House of Romanov: The Royal Family’s who’s who

Alexis I (1629 - 1676) reigned 1645 – 1676 Alexis' moniker was “Tishayshy” - meaning “the most quiet” or “most peaceful.” He was a religious person, and his piety was why he had such a nickname. Alexis managed to combine both Russian traditionalism and useful techniques from the West.

Peter the Great (1672 - 1725), reigned 1689 – 1725 Peter is considered one of the most famous Russian reformers. Under his rule the country adopted many progressive western practices. After two decades of war with Sweden, he managed to secure access to the Baltic Sea. Peter built the new capital St.Petersburg on its shores and turned the Russian Tsardom into the Russian Empire.

Catherine I (born Marta Skavronskaya, 1684 - 1727), reigned 1725 – 1727 Catherine I, the second wife of Peter the Great, was an unusual Russian empress. She was a foreigner, didn’t know how to write in Russian, was of common origin, and made her way to the throne as a war trophy. Peter seemed to love her though as their marriage lasted two decades - he also bequeathed Catherine the empire.

Peter III (1728 - 1762), reigned January – July 1762 Peter III’s rule lasted only for a few months until he was deposed by his wife, Catherine II. Historians called Peter III “a foreign tsar” and “a sworn enemy” of Russia, as the emperor was a huge fan of the Prussian king Frederick the Great. Peter III managed to radically change Russian foreign policy, allying St. Petersburg with Berlin. He exempted the nobility from obligatory state and military service.

Anthony Ulrich Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (1714-1774) Anthony Ulrich was the father of the Emperor Ivan VI who ruled Russia for about a year. Ivan VI was overthrown by Elizabeth I. Anthony Ulrich was separated from his baby son and exiled. Once a generalissimus of the Russian army, he spent the rest of his life (more than 30 years) imprisoned in the north of the country.

Nicholas II (1868-1918), reigned 1895-1917 The last Russian tsar continues to polarize the public. On the one hand, Nicholas and his family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. On the other, he was coined “Nicholas Bloody” by his contemporaries. His rule witnessed two revolutions, during the course of which he lost the throne and his life.

Praskovia Saltykova (1664 - 1723) She was the only wife of Ivan V. They say she did not want to marry the tsar as he was ill and weak. Nevertheless, they had five daughters and one of them, Anna, would become the empress of Russia. Despite the fact Praskovia was brought up as a traditional Russian, she adjusted well to the pro-Western atmosphere of Peter the Great’s court.

Eudoxia Lopukhina (1669-1731) Eudoxia, the first spouse of Peter the Great, was picked by the tsar’s mother. The relationship between her and Peter was not tender, to say the least. She was not also fond of his pro-Western policy of modernization. So, Eudoxia was sent to a monastery. In 1718 she was accused of plotting against the tsar, so she was publicly whipped and exiled.

Alexandra Feodorovna (born Charlotte of Prussia, 1798 — 1860) As an empress consort Alexandra was not interested in politics. Her main interests were confined to family affairs and court life. Her marriage to Tsar Nicholas I was a happy one. “With complete confidence and trust, I gave my life into the hands of my Nicholas, and he never once betrayed it,” she wrote.

Sophia Romanova (1657 - 1704), warden of young Peter the Great 1682 – 1689 Sophia was a sister of the future emperor Peter the Great, as they had the same father, Tsar Alexis I. However, they were children of the tsar's different wives and as such belonged to different clans. At first, Sofia managed to hustle Peter and his Naryshkin clan away, but later they gained the upper hand. Sophia spent the last 15 years of her life in a monastery.

Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1700 – 1739) Tsar Peter saw the marriage of his daughter Anna and Charles Frederick as politically advantageous as Charles was the heir of the Swedish throne. After the wedding, Empress Catherine I gave him a place on the council, the palace, and an income. After the empress died in 1727 Charles Frederick and Anna left Russia for Gottorp.

Natalya Naryshkina (1651 - 1694) Natalya, the second wife of Alexis I, was the mother of the reformer Peter the Great. Before marrying the tsar she was brought up in the house of one of Alexis' officials, Artamon Matveyev. He is considered to be one of the first Russian statesmen who had pro-Western views: The worldview that was so dear to Natalia’s son, Peter.

Alexei Petrovich Romanov (1690 - 1718) The unlucky child of Peter the Great, Alexei, was never his favorite. He irrevocably fell out of the tsar’s grace in 1716, when Peter started to believe that his son was part of a conspiracy against him. He was tortured in the course of the investigation and eventually died.

Maria Feodorovna (born Sophia of Württemberg, 1759 — 1828) Maria Feodorovna, as she became known after converting to Russian Orthodoxy, made a success of her marriage with Paul I as his second wife. After his assassination in 1801, Maria played the role of the first lady in the Empire under the rule of her son Alexander I. She was famous for her charity work.

Anna Ioannovna (1673 - 1740), reigned 1730 – 1740 Anna, the niece of Peter the Great, spent 20 years in the Duchy of Courland. She was asked to ascend the Russian throne in 1730 after the death of her uncle’s grandson Peter II. She brought from Courland to St. Petersburg her proteges and lover Ernest Biron. For a decade he was the most powerful man in the Empire. This period in Russian history is sometimes referred to as the “Age of Biron.”

Anna Leopoldovna (1718 - 1746), warden of young Ivan VI 1740-1741 Anna Leopoldovna was the regent of Russia from 1740 to 1741. Her son became Emperor Ivan VI and was proclaimed an heir to the throne by Empress Anna Ioannovna, but Peter the Great’s daughter Elizabeth organized a palace coup and had her and her husband Anthony Ulrich exiled and imprisoned. Little Ivan VI was also thrown into prison.

Alexander I (1777 - 1825), reigned 1801 – 1825 The greatest triumph of Alexander I’s rule was the defeat of Napoleon’s invasion in 1812. Capitalizing on the victory over the French emperor, he formed the Holy Alliance to preserve the existing political order in Europe.

Marfa Apraksina (1664 - 1716) Marfa married Tsar Feodor III when she was 17-years-old. She was only a tsarina for 71 days, as Feodor died soon after the wedding. After his death she wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life - more than 30 years. She was a highly esteemed member of the royal family and had warm relations with her brother-in-law Peter the Great.

Catherine Romanova (1692 - 1733) The marriage of Ivan V’s daughter Grand Duchess Catherine and Duke Karl was not a happy one, as he did not treat his wife well. Six years after the wedding, in 1722, she returned to Russia with their daughter. There was no formal divorce but they never saw each other again.

Natalia Alexeievna (born Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1755—1776) Princess Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt became Tsesarevna Natalia Alexeievna when she married Catherine II’s son Paul, who became Paul I. They say that Natalia did not want to learn Russian and schemed to help the young Paul win the throne. She died when giving birth to their first baby. Their son was stillborn.

Alexander II (1818 - 1881), reigned 1855 – 1881 Alexander II is perhaps the most famous reformer among Russian leaders. The tsar reorganized the judicial system, introducing a jury trial, promoted local self-governance, imposed universal military service, and boosted university education. However, his main reform was abolishing serfdom, for which he is known as “Alexander the Liberator.”

Alexander III (1845- 1894), reigned 1881 - 1894 Alexander III was a conservative politician who reversed some liberal reforms implemented by his father Alexander II. During his reign he made it clear that the autocracy of Russian tsars was not going to be limited despite public expectations. Under his rule no major wars took place, so he’s remembered as a peacemaker.

Alexandra Feodorovna (born Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, 1872 — 1918) Alexandra Feodorovna was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She was extremely unpopular by the end of her husband’s rule. It was mostly due to her affection for mystic Grigory Rasputin. She was shot dead together with her family in 1918 during the Civil War in Russia.

Eudoxia Streshneva (1608 - 1645) Eudoxia Streshneva was Michael I’s wife for almost three decades. He chose Eudoxia during a bride show although she was only working as an assistant there. Michael's choice did not make his parents happy, as she was of rather humble origin but he insisted. It’s believed he liked her beauty, calm nature, and polite behavior.

Ivan V (1666 - 1696) reigned 1682 – 1696 Despite being a tsar for 14 years, Ivan V never actually ruled. The real ruler was his older sister Sofia. Then, after her downfall, power was grasped by his co-ruler Peter (eventually Peter the Great) and the clan of Peter’s mother. Ivan was not a healthy man and died at the age of 30.

Maria Alexandrovna (born Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, 1824—1880) Maria was 16 when she came to Russia to marry the heir of the throne, Grand Duke Alexander. When she became an empress consort, Maria Alexandrovna set up the country’s first all-female schools. She also established the Russian Red Cross.

Maria Miloslavskaya (1624 - 1669) Maria was the first wife of Tsar Alexis I. Her marriage with Alexis was arranged by a courtier of the tsar, Boris Morozov. The nobleman derailed Alexis’ plans for marrying a woman he liked, and Boris made sure the marriage to Maria went ahead. After the royal wedding, Boris got hitched to Maria’s sister - making him the tsar’s brother-in-law.

Karl Leopold Meklenburg-Schwerin (1678 - 1747) Before becoming the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and marrying Grand Duchess Catherine Ivanovna of Russia, the niece of Peter the Great, Karl fought under King Karl XII of Sweden, a sworn enemy of the Russian tsar. Nevertheless, the latter did not object to the marriage. The marriage agreement was supplemented with the clause allowing Peter to deploy Russian troops and Fleet in Mecklenburg’s ports.

Friedrich Wilhelm Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia (1692 - 1711) Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Courland, was only married to Anna Ioannovna for several months. He died on his way back to Courland from St. Petersburg, where their grand wedding was held.

Peter II (1715 - 1730), reigned 1727 – 1730 He was just a boy aged 12 when he ascended the throne. Peter II was under the heavy influence of Alexander Menshikov, a long-time favorite of Peter the Great, and, later, the Dolgorukov family. He died after contracting smallpox. With his death, the direct male line of the Romanov Dynasty ended.

Nicholas I (1796 - 1855), reigned 1825 – 1855 “Nicholas I came to represent autocracy personified: Infinitely majestic, determined and powerful, hard as stone, and relentless as fate,” one of his biographers wrote. Nicholas I was one of the most conservative Russian leaders. He pursued foreign policy with some success but his rule witnessed Russia’s humiliating defeat in the Crimean War.

Ivan VI (1740 - 1764), reigned 1740 – 1741 Ivan VI “ruled” for little more than a year - he was only a year old. Elizabeth I overthrew young Ivan and the regent, his mother. They were first exiled and then Ivan VI was imprisoned. He spent all his life in prison, almost without any communication with anybody and was killed in a failed escape bid.

Catherine II (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, 1729 - 1796), reigned 1762 - 1796 Like her predecessor, Catherine II ascended the throne with the help of elite guardsmen. In 1762 she deposed her husband, Emperor Peter III. Catherine was regarded as a progressive monarch. She exchanged letters with Voltaire and Montesquieu and is considered to be a part of the European Enlightenment.

Maria Feodorovna (born Dagmar of Denmark, 1847 - 1928) Princess Dagmar, or Maria Feodorovna as she became known in Russia, was supposed to get married to the eldest son of Alexander II, Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich. However, in 1865 he died from meningitis, but his last wish was that Dagmar should marry his younger brother Alexander. She agreed and became the wife of Alexander III.

Elizabeth I Romanova (1709 - 1761), reigned 1741 – 1761 Elizabeth’s reign is best known for the success of the Enlightenment. She established Moscow University and developed the national theater. Elizabeth set up the Academy of Arts in Russia. She practically abolished the death sentence in Russia – capital punishment was not used during her reign.

Paul I (1754 - 1801), reigned 1796- 1801 Paul had a distant relationship with his mother Catherine II during her reign. When she died and he became emperor, he reversed many of his mother’s policies. He was not a fan of Russia’s nobility and was eager to transform it into something resembling a medieval order of knights. Paul’s harsh treatment of the nobility led to his eventual assassination.

Anna Romanova (1708 - 1728) Anna was the eldest daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I. According to a contemporary, “she was a beautiful soul in a beautiful body ... both in appearance and in manners.” When she died aged 20, her husband established the Order of St. Anna.

Michael I (1596 - 1645) reigned 1613 – 1645 Mikhail Romanov, the first monarch of the new dynasty, was an unusual Russian tsar. He was soft, kind, and heavily relied on the support of a quasi-parliament. His administration managed to restore order in the country devastated during the Time of Troubles.

Feodor III (1661 - 1682) reigned from 1676 to 1682 Feodor ascended the throne when he was only 15. During his short six-year rule he enforced some important reforms. Mestnichestvo - a feudal hierarchical system - was abolished. It used to paralyze state administration. From that point on all appointments were conditioned by merit, not by the pedigree of a nobleman.

Natalia Petrovna (born Charlotte Christine of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, 1694 - 1715) The spouse of Peter the Great’s son Alexei, Charlotte Christine was brought up at the court of the Polish King August II. After marrying Alexei in 1711 she was allowed to keep her Lutheran faith. However, the children they had were christened as Orthodox. She died after giving birth to a boy who would become Emperor Peter II.

Elizabeth Alexeievna (born Louise of Baden, 1779 - 1826) It’s argued that for the majority of Elizabeth’s marriage to Alexander I they led separate lives and had affairs. Only in the early 1820s did they become close. They had two daughters but they died in early childhood. That’s why after Alexander’s death in 1825 his brother Nicholas ascended the throne.