Grand Duke Ernest Louis: Refuge for the Romanovs

Started by LouisFerdinand, June 25, 2017, 01:51:19 AM

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LouisFerdinand

Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse and by Rhine was the brother of Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. Would he have been able to offer the Grand Duchy of Hesse as a place of refuge for Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, and their  children before the year 1918?


Curryong

^ You forget I think, that Hesse is in Germany and while the Tsar ruled Russia was in alliance with France and Britain against it. Russian blood had been spilt already against German troops and Nicholas was, if nothing else, completely and totally devoted to his country. Alix too had made herself a Russian, heart and soul. Personally, I think if some miracle had occurred and they had been offered sanctuary in any part of Germany they would have refused it, as would their older daughters.

That doesn't mean of course that they thought of Ernie as an enemy. He was a gentle and artistic man who would never have hurt anyone. Alix took his part 110% against his estranged wife, her cousin, when Ernie and Melita divorced. However, like most European royals, blood ties, even strong ones, meant little when their countries were at war.

And what of Ernie? Even if the Kaiser had allowed such a thing, would he acted against the will of the Hessian people? German soldiers had marched off to war against the Allies in Hesse as in everywhere else in Germany. Would their parents, sisters, other relatives have welcomed Nicky and family with hearts and flowers? Don't think so!

Even though Ernie had a very close and pleasant relationship with his Hessians, there could well have been consequences for him at this juncture of the war. You have to remember that 1917 saw US troops in the field for the first time, an effective blockade by the Royal Navy meant food and other supplies were becoming scarce, there were bread riots in some parts of Germany and within a year and a half the country suffered defeat. In 1919 all titles and royalty was abolished.

Personally I have always held that as soon as Kerensky made the decision for the Imperial Family to go to Siberia they were doomed. Nothing I've read lately has changed my opinion. Of course Ernie tried his hardest to help get his sister and her family out of Russia. So did Alfonzo of neutral Spain and the Scandi monarchies like Norway and Denmark. Even the Kaiser was amenable to transporting them across Germany to somewhere neutral. Princess Margreit of Sweden (the daughter of Prince Arthur of Connaught) acted as a 'postman' for relatives on both sides, and no doubt the predicament of Nicky and family came up often in correspondence.

King George V dithered too long in deciding how the evacuation of the family was to be performed and by the time he decided against doing so, it was too late anyway. The at least partly reasonably Kerensky government had fallen and more bloodthirsty elements of the Bolshevik rabble had the family in their hands. The time to get the family out was not when they were being held in remote Ekaterinberg but just after the Tsar abdicated on behalf of himself and son.

amabel

I don't suppose they realy thought that the Imperial family would be killed..
I've just seen a programme about Anastasia, last week, and it was very good, in that it completely smashed the idea that Ana had maybe escapted.