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1-Page Summary of Nicholas and Alexandra
Overall Summary
Historian Robert K. Massie’s 2000 book, Nicholas & Alexandra: The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty, is a sympathetic look at Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. It focuses on their struggles with their son Alexis’ hemophilia. Massie was inspired to write this book when his own son Robert was diagnosed with hemophilia.
Massie begins his narrative with the ascension of Nicholas II to the throne after his father’s sudden death. On the day of Nicholas’ coronation, many people are killed in riots. Nicholas decides to ignore this tragedy and continue with planned celebrations—a decision that will ultimately lead to his downfall.
Massie traces this trait back to the Tsar’s childhood. His father, Alexander III, was harsh and intimidating. Nicholas excelled in his studies, which were intended to prepare him for power, but he showed no real interest in the business of ruling. He led a dissolute life as a young man because he didn’t want to rule; instead he wanted to study things that interested him. By the time he comes to the throne, he is unprepared and inexperienced with little interest in ruling because it was never really important or interesting for him growing up.”
Czar Nicholas II is married to a German princess, Alexandra of Hesse. He learns how to run the empire and falls in love with his wife.
Nicholas wants a son to inherit the throne, but Alexandra can’t bear any more children. They have four daughters already and they’re desperate for a son. When Alexei is born, they are overjoyed because he’s their first boy. But his birth is bittersweet: He has hemophilia, which means that he bleeds easily and cannot be hurt in any way without bleeding to death.
Alexandra, the Tsarina, is overwhelmed by her son’s hemophilia. She can’t handle it anymore and Nicholas isn’t much help either. They’re both distracted from their duties as rulers of Russia because of Alexei’s condition. Massie argues that we shouldn’t blame them for not being good leaders since they were more concerned about their family than anything else. He also points out that Alexandra wasn’t a very good leader in the first place and she was only trying to be a better person instead of taking care of her people when she left Russia to live abroad with her children after the revolution started.
After a fall, Alexei is left bedridden with severe internal bleeding. His doctors predict that he will not survive. Alexandra turns to Grigori Rasputin for help and under his care, Alexei begins to recover quickly and she becomes convinced of his holiness. Rasputin actively works to increase his influence within the court in order to exploit it for financial gain. He’s divisive; many people think he’s a charlatan.
By this time, the First World War has broken out. On Rasputin’s advice, Nicholas travels to the front line in order to lead his soldiers himself. He leaves Alexandra in charge of running the country while he is gone. Many people are concerned about Alexandra’s influence over her husband and whether or not she is secretly working for their enemies (Germany).
The Russian army is losing the war. At the same time, their queen is not doing a good job of running the country and she’s influenced by Rasputin who has been assassinated by aristocrats who were getting jealous about his influence over her.
Despite the fact that Rasputin’s influence has been diminishing, he still holds a lot of power. A year after his death, Russia revolts against the Tsar and an entire royal family is murdered.
The author stresses the importance of Alexei’s hemophilia in Russian history, going so far as to suggest that his illness was one of the reasons for Russia’s revolution and its fall. He also suggests that if it weren’t for Alexei’s illness, there would be no Rasputin.
