Latest / The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History / The Last Tsar's Diaries: Nicholas II's Private World
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked about the grand spectacles — the Tercentenary, the weddings, Rasputin's murder — but today I want to get inside the head of Nicholas II himself. Specifically through his diaries, which he kept almost every day from age 14 until his execution. Luna: He kept a diary for over forty years? That's a lot of pages. Lucas: Fifty volumes, actually. They're preserved in the Russian State Archive, and they're a mix of the mundane and the monumental. He'd write about the weather, his daily walks, what he read — and then, almost in the same tone, note the outbreak of war or the arrest of a minister. Luna: What's the most famous entry? Lucas: Probably January 9, 1905 — Bloody Sunday. That day, thousands of workers marched to the Winter Palace to present a petition, and troops opened fire, killing hundreds. Nicholas wrote: 'A heavy day. Serious disorders occurred in St. Petersburg. Troops were forced to fire. There are many killed and wounded. God, how painful and distressing.' That's it. Almost bureaucratic. Luna: He doesn't seem to take any responsibility. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the pattern. In his diary, Nicholas rarely reflects on his own decisions. He writes about events as if they're happening to him, not because of him. After the February Revolution in 1917, when he was forced to abdicate, his entry is just: 'Around me there is nothing but treason, cowardice, and deceit.' No self-examination. Luna: What about Rasputin? He must have written something when he heard he was murdered. Lucas: December 17, 1916: 'At 2:30 I went to Mama's. I told her everything. We talked for a long time. Felix Yusupov and Dmitri Pavlovich have killed Grigory. I am horrified and shaken. God's will be done.' Again, the tone is almost passive — 'God's will be done.' He never asks why it happened or what it means for the monarchy. Luna: Did he ever express any anger or grief about his son's hemophilia? Lucas: Surprisingly little. He mentions Alexei's falls and bruises, but more as a practical matter — 'Alexei had a bad night, his leg hurts.' He doesn't dwell on the emotional toll. And when Rasputin seemed to help, Nicholas just notes it as fact: 'Grigory came, spent time with Alexei, the boy is better.' Luna: So what do historians make of the diaries? Are they a reliable window into his mind? Lucas: They're fascinating but tricky. For one, Nicholas was aware that his diaries might be read by others — he sometimes wrote in a kind of code, like referring to Rasputin as 'our Friend' or using initials for sensitive topics. Also, he wrote in a very formulaic style. He rarely expresses strong emotion. Some historians argue that's just his personality — reserved and fatalistic. Others say he was deliberately opaque, even to himself. Luna: What was his last entry? Lucas: His last entry, written in Tobolsk on June 30, 1918 — just two weeks before the execution — reads: 'Alexei took his first bath since leaving Tsarskoye Selo; his knee is improving. Weather: warm and sunny. No news.' That's it. The man who ruled a sixth of the world ends his diary talking about bathwater and sunshine. Luna: It's almost unbearably mundane. Lucas: And that's what makes it so haunting. He had no idea what was coming, or if he did, he didn't write it down. The diaries were later smuggled out of Russia by a White Army officer and eventually published. Some people question their authenticity — could the Bolsheviks have tampered with them? But most experts agree they're genuine. They just show a man who lived in a bubble of his own making. Luna: So when you read them, do you come away feeling sorry for him, or angry at his incompetence? Lucas: A bit of both. He was clearly a loving father and husband — he writes tenderly about his children, especially Alexei. But he was also stubbornly convinced that autocracy was God's will, and he refused to adapt. His diaries show a man who was deeply out of touch with the suffering of his people, and that's the tragedy. He wasn't a monster; he was just the wrong man for the job. Luna: And his diary is the proof, written in his own hand. Lucas: Exactly. It's the most intimate record we have of the last Tsar, and it tells a story he never intended — not of grandeur, but of quiet, willful blindness.