MARIA ROMANOV: THIRD DAUGHTER OF THE LAST TSAR. Diaries and Letters 1908-1918.

by Helen Azar, George Hawkins

In the twilight of the nineteenth century, a third daughter was born to Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna—known to her family and friends simply as “Mashka”—grew into an empathetic, down-to-earth girl, unaffected by her imperial status. Often overshadowed by her two older sisters, Olga and Tatiana, and later, her brother Alexei and younger sister Anastasia, Maria ultimately proved to have a uniquely strong and solid personality. In Maria Romanov: Third Daughter of the Last Tsar, Diaries and Letters, 1908–1918, by translator and researcher Helen Azar with George Hawkins, Mashka’s voice is heard again through her intimate writings, presented for the first time in English. The Grand Duchess was much more than a pretty princess wearing white dresses in hundreds of faded sepia photographs; Maria’s surviving diaries and letters offer a fascinating insight into the private life of a loving family—from festivals and faith, to Rasputin and the coming Revolution; it is clear why this middle child ultimately became a pillar of strength and hope for them all. Maria’s gentle character belied her incredible courage, which emerged in the darkest hours of her brief life. “The incarnation of modesty elevated by suffering,” as Maria was described during the last weeks of her life, she was able to maintain her kindness and optimism, even in the midst of violence and degradation. On a stuffy summer night in 1918, only a few weeks after of her nineteenth birthday, Maria was murdered along with the rest of her family in a cellar of a house chosen for this “special purpose.” Two sets of charred remains, confirmed to be Maria’s and her brother Alexei’s, were not discovered until almost ninety years later, separately from those of the other victims of the massacre. As the author relates, it is still unknown if these remains will ever be allowed to be laid to rest.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Romanovs, Russian History, Russia, Biography, Royalty

Hardcover

Published May 1, 2019

About the author

Helen Azar has been interested in history of the Romanov Dynasty for many years, ever since she became fascinated with the saga of the human remains discovered outside Ekaterinburg in the 1990s, which were proven to be those of Russia’s murdered imperial family. The subsequent controversy about these bones, and Helen’s science background (she studied biochemistry), moved her to co-author several articles explaining the authenticity of the remains.

At the time, Helen was attending library school, and in summer of 2005, she got a unique opportunity to do an internship at Tsarskoe Selo Museum, where she worked with the imperial book collection – books which once belonged to the Tsars and Tsaritsas – from Catherine the Great to Nicholas II.

In 2012 Helen published her first book, “The Diary of Olga Romanov“, which was based on numerous wartime diaries and letters written by the eldest daughter of the last Tsar, which she translated directly from the scans of the Grand Duchess’s own handwritten documents.

In 2014 Helen founded and became administrator of this website, where she publishes original articles and excerpts from her books.

In the following few years Helen released 7 more books based on her original translations of diaries and letters of the other Romanov family members; the latest is scheduled to be released in 2019 – “Maria Romanov: Third Daughter of the Last Tsar” – the book based on the writings of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna.

Late in 2018, Helen released a book, which is only available electronically through this website: THE PRIVATE DIARY OF MATHILDE KSCHESSINSKA, 100% of proceeds from which will go right back into running the website.

It had been Helen’s long standing dream to organise “In their steps” tour, which would allow to share her passion for the subject with others, as well as teach and learn more about this fascinating and tragic family. Their story truly represents the proverbial “truth is more interesting than fiction”, but unfortunately through the years, there has been a lot of misinterpretation and misinformation about them in secondary sources. The reason for that may be the lack of ready access to primary sources, not just during the Soviet era, but also today. There is also a strange shortage of Russian speaking historians outside of Russia who are interested in writing about this particular subject in English; and those few who know the language are not able or willing to spend months or even years deciphering the often indecipherable handwriting of the imperial family members.

Yet, in Russia there is still a mountain of untapped archival material which can give the world so much new information about that period in Russian history, as well as eliminate long standing myths and misinformation. Helen always felt that it’s very important to present this material in its almost raw form, which is why in her work she refrains from offering subjective interpretations, and allows the reader to make up his or her own mind based on the text they read.

In 2018, the hundredth anniversary year of the murders of the Romanov family, Helen published the book IN THE STEPS OF THE ROMANOVS, and created the dream tour, bringing a group of Russian imperial history enthusiasts to experience important historical events first hand, by literally following in the footsteps of the last imperial family during the last two years of their lives.

Among a number of other places, the group visited Tsarskoe Selo, Tobolsk and Ekaterinburg. A smaller group even went to Crimea and Moscow, where they ended their journey at the Russian State Archives, looking at the original documents written by the Romanovs. A six part documentary from this trip will be available later in 2019.

Reviews

[Zosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

And so I round out my readings of the Romanov girls’ diaries (those that are available) and the year in books. I don’t want to say I have favorites because I love all the girls, but I’ve always loved Maria’s kind demeanor and hate that she is often overlooked now just like she was in life. This book could honestly have been called the 1916 diary because that’s mostly what it is and there is overlap with the volumes on Maria and Anastasia and Tatiana but that can’t be helped. However, I did appreciate the older letters too, from as early as 1900-I wish more from the early years had been saved. I found Marie’s writings the most accessible of the siblings, when she talks about her pets and the pranks she plays on her siblings and occasionally her insecurities about being a middle sibling. She came alive for me in a way, and it was all that much harder knowing what happened to the family in 1918, knowing that she still hasn’t had a proper burial. A beautiful and moving tribute, and a worthy read for all Romanov buffs.

[Moniek Bloks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia was born on 26 June 1899 (O.S 14 June) as the third daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna. Tragically, she and her entire family were killed in the early morning of 17 July 1918. Her remains were not identified until 2007 and are still not interred with the rest of the family.

Described as "kindness itself", Maria's hopes and dreams for the future have been preserved in her diaries, though not all of them have survived. Helen Azar has translated the surviving letters and diaries painstakingly, and we can now dive into the mind of the young woman who was taken from this earth so brutally. The introduction of the book gives biographical information about Maria before diving into the letters and diaries. Maria herself destroyed many of her diaries and only the years 1912, 1913 and 1916 survive. 

Maria Romanov: Third Daughter of the Last Tsar, Diaries and Letters, 1908–1918 is a lovely look at a forgotten woman, whose remains now lie unceremoniously in a box in an archive. It's a must-have for any Romanov enthusiast.

[Elma Voogdt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about Maria Romanov: Third Daughter of the Last Tsar, Diaries and Letters, 1908–1918. Interesting because we do not much about her.

The book contains excerpts from the remaining diaries and letters from Maria. Unfortunately, many letters and diaries were destroyed by Maria herself. These fragments give a glimpse into the life of the young Maria and give also a deeper look into the daily lives of the imperial family by the own words of Maria. The author, Helen Azar translated these writings from the originals in Russia.
In the book also some pictures of Marie and her family. The book is definitely recommended for people who are interested in history or the Romanovs. The book gives the reader the feeling of getting to know Maria better through her own words.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't think of a better way to know and understand a historical figure than through reading their own words in letters and diaries. As she did in previous books covering the older daughter's of Nicholas and Alexandra, Helen Azar takes you into the world of daughter number 3, Maria. Her translations of these writings from the originals provides a wonderful glimpse into a truly lost world, and her knowledge of the history of the period and the family allows her to give a great commentary on what was happening to this young Grand Duchess as her world collapsed around her. Highly recommended, as well as her other books on the subject.

[Madame Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria wrote in her diaries almost everyday. The entries show her daily life in the Romanov family. She was sweet and loving. The additional photos included were also nice.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating volume of correspondence and diary entries written by Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna (1899-1918), as well as letters she received and other primary sources about her daily life. These documents provide an excellent overview of the daily routine of the last Russian Imperial family, especially in 1916, one of the few years where Grand Duchess Maria's full diary survives. While Nicholas and Alexandra's daughters, especially the two younger daughters Maria and Anastasia, are often described by modern historians as leading comparatively quiet lives, the documents in this book reveal a wide range of social contacts including relatives, friends, officers of the Imperial guard and their families. Maria's own personality also comes to life, especially in her letters to her father, as she discusses the hospital where she volunteered during the First World War, her lessons and her love of children. She remained cheerful and optimistic even during her family's last months.

[Sakura Monds]

Although she burned most of her journals, this did a good job of showing us who Maria was through all the journals and letters that remained (along with commentary from those who knew her, friends, family, and captors). She was vibrant and full of life -- playing hide-and-seek in the dark, painting, attending her lessons, visiting infirmaries, playing guitar and piano, singing, loving flowers, etc. -- until the fateful end. The angst that comes with being the middle child came through at times as well.

In my copy, idk about others, some entries are in the book twice with slightly differing translations, notably Nicholas II's 13 June 1916 letter wishing Maria happy birthday and the 28 April/11 May letter from Maria and Alexandra in Ekaterinburg to the family remaining in Tobolsk.

[Morning Glory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria’s my favorite Romanov! She is so sweet and realistic. Almost every one of her journal entries shows how central Communion was for her schedule-almost as much as tea. :) Loved the smattering of letters, English exercises, etc. complete with misspellings, but also heartbreaking bc it humanizes her. My favorite part was her March 3 1916 letter to her dad where she describes visiting the graves of the soldiers she helped in the snow-lovely act of mercy.
“Alexei…says he embraces you…slightly.” 149
“I hold you in my arms, my little souls.” 216

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like other of Helen Azar´s books, this one too is invaluable to any Romanov enthusiast who wants to learn about the private existence of the last Imperial family. And Maria has always been my favourite so reading her own words felt even more moving. You can really tell how much she grew up post-revolution.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic as always. Azar and Hawkins' translations and writings of Maria Nikolaevna's words are a privilege to read. Her letters sent to her father are particularly insightful and the full translations of Maria's few remaining diaries are unrivalled. I particularly liked how Azar and Hawkins chose to keep Maria's original English spellings in many of her undated correspondence.