to receive our brigade instead of Schwedov. Then I sent for the Commandant Ossipov to speak about the cemetry & Church I built for the dead of this war in our hospitals, to clear up that question. —
Mme Lopukhin, wife of the Vologda gov. wrote to me, because her husbands heart is so much worse again. Botk. & Sirotinin find too that his health cannot stand the strain of work he has. If you made him Senator, he could serve there & it would be a rest for a time, & perhaps later cld. get more to do if heart improves. He has served 25 years. It would be good if you could have this done. —
My Sunshine, I miss so very much, but am glad you are away. — You can let yr. ministers come by turn with their report — it will freshen them up too. I hope you sleep well. — Don't forget to wire to Georgie etc. when at last all is official. Goodbye my treasure, I bless & kiss you without end, every precious, dearly beloved place.
Ever, Nicky mine, yr. very own old
Wify.
The stories about Varnava, a monk fr. there came to let me know, are untrue. Samarin wants to get rid of him. —
Orlovsky is the name our Friend wld. like as gov., he is the president of the Etchequer chamber at Perm. You remember he gave you a book he wrote about Tcherdyn where a Romanov is buried & one considers him a saint.
Nicholas's letter:
Stavka. 25 August, 1915.
MY OWN BELOVED, DARLING SUNNY,
Thank God it is all over, and here I am with this new heavy responsibility on my shoulders! But God's will be fulfilled! I feel so calm — a sort of feeling after the Holy Communion!
The whole morning of that memorable day. Aug. 23, while coming here, I prayed much and read your first letter over and over again. The nearer the moment of our meeting, the greater the peace that reigned in my heart.
N. came in with a kind, brave smile, and asked simply when I would order him to go. I answered in the same manner that he could remain for two days; then we discussed the questions connected with military operations, some of the generals and so forth, and that was all.
The following day at lunch and dinner he was very talkative and in a very good mood, such as we have not seen him in for many months. Pet. too; but the expression on his adjutant's face was of the gloomiest — it was quite amusing.
I must do justice to my gentlemen, beginning with old Fr. — they behaved well, and I did not hear one discordant note, not one word at which one could cavil.
Naturally, while N. is here I have requested him to be present both mornings at the report. Alexeiev makes them so well. He was touched by the little ikon and the blessing which you sent through me. N. repeated to me that he was going from here quite calmly, knowing that I had such help in Alexeiev. We spoke a good deal about the Caucasus. He is fond of it, and is interested in the people and in the beautiful country, but he begs not to be left there for long after the end of the war. He has immediately put on a beautiful old Circassian sword — a present which Shervashidze gave him several years ago — and will wear it all the time. He intends to stay in Pershin for twelve days, and then go straight to Tiflis and meet the old Count V. at Rostov-on-Don. The whole collection of black women will join him at Kiev at his place, and they will all go together!
A new clean page begins, and only God Almighty knows what will be written on it!
I have signed my first prikaz and have added a few words with a rather shaky hand!
We have only just finished our evening meal, after which I had a long conversation with Laguiche, and later with Gen. Williams.
Both Georgie and the King of the Belgians have replied to my telegrams, in which I informed them of our changes here — and so promptly!
I am so glad that you have spoken to old Gor. and have consoled him. Please tell him, next time, from me, that as soon as the Council of State and the Duma finish their work they must be adjourned, no matter whether I shall be back by that time or shall still be here!
Why not see Kroupensky? — he is a trustworthy man, and might perhaps tell you something worth while.
Think, my Wify, will you not come to the assistance of Your hubby now that he is absent? What a pity that you have not been fulfilling this duty for a long time or at least during the war!
I know of no more pleasant feeling than to be proud of you, as I have been all these past months, when you urged me on with untiring importunity, exhorting me to be firm and to stick to my own opinions.
We had only just finished playing dominoes when I received through Alexeiev a telegram from Ivanov, who reports that to-day our 11th Army (Schcherbatchev's) in Galicia attacked two German divisions (the 3rd Guard and the 48th Infantry) with the result that they have captured over 150 officers and 700 men, 30 guns and many poulemeti.
And this happened immediately after our troops learnt that I have taken upon myself the Supreme Command. This is truly God's blessing, and such a swift one!
Now I must finish; it is already late, and I must go to bed.
God bless you, my beloved treasure, my Ray of Sunshine!
Tenderly and again tenderly do I kiss you and the dear children.
Give her my warm greetings.
Always your old hubby
Nicky.
Above: Nicholas and Alexandra. Photo courtesy of Ilya Grigoryev at lastromanovs on VK.
Notes: Alexandra almost always referred to Grigori Rasputin as "our Friend".
ramolie = exhausted.
prikaz (приказ) = order.
poulemeti (пулемёты) = machine guns.
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