Death of a Tsar: Romanov Execution

How did Nicholas lose the throne to which he and Alexandra had ascended in 1896? How did he get so out of touch with his people? The truth is Nicholas was never in touch with the common people. He never knew what it was like to worry where the next meal was coming from. He never had to.

When his people were in despair, some thought Nicholas was ignoring their plight (and grew resentful of the time he spent with his family).  When his people needed him, some thought the Tsar of all the Russians preferred the isolation of the imperial cathedral and Alexander Palace, his church and home in Tsarskoe Selo (the tsar's village).

Yet, as revealed through their private correspondence (written in English and now available in A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas and Alexandra: Their Own Story), Nicholas was deeply affected by his people's sufferings and worked very hard to improve his country.  Although some did not view it thus, the Tsar usually put Russia before his family.

Although Nicholas was out-of-touch with the common people and the intelligentsia, he had the support of the aristocracy for most of his reign. But there came a time when even that support eroded. There came a time when a wandering charismatic "monk" named Gregory Efimovich Novyk entered the life of the royal family.

Most folks called him "Rasputin." Most historians today think his presence significantly contributed to the downfall of the Tsar.