The Bolsheviks seized control of Russia, and during 1918 the Romanov’s imprisonment became harsher, as a local, far left soviet tried to clamp down on luxury; some in this body wanted the royals executed. In April 1918 Nicholas II and his family were ordered back to Moscow to stand in a great show trial, but they had to travel secretly in case local extremists intervened and massacred them. At one point the Tsar, Tsarina and some of the children were packed off in carts towards the nearest railway station. However, a battle of wills between the central and local governments saw the plan cancelled and the Tsar handed over to the locals; he and his family ended up at Ekaterinburg. They lived in a house with the windows blacked out, and were frequently mistreated.
Lenin now changed his mind on the desirability of a trial, and with enemy troops closing in on the royals, decided that Nicholas was a threat to his power that should be eliminated. On the night of July 16 – 17 1918, the family were woken shortly after midnight and bought down to a cellar, where they were shot. The bodies were then burnt with acid and dumped in unmarked graves. Despite claims to the contrary, all died, and all the bodies have since been discovered.
