Education of the children of Nicholas II

A translation of a section of Igor Zimin's book "The Children's World at the Imperial Residences"

Little information has been preserved about the organisation of the educational process of the daughters of Nicholas II. In fact, there is only fragmentary data, from which it is difficult to create a complete picture. At the same time, the organisation of the education of Tsesarevich Alexei is well known. Therefore, it can be confidently assumed that most of the teachers who taught Alexei began their teaching careers under the Tsar's daughters. In addition, the younger daughters "finished their studies" under Alexei's teachers. It is known that Empress Alexandra Feodorovna personally participated in the educational process of her first daughter Olga. When Nicholas II was away from home, his wife regularly informed him in letters about the children's education. In June 1905, Alexandra Feodorovna wrote about her eldest daughters Olga (ten years old) and Tatiana (seven years old): "The children are doing nicely with their lessons, they also have teachers of English and French. They ride a lot, which gives them great pleasure."

Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna's educational process began at the age of 6, including arithmetic classes from July 29, 1905. The classes were taught by Collegiate Councilor Sobolev. Since by this time she still could not read well and wrote very little, in the first months arithmetic was only studied orally. The teaching tools were multi-coloured bones, Russian copper and silver coins, cubes, as well as the first editions of Arzhannikov and Paulson's problem books. It is noteworthy that the teacher regularly wrote reports "on the work done" to the authorities. Naturally, the entire pedagogical process was strictly controlled by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, she, as a rule, was present at the first lessons, getting to know the teachers.

Since the girls spent their childhood in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo, a few words should be said about the classrooms of the palace. There were four of them. They were all located on the second floor of the palace, in the so-called "children's section". Since the girls lived in pairs, they had separate classrooms. The rooms were united by the surprisingly modest interiors of the palace.

According to memoirs: "The children got up at 8 o'clock, drank tea and studied until 11 o'clock. The teachers came from Petrograd. Only Gibbs and Gilliard lived in Tsarskoe Selo. Sometimes after school, before luncheon, they took a short walk. After luncheon, they did music and needlework."

In the classroom of the elder Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, the walls were covered with matte olive coloured wallpaper, the floor was covered with a beaver carpet the colour of sea waves. All the furniture was made of ash. A large desk was in the middle of the room and was illuminated by a six-arm chandelier that could be lowered. On one of the shelves stood a bust of I.V. Gogol. On the side wall hung the class schedule. The bookcases contained books, mostly religious and patriotic, as well as textbooks. The girls' library had many books in English. Along with the books, there was a human skull, it had apparently been left in the classroom after anatomy classes in August 1914, when the girls were preparing for exams to become wartime nurses. The teachers kept a journal in which homework was recorded and grades were given on a five-point scale.

In the classroom of the younger Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia, the walls were painted white. The furniture was ash. The room contained stuffed birds, children's books by Russian and French authors. There were in particular, many books by the famous children's writer L.A. Charskaya. On the walls were religious drawings and watercolours, a class schedule, and a couple of humorous children's posters. Since the girls were still young, dolls with their toilets were also kept in the classroom. Behind the partition was toy furniture and games. On the wall of the classroom hung Shishkin's painting "Road in the Pine Forest in Spała". Naturally, it was an original.

The classroom of Tsesarevich Alexei was also on the second floor. Its walls were painted with white mastic paint, on the windows there were triple curtains (muslin, white kapus and chintz), which were standard for the palace. The furniture, as everywhere, was made of simple painted ash wood. As "elements of luxury" there was a soft sofa and an armchair. Actually, the classroom furniture consisted of a desk made of grey beech, specially designed in 1913 by a student of the Technological Institute, Schwartz. The table top was height-adjustable, as was the back of the chair. Opposite the table there was a double-sided blackboard with electric lighting, above the desk there was a bronze lamp, the height of which was adjustable. On the half-cabinets stretching along the walls were teaching aids, an abacus, a map of the expansion of Russia under the Romanovs, an educational collection of Ural minerals and rocks, and a microscope. The cabinets contained books of educational and military content. There were in particular many books on the history of the Romanov dynasty, published for the 300th anniversary of the dynasty. In addition, there was a collection of slides on the history of Russia, reproductions of artists, albums, and various gifts. On the door was a schedule of lessons and Suvorov's testament.

The "children's section" also had a room that was used as a teacher's room and a music room at the same time. It housed two beautiful pianos from the St. Petersburg Offenbacher factory. The room housed numerous collections of various handicrafts and botanical items.

The girls' "own" libraries played an important role in the educational process. The total number of books in the "children's libraries" in the children's section of the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo is estimated at 3,500-4,000 copies. These books are now stored in Moscow in the Russian State Library. Many books were given to children as gifts; a book was an almost obligatory gift during family celebrations. And these luxurious gift editions make up a significant part of the library. Gradually, each of Nicholas II's daughters developed her own library. Following a long-standing palace tradition, each of the girls had her own bookplates designed to mark her "own" books. It should be emphasized that these books were read and worked with. In the book “Ivanushka the Fool” (St. Petersburg, 1903) all the incomprehensible words were underlined, and explanations for them given in the margins.

The teachers of the Tsesarevich occupied a special place for the Imperial Family. The most famous of them was the Swiss Pierre Gilliard, or, as the Empress called him in her letters, Zhilik. He managed to survive Yekaterinburg in 1918, and he later wrote several books of memoirs, where he spoke very warmly of his pupil. The names of the other teachers are less known.

From the memoirs, we know that it was not possible to establish a full-fledged education for the heir due to his illness. Health problems always came first, and the spoiled boy's character was quite complex, which also affected the educational process. Therefore, classes were held from time to time, although there was a organised timetable of classes.

The core group of teachers was formed while teaching gymnasium-level subjects to the Tsar's daughters. For example, in the 1908/09 academic year they were taught: Russian (Petrov, 9 lessons per week, 1800 rubles); English (Gibbs, 6 lessons per week, 1200 rubles); French (Gilliard, 8 lessons per week, 1600 rubles); arithmetic (Sobolev, 6 lessons per week, 1200 rubles); history and geography (Ivanov, 2 lessons per week, 400 rubles). Thus, there were 31 lessons per week, that is, with a five-day schedule of classes with 6 lessons per day. The teachers, like doctors, were usually selected on the basis of recommendations. After P. Gilliard, the most frequently mentioned teacher in memoirs was English teacher, Sidney Gibbs, a Cambridge graduate. He was patronized by the maid of honour S. I. Tyutcheva. In October 1908, she sent a letter to the Empress's secretary, Count Rostovtsev, asking him to inform her "what impression he will make on you." This letter was accompanied by recommendations from Mrs. Bobrischeva-Pushkina, in whose educational institution Gibbs taught English. The headmistress wrote about him as an "extremely talented" teacher working in the classes of the School of Law. In November 1908, S. Gibbs was appointed teacher of English for the royal children. Since the Imperial Family permanently resided in the palace suburbs of St. Petersburg, he was paid extra money every month for transportation expenses.

On the topic of the study of foreign languages, it should be noted that the heir began to be taught them quite late. On one hand, this was due to his constant ailments and long rehabilitation periods, and on the other hand, the Imperial Family deliberately postponed teaching the heir foreign languages. Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna believed that Alexei should, first of all, develop a pure Russian pronunciation. In the 1909/10 academic year, the teaching load increased significantly. This was accordingly reflected in the teachers' salaries: Russian (Petrov, 11 lessons per week, 2,200 rubles); English (Gibbs, 13 lessons per week, 2,600 rubles); French (Gilliard, 13 lessons per week, 2,600 rubles); arithmetic (Sobolev, 7 lessons per week, 1,400 rubles); history and geography (Ivanov, 10 lessons per week, 2,000 rubles).

The weekly teaching load increased from 31 lessons to 54 lessons, i.e., with a five-day week, more than 10 lessons per day. This schedule, of course, was not fixed, since social obligations and travel certainly reduced the actual volume of classes. In addition, the duration of one lesson was 30 minutes.

P. Gilliard gave the Tsesarevich his first French lesson on October 2, 1912 in Spala, but due to illness, the classes were interrupted. Relatively regular classes with the Tsesarevich began in the second half of 1913. Vyrubova highly valued the pedagogical abilities of the French and English teachers: “The first teachers were the Swiss Monsieur Gilliard and the Englishman Mr. Gibbs. A better choice could hardly have been possible. It seemed absolutely wonderful how the boy changed under the influence of these two people, how his manners improved and how well he began to treat people.” These good relations were maintained literally until the last days of the Tsesarevich's life. In a letter to the Ekaterinburg Executive Committee in 1918, the personal physician E.S. Botkin asked for his tutors Gibbs and Gilliard to be allowed to be with the Tsesarevich, emphasising that "they often bring more relief to the patient than medical supplies, the supply of which, unfortunately, is extremely limited for such cases."

In May 1913, British citizen Charles Sidney Gibbs was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree. In March 1914, he had his last lesson with seventeen-year-old Olga Nikolaevna. On this occasion, he was presented with gold cufflinks. As Alexei grew older, S. Gibbs's attention was focused on him, and therefore in September 1916, "in connection with... the intensification of his lessons with His Imperial Highness the Heir Tsesarevich," the payment for his lessons increased to 6,000 rubles per annum. After the February Revolution of 1917, S. Gibbs retained his teaching position, and then in September, following the Imperial Family, he left for Tobolsk. Only his English citizenship saved him from death in Ekaterinburg.

As Tsesarevich Alexei grew older, his academic load gradually increased. In the relatively calm 1914/15 school year, due to his ailments, the Tsesarevich’s daily routine was structured as follows. Unlike his great-grandfather, who was woken up at 6 a.m., the Tsesarevich was woken up at 8 a.m. He was given 45 minutes to pray and get himself ready. From 8.45 to 9.15, morning tea was served, which he drank alone. The girls and their parents drank morning tea separately. Then he was given 5 minutes (!!!) to greet his mother, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. In the schedule, this time was designated as “staying with Her Majesty.”

The first two lessons were from 9.20 to 10.50 (the first lesson was 40 minutes long, the second – 50 minutes) with a 10-minute break. A long break with a walk lasted 1 hour 20 minutes (10.50–12.10), then there was another 40-minute lesson (12.10–12.50). A little more than an hour was allotted for luncheon (12.50–14.00). As a rule, the whole family gathered at the same table for the first time at luncheon, unless there were official events that day. After luncheon, the 10-year-old Tsesarevich rested for an hour and a half (14–14.30). Then there was another walk, activities and games in the fresh air (14.30–16.40). During this time, he had a chance to communicate with his father, who was walking in the park, or his mother. Then came the fourth lesson, which lasted 55 minutes (16.45–17.40). The Tsesarevich was given 45 minutes for dinner (17.45–18.30). He dined alone or with his sisters. His parents dined much later. After dinner, the Tsesarevich did his homework for an hour and a half (18.30–19.00). A mandatory part of the Tsesarevich’s “working day” was a half-hour massage (19.00–19.30). After the massage, there were games and a light supper (19.30–20.30). Then the Tsesarevich got ready for bed (20.30–21.00), prayed, and went to bed (21.00–21.30). As we can see, the academic workload for a 10-year-old boy was not prohibitive, only three lessons a day for a total of an hour and a half, plus an hour and a half of preparation for the lessons. The decrease in the academic load compared to previous years is explained by the fact that at the end of 1912 the boy suffered a serious injury that almost brought him to the grave, in the literal sense. Therefore, in the 1914/15 academic year, a gentle regime of education was maintained.

It is noteworthy that, living with their parents in the same palace (the parents on the first floor, and the children on the second), they had very little contact, judging by the official schedule. The children had their own staff of educators, who, by virtue of their position, had to raise and teach the children. Of course, in reality, the parents and children saw each other much more often, but even so this was for very short times.

In 1914, the First World War began. In August 1915, Nicholas II assumed the duties of Supreme Commander-in-Chief and moved from Tsarskoe Selo to Headquarters. After some time, Tsesarevich Alexei also moved to Headquarters to join his father. The teachers and tutors followed the Tsesarevich. The schedule for the 1915/16 school year was more tightly drawn up. Alexei was by then 12 years old and his curriculum was adapted to the 4th–5th grade of a classical gymnasium.

Classes lasted six days a week, with 4 lessons a day. There were 22 lessons a week in total. Particular emphasis was placed on the study of languages. They were distributed in terms of the number of hours as follows: French – 6 lessons a week; Russian – 5 lessons a week; English – 4 lessons. His other subjects were: the Law of God – 3 lessons; arithmetic – 3 lessons and geography – 2 lessons a week.

After the abdication of Nicholas II in March 1917 and the isolation of the entire family in the Alexander Palace, the education of the younger children was continued by the efforts of those who remained with the family. Literally until the last days of her life, Alexandra Feodorovna taught Alexei catechism, the lady-in-waiting Trina Schneider taught mathematics, and the court physician E.S. Botkin taught Russian. The ladies-in-waiting also taught. Countess Hendrikova gave Tatiana art lessons, and Baroness S.K. Buxhoeveden gave the three younger sisters to piano lessons and Alexei English lessons. In addition, the teachers P. Gilliard and S. Gibbs remained with the family and continued to teach the boy. The execution of the entire family with their servants stopped this education.