The truth about the famous royal family in world history: The king who stood out of ten thousand people still 'upped his hand' to ask for money from his wife

When Tsar Nicholas II (the last tsar in Russian history) went to church, he often put 5 rubles with his own portrait in the charity cup like other parishioners.

In those days, 5 rubles was a very generous donation - it could be a month's salary for a maid, or half a month's salary for a factory worker. But what's surprising is that it's not really his own money, and he's "not allowed" to use it as he pleases.

In the book 'Tsar's Money: Income and expenses of the House of Romanovs', historian Igor Zimin says: To get the 5 coins This ruble or any other amount, the tsar had to write short notes to send to the office of Empress Alexandra Fyodorvna - the financial manager of the whole royal family - as follows: "Send me 3,000 rubles. and two 5 rubles gold coins" or "Send me 2 more gold coins".

From this, it can be seen that the Russian tsar did not have practically unlimited access to the state treasury.

Can't "get a job" due to high status

Before the reign of Tsar Paul I (1754-1801), the heads of state could use the national treasury for "own". It is also said to be one of the reasons why Empress Catherine II left a national debt of 200 million rubles upon her death (three times the annual budget of the Russian Empire at that time).

Tsar Paul I (son of Empress Catherine II) and Empress Maria Fyodorovna had 10 children in all. The burden of social status made it impossible for members of the Romanov Royal Family to work or do business on their own, but they still had to maintain good financial capacity to maintain the prestige of the royal family, which forced the Royal House The country had to spend the money to serve the royal consumption.

Furthermore, the good financial status of the members of the House of Representatives was necessary to maintain the prestige of the Romanov House in European royal circles.

At this time, Tsar Paul I understood that if he did not limit the use of the family's national reserves, it would be easy to run out of treasury. Thus, in 1797, Paul I issued a decree setting the annual allowance for members of the royal family.

What is the annual allowance?

Tsar Paul I introduced an elaborate hierarchy of allowances for each member depending on their relationship to the king. The allowance of the head of state is not specified, while the allowance for the empress is 600,000 rubles (about 156 million VND at current exchange rates - 120 times the annual salary of the state minister in at the same time).

The family of Tsar Paul I.

The tsar's children will receive a pension of 100,000 rubles (27 million at current exchange rates) until the age of 20. From the age of 20 onwards, the amount they receive will be reduced to 50,000 rubles/year (equivalent to nearly 14 million VND at the current exchange rate).

The heir to the throne will receive 300,000 rubles (equivalent to 82 million VND at the current exchange rate) and his wife will receive 150,000 rubles (equivalent to 41 million VND at current exchange rates). The tsar's grandchildren will receive 50,000 rubles until the age of 20, and after this age they will receive 150,000 rubles, the niece alone will be paid the allowance until marriage.

Building of the Ministry of Imperial and Property in St.Petersburg.

Paul I's decree foreshadowed the financial future of the next five generations of royals, and the growing family size would place a heavier burden on the treasury. During the reign of Tsar Alexander III (1885), he reduced the allowance to less than 3 times, but this is still considered a huge number compared to the standard of living of the Russian people at that time. .

Tsar Alexander III of Russia with his family, 1886.

What were the Romanovs allowed to buy?

In their own country, members of the royal family will not be able to freely go shopping as this requires special security measures. If recognised, the shopping spree becomes a meeting of the people.

It is also for that reason that the Tsars, Grand Dukes and members of their families love to shop during their visits to Europe. Nicholas II's sister, Duchess Olga Alexandrovna once wrote about her trip to Copenhagen (the capital of Denmark): "I will never forget the excitement of being able to walk for the first time in my life. on the street, staring in the windows of the shops, and buying whatever we like."

Queen Victoria and her son Prince Edward VII pose with Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, and their newborn daughter, Olga.

Tsar Nicholas II himself did the same thing. Anna Vyrubova, a close servant of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna once revealed that the tsar "takes everything he likes without asking about the price, because the state will pay for everything, so he has no What is the concept of money?

However, earning a "huge amount" of royalty is not easy for shop owners. They need to send the purchase invoices to the Office of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for approval, then the Ministry of Finance will transfer the corresponding amount to the Consulates of the countries, finally transferring to the seller. In the 19th century, when electronic payments were not yet available, the process took months.

So what does the Russian tsar usually buy? Historian Igor Zimin shares that Tsar Nicolas I (1796-1855) often bought gifts for his family such as hats, bracelets or silk socks. However, the Tsar will not choose on his own, but will have an experienced maid to help, who must truly understand the preferences of the Empress.

Chapel in Darmstadt (Germany) - hometown of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna.

In fact, most tsars and royals would do more charity than shopping. For example, in 1898, Tsar Nicholas II spent 500,000 rubles of his own money to help families in need during the famine, in addition he used 500,000 rubles to support the construction of the Chapel in Darmstadt (Germany). ) – hometown of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna.