Theory Tuesday – Russian connections

Is Pa Salt related to the Romanov’s? Who was Anastasia? Alexei? Anna Pavlova? Are they even connected?

Ok, so there are SO many theories I would like to discuss with you guys. I don’t know about you, but I have gone down so many different roads whilst reading all the 7 books again over the past weeks.

Today, I would like to share a journey I took after I typed the family name: Romanov into my phone whilst reading Star’s book – The Storm Sister. Which by the way holds so many links to Russia and sets the stage for the this Russian monarch theory – including the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and “missing” daughter Anastasia + her brother Alexei.

• A China doll – Maia got this from Pa Salt and he told her: a magical story of how the doll had once belonged to a young Russian countess, but she had been lonely in her snowy palace in Moscow when her mistress had grown up and forgotten her. Pa Salt told Maia her name was Leonora and that she needed a new pair of arms to love her.
• CeCe thought Star looked like Anastasia – giving her the nickname “Sia”
• Star investigated the real story of the Russian royal family and Anastasia Romanova.
• Flora got a panther (faberge) from King Edward (her father) for Christmas, which “Sia” later got from Pa Salt

But it does not stop there. Let me take you on a journey from Russia to Paris and the 1920’s.

PS! Do not expect to find the answer to the million dollar question #whoispasalt in this post. Instead, I will take you on a journey which I believe might include some connections, but I don’t think we have found THE exact connection just yet.

Does Pa Salt hold a connection to the Russian Monarchs?

Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia whom abdicated the throne in 1917. Nicholas II was married to Queen Victoria’s favorite grand daughter – who is also mentioned throughout multiple of the sister’s stories. King Georg V was also Nicholas II’s cousin. Look at THIS photo (!)- they could indeed be twins.. This is a returning theme in all the books – right? Both were wearing German uniforms.

Together they had 5 children (no, not the two monarchs, but N and his wife):4 daughters and one son. Alexei and Anastasia were the youngest, and Alexei was the heir to the Russian throne. During the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks took power and held the family hostage until they were executed in the summer of 1918. Nicholas II, his wife and three oldest daughters were identified. But Alexei and Anastasia were not identified. The fact they were not identified until 2007 – definitely proposed a lot of conspiracy theories of them surviving against all odds.

OK – so this would fit just down the Lucinda street which has build a lot of the characters on actual persons right? Could Pa Salt be Alexei? Heir to the (ex) Russian monarchy? Unfortunately, I think not. The timeline does not quite work as Alexei was born in 1904 – which would make Pa Salt 103 in 2007 – not in his 80’s. But it would be such an interesting angle if the dates did work (or Pa Salt actually was 103).

BUT! in the days following the execution of the Crown prince and his family – another 14 Romanovs were executed. Did anyone possibly survived? Could they have escaped to France where Pa Salt could have been born?

OK, let’s go back to the similarity of the two cousins -another Nicholas (yes they almost all have the same names in that family history) went to London to be present at the wedding of his cousin the duke of York in 1893, as he was marrying Princess Mary of Teck. According to Wikipedia – Queen Victoria was struck by the physical resemblance between the two cousins, and their appearances confused some at the wedding. During this time, Nicholas had an affair with St. Petersburg ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska. WAIT – Russian ballerina’s and opera is something we have read about as well! Lets continue on this trail..

And not only that – Mary of Teck aka Queen Mary is also important – either in relation to Elle, Pa Salt or Merope. Remeber Queens garden is close to Marylebone, London (where the deeds for the Eszu’s purchase of Argideen house were sent to), all the roses in the books and the rose garden at Atlantis AND Argideen house.

Her family was Polish – do you remember Landowski thinking the boy in Paris in 1928 looked Polish or Russian? Maybe he was both?!

Later – she became the subject of a lot of scandals and rumors. One of them about being involved with Nicholas II before he married Queen V’s favorite daughter mentioned above. She was also said to have had relationships with two other dukes of the Romanov family.

After the October Revolution in Russia (when Nicholas II and his family were executed) she moved to France. Yes. Really. In 1921 – she married one of the Tsar’s cousins: Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia. The third Tsar that had fallen for her. Its said he is possibly the father of her son Vova who was born in 1902. In 1925 she took the name Maria. It looks like Vova did not have children, and his date of birth does not make him a very clear Pa Salt character.

BUT – it did take us from Russia to Paris – closer to the time when Pa Salt (if he is the small boy) shows up at Landowski’s.

Mathilde also coached the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The boy in Paris played the dying swan on his violin one evening in 1928. A short ballet from 1905, for Anna Pavlova – a Russian ballerina who toured the world in the late 19th century and early 20th century until her death in 1931 – having visited basically all the countries we visited in the books.

She performed a bunch of ballets in 1921 – is it possible she too had an affair with a Russian monarch/European/South American monarch during this time and gave birth to a son (Pa Salt) that she somehow lost/left/ adopted off? Or was her alleged husband Victor Dandre, a “French-Russian aristocrat” the father of her child – if she had one?

Finally, we have Karine Rosenblum (from Ally’s story) who was born in Paris in 1921. Her mother a successful Russian opera singer and father a Sculptor. Is this a coincidence?

OK, so let me summarize what we have here:

• Queen Victoria
• Queen Mary
• King Georg V
• Russia and Paris
• Two similar monarchs who could go as twins
• A link to German warfare
• A successful opera singer
• A bunch of affairs conducted by a Polish/Russian ballerina
• Another Russian ballerina who travelled the world just as Pa Salt later did searching for the sisters
• A hint that Star looks like Anastasia
• ….still no idea who Pa Salt can be

NOW. That was quite a journey. Does any of the above trigger/support any theories of yours?

PS. the above might contain errors, most info found on wikipedia