King Christian X: Refuge for the Romanovs

[LouisFerdinand]

The Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna left Russia in 1919. She lived briefly with her nephew, King Christian X of Denmark. Did King Christian X offer Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, and their children Denmark as a place of refuge to live if they would have departed from Russia?

[Curryong]

^ The Danish Royal family weren't in contact with the Tsar and his family in their captivity, (nor were any other royal families or their governments' representatives.) The plots to rescue the Tsar and the Imperial Family is a fascinating and contentious subject LF, and I really recommend some books on their imprisonment and fate, as well as the specific threads at places like the Alexander Palace Forum and The Royal Forums, where there are some very interesting discussions that have gone on regarding the whole saga.

Of course the subject of King George V's actions in 1917 are debatable to this day, and Alfonzo XIII of Spain was very active in trying to get the IF family freed. (He and the Pope offered to financially support the IF too, if they could be transported to Spain.

He received a letter from Victoria Battenberg (Alexandra's elder sister and Prince Philip's grandmother) after the fate of Alexandra and her children were known, in which she expresses her heartfelt gratitude to Alfonzo and contrasts his behaviour with that of George. It is a very interesting communication.

All the Royal relatives were frantic about the Tsar and his family as time went on and nothing became known. The Norwegian and Swedish Kings were written to by Alfonzo and others with regard to helping the family escape to northern ports.

As regards the Danes, there is a Danish book by Bent Jensen which charts the escape from Russia by British warship of the Dowager Empress Marie (Dagmar) and her daughters, and Marie's later life in Denmark in the 1920's. The author mentions many attempts by the DRF and the Danish Govt to get the King's cousin, aunt and their families out of danger.

Interestingly, the neutral Danish Govt tried twice to get the German authorities to allow transportation of the IF from Russia, across Germany and into Denmark and they were twice denied. Denmark was of course a small country and not so influential in these situations as the British at that time, but it's notable that the Kaiser intimated to the British, with whom his nation was at war, that he would be amenable to facilitating that. The Danish envoy to Russia, Harald Scavenus, worked extremely hard throughout.

The Danes apparently tried the tack with the Russian Provincial Government, (Kerensky's Govt) that as Imperial titles no longer applied in Russia that the Dowager Marie had now reverted to the Princess Dagmar of Denmark and she and her family should be allowed to return to her homeland!

The King and Queen of Denmark sent 500,000 roubles to Russia in December 1917. This was ransom to release the four Grand Dukes. They were shot by the Bolsheviks in January 1919. They had sent 25,000 roubles for the release of the Empress in the September. The DRF was/is not a wealthy family and this no doubt meant a considerable financial sacrifice. Of course, as we know, Marie did escape Russia and did eventually live in Denmark, where she and the King clashed about her extravagance!

Personally, I believe that if Nicholas and Alexandra's relatives had managed to negotiate their freedom and that of their children, it would have had to have been early, before the fall of the Provisional Government and before Ekaterinburg. Once Kerensky sent the family to Siberia then they were doomed, IMO. Certainly once they were in the power of the Bolsheviks at Ekaterinburg, there was no way out.

[amabel]

Possible that the Bolsheviks would have given them up for money, if thy had renounced their titles and claim to rule Russia.. If the price was right...