Most of his friends were formed here and it turned .
out to be his happiest years. During this time, he also found the love of his life, a German .
princess named Alix of Hesse. She was very beautiful, but there were always problems .
with the fact that she was German and Nicholas's father did not want to create an alliance .
with Germany. There was also worry that because Alix had an English upbringing, it.
would revive the liberal party (it.stlawu.edu). Alix never showed the right personality and .
the aggressive traits that was expected from an Empress-to-be. Nicholas, however, could .
not be persuaded to give her up for another. When Alexander came up with a serious .
nephritis condition, he finally gave his blessing because he did not want his son to be .
single when he was to become Czar. .
On November1,1894 Alexander III died suddenly, leaving an unsure Nicholas to .
rule over Russia. At Nicholas's request, the wedding was moved as expected, one week .
after the funeral of his father. Nicholas and Alexandra were very much in love and were .
very devoted to each other. They had 4 children, but they were all daughters. Nicholas .
desperately wanted a son so he can have an heir to the throne. His prayers were answered .
with the birth of Alexei, however things turned for the worst when they found out that .
Alexei had hemopholia. This is how the family turned to know Gregory Rasputin. He was .
a Siberian peasant who supposedly had strange powers. Twice when Alexei was very .
close to death, Rasputin turned out to "save" him. It was never clear if Rasputin did save .
the child or not, but it was clear that Nicholas and, especially Alix believed in him. Alix.
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believed in him so much that she adopted him as her friend, confidant and .
.
advisor(it.stlawu.edu).
Rasputin was a very mysterious man. Even today, there is much interest in him, .
but very little knowledge of the man. There was recently an animated movie called .