#Romanovs100 marks 150 years since Nicholas II’s birth with rare images (PHOTOS)

18 May, 2018 11:11 / Updated 7 years ago

Exactly 100 years ago to the day, Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II, celebrated his 50th birthday. RT’s multi-platform history project #Romanovs100 marks the date in digital.

Nicholas II’s reign came at a difficult time in Russian history: the empire’s economic expansion coincided with political and social unrest, resulting in the 1917 Revolution. Nicholas II abdicated his throne that same year and, together with his wife and five children, was placed under arrest.  

At first, the family stayed in their palace near St Petersburg, but were relocated to Siberia in Summer 1917 – first to the sleepy town of Tobolsk, then to their final destination in Ekaterinburg, which was dominated by the Bolsheviks. Killed with his family and closest staff by revolutionaries, Nicholas II never lived past 51.

#Romanovs100 remembers Nicholas II’s life in images, including rare photos from the Russian State Archive, which the family took themselves.

#Romanovs100 is a multi-platform photo-puzzle telling the story of the Russian royal family through their personal photographs: they owned many different cameras and took numerous images during their extensive voyages. The team behind #Romanovs100 promises to publish up to 4,000 rare photographs over the course of 100 days until the project comes to an end, in mid-July 2018.

READ MORE:#Romanovs100: Join digital colorization contest judged by renowned artist Marina Amaral