Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia

Alexei Nikolaevich was the youngest child and only son of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna. As tsarevich he was heir to the Russian throne, but he suffered from haemophilia, a condition kept largely secret because of its political implications.

Alexei remained with his family through abdication and captivity and was murdered with them at Ekaterinburg in July 1918. In John Boyne’s The House of Special Purpose, the fictional Georgy Jachmenev is attached to the imperial household and develops a protective relationship with the young heir.