Aleksey Nikolaeyvitch Romanov

His Imperial Highness Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov was born on August 12, 1904, in the Peterhof Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the youngest child and only son of Their Imperial Majesties Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna. His birth was a cause for much celebration throughout the Russian Empire, for he was the long-awaited heir to the throne. However, he was only a few days old when he began to bleed uncontrollably from the navel. He was diagnosed with hemophilia B, a condition that could be traced back to his maternal great-grandmother Queen Victoria. There was no treatment for this deadly blood disease in the early twentieth century, and the life expectancy was just thirteen years. This diagnosis devastated his parents, and they devoted themselves to keeping him alive and well. Two sailors were assigned to keep a close eye on Alexei, as the most minor cut or bruise could potentially be fatal. Despite his disease, Alexei was a bright, active child. He was doted on by his four older sisters, Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Tatiana, and Grand Duchess Maria, and had an especially close relationship with the family prankster, the youngest girl, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Alexei was compassionate and sweet, and suffered patiently through the frequent cruel attacks of his disease. The excruciating pain and long recovery periods left him nearly permanently disabled and put a dent in his education. He was naturally quite intelligent, though, and spoke three languages. One very serious crisis happened when he was eight in 1912 in Spala, Poland, after a tumble in a boat. He seemed fine for a few days but he later began to hemorrhage internally in his leg and abdomen and was not expected to live; he was given the last sacrament. However, Alexandra received a telegram from the faith healer Grigori Rasputin, and Alexei miraculously recovered. This incident strengthened his mother's undying faith in Rasputin that stayed until his murder in 1916. During World War I, Alexei accompanied his father to military headquarters, known as Stavka, to observe the life of a soldier. He charmed and won the hearts of both enlisted infantrymen and high-ranking officers alike with his youthful energy and simplicity. When the first Russian revolution came in March 1917, his father abdicated, and after a candid conversation with his son's doctors who told him that Alexei wouldn't survive much longer, he renounced the tsarevich's claim to the throne as well. The tsar and his family were placed under house arrest in the Alexander Palace, and in August 1917 they were moved to the Governor's House in Tobolsk, Siberia, allegedly for their own safety, but in November 1917 the Bolsheviks took power and there was little hope of getting the family to safety left. While in exile in March 1918 Alexei suffered a fall and a severe hemorrhage ensued; he was in such pain that he begged his mother to let him die. He was too unwell to accompany his family to Ekaterinburg, to where they were now being exiled. Nicholas, Alexandra, and Maria left for Ekaterinburg, and the four other siblings joined them in the Ipatiev House in April. For the remaining four months of his life Alexei was unable to walk. He found consolation in writing letters to his friend Kolya and playing card games with his sisters. He was very pious and spent much time praying. In the early morning hours of July 17, 1918, the family was woken and told they were being moved to the basement to avoid being caught in the gunfire that was raging in the city outside. The tsar and the empress, the four grand duchesses, the tsarevich, and four loyal retainers were led down the steps to the basement and and were posed as though for a portrait. Alexei had to be carried in by his father. Suddenly, an execution squad of twelve, led by Commandant Yakov Yurovsky, opened fire on the family, and a messy, savage bloodbath ensued which left no survivors save Alexei's dog Joy. The tsarevich was only thirteen years old. The bodies were dumped in the forest outside Ekaterinburg and doused in acid, but Alexei's body and that of either Maria or Anastasia were taken elsewhere and unsuccessfully cremated. The location of the remains stayed a secret until 1991, when the bodies of nine of the eleven victims were discovered and identified through DNA testing. The five royals' remains were interred in the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, but the bodies of the tsarevich and his sister were missing until 2007, when they were discovered and identified. As of 2016 they are being held in a vault in the Novospassky Monastery. In 1980, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) canonized Alexei, his parents, and sisters as martyrs. The Russian Orthodox Church followed suit and declared them passion bearers. The Russian state rehabilitated him and his family as victims of political repression.