Hello, thanks for downloading the Witness History Podcast from the BBC World Service.

Today we're going back to July 1918 when the Russian royal family were murdered.

Here's August Manova.

My grandmother, Kuzania, was Nicholas II's sister, and my father was Nicholas II's eldest nephew.

Olga Romanov is the great niece of the last Russian czar, Nicholas the second.

She has lived in England all her life, after her father, along with other relatives,

escaped Russia during the Communist Revolution.

Pardis called him Uncle Nicki.

Nicholas adored him and they went on manoeuvres together and did everything together

and travelled a lot with the Tsar and was very close to the girls.

They used to play together and have rollerblade races and cycle races and pony races up and down the palaces.

Olga grew up hearing the stories of the and pony races up and down the palaces.

Olga grew up hearing the stories of the Roman of dynasty from her father.

In those stories Nicholas II was a fun-loving, kind man, a very different image from the one presented to his people.

Nicholas II, of course, was the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a bit like the

Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church and so Nicholas was like

the mouthpiece of God and he was revered and people kissed his feet and he was saintly.

Roman of Ruth had lasted over 300 years

but came to an abrupt end in 1917.

During World War I, Russia suffered huge losses in the fight against Germany,

while at home Bolshoik-led protests against poverty and inequality were being suppressed with brutal force.

In March 1917, Zarnicholas was forced to abdicate

...