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INTRIGUE AND POWER

Russian Rulers in Wax Museum

Micha Jelisavcic
John Sloan

Display in the museum in Simbirsk, Russia

The unexpected pleasure of a summer tour along the Volga was finding a supurb museum in Simbirsk in which the featured exhibition was of figures depicting many of the Russian rulers from Ivan III to Nicholas II. The authorities kindly allowed us to take photographs, some of which appear here. The display lacks figures of Anna Ivanovich and Nikolai I Pavlovich. Two views of several personalities are shown to illustrate how the light plays on their robes. For several of the rulers we provide links to their biographies in the extensive listing of Rulers of Rus. The full list is at rusruler.

Number

Description

1. Ivan III

Ivan III Vasil'evich - (reign, 1462 - 1505) the Great who greatly strengthened Muscovy, the grandfather of Ivan IV

2. Ivan IV

Ivan IV Vasil'evich - (reign, 1533 - 1584) view 1, he captured Kazan and Astrakhan, but lost Livonian War

3. Ivan IV

Ivan IV view 2 - note how light plays on robes

4. Feodor

Feodor I Ivanovich - (reign, 1584 - 1598) view 1, devout but ineffective

5. Feodor

Feodor Ivanovich view 2 (note light changes) his brother in law was in control

6. Boris

Boris Gudonov (reign, 1598 - 1605) view 1

7. Boris

Boris Gudonov view 2, after him came the 'time of troubles'

8. Philaret

Philaret Romanov, Patriarch 1619 - 1633

9. Mikhail

Mikhail Romanov (reign, 1613 - 1645), Philaret's son elected by Zemski Sobor

10. Alexei

Alexei Mikhailovich (reign, 1645 - 1676)

11. Feodor

Feodor III Alexeivich (1676 - 1682)

12. Peter I

Peter I Alexeivich & Catherine I

13. Peter I

Peter I (reign, 1689 - 1725)

14. Catherine I

Catherine I (reign, 1725 - 1727), 2nd wife of Peter I

15. Elizabeth

Elizabeth Petrovna (reign, 1741 - 1762), came to throne in palace coup

16. Razumovski

Count Aleksei Grigor'yvich Razumovski (1709 - 1771) - A cossack who parlayed his golden voice into some real gold for himself and his brother and nephews. He was secretly married to Elizabeth

17. Catherine II

Catherine II (reign, 1762 - 1796) wife of Peter III whom she deposed in palace coup

18. Potemkin

Prince Grigorii Aleksandrovich Potemkin (1739 - 1791) - one of Catherine's favorites, who adroitly transformed himself into a real statesman.

19. Paul

Paul Petrovich (reign, 1796 - 1801) Catherine's son, assassinated in palace coup

20. Sophia

Sophia Dorthea of Wurtemburg - (Maria Fyodorovna in Russian) wife of Paul, as widow she expanded palace culture

21. Kutuzov

Mikhail Kutuzov - Field Marshal, Prince of Smolensk

22. Alexander I

Aleksandr I Pavlovich (reign, 1801 - 1825) victor over Napoleon, succeeded by his brother, Nicholas I. Unfortunately the model of Nicholas I was being repaired when we visited the museum

23. Maria

Maria of Hesse- Darmstadt - wife of Alexander

24. Alexander II

Aleksandr II Nikolaevich (reign, 1855 - 1881) son of Nicholas I, called Tsar liberator, assassinated

25. Alexander III

Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich (reign, 1881 - 1894)

26. Nicholas II

Nikolai II Aleksandrovich (reign, 1894 - 1917)

27.Family

Nicholas & Family - all murdered in 1918

28. Rasputin

Gregori Rasputin - sinister influence

As soon as possible we will add photographs and text about the city of Simbirsk, that celebrated its 350th anniversary in 1998..

Return to Rushistory main page.