Letter from Nicholas II to Maria Fyodorovna from Tsarskoe Selo in July 1917

[Tsarskoe Selo, after 22 July 1917 and before the imperial family left for Tobolsk on the night of 31 July/1 August]

My deeply beloved, dear Mama,

I am taking advantage of a lucky chance to write you a few lines. How long have we not heard anything from each other? [1] My hand is shaking with trepidation – excuse my handwriting.

I did not receive any news from you after Mohilev, I was terribly worried, especially that you could not stay in Kiev. [2] I telegraphed you twice and on the 22nd of July, [3] only nothing seems to have reached you. [4] It is so hard to be cut off from ones own! We are all healthy and in good spirits. But everything happening around us, particularly with the troops, hurts unbelievably. It is impossible to find the words to say what a terrible crime has been committed by those who have defiled the army!

It was a marvellous, hot summer; we spend a lot of time in the garden. At first, we worked with our people on the allotment, then I cut down dry trees in the park and sawed them up for firewood. We sometimes sailed on the pond. We give the children lessons, I studied Russian history and geography with Alexis.

In my prayers and thoughts I am always with you, my darling Mama. I tenderly hug you, Xenia and Olga. God grant her the very best. God be with you, my dear Mama. Loving you endlessly with all his heart,

Your Nicky.

Footnotes

1. Maria Fyodorovna wrote her previous letter to Nicholas II on 17 February 1917 (GA RF, F. 601, Op. 1, D. 1297, L. 128-130; Yulia Kudrina, Mat’ i syn, Moscow, 2004, pp. 247-248). Their last meeting was in Pskov (4-8 March 1917).

2. Maria Fyodorovna remained in Kiev until the end of March 1917, when she and her daughters’ families moved to Ai-Todor, the estate of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich in the Crimea.

3. 22 July was Maria Fyodorovna’s “angel day.”

4. Nicholas’s telegrams are not present in Maria Fyodorovna’s personal file in the State Archive of the Russian Federation.