15th, Friday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Alexandra as Nicholas was with the Emir of Bukhara. Seamstresses came and the women tried on dresses, making Alexandra very tired. Olga rode in a sleigh with Princess Elizabeth Obolenskaya. Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went skiing by the White Tower with Nicholas. Maria had a music lesson. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra while Tatiana had tea upstairs. Grigory Rasputin visited and Tatiana and Alexei came downstairs to join him and the rest of the family in the Maple Room. Rasputin told Olga that she could "rule like the tsarinas did in the past." Tatiana had a French lesson, then a music lesson. Maria and Anastasia had a French lesson, then did homework. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Nicholas read aloud in the evening. Anna Vyrubova visited. Olga and Tatiana went to bed at 10pm.
16th, Saturday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. Olga rode in a sleigh with Elizabeth Obolenskaya. Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went for a walk with Nicholas and Olga Alexandrovna, then all above went sledding by the White Tower. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga Alexandrovna, and Elizaveta Feodorovna. At 6:30pm Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went with Nicholas, Olga Alexandrovna, and Elizaveta Feodorovna to vsenoshnaya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga Alexandrovna, and Elizaveta Feodorovna. All above watched The Election of Tsar Mikhail followed by some more lighthearted films. Tatiana went to bed at 11:45pm while Olga went to bed at 12:30am.
17th, Sunday:
Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went with Elizaveta Feodorovna to obednya at the Feodorovsky Cathedral. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Prince Ioann Konstantinovich. They then went to the Alexander Palace chapel where an obednitza was performed with The Ikon of the Pochaevskaya Mother of God. At 2:07pm Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia went into St. Petersburg with Elizabeth Obolenskaya. They first visited Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, then Olga Alexandrovna. At 3:30pm M.L Tsigern-Shternberg, Anatoly Fedyushkin, and Olga's crush Alexander Shvedov arrived. They sat around for half an hour until 4pm when Alexander Leuchtenberg [?], Sasha, Kolya and Nadya Leuchtenberg, Zoya Steckel, Princess Irina Alexandrovna, Nikolai Rodionov, S.S Klyucharev, R. Shangin, and Nikolai Kulikovsky arrived. They had tea at two tables, Olga sat with Alexander Shvedov and was "very, very happy." They played games in the parlour and hide and seek in the downstairs drawing-room. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia left at 7pm, then had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Ioann Konstantinovich. At 9pm Olga and Tatiana went with Nicholas to the St. Petersburg city hall to watch a Red Cross performance of The Eternal Love. The play ended at exactly 12am.
 |
| Anastasia taking a selfie in the girls' bathroom at the Alexander Palace, early 1913 |
18th, Monday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Alexandra and Elizaveta Feodorovna. They then skied down the hill by the White Tower with Nicholas. Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia* had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Elizaveta Feodorovna. Maria had tea alone. Maria had a music lesson, then did homework. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, Elizaveta Feodorovna, and Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich. Maria and Anastasia had dinner upstairs.
19th, Tuesday:
Lessons. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Elizaveta Feodorovna. Olga sat with Alexandra in the afternoon. At 4pm the family travelled to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg for obednitza—Grigory Rasputin was there. They then moved into the Winter Palace. Olga and Tatiana had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Elizaveta Feodorovna. Maria and Anastasia had tea with Alexei. Olga and Tatiana had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Elizaveta Feodorovna. Maria and Anastasia had dinner with Alexei. Olga Alexandrovna visited and sat with Olga and Tatiana. They listened to music through the telephone [probably a performance at one of the theatres].
20th, Wednesday:
Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia rode in a sleigh with Catherine Schneider down the Nevsky and Morskoy Streets, then the waterfront where they saw the Standart as well as Nikolai Sablin and Nikolai Rodionov. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, Elizaveta Feodorovna, and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich. Maria stayed home in the afternoon. At about 3pm Olga and Tatiana went with Nicholas to a molebna at the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. They returned at 4pm. Maria Feodorovna visited Alexandra and Maria. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Olga Alexandrovna. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had dinner with Alexandra and Elizaveta Feodorovna.
21st, Thursday**:
Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia walked around the garden. At 12:15pm the family went in a procession to Kazan Cathedral for molebna. They returned at 1:30pm. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Maria Feodorovna, and Elizaveta Feodorovna—Alexandra was resting. At 3:45pm Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia attended a baisemain reception with Alexandra [presumably also the other Romanov women]. They all wore court dresses, Olga and Tatiana's had trains for the first time. Tatiana was nervous and had a headache. It ended at 5:30pm. Maria and Anastasia had tea at the children's monastery [?]. Tatiana rested and had a temperature of 38.6°C so went to bed early. Olga had dinner with Nicholas and Elizaveta Feodorovna, then sat with Alexandra.
22nd, Friday:
Tatiana had a temperature of 38.2°C so stayed in bed, but was visited by Olga Alexandrovna. At 11am Olga attended a reception with various members of the extended Romanov family. Maria and Anastasia walked around the garden. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Maria Feodorovna, Olga Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, and Duke Peter of Oldenburg. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went for a walk with Nicholas and Alexei. Tatiana briefly went downstairs to greet Alexandra. Olga had tea with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Maria Feodorovna. Maria [possibly also Anastasia?] had tea with Alexei, Prince Nikita Alexandrovich, Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich, Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich, and Prince Vasily Alexandrovich. Tatiana had tea in bed and had a temperature of 38.1°C. Olga spoke to Nikolai Sablin on the telephone. Maria took a bath with Alexandra in the swimming pool-tub. Maria had dinner with Nicholas [presumably so did Olga and Anastasia]. At 8:15pm Olga, Nicholas, and Alexandra went to the Mariinsky Theatre and watched the opera A Life For the Tsar. Tatiana came downstairs to see them off. Alexandra left after the first act as she felt unwell. They returned to the Winter Palace at 11:30pm.
23rd, Saturday:
Tatiana had a temperature of 38°C so stayed in bed, but was visited by Olga Alexandrovna, Anna Vyrubova, and Nicholas. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia walked around the garden with Nicholas. They then attended a baisemain reception for ladies-in-waiting with Maria Feodorovna. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas and Maria Feodorovna. Maria [possibly also Olga and Anastasia] went for a walk with Nicholas. Irina Alexandrovna, Prince Andrei Alexandrovich, and Prince Feodor Alexandrovich came by. Olga and Irina Alexandrovna had tea with Tatiana in her room. Maria and Anastasia had tea with Andrei Alexandrovich, Feodor Alexandrovich, and Alexei.*** Tatiana read in bed. Olga spoke to Nikolai Sablin on the telephone. Maria and Anastasia went to Catherine Schneider's rooms. Olga and Maria had dinner with Nicholas [Anastasia probably had dinner with Alexei]. Tatiana had dinner in bed. Maria and Anastasia took a bath in the swimming pool-tub. At 9:15pm Olga, Nicholas, and Alexandra went to the Assembly of the Nobility, after going up to say goodbye to Tatiana who was supposed to go. There were prayers, speeches, and bread and salt were served. Olga danced the polonaise with Count Emmanuel Emmanuelovich Sievers, a quadrille with Zinoviev, a mazurka with Oleg. K., and other dances with "lots of officers." Alexandra left halfway through. Olga and Nicholas left at 11:45pm. Tatiana was diagnosed with typhus.
 |
| Ball at the Assembly of the Nobility Building in St Petersburg on 23 February 1913 by Dmitri Kardovsky c. 1915 |
24th, Sunday:
Tatiana had a temperature of 39.2°C and a headache. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went to obednya with Nicholas, then had breakfast with him. At 2pm Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went with Olga Alexandrovna to her house. M.L Tzigern-Shternberg, Skvortsov, and Alexander Shvedov went with them. Nikolai Sablin, S.S Klyucharev, G. of Leuchtenberg****, Sasha, Nadya, Kolya, Irina Alexandrovna, Zoya Steckel, Nikolai Zarnikau, R. Shangin, and Nikolai Kulikovsky arrived later. They played turkey, all-of-Petersburg, slap-on-hands, and rope. At tea Olga sat between Nikolai Sablin and Alexander Shvedov. Olga spoke to Alexandra on the telephone. The group then played hide and seek in the dark. They returned at 6pm. Maria and Anastasia had dinner together. Olga got changed and then went to Alexandra's rooms, together they went down to the malachite room. They had dinner with the rest of the family in the Georgievsky Hall. There was music and the dinner went on until 9pm. Alexandra lay on a sofa for much of the evening. Anna Vyrubova visited. Olga went to bed at 10:30pm.
25th, Monday:
The family began fasting today. Olga spent the morning sitting by Alexandra's bed. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went to church at 11:30am. They had breakfast with Nicholas, Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna, Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich, and Prince Konstantin Bagration of Mukhrani. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia walked with Nicholas on the roof and in the garden. Tatiana had a temperature of 39.4°C but her headache wasn't as bad. Maria Feodorovna and Xenia Alexandrovna came to visit her. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Alexandra and Anna Vyrubova. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, Anna Vyrubova, and Konstantin Bagration. Olga Alexandrovna visisted. Maria and Anastasia swam in the pool-tub while Olga Alexandrovna, Alexandra, Nicholas, and Olga watched. They then sat and did handiwork. Olga went to bed at about 11pm.
26th, Tuesday:
Tatiana was visited by Nicholas and had a temperature of 39.1°C. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went to obednya with Nicholas. The above then had breakfast with Paul Alexandrovich. At 2pm the family went to a panikhida for Alexander III at the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. They returned to the Winter Palace with Maria Feodorovna, Olga Alexandrovna, Xenia Alexandrovna, and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. At 3pm they returned to Tsarskoe Selo and moved back to the Alexander Palace. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went to vsenoshnaya with Nicholas. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Nicholas read aloud in the evening.
27th, Wednesday:
Lessons. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went to obednya with Nicholas. Tatiana had a temperature of 39.7°C and was visited by Olga several times during the day. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Zhitkevich. From 2pm to 4:30pm Olga, Maria, and Anastasia began building an ice tower with Nicholas while Alexei watched from a carriage. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had tea and then dinner with Nicholas and Alexandra. Anna Vyrubova visited in the evening.
28th, Thursday:
Lessons. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went to obednya with Nicholas. Tatiana had a temperature of 39.1°C. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had breakfast with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Count Grabbe. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia continued to build the ice tower with Nicholas. Tatiana was visited by Nicholas for a while before tea. Olga [possibly also Anastasia] had tea with Nicholas and Alexandra. Maria had tea alone, then a music lesson. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia went to vsenoshnaya with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Alexei. Olga, Maria, and Anastasia had dinner with Nicholas, Alexandra, and Count Grabbe. Tatiana had a bath. Olga went to bed after 10pm.
 |
| Maria, Anastasia, and Olga with officers at Olga Alexandrovna's house, early 1913 |
*It's difficult to say what Tatiana and Anastasia did for tea this day as Anastasia has no diary entries and isn't mentioned by anyone else, while Tatiana's entry for this day wasn't published.
**The Romanov Tercentenary celebrations began on this day, as it was the day of Tsar Mikhail's election in 1613.
***My best guess based on conflicting descriptions.
****I've previously listed G. of Leuchtenberg as George Maximilianovich as I couldn't find anyone else matching that description, though he died in 1912. A mystery man, I suppose.
References:
Azar, H. (2015) Journal of a Russian Grand Duchess: Complete Annotated 1913 Diary of Olga Romanov, Eldest Daughter of the Last Tsar. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.Azar, H. and Nicholson, A. (2017) Tatiana Romanov, Daughter of the Last Tsar: Diaries and Letters, 1913-1918. Yardley, P.A: Westholme Publishing.
No comments:
Post a Comment