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Grand Duchesses admire the Tsarevich: Aleksei is the baby in the bottom left. Anticlockwise from him are his sisters Olga, Anastasia, Tatiana and Marie.
“Oh, it cannot be true! It cannot be true! Is it really a boy?”
Thirty-one years old, after ten years of marriage, seven pregnancies, and four beautiful little daughters, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was disbelieving. Could it be true that she finally had a son?
And it was true. At last, Russia had an Heir.
By the manifesto of 28th June, 1899, We named as Our successor Our beloved brother the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, until such a time as a son was born to Us. From now on, in accordance with the fundamental laws of the Empire, the Imperial title of Heir Tsarevich, and all the rights pertaining to it, belong to Our Son Aleksei, read the gold-rimmed announcements in the newspapers, on the streets of St. Petersburg, and in magazines all over the world.
It was August 12, 1904.
Canons began to fire the traditional 300 rounds at the St. Peter and Paul fortress in the Russian capital as Tsar Nicholas II and his three elder daughters -- Olga, Tatiana and Marie -- emerged from the palace to receive congratulations. A tremendous crowd had already gathered outside -- the entire extended family, courtiers, the general staff, and officers of His Majesty’s cavalry, all abuzz with the news. The labor had lasted only two hours, they were told, the baby measured 58 centimeters and weighed 11 pounds.
The Dowager Empress was there, walking proudly beside her son the Tsar, and followed by her younger child, Grand Duke Michael -- radiant with happiness at no longer being Heir. Church bells rang all over Russia as people knelt in prayer, bestowing all their faith onto this symbol of Imperial glory and Romanov pride, of hope for the future and reverence of eras gone by. This was the first time since the 17th century that an heir was born after his father’s coronation, and this, too, was seen as a sign of luck -- a portent of triumph as the country’s fleet struggled in the war with Japan.
His christening was a stunning display of Romanov wealth and power. The morning was bright and warm, and the route from the palace to the church, running along the sea, had been since dawn lined with golden carriages, Cossacks and regiments in full-dress uniforms. A gilded coach, drawn by horses gay with plumes, in a procession that lasted for over an hour, carried the baby -- a baby with large, inquisitive eyes. Behind them came the cavalry in full color, and gala carriages with members of the Imperial family -- the men in parade uniforms from their patron regiments, the women adorned with jewels, in gowns of gold and silver with long trains. The Emperor, Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses, foreign ambassadors and high dignitaries reached the palace church through halls filled with guests. The little Cesarevich, accompanied by a nurse, was carried from the coach by the Mistress of Robes (Princess Golitzin) on a silver cushion. The church glistened with light. At the entrance, the Archbishop of St. Petersburg and various other members of the clergy greeted the Emperor-to-Be.
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