The Khodynka Tragedy ( rus, Ходынская трагедия) was a

crowd crush Crowd collapses and crushes are catastrophic incidents that can occur when a body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When a body of people reaches or exceeds the density of , the pressure on each individual can cause the crowd to collapse ...

that occurred on , on

Khodynka Field Khodynka Field (russian: Ходынское поле, ''Khodynskoye pole'') is a large open space in the north-west of Moscow, at the beginning of the present day Leningradsky Prospect. It takes its name from the small Khodynka River which used ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. The crush happened during the festivities after the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

of the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II. While 1,282 corpses were collected from the scene, Translated from

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: injury estimates range widely from 1,200 to 20,000.

Background

Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra were crowned Emperor and Empress of Russia on . Four days later, a banquet was going to be held for the people at Khodynka Field. In the area a

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

, theatres, 150 buffets for distribution of gifts, and 20

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

were built for the celebrations. Near the celebration square was a field that had a ravine and many gullies. On the evening of 29 May, people who had heard rumours of coronation gifts began to gather in anticipation. The gifts which everyone was to receive were a bread roll, a

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

, pretzels, gingerbread and a commemorative cup.

Crush

At about 6 o'clock on the morning of the celebration day, several thousand people (estimates reached 500,000) were already gathered on the field. Rumours spread among the people that there were not enough beer or pretzels for everybody, and that the enamel cups contained a gold coin. A police force of 1,800 men failed to maintain civil order, and a catastrophic

occurred.

Death toll

A total of 1,282 corpses were collected from the scene, and the injured numbered between 9,000 and 20,000, according to different estimates. Another commonly cited figure reports "more than 2,600 casualties, including 1,389 deaths". Most of the victims were trapped in a ditch and were trampled or suffocated there. Despite the tragedy, the program of festivities continued as planned elsewhere on the large field, with many people unaware of what had happened. The Emperor and Empress made an appearance in front of the crowds on the balcony of the Tsar's Pavilion in the middle of the field around 2 p.m. By that time the traces of the incident had been cleaned up.

Tsar's response

A festive ball had been scheduled that night at the French embassy. When Nicholas heard of the stampede, "he did not display the slightest emotion and that night attended a ball given in his honor". Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich warned the tsar not to go to the French ball, but Nicholas II attended nonetheless. Li Hongzhang, China's Imperial Commissioner on a European tour, was the most notable witness. Li was amused and said a

Chinese emperor ''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heave ...

would not have attended the ball. The government distributed a large amount of aid to the families of the dead, and a number of minor officials were dismissed. The negligence and the tone-deaf response of the imperial authorities, however, caused further public indignation. "The radiant smile on the face of Grand Duke Sergei prompted foreigners to remark that the Romanovs lacked judgment," Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich wrote. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, then

Governor-General of Moscow Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire Governorates of the Russian Empire was created by the edict (ukase) of Peter the Great on 18 December 1708 "On the establishment of the gubernias and cities assigned to them", which divided Russia into eig ...

, became known as "the Prince of Khodynka" and the Emperor received the nickname of "Nicholas the Bloody".

Legacy

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

was so moved by the tragedy that he wrote the short story " Khodynka: An Incident of the Coronation of Nicholas II". File:Church in Hodynskoe Pole.jpg, An Orthodox church on Khodynka Field commemorating the incident File:Khodynka stampede victims.jpg, Victims of the stampede at Khodynka File:Chodynka.jpg, Spectators gathered at Khodynka

References

External links

Memories of Alexei Volkov
on the Khodynka Tragedy—view from inside the palace {{coord, 55, 47, 14, N, 37, 31, 52, E, source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title 1896 disasters in the Russian Empire 1896 in the Russian Empire 19th century in the Russian Empire Disasters in the Russian Empire Events in Moscow Human stampedes in Europe Man-made disasters in Russia May 1896 events Nicholas II of Russia