In the 19th
century most members of Royal houses kept a diary. This was not a diary for
describing feelings, but an account of what they did that day. Keeping a diary
was an exercise in discipline and a form of archiving, royal diaries were part
of the state papers.
The
Imperial family in Russia also kept diaries and although many were lost during
the Revolution, quite a few remain. Parts of these diaries and their letters
are published.
The latest
publication is that of the diary of Olga Romanov, the eldest daughter of tsar
Nicolas II and tsarina Alexandra. She started writing in her diary when she was
nine years old and each evening she wrote down what she did that day.
Grand
duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanov was an intelligent young woman who could have
accomplished a great deal, if things would have gone differently. Because women
could not inherit the throne, Olga did not play an important part in history.
She could only have become important due to her marriage, only that never
happened.
She and her
sisters were brought up very protected and although her parents tried to give
her a normal life, this did not quite work. Olga had little knowledge of the
world outside the palace, for example when she was young she was astonished
that people who travelled by train only had one seat on the train, and not
their own carriage.
Only during
WWI she had the chance to escape protocol when she, her sister and her mother
became nurses and looked after wounded officers.
Many of
Olga’s diaries survived the revolution. She wrote her first entry on January 1,
1905 (I went to church with papa and mama) and her last entry dated from March
15th 1917, a few days after her father abdicated.
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| Grand Duchess Olga Romanov |
In this
publication of the diaries we start in 1914. It looked like it would become a
year like any other, but in the Summer, WWI broke out. Olga’s diaries are
supplemented with her letters and diaries and memories from other people, like
tsar Nicolas II or Kerenski.
This
ensures we get a very interesting perspective on the Russian Revolution. Olga
was in the middle of things, but also looked at it from a very special angle.
Many events are not understood by her at the time, or not found important. This
makes it very sad sometimes for us, because we know what will happen in the
end.
And Olga is
of course also just a young girl, who falls in love with one of the officers
she nurses. A love she must hide and write in code about, for a man whom she
could never marry.
Olga and
her sisters are often seen as one, but this diary makes Olga step out of the
shade and lets us read her own words. This makes her diary a very interesting
document and a must have for everyone who wants to know more about Russian
history.
Full title:
The diary of Olga Romanov, Royal witness to the Russian Revolution
Translated
and edited by Helen Azar
Published
in 2014
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