Welcome to the Historical Facts thread. Random and interesting facts are posted here as well as pretty much anything else history wise. To start: For a very long time prior to 1917, Russia was ruled over by a Czar (Emporor). Nicholas Romanov ruled as Czar of Russia for around twenty-four years before depsoed by the Bloshevik revolution led by Vladimir Lenin. They were kept alive following this coup and moved into a new home. A few months later in 1918, the former Czar and his family were awoken from sleep by the Bloshevik secret police and were told they were to be moved once again. However, the Blosheviks turned on them and executed the entire family, putting a final end to the Russian Monarchy. -More will be posted about the Romanov family and their allies and enemies at some point.
Also known as Czar Nicholas II. There were rumours that his daughter, Anastasia Nikolaevna has survived the assassination but this was debunked. I think there was a film made about her in the 90's.
We cannot tell for sure why exactly Anastasia was “chosen” by public gossip, but probably because she was the youngest daughter of Emperor Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna – born in 1901 the fourth daughter in the family, she was only followed by Alexey, the long-awaited heir, in 1904. There are no clear accounts or written evidence of anybody, in particular, creating this legend. In Russian history there have been many impostors, promoting themselves as miraculously rescued royals: there were three False Dmitrys (all of them impersonating the son of Ivan the Terrible), and Emelyan Pugachev, the Cossack revolutionary of the 1770s, who claimed he was Peter III, who had escaped murder. Fact check: Did the Grand Duchess Anastasia survive the Romanov family execution?
Fun fact: the Zarevich, the crown prince , suffered from hemophilia. The presence of Rasputin appeared to be helpful for his health but that was no miracle after all: the physicians used to administer aspirin to treat his illness... too bad that aspirin is a blood thinner, thus exacerbating his hemorrhages.
Grigori Rasputin is a man about whom countless myths and tall tales abound. But in many cases where this Russian mystic and self-professed holy man is concerned, stories that sound like fiction often prove to be fact. With this in mind, here are 10 intriguing facts about the man who became close to the family of the last Russian Tsar – most infamously his wife, the Tsarina – and contributed to its downfall. https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-rasputin/
There are rumours, stories, books etc about rescue missions to save the Czar. Some accounts suggest they were killed when they were because their captors feared a rescue attempt. Here's a funny thing. I once spoke to someone who said his grandfather was a UK soldier and part of a rescue team. He swore it was true. I’ve looked at this and certainly anti Bolshevik forces weren’t very far away, to the east. However at that time the Allies were still at war with German. Allied forces didn’t get involved in the Russian Civil War until after the Czar was killed. However, there would have been large numbers to the south fighting the Ottomans. It was perhaps possible that a rescue group were sent via White Russian territory. Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War - Wikipedia
"The Forgotten Story of the American Troops Who Got Caught Up in the Russian Civil War" The Forgotten Story of the American Troops Who Got Caught Up in the Russian Civil War | History | Smithsonian Magazine
Following the downfall of the Czar and imperialist Russia, a long and very bloody civil war broke out. It was Lenin's Bolshevik Government (The Red Army) vs a loose coalition of capitalists and Czar loyalists (The White Army) The Bolshevik secret police were known as The Cheka. The Cheka carried out a brutal and horrific series of mass executions on Czar loyalists. This period of time was known as The Red Terror.
In my pic above, you will note the Japanese flag, an allied country in WW1 and the Russian Civil War. Often forgotten. Forgotten, of course, because it didn’t suit the propaganda narrative in WW2. "April 1917. After Great Britain requested more assistance, Japan decided to initially send eight (and eventually 14) destroyers and a flagship cruiser to assist British ships in the Mediterranean Sea. This task force, named the Second Special Squadron, was based at Malta. Its main mission was to escort British ships traveling between Marseille, France, and Malta; Taranto, Italy, and Malta; and Alexandria, Egypt, and Malta to protect them from German submarines." https://archive.is/67rn4
The Tsar Bell - stands in the grounds inside the Kremlin. The broken 'chunk' alone weighs over 5 tons !!!
