Who Was Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky?

 

Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky (1878–1938) was the murderer of Nicholas II and his family. Born into a working-class family in Tomsk, Siberia, Yurovsky experienced hardships that fueled his resentment toward the existing social order. After an early career as a watchmaker, he became involved in revolutionary politics, joining the Bolshevik Party following the 1905 Russian Revolution. By the time of the Russian Civil War, Yurovsky had risen to a position of authority in Yekaterinburg, becoming a member of the Cheka (secret police). Yurovsky's actions contributed to the disunity of White forces and solidified the Bolshevik hold on power during a tumultuous period in Russian history.

Tsar Nicholas II and Family, in Happier Times

Faced with the threat of the White Russian forces attempting to rescue the deposed Tsar Nicholas II and his family, Yurovsky was tasked with organizing and leading the execution squad in July 1918. This brutal act not only eliminated a potential rallying point for the counterrevolutionaries but also left a lasting impact on Russian royalist movements. 

For the next 20 years he served, apparently quite effectively, in various roles for the party in Moscow. Nevertheless, despite the rewards and recognition he received for the assassination and his subsequent activities, Yurovsky became a pariah in Soviet society, grappling with regret in his later years. He died in 1938 and was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. Rumors circulated after his death that he had been poisoned, either because he was an embarrassment to the regime or as part of one of Stalin's purges.

Yurovsky's official account of the murders can be read HERE.

Sources: EBSCO Information Services; Mediadrum; AlexanderPalace.org