TRIBUTE TO A GRAND DUCHESS
On June 10, 1897, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, the second daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna was born. The most reserved and dutiful of the five children of the Russian Tsar, Tatiana had an undeniable regal bearing and elegance; it is said by many that in her presence there was no question that she was the daughter of an emperor. She and formed a very close relationship with her mother, the Empress, and also formed a close bond with her older sister Olga. Olga and Tatiana were from the beginning inseparable and were affectionately known as "The Big Pair" coinciding with their two younger sisters Maria and Anastasia "The Little Pair." Tatiana's dutiful nature and strong leadership earned her the nickname of "The Governess" among her family. One of the standing testimonies to the great things Tatiana could have done was her unyeilding aid to her country during WWI. Tatiana, her mother, her sister Olga, as well as other family members and friends of the family all served as nurses in the war. In what stands as unmistakable sign of patriotism, a princess of her country tossed aside her sheltered and glamourous lifestyle to assist directly in aiding the wounded men who were fighting and dying for her father and her country. In a letter to a friend Tatiana noted:

"...Every day we go to the Palace's Hospital to do dressings but not in the main building. In the garden there is a small house for the officers. Every day they bring there 6 lower ranks and Olga and I dress their wounds... When we finish doing it we go to the officers' where Mother and Anya dress them in turn..."

As well as being exposed the gruesome realities of war by serving as a nurse, she also threw herself into committee work to aid Russia's refugee's during the war; family friend and lady in waiting to her mother, Sophie Buxhoeveden comments:
The "Refugee Committee " which had been formed by the Grand Duchess Tatiana became almost a department of State......The young Grand Duchess took the greatest interest in it and, young though she was, had quantities of papers sent her every day, which she went over with her mother's help, making notes and writing her decisions. The housing, feeding and general welfare of refugees all over Russia were in the hands of the Committee, the budget of which rose rapidly to several millions of roubles. The money was at first raised by private subscriptions, but the department was eventually financed by the Government. This Committee continued to work after the Revolution of 1917 under the Kerensky Government.
These two extraordinary efforts were accomplished before she even reached the age of twenty.
In 1917, with her father's abdication of the throne of Russia, Tatiana's as well as her entire families' lives took a dramatic turn and would lead to their untimely fate. Under the Provinsional Government they were held under house arrest in relative comfort at their home, The Alexander Palace, before leaving forever their former lifestyle for the more quaint Governers House at Tobolsk. The fall of the Provinsional Government in 1917 lead way to a precursor of terror that was to follow in the form of the Bolshevik government that replaced it. The rise of the Bolshevik's sealed forever the tragic fate of the family.
In the small town of Ekaterinburg in the early morning of July 18, 1918, Tatiana and her family were decieved by their capitors and lead to a small celler under the impression that they were to be photographed. In this celler, Tatiana, her entire family as well as four of thier loyal servants were heartlessly murdered. Tatiana was only twenty-one years old.

Here are some random comments of Tatiana's (comments credited to Alexanderpalace.com):

"... Yesterday I was in town. I had a sitting in the Winter Palace which was extremely dull. Maria [her sister] was there with me. As she was present at the sitting for the first time, Neidhardt decided to address to her with words of greeting. Everybody stood up and bowed to her. She was so terrified that nearly got down under the table."

"... After dressings in the hospital we usually sit in the balcony or in the garden and watch the wounded soldiers carried out. Yesterday evening when we were sitting there one of the wounded played the violin to us. He played wonderfully. To tell the truth I was never very fond of the violin, but I liked his playing very much. He is from the 10-th Intermanlandsky Regiment. Very handsome. Then Olga played the piano and three people sang Russian songs very well. It was fun!"



Comments made by others about Tatiana (comments credited to Livadia.org):

"Their rank meant very little to them, and they felt ill at ease when they were treated ceremoniously. Once at a committee I had to address "my President," the Grand Duchess Tatiana, officially, and naturally began, 'May it please Your Imperial Highness.' She looked at me with astonishment, and when I sat down again beside her 1 was rewarded by a violent kick under the table and a whispered 'Are you crazy to speak to me like that ?' In common with all the Household, I called the Emperor's daughters, in the Russian fashion, by their names and patronymic, and she thought it quite absurdly formal for me to have given her her full title! I had to appeal to the Empress to persuade her that on official occasions it was really necessary." Sophie Buxhoeveden

"Tatiana was rather reserved, essentially well balanced, and had a will of her own, though she was less frank and spontaneous than her elder sister. She was not so gifted, either, but this inferiority was compensated by more perseverance and balance. She was pretty, though she had not quite Olga Nikolaievna's charm....Through her good looks and her art of self-assertion she put her sister Olga in the shade in public, as the latter, thoughtless about herself, seemed to take a back seat. Yet the two sisters were passionately devoted to each other. There was only eighteen months between them, and that in itself was a bond of union." Tutor Pierre Gilliard

"With her, as with her mother, shyness and reserve were accounted as pride, but, once you knew her and had gained her affection, this reserve disappeared, and the real Tatiana became apparent. She was a poetical creature, always yearning for the ideal, and dreaming of great friendships which might be hers." Family friend Lili Dehn