Protocol and Etiquette in the Court of the Romanovs

[Forum Admin]

I am writing the book for a musical about Rasputin. The story centers mostly around those closest to Nikolas and Alexandra. It will not pretend to be historically down to the last doorknob, but I would like to know the following: 1) what forms of address were used by the aristocracy to the Tsar and Tsarina: 2) how did servants address the Imperial couple? 3) how did the Imperial Couple address servants?

Were there gradations such as your imperial majesty, your lordship, count, duke, etc?

Welcome to the Forum. First, please pay attention as to where  you post threads and questions and take a moment to place them in the correct section.  Secondly, as Robert suggests, the search function can answer many questions as over the last five years, most information has already been asked for and answered.

I assume you want the English equivalents of the Russian forms, if you want the Russian forms instead please clarify.

1. & 2 are the same answers. ALL subjects of the Emperor addressed the Emperor and Empress similarly.  "Your Imperial Majesty" would be the proper form, however, closer servants and closer Nobles could reply to questions or commands with "Yes, Your Majesty" or "I understand, Your Majesty"  (for example, we know that the Troika driver for the Emperor after receiving the Emperor's wish for where to drive would answer "Ya slushayu, Velishestva")

3. Servants were typically addressed by only their last name, for example "Volkov" or "Trupp", or "Deverenko" or "Nagorny".

[Rodney_G.]

With regard to FA's  no. 3 above: really?

I'm not questioning your knowledge about this Rob but such a form of address (last name only) to people one interacts with fairly closely on a daily basis strikes me as as jarring in the late Imperial period as it would today in common English usage. I seriously thought : first name with patronymic would be very appropriate. Can you maybe elaborate on this some more?

R.

[Forum Admin]

There would never have been such a familiarity between the Emperor/Empress and servants.  Only close relatives and close long time friends would have been addressed by First name/Patrynomic.  The written recollections of converstations all to a one recite the Emperor and Imperial Family as calling servants by their last name.

I know Nicholas once said "I need only see my good Spiridovtich standing watch..."  and GD Paul once said "Volkov, would you care to come work for me?" Reference was always made in diaries as to Alexei went with Derevenko  or Nagorny carried Alexei...etc etc.

While modern sensibilities may be offended, the use of family name only for servants in the Imperial  era was always used. Don't you remember that the entire Bellamy family from Lord Bellamy on down always called the butler "Hudson"??

[Sarushka]

Was there a different protocol for female servants? I ask because Anastasia repeatedly refers to Anna Stepanova Demidova as "Nyuta" in her diary.

[Rodney_G.]

  And of course Jeeves.

[clockworkgirl21]

Was there a different protocol for female servants? I ask because Anastasia repeatedly refers to Anna Stepanova Demidova as "Nyuta" in her diary.

I wouldn't know, but maybe protocol wasn't important to Anastasia. Or maybe servants closer to the family were addressed more warmly. In A Lifelong Passion, Alix refers to a nanny by a nickname. I would copy it here, but I can't remember which part of the book it was in.

[Sarushka]

Was there a different protocol for female servants? I ask because Anastasia repeatedly refers to Anna Stepanova Demidova as "Nyuta" in her diary.

I wouldn't know, but maybe protocol wasn't important to Anastasia.

Whoops -- I goofed there. I meant Alexandra. (Anastasia's diaries are all MIA.)

[Forum Admin]

Let us remember that protocol was meant more for the servants and guests. Clearly, if Alexandra felt close to a servant, she had every right to call her by a more familiar name.  The servant however could NEVER reply back to the Empress in any other form than "Yes, Your Majesty" or "Ya Slusahyu Velishestva" or whatever the proper address would require.

[nena]

Excuse me, was Nyuta's(A.S.D) patronymic Stepanova, or Stepanava? I' ll look what Voeikov says about this discuss. 

[Ally Kumari]

Her name was Anna - so Nyuta could have been a version of a nickname Anya.

[Sarushka]

Excuse me, was Nyuta's(A.S.D) patronymic Stepanova, or Stepanava? I' ll look what Voeikov says about this discuss. 

I always thought it was Stepanova, but I just double checked some of my more authoritative sources (Last Diary of Tsaritsa Alexandra, Fall of the Romanovs, Dnevniki Nikolaya II i Imperatritsy Alexandry Fedorovny) and discovered it's actually Stepanovna.

[Olga Maria]

I just wonder why royals must not interact so much with the outsiders.
I know most royals now get in touch with anybody outside their palace.
Is that for protecting the " Proper Royal character"? I think so it is.

I also wonder why Media just can't stay out from the lives of royals.
I know freedom of speech but it just gets too much. They don't realize how painful it is for royals to overcome their words (some do bad things about royals.)

[nena]

Yes -- look at this site. Sorry for off - topic.

Voeikov don't mention anything specific about this.

[alixaannencova]

Did they not have a Russian version of Sir and Ma'm as used in England or would that have been verboten?

What I mean is, in Britain, when a servant was/is approached/addressed by the sovereign/consort, their reply starts off with the obligatory Majesty and subsequently one would use Sir or Ma'm in conversation as a rule. Did this not occur at all in Russia.

[nena]

I think no. Only -- 'Yes, your Majesty'.