Religious Figure. He was a Russian Orthodox Church Saint. He was the court archiatra of Nicholas II of Russia and his family and, in particular during the period of the Imperial family's exile, was actively involved in treating the hemophilia which Tsarevich Alexei was suffering from. Botkin chose to follow the Imperial family into exile after the outbreak of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and was killed with the Tsar in Yekaterinburg on July 17, 1918. Like the other members of the Romanov family, he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. On February 3, 2016, the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church perfected Botkin's decree of canonization calling him "Righteous Passion-Bearer." Botkin was the son of Sergej Botkin who had been the court physician of Tsars Alexander II and Alexander III. Young Botkin himself studied medicine at the University of St. Petersburg and then in Berlin and Heidelberg. He was subsequently appointed head physician of the St. George's Hospital in St. Petersburg. He distinguished himself following the Russian army during the Russo-Japanese war. He was appointed court archiatra in 1908. Botkin married and had four children in all, Dmitry, Jurij, Gleb and Tatiana. His marriage went into crisis due to Botkin's long absences who seemed to neglect his wife to pursue his career until Olga, his wife, entered into a relationship with their children's German guardian and filed for divorce. Botkin believed it was his duty to accompany the Romanov family into exile, not only because they were his particular patients, but also because he saw this act as a manifestation of loyalty and dedication to the Tsar and his country. Botkin was considered a friend of Tsar Nicholas II and the doctor was often one of the few to speak with Tsarina Alessandra in her native language, German, also acting as a translator with some delegations.