The Last Fabergé: Midnight in Moscow
The turbulence during World War I coinciding with the rise of the Bolsheviks led to intrigue around the Last Tsar of Russia. The last Tsar who had amassed treasure beyond imagination was still waiting to be found. A treasure that vanished just as the Bolshevik raiders seized power and brought down the House of Romanoff. It was 1917 a period of discontent in Moscow. The cries of the population that incited an open revolt in the violent overthrow of the ruling class. It was during this time that Nicholas hid his vast fortune in hopes of reclaiming it and restoring his rightful place as ruler of all Russia. Such a vast treasure was lost to history.
The events that led to the fall of House Romanoff date back to when the First World War broke out. Russia entered the war with universal popular enthusiasm among all classes of the population. In 1914, support for the Tsarist regime was still very strong. However, the time of the imperial rule of the Russian people was fast approaching a swift and decisive end. Various events contributed to the eventual downfall of Nicholas II, the last All-Russian Tsar. When Nicholas assumed the personal leadership role of the Russian army in the summer of 1915, he did so by leaving his wife in Moscow to lead the government. At the time, many Russians openly disliked her just because she was German. This mistrust became the spark that ignited the flames of the revolution.
Not only was the tsarina very unpopular, but she was under the influence of the “Mad Monk” Rasputin, whom many have said had hypnotic powers. This svengali effect that Rasputin had on the Empors began when he used his hypnotic powers to cure Tsarevich, Alexei, of hemophilia. Since then, the Emperors have always been under his spell. Rasputin did nothing to enrage the rest of the nobility and it was Rasputin’s influence that largely led to the total discredit of the entire tsarist system of government. When Rasputin was assassinated in December 1916, the damage was done. Compounding the lack of confidence in the tsar was the fact that millions of Russian casualties as a result of the offensive and the total lack of competence in military strategy on the part of the tsar led to the discontent of the armies. Poor training, a lack of supplies, and the necessary armaments were all too prevalent during the years that led to the Bolsheviks taking the Russian throne.
The entire war effort had been organized in the most disorderly fashion. The tsar was not a good administrator in the war preparations. Labor was recruited indiscriminately without regard for the needs of industry, agriculture, or communications. The countryside was stripped of horses to meet the needs of the army, leaving the peasants without the means to cultivate the land. Distribution problems had caused an interruption in the supply of food to the cities. In 1916, Petrograd and Moscow received only a third of their fuel and food needs. This was compounded by hyperinflation that caused prices to quadruple during the war. These factors created serious discontent among the working classes in the cities. This discontent turned into numerous strikes, all of which had to be put down by the Tsar.
At the beginning of 1917, the political parties were totally unhappy with the Tsar and his government. In January, some 300,000 workers held a demonstration on the anniversary of the 1905 “Bloody Sunday” massacre. Conditions in the winter of 1917 were so severe that the working classes faced acute food shortages. During the following month, another strike was organized for higher wages at the Putilov engineering works. Meanwhile, the Tsar was again absent and seemed oblivious to the real situation of the majority of the Russian population. By then, St. Petersburg came to a standstill when more than 250,000 workers went on strike. At the same time, the military began to side with the strikers when the Tsar ordered them to crush all the striking workers. When more than 40 people died in St. Petersburg that month, most of the military joined the massive opposition to the Tsarist government.
At the same time, the Petrograd soviet (council) was revived and quickly established itself as the royal power in the city. He had full control over the railways and had the loyalty of the troops. The Tsar, against advice, sent General Ivanov to the city to restore order. However, his troops defected to the revolutionaries. At the beginning of March, the tsar left Mogilev to face the crisis personally, but after receiving the advice of his top generals, he decided to abdicate in Pskov. A provisional government was established under the leadership of Prince Lvov. This government would govern until a constituent assembly was elected to draft a new constitution. Nicholas and his family were placed under house arrest.
This was the last of the Romanoff dynasty and the beginning of the quest to find the last 9 Fabergé eggs that hold the key to one of history’s most elusive treasures and prevent a ruthless cardinal from destroying the hopes and dreams of the humanity.
The Kremlin: December 1916
It was shortly after midnight that Nicholas II arrived at the Kremlin from the eastern front, where heavy casualties made the entire Russian army feel betrayed by the tsar. The entire war effort was now the beginning of the end for the ruling class and especially for Nicholas. Under the cover of darkness at the stroke of midnight outside the Kremlin there were two horse-drawn carts waiting to be loaded. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks set out to make their move and capture the last Tsar of Russia and confiscate the vast treasure of the Tsar. Unbeknownst to them, the tsar was already one step ahead. Knowing that he could be captured in a day or two, he had planned even before he returned from the eastern front to ensure that his treasure would be hidden away from Moscow. Now inside the Kremlin were the only three members of the Tsar’s immediate family left. Nicholas II, his loving wife, and Anastasia were all that was left, as the rest of their family had already made safe passage out of Moscow.
Waiting alongside two horse-drawn carts at the entrance to the south side of the Kremlin, Lieutenant Bechniski ordered his men to quickly load the carts. As the snow fell this would only make the hike out of Moscow that much more cumbersome and would certainly leave a trail. The lieutenant ordered the carts to be repositioned like sleds to aid in the quick departure. When the Tsar finally appeared “Lieutenant, here are your orders. Do not stop for anything until you reach the destination”, while the Tsar handed Lieutenant Bechniski a rolled paper with the royal seal that sealed its contents. With the documents in hand, the lieutenant waited on his horse and ordered his men to move on. As the chariots pulled away from the Kremlin, the tsar sighed in relief, knowing now that his treasures would never fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks.
Today: South Bend, University of Notre Dame
As Tom Swartz stood in the entrance to his brother’s office, Dean Stockwell approached gently and put his arm around Tom’s shoulder. “Your brother the teacher wanted you to have this.” Turning around to look at the Dean only to hear “Tom, here at Notre Dame we are very saddened by the tragedy in Afghanistan. I don’t know what is inside this letter, but I was instructed to deliver it in case he did not. or could not “. t return. He knew what he was going to find and realized the dangers in finding it. “Hearing this, Tom reached out to accept the envelope the dean was handing him.” Dean, what do you mean I knew? ” professor confided in me the day before he left. In his research he came across a map long considered non-existent on the whereabouts of Nicholas II’s huge remaining treasure. Everyone thought that the Bolsheviks took it at the same time that they captured the Tsar’s family. . Only Lieutenant Bechniski of the Royal Guard knew. Because it was he who took most of the Kremlin’s treasure the night before the Bolsheviks approached. The professor also discovered that the lieutenant was Anastasia’s lover. One thing that worried brother was that he could never find out any more than what happened to the lieutenant after Nicholas was captured. “
Trying to understand the meaning of what the dean asked Tom just said? “Did my brother show you the map?” “No, he didn’t. I suppose he wanted to save the University trouble if he was in fact on a futile search. You will see that the map that the professor found according to him was a general location somewhere in the hills of northern Afghanistan. After All in all, what a great discovery if your brother had lived and the University of Notre Dame was credited with finding one of the most elusive treasures in history. It was the treasure and the hope of finding the last nine lost Fabergé eggs that here in Notre Dame agreed to fund the expedition. ” Turning to walk away, the dean added “Tom, let me know if I or the University can help you anyway.” “I will” Now Tom was left alone with the envelope in his right hand.
When Tom returned home, he noticed that the door to his house had been locked. Always carrying a concealed handgun since his brother’s death, Tom took careful aim at it as he quickly opened the door. Inside, the living room was a complete mess. His bookshelf was knocked over with books and papers strewn all over the place. Go quickly from room to room and find each room was just as trashed. Things were beginning to fall into place. Making sure no one was in the house, Tom closed both doors. Tom scratched his head and went to tear up the letter the dean handed him. Reading “Brother, you’re reading this because I can’t tell you in person. You need to contact Jim Baxter. He’s the only one I trust. See you on the other side,” your brother signed. “That’s it” Tom spoke to himself. Remembering seeing Jim Baxter’s name on the University Visiting Professor of Middle Eastern Affairs within a day, Tom knew he had little time left before Jim flew back to Jerusalem.
News: January 25: Zurich Switzerland
Inside the Dolder Grand Hotel, President Smith had just greeted Russian President Boris Sadinski when, suddenly, an explosion smashed both front windows. Quickly, Secret Service agents Lenny Wilson and John Ross grabbed both presidents and together they dove under the heavy conference table. Moments later, Lenny Wilson got up only to find Tom Swartz crawling through the broken door. “Tom Swartz, what the hell are you doing here?” Lenny yelled. Moments later, when Secret Service agents rushed in, President Smith stood up and pointed out that he and President Sadinski were unharmed. “Tom, how did you find us? No one was going to know about this meeting.” Len asked. For both Presidents I have urgent news that concerns everyone, “Tom replied. At that moment, Tom reached into his pocket and handed the map to President Smith.” Mr. President, this is what my brother was looking for and what he died for. “When the president looked at it closely, he handed it over to President Sadinski.” Tom, there is more to this than we know, right? “” Yes, there is. You see my brother on his quest to find the missing Fabergé. Eggs did not know that one of his guides was a member of al-Qaeda.
As Tom recounted the story about the discovery of the Lost Fabergé eggs, both half-listened presidents began making arrangements to meet with the NSA, Interpol, the KGB, and the CIA. Intelligence gathering of the utmost urgency.