#Romanovs100 finale: Centenary of Romanov family execution (LIVE UPDATES)
On this day 100 years ago, Russia's last reigning monarch, Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and five children were murdered by the Bolsheviks. Follow #Romanovs100 Live Feed to find out what exactly happened on July 16th-17th, 1918.
16 July 2018
21:05 GMTGive us Patience, Lord to us thy children,⠀
In these dark stormy days to bear,⠀
the persecution of our people,⠀
the tortures falling to our shores.⠀
⠀
Give us strength, just God to us who need it,⠀
the persecutors to forgive,⠀
our heavy painful cross to carry,⠀
and thy great meekness to achieve.⠀
⠀
When we are plundered and insulted,⠀
in days of mutinous unrest,⠀
we turn for help to thee, Christ Savior,⠀
that we may stand the bitter test.⠀
⠀
Lord of the world, God of Creation,⠀
Give us thy blessing through our prayer,⠀
give us peace of heart O master,⠀
this hour of utmost dread to bear.⠀
⠀
and on the threshold of the grave,⠀
breathe power divine into our clay,⠀
that we, Thy children, may find strength,⠀
in meekness for our foes to pray.⠀
⠀
* * *⠀ ⠀
A family friend, poet Sergey Bekhteev dedicated this poem to Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana and sent it to them in a letter to Tobolsk. Olga copied the poem by hand and put that note into one of her books. It was later discovered among her things in Ekaterinburg, only after the family’s death, when the area fell into anti-Bolshevik forces, who immediately launched a probe to find out what happened at the Ipatiev House.- 21:02 GMT
And on the threshold of the grave,breathe power divine into our clay,that we, thy children, may find strength,in meekness for our foes to pray.#Romanovs100 (5/5)
— Nicholas Romanov (@NicholasII_1917) July 16, 2018 - 21:01 GMT
Lord of the world, God of Creation,Give us thy blessing through our prayer,give us peace of heart O master,this hour of utmost dread to bear.#Romanovs100 (4/5)
— Alexandra Romanova (@EmpressAlix1917) July 16, 2018 - 20:56 GMT
When we are plundered and insulted,in days of mutinous unrest,we turn for help to thee, Christ Saviour,that we may stand the bitter test.#Romanovs100 (3/5)
— The Romanov Sisters (@OTMA_1917) July 16, 2018 - 20:51 GMT
Give us strength, just God to us who need it,the persecutors to forgive,our heavy painful cross to carry,and thy great meekness to achieve.#Romanovs100 (2/5)
— Alexandra Romanova (@EmpressAlix1917) July 16, 2018 - 20:47 GMT
Give us Patience, Lord to us thy children,In these dark stormy days to bear,The persecution of our people,The tortures falling to our shores.#Romanovs100 (1/5)
— Nicholas Romanov (@NicholasII_1917) July 16, 2018A family friend, poet Sergey Bekhteev dedicated this poem to Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana and sent it to them in a letter to Tobolsk. Olga copied the poem by hand and put that note into one of her books. It was later discovered among her things in Ekaterinburg, only after the family’s death, when the area fell into anti-Bolshevik forces, who immediately launched a probe to find out what happened at the Ipatiev House.
- 20:40 GMT
Nicholas was the shooters’ primary target and died first. A terrifying mess of shooting, screaming, stabbing and fighting ensued, leaving the cellar coated in blood when the killers had carried out Yurovsky's orders. The air thick with gun smoke, the victims disfigured.
- 20:30 GMT
From a later report by Yurovsky:
"Nicholas brought down Alexei in his arms... Entering the empty room A[lexandra] F[eodorovna] asked: “Isn’t there even a chair here? Can’t one sit down?” The commandant ordered to bring two chairs. Nicholas put Alexei on one of them, the other was taken by A.F. The others were told to stand in a line. When they did, the squad was called [from the next room]."
