Suite vs. Household

[Sarushka]

In reading up on the last days of the imperial family's captivity, I've run across the fact that (with the exception of Buxhoevden) every member of the tsar's suite was killed by the Bolsheviks, while every member of the household survived. Since my sense of the imperial servants'/attendatns' hierarchy isn't so great, is anyone willing to spell out the difference between the suite and the household for me? Further, why would this distinction have been significant enough to dictate who lived and who died?

[Forum Admin]

Sarah,

The "Suite" were all of the Nobles attached to the IF, Ladies in Waiting, Aides de Camp, Baron Freederickz (Who actually was the other exception, as he was so old and already ill he was left alone and died shortly afterward),  etc.
The "Household" were the servants, Maids, Cooks, Valets, Volkov, etc. Obviously, some members of the "household" were murdered in Siberia, Demidova and Schneider, so whoever wrote that "fact" was incorrect.

I hope this helps.

[Sarushka]

Yes, that does help. It also explains why I was having trouble figuring out the difference between the two.

Is it safe to presume the suite suffered more casualties than the household because of their nobility? Or was it a combination of nobility and proximity to the IF?

[Forum Admin]

The "household" were seen as "ordinary" working people, ie part of the "oppressed masses" if you will, thus the Bolsheviks were lenient toward them.  The "Suite" on the other hand, were the hated aristocracy, strike one, PLUS supporters of the Regime by fact of their proximity to the IF, strike two.

[Sarushka]

And we all know those Bolsheviks didn't wait around for strike three... ; )