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The Alexander Palace / Re: Alexander Palace, August 2004, Photos online
« on: October 01, 2004, 11:38:01 PM »
Hi PAVW - when I went to view your photo album, it was empty. Are the photos posted somewhere else>
Masha
Masha
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2
Rasputin / Re: Rasputin Murdered by a British Agent
« on: September 19, 2004, 09:49:16 PM »
I'm with both of you, Arturo & Annie, that this all seems a little far-fetched. It doesn't make sense that any mention of this British is lacking in all the communications between the Tsar & Tsarina et al. It will be interesting to see this BBC documentary with all the details, but one becomes rather sceptical if not jaded by conspiracy-theory-people who either hash up alternative possibilities to mostly solved mysteries or attempt retro-forensics whith a lot of "what-ifs" or "if one assumes" - Summers & Mangold's Hunt for the Tsar, Peter Kurth's Anastasia, Oliver Stone's JFK, etc.
I suppose we will never know all the details, indeed will we ever know the true identities of those who make up the bigger pieces of the puzzle - i.e. who really shot Rasputin.
Masha
I suppose we will never know all the details, indeed will we ever know the true identities of those who make up the bigger pieces of the puzzle - i.e. who really shot Rasputin.
Masha
3
Rasputin / Re: Rasputin Murdered by a British Agent
« on: September 19, 2004, 05:15:43 PM »
O.K., here's what the article says:
"Richard Culle, a retired Scotland Yard commander who has been studying the case with Andrew Cook, an intlligence historian, says that a new forensic analysis and an examination of official records helped him to reach his conclusion. "I'm 99.9 per cent certain of this' said Cullen. "There is a fair weight of evidence to show that Oswald Rayner (the british secret agent) was the man."...Now it is claimed that the British security service wanted to kill Rasputin, who was hoping to broker peace between Russian and Germany, because of his influence over the Tsar. The fear, according to Cullen, was that if such a deal had been agreed in 1916, then 350, 000 German troops would have been freed to fight the Allies.
Rayner was known to be in St. Petersburg in December 1916 when Rasputin died. A close friend from univeristy was Prince Felix Yousupov, at whose palace the murder took place.....Yusopov wrote that the day after the murder he dined with Rayner who "knew of our conspiracy and had come in search of news."
The BBC documentary says that modern forensic eveidence contradicts this account. Post-mortem photographs of Rasputin show a mysterious third bullet wound in the centre of his forehead. The precise positioning of this, the fatal shot, suggests that it was the work of a professional killer. It was also fired at close range, yet Purishkevich shot Rasputin form behind at a distance. The 3 bullet holes are of different sizes and forensic scientists have now determined that the bullets were fired from three different guns.
Cullen conludes that there was a third gunman and that this was Rayner who knew about the plot, was at the palace and wanted Rasputin dead. Rayner's involvement was kept secret by his superiors and by the Russian conspirators, who were eager to gain the glory themselves. If Rayner was the killer he never spoke about what he had done. He burnt all his papers and took the secret to his grave in 1961."
"Richard Culle, a retired Scotland Yard commander who has been studying the case with Andrew Cook, an intlligence historian, says that a new forensic analysis and an examination of official records helped him to reach his conclusion. "I'm 99.9 per cent certain of this' said Cullen. "There is a fair weight of evidence to show that Oswald Rayner (the british secret agent) was the man."...Now it is claimed that the British security service wanted to kill Rasputin, who was hoping to broker peace between Russian and Germany, because of his influence over the Tsar. The fear, according to Cullen, was that if such a deal had been agreed in 1916, then 350, 000 German troops would have been freed to fight the Allies.
Rayner was known to be in St. Petersburg in December 1916 when Rasputin died. A close friend from univeristy was Prince Felix Yousupov, at whose palace the murder took place.....Yusopov wrote that the day after the murder he dined with Rayner who "knew of our conspiracy and had come in search of news."
The BBC documentary says that modern forensic eveidence contradicts this account. Post-mortem photographs of Rasputin show a mysterious third bullet wound in the centre of his forehead. The precise positioning of this, the fatal shot, suggests that it was the work of a professional killer. It was also fired at close range, yet Purishkevich shot Rasputin form behind at a distance. The 3 bullet holes are of different sizes and forensic scientists have now determined that the bullets were fired from three different guns.
Cullen conludes that there was a third gunman and that this was Rayner who knew about the plot, was at the palace and wanted Rasputin dead. Rayner's involvement was kept secret by his superiors and by the Russian conspirators, who were eager to gain the glory themselves. If Rayner was the killer he never spoke about what he had done. He burnt all his papers and took the secret to his grave in 1961."
4
Rasputin / Rasputin Murdered by a British Agent
« on: September 19, 2004, 04:48:34 PM »
Sorry if this is a cross-posting or whatever you call it when a topic has already been discussed.....anyhow, just saw an article from the Sunday Telegraph that says a documentary is to be broadcast next month (presumably in Britain only) that states a member of the British Secret Intelligence Service working at the Russian Court in St. Petersburg was the true killer of Rasputin.
Has anyone heard this theory before? If not, I'll provide more details from the article....
Masha
Has anyone heard this theory before? If not, I'll provide more details from the article....
Masha
5
The Hohenzollern / Re: Prince Henry (Heinrich) of Prussia, his family and descendants
« on: September 18, 2004, 10:32:00 PM »
Two things:
1. What are the names of the children/grandchildren in the photo above?
2. I see alot of resemblence between Irene and her niece Anastasia - especially in the eyes, brows, cheeks and chin.
Again - tonnes of thanks for the photos, GDssElla!!
Masha
1. What are the names of the children/grandchildren in the photo above?
2. I see alot of resemblence between Irene and her niece Anastasia - especially in the eyes, brows, cheeks and chin.
Again - tonnes of thanks for the photos, GDssElla!!
Masha
6
Rulers Prior to Nicholas II / Re: Emperor Alexander and Princess Ekaterina Dolgoroukaya
« on: September 18, 2004, 09:37:47 PM »
It seems to me that Alexander II lived a rather "fast" life from beginning to end during his adult life - yes/no? I say this from all that has been written about court life before & during his reign - indeed, court life altogether through the ages of the Romanov era seemed to rather "fast & loose".
Examples are given in Hessian Tapestry of the behaviour of just about all members - male & female - in the immediate imperial family -Alexander II was tsarevitch when his brother-in-law (Louis? of Hesse) & Maria Feodorovna's younger brother was reprimanded over & over again for his scandalous behaviour, involving many young women who became pregnant and had to be married off in a hurry. Anyhow, as it is clearly suggested in this particular book, Alexander II had several dalliances himself in his early married life.
So, I raise the question again - & please forgive me for repeatedly asking, but I'm still not clear on the true moral order of court life under any of the tsars. I think according to our middle-class standards it was pretty immoral, where as for the aristocracy it was expected that a husband & even a wife would have at least one if not a handful of lovers. Am I wrong in thinking this??
Also, what is perhaps intriguing, if not touching with Alexander II is that given the numerous women he had during his lifetime, he sought out one person to end his days with as man & wife (who in the end was Ekaterina - I believe he pursued her sister first & then turned on the younger after the elder rebuffed him). Now - was this because he was tired of seeing a string of women one after the other, or was it because he was lonely due to the deterioration of his marital relations with his wife Marie? And if the latter, what was the reason for the breakdown in their marriage?
?
Masha
Examples are given in Hessian Tapestry of the behaviour of just about all members - male & female - in the immediate imperial family -Alexander II was tsarevitch when his brother-in-law (Louis? of Hesse) & Maria Feodorovna's younger brother was reprimanded over & over again for his scandalous behaviour, involving many young women who became pregnant and had to be married off in a hurry. Anyhow, as it is clearly suggested in this particular book, Alexander II had several dalliances himself in his early married life.
So, I raise the question again - & please forgive me for repeatedly asking, but I'm still not clear on the true moral order of court life under any of the tsars. I think according to our middle-class standards it was pretty immoral, where as for the aristocracy it was expected that a husband & even a wife would have at least one if not a handful of lovers. Am I wrong in thinking this??
Also, what is perhaps intriguing, if not touching with Alexander II is that given the numerous women he had during his lifetime, he sought out one person to end his days with as man & wife (who in the end was Ekaterina - I believe he pursued her sister first & then turned on the younger after the elder rebuffed him). Now - was this because he was tired of seeing a string of women one after the other, or was it because he was lonely due to the deterioration of his marital relations with his wife Marie? And if the latter, what was the reason for the breakdown in their marriage?
?Masha
7
The Hohenzollern / Re: Prince Henry (Heinrich) of Prussia, his family and descendants
« on: September 17, 2004, 11:30:37 PM »
i recall reading in a few places where it was briefly mentioned that Irene had to suffer through Henry's temper tantrums, and that their life together was rather patchy - in the sense that Henry was difficult to get along with. It would be nice to know what their marriage was really like. Plus - the tragedy of hemophilia affecting them all, with 2(?) of their 3 sons dying at early ages from it.
It seems that there really is alot of ground to cover for all the royal biographers out there, as we here on the forum would love to read so much more about all these personalities who appear only on the fringe of the more noteable royals.
masha
It seems that there really is alot of ground to cover for all the royal biographers out there, as we here on the forum would love to read so much more about all these personalities who appear only on the fringe of the more noteable royals.
masha
8
The Greek Royal Family / Re: Prince Andrew of Greece and his family
« on: September 17, 2004, 11:07:44 PM »
Lady Colin Campbell wrote a book called "Royal Marriages" over a decade ago which shed light on a lot of what the aristocracy supposedly knows about British royal family - including the Andrew/Edward paternity issues. But what I found most interesting was all the information about Prince Philip and his family. With all the negative publicity he receives along with his shortcomings - and yes this book does allude to his infidelities - P Philip really seems like an incredibly interesting and dynamic personlity.
His sisters are quite lovely in the photograph above, and while the latest biography on Princess Alice was interesting, it left me wanting to see/know more about her daughters are their families.
Masha
His sisters are quite lovely in the photograph above, and while the latest biography on Princess Alice was interesting, it left me wanting to see/know more about her daughters are their families.
Masha
9
The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Was Grand Duke Ernst really gay/bisexual?
« on: September 07, 2004, 09:36:41 PM »
To pick up on Janet's comment about Alix knowing more at a young age than most girls - I suspect that she and her sisters may have been aware of more than meets the eye - especailly Ella, when she mentions to Ernie in one of her letters to him (I beleive well after GD Sergei's death when she was already a nun) that he, her brother was several rungs higher on the ladder of redemption than she. As when ever she got up a few notches she was soon too fall back down to the bottom again.
I recall reading that passage a few times over the years with curiosity to the underlying reason for such a statement....well, perhaps I'm reading too much into it by thinking that Ernie had been successfully fighting off temptation - in whatever form - with his marriage to Onor.
Masha
I recall reading that passage a few times over the years with curiosity to the underlying reason for such a statement....well, perhaps I'm reading too much into it by thinking that Ernie had been successfully fighting off temptation - in whatever form - with his marriage to Onor.
Masha
10
The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Was Grand Duke Ernst really gay/bisexual?
« on: September 04, 2004, 08:47:22 PM »
O.k., here's my 2 cents worth......it seems to me the male members of all these royal families - including the Romanovs, but more especially those of the English and German sides - were all really effeminate - yes? (sorry if the spelling sucks). Compared to regular working joes they really seem like a bunch of flowers who occassionally came out of the hothouse for display. And somehow it seems to be more than a coincidence that a lot of these royal fellows ie. GD Kyril, Serge, George & Alexis Michailovitch, Prince Leopold, Prince Albert Victor, Prince Walemar, Prince George of Greece, Kaiser William, along with GD Ernie have all been described at some point as being homosexual. It all just seems to have been part & parcel of court life, where socializing on that scale exposed one to meeting so many people and where alternative relationships were perhaps derived out boredom from the same old thing. Not to mention the fact that as they are in today's English palaces, one can imagine how a good many of the royal household (servants & such) back then were gay. So it could be argued that the whole atmosphere was pretty ripe for all concerned, especially when one considers how someone like Alexander III - who by all accounts seemed like a fairly normal red-blooded male - stuck out like a sore thumb for his lack of grace and decorum. But that's just my theory, and I would be pleased for Penny and Greg and everyone else who are much more in the know to correct me.
Anyway, I think the topic would make an interesting book. And sorry for being so sporadic with my comments - just too much going on offline to keep up with everyone here online!
Masha
Anyway, I think the topic would make an interesting book. And sorry for being so sporadic with my comments - just too much going on offline to keep up with everyone here online!
Masha
11
The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Grand Duke Ludwig IV
« on: August 16, 2004, 09:40:10 PM »
Interesting to see how much resemblence is passed through the generartions. Does anyone agree with me in noticing a lot of resemblence between Alix's paternal uncles with her children (OTMA)?? Especially in the eyes.
Masha
Masha
12
The Hesse-Darmstadts (Hesse and by Rhine) / Re: Pcss Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven
« on: August 16, 2004, 08:56:14 PM »
Physically, I think Victoria is a cross between her sister Elizabeth - chin, cheeks & nose - and her Uncle Bertie, with those eyes! BTW, it was said that her mother, Alice and uncle Bertie could pass for identical twins.
masha
masha
13
The Imperial Family / Re: Romanovs and Faith/Orthodox Religion
« on: July 07, 2004, 12:10:28 AM »
Welcome, Kyriaki!
www.goarch is a very good site & a very active one too, with lots of information that's well organized and up-to date.
Here are a few more authoratative Orthodox sites to look at.
http://www.pravoslavie.ru
http:// http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/english/index.html
http://www.mospat.ru/e_startpage
http://aggreen.net/orth_links/orthlink.html
bye for now - Masha
www.goarch is a very good site & a very active one too, with lots of information that's well organized and up-to date.
Here are a few more authoratative Orthodox sites to look at.
http://www.pravoslavie.ru
http:// http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/english/index.html
http://www.mospat.ru/e_startpage
http://aggreen.net/orth_links/orthlink.html
bye for now - Masha
14
Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Alexandra's Russian.
« on: June 27, 2004, 11:59:17 PM »
In the biographies of either or both Empress Maria (Little Mother of Russia) and of GD Xenia, there is a quote taken from somebody who interviewed Xenia in later life in which she let her bitterness towards Alexandra be known. Included in Xenia's resentment towards Alexandra was the fact that the tsarina hardly spoke Russian at all, & when she did so it was as a last resort.
Masha
Masha
15
The Imperial Family / Re: OTMAA's birthdays/birthplaces
« on: June 24, 2004, 10:33:24 PM »
Your welcome, Sarai!
masha
masha