Who are the Romanovs? The Romanov Dynasty: a brief history. Election of Mikhail Romanov to the throne. The rise to power of a new dynasty

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The Romanovs, whose dynasty dates back to the sixteenth century, were simply an old noble family. But after the marriage concluded between Ivan the Terrible and a representative of the Romanov family, Anastasia Zakharyina, they became close to the royal court. And after establishing kinship with the Moscow Rurikovichs, the Romanovs themselves began to lay claim to the royal throne.

The history of the Russian dynasty of emperors began after the chosen grandnephew of Ivan the Terrible’s wife, Mikhail Fedorovich, began to rule the country. His descendants stood at the head of Russia until October 1917.

Background

The ancestor of some noble families, including the Romanovs, is called Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla, whose father, as records show, Divonovich Glanda-Kambila, who received the baptismal name Ivan, appeared in Russia in the last decade of the fourteenth century. He came from Lithuania.

Despite this, a certain category of historians suggests that the beginning of the Romanov dynasty (in short - the House of Romanov) comes from Novgorod. Andrei Ivanovich had five sons. Their names were Semyon Stallion and Alexander Elka, Vasily Ivantai and Gavriil Gavsha, as well as Fyodor Koshka. They were the founders of as many as seventeen noble houses in Rus'. In the first generation, Andrei Ivanovich and his first four sons were called Kobylins, Fyodor Andreevich and his son Ivan were called Koshkins, and the latter’s son, Zakhary, was called Koshkin-Zakharyin.

The origin of the surname

Descendants soon discarded the first part - the Koshkins. And for some time now they began to be written only under the name of Zakharyina. From the sixth generation, the second half was added to it - the Yuryevs.

Accordingly, the offspring of Peter and Vasily Yakovlevich were called the Yakovlevs, Roman - the okolnichy and the governor - Zakharyin-Romanov. It is with the children of the latter that the famous Romanov dynasty began. The reign of this family began in 1613.

Kings

The Romanov dynasty managed to install five of its representatives on the royal throne. The first of them was the great-nephew of Anastasia, the wife of Ivan the Terrible. Mikhail Fedorovich is the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, he was raised to the throne by the Zemsky Sobor. But, since he was young and inexperienced, the country was actually ruled by Elder Martha and her relatives. After him, the kings of the Romanov dynasty were few in number. These are his son Alexei and three grandsons - Fyodor and Peter I. It was the latter in 1721 that the Romanov royal dynasty ended.

Emperors

When Peter Alekseevich ascended the throne, a completely different era began for the family. The Romanovs, whose dynasty's history as emperors began in 1721, gave Russia thirteen rulers. Of these, only three were representatives by blood.

After the first emperor of the House of Romanov, the throne was inherited as an autocratic empress by his legal wife Catherine I, whose origins are still hotly debated by historians. After her death, power passed to Peter Alekseevich’s grandson from his first marriage, Peter the Second.

Due to infighting and intrigue, his grandfather's line of succession to the throne was frozen. And after him, imperial power and regalia were transferred to the daughter of Emperor Peter the Great’s elder brother, Ivan V, while after Anna Ioannovna, her son from the Duke of Brunswick ascended to the Russian throne. His name was Ivan VI Antonovich. He became the only representative of the Mecklenburg-Romanov dynasty to occupy the throne. He was overthrown by his own aunt, “Petrov’s daughter,” Empress Elizabeth. She was unmarried and childless. That is why the Romanov dynasty, whose reign table is very impressive, in the direct male line ended precisely there.

Introduction to history

The accession of this family to the throne occurred under strange circumstances, surrounded by numerous strange deaths. The Romanov dynasty, photos of whose representatives are in any history textbook, is directly related to the Russian chronicle. She stands out for her unfailing patriotism. Together with the people, they went through difficult times, slowly lifting the country out of poverty and misery - the results of constant wars, namely the Romanovs.

The history of the Russian dynasty is literally saturated with bloody events and secrets. Each of its representatives, although they respected the interests of their subjects, was at the same time distinguished by cruelty.

First ruler

The year the Romanov dynasty began was very turbulent. The state did not have a legal ruler. Mainly due to the excellent reputation of Anastasia Zakharyina and her brother Nikita, the Romanov family was respected by everyone.

Russia was tormented by wars with Sweden and practically never-ending internecine strife. At the beginning of February 1613, in Velikiy, abandoned by foreign invaders along with a pile of dirt and garbage, the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, the young and inexperienced prince Mikhail Fedorovich, was proclaimed. And it was this sixteen-year-old son who marked the beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty. He secured his reign for a full thirty-two years.

It is with him that the Romanov dynasty begins, the genealogy table of which is studied at school. In 1645, Mikhail was replaced by his son Alexei. The latter also ruled for quite a long time - more than three decades. After him, the succession to the throne was associated with some difficulties.

From 1676, Russia was ruled for six years by Mikhail’s grandson, Fedor, named after his great-grandfather. After his death, the reign of the Romanov dynasty was worthily continued by Peter I and Ivan V, his brothers. For almost fifteen years they exercised dual power, although virtually the entire government of the country was taken into their own hands by their sister Sophia, who was known as a very power-hungry woman. Historians say that to hide this circumstance, a special double throne with a hole was ordered. And it was through him that Sophia gave instructions to her brothers in a whisper.

Peter the Great

And although the beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty is associated with Fedorovich, nevertheless, almost everyone knows one of its representatives. This is a man of whom both the entire Russian people and the Romanovs themselves can be proud. The history of the Russian dynasty of emperors, the history of the Russian people, the history of Russia are inextricably linked with the name of Peter the Great - the commander and founder of the regular army and navy, and in general - a man with very progressive views on life.

Possessing purposefulness, strong will and great capacity for work, Peter I, like, indeed, the entire Romanov dynasty, with a few exceptions, photos of whose representatives are in all history textbooks, studied a lot throughout his life. But he paid special attention to military and naval affairs. During his first trip abroad in 1697-1698, Peter took a course in artillery science in the city of Konigsberg, then worked for six months at the Amsterdam shipyards as a simple carpenter, and studied the theory of shipbuilding in England.

This was not only the most remarkable personality of his era, the Romanovs could be proud of him: the history of the Russian dynasty did not know a more intelligent and inquisitive person. His whole appearance, according to his contemporaries, testified to this.

Peter the Great was invariably interested in everything that somehow affected his plans: both in terms of government or commerce, and in education. His curiosity extended to almost everything. He did not neglect even the smallest details, if they could later be useful in some way.

The life's work of Pyotr Romanov was the rise of his state and the strengthening of its military strength. It was he who became the founder of the regular fleet and army, continuing the reforms of his father, Alexei Mikhailovich.

The state transformations of Peter the Great's rule turned Russia into a strong state that acquired seaports, developed foreign trade and a well-established administrative management system.

And although the reign of the Romanov dynasty began almost six decades earlier, not a single representative of it managed to achieve what Peter the Great achieved. He not only established himself as an excellent diplomat, but also created the anti-Swedish Northern Alliance. In history, the name of the first emperor is associated with the main stage in the development of Russia and its emergence as a great power.

At the same time, Peter was a very tough person. When he seized power at the age of seventeen, he did not fail to hide his sister Sophia in a distant monastery. One of the most famous representatives of the Romanov dynasty, Peter, better known as the Great, was considered a rather heartless emperor, who set himself the goal of reorganizing his little-civilized country in a Western manner.

However, despite such advanced ideas, he was considered a capricious tyrant, quite comparable to his cruel predecessor - Ivan the Terrible, the husband of his great-grandmother Anastasia Romanova.

Some researchers reject the great significance of Peter's perestroikas and, in general, the policies of the emperor during his reign. Peter, they believe, was in a hurry to achieve his goals, so he took the shortest route, sometimes even using obviously clumsy methods. And this was precisely the reason that after his untimely death, the Russian empire quickly returned to the state from which the reformer Peter Romanov tried to bring it out.

It is impossible to radically change your people in one fell swoop, even by building a new capital for them, shaving the boyars’ beards and ordering them to gather for political rallies.

Nevertheless, the policies of the Romanovs, and in particular the administrative reforms that Peter introduced, meant quite a lot for the country.

New branch

After the marriage of Anna (the second daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine) with the nephew of the Swedish king, the beginning of the Romanov dynasty was laid, which actually passed into the Holstein-Gottorp family. At the same time, according to the agreement, the son born from this marriage, and he became Peter III, still remained a member of this royal House.

Thus, according to genealogical rules, the imperial family began to be called Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovsky, which was reflected not only on their family coat of arms, but also on the coat of arms of Russia. From this time on, the throne was passed on in a straight line, without any intricacies. This happened thanks to a decree issued by Paul. It spoke of succession to the throne through the direct male line.

After Paul, the country was ruled by Alexander I, his eldest son, who was childless. His second descendant, Prince Konstantin Pavlovich, renounced the throne, which, in fact, became one of the reasons for the Decembrist uprising. The next emperor was his third son, Nicholas I. In general, since the time of Catherine the Great, all heirs to the throne began to bear the title of crown prince.

After Nicholas I, the throne passed to his eldest son, Alexander II. At the age of twenty-one, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich died of tuberculosis. Therefore, the next was the second son - Emperor Alexander III, who was succeeded by his eldest son and the last Russian ruler - Nicholas II. Thus, since the beginning of the Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp dynasty, eight emperors have come from this branch, including Catherine the Great.

Nineteenth century

In the 19th century, the imperial family expanded and expanded greatly. Special laws were even adopted that regulated the rights and obligations of each family member. The material aspects of their existence were also discussed. A new title was even introduced - Prince of the Imperial Blood. He assumed too distant a descendant of the ruler.

From the time when the Romanov dynasty began until the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Imperial House began to include four branches in the female line:

Holstein-Gottorp;
Leuchtenberg - descended from the daughter of Nicholas I, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, and the Duke of Leuchtenberg;
Oldenburg - from the marriage of the daughter of Emperor Paul with the Duke of Oldenburg;
Mecklenburg - originating from the marriage of Princess Catherine Mikhailovna and the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Revolution and the Imperial House

From the moment the Romanov dynasty began, the history of this family is full of death and bloodshed. No wonder the last of the family - Nicholas II - was nicknamed the Bloody. It must be said that the emperor himself was not at all distinguished by a cruel disposition.

The reign of the last Russian monarch was marked by rapid economic growth of the country. At the same time, there was an increase in social and political contradictions within Russia. All this led to the beginning of the revolutionary movement and ultimately to the uprising of 1905-1907, and then to the February revolution.

The Emperor of All Russia and the Tsar of Poland, as well as the Grand Duke of Finland - the last Russian emperor from the Romanov dynasty - ascended the throne in 1894. Nicholas II is described by his contemporaries as a gentle and highly educated, sincerely devoted to the country, but at the same time a very stubborn person.

Apparently, this was the reason for the persistent rejection of the advice of experienced dignitaries in matters of government, which, in fact, led to fatal mistakes in the Romanovs’ policies. The sovereign’s amazingly devoted love for his own wife, who in some historical documents is even called a mentally unstable person, became the reason for discrediting the royal family. Her power was called into question as the only true one.

This was explained by the fact that the wife of the last Russian emperor had a fairly strong say in many aspects of government. At the same time, she did not miss a single opportunity to take advantage of this, while many high-ranking persons were in no way satisfied with this. Most of them considered the last reigning Romanov a fatalist, while others were of the opinion that he was simply completely indifferent to the suffering of his people.

End of reign

The bloody year of 1917 was the final year for the shaky power of this autocrat. It all started with the First World War and the ineffectiveness of the policies of Nicholas II during this difficult period for Russia.

Antagonists of the Romanov family argue that during this period the last autocrat simply was unable or failed to implement the necessary political or social reforms in time. The February Revolution forced the last emperor to abdicate the throne. As a result, Nicholas II and his family were placed under house arrest in his palace in Tsarskoe Selo.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the Romanovs ruled more than a sixth of the planet. It was a self-sufficient, independent state that concentrated the greatest wealth in Europe. It was a huge era that ended with the execution of the royal family, the last of the Romanovs: Nicholas II with Alexandra and their five children. It happened in a basement in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 17, 1918.

The Romanovs today

By the beginning of 1917, the Russian Imperial House numbered sixty-five representatives, of which thirty-two belonged to its male half. Eighteen people were shot by the Bolsheviks between 1918 and 1919. This happened in St. Petersburg, Alapaevsk and, of course, in Yekaterinburg. The remaining forty-seven people escaped. As a result, they found themselves in exile, mainly in the United States and France.

Despite this, a significant part of the dynasty hoped for the collapse of Soviet power and the restoration of the Russian monarchy for more than ten years. When Olga Konstantinovna - the Grand Duchess - became regent of Greece in December 1920, she began to accept many refugees from Russia in this country who were simply going to wait it out and return home. However, this did not happen.

Nevertheless, the House of Romanov still had weight for a long time. Moreover, in 1942, two representatives of the House were even offered the throne of Montenegro. An Association was even created, which included all living members of the dynasty.

The Romanov dynasty, also known as the “House of Romanov,” was the second dynasty (after the Rurik dynasty) to rule Russia. In 1613, representatives of 50 cities and several peasants unanimously elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as the New Tsar. It was with him that the Romanov dynasty began, which ruled Russia until 1917.

Since 1721, the Russian Tsar was proclaimed emperor. Tsar Peter I became the first emperor of all Russia. He turned Russia into a Great Empire. During the reign of Catherine II the Great, the Russian Empire expanded and improved in governance.

At the beginning of 1917, the Romanov family had 65 members, 18 of whom were killed by the Bolsheviks. The remaining 47 people fled abroad.

The last Romanov Tsar, Nicholas II, began his reign in the fall of 1894, when he ascended the throne. His entry came much earlier than anyone expected. Nicholas's father, Tsar Alexander III, died unexpectedly at the relatively young age of 49.

The Romanov family in the mid-19th century: Tsar Alexander II, his heir, the future Alexander III, and the infant Nicholas, the future Tsar Nicholas II.

Events unfolded quickly after the death of Alexander III. The new Tsar, at the age of 26, quickly married his bride of a few months, Princess Alix of Hesse—granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. The couple had known each other since they were teenagers. They were even distantly related and had numerous relatives, being the niece and nephew of the Prince and Princess of Wales, on opposite sides of the family.

A contemporary artist's depiction of the coronation of the new (and last) family from the Romanov dynasty - Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra.

In the 19th century, many members of European royal families were closely related to each other. Queen Victoria was called the “Grandmother of Europe” because her offspring were dispersed throughout the continent through the marriages of her many children. Along with her royal pedigree and improved diplomatic relations between the royal houses of Greece, Spain, Germany and Russia, Victoria's descendants were given something far less desirable: a tiny defect in a gene that regulates normal blood clotting and causes an incurable disease called hemophilia. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, patients suffering from this disease could literally bleed to death. Even the most benign bruise or blow could prove fatal. The Queen of England's son, Prince Leopold, had hemophilia and died prematurely after a minor car accident.

The hemophilia gene was also passed on to Victoria's grandchildren and great-grandchildren through their mothers in the royal houses of Spain and Germany.

Tsarevich Alexei was the long-awaited heir to the Romanov dynasty

But perhaps the most tragic and significant impact of the hemophilia gene occurred in the ruling Romanov family in Russia. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna learned in 1904 that she was a carrier of hemophilia a few weeks after the birth of her precious son and heir to the Russian throne, Alexei.

In Russia, only men can inherit the throne. If Nicholas II had not had a son, the crown would have passed to his younger brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. However, after 10 years of marriage and the birth of four healthy Grand Duchesses, the long-awaited son and heir was stricken with an incurable disease. Few subjects understood that the crown prince's life often hung in the balance due to his fatal genetic disease. Alexei's hemophilia remained a closely guarded secret of the Romanov family.

In the summer of 1913, the Romanov family celebrated the three hundredth anniversary of their dynasty. The dark “time of troubles” of 1905 seemed like a long-forgotten and unpleasant dream. To celebrate, the entire Romanov family made a pilgrimage to the ancient historical monuments of the Moscow region, and the people rejoiced. Nikolai and Alexandra were once again convinced that their people loved them and that their policies were on the right track.

At this time, it was difficult to imagine that just four years after these glory days, the Russian Revolution would deprive the Romanov family of the imperial throne, ending three centuries of the Romanov dynasty. The Tsar, enthusiastically supported during the celebrations of 1913, would no longer rule Russia in 1917. Instead, the Romanov family would be arrested and killed by their own men just over a year later.

The story of the last reigning Romanov family continues to fascinate both scholars and Russian history buffs. It has something for everyone: a great royal romance between a handsome young king—ruler of one-eighth of the world—and a beautiful German princess who gave up her strong Lutheran faith and conventional life for love.

Four Romanov daughters: Grand Duchess Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia

There were their beautiful children: four beautiful daughters and a long-awaited boy, born with a fatal disease from which he could die at any moment. There was a controversial "little guy" - a peasant who seemed to be sneaking into the imperial palace, and who was seen to be corrupt and immorally influencing the Romanov family: the Tsar, the Empress and even their children.

Romanov family: Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra with Tsarevich Alexei on their knees, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.

There were political assassinations of the powerful, executions of the innocent, intrigues, mass uprisings and a world war; murders, revolution and bloody civil war. And finally, the secret execution in the middle of the night of the last ruling Romanov family, their servants, even their pets in the basement of a “special purpose house” in the heart of the Russian Urals.

Today they talk more and more about the Romanov dynasty. Her story can be read like a detective story. And its origin, and the history of the coat of arms, and the circumstances of accession to the throne: all this still causes ambiguous interpretations.

Prussian origins of the dynasty

The ancestor of the Romanov dynasty is considered to be the boyar Andrei Kobyla at the court of Ivan Kalita and his son Simeon the Proud. We know virtually nothing about his life and origins. The chronicles mention him only once: in 1347 he was sent to Tver for the bride of Grand Duke Simeon the Proud, daughter of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich of Tver.

Finding himself during the unification of the Russian state with a new center in Moscow in the service of the Moscow branch of the princely dynasty, he thus chose the “golden ticket” for himself and his family. Genealogists mention his numerous descendants, who became the ancestors of many noble Russian families: Semyon Stallion (Lodygins, Konovnitsyns), Alexander Elka (Kolychevs), Gavriil Gavsha (Bobrykins), Childless Vasily Vantey and Fyodor Koshka - the ancestor of the Romanovs, Sheremetevs, Yakovlevs, Goltyaevs and Bezzubtsev. But the origins of the Mare himself remain a mystery. According to the Romanov family legend, he traced his ancestry back to the Prussian kings.

When a gap is formed in genealogies, it provides an opportunity for their falsification. In the case of noble families, this is usually done with the aim of either legitimizing their power or achieving extra privileges. As in this case. The blank spot in the Romanov genealogies was filled in the 17th century under Peter I by the first Russian king of arms Stepan Andreevich Kolychev. The new history corresponded to the “Prussian legend”, fashionable even under the Rurikovichs, which was aimed at confirming the position of Moscow as the successor of Byzantium. Since Rurik’s Varangian origin did not fit into this ideology, the founder of the princely dynasty became the 14th descendant of a certain Prus, the ruler of ancient Prussia, a relative of Emperor Augustus himself. Following them, the Romanovs “rewrote” their history.

A family legend, subsequently recorded in the “General Arms of Arms of the Noble Families of the All-Russian Empire,” says that in 305 AD, the Prussian king Pruteno gave the kingdom to his brother Veidewut, and he himself became the high priest of his pagan tribe in the city of Romanov, where the evergreen sacred oak tree grew.

Before his death, Veidevuth divided his kingdom among his twelve sons. One of them was Nedron, whose family owned part of modern Lithuania (Samogit lands). His descendants were the brothers Russingen and Glanda Kambila, who were baptized in 1280, and in 1283 Kambila came to Rus' to serve the Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich. After baptism, he began to be called Mare.

Who fed False Dmitry?

The personality of False Dmitry is one of the biggest mysteries of Russian history. In addition to the unresolved question of the identity of the impostor, his “shadow” accomplices remain a problem. According to one version, the Romanovs, who fell into disgrace under Godunov, had a hand in the conspiracy of False Dmitry, and the eldest descendant of the Romanovs, Fedor, a contender for the throne, was tonsured a monk.

Adherents of this version believe that the Romanovs, Shuiskys and Golitsins, who dreamed of the “Monomakh’s hat,” organized a conspiracy against Godunov, using the mysterious death of the young Tsarevich Dmitry. They prepared their contender for the royal throne, known to us as False Dmitry, and led the coup on June 10, 1605. Afterwards, having dealt with their biggest rival, they themselves joined the fight for the throne. Subsequently, after the accession of the Romanovs, their historians did everything to connect the bloody massacre of the Godunov family exclusively with the personality of False Dmitry, and leave the Romanovs’ hands clean.

The Mystery of the Zemsky Sobor 1613

The election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the throne was simply doomed to be covered with a thick layer of myths. How did it happen that in a country torn apart by turmoil, a young, inexperienced youth was elected to the throne, who at the age of 16 was not distinguished by either military talent or a sharp political mind? Of course, the future king had an influential father - Patriarch Filaret, who himself once aimed for the royal throne. But during the Zemsky Sobor, he was captured by the Poles and could hardly have somehow influenced the process. According to the generally accepted version, the decisive role was played by the Cossacks, who at that time represented a powerful force to be reckoned with. Firstly, under False Dmitry II, they and the Romanovs found themselves in the “same camp”, and secondly, they were certainly satisfied with the young and inexperienced prince, who did not pose a danger to their liberties, which they had inherited during the time of unrest.

The warlike cries of the Cossacks forced Pozharsky’s followers to propose a break of two weeks. During this time, widespread campaigning in favor of Mikhail unfolded. For many boyars, he also represented an ideal candidate who would allow them to keep power in their hands. The main argument put forward was that supposedly the late Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, before his death, wanted to transfer the throne to his relative Fyodor Romanov (Patriarch Filaret). And since he languished in Polish captivity, the crown passed to his only son, Mikhail. As the historian Klyuchevsky later wrote, “they wanted to choose not the most capable, but the most convenient.”

Non-existent coat of arms

In the history of the Romanov dynastic coat of arms there are no less blank spots than in the history of the dynasty itself. For some reason, for a long time the Romanovs did not have their own coat of arms at all; they used the state coat of arms, with the image of a double-headed eagle, as a personal one. Their own family coat of arms was created only under Alexander II. By that time, the heraldry of the Russian nobility had practically taken shape, and only the ruling dynasty did not have its own coat of arms. It would be inappropriate to say that the dynasty did not have much interest in heraldry: even under Alexei Mikhailovich, the “Tsar’s Titular Book” was published - a manuscript containing portraits of Russian monarchs with the coats of arms of Russian lands.

Perhaps such loyalty to the double-headed eagle is due to the need for the Romanovs to show legitimate continuity from the Rurikovichs and, most importantly, from the Byzantine emperors. As is known, starting with Ivan III, people begin to talk about Rus' as the successor of Byzantium. Moreover, the king married Sophia Palaeologus, the granddaughter of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine. They took the symbol of the Byzantine double-headed eagle as their family coat of arms.

In any case, this is just one of many versions. It is not known for certain why the ruling branch of the huge empire, which was related to the noblest houses of Europe, so stubbornly ignored the heraldic orders that had developed over the centuries.

The long-awaited appearance of the Romanovs’ own coat of arms under Alexander II only added more questions. The development of the imperial order was undertaken by the then king of arms, Baron B.V. Kene. The basis was taken as the ensign of the governor Nikita Ivanovich Romanov, at one time the main oppositionist Alexei Mikhailovich. Its description is more accurate, since the banner itself was already lost by that time. It depicted a golden griffin on a silver background with a small black eagle with raised wings and lion heads on its tail. Perhaps Nikita Romanov borrowed it from Livonia during the Livonian War.

The new coat of arms of the Romanovs was a red griffin on a silver background, holding a golden sword and tarch, crowned with a small eagle; on the black border there are eight severed lion heads; four gold and four silver. Firstly, the changed color of the griffin is striking. Historians of heraldry believe that Quesne decided not to go against the rules established at that time, which prohibited placing a golden figure on a silver background, with the exception of the coats of arms of such high-ranking persons as the Pope. Thus, by changing the color of the griffin, he lowered the status of the family coat of arms. Or the “Livonia version” played a role, according to which Kene emphasized the Livonian origin of the coat of arms, since in Livonia since the 16th century there was a reverse combination of coat of arms colors: a silver griffin on a red background.

There is still a lot of controversy about the symbolism of the Romanov coat of arms. Why is so much attention paid to lion heads, and not to the figure of an eagle, which, according to historical logic, should be in the center of the composition? Why is it with lowered wings, and what, ultimately, is the historical background of the Romanov coat of arms?

Peter III – the last Romanov?

As you know, the Romanov family ended with the family of Nicholas II. However, some believe that the last ruler of the Romanov dynasty was Peter III. The young infantile emperor did not have a good relationship with his wife at all. Catherine told in her diaries how anxiously she waited for her husband on her wedding night, and he came and fell asleep. This continued - Peter III did not have any feelings for his wife, preferring her to his favorite. But a son, Pavel, was nevertheless born, many years after the marriage.

Rumors about illegitimate heirs are not uncommon in the history of world dynasties, especially in turbulent times for the country. So here the question arose: is Paul really the son of Peter III? Or perhaps Catherine’s first favorite, Sergei Saltykov, took part in this.

A significant argument in favor of these rumors was that the imperial couple had not had children for many years. Therefore, many believed that this union was completely fruitless, as the empress herself hinted at, mentioning in her memoirs that her husband suffered from phimosis.

Information that Sergei Saltykov could be Pavel’s father is also present in Catherine’s diaries: “Sergei Saltykov made me understand what the reason for his frequent visits was... I continued to listen to him, he was as beautiful as day, and, of course, no one could not compare with him at court... He was 25 years old, in general, both by birth and by many other qualities, he was an outstanding gentleman... I did not give in all spring and part of the summer.” The result was not long in coming. On September 20, 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son. Only from whom: from her husband Romanov, or from Saltykov?

The choice of name for members of the ruling dynasty has always played an important role in the political life of the country. Firstly, intra-dynastic relations were often emphasized with the help of names. So, for example, the names of the children of Alexei Mikhailovich were supposed to emphasize the connection of the Romanovs with the Rurikovich dynasty. Under Peter and his daughters, they showed close relationships within the ruling branch (despite the fact that this was completely inconsistent with the real situation in the imperial family). But under Catherine the Great, a completely new order of naming was introduced. The former clan affiliation gave way to other factors, among which the political played a significant role. Her choice came from the semantics of names, going back to the Greek words: “people” and “victory”.

Let's start with Alexander. The name of Paul's eldest son was given in honor of Alexander Nevsky, although another invincible commander, Alexander the Great, was also implied. She wrote the following about her choice: “You say: Catherine wrote to Baron F. M. Grimm, that he will have to choose who to imitate: a hero (Alexander the Great) or a saint (Alexander Nevsky). You apparently do not know that our saint was a hero. He was a courageous warrior, a firm ruler and a clever politician and surpassed all other appanage princes, his contemporaries... So, I agree that Mr. Alexander has only one choice, and it depends on his personal talents which path he will take - holiness or heroism "

The reasons for choosing the name Constantine, unusual for Russian tsars, are even more interesting. They are connected with the idea of Catherine’s “Greek project,” which implied the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the restoration of the Byzantine state led by her second grandson.

It is unclear, however, why Paul's third son received the name Nicholas. Apparently, he was named after the most revered saint in Rus' - Nicholas the Wonderworker. But this is just a version, since the sources do not contain any explanation for this choice.

Catherine had nothing to do with the choice of name for Pavel’s youngest son, Mikhail, who was born after her death. Here the father’s long-standing passion for chivalry already played a role. Mikhail Pavlovich was named in honor of the Archangel Michael, the leader of the heavenly army, the patron saint of the emperor-knight.

Four names: Alexander, Konstantin, Nicholas and Mikhail - formed the basis of the new imperial names of the Romanovs.