Although a lot has been written about Nicholas II, much of what has been written refers to "folk fiction", delusions.
The king was modest in dress. Unpretentious
Nicholas II was remembered for the many surviving photographic materials as an unpretentious person. He was really unpretentious in food. He loved fried dumplings, which he often ordered during walks on his favorite yacht "Standart". The king observed fasts and generally ate moderately, tried to keep himself in shape, so he preferred simple food: cereals, rice cutlets and pasta with mushrooms.
The nikolashka snack was a success among the guards officers. Its recipe is attributed to Nicholas II. Powdered sugar was mixed with ground coffee, this mixture was sprinkled with a slice of lemon, which was used to snack on a glass of brandy.
With regard to clothing, the situation was different. The wardrobe of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace alone consisted of several hundred units of military uniform and civilian clothing: frock coats, uniforms of guards and army regiments and greatcoats, cloaks, short fur coats, shirts and underwear made in the capital's Nordenshtrem workshop, a hussar mentik and a dolman, in which Nikolai II was on the day of the wedding. Receiving foreign ambassadors and diplomats, the tsar put on the uniform of the state from which the envoy was. Nicholas II often had to change clothes six times a day. Here, in the Alexander Palace, was kept a collection of cigarette cases collected by Nicholas II.
However, it must be admitted that of the 16 million allocated per year for the royal family, the lion's share went to the payment of benefits for employees of the palaces (one Winter Palace served a staff of 1,200 people), to support the Academy of Arts (the royal family was a trustee, therefore expenses) and other needs.
The expenses were serious. The construction of the Livadia Palace cost the Russian treasury 4.6 million rubles, 350 thousand rubles a year were spent on the royal garage, and 12 thousand rubles a year for photographing.
Promotional video:
This is taking into account the fact that the average household expenditure in the Russian Empire at that time was about 85 rubles per year per capita.
Each Grand Duke was also entitled to an annual rent of two hundred thousand rubles. Each of the Grand Duchesses was given a dowry of a million rubles upon marriage. At birth, a member of the imperial family received a capital of one million rubles.
The Tsar Colonel personally went to the front and led the armies
Many photographs have been preserved where Nicholas II takes the oath, arrives at the front and eats from the field kitchen, where he is "the father of the soldiers." Nicholas II really loved everything military. He practically did not wear civilian clothes, preferring uniforms.
It is generally believed that the emperor himself directed the actions of the Russian army in the First World War. However, it is not. The generals and the military council decided. Several factors influenced the improvement of the situation at the front with the assumption of command by Nikolai. Firstly, by the end of August 1915, the Great Retreat was stopped, the German army suffered from extended communications, and secondly, the change of the commander-in-chief of the General Staff - Yanushkevich to Alekseev - influenced the situation.
Nicholas II really went to the front, he loved to live at Headquarters, sometimes with his family, often took his son with him, but he never (unlike cousins Georg and Wilhelm) approached the front line closer than 30 kilometers. The emperor accepted the Order of St. George, IV degree, shortly after a German plane flew over the horizon during the king's arrival.
The absence of the emperor in St. Petersburg had a bad effect on domestic policy. He began to lose influence over the aristocracy and government. This turned out to be fertile ground for internal corporate divisions and indecision during the February Revolution.
From the diary of the emperor on August 23, 1915 (the day of assuming the duties of the Supreme High Command): “I slept well. The morning was rainy: in the afternoon the weather improved and it became quite warm. At 3.30 he arrived at his Headquarters one verst from the mountains. Mogilev. Nikolasha was waiting for me. After talking with him, he accepted the gene. Alekseev and his first report. Everything turned out well! After drinking tea, I went to inspect the surrounding area. The train stands in a small dense forest. Dined at 7½. Then I took another walk, the evening was excellent."
The introduction of gold security is a personal merit of the emperor
The monetary reform of 1897, when the gold security of the ruble was introduced in the country, is commonly referred to as the economically successful reforms carried out by Nicholas II. However, preparations for monetary reform began in the mid-1880s, under the finance ministers Bunge and Vyshnegradskiy, during the reign of Alexander III.
The reform was a forced means of avoiding credit money. Its author can be considered Sergey Witte. The tsar himself avoided solving monetary issues, by the beginning of the First World War, Russia's external debt was 6.5 billion rubles, only 1.6 billion rubles were provided with gold.
Made personal "unpopular" decisions. Often contrary to the Duma
It is customary to say about Nicholas II that he personally carried out reforms, often in defiance of the Duma. However, in fact, Nicholas II rather "did not interfere." He didn't even have a personal secretariat. But under him, famous reformers were able to develop their abilities. Such as Witte and Stolypin. At the same time, the relationship between them two "second politicians" was far from idyllic.
Sergei Witte wrote about Stolypin: "No one has destroyed even the semblance of justice as he, Stolypin, and everything, accompanied by liberal speeches and gestures."
Petr Arkadyevich did not lag behind either. Witte, dissatisfied with the results of the investigation about the attempt on his life, he wrote: "From your letter, Count, I must draw one conclusion: either you consider me an idiot, or you find that I also participate in the attempt on your life …".
Sergei Witte wrote laconically about the death of Stolypin: "They killed him."
Nicholas II never personally wrote detailed resolutions, he limited himself to notes in the margins, more often than not he simply put a "reading sign". He met on official commissions no more than 30 times, always - on extraordinary occasions, the emperor's remarks at the meetings were short, he chose one side or the other in the discussion.
The Hague court is a brilliant "brainchild" of the king
It is believed that the Hague International Court was the brilliant brainchild of Nicholas II. Yes, indeed the Russian tsar was the initiator of the First Hague Peace Conference, but he was not the author of all its resolutions.
The most useful thing the Hague Convention could do was related to military laws. Thanks to the agreement, the prisoners of war of the First World War were kept in acceptable conditions, could contact their home, were not forced to work; sanitary posts were protected from attacks, the wounded received care, and the civilian population was not subjected to massive violence.
But in fact, the Permanent Court of Arbitration has not brought much benefit in its 17 years of work. Russia did not even turn to the Chamber during the crisis in Japan, and other signatories did the same. The Convention on the Peaceful Settlement of International Issues also "turned into a zilch". The Balkan War broke out in the world, and then the First World War.
The Hague does not influence international affairs today. Few of the heads of state of world powers go to the international court.
The Tsar was strongly influenced by Grigory Rasputin
Even before the abdication of Nicholas II, rumors began to appear among the people about the excessive influence of Grigory Rasputin on the Tsar. According to them, it turned out that the state is ruled not by the tsar, not by the government, but personally by the Tobolsk "elder".
Of course, this was far from the case. Rasputin had influence at the court, was also an entrance into the house of the emperor. Nicholas II and the Empress called him "our friend" or "Gregory", and he called them "dad and mom."
However, Rasputin did influence the empress, while state decisions were made without his participation. So, it is well known that Rasputin opposed Russia's entry into the First World War, and even after Russia entered the conflict, he tried to convince the royal family to go to peace negotiations with the Germans.
Most of the Romanovs (grand dukes) supported the war with Germany and focused on England. For the latter, a separate peace between Russia and Germany threatened defeat in the war.
Do not forget that Nicholas II was the cousin of both the German Emperor Wilhelm II and the brother of the British King George V. Rasputin performed an applied function at court - he saved the heir Alexei from suffering. A circle of exalted admirers was indeed forming around him, but Nicholas II was not one of them.
Did not abdicate the throne
One of the most enduring delusions is the myth that Nicholas II did not abdicate, and the abdication document is a fake. There are indeed a lot of oddities in it: it was written on a typewriter on telegraph forms, although there were pens and writing paper on the train where Nikolai abdicated the throne on March 15, 1917. Supporters of the version about falsification of the abdication manifesto cite the fact that the document is signed in pencil.
This is just nothing strange. Nikolay signed many documents with a pencil. Another thing is strange. If this is really a fake and the king did not renounce, he should have written at least something about it in his correspondence, but there is not a word about it. Nicholas abdicated the throne for himself and his son in favor of his brother - Mikhail Alexandrovich.
The diary entries of the tsar's confessor, rector of the Fedorov Cathedral, Archpriest Athanasius Belyaev, have been preserved. In a conversation after confession, Nicholas II told him: “… And so, alone, without a close adviser, imprisoned like a caught criminal, I signed an act of abdication both for myself and for my son's heir. I decided that if it is necessary for the good of my homeland, I am ready for anything. Sorry for my family!"
The very next day, March 3 (16), 1917, Mikhail Alexandrovich also abdicated the throne, handing over the decision on the form of government to the Constituent Assembly.
Yes, the manifesto was obviously written under pressure, and it was not Nikolai himself who wrote it. It is unlikely that he himself wrote: "There is no sacrifice that I would not bring in the name of the real good and for the salvation of my dear Mother Russia." However, there was a formal renunciation.
Interestingly, the myths and clichés about the tsar's abdication in many respects came from the book by Alexander Blok "The Last Days of Imperial Power." The poet enthusiastically accepted the revolution and became the literary editor of the Extraordinary Commission on the affairs of the former tsarist ministers. That is, he literally processed the verbatim records of interrogations.
Young Soviet propaganda campaigned against the creation of the role of the Tsar-Martyr. Its effectiveness can be judged by the diary of the peasant Zamaraev (he kept it for 15 years), preserved in the museum of the city of Totma, Vologda Oblast. The peasant's head is full of cliches imposed by propaganda:
“Nikolai Romanov and his family have been deposed, all are under arrest and receive all food on an equal basis with others on ration cards. Indeed, they did not care at all for the welfare of their people, and the patience of the people ran out. They brought their state to hunger and darkness. What was going on in their palace. This is horror and disgrace! It was not Nicholas II who ruled the state, but the drunkard Rasputin. All princes were replaced and dismissed from their posts, including the commander-in-chief Nikolai Nikolaevich. Everywhere in all cities there is a new administration, there is no old police.