The Last Czars is available to stream and download on Netflix now. There are countless mistakes in the Netflix series that history enthusiasts and viewers have spotted. The website Russia Beyond has also listed over 40 of these mistakes. Here’s a look at some of the most glaring errors.
The Red Square
The opening shot of The Last Czars features the famous Red Square in Moscow.
The shot is clearly taken in the present day as it features Lenin’s mausoleum.
However, the creators of The Last Czars have dated the shot as February 4, 1905.
Lenin was well and truly alive at this time and his mausoleum did not exist until after his death in 1924
The wrong Russian alphabet
When the characters are seen reading books or writing letters, they write in modern Cyrillic instead of the pre-revolution form.
At one point in the series, the word vodka on a bottle is spelt in the modern-day Cyrillic and incorrectly.
The Coronation
In the series, Nicholas and Alexandra’s coronation was portrayed as a small, private affair in a Church.
The series also suggests that Nicholas II coronation happened on October 21, 1894, a day after his father’s death.
Although he was installed as the Tsar and Emperor of Russia, he was not officially crowned until a year-and-a-half later in May 1896.
Nicholas and Alexandra’s coronation was a public affair with ceremonies, marches and crowds gathering to see the royal couple.
In the docuseries, Maria Fyodorovna, the Tsar’s mother, is seen crowning Alexandra.
In reality, the Tsar was the only one with the power of crowning his consort and wife.
Nicholas II’s war medals
Throughout the entire series, Nicholas II is seen wearing the Order of St George. 4th class.
Nicholas was awarded the order in 1915 but the series kicks off in 1894, and he is seen wearing the order almost 20 years before he received it.
The wrong army uniforms
The military commanders in The Last Czars are spotted wearing Cossack Army uniforms, which are blue trousers with stripes down the side.
However, military officers would wear black trousers.
Duma was not an elected government and there was no president
In the series, Dr Philippa Hetherington refers to the Duma as an ‘elected government’.
The Duma was not a government, it was an elected legislature or assembly, with limited advisory and legislative functions.
There was also no “President of the Duma”, there was only a chairman.
The Marine Guard did not exist
In episode five, The Tsar deploys a marine guard for his family’s safety.
However, a marine guard did not exist in Russia at the time.
The regiments that guarded the Imperial Family were called His Imperial Majesty’s Own Convoy and His Imperial Majesty’s Own Regiment.
Maria did not have a relationship with a guard
In the final episode, the Tsar’s daughter Maria is seen getting close with a guard in Ipatiev House.
The guard, Ivan Skorokhodov is said to have brought Maria a birthday cake for her 19th birthday in June 1918, a month before her death.
According to accounts at the time, she went to thank him in the corridor and was caught in “compromising circumstances”
Unfortunately, it will never be known what happened between Maria and Ivan, but it is highly unlikely they were about to have sex as portrayed in the docuseries.
The Last Czars is streaming on Netflix now
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