How many czars were there in russia

Finally, during the February and October Revolutions in , the czar and his government were overthrown by a remarkably small group of Communists led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. Less than a year later, during the Russian Civil War, the entire imperial family, including Nicholas' year-old son and potential successor, was assassinated in the town of Yekaterinburg.

These assassinations brought the Romanov dynasty to an irrevocable and bloody end. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Bob Strauss. Science Writer. Updated August 07, Cite this Article Format. Strauss, Bob. Bloody Sunday: Prelude to the Russian Revolution of Biography of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia.

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Maria Vladimirovna is the most widely acknowledged pretender to the throne of Russia. This great-great-granddaughter of Alexander II, who was Emperor of Russia until his assassination in , now lives in Spain. Her father, Vladimir Kirillovich, was born in exile in Finland in , and from claimed to be head of the Russian imperial family.

When Grand Duke Vladimir died in , his daughter succeeded him in this claim, and calls her son, the Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, the heir apparent.

However, Maria Vladimirovna has never belonged to the Romanov Family Association, founded in to unite descendants, because its members include non-dynastic Romanovs those whose ancestors married outside the dynasty , whom she and her supporters believe do not have a legitimate claim to the throne.

Andrew is the great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, who was emperor of Russia until his death in Born in London in , he has lived for years in California, and is an artist and author. His two-part Romanov connection means that his son Prince Charles and his grandsons, Princes William and Harry, are all Romanov relatives.

In , after the unmarked graves believed to contain the remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra and three of their daughters were exhumed, Prince Philip even offered a blood sample to scientists seeking to identify the remains.

His mitochondrial DNA matched that of the bodies believed to be those of Alexandra and the three girls, helping to confirm their identity.

Born in , she is the only child from his second marriage and a half-sister to Prince Andrew. In , she became president of the Romanov Family Association, founded in to unite descendants. Prince Michael of Kent at the United Nations, Two more bodies, uncovered in and identified through DNA comparison with living Romanov relatives as two of the murdered children, Alexei and Maria, have not been buried , as some within the Russian Orthodox Church have refused to accept the identification.

Unusually among Romanov descendants, he has also lived and worked extensively in Russia. An accomplished artist , he also works with the Raketa Watch Factory in St. Some claim the spirits of ancestors hear them more clearly here. Udmurtia is situated in the southern Urals and is the birthplace of the Kalashnikov, Makarov and Yarygin guns, which are all still produced here. Read our report and check out photos from the capital, Izhevsk. In the 18th century, Russia and China divided these lands in Eastern Siberia that used to be ruled by Kyrgyz princes and then Mongolia.

But in , Khakassia became part of Russia. But, is it safe to go to Chechnya? How to communicate with the locals? Find all the answers and more here or take a look at the picturesque mountain landscapes of the republic here. Cheboksary, the capital of Chuvashia, is situated on the beautiful banks of the Volga River which is up to 4 km in width here!

Historians have debated that originally, 'chuvash' was not the name of the ethnic group, but a social status of people in the Khanate of Kazan that ruled this territory. Kazan and the modern republic of Tatarstan are Chuvashia's eastern neighbors.

Read about must-see places in Cheboksary here. Altai Krai is predictably situated in the Altai mountains. One of the most attractive destinations for tourists is Chuysky Road, a road that every extreme seeker should drive on! Here are 10 tips for travelers to Altai. They are neighbors, but are different subjects of the federation and have different statuses. Incidentally, this territory is also unique, because there is another subject of the Russian federation within its borders - the Republic of Adygea No.

Here are some reasons why! The region is situated in Eastern Siberia and is a neighbor of big and cold Yakutia and actually the climate here is also very harsh: incredibly cold in winter and very hot in summer. One of the natural miracles here is the Stolby Nature Reserve - mysterious stone rocks within the taiga - a popular place for hikers and climbers.

The capital city Krasnoyarsk stands on the banks of majestic Yenisei River. Read about a hermit who lives in the Stolby Reserve forests here. Its capital is Vladivostok, the famous free port, a city of lighthouses, bridges, hills, seafood and arts.

For those who dream of traveling along the Trans Siberian road, Vladivostok is considered the final destination on the epic route. The area borders with China and Korea, which has a great influence: there are lots of Asian cars, food and other goods. Read more about must-see places for tourists in Vladivostok here , or find out which places the locals favor the most here!

The territory is located not far from the Black Sea and is famous for its healing mineral water and resorts: Kislovodsk, Essentuki, Pyatigorsk. Its capital is the city of Stavropol, which in tsarist Russia was an important fort, built during the Russo-Turkish wars in the 18th century. The region used to be inhabited with the so-called Kuban Cossacks and many local museums preserve the memory of their everyday life.

Muravyov-Amurksy founded the city of Khabarovsk in and named it after the 17th century discoverer of Far East territories - Yerofei Khabarov.

Another big city in the region is Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Read more about Khabarovsk, the city on the 5, ruble banknote, here. The river gave the name to this region, while the capital city is Blagoveshchensk.

Explore the life of the Nanai, small-numbered ingenious people of Amur Basin, here. The region includes several big archipelagos more or less remote to the land. The tundra and taiga zones can also be found here - and lots of rare wild animals living in these forests and arctic deserts. Watch our documentary about the Solovki islands here and photos of disappearing wooden churches here. A land of fishermen and river navigation, this region lies along the southern part of the Volga River and follows its flow into Caspian Sea.

The huge delta of Volga splits the southern part of the region into multiple rivers and lakes. One of the most famous places here is the Baskunchak salt lake, a popular destination for tourists.

Read more about the history and sightseeing of Astrakhan region here. Together, these lands form the Central Black Earth economic region. Russians used to joke that you could simply put a stick in this soil and it would germinate! Bryansk is one of the oldest Russian cities and celebrated its 1,th anniversary in It is situated in the south-west of the country and borders with both Ukraine and Belarus.

It covers more than 12 ha and contains a lot of rare birds. The park is most proud of its black stork - so much so that even became its symbol! The city of Vladimir and Suzdal together were a strong principality on the rise of Russian statehood. Volgograd stretches along the bank of the Volga River for almost 60 kilometers, while the width of its territory is no more than 5 km.

Russian soldiers defeated the Nazi troops, but the city was almost destroyed, and the entire region was seriously damaged. The woman symbolizing the Motherland has a height of 52 m, and the length of sword she holds in her hand is 29 m!

Check our video report from Volgograd here. Vologda Region, located in the northwest of Russia, is rich with historic monuments, such as the Kirillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov Monasteries with the frescoes of Dionisius, medieval buildings in Belozersk and baroque churches in Totma and Ustyuzhna.

Read about the 10 must-see places in the Vologda Region here. While establishing the navy in Russia, Peter the Great decided to build the first ships of the Imperial Russian Navy in Voronezh and sail them down the Don River , which is situated roughly km south of Moscow. Although Voronezh was seriously damaged during Nazi occupation, many medieval buildings have been preserved in the region.

The most wonderful of them are churches and monasteries - located underground! Today tourists go to Voronezh region to see the 3 cave orthodox architectural ensembles: Belogorie, Divnogorie and Kostomarovo.

Read about why you should chuck everything and head to Voronezh here! Ivanovo Region is located in the central part of Russia; and is famously known as the "city of brides". One of the theories behind the origin of this nickname is the specialization of the region.

The leading industry of the region is the textile industry and there are many garment factories here, where many single women work. Most tourists come to Irkutsk, located in south central Siberia, to see Baikal — the deepest lake on Earth and the largest natural reservoir of fresh water with unique flora and fauna.

The length of the lake from north to south is km and its maximum depth is 1, meters. This is the westernmost Russian region. Its location is rather peculiar: the region is an exclave, as it does not have a common land border with main territory of Russia, but it is still connected to Russia by the sea.

Outside the city, one can find the Curonian Spit natural preserve, a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Check out some photos of this beautiful place here and have a look through what Instagrammers post from Kaliningrad here.

Many tourists come here to visit the Optina Pustyn monastery, as well as the Svyato-pafnutyev monastery in the town of Borovsk. The most popular cities among tourists are Kozelsk, Maloyaroslavets and the administrative city of Kaluga.

Kamchatka Krai is located in the Far East of Russia and covers the territories of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the adjacent territories of the mainland, the Karaginsky Island and the Commander Islands. On the Kamchatka Peninsula, there are 29 active volcanoes and about three hundred dormant ones. The largest active volcano in Kamchatka is called Klyuchevsky. There are many nature reserves in the region. The most visited place among tourists is the Valley of geysers.

You can get there only by helicopter, as well as to many other unique places in Kamchatka. Find out 7 things that amaze travelers in Kamchatka here. Kemerovo Region is located in the middle of Siberia. The region covers the largest part of the Kuznetsk Kuzbass Coal Basin. There are many wildlife preserves in the region. The biggest ones are the Kuznetsk Alatau reserve and the Shor national Park. Check out our epic photo gallery from the Kuzbass coal mine here.

Kirov Region, situated roughly 1, km east of Moscow, and north of Kazan, has its administrative center in the city of Kirov that for many centuries was named Vyatka.

In , it was renamed in honor of the Russian revolutionary and soviet politician, Sergei Kirov. The city of Kirov is built on seven hills, like Moscow and Rome.

Read more about this beautiful medieval handmade art here. Kostroma is one of the cities included on the famous Golden Ring tourist route of Russia, with lots of ancient monasteries and churches. There are also many elk farms in Kostroma Region, where one can even try rare elk milk.

Check out some awesome aerial views of Kostroma here. The region is located in the Urals. Kursk Region is situated on the border with Ukraine. During its history, the city of Kursk was totally destroyed three times by the Tatar-Mongols, and then by the Crimean Tatars. The Kursk magnetic anomaly, located in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, is the largest iron ore deposit in the world.

Korennaya Pustin is also located in the region, a famous Russian monastery that annually attracts thousands of pilgrims who make the journey from Kursk by foot. Petersburg and borders Estonia and Finland.

From the West, the region is washed by the Gulf of Finland. In the s, when St. Petersburg returned to its historical name, Leningrad Region citizens voted to leave its Soviet one. Vyborg, Gatchina, Ivangorod and Koporye are the most visited cities of the region by tourists. Read more about the offbeat spots with an imperial history near St. Petersburg here. Lipetsk Region is located in the European part of Russia.

The largest cities of this region are Lipetsk the administrative, cultural and industrial center , Yelets a city of rich history and national traditions , Gryazi the main transport hub of the region and Zadonsk the main religious center.

Later, the mistake was corrected, and the island was given the peculiar name! The city of Moscow itself is a separate subject of the Russian Federation and is not even a part of the region.

Citizens also often come here for different types of entertainment - nature resorts, sanatoriums, health spas or to simply have riverside picnics along the Moscow River, for example. Read more about unusual things to do in Moscow Region here. In the region, there are many small towns famous for their history and cultural heritage. Sergius , is situated. Pavlovsky Posad home of famous shawls with traditional colorful pattern , Mozhaysk, Zvenigorod, Dmitrov, Kolomna and Serpukhov are all also worth visiting.

Read more about 5 stunning historical places for a day trip to the Moscow Region here. By the way, the Odintsovo district of the Moscow Region is an administrative center for the Baikonur cosmodrome. The region also has a coast along the White and Barents seas. The city of Murmansk has the only non-freezing northern port in Russia. Tourists come to the region to have fun at ski resorts - Kirovsk and Khibiny, and, of course, to see the Northern Lights.

The brightest ones occur between November and February. Besides that, you can experience other unusual natural phenomena in the region: polar days and nights! Read more about how people live 60 days without nights here and check out cool photos of Murmansk here. Nizhny Novgorod lies on the Volga River. In Soviet times, the city was called Gorky in honor of the famous proletarian writer Maxim Gorky, who was born here his real name was Alexei Peshkov.

In the s, the city was reverted back to its original name. It is located on a picturesque bank, in the place where the Volga and Oka rivers meet. Locals say the kremlin offers the most beautiful sunset views. One of the most popular souvenirs that tourists can bring from Russia are Khokhloma, Russian wood paintings and national ornaments, known for its curved and vivid, mostly flower, berry and leaf patterns. Because Novgorod is another city - and our next subject of the federation see No.

Read more about the best ways to explore Nizhny Novgorod here and watch a video on how khokhloma paintings are created here. Roughly two-three hours drive from St. According to legend, the Varangian prince Rurik was called upon by the Russians to rule here, and that was how the first dynasty of Russia the Ruriks began. Read more on the early rulers of Russia here.

In medieval times, Novgorod Region was an independent republic on the territory of feudal Russia. Decisions were made by veche, a public assembly of noblemen, while princes were elected. In the Novgorod region there are a lot of objects of cultural heritage. Sophia Cathedral within the kremlin, the oldest stone Orthodox Church Russia, and the Chamber of Facets , the oldest civic building.

Read more about the city and check out photos here. A great stop along the Transsiberian railroad, Novosibirsk was founded in on the banks of the Ob river during the building of the railroads across Russia. This is the biggest city in Siberia, the most populous city of Siberia and the third most populous city in Russia after Moscow and St. In Soviet times, the city was developed as an industrial hub and these days many gas, metallurgy and chemistry production plants are located here.