Grand Duchesses Messing, Kogevnikov & Rodionov 1913

Their Majesties Princess Olga & Admiral Nilov

The Emperor & Dr Botkine, resting on a walk

The Emperor looking at the cemetry on the Isle of Rouges

In the Fjords, the Emperor, Messing, Narichkine & Drenteln 1910

The Emperor and Mme Viroubova on Padio 1910

Private Photos by General Alexander I. Spiridovitch

Last Years of the Court at Tsarskoé-Selo, Vol 1

One day, while the Emperor was walking in the woods, I found myself alone with him. Drenteln had stayed behind, near the coast, with one of the Grand Duchesses and the Empress, and without any officers present.

The Emperor asked me if I knew how I had been appointed to the position I currently held. I replied that I though I did, and recounted how I had been called by Trepov and informed of my appointment by him.’ ‘That’s not quite right,’ the Emperor laughed, and added, he had ordered for me to be appointed to work with him, as a reward for my services in Kiev. I thanked the Emperor, telling him that I had suspected that, and told him that, throughout my entire convalescence, I only had one wish; to be accepted with the honour of guarding His Majesty.

The Tsar then asked me to tell him about the circumstances of my being shot twice, and after listening to my story, said to me; ‘now I’ll tell you how I was almost assassinated in Japan.’ The Emperor confiding in me, was truly an honour I could never have expected.

This is what the Emperor recounted to me.

At the time when he was still heir, he had travelled through Siberia on a trip to the Far East, and visited Japan. One day, he went to visit an indigenous temple. He had sat in a small Japanese vehicle, called a ‘riksha,’ alongside Prince George of Greece. The Japanese police lined both sides of the road. At one point, one of the policemen broke away from the ranks and ran towards the Tsarevitch, slashing at his head with his sword. The ‘riksha’ stopped, and the policeman-assassin was apprehended by his comrades. What saved the Tsarevitch was his cork hat which softened the blow, but without totalling sparing him of an injury.

The Emperor ran his hand over his forehand smiling. I did not dare to ask him if, after this injury, he still sometimes suffered pains in the head. Long after, Princess Kochubey, whose husband had accompanied the Tsarevitch on this journey and on his excursion to the Japanese temple, told me that the Prince who was travelling in the next ‘riksha’ jumped to the ground and ran to the Tsarevitch who was at this time on the road, and wiped the blood which was running down his forehead. When asked ‘What happened to him?’ he responded ‘the bastard tried to kill me.’ The assassin was sprawled on the ground; another policeman had held him down and cut his throat with his sabre.

The Emperor’s interest in my shooting, the story he told me about his own, and this comparing of the two situations, flattered me greatly and brought me closer to His Majesty, in a way its hard to describe. During the time of my service to his Majesty, I experienced several of these unusual and private, yet unforgettable moments. For a few seconds, we continued to walk in silence. In the woods, everything was calm, and I felt a sensation of sweetness, tranquility and happiness.

The Emperor went on to say that the few successes achieved by the revolutionaries were not due to their own strength, but rather to the weakness of the authorities. He believed the judiciary were not doing their job properly, and the only man to re-establish the image of justice system in any shape or form was, he said, the Justice Minister, Akimov; he spoke about him with some affection, calling him ‘my friend Akimov.’ The Emperor also told me that the gendarmerie would be able to work much more easily once approval had been given for the funds to increase the number of investigation divisions; I carefully pointed out to him, that investigation was the means by which we could apprehend these criminals, but that the ordinary Police would hardly benefit from it. The Emperor asked me why, and what the difference was between one and the other, I told him of what I thought. During that cruise, the Emperor allowed me to photograph him and his family at anytime, without having to request permission on each occasion. I certainly didn’t miss a chance to use my little snapshot camera.

Alexander I. Spiridovitch