When Nicholas II abdicated in March 1917 during the Russian Revolution, he did not immediately face execution. Instead, he and his family were placed under house arrest by the Provisional Government. At first, they were kept at the Alexander Palace under relatively mild restrictions. However, as political instability grew and the Bolsheviks gained power later that year, the family was moved deeper into the Russian interior for “security reasons.” By April 1918, they were transferred to the Ipati