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Blog Posts from MaryWomen In Late Imperial RussiaPosted by Emma Westport Mar 23 2012, 1:30 am  WW I Poster-Russian Factory Worker For that small number of women who lived at the top of Russian society, life was divided between winters in St. Petersburg, Moscow or some other major city and summers on family estates. Servants cared for their every want to the point where the 15 year old Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna tried to button her own shoes during the upheavals of 1905, afraid she’d be unable to dress herself without servants when the revolution came. For those lesser members of the gentry and nobility, life was unquestionably more difficult. Family lands were mortgaged or sold and many families slipped into poverty. But Russia’s economy grew in the years before World War I, creating jobs that had not existed before. Impoverished young women were able to find jobs in new fields, particularly in medicine and education. Educated young women became clerks in the fancier shops. Others became typists or secretaries. The Tsar’s Secret PolicePosted by Emma Westport Feb 23 2012, 1:59 am Like other countries, Russia had a normal police force, uniformed men who patrolled the streets and handled crimes. But, according to Orlando Figes, “No other country in the world had two kinds of police—one to protect the interest of the state, the other to protect its people.” The Okhrana, the Tsar’s secret police, were charged with protecting the state or, more specifically, the autocracy. Its agents were divided into the three groups. ‘Outside agents,’ or detectives, were the backbone of the Okhrana. In hiring for this job, single men were preferred because of the danger involved. Detectives normally worked alone The Tragedy at Khodynka FieldPosted by Emma Westport Jan 22 2012, 11:59 pm In May 1896, all eyes turned to Moscow for the coronation of the new Tsar, Nicholas II and his beautiful young wife. But the fireworks and light shows, the parades and balls would soon be overshadowed by an ugly event—the tragedy at Khodynka Field. Custom required the newly crowned Tsar host a public celebration. Alexander III, the new Tsar’s father, had held his at Khodynka Field. Nicholas II planned to do the same. In this, he followed the recommendation of his uncle, Grand Duke Serge, the Governor or Moscow at the time. But Khodynka Field was never meant for a The Russian SeasonPosted by Emma Westport Nov 23 2011, 1:15 am The Russian season began in winter. By December, days were short and the sun rose late, as did the wealthiest women of St. Petersburg and Moscow. It was not unusual to sleep until noon and then spend the late morning or early afternoon reading, writing letters or gossiping on the phone. Servants handled the tasks associated with running the household and the wealthier households were full of servants. The Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna had a mere seventy, unusually low for a St. Petersburg residence. The Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich had some four hundred. An Imperial palace could easily have a Rasputin, The Tsarina and the Fall of the AutocracyPosted by Emma Westport Oct 23 2011, 12:02 pm In July 1904, the cannons of the Peter and Paul fortress fired 300 times to announce that, after four daughters, Alexandra had given birth to a son. Russia had a Tsarevich. The imperial couple was overjoyed but, within six short weeks, that joy turned to pain. Something was wrong. The slightest bump, the smallest pinch and the baby’s skin bruised. The bruises did not heal. The child cried with pain and neither his mother nor his doctors could offer him relief. Alexei was a hemophiliac. For Alexandra, the news was devastating. She’d already lost a brother and uncle to the disease and she knew what the future |
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I am a member of RWA and very interested in historical romance. The two areas I am most interested in are Late Imperial and Revolutionary Russia and the Regency. That said, I haven't met too many periods of history I didn't like.
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