A granddaughter of Queen Victoria , Alexandra was one of the most famous royal carriers of hemophilia and passed the condition to her son, Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia. Alexandra was deeply involved in the personal and political life of her husband, Tsar Nicholas II. Her reputation suffered due to her influence over Nicholas, particularly in her insistence on maintaining autocratic rule in the face of growing revolutionary pressures in Russia.
Rasputin's alleged ability to alleviate Alexei's suffering from hemophilia increased Alexandra's reliance on him, damaging the public perception of the Romanovs and fueling rumors about Rasputin's power within the royal family.
These associations with Rasputin and her opposition to political reform were seen as contributing factors to the collapse of the Romanov dynasty.
Following Nicholas II's abdication, the royal family were placed under house arrest by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. On 17 July , they were executed by Bolshevik forces in Yekaterinburg , marking the violent end of over three centuries of Romanov rule. Alix was baptized on 1 July her parents' tenth wedding anniversary in the Protestant Lutheran Church and given the names of her mother and each of her mother's four sisters, some of which were transliterated into German.
Her mother wrote to Queen Victoria, "'Alix' we gave for 'Alice' as they murder my name here: 'Ali-ice' they pronounce it, so we thought 'Alix' could not so easily be spoilt.
