Zweibund — the Dual Alliance — Germany and Austria-Hungary united, were the core of the Central Powers, and here join hands. The bars of Germany's flag border the top left, and those of the Habsburg Austrian Empire and ruling house the bottom right.
Schulter an SchulterUntrennbar vereintin Freud und in Leid!'Shoulder to shoulderInseparably united in joy and in sorrow!
"Two day after the return of the Empress from her visit to Novgorod, in the earliest hours of December 17 (December 31, Western Calendar) was struck the first blow of the 'bloodless' Russian Revolution, the assassination of Rasputine. On the Afternoon of December 16 (December 30) I was sent by the Empress on an errand, entirely non-political, to Rasputine's lodgings. . . . he expected to pay a late evening visit to the Yusupoff Palace to meet Grand Duchess Irene, wife of Prince Felix Yusupoff. Although I knew that Felix had often visited Rasputine it struck me as odd that he should go to their house for the first time at such an unseemly hour."
Extract from the memoir of Anna Viroubova, confidant to the Empress Alexandra, and one of the few people, other than Rasputin, the Empress associated with. Other conspirators with Felix Yusupoff were Felix's brother, Grand Duke Dimitry, Vladimir Purishkevich, a monarchist and right-wing member of the Russian Duma, and an army doctor Lazovert. The assassination took place the night of December 30–31, New Style, or December 17–18, Old Style, 1916.
Memories of the Russian Court by Anna Viroubova, page 178, copyright © 1923 by The MacMillan Company, publisher: The MacMillan Company, publication date: 1923
1916-12-30, 1916, December, Rasputin, assassination, Yusupoff
