The Last Tsar - Chapter Eighteen Warnings From Every Corner

Chapter Eighteen
Warnings From Every Corner

The worries and anxieties of the long, hard war took heavy toll on Nicholas's health. He felt acute pain in his chest once when he was attending the service in the church. The pain was so bad that he hardly could stand on his feet.

During his stay in the Palace, for two months, he passed his time very quietly. Those who met him during those days hardly recognised him. It seemed to everybody that Nicholas was suffering from some sort of nervous breakdown. 'Nicholas II feels himself overwhelmed and dominated by events, that he has lost all faith in his mission - - - that has abdicated inwardly and is now resigned to disaster', - Paleologue, French Ambassador.

During this period Rodzianko, President of Duma, saw him twice, recalled the audience in which he got up and went to the window and said, 'It is so beautiful and peaceful out in the woods, it is so quiet there.'

In the Palace Nicholas turned his billiard room to a war room. Inside he stood silently, looking into the map for hours. In the evening he read aloud a book to the Tsarina and children. On the Russian new year the invited guests arrived in Alexander Palace for annual dinner. Visitors were shocked by the appearance of the Tsar.' 'He was so thin and pale. Emperor's words, his silencers, his grave, drawn features, his distant thoughts confirm in me that he has lost all faith in his mission', wrote Paleologue in his diary.

Vladimir Kokovstov, former Prime Minister also had a similar impression when he visited the Tsar during that time. 'The face of the Tsar bore an expression of helplessness. A forced, mirthless smile was fixed upon his lips. During the audience the Tsar listened to me with the same sickly smile, glancing nervously about him. Previously his memory was very good, now he was trying hard to recall what had escaped his memory.'

This was his last visit to the Tsar. He left the Palace with tearful eyes. Outside the palace he met Dr. Botkin, the court physician and Count Beckendorff, the Grand Marshall of the Court - 'Cannot you see the Tsar is on the verge of collapse?'

In the conduct of government Rasputin's death changed nothing. New ministers were appointed and dismissed constantly. Sturmir was replaced by Trepov as prime minister, who was dismissed after two months. The Tsar wrote in his letter to the Empress - 'How awful it is to work with Trepov, whom you hate.' So Trepov was gone and replaced by old Prince Golytsin. Prince Golytsin was the friend of the Tsarina. He was chairman of the Tsarina's charitable committees. Golytsin, himself, was horrified by his appointment.

Every member of the Imperial family was upset and disturbed by the Tsarina's interference with the affairs of state. They devised different sorts of plans of removing the Emperor and Empress from the throne then replace either by the Grand Duke Michael, the younger brother of the Tsar or Grand Duke Dmitri, the Tsar's cousin, who was also involved in the murder of Rasputin.

Some members of the Imperial family even thought of a Palace coup or Palace revolution. Then Tsar Nicholas would be sent down to Livadia Palace in Yalta and the Empress would be put in a convent. Aunt Michem, the widow of Grand Duke Vladimir, the Tsar's uncle, had different plans.

Once she asked Rodianko, the President of Duma, whether her eldest son Cyril's claim to the throne would be accepted by Duma, but the Tsar was not worried and frightened of their conspiracies. He knew their qualities very well. He scattered all of them like dry leaves, sending them away in exile to their country estates, far from the capital.

Once Grand Duke Nicholas Michailovitch, the Tsar's cousin and historian, wrote a letter to the Tsar not to trust the Empress and not to be influenced by her evil advices. As a result the Grand Duke was banished to his country home.

Once General Alexisve wrote a letter to Prince Lvov, later became the first prime minister of the provisional government, that he would give the Tsar a tough warning or ultimatum. Being asked when, he walked to the wall where a calendar was hung, he turned one after another page, then stopped to a date, then without telling anything left the room silently.

Some generals planned to hire an expert pilot to dive and bomb the Tsar's car when he was driving somewhere.

The first who was to come to the Palace to give the Tsarina warning was her own sister Ela, once married to the Tsar's uncle, Grand Duke Sergei (i.e. he was assassinated by a terrorist in 1905), but she was insulted, humiliated and driven back to Moscow where she was living as a nun in a monastery, since her husband was murdered by a revolutionary.

The situation in Russia grew so desperate that Grand Duke Alexander, the brother-in-law of Nicholas was alarmed. He decided to come to Alexander Palace to plead that the Empress should retire from interfering with the affairs of State and Nicholas should grant constitution to the people, i.e. to form a cabinet acceptable to Duma.

So he applied for an audience which was granted to him after waiting for a long time. He wrote in his biography - 'I was taken to Alix's bedroom. She was lying in her bed. I spoke quietly and plainly, 'your interference with the affairs of State is causing great harm to our country, please Alix (Empress) leave the cares of State to your husband''.

That meeting ended in disaster when Alexandra told that Nicki could not grant constitution to the people because he swore an oath that he would remain an autocrat forever. The Grand Duke left the Palace with a violent outburst.

Later, from Kiev, he wrote a letter to Nicholas asking him to grant constitution to the people - 'One cannot govern a country without listening to the voice of the people. It is the Tsar and his government preparing the revolution. The government is doing all it can to increase the number of malcontents. We are watching an unprecedented spectacle. Revolution coming from above and not from below', - (once a Grand Duke).

The next warning came from the British ambassador, Sir George Buchanan - 'Your Majesty, if I may be permitted to say so, has but one safe course open to you - to breakdown the barrier that separates you from your people and to regain their confidence. For without such mutual confidence Russia will never win this war.'

Then he criticised the Interior Minister Protopopove who was bringing Russia to the verge of ruin. Buchanan warned that revolutionary language was being spoken everywhere in Russia. 'If I were to see a friend walking through the forest on a dark night along a path which I knew ended in danger, shall I not warn him of it.' - (My Mission to Russia).

The last warning came from Michael Rodzianko, the President of Duma - 'Your Majesty, the state of the country has become very serious, the gravest upheavals may be expected at any moment. All Russia is unanimous in claiming a change of government and the appointment of a responsible government invested with the confidence of the nation. Sir, there is not a single honest or reliable man left in your entourage, all the best are either eliminated or have resigned. Hatred of the Empress is growing stronger. She is looked upon as a German champion.' (Reign of Rasputin).

Early in March, after two months of rest with his family, Nicholas wanted to return to 'Stavka' to plan the spring offensive. Nicholas told Protopove about his intention of going back to Stavka (i.e. G.H.Q.) as soon as possible.

Sensing the approach of a crisis, Protopopove, in agitation, said - 'The time is such, sir, that you are wanted both here and there. I very much fear the consequences.'

But Nicholas wavered. On the eve of his departure he summoned Prince Golytsin, the Prime Minister, to the Palace and announced his intention of going to Duma next morning and forming a responsible government, but later on the same night, being instructed by the Tsarina, Nicholas changed his mind. The Prince, amazed, asked only - 'What about a responsible government? Your Majesty, you promised!'

'I changed my mind', - answered Nicholas.

The Tsar left for Stavka on Wednesday, March 7th. Thus all hope to save Russia and the throne disappeared forever.

On 12th March the Imperial Government collapsed.