211: Tatiana Nikolaevna Romanova
Russian Grand Duchess and the Second Oldest in Her Family
Born: 10 June 1897, St. Petersburg, Imperial Russia (Present-day St. Petersburg, Russia)
Died: 17 July 1918, Yekaterinburg, Bolshevik Controlled Russia (Present-day Yekaterinburg, Russia)
Tatiana was the most well-known of her sisters during her lifetime.
She was also known for being the most regal of the four sisters.
Her siblings called her the Governess because of how organized and put together she was.
She was extremely close to her older sister Olga; Tatiana was also closest to her mother of all the siblings and would help soothe her anxiety anytime Alexei began to hemorrhage from his hemophilia.
Tatiana, her mother, and older sister Olga trained as nurses with the Red Cross at the start of World War I.
Tatiana then set up her own committee for helping refugees and did all the paperwork herself after leaving the hospitals every day.
In 1916, the entire imperial family became political prisoners to the new Bolshevik Regime after Nicholas II (Tatiana's father and the Tsar) abdicated the throne amid political and social upheaval and turmoil. In July of 1918, the Bolsheviks determined it was too dangerous to let the family live, and ordered the executions of them all.
She reportedly died while clinging to her sister Olga. The four sisters, Alexei, their parents, and several servants were all shot and bayoneted to death in the basement of the house they were staying in.
Note:
Tatiana’s Actual Title in Russian Was Velikaya Knyazhna—a more accurate English Translation would be The Grand Princess. Her title also made her an Imperial Princess, which made her higher ranking than all other European Princesses who were “only” Royal Highnesses.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Located in My Personal Library:
Alexandra: The Last Tsarina by Carolly Erickson
Alice Princess Andrew of Greece by Hugo Vickers
Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, Russia, 1917--A World On the Edge by Helen Rappaport
Lost Bodies by Jenni Davis
National Geographic History Magazine Article "Death of a Dynasty" sub-article "Michael the First Romanov" (July/August 2018 Edition)
The Race to Save the Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Save the Russian Royal Family by Helen Rappaport
Risked by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Historical Fiction)
The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport
Sources:
https://allthatsinteresting.com/tatiana-romanov
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6610991/tatiana-nikolaevna-romanova