Why Did the Bolsheviks Target Princess Elisabeth of Hesse?

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1864-1918), also known as Ella, was a German princess and Russian saint. She married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia and was deeply involved in charity, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent in Moscow. After her husband's assassination in 1905, Elisabeth became a nun and devoted her life to serving the poor and sick. Tragically, she was murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and thrown into a mine shaft with other Romanovs, where she died from injuries and suffocation.
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⏱⏱TIMESTAMPS⏱⏱
0:00 - A Royal Beginning
3:42 - Blossoming Childhood
5:34 - Love Story and Russian Destiny
10:07 - Trials and Transformation
12:02 - Sacrifice and Martyrdom
13:45 - Legacy and Reflection
16:08 - Contemplation

[@harrietyounger6118]

I think that her with others being thrown down a mine shaft and surviving then continuing singing hymns despite two grenades being thrown at her is a miracle. I can see why they made her a saint. An awful way to go but her making a cross and singing shows strength that few would have.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

It's a truly remarkable story of strength and resilience. Thank you for your comment

[@harrietyounger6118]

@@HistoryRoadshow thank you for telling her story. You cover alot of fascinating stories about women who generally get missed in history as at the time they were not main characters but supporting roles. I am a big fan of your channel.

[@LiamDeeley]

Another person I had never heard about before. What a remarkable woman whose faith never wavered. Thank you for once again for a great video!

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for your kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the video Liam

[@pinkpyjamas-ey6rw]

Her life is beautifully explained and detailed in this moving and outstanding video and brought Princess Elizabeth's life and death to many who had never known of her before.

[@einezcrespo2107]

Kaiser Wilhelm was also one of Ella's suiters and tried to encourage her to leave Russia after The Bolsheviks took power. Her closeness with her sister Alexandra ended when they argued about Rasputin. They never saw each other again. A statue in her old convent was erected after the dissolution of the Soviet Union with the inscription "To the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna: With Repentance." Great video Jon. Ella will always be remembered.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

I appreciate your support and interest in the video, thank you for watching and sharing your insights!

[@shellyhm2477]

What an extraordinary woman. Thank you for sharing her story, she deserves to be remembered.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for appreciating her story, she truly was remarkable.

[@katherinehutton9870]

There are two things missing from this documentary.1 when their bodies were bought up out of the mine it was shown that they had survived for quite some time after the brush had the two grenades were thrown in and set on fire. They probably succumbed finally to the cold. This was shown by the fact that Elizabeth had tended to the wounds of one of her family members and had wrapped it with piece of her own clothing to stop the bleeding and when the bodies were brought up her hand was frozen In the position of making the cross as it being her last act.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for sharing those additional details about the documentary. It's always fascinating to learn more about the stories behind such tragic events.

[@ninas992]

wonderful lady, nice presentation but 2 corrections...her little sister, Marie, died of dypyheria not her brother, her brother Fritti died from a fall from a window due to hemophilia..

[@pinkpyjamas-ey6rw]

What a life and what a cruel end. God Bless her Soul and grant her everlasting peace in His Eternal Love. Saint Elisabeth. x

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for your heartfelt words.

[@GinaDAuria]

Being of some Russian heritage myself, I was surprised to just hear about this remarkable woman recently.She needs to have her story told more and to be recognized and celebrated. People like her are the exception, sadly. God Bless and I pray that you are resting in peace.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this remarkable woman. Her story truly deserves more recognition.

[@simon112]

Thank you Jon a superb tribute of Elizebeth, If Angels exist this lady is certainly one, a most human soul a heart as big as any ocean. 👍😊

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Your kind words mean the world to me, thank you Simon

[@simon112]

@@HistoryRoadshow thank you Jon, as always a plesure to learn about these incredible resilient women and their lives. 👍☺️

[@Seekmore7326]

What an incredible story! She definitely embodied her upbringing in her life duties. Never wavered and remained steadfast.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's heartwarming to see how her upbringing shaped her into such a strong individual.

[@katherinehutton9870]

The reason her mother got sick and died has always made it just more tragic.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Life can be so unpredictable, sometimes it's hard to make sense of it all.

[@katherinehutton9870]

Princess Alice had taken care of the entire family except Elle. Elle had been sleeping over at family members so was not infected. Alice health limited contact ,and thoughly wash between each patient and chore. This had keep her from getting it. Her youngest daughter passed from the illness but she keep it secret from the other sick family member do give them one less thing to upset by.several days later her son Ernst fever broke and and he gain full contaoness. He was close was very close to his younger sister and ask if she was doing well. Alice didn't want to lie plus she wanted to be the one to tell him of herself. He Brock down into deep sobs. Alice could not take who baby boy tears, she broke her own rules of touching the included as little as possible and rub his back and Gave him a kiss on the cheek to comfort him. It was the kiss that infected her and what doomed her. She is buried in the royal tomb with her daughter in her arms.

[@Anita-rq9ev]

I heard of her a long time ago, but never followed her story. Another tragic end. Great presentation 👍

[@HistoryRoadshow]

I appreciate you taking the time to watch the video Anita. It means a lot.

[@janetpugliesi3203]

What a wonderful example of God's love was she...She had a very privileged life..but basically set all the pomp aside to serve others as an act of pure love 💕. She died a hero of devotion and love..

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for watching. It's a reminder of the impact one person can have on the world.

[@gonefishing167]

Thank you, a lovely woman. Sad that a woman who only had love and compassion in her heart had to die so cruelly. Thing is, she was a danger and peril to Bolshevism. A lovely, sympathetic soul with an aristocratic heritage went against everything they stood for. Even religion was a danger to them. So sad. There was no Need for it and no need for the many millions who would die under Lenin and Stalin. Not exactly models to look up to for history. 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Your kind words resonate deeply. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[@muffassa6739]

Another wonderful video of historical pictures and background information. I'm subscribed and always enjoy your videos 😊😊😊

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you so much for your support! I'm glad you enjoy the historical content.

[@meeeka]

And the little brother, Friedrich, also known as Frittie didn't die of disease at the age of 3. Instead, he fell out of a window and hurt his head. He died of a hemophiliac bleed in his brain.

[@linferguson8702]

Why were so many innocent people killed by evil people… and still it goes on today 😢😢

[@HistoryRoadshow]

It's a tragic reality that we continue to face, but we must strive for a better world.

[@theresalaux5655]

Thanks!

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you so much Theresa, your support of the channel is above and beyond. 😊

[@maryannbernal]

Very interesting; love learning new stuff.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

I'm glad you found it interesting! Your support means a lot. Thanks Mary Ann

[@MichelleBruce-lo4oc]

Hi Jon, awesome live history video I enjoyed it. How are you doing? I'm doing well and so is my cat Benjamin. We both enjoy watching your live history videos. Have a great day see you next video 😊

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thanks! You too!

[@marieogara272]

Thank u for beautiful video she had all of gods faith and love for people a Saint. Its a pity they lot in eng dont read and take example of her life. .rip Elizabeth.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Your appreciation means a lot. Elizabeth's legacy will live on through stories like these.

[@CoopedUp74]

There are so many different stories told about this family. It shows some of them and their children lived.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

It's fascinating how stories about families can vary so much!

[@momv2pa]

Dang-never heard of her. Such a sad and inspiring story. There are undoubtedly many similar stories. Will search them out. Video very well done.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for watching and appreciating the story!

[@helpinyerdasellavon]

Thanks for sharing her story, Jon. Another wonderful video very well presented. Always love your high quality work.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you so much for your continuous support and encouragement Marie, it means a lot to me!

[@theduchessofspring2395]

Friedrich died from a combination of suffering from Hemophilia & falling out of a window, not typhoid fever.

[@mediocremaiden8883]

So beautiful

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you so much!

[@theresalaux5655]

Golly how awful! Poor woman!😮😢❤

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate your empathy.

[@bridgettroberts2386]

It’s awfully painful to learn of her for the first time; and I’m around the age of when this beautiful lady’s soul ascended to Heaven. Thank you for sharing her heartfelt story. Not only did the Princess possess beauty on the outside; she also possessed beauty from within 💖 Even now, the world needs to learn that even in the darkest of times, there’s undying of good out there. The Princess proved just that. 🥰

[@HistoryRoadshow]

It's truly heartwarming to see how the Princess's story continues to inspire and touch people even now. Thank you

[@lynnschaeferle-zh4go]

I’m surprised they had color contacts back then. Either portraits are mixed up, or they included her sisters because the differences are striking.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thanks for pointing out the details, it's always interesting to hear different perspectives.

[@lynnschaeferle-zh4go]

@@HistoryRoadshow I’m not having a different perspective. I’m having difficulty in perception. I’m sensitive to fake history, and that includes substituted people. Don’t show a person if it isn’t that person. I can read history if there’s not enough accurate video material to work with. When you embellish the main character it’s no longer true, it’s historical fiction. Who knows if the words are true; or if they have been invented also? Other videos insert images of modern people in substitution for actual people. That’s an interesting cheat because they claim non fiction as they represent the whatever era with modern hair, makeup and clothing.

[@meeeka]

Sergei Alexandrovich, along with his cousin Konstantine Konstantinovich, were both known to be homosexuals; Sergei was distant to Ella and they had no children, instead they brought up Grand Duke Pavel's two, Dmitry and Marie, not very well either. Ironically Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich had many children, like 9 stair steps, who grew into interesting successful and useful people, until the War and Revolution, when many lost their lives. One of KK's sons studied medicine before the war, went to war and even became a famous poet. He, along with most of the brothers were murdered in Alpayevsk, Siberia in that bloody summer of 1918.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

I appreciate you shedding light on the complexities of their lives.

[@ladyagnes9430]

She was a remarkable woman....& I believe she was cannonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox church. Her brother "Frittie" was a hemophiliac who died due to internal bleeding after a fall.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

She truly was an extraordinary woman with a fascinating life story.

[@rayfalciola6163]

Just searched "by any means necessary" and appears in the USA the phrase was popularized by Malcom X. In my mind (right or wrong) it was always the commies, particularly the Bolshevik form that stamped that license on "activism". I'm sure it could be credibly applied to almost any part of history since we know that salted earth, take no prisoners, goes back to the Mongols the Vikings to the dawn of man and almost every dominant and not so dominant culture of note along the way. So it is not like anyone in particular invented it. But in the modern era with the little history I know it always seems like the commies were a good start point for the branding of the tactic since from Stalin to Mao to Pol Pot to others they have spawned real top tier mass murder campaigns to achieve what it was they wanted. The approach always seems to be "starve who ya gotta starve kill who ya gotta kill". Don't agonize about it too much even if the victims are innocent and harmless because you gotta do what cha gotta do for the sacred cause. Not that others don't do it but having a "by any means necessary" slogan tied to your movement kinda helps the idea of "you will do whatever it takes" stick to your movement in particular Of course you could say the same about the Nazi's and the Japanese in their moments, and the USA dropping the nuke seemed like a "by any means necessary" move. The move to bio weapons seemed to be the latest "by any means necessary" twist. Seems like they REALLY wanted to change that election, or SOMETHING. But I've always found the strategy particularly related to the commies in modern times. It is almost a religious license to "do what cha gotta do" because the cause is sacred. So when they decide to bomb and incinerate those poor souls I am shocked, but then again not that much. The "by any means necessary" folks have ALWAYS been that way. Just check out the body count. The Gulag system for example was the Soviet form of "a great leap forward". IE, we can only transform in record time via slavery and whatever death it causes, oh well. The behavior in the very early days was just a portend of what was to come. Stalin in view of the origins is not really a surprise and suspect Trotsky would only have been slightly better. The murder that births your movement likely will portend the murder that will be used to keep it going. Just an opinion of course. But they were fastidious about wiping out the old guard including women and children to MAKE SURE no one got their minds polluted

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and historical perspective on the phrase "by any means necessary". It's interesting to see how different cultures and movements have interpreted and applied this concept throughout history.

[@luga718]

You not mention,She and Her husband looked after two nephews.

[@user-nx7py1zg7e]

@@luga718 one niece. later Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger

[@jennifer9322]

Her younger brother did not die of typhoid. He died of hemophilia. Her mother Alice was a carrier as well as her mother, Queen Victoria. The loss of a beloved, younger brother to a horrible disease, deeply affected Elizabeth and Alexandra. When her own son developed hemophilia, it led Alexandra to Rasputin, which eventually led to the Russian revolution, and the murder of the Royal Russian families. Ella was a deeply religious woman and lived a life of love and faith open to the very bitter end, one thrown in a hole in the ground, head grenades dropped on her, she spent her last moments caring for the rest of the people in the world until they all died, presumably from the cold and from their injuries. The woman was a Saint basically. I'm glad she's being honored and her story told.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank you for sharing such an insightful comment! It's amazing how historical events can be interconnected in such profound ways.

[@mikemorris7247]

Perhaps the fact that she was the Tsar’s sister in law had something to do with it.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

It's fascinating how relationships can influence history.

[@mediocremaiden8883]

@7:35. She looks so much like her niece or uh second cousin like Wilhelm's daughter Viktoria Luise. Or Viktoria looked so much like her. Oh man that is so weird Augusta Victoria looked like her too.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

It's fascinating how family resemblances can be so strong!

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Thank You

[@kristibbradshaw]

You mean German and German. Victoria was German all the way through.

[@KealaniAlexandra]

Holy Royal Martyr and Grand Duchess Elizabeth, pray to the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls.

[@HistoryRoadshow]

Your prayer is truly appreciated. May we all find salvation.

[@SL89999]

Such a shame - ironically she may have had a longer and happier life if she relinquished her inherited titles and obligations

[@HistoryRoadshow]

It's always interesting to consider the paths not taken in life.

[@user-nx7py1zg7e]

she did. she kept only her watch.

[@user-nx7py1zg7e]

hit send too quickly! she renounced her titles and never appeared formally again at court

[@user-nx7py1zg7e]

hit send button again! gave up all her properties and sold her jewels to raise money for her convent. she did not appear again at court after her husband's death

[@user-nx7py1zg7e]

a statute of Saint Elizabeth the Martyr has been placed on Westminster Abbey on the outside wall which honours 20th century martyrs