The two royals were George V's father , Edward VII. King George V of the United Kingdom was the monarch of the winning side and was also the only monarch of the three to remain in power following the end of the war. Russia's Tsar Nicholas II and King George V of Britain. The two cousins were extremely close, calling each other “Georgie” and “Nicky” in their letters, and in fact they looked so similar, “the same blue eyes, same beard...when they were at events together...relatives would come up from behind with the wrong name,” author Dana Schwartz tells us. They had been friends since childhood. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was born on the 27th January 1859 to Frederick III and Victoria, Princess Royal, who was the sister of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (George’s father). “The imperial family presented a massive problem for the provisional government,” Dana says; they didn’t want them in the country where they could inspire loyalty, but the Bolshevik extremists wanted the tsar imprisoned and tried. And now as the revolution raged in Russia, the Bolsheviks circled Nicholas and his family like buzzards, waiting. Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II who was shot dead by the Bolsheviks together with his family, could have escaped this grim fate and left Russia after the abdication in March 1917. George was extremely upset with what happened and despite making the decision, he blamed the politicians for what happened. “By the time it became clear that the tsar and his family were in danger, it was probably already too late.” And no one could have predicted the gruesome way the royals would be murdered, in a dank basement in Ekaterinburg, their last sights the barrels of Russian rifles, the screams of their children echoing in their ears. It seemed an easy choice. Edward VII’s oldest sister was Empress Victoria of Germany and her oldest child was the Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1917, Great Britain had the opportunity to offer sanctuary to the Tsar and his family but when the offer was accepted, the government of the United Kingdom withdrew the offer out of fear that it could cause unrest in their country. In this article, we will be focussing on 3 of Victoria’s grandchildren – King George V of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Following the war, George and Wilhelm did not interact again marking the end of a friendly relationship that existed before the war between the three cousins. Nicholas II's mother was Princess Alix of Hesse, the daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After the peasant massacre by the Imperial Guards, the tsar was given the nickname “Nicholas the Bloody,” and things only got worse from there. Alice had seven children before dying young, at the age of 35. Share. This means that he is first cousins with King George V. Wilhelm and Nicholas were not first cousins, but they were third cousins. It is unfortunate that this indirect family feud could have been prevented due to the family ties but were not utilized correctly. It does not appear that Wilhelm felt any guilt regarding the execution of the Tsar. ~~~~ Following his father’s death on the 6th May 1910, George became King. Since George and Nicholas’ mothers were sisters, they were first cousins. This picture was taken during the wedding of the Kaiser’s daughter Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia. Their marriage was based on love, which was rare for their time and station, making them a bit of a novelty. The former Kaiser moved to the Netherlands and on the 28th November, he released his soldiers and officials from their oaths of loyalty to him with the Statement of Abdication: “I herewith renounce for all time claims to the throne of Prussia and to the German Imperial throne connected therewith. Wilhelm was the firstborn and the heir to the throne of the German Empire when his father died. Did you know that at the time of the First World War, the rulers of the world’s three greatest nations – King George V of Great Britain and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia on the one hand, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany on the other – were first cousins? It is believed that George had a strong say in this decision. Since George’s father and Wilhelm’s mother were also siblings, they were first cousins. Wilhelm II and George V were first cousins because Wilhelm's mother, Victoria was the sister of Edward VII, the father of George V. The relationship between Nicholas II and Kaiser Wilhelm II might be more direct if you go back to either Tsar Paul 1 or Tsar Alexander II through marriages between the two royal families of Romanov and Hohenzollern. When Britain joined the First World War on the 4th August 1914, George had been King for just over 4 years. The King of England and the Tsar of Russia were first cousins. Nicholas II and his family were taken hostage and later murdered by the revolutionaries in July 1918. Copy link. In the early 1900’s, England was ruled by King George V and Russia ruled by Tsar Nicholas II, George’s cousin. Listen to find out how the Romanov family met its end, the hard decisions King George V had to make, and the true villain of the story, in this episode of Noble Blood. “Hosting the tsar and his wife would be nothing short of a PR nightmare.” And while the king was worried for his cousin and friend, he also had to be cautious. Exactly how were they related and how did they influence the First World War? How Kaiser Wilhelm II, King George and Tsar Nicholas are related. Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, were the last ruling imperial couple of Russia. Take this 10 question trivia quiz to see how much you know! The line is directly related back to Victoria who was known as ‘the grandmother of Europe’ for her extensive role in royal families across the continent. “They would need to stay in Russia's good graces for trade and for continued support in World War I,” Dana points out, “but there was no way around the fact that bringing ‘Bloody Nicholas’ and his German empress to England would look bad...Regardless of what the political situation actually was, the truth is it would look like a move of family loyalty, and not diplomacy.” Plus, Britain was a constitutional monarchy, where “a king's power is at the mercy of the people. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. King George V ruled the British Empire from May 6, 1910 until January 20, 1936. The First and Second World Wars wiped out many monarchies in Europe; by 1947 the monarchies of Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, and Yugoslavia no longer existed. read more He died in Doorn on the 4th June 1941 at the age of 82. In fact, they were all first cousins to each other. Pictured here, King George is pictured alongside his identical cousin Czar Nicholas II in 1913 when their relationship was still intact. He was King George V. He put England - and himself - first.”. Nicholas’ wife was also a first cousin to George (on his father’s side) and Kaiser Wilhelm bore the same close relationship to both. Between them they ruled over half the world. He wasn't 'Georgie.' Firstly, the British public were mainly on the side of the revolutionaries, instead of the aristocrats: “News of the Russian's tsar being overthrown was met in England with cheers, with celebrations in the street for the common people who rose up to take down an autocrat,” Dana says. Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II both held the power to declare war on each other (and they did) as both were rulers in an absolute monarchy. George V and Nicholas II, with their families. 700,000 Brits were killed, 1.7 million Germans died, and 9.7 million Russian soldiers died with a further 10 million civilians perishing as a result of the war. Shopping. We take a closer look at the Windsor-Romanov relations. By the time his father, Frederick III, ascended the throne on the 9th March 1888 following his own father’s death, he was suffering from an incurable throat cancer that meant he ruled for only 99 days before Wilhelm succeeded at the age of 29. All three men … Info. George V was the first Windsor. “It was about this time when the provisional government's foreign minister, a man named Pavel Milyukov, approached the British ambassador and requested that the imperial family might be allowed to come to England.” But that request presented its own problems. Russia entered the war on the 1st of August 1914 after Germany declared war on the nation. He was the son of King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark. King George V and his physically similar cousin Tsar Nicholas II in German military uniforms in Berlin, 1913 George and Nicky’s mothers, Alexandra and Dagmar, were sisters, which explains why they looked so alike. Nicholas was shot multiple times in the chest and was the first to die. Read and learn about 10 interesting facts about Alexander I of Russia that you may have never heard before. 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Proclaimed under our own hand and with the imperial seal attached.” This marked the end of the 47-year monarchy in Germany with some minor attempts to restore it in the following years, none were successful, and Wilhelm lived the rest of his days in various locations in the Netherlands. Nicholas and his family were transported to various locations throughout the Russian Empire before being placed in Ipatiev House on the 30th of April 1918. He was the 2nd oldest child but his older brother, Prince Albert Victor, died on the 14th January 1892 making George the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. Firm friends: Tsar Nicholas II and King George V were cousins and close friends thanks to their mothers Alexandra, pictured with Edward VII and their son … © Wikipedia Pictured arm in arm wearing yachting uniforms, the two future kings could be mistaken for twins. Although it seems like King George turned his back on his family when they needed him most, the truth is it might not have made any difference even if he had ordered the entire household brought to England at once and installed in Buckingham Palace. The Tsar’s ties with the British royals were further cemented when he married Queen Victoria’s favourite granddaughter, Princess Alix of Hesse (who would perish alongside him and their children when the Tsar’s family was massacred by Communist … The murders of the tsar and his entire family have inspired movies, TV series, and books, mainly about one daughter, Anastasia, who was rumored to have escaped the Bolsheviks. Learn about 7 key events that took place throughout the fifteenth century in Europe, the Americas, and other parts of the world. Shortly before the end of the war, Nicholas, his wife and children were executed by the Bolsheviks . The two cousins were extremely close, calling each other “Georgie” and “Nicky” in their letters, and in fact they looked so similar, “the same blue eyes, same beard...when they were at events together...relatives would come up from behind with the wrong name,” author Dana Schwartz tells us. age, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany; King George V of England; and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. A Power Point demonstration of how King George V of England, Czar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany are related. They were first cousins. Nicholas II was married to Alexandra Fedorovna, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, but not only that. The news of the Tsar’s execution was announced 3 days later but the death of the rest of the family was not revealed until late August. On the 1st November 1894, Nicholas took the throne at the young age of 26 after his father died of kidney disease. Had seven children before dying young, at the age of 35 date what. 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