Why are we so fascinated by the Romanovs?

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

It has always puzzled me as to why the Romanovs have recieved so much attention.  I am not saying that's a bad thing; I'm obsessed myself, I'm just looking for some opinions.

I mean, people get murdered every day.  Whole families get massacred.  This has happened throughout history, and for lesser reason than the Romanov murders.

Why is it that we are so appalled and fascinated by what happened to THIS murdered family in particular?

I think for me it's because of the mystery surrounding it all.  Do you think that, if they had been murdered and the bodies found and acknowledged straight away, that the same degree of fascination would surround the story of the last Romanovs?

I'd be interested to read your opinions.

[Margarita Markovna]

Pretty jewels?  

[Holly]

Everything. They lived in a world completely different from ours. It fascinates us. The beauty of everything about their life intrigues you. Clothes, jewels, palaces, love, war, sickness, and murder. How could such a plot not fascinate you? Then, once you get over all the extravagence, you get to know the family on a personal level. Which, in my opinion is much more interesting. Its so different than anything today, yet its also the same.  

[Sarushka]

Pretty jewels?  

LMAO! Thanks, Ritka, for that unexpected dose of irreverence.

Ra-Ra-Rasputin -- I'll try to post a serious answer before too awful long.  

[reashka]

Since the moment that I have read about them, there's something there that haunted me, and it's unexplainable as for myself, don't know why. That family really has something in them that made us fascinated.

[aya-anya]

Hi, it's an interesting topic!

My answer would be---

The Romanovs lived in "fairy tale kingsom" in my opinion and I felt fascinated by them. Their castles are more gorgeous than the one in Disney's cartoon Cinderella. Those expensive jewels. And the mysterious legends of Romanovs.

But, hey, if I care for fairy tale kingdom royal culture  I might go for some other royal families in Europe, but right now I might not. I guess there would be something attractive and unique in Imperial Russia, when comparing it with European Imperial cultures...

Another reason why I feel fascinated by the Romanovs would be, their photographs. When I encountered too many photographs of them, somehow I thought  "photographs" might make me be closer to them.  Sure, I could be a fan of Marie Antoinette because of her gorgeous clothes and her life, but she is not close to me because I can't be close to her through her painted portraits.  

aya-anya

[Baby_Tsarevich]

I think that the Romanovs attract so much attention is because every member of the family was diffrent, there is somebody for everyone, like for example OTMA and Alexei, children always attract attention especially four girls that each have something special about them and a handsome little boy that you can't help but love.

I think that since they were the last royal family of a overall large reign, and because of their tragic and facinating storie that people all over the world just fall in love with them and the fact that they were all murdered on the same night and that some members are still missing from the grave helps!

~Anastacia~

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Hmm...yes, I think it is partly because they were the last of their kind, and they were all murdered together...it's tragic and fascinating in a weird, stopping to watch the fall out of a car crash sort of way, if you get what I mean.  We just can't help but want to know all the details that led up to it.

I also agree with whoever said it's the photographs; you can completely have a personal connection with them through their photos.  You can see a human side to them that I don't think you get with other tragic monarchs.  When I first saw a photo of them and I looked into their eyes, knowing that they were real people who had existed and felt and thought like me, well, it really got to me.  And I felt that I just HAD to know more about them.

For me, as well, it was because they marked the end of an era; after the death of the Romanovs, there has never been another family to live in such splendour, and another monarch who has ruled in the same absolute way.  Their life holds an interest because they were already living a lifestyle that was completely out of touch with the world, and to see all of that opulence but also the humanity behind it is absolutely fascinating.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.  It's interesting to see everyone's different reasons for why they love the Romanovs!

[elfwine]

It has always puzzled me as to why the Romanovs have recieved so much attention.  I am not saying that's a bad thing; I'm obsessed myself, I'm just looking for some opinions.

I mean, people get murdered every day.  Whole families get massacred.  This has happened throughout history, and for lesser reason than the Romanov murders.

Why is it that we are so appalled and fascinated by what happened to THIS murdered family in particular?

I think for me it's because of the mystery surrounding it all.  Do you think that, if they had been murdered and the bodies found and acknowledged straight away, that the same degree of fascination would surround the story of the last Romanovs?

I'd be interested to read your opinions.

For the non orthodox, the Romanovs have become semihistorical celebrities --  sort of like movie stars.
1, Their photos are attractive  - had Nicholas been deformed, had Alix had a hairlip or had the children been ugly or even just  'plain'  then I would suggest that many people would NOT be interested in them [its sad but true!]
2, They are static. We can superimpose our fantasies of the good old dayson them and their world.
3, Because they are dead, they cannot disappoint these fantasies with any actual growth or personal developement.

[Olga_Anne]

When I first heard of the Romanovs I thought they were perfect, rich, good-looking, famous people. I looked though the pics thinking "Wow they are so perfect.". But then I started looking though their lives. Then I saw they were'nt perfect. They had bad-hair days too. And ditto to what aya-anya and reashka said.....

[RealAnastasia]

Why am I fascinated by them? Oh, boy, what a hard question to answer in few words!

First at all, I like very much the Belle-Epoque, the world where they lived in.  I'm also fascinated with their integrity (I mean those of NAOTMAA, not at all the "integrity" of all their relatives...I doesn't like most of them ,really) when they lived in a corrupt "entourage" of frivolity, parties, divorces and relaxed way of life.

I'm fascinated by their devotion, true devotion to their religion in a worl who started to see religion as a superflous, bothering thing . I'm fascinated by the girls (OTMA) innocence, comparing them with other girls having their same age, by the sweet honesty you may read in their beatiful faces. I'm fascinated by the love that NAOTMAA had to each other, by the true love between Nicholas and Alexandra, a thing not at all common in a world where couples lives together (yes, I'm including our own era) but have lots of lovers or divorces in no time. And I'm also admire them for they remained together until the end...A religious family dying facing with couraje their athesit murderers.

My admirations also includes Ella, but not Minnie (The Dowager Empress). I'm sorry but I can't feel the same for Marie Feodorovna than for NAOTMAA or Ella...

The dresses? Yes: Romanov women wore beatiful dresses. The jewels? Romanov jewels are great and I  like their beauty. But I don't admire NAOTMAA for their dresses or jewels but by their integrity, their love, and the beauty they have (yes, they still have, even long after their death) inside.

RealAnastasia.

[anna11]

Maybe its because everything about and what happened to them is exactly what you would read in a fantastic book, except its real. I mean the timing of all the events are perfectly spaced apart.

[Sarushka]

Here's some other threads about the same sort of thing. AGRBear bumped them to the top of the list today, but they're not likely to stay there long (most threads don't travel in herds... )

How I got interested in the IF

What got you interested in the Romanovs?

How did you become interested in the Romanovs?

[Romanov_fan]

I think it is because of their personal qualities, that we can admire, and also their photographs in which they look out to us, like they are part of our world and they could understand us, as we think we understand them. Their culture, and the fabolous world of Imperial Russia, interesting by itself gives them a interesting background. They were a tragic family, and we can think they had so much, were so much, and then they died like that. Tragedy, and deaths before the time of a person give a enhanced appreciation or signifigance of their life.Murder, unusual deaths, can heighten interest in someone. They were a beautiful family, and I was thinking the other night that partly we admire them because, face it, they were gorgous. That is trivial, though. Also, they were very wealthy, and money always interests people, but these reasons are trivial.

I think most of all, why we are fascinated by these people so remote from us, but close too is because of all the unaswered questions, so the debates can ring on through history, and the subject can be finished each in their constructions, but never in history. We all have our personal Romanovs, and their end. History didn;t write a complete ending, so we do. It is all these factors that keep the romanov fans coming.

[Katharine]

In general, I think the reason so many people are so fascinated by them is because of the way they died. The absolute cruelty of murdering an entire family - with such young children - is just horrifying, and the fact that they were a Royal Family just increases the interest.

And then, of course, you have all the mysteries surrounding whether or not any of them may have survived etc