San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-10-26
ALEXANDER OF RUSSIA.
RISE OF THElGREAT DYNASTY OF
R0MAN0FF.
INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF THE
DYING GEAR AND SKETCH
OF HIS CAREER,

the Russians. whose death may occur at
any moment, was of the imperial house Of
| Romanof.
| This dynasty is web woven OF the
| greatest lines OF ancestry 10 Northern
| Europe and the East, and its origin is lost
i in the labyrinth of antiquity. Russian
4 history properly begins with Rurik OF
| Sweden, who settled at Novgorod In S62,
| and conquered Russia, and the Romanoffs
| claim him as an ancestor. But they are
| also descended from the Emperor Con-
stantine, Monomachus, and the Paleolo.
| pi from Zingis Khan, from the earliest
| Princes of Novgorod, and from the last OF
| the Anglo-Saxon Kings.
| In the Thirteenth century this house
| were chiefs and hereditary high priests at
| the allars dedicated to the sun in Lithu-
| ania. The religious zeal OF the Teutonic
| races drove them to Moscow, where they
embraced Christianity and we're enrolled
| among the mobiles for their services in the
wars with the Mongols, who oppressed
Russia for 300 wears. For centuries they
shared the viciSsitudes OF the Empire and
at times we're almost eXterminated by
persecution. torture and exile. On the
other hand they were honored by numer-
ous alliances with the imperial family.
Their leaders frequently married the
daughters of the Emperors, aud finally In
| the flock. became the wife of Ivan w..
| the first of the line to adopt the title OF
Car, or Caesar.
Ivan w. left children, but their place
was usurped by Boris Godonotf, wholived
and reigned until 1905, and who, to main
| tain himself in power, followed the Ro-
manoffS with relentless persecution.
But at his death, when the Empire was
| disorganized and in ruins. his son was
| pushed aside and the boyars elected, 10
| i6l2. as Emperor of Russia, a Romanotf.
| This was Michael ROmanotf, a youth OF
| II. whose mother was daughter OF Ivan
| ". and AnastasIa aud Romanova, who
| was in exile and obscurity. and whose
| father, though Patriarch of Moscow, was
lingering in a Polish dungeon, into whlch
| Godonoff had thrust him. This was the
| origin of the ROmanotf Emperors.
From this period the RomanotfS ohave
| been as much German as Russian
| Michael Romanoff died in 1915, and his
| successors. mostly his lineal descendants,
| in order, we're Alexis, died 1876; Fedore.
| died 1852: Peter | called the Great, died
| 1852: Peter H., another son OF Alexis,
died 1870, at the age Of II, and Peter Ill,
/ who was the grandson OF Peter the Great
his mother being Anna Veodorovich the
| daughter OF Peter the Great, and the
| DIXIE of Holstein. Peter Ill, married
| SophiaAugusta,P Princess ofAnhalt-ZerbSt.
| in Upper Saxony, who took the name of
Catherine, and who, having dethrOned
her husband, reigned from l762 to l7I6;
Catherine was succeeded by Paul Pc
| troyich, her son, but of doubtful pattern
| ity. who married Dorothea Sophia, Prin-
| cess Of Wurtem berg, and was aSSaSSlnat,
| ed In 1901. On his death he was succeeded
| by his son, Alexander Paulovich, or Alex
| ander l., VINO married Louise Charlntte,
daughter of the Emperor Frederick VIII
| liam III. of Prussia, and died in 1925 1t
| was during his reign Napoleon invaded
Russia. On his death he was succeeded ,
according to a family compact, by his
Youngest brother, Nicholas, skipping his
next Younger brother, Constantine, on
| account Of imbecility. Nicholas, whose
| reign was distinguished by the Crimean
war, was succeeded in 1855 by his son.
Alexander Ill, who was the father OF
| Alexander III, and who was assaSSinated
| in 1881. The brothers and sisters of Alex
ander II are Nicholas, who died in 1865,
| Vladimir, Alexis and Maria, who married
! the Duke OF Edinburgh.
Alexander was the second son. He was
born March 20. lS45. The death of his
| brother Nicholas, left him CzarOwitz,
| heir apparent to the throne OF the, R9ssi-
| An Empire In 1876; he married the DAN
| ish Princess Dagmaret, sister of the Prin-
| cess of Wales. Their first child, Nicholas
| Aleyaudrovitch, who will be Gar OF all
| the Russias, was born May IL 1868.
| When the NihiliStS killed Alexander IL.
| in 1881, so severely was the Russian mon
| archy shaken that no attempt was MADE
| to celebrate the coronation OF the new
! Emperor until two years later. But In
| 1881 Alexander III. was crowned with
/ most SPLENDID ceremonies. There were
| fetes for days and days through all Rus
| STA
| The white Father" has not passed
| the - years of his reign in peace ana
| ouietude. His days were troubled by the
| different attempts made TO Grace MIN
| from the world of the living. Notwith-
standing all the care that was taken 10
prevent even the slightest mishap the
| Car came more than once very near
| meeting his doom. The most serious at
| tempt made to kill him was 10 the begin
| ming of April, 1887. He was fired at In the
| park at GatSchina, by an officer, but eS-
| capped uninjured, although the pistol was
| discharged at close quarters. The would
| be assassin was arrested.
Personally his Majesty was always un-
| affected by fear, so that the terrorists
never attained their object, that OF
| frightening him into accession OF their
demands by attempts on his life. He was,
| on this point, almost fatalist lie has
said il it were the will of Divine Provi-
| dence that he should fall the victim OF a
| bullet. or a bomb in the hands Of one OF
| his own subjects, he must submit; but so
| long as he lived he would continue to de-
| vote his life and work to what he termed
the maintenance of the dignity of Russia.
| The Czarina, on the other hand, was al
| WAYS anxious for her husbands safety.
| March l3 following the attempted assas-
sinatiou, three persons were arrested in
the streets of St. Petersburg with explo-
| sive machines In their possession, aud
| from them the authorities obtained dis
closures respecting the ratification of the
| consniracy. Some OF these men were
| confined in the Schusselburg fortress,
/ - biIo nj n ,rS ware Dlaced In the citadel OF