Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-06
Written for The Star.

unhappy crowned head at the present mo-
ment. is the nineteenth member of the
Romanoff family to sit on the Russian
throne since the family, curiously enough
was elected into power 292 years ago, on
the refusal of two other princes to take
up the task of making a Russia out of the
raw material at hand,
This, in brief, is the way that the Ro-
manoffs came into that autocratic power
which has distinguished them from all
the other families that have ever ruled
IN any quarter of the earth
The dynasty of Rurik. the Scandinavian
adventurer. founded in S62 died out in
1898 with Feodor While he re'gned he
was under the power of his brother-in-
law, Boris Godunoff. Boris got himself
elected Feeders successor. His son be-
came Feodor IL, who was murdered and
whose throne was won in battle by the
false Dmitri" so-called because he claimed
to be that son whom the greatest Rurik
of them all, Ivan the Terrible. had killed
In cold blood. Dmtri was car a few weeks
short of year, when he was killed after
jumping out of a window during the course
of a rebellion. FaSihi Ivanovich Shuiski
was elected to the throne. defeated in bat
lie with the Poles. taken prisoner, and set
free in order to become monk. Ladislaus.
son of SigiSmund of Poland, car for
two years then. the country being aroused
20 IdLTDIC frenzy uS Il mere blLGntI'
Mimi of Nljni-NOvgorod. the Poles were
driven out, and the bOiars were again free
to choose a ear of their own liking.
But 20 get some one willing to assume
the duties of the job was the d fficult prob
lem The Princes Mstislavsd and Pozahar-
ski, the latter having led the Russians 10
victory over the Poles. successfully put
the crown aside. Then finally" as one
authority states 1t, Michael ROmanoff a
lad of sixteen, was named and accepted.
One OF his maternal ancestors, AnaStasia
ROmanOva, was the first of the seven wives
of Ivan the Terrible. Boris on his access
sion to the throne, had compelled the head
of the Romanof house to become a monk.
Michael's father was released from prison
on the election of his son as car, an event
which was largely due to the recognized
virtues of the father.
Duration of Power
Not taking into account the first Ro-
manof Ivan (the fifth czar of that name),
who nOminally ruled with Peter the Great
for five years, but including the eleven
years that Nicholas II has spent largely
in jumping off the sharp pins embedded in
the throne seat by various parties. the av-
erage length of each ROmanoff reign has
been sixteen years and few days less
than three months This is a fairly credit
able showing for the family, whose days,
since II came to the throne. have undOubt-
ediy been more crowded with virulent trou-
tempOraneous regal family in the same pc
Rod Of time. Especially has this been the
case following the upspringing of nihilism
during the reign of Alexander II and, sub
SequeuIIy, OF the terroriSts and the other
organizations whose one avOwed object IS
that of removing cars
But, though numerous attempts have been
made by these societies of assassination on
the lives of the three Little Fathers who
have held sway since the birth of nihilism
only one Of the three Romanoff czars who
have met with violent deaths while really
ruling has been their victim. He was Alex
ander II, and only five Romanoffs have sat
longer on the throne than he. Peter the
Great had the crown all to himself for
tL4rty-siE years. The other Great" Ro-
manor. Catherine II, friend of the Ameri
can colonies and intense admirer of John
Pau! Jones. was all powerful for two years
less. Michael, the founder, comes next,
with thirty-two years to his credit. his son
and successor. Alexis, who won In war the
COssaCks and their country from the Poles,
with thirty-one. and the remarkable first
Nicholas with three decades. The martyr
Aiexauder's word was law for twenty-sfx
years, and during the last fifteen years Of
his life no less than five determined at
tempts were made to Kill him, the last
proving successful.
Though his railway carriage was blown
from under him, though the assassin $
shadow ever fell across his path, creeping
even into the Winterhof and other palaces,
Alexander III died a natural death after
thirteen years given over largely 10 FtdG-
tionaTS measures Six Czars and two of
the reigning CZarinas wore the Russian
crown longer than he, Alexander L ruling
twenty -four years and Elizabeth three years
less. Nicholas II is now In the twelfth
year of his eRthrOnement; just one-half of
the number of reigning RomauOffs had au-
tocratlc tenure for periods longer than he
has grOaned beneath the cares of state.
Thus IT will be seen that, despite the
sassination societies efforts. and thanks to
an elaborate system of espionage and
guarding, the last two Alexanders were
granted comparatively long reigns for Ro
manOfs by that inscrutable Providence
which has already made this true, also,
~ Nicholas II.
The Cars Worst Enemies.
Judging from the record of assassina-
ton the worst enemies of the crowned
Romauoffs have been members OF their
own families Peter III. the first car to
he ssassinated, was thus disposed of
with the connivance OF his wife who as
summed The throne and has come down in
history as Catherine H. surnamed the
Great. Peter was ear for less than
year. allowing himself to be deposed
without struggle and being strangIed
in 1852.
Thirty-ntre years later Paul the Mad
met death in a scUffie that followed his
refusal at dead of night. in his sleeping
apartments. TO put his signature to a pa
per in which he was set down as abdi-
eating Life was strargled out OF him
with an officer 5 sash.
Some authorities hold that Ivan VI, for
a brief year an infant emperor and de-
posed by Elizabeth. daughter of Peter the
Great. was murdered twenty-three years
later in his fortress prison. at the insti-
cation Of Catherine the Great, then with
two years of her astonishing career OF
ACKNOWLEDGMENT behind her. But other
historians dispute the statement that She
had foreknowledCe of his ruthless taking
off All are agreed, however, that when
he died Ivan was an idiot, made so by his
long incarceration.
Another irreconCiliable statement is
that some of the grand dukes conuived at
the assassination Of Alexander H. to pre-
vent his establishing Quasi-Coustitu-
tional form Of government But If these
things are true. then the declaration that
the worst enemies of the occupants of
Sussia's throne are not nihilistS or ter
YSrists or their sort. but other Romanons
grand dukes and grand duchesses and
their sort. receives added weight
The fifteen Czars and four reigning
CzaTinas. in dealing with their kusfoIk
have not been any harsher or more cruel
probably. than the old English monarchs
whose records In this direction are pretty
familiar. With not a few old-time cars
the favocite method OF getting rid of OBJ
streperous relations was to incarcerate