Nicholas II and his family. Style lessons from the last Russian empress: how Nicholas II’s wife Alexandra Feodorovna dressed
The last Russian empress...the closest to us in time, but perhaps also the least known in its original form, untouched by the pen of interpreters. Even during her lifetime, not to mention the decades that followed the tragic 1918, speculation and slander, and often outright slander, began to cling to her name. No one will know the truth now.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt; May 25 (June 6) 1872 - July 17, 1918) - wife of Nicholas II (since 1894). The fourth daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and Rhine, Ludwig IV, and Duchess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England. She was born in Germany, in Darmstadt. The fourth daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and Rhine, Ludwig IV, and Duchess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England.
When little Alex was six years old, a diphtheria epidemic spread in Hesse in 1878. Alice's mother and her mother died from it. younger sister May.
Ludwig IV of Hesse and Duchess Alice (second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) are Alex's parents
And then the girl is taken in by her English grandmother. Alice was considered the favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who called her Sunny. So Alix spent most of her childhood and adolescence in England, where she was raised. Queen Victoria, by the way, did not like the Germans and had a special dislike for Emperor William II, which was passed on to her granddaughter. All her life, Alexandra Fedorovna felt more drawn to her homeland on her mother’s side, to her relatives and friends there. Maurice Paleologue, the French ambassador to Russia, wrote about her: “Alexandra Feodorovna is not German either in mind or in heart and never has been. Of course, she is one by birth. Her upbringing, education, formation of consciousness and morality have become completely English. And now she is still English in her appearance, her demeanor, her somewhat tense and puritanical character, her intransigence and militant severity of conscience, and finally, in many of her habits.”
In June 1884, at the age of 12, Alice visited Russia for the first time, when her older sister Ella (in Orthodoxy - Elizaveta Fedorovna) married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. In 1886, she came to visit her sister, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna (Ella), the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. Then she met the heir, Nikolai Alexandrovich. The young people, who were also quite closely related (they were second cousins through the princess’s father), immediately fell in love with each other.
Sergei Alexandrovich and Elizaveta Fedorovna (Ella)
While visiting her sister Ella in St. Petersburg, Alix was invited to social events. The verdict handed down by high society was cruel: “Uncharming. It holds on as if it had swallowed an arshin.” What does high society care about the problems of little princess Alix? Who cares that she grows up without a mother, suffers greatly from loneliness, shyness, and terrible pain in the facial nerve? And only the blue-eyed heir was completely absorbed and delighted with the guest - he fell in love! Not knowing what to do in such cases, Nikolai asked his mother for an elegant brooch with diamonds and quietly placed it in the hand of his twelve-year-old lover. Out of confusion, she did not answer. The next day, the guests were leaving, a farewell ball was given, and Alix, taking a moment, quickly approached the Heir and just as silently returned the brooch to his hand. Nobody noticed anything. Only now there was a secret between them: why did she return her?
The childish naive flirtation of the heir to the throne and Princess Alice on the girl’s next visit to Russia three years later began to acquire the serious nature of a strong feeling.
However, the visiting princess did not please the parents of the crown prince: Empress Maria Feodorovna, like a true Dane, hated the Germans and was against the marriage with the daughter of Ludwig of Hesse of Darmstadt. His parents hoped until the very end for his marriage to Elena Louise Henrietta, daughter of Louis Philippe, Count of Paris.
Alice herself had reason to believe that the beginning of an affair with the heir to the Russian throne could have favorable consequences for her. Returning to England, the princess begins to study the Russian language, gets acquainted with Russian literature, and even has long conversations with the priest of the Russian embassy church in London. Queen Victoria, who loves her dearly, of course, wants to help her granddaughter and writes a letter to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. The grandmother asks to find out in more detail about the intentions of the Russian imperial house in order to decide whether Alice should be confirmed according to the rules of the Anglican Church, because according to tradition, members of the royal family in Russia had the right to marry only women of the Orthodox faith.
Another four years passed, and blind chance helped decide the fates of the two lovers. As if an evil fate hovering over Russia, unfortunately, young people of royal blood united. Truly this union turned out to be tragic for the fatherland. But who thought about it then...
In 1893, Alexander III became seriously ill. Here a dangerous question for the succession to the throne arose - the future sovereign is not married. Nikolai Alexandrovich categorically stated that he would choose a bride only for love, and not for dynastic reasons. Through the mediation of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, the emperor's consent to his son's marriage to Princess Alice was obtained. However, Maria Feodorovna poorly concealed her dissatisfaction with the unsuccessful, in her opinion, choice of an heir. The fact that the Princess of Hesse joined the Russian imperial family during the mournful days of the suffering of the dying Alexander III probably set Maria Feodorovna even more against the new empress.
April 1894, Coburg, Alex agreed to become Nikolai's wife
(in the center is Queen Victoria, Alex's grandmother)
And why, having received the long-awaited parental blessing, Nikolai could not persuade Alix to become his wife? After all, she loved him - he saw it, felt it. What did it take for him to persuade his powerful and authoritarian parents into this marriage! He fought for his love and now, the long-awaited permission has been received!
Nikolai goes to the wedding of Alix's brother at Coburg Castle, where everything is already prepared for the fact that the Heir Russian Throne will propose to Alix of Hesse. The wedding went on as usual, only Alix... was crying.
“We were left alone, and then that conversation began between us, which I had long and strongly desired and, at the same time, was very afraid of. They talked until 12 o'clock, but to no avail, she still resists the change of religion. She, poor thing, cried a lot.” But is it just one religion? In general, if you look at portraits of Alix from any period of her life, it is impossible not to notice the stamp of tragic pain that this face carries. It seems like she always KNEW... She had a presentiment. Cruel fate, basement of the Ipatiev House, terrible death... She was afraid and tossed about. But the love was too strong! And she agreed.
In April 1894, Nikolai Alexandrovich, accompanied by a brilliant retinue, went to Germany. Having gotten engaged in Darmstadt, the newlyweds spend some time at the English court. From that moment on, the Tsarevich’s diary, which he kept throughout his life, became available to Alex.
Already at that time, even before her accession to the throne, Alex had a special influence on Nicholas. Her entry appears in his diary: “Be persistent... don’t let others be first and bypass you... Reveal your personal will and don’t let others forget who you are.”
Subsequently, Alexandra Feodorovna’s influence on the emperor often took increasingly decisive, sometimes excessive, forms. This can be judged from the published letters from the Empress Nicholas to the front. Not without her pressure, a popular man in the army received his resignation Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. Alexandra Fedorovna was always worried about her husband’s reputation. And she more than once pointed out to him the need for firmness in relations with the courtiers.
Alix the bride was present during the agony of the groom's father, Alexander III. She accompanied his coffin from Livadia across the country with her family. On a sad November day, the body of the emperor was transferred from the Nikolaevsky station to Peter and Paul Cathedral. A huge crowd crowded along the path of the funeral procession, moving along the pavements dirty with wet snow. The commoners whispered, pointing to the young princess: “She came to us behind the coffin, she brings misfortune with her.”
Tsarevich Alexander and Princess Alice of Hesse
On November 14 (26), 1894 (on the birthday of Empress Maria Feodorovna, which allowed for a retreat from mourning), the wedding of Alexandra and Nicholas II took place in the Great Church of the Winter Palace. After the wedding, a thanksgiving prayer service was served by members of the Holy Synod, led by Metropolitan Palladius (Raev) of St. Petersburg; While singing “We praise You, God,” a cannon salute of 301 shots was fired. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich wrote in his emigrant memoirs about their first days of marriage: “The wedding of the young Tsar took place less than a week after the funeral of Alexander III. Their honeymoon passed in an atmosphere of funeral services and mourning visits. The most deliberate dramatization could not have invented a more suitable prologue for the historical tragedy of the last Russian Tsar.”
Typically, the wives of Russian heirs to the throne were in secondary roles for a long time. Thus, they had time to carefully study the mores of the society they would have to manage, had time to navigate their likes and dislikes, and most importantly, had time to acquire the necessary friends and helpers. Alexandra Fedorovna was unlucky in this sense. She ascended the throne, as they say, having fallen from a ship to a ball: not understanding the life that was alien to her, not being able to understand the complex intrigues of the imperial court.
In truth, her very inner nature was not adapted for the vain royal craft. Painfully withdrawn, Alexandra Feodorovna seemed to be the opposite example of a friendly dowager empress - our heroine, on the contrary, gave the impression of an arrogant, cold German woman who treated her subjects with disdain. The embarrassment that invariably gripped the queen when communicating with strangers prevented her from establishing simple, relaxed relationships with representatives of high society, which she vitally needed.
Alexandra Feodorovna did not know how to win the hearts of her subjects at all; even those who were ready to bow to members of the imperial family did not receive food for this. So, for example, in women's institutes, Alexandra Fedorovna could not squeeze out a single friendly word. This was all the more striking, since the former Empress Maria Fedorovna knew how to evoke in college students a relaxed attitude toward herself, which turned into an enthusiastic love for the bearers of royal power. The consequences of the mutual alienation that grew over the years between society and the queen, sometimes taking on the character of antipathy, were very varied and even tragic. Alexandra Fedorovna’s excessive pride played a fatal role in this.
The first years of married life turned out to be tense: the unexpected death of Alexander III made Niki emperor, although he was completely unprepared for this. He was bombarded with advice from his mother and five respectable uncles, who taught him to rule the state. Being a very delicate, self-possessed and well-mannered young man, Nikolai at first obeyed everyone. Nothing good came of this: on the advice of their uncles, after the tragedy on Khodynskoye Field, Niki and Alix attended a ball at French Ambassador- the world called them insensitive and cruel. Uncle Vladimir decided to pacify the crowd in front of the Winter Palace on his own, while the Tsar’s family lived in Tsarskoye - Bloody Sunday ensued... Only over time will Niki learn to say a firm “no” to both uncles and brothers, but... never to HER.
Immediately after the wedding, he returned her diamond brooch - a gift from an inexperienced sixteen-year-old boy. And the Empress will not part with her throughout her entire life together - after all, this is a symbol of their love. They always celebrated the day of their engagement - April 8th. In 1915, the forty-two-year-old empress wrote a short letter to her beloved at the front: “For the first time in 21 years we are not spending this day together, but how vividly I remember everything! My dear boy, what happiness and what love you have given me over all these years... How time flies - 21 years have already passed! You know, I saved that “princess dress” I was wearing that morning, and I’ll wear your favorite brooch...”
The queen's intervention in affairs government did not appear immediately after her wedding. Alexandra Feodorovna was quite happy with the traditional role of a homemaker, the role of a woman next to a man engaged in difficult, serious work. She is, first of all, a mother, busy with her four daughters: taking care of their upbringing, checking their assignments, protecting them. She is the center, as always subsequently, of her closely knit family, and for the emperor, she is the only beloved wife for life.
Her daughters adored her. From the initial letters of their names they made up a common name: “OTMA” (Olga, Tatyana, Maria, Anastasia) - and under this signature they sometimes gave gifts to their mother and sent letters. There was an unspoken rule among the Grand Duchesses: every day one of them seemed to be on duty with her mother, without leaving her a single step. It is curious that Alexandra Fedorovna spoke English to the children, and Nicholas II spoke only Russian. The empress communicated with those around her mostly in French. She also mastered Russian quite well, but spoke it only to those who did not know other languages. And only German speech was not present in their everyday life. By the way, the Tsarevich was not taught this.
Alexandra Fedorovna with her daughters
Nicholas II, a domestic man by nature, for whom power seemed more like a burden than a way of self-realization, rejoiced at any opportunity to forget about his state concerns in a family setting and gladly indulged in those petty domestic interests for which he generally had a natural inclination. Perhaps, if this couple had not been so highly elevated by fate above mere mortals, she would have calmly and blissfully lived until her death hour, raising beautiful children and resting in God, surrounded by numerous grandchildren. But the mission of monarchs is too restless, the lot is too difficult to allow them to hide behind the walls of their own well-being.
Anxiety and confusion gripped the reigning couple even when the empress, with some fatal sequence, began to give birth to girls. Nothing could be done against this obsession, but Alexandra Feodorovna, who had learned with her mother’s milk her destiny as a queen of a woman, perceived the absence of an heir as a kind of heavenly punishment. On this basis, she, an extremely impressionable and nervous person, developed pathological mysticism. Gradually, the entire rhythm of the palace obeyed the tossing of the unfortunate woman. Now any step of Nikolai Alexandrovich himself was checked against one or another heavenly sign, and public policy imperceptibly intertwined with childbirth. The queen's influence on her husband intensified, and the more significant it became, the further the date for the appearance of the heir moved forward.
The French charlatan Philip was invited to the court, who managed to convince Alexandra Feodorovna that he was able to provide her, through suggestion, with male offspring, and she imagined herself to be pregnant and felt everything physical symptoms this condition. Only after several months of the so-called false pregnancy, which was very rarely observed, the empress agreed to be examined by a doctor, who established the truth. But the most important misfortune was not in the false pregnancy or in the hysterical nature of Alexandra Fedorovna, but in the fact that the charlatan received, through the queen, the opportunity to influence state affairs. One of Nicholas II’s closest assistants wrote in his diary in 1902: “Philip inspires the sovereign that he does not need other advisers except representatives of the highest spiritual, heavenly powers, with whom he, Philip, puts him into intercourse. Hence the intolerance of any contradiction and complete absolutism, sometimes expressed as absurdity. If at the report the minister defends his opinion and does not agree with the opinion of the sovereign, then a few days later he receives a note with a categorical order to carry out what he was told.”
Philip was still able to be expelled from the palace, because the Police Department, through its agent in Paris, found indisputable evidence of the French subject’s fraud.
With the outbreak of the war, the couple were forced to separate. And then they wrote letters to each other... “Oh, my love! It’s so hard to say goodbye to you and see your lonely pale face with big sad eyes in the train window - my heart is breaking, take me with you... I kiss your pillow at night and passionately wish you were next to me... We have been through so much over these 20 years, we understand each other without words...” “I must thank you for your arrival with the girls, for bringing me life and sunshine, despite the rainy weather. Of course, as always, I didn’t have time to tell you even half of what I was going to, because when I meet you after a long separation, I always become shy. I just sit and look at you - this in itself is a great joy for me...”
And soon the long-awaited miracle followed - the heir Alexey was born.
The four daughters of Nikolai and Alexandra were born beautiful, healthy, real princesses: father's favorite romantic Olga, serious beyond her years Tatyana, generous Maria and funny little Anastasia. It seemed that their love could conquer everything. But love cannot defeat Fate. Their only son turned out to be sick with hemophilia, in which the walls of blood vessels burst from weakness and lead to difficult-to-stop bleeding.
The illness of the heir played a fatal role - they had to keep it a secret, they painfully searched for a way out and could not find it. At the beginning of the last century, hemophilia remained incurable and patients could only hope for 20-25 years of life. Alexey, who was born surprisingly beautiful and smart boy, was sick almost all his life. And his parents suffered with him. Sometimes, when the pain was very severe, the boy asked for death. “When I die, will it hurt me anymore?” - he asked his mother during indescribable attacks of pain. Only morphine could save him from them, but the Tsar did not dare to have as heir to the throne not just a sick young man, but also a morphine addict. Alexei's salvation was loss of consciousness. From pain. He experienced several serious crises, when no one believed in his recovery, when he rushed about in delirium, repeating one single word: “Mom.”
Tsarevich Alexey
Having turned gray and aged several decades at once, my mother was nearby. She stroked his head, kissed his forehead, as if this could help the unfortunate boy... The only, inexplicable thing that saved Alexei was Rasputin’s prayers. But Rasputin brought an end to their power.
Thousands of pages have been written about this major adventurer of the 20th century, so it is difficult to add anything to the multi-volume research in a small essay. Let's just say: of course, possessing the secrets of unconventional methods of treatment, being an extraordinary person, Rasputin was able to inspire the empress with the idea that he, a person sent by God to the family, had a special mission - to save and preserve the heir to the Russian throne. And Alexandra Feodorovna’s friend, Anna Vyrubova, brought the elder into the palace. This gray, unremarkable woman had such a huge influence on the queen that it is worth special mention about her.
She was the daughter of the outstanding musician Alexander Sergeevich Taneyev, an intelligent and dexterous man who held the position of chief manager of His Majesty's office at court. It was he who recommended Anna to the queen as a partner for playing the piano four hands. Taneyeva pretended to be an extraordinary simpleton to such an extent that she was initially declared unfit for court service. But this prompted the queen to intensively promote her wedding with naval officer Vyrubov. But Anna’s marriage turned out to be very unsuccessful, and Alexandra Fedorovna, as an extremely decent woman, considered herself to some extent guilty. In view of this, Vyrubova was often invited to the court, and the empress tried to console her. Apparently, nothing strengthens female friendship more than trusting compassion in amorous matters.
Soon, Alexandra Fedorovna already called Vyrubova her “personal friend,” especially emphasizing that the latter did not have an official position at court, which means that her loyalty and devotion to the royal family were completely selfless. The empress was far from thinking that the position of a friend of the queen was more enviable than the position of a person belonging by position to her entourage. In general, it is difficult to fully appreciate the enormous role played by A. Vyrubova in the last period of the reign of Nicholas II. Without her active participation, Rasputin, despite all the power of his personality, would not have been able to achieve anything, since direct relations between the notorious old man and the queen were extremely rare.
Apparently, he did not strive to see her often, realizing that this could only weaken his authority. On the contrary, Vyrubova entered the queen’s chambers every day and did not part with her on trips. Having fallen entirely under the influence of Rasputin, Anna became the best conductor of the elder’s ideas in the imperial palace. In essence, in the stunning drama that the country experienced two years before the collapse of the monarchy, the roles of Rasputin and Vyrubova were so closely intertwined that there is no way to find out the degree of significance of each of them separately.
Anna Vyrubova on a walk in a wheelchair with Grand Duke Olga Nikolaevna, 1915-1916.
The last years of Alexandra Feodorovna's reign were full of bitterness and despair. The public at first transparently hinted at the pro-German interests of the empress, and soon began to openly vilify the “hated German woman.” Meanwhile, Alexandra Fedorovna sincerely tried to help her husband, she was sincerely devoted to the country, which had become her only home, the home of her closest people. She turned out to be an exemplary mother and raised her four daughters with modesty and decency. The girls, despite their high origins, were distinguished by their hard work, many skills, did not know luxury and even assisted during operations in military hospitals. This, oddly enough, was also blamed on the empress, they say, she allows her young ladies too much.
Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Livadia, 1914
When a rioting revolutionary crowd overran Petrograd, and the Tsar's train was stopped at Dno station for the abdication to be drafted, Alix was left alone. The children had measles, lay with high temperature. The courtiers fled, leaving only a handful of loyal people. The electricity was turned off, there was no water - we had to go to the pond, break off the ice and heat it on the stove. The palace with defenseless children remained under the protection of the Empress.
She alone did not lose heart and did not believe in renunciation until the last. Alix supported the handful of loyal soldiers who remained to stand guard around the palace - now this was her entire Army. On the day when the ex-Sovereign, who had abdicated the Throne, returned to the palace, her friend, Anna Vyrubova, wrote in her diary: “Like a fifteen-year-old girl, she ran along the endless stairs and corridors of the palace towards him. Having met, they hugged, and when left alone, they burst into tears...” While in exile, anticipating an imminent execution, in a letter to Anna Vyrubova, the Empress summed up her life: “Dear, my dear... Yes, the past is over. I thank God for everything that happened, that I received - and I will live with memories that no one will take away from me... How old I have become, but I feel like the mother of the country, and I suffer as if for my child and I love my Motherland, despite all the horrors now ... You know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to tear LOVE OUT OF MY HEART, and Russia too... Despite the black ingratitude to the Emperor, which tears my heart... Lord, have mercy and save Russia.”
The abdication of Nicholas II from the throne brought the royal family to Tobolsk, where they, along with the remnants of their former servants, lived under house arrest. With his selfless act, the former king wanted only one thing - to save his beloved wife and children. However, the miracle did not happen; life turned out to be worse: in July 1918, the couple went down to the basement of the Ipatiev mansion. Nikolai carried his sick son in his arms... Following, walking heavily and holding her head high, was Alexandra Feodorovna...
On that last day of their lives, which is now celebrated by the church as the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Royal Martyrs, Alix did not forget to wear “his favorite brooch.” Having become material evidence No. 52 for the investigation, for us this brooch remains one of numerous evidence that Great Love. The shooting in Yekaterinburg ended the 300-year reign of the House of Romanov in Russia.
On the night of July 16-17, 1918, after the execution, the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, his family and associates were taken to this place and thrown into the mine. Nowadays it is located on Ganina Yama monastery in honor of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.
In the marriage of Nikolai Alexandrovich with Alexandra Fedorovna, five children were born:
Olga (1895-1918);
Tatiana (1897-1918);
Maria (1899-1918);
Anastasia (1901-1918);
Alexey (1904-1918).
On November 26 (14), 1894, in the Great Church of the Winter Palace, the wedding of Nicholas II and the granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria, daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine - Alexandra took place. The lovers' honeymoon, according to the memoirs of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, took place in an atmosphere of mourning and funeral services - a few days before the ceremony, the groom's father, Emperor Alexander III, died.
“The most deliberate dramatization could not have invented a more suitable prologue for the historical tragedy of the last Russian Tsar,” the prince wrote in his memoirs.
On the anniversary of the wedding of the last Russian emperor, the site recalls what the marriage of the emperor was like, who allowed himself to marry for love.
At the behest of the heart
The first meeting of Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt and the eldest son of Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna took place in St. Petersburg in January 1889. During the six weeks of her stay in the city on the Neva, the young lady was able to charm 20-year-old Nikolai, and after her departure a correspondence began between them.
During her six weeks of stay in the city on the Neva, the young lady was able to charm 20-year-old Nikolai. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The feelings of the future emperor that he felt for the German princess are indicated by the entry that he made in his diary in 1892: “I dream of someday marrying Alix G. I have loved her for a long time, but especially deeply and strongly since 1889, when she spent 6 weeks in St. Petersburg. All this time I didn’t believe my feeling, I didn’t believe that my cherished dream could come true”...
Despite the sympathy that the Tsarevich showed for the fragile Alix, his parents dreamed of another daughter-in-law. In the role of his chosen one, they wanted to see the daughter of the Count of Paris - Elena Louise Henrietta. In those years she had a reputation enviable bride, distinguished by beauty and intelligence. The Washington Post even called her "the epitome of women's health and beauty, a graceful athlete and a charming polyglot." But Nikolai was adamant. His persistence did its job, and his parents approved of his choice.
When the health of Alexander III began to rapidly deteriorate, the engagement of the young couple was announced. The bride arrived in Russia, where she converted to Orthodoxy with the name Alexandra, began to study the Russian language and culture of the country, which from now on was to become her homeland.
After the death of the emperor, mourning was declared. Nicholas's wedding ceremony could have been postponed for a year, but, according to some historians, the lovers were not ready to wait that long. A difficult conversation took place between Nikolai and his mother Maria Feodorovna, during which a loophole was found that allowed certain rules of decency to be observed and a speedy ceremony to be held. The wedding was scheduled for the day the Empress Dowager was born. This made it possible for the royal family to temporarily interrupt mourning.
Preparations for the wedding took place under force majeure. The golden wedding dress for the bride was sewn by the best fashion designers in St. Petersburg. The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and the image of Fedorovskaya were delivered to the Court Cathedral in gold frames. Mother of God, wedding rings and a silver saucer.
On November 26, in the Malachite Hall of the Winter Palace, the bride was dressed in a chic dress with a heavy mantle and taken to the Great Church.
The golden wedding dress for the bride was sewn by the best fashion designers in St. Petersburg. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Later, in her letter to her sister Victoria, Alexandra wrote: “You can imagine our feelings. One day in deep mourning, we mourn a dearly loved person, and the next day we stand down the aisle in magnificent clothes. It’s impossible to imagine a greater contrast, and all these circumstances brought us even closer.”
“The woman is good, but abnormal”
After the wedding, the relationship between the 22-year-old princess and the 26-year-old emperor, according to the recollections of those close to them, was touching and tender. Letters and diaries kept by the emperor and his wife have survived to this day. They are full of tender words and declarations of love.
Even many years later, when Alexandra Fedorovna was 42 years old, she wrote a letter to her husband at the front on the day of their engagement, April 8:
“For the first time in 21 years we are not spending this day together, but how vividly I remember everything! My dear boy, what happiness and what love you have given me over all these years... How time flies - 21 years have already passed! You know, I saved that “princess dress” I was wearing that morning, and I’ll wear your favorite brooch...”
The relationship between the spouses was touching and tender. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Reading these lines, it is difficult to imagine that many considered Alexandra Feodorovna to be a cold and arrogant woman. However, according to people who knew her closely, this external aloofness was more likely a consequence of her shyness.
“Embarrassment prevented her from establishing simple, relaxed relationships with people who introduced themselves to her, including the so-called city ladies, and they spread jokes around the city about her coldness and inaccessibility,” wrote actual state councilor Vladimir Gurko about her.
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sergei Witte, whom historians nicknamed “the grandfather of Russian industrialization,” had a different opinion. In her he saw a powerful woman who had completely enslaved her own husband:
“He married a good woman, but a woman who was completely abnormal and took him into her arms, which was not difficult given his weak-willedness. Thus, the empress not only did not balance out his shortcomings, but on the contrary, she significantly aggravated them, and her abnormality began to be reflected in the abnormality of some of the actions of her august husband.”
Her communication with the man of God Grigory Rasputin did not have the best effect on the empress’s image. The poor health of her son, who had hemophilia, forced the desperate mother to believe the peasant from the Tobolsk province.
In difficult moments, the royal family turned to him for help. Rasputin was either called to the palace from his apartment on Gorokhovaya, or they simply held a telephone receiver to the boy’s ear, and the “holy devil” whispered to him the cherished words that helped the child.
In Soviet historiography, there was an opinion that Rasputin completely enslaved the empress, subordinating her to his will, and she, in turn, influenced her husband. According to another version, the close relationship between Alexandra Feodorovna and Grigory Efimovich is nothing more than “black PR”, which was intended to denigrate the image of the queen in society.
In 1905, when political life the country was tense, Nicholas II began to hand over the state acts he issued to his wife for review. Not everyone liked this kind of trust. statesman, who saw this as the emperor’s weakness.
“If the sovereign, due to his lack of the necessary internal power, did not possess the authority required for a ruler, then the empress, on the contrary, was all woven from authority, which was also based on her inherent arrogance,” wrote Senator Gurko.
Alexandra Fedorovna with her daughters Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
“I feel like the mother of the country”
On the night of July 16-17, 1918, in Yekaterinburg, in the “House of Special Purpose” - Ipatiev’s mansion - Nicholas II, Alexandra Fedorovna, their children, Doctor Botkin and three servants were shot.
Shortly before these terrible events, while in exile, Alexandra Fedorovna wrote to her close friend Anna Vyrubova: “I thank God for everything that happened, that I received - and I will live with memories that no one will take away from me... How old I have become, but I feel mother of the country, and I suffer as if for my child and love my Motherland, despite all the horrors now... You know that you cannot tear love out of my heart, and Russia too... Despite the black ingratitude to the Emperor, which tears my heart... Lord, have mercy and save Russia."
“In the future, the Empress will be assessed differently by those who slandered her for their own benefit.”
The future Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was born in Darmstadt on June 7, 1872 in the family of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig IV and Duchess Alice, daughter of the then reigning Queen of England Victoria the Great. The girl was named Alice in honor of her mother; in her home circle she was called Alix.
The excellent education she received later helped in solving many issues; she saw and was able to solve them correctly.
On October 21, 1894, Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt joined Orthodoxy and began to be called Alexandra Feodorovna.
Two years later, in May 1896, a coronation took place at the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, at which Alexandra Feodorovna officially became the Empress of Russia - Co-Ruler.
Unfortunately, during her reign, the honor and dignity of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was discredited by deliberately false information about her.
Anna Aleksandrovna Taneyeva (Mon. Maria) writes in her memoirs: « Shortly after Christmas, the Emperor fell ill with the flu, and I saw him sick for the first time in all twelve years of my life in the Royal Family. He entered the Empress’s room in his dressing gown and with difficulty read aloud the most important telegrams to the Empress. It was at this time that I told the Emperor how monstrous the slander against the Empress had become. The Emperor looked at me with sick, tired eyes and said: “Not a single decent person, of course, will believe this; slander ultimately brings harm to those who started it.”
The relationship between the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna did not work out. « Maria Feodorovna was the wife of the Heir for more than ten years, before becoming the Empress, she had time to prepare for her duties. She gradually and thoroughly studied Russia, the specificity and intrigues of the Russian Court. The circumstances were completely different when Alexandra Feodorovna became Empress. She was married immediately after Alexander's deathIII. The Empress told me that she often confused wedding and funeral ceremonies. The wedding was almost a continuation of the funeral. She immediately had to fulfill all the duties of the Empress; there was very little time for information.”
« The best qualities characterizing the Empress were absolute honesty, fidelity and truthfulness.Immediately upon arriving in Russia, she encountered something completely different. At first she tried to approach the Dowager Empress warmly and respectfully, but soon friction and misunderstandings began.I noticed that the Dowager Empress’s gaze was always cold when she turned it on Alexandra Feodorovna.
After Alexander's deathIIIThe Dowager Empress very reluctantly relinquished her rights.She loved representation and got used to it. In fact, she did not leave them, since at all the Highest exits she walked ahead of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. When the Imperial family arrived at the place, at the Highest exit there were first the Tsar and his mother, and after that the Empress with one of the Grand Dukes. This order was, of course, at the will of the Dowager Empress, but, however, the Emperor obediently obeyed him.The abandoned position, of course, did not please the young Empress; she tried to hide her bitterness and tried to show herself as proud and cold as possible, although tears inevitably came to her eyes.
The world approved of the order, not seeing anything surprising in it, - so great was the popularity enjoyed by the Dowager Empress.One of the consequences of this was that two Courts were formed in Russia: the Court of the Dowager Empress, which was more influential, it included the Grand Dukes and high society, and the small Court of the Empress with her several loyal retainers, as well as the Sovereign, although not entirely "
The Dowager Empress's rejection of Alexandra Feodorovna gave rise to impunity for gossip emanating from the highest circles and shaking the royal throne.
« The Tsar knew well that almost all of his close relatives were opposed to him and were plotting to overthrow him from the throne in order to name Kirill Vladimirovich Tsar. But neither the Emperor nor the Empress took family gossip seriously, since they were confident in the loyalty of the people and the army to the throne.”.
Having adopted Orthodoxy, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna deeply perceived its spiritual essence. “Her faith is known to everyone. She fervently believed in God, loved Orthodox Church, was drawn to piety, and certainly to the ancient, statutory; in life she was modest and chaste.”
“Her special consolation was prayer. An unshakable faith in God supported her and gave her peace of mind, although she was always prone to melancholy. “You never know what awaits us tomorrow,” she said, and she always expected the worst. Prayer, I repeat, was her constant consolation.”
Most of all, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna revered the Mother of God. “There were happy days when we were not recognized, and the Empress prayed - her soul departing from the bustle of earth, kneeling on the stone floor, unnoticed by anyone in the corner of a dark church. Returning to her royal chambers, she came to dinner, flushed from the frosty air, with slightly tear-stained eyes, calm, leaving her worries and sorrows in the hands of the Almighty God.”
“Both of them, the Sovereign and the Empress, carried in their souls this desire for God, and their entire inner intimate life was full of religious content. As true bearers of religious light, they were not ostentatious, but quiet, modest, almost invisible to the majority.<...>We entered the church unnoticed and mingled with the worshipers.<...>We were soon recognized and the crowd around us began to stir.<...>The Empress did not notice anything - she retreated into herself. She stood with eyes full of tears, fixed on the icon, with a face expressing boundless melancholy and prayer... her lips silently whispered the words of prayer, she was all the embodiment of faith and suffering. What did she pray for, for whom did she suffer, what did she believe in? “Everything was fine at home then, everyone, even Alexey Nikolaevich, was healthy, but Russia, languishing in the war, was already hopelessly ill... was it not the miracle of her healing and admonition that the Russian Tsarina so persistently and fervently asked for?”
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna lived by the ideals of Holy Rus'. She loved to visit monasteries and meet devotees. Even before glorification St. Seraphim Sarovsky, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna fervently prayed to him for the granting of a son - an Heir. At the Diveyevo monastery she attended his glorification and at night bathed in the spring of St. Seraphim. An underground temple named after him was built in the Feodorovsky Cathedral, in which she prayed unnoticed by anyone.
The Empress's religious feelings aroused hostility towards her among secular society. Even during her lifetime, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was a bloodless martyr.
“Here comes the martyr - Queen Alexandra”, - with these words Blessed Marya greeted her in 1916 at the Desyatinny Monastery. The old woman stretched out her withered hands to her, hugged her and blessed her. A few days later the old woman died.
Faith in God helped Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in all difficult circumstances. While in prison, she does not complain and endures misadventures with humility and meekness. “Now I understand and feel everything differently - my soul is so peaceful, I can bear everything, I have given all my dear ones to God and the Holy Mother of God. She covers everyone with her omophorion. We live as we live.... The Lord God sees and hears everything.<...>God bless you from all evil."
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna had a sincere desire to be useful to Russia and the Russian people. Anna Alexandrovna writes: “ Raised in England and Germany, the Empress did not like the empty atmosphere of St. Petersburg society, and she still hoped to instill a taste for work. To this end, she founded the Handicraft Society, whose members, ladies and young ladies, were required to create at least three items a year for the poor. At first everyone began to work, but soon, as with everything, our ladies lost interest, and no one could work even three things a year. Despite this, the Empress continued to open houses of industriousness for the unemployed throughout Russia, established charity houses for fallen girls, passionately taking this whole matter to heart.”
But such innovations were not welcomed at the Court. The ideas of charity caused gossip and discontent.
« One of the great ideas of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was to provide assistance by providing an opportunity for work. It was for these purposes that the young Empress established houses of industriousness in different places in Russia, in which the unemployed received work and were trained in various types of activities. Especially in times of famine, these houses were a great mercy.
In Tsarskoe Selo, the Empress founded the “School of Nannies”, in which young girls and mothers learned how to care for children. The Empress was also the senior patroness of national schools located in St. Petersburg. It is worth mentioning the “School of Folk Art” she organized to teach handicrafts to Russian peasant girls.”
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, being deeply educated, even before becoming Co-Ruler, studied the history of Autocratic Russia, especially noting her devotion to the Anointed One. What did she encounter?
“When Alexandra Feodorovna had just arrived in Russia, she wrote to Countess Rantzau, the lady-in-waiting of her sister, Princess Irene: “My husband is surrounded everywhere by hypocrisy and deceit. I feel that there is no one who could be his real support. There are few who love him and their Fatherland, and I feel that there are even fewer who truly fulfill their responsibilities towards my husband. Everything is done for personal gain, and there is intrigue everywhere, and always only intrigue.”
Based on history, according to Alexandra Feodorovna’s personal conviction, the Russian Tsar should be an Autocrat! “In terms of politics, she was a true monarchist, who saw in the person of her husband the sacred Anointed of God. Having become the Russian Tsarina, she managed to love Russia above her first homeland.” “She didn’t even want to listen to those who said that the Sovereign should renounce his monarchical power.”
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was guided by a sense of responsibility before God for the preservation of Russian statehood. She was against the Emperor signing the Manifesto on the creation of the Duma. The Empress saw her son Alexei as the successor of the Tsar and did everything possible for this. Teachers who loved a gifted student predicted that “Over time, he will emerge as a strong ruler with a strong will. They called him “little Peter the Great.”
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was infinitely sincere in her love for Russia and the Russian people. During the war, she, perhaps more than any other secular person, tried to do everything possible to lead the war to a decisive victory. “Still, most of all the Empress was afraid of war, since she saw this as the end of Russia. The Emperor hid the general mobilization from her. I witnessed her indescribable grief when she found out about this, still wanting with all her might to somehow save Russia. She felt the approach of death and sincerely tried to do everything possible that a loving woman could do to save both Russia and her family.<...>The Empress's mournful state did not last long. Overnight she became a completely different person. She forgot about her illness and weakness and immediately began extensive organizational work to set up warehouses for linen and medical supplies, infirmaries and ambulance trains. Everything had to be ready as soon as possible, since the Empress knew that after the first battles many wounded would arrive from the front. She developed wide network hospitals and centers of military medical service, which extended from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Kharkov and Odessa in southern Russia. It was completely incomprehensible how strong and capable of organizational activities the Empress was, how she, working with all her might to alleviate the suffering of others, forgot about her illness.”
At the very beginning of the war, rumors were widespread that Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was a German spy. She was also accused of direct treason and of betraying state secrets to Germany.
« Already at the beginning of the war, suspicions arose towards the Empress. She was called “German”, just like Marie Antoinette was called “Austrian” in her time. Rumors spread that the Empress was allegedly on the side of the Germans and in contact with them. But the truth is that the Empress never loved her cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, nor did I ever hear her speak particularly highly of him. As far as I know, the Empress had no correspondence with Germany during the war - apart from one or two letters that she received from her brother through Sweden. The letters, however, did not contain any matters related to politics.
In Germany it was said that German prisoners of war were treated extremely poorly in Russia. The Empress's brother wrote that he was extremely surprised that the Empress, who was German after all, did not take better care of the German prisoners who had to endure undignified treatment in Russia. The letter caused the Empress great pain. I remember how she, crying bitterly, said that it was impossible for her to interfere in the affairs of German prisoners, since she herself was persecuted because of her German origin. On the other hand, in Russia it was said that Russian prisoners were treated poorly in Germany, that four thousand prisoners died of typhus in Kassel. The Empress organized a committee whose task was to take care of Russian prisoners in Germany. I remember how “New Time” wrote that it was easy to understand the activities of the committee, but for the benefit of German, not Russian, prisoners. Newspapers used these statements in their articles against the Empress.
Day by day the Empress became more and more overcome with grief. We who were next to her felt especially sorry for her. She was introverted and inaccessible in many ways, often sad, and became increasingly depressed. The Japanese War and the period of oppressive atmosphere that followed it did not bring any relief to the Empress’s grief. Her health deteriorated, she often felt tired and sick, but she managed to hide her illness with superhuman efforts. She endured it for years before it became known to the court circle.
Due to her illness, the Empress had limited movement. In Crimea, she often lay in the garden. They carried her in a carriage or in a small carriage drawn by a pony if she wanted to move from one place to another. On the Shtandart she often remained on board.”
Among the intrigues and injustices, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna always behaved with dignity and courage - without complaining or reproaching, without seeking justice. Her prayers kept evil at bay in St. Petersburg when the Emperor was at Headquarters. During the difficult times of the war, the Empress did everything possible to support the Sovereign and strengthen his strength. Her telegrams to the Sovereign were returned with a mocking inscription on the envelope: “The location of the addressee is unknown.” The Empress experienced unbearable suffering.
The murder of her and Anna Alexandrovna was being prepared.
« One night, before the Emperor returned from Mogilev, the Empress and Grand Duchess Maria went to the Consolidated Regiment of Their Majesties. The regiment was about to leave the Sovereign and Empress to swear allegiance to the Provisional Government. The Empress spoke to the soldiers not like a ruler with her subjects, but like a mother with her lost children, and asked them to protect the Sovereign’s family from the violence of a rowdy crowd.
I drew attention to the opportunity to go abroad, but the Emperor said that he would never leave his homeland. He was ready to live the simple life of a peasant and earn his bread by physical labor, but he would not leave Russia. The Empress and the children said the same thing. They hoped that they could live as modest landowners in Crimea» .
Pain for Russia, for its people, filled the soul of the Empress, even in exile. She wrote to Anna Alexandrovna: “How old I have become, but I feel like the mother of this country and I suffer as for my child and I love my homeland, despite all the horrors now and all the sins. You know that it is impossible to tear love out of my heart and Russia too, despite the black ingratitude towards the Emperor, which tears my heart, but this is not the whole country, a disease after which it will get stronger. Lord, have mercy and save Russia!”< > I pray without ceasing."
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was a mother for the people of Russia. “Describing life in Crimea, I must say how ardently the Empress took part in the fate of tuberculosis patients who came to Crimea for treatment. Sanatoriums in Crimea were of the old type. Having examined them all in Yalta, the Empress decided to immediately build sanatoriums with all the improvements on their estates using her personal funds, which was done. For hours, on the orders of the Empress, I traveled to hospitals, asking patients on behalf of the Empress about all their needs. How much money I brought from Her Majesty to pay for treatment for the poor! If I found some glaring case of a lonely dying patient, the Empress immediately ordered a car and went with me, personally bringing money, flowers, fruit, and most importantly, the charm that she always knew how to inspire in such cases, bringing with her into the dying person’s room so much affection and cheerfulness.
How many tears of gratitude I have seen! But no one knew about it; The Empress forbade me to talk about it. The Empress co-organized four large bazaars in favor of tuberculosis in 1911, 1912, 1913 and 1914; they brought in a ton of money. She worked herself, painted and embroidered for the bazaar, and, despite her poor health, stood at the kiosk all day, surrounded by a huge crowd of people. The police were ordered to let everyone through, and people pressed each other to get something from the hands of the Empress or to touch her dress; she never tired of selling things that were literally snatched from her hands. Little Alexei Nikolaevich stood next to her on the counter, holding out his hands with things to the enthusiastic crowd. On the day of the “White Flower” the Empress went to Yalta in a carriage with baskets of white flowers: children accompanied her on foot. The delight of the population knew no bounds. The people, at that time untouched by revolutionary propaganda, adored Their Majesties, and this can never be forgotten.”
« The Empress was a born sister of mercy. When she walked next to the sick, she exuded tenderness and spiritual strength, forcing all eyes to turn to her. She was always there - also before the war - where a nurse was especially urgently needed.
When the Tsar, at the beginning of his reign, fell ill with typhus in Livadia, the Empress looked after him from morning until night, never leaving him alone in the care of a doctor or servant, although she herself was expecting a child. In 1907, Anastasia fell ill with diphtheria. Having sent the rest of the family to live in another Peterhof palace, the Empress herself treated her sick daughter. For the entire month, she met the Emperor only during an evening walk in the park, and even then at some distance, as she was afraid that the Emperor would spread the infection to other children. The Empress herself also took care of the Heir all the years, never letting him out of her sight, and if her son was sick, she was near him all night long without sleep.
The Empress had her own official responsibilities. There were many different institutions under her patronage. She reviewed their most important cases and mail, then gave verbal or written instructions to my father, who reported on them, and to the directors of the institutions. The empress was not only the mistress of the family and mother, but in addition to everything else, she had responsible positions, the performance of which took more time than an ordinary civil servant to perform her duties. After breakfast, the Empress worked for another three hours or, if she had free time, walked or played with the children.
When the clock struck six, the Emperor returned to his study, the children went upstairs, and the Empress got down to her work.”
With the advent of children, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna did not leave them unattended: she was constantly in the nursery, in lessons, not trusting her children to anyone. It happened that, holding a child in her arms, she discussed serious issues of her new institution, or, rocking the cradle with one hand, she signed business papers with the other. « Alexandra Feodorovna wanted to be the ruler in the children's room. Whether healthy or sick, she used to go to the nursery before going to bed, although it could be already after midnight, to bless her sleeping children. The Empress took the elevator upstairs and asked a servant to take her in a chair along the corridor to Alexei’s room. She prayed with him at night before tucking her son into bed.”
The Empress does not abandon maternal responsibilities even during the imprisonment of the Royal Family. In a letter from Tobolsk exile, she wrote: “ Busy all day, classes start at 9 o'clock. (still in bed): I get up at 12 o'clock. The Law of God with Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei. German 3 times with Tatiana and once with Maria and reading with Tatiana. Then I sew, embroider, draw all day with glasses, my eyes are weak, I read “good books,” I really love the Bible, and from time to time I get my hands on novels. I’m sad that they can only walk in the yard behind the boards, but at least not without air, they are grateful for that too.”
« The Empress did not like luxury or splendor; she was so indifferent to toilets that her chambermaids had to remind her about orders for new dresses. She wore the same dress for years; during the war years she did not order a single toiletry item for herself.
She raised her children very strictly and undemandingly. Clothes were passed down from older to younger, just like in poor bourgeois families; In the Finnish skerries, the Imperial children often wore modest cotton dresses. If they had had a chance to live after the revolution, they would have lived well in very simple conditions.
The empress, who had relatively large funds at her disposal for the purchase of decorations, did not use the money for herself, but distributed it to the poor or donated it to charity to such an extent that she was often left without money when a new festive outfit was really needed.
The Empress always treated her service personnel fairly, but demanded unconditional honesty from everyone, being indignant at even minor untruths. She did not know how to pretend, she could not smile and pretend to be pleasant simply out of habit or duty. My father often said that a cup of tea could save a lot of things - that is, if the Empress gave more receptions, isolated herself less, traveled more around Russia, and above all, smiled, then, perhaps, she could be appreciated more.
But there were reasons for the Empress’s isolation. The tragic illness of the Heir and the heart disease of the Empress herself almost immediately after the birth of her son affected her in such a way that large celebrations at the Court and receptions were beyond her strength. She was unable to stand on them for as long as she was required to do.. There were many Russian aristocrats who wanted to have an audience and be introduced to her, but due to her illness the Empress was not able to receive them. The actual reason for the refusals was not publicly announced. Thus, the Empress unwittingly offended a wide influential circle.
Alexandra Fedorovna did not like pomp and all sorts of ceremonial duties of the Court; in addition, her shyness often gave rise to rumors of her arrogance. “It’s not my fault that I’m shy. I feel much better in the temple when no one sees me; there I am with God and the people... It’s hard for me to be among people when my soul is heavy.”
The Empress did not like to remain idle for a minute, and she taught her children to work. Often meetings were held in the Empress's room. family evenings. At these evenings, children did handicrafts and read. « Sometimes the Emperor came to our evening readings, but then he retained the right to choose the work that was read. Sometimes the Emperor read aloud to us, and it was a pleasure to listen to his pleasant voice with the magnificent art of reading» .
Victoria Alice Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, whom her husband Nicholas II affectionately called “Alix,” was distinguished by impeccable taste and was known as a trendsetter. At the same time, she herself was not interested fashion magazines and did not follow modern trends - her Puritan upbringing and natural restraint excluded a passion for luxury and the hunt for fashionable novelties. She categorically rejected the “extremes of fashion”: if popular styles of dresses seemed uncomfortable to her, she did not wear them.
To many court ladies, Alexandra Fedorovna seemed too prim, unfriendly and cold, which they even saw as signs of illness. However, this behavior was explained only by shyness and embarrassment due to communicating with unfamiliar people, as well as the English upbringing that she received from her grandmother, Queen Victoria of England. Puritan views were reflected in her behavior, taste preferences and style. Many luxury items and fashionable outfits were rejected by her as “useless.” For example, the Empress refused to wear a tight skirt because it was uncomfortable to walk in.
The last Russian empress preferred outfits from the Worth brothers (sons of the famous French couturier Charles Worth), Albert Brisac, Redfern, Olga Bulbenkova and Nadezhda Lamanova. The brothers Worth and Brizak made evening and ball gowns for her, Olga Bulbenkova made formal dresses with gold embroidery, she ordered comfortable city clothes for visits and walks from Redfern, and both casual clothes and dresses for balls and receptions from Lamanova.
Her wardrobe was dominated by clothes in delicate pastel shades, light pink, blue, pale lilac and light gray outfits of the Art Nouveau era. Fashion designer Paul Poiret called these colors the “neurasthenic range.” The empress did not like satin shoes; she preferred suede shoes with a long narrow toe, golden or white.
Her style was characterized by calm, elegant silhouettes and subtle, refined shades that corresponded to her status, harmonized with her type of appearance and at the same time were a reflection of her natural restraint and modesty. Her contemporaries noted that “she dressed very well, but not extravagantly,” and some even argued that she was not at all interested in clothes.
Alexandra Feodorovna practically did not use cosmetics, did not get a manicure, explaining that the emperor did not like “manicured nails,” and only curled her hair on the eve of big palace appearances. Her favorite scents were White Rose by Atkinson and Verbena eau de toilette. She called these fragrances the most “transparent”.
The Empress was well versed in jewelry, of which she preferred to wear rings and bracelets. In her memoirs, one of her contemporaries, characterizing Alexandra Feodorovna’s style, says that she “always wore a ring with a large pearl, as well as a cross strewn with precious stones».
Alexandra Feodorovna treated her toilet with German pedantry and accuracy. According to the recollections of contemporaries, “the empress selected clothes in advance for the week in advance, based on her participation in certain events, as well as in accordance with personal preferences. She reported her choice to the chamberlains. Then, every day, Alexandra Fedorovna received from them a short written list of clothes planned for the next day, and gave final instructions regarding her wardrobe. Sometimes the Empress doubted what to wear and asked to prepare several sets of clothes so that she could choose.” The Martyr Queen Alexandra Feodorovna is often, simply put, disliked. They manage to recognize her holiness - canonization in the category of passion-bearers - and remain with the stereotypes of a hundred years ago: they say she had a bad influence on the king, was hysterical and retrograde, etc. She destroyed Russia - many Orthodox Christians still think so! They don't know what they think. For all this is just some kind of scum of consciousness, going back to the consciousness of those who betrayed both the emperor and Russia. We can ignore this, there are examples, and therefore we can hope that slander will crawl under the plinth. On the birthday of the Empress (she was born on May 25, 1872), I would like to remember her truthfully
Letter older sister
A letter from the Venerable Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna addressed to her sister-Tsarina, written as New Year's greetings and wishes at the very beginning of January 1898, has been preserved. three and a half years after the Hessian Princess Alix became the Empress of Russia. You feel bitter when you read in this letter: “...You should shine like a real sun, like you were with your mother; so that everyone is glad to meet you; a smile, a word - and everyone will pray for you. I know from experience how incredibly kind and loyal the people here can be. And never lose heart; A couple of stubborn people cannot be changed - just remain silent when everyone is making noise. Smile, smile until your lips hurt, thinking that others will take away the happy impression, and if they even recognize your smile once, they will never forget it again; the main thing is the first impression. Think of the sweet smiles of Aunts Alix and Minnie, for which they have long been famous. The whole world is talking about your beauty and your intelligence, now show them your heart, which Russians want to feel and see in your eyes!” It is worth explaining here that Princess Alix of Hesse was called in childhood, during the life of her mother (whom she lost when she was six years old) sunny - “sun” or sunbeam - “ray of sunshine” in English. Minnie is the pet name of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, Alix is her Native sister.
Involuntary annoyance arises: “Why didn’t she listen to her sister?!” But Elizaveta Fedorovna wrote as if not taking into account the fact that it was impossible to adopt a character, and, obviously, not at all imagining the atmosphere of rejection in which the young (young!) Empress found herself immersed.
Misunderstanding
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Difficulties from the very beginning
In the detailed book by A.N. Bokhanov “Alexandra Feodorovna” names specific ladies of high society who treated the young empress badly from the first days of her reign and succeeded in their efforts to spread a false opinion about her. Alas, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna did not try to resist the enmity that arose and did not provide Queen Alexandra with any moral support. Even worse, it was Maria Feodorovna’s courtyard that eventually became one of the havens for those who were inclined to betray. This in no way came from Maria Feodorovna, it just happened... And in general, the relationship between royal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law requires caution in discussion. For it is too easy to succumb to the mood of the crowd, which, as Pushkin said, “in their meanness rejoices at the humiliation of the high, the weaknesses of the mighty.”
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Was it possible, in such a situation, to count on understanding and unfeigned help in the works of mercy that the Queen sought? to which she was accustomed from early childhood.
The origins of mercy and hard work
While still five or six years old, she visited hospitals in Darmstadt with her mother regularly, every Saturday. The girl’s duty was to distribute flowers to the sick. The Hessian court maintained a simple and hardworking life. The Empress's mother, daughter of Queen Victoria, Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse left such a good memory that the main hospital in Darmstadt, one of the best in Germany, still bears her name. In one of her letters to her mother, Duchess Alice wrote: “... it is important that princes and princesses know that they are no better or higher than others and that with their kindness and modesty they should set an example for everyone. I hope that this is how my children will grow up.” This is how they grew up.Alienation
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The irresistible Russian idleness served to alienate people to a greater extent than the character of the empress. Its wide charity was considered normal. Well, what do they say? So the Dowager Empress is engaged in extensive charity work. But the reigning Queen should be just as kind... But she was not like that.
Lacked a sense of theatricality
Sydney Gibbs, teacher in English Tsar's children, testifying to investigator N. Sokolov, said that the Tsarina “lacked the sense of “theatricality” inherent in Russian nature.” The Englishman continued his thoughts: “This was alien to the Empress, who grew up under the tutelage of her grandmother, Queen Victoria. It is not surprising that such a fundamental difference between her and the people at court was the basis of the alienation that almost all those who wrote about her noted.
Here I would like to note, first of all, that the Tsarina did not behave at all, as they say, beech, she was friendly and welcoming - this can be immediately felt by turning to the expressive selection of photographs where Tsarina Alexandra Fedorovna is smiling! She was simply very demanding in moral terms and did not tolerate lies and falsehood, which caused her indignation.
So she only had two or three people close to her: Anna Vyrubova, Yulia Den, Sofia Buxhoeveden. One cannot help but remember that these women remained faithful to the Queen even during difficult trials. Thus, the difference in the characters of the famous sister-martyrs can be thought in favor of the Queen. Social acquaintances sometimes turn out to be dubious: for example, one of Elizabeth Feodorovna’s close friends was Zinaida Yusupova, who fiercely hated the Tsarina and inspired her son to kill Rasputin.It's worth trying to understand
“You can’t erase a word from a song,” and you can’t ignore the “Rasputin” theme. Unfortunately, it is impossible to imagine that the name of this person, extraordinary, but who did not respect his dignity (and what dignity!), would cease to cast a shadow on the Martyr Queen.
However, as far as G. E. Rasputin is concerned, it is worth trying to understand the Empress. Grigory Efimovich was turned towards the royal family by his best side. And they loved him not only because (it has been reliably established) he healed Alexei Nikolaevich more than once. They looked at him as a man of God, very gifted, and, most importantly, kind. This is what you should feel. It is worth abandoning the name Rasputin as a bogeyman, “allowing” him to be a person, and not a demon or a sex symbol.
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Mother and sister
Can a hysterical or exalted person raise cheerful, kind, not arrogant, but simple and compassionate children? Can a “one home church of Christ” be created? - as they say about family royal martyrs in the troparion named after Can such a person work day after day as a nurse? Anna Vyrubova said in her memoirs: “Standing behind the surgeon, the Empress, like every operating nurse, handed over sterilized instruments, cotton wool and bandages, carried away amputated legs and arms, bandaged gangrenous wounds, not disdaining anything and steadfastly enduring the smells and terrible pictures of a military hospital in time of war." Sophia Buxhoeveden wrote about the Tsarina as a nurse: “Her Majesty was distinguished by dexterity and agility, and she also brought to her work something that was especially valuable to the patient - the ability to perceive other people's suffering as her own and the ability to encourage and console the suffering. Neither mother nor daughters ever refused the most difficult and tedious work<…>This ability to encourage and console helped more than one wounded person to safely survive the painful moments before surgery. And many dying soldiers, thanks to her presence, departed into another world happier and calmer. The simplest person in her hospital could call the queen and see her near his bed.<…>Sometimes the empress barely had time to come home when she received a call from the hospital and was told that a patient with a particularly severe wound was calling her. And the empress looked for the first free minute to go to the hospital again in her car.”They thought badly of her
Alas, even people who knew the Queen from working in the hospital succumbed to “ public opinion"and thought badly of the Empress. Recently, a collection of materials for the biography of the Martyr Queen, entitled “Sorrowful Angel” (M. 2010, 2nd edition, author-compiler - S.V. Fomin), was published; it contains the diary entries of Valentina Ivanovna Chebotareva, a nurse with whom The Empress and the senior Grand Duchesses worked and loved her very much - letters from the Grand Duchesses to her from imprisonment have been preserved. With the diary of V.I. Chebotareva, who is of great interest, can also be found on the Internet. When the royal family was already under arrest, Valentina Ivanovna could not bring herself to write even a word of greeting former queen, not out of fear of revealing the prisoners’ involvement, but because she thought badly of the Empress and considered her to be to blame for everything. She herself writes about this in her diary, somewhat tormented... There is also such an entry in it, giving a lively sketch of one of the incidents in the life of the hospital, and also giving an idea of the “work” of evil thoughts (“revolutionary darkness”, as S. writes. Fomin) from the author of the entry: “We remembered an episode when, during an operation in Their presence, they announced to a soldier that it was necessary to take away right hand. In a desperate voice, he shouted: “Live without an arm? But why, what am I good for then, it’s better to kill now.” Tatyana, all in tears, rushed: “Mom, mom, quickly come here!” She came up and put her hand on her head: “Be patient, my dear, we are all here to endure, it will be better up there.” This is both Her conviction and her life credo. And how much more popular She would have become if she had promised him to immediately take care of the family, and the poor man would have calmed down.” But how was it known that the wounded man would have calmed down? According to other memoirs (take at least the excerpt from the memoirs of Sophia Buxhoeveden, given above), it is known that the queen had the gift of imparting religious peace to the wounded!In the “Diaries” of the Tsar and Queen, the time of imprisonment, published in 2008 by V.M. Khrustalev, provides excerpts from the diary of Princess E.A. Naryshkina, who voluntarily shared imprisonment with royal family in the Alexander Palace. This lady of state was already quite middle-aged, but she also shared the mood of “society” - at the same time as her devotion to the Queen!
When you get acquainted with what was happening in the minds of even people close to the Queen, you begin to imagine the “scope” of hatred that surrounded the Queen and served as almost the main “ driving force"revolutions.
Only about others and about Russia
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The Empress, as can be understood from her letters, from her reactions, from memories of her, adhered to the commandment of Christ: “What is that to you? You follow Me." She spent her time on good deeds, not on evil thoughts. The Russian reader knows very little about the deeds of mercy of our last Queen. They remained silent. Now, in the mentioned collection “Sorrowful Angel”, you can read the memoirs of Count V.E. Schulenburg, whose name is the Queen’s statement: “My duty is to be where they suffer.” This is rare and valuable material about the creation of the Home for the Disabled in Tsarskoe Selo, the director of which was Count V.E. Schulenburg
In captivity, the Queen was worried only about others. At the end of May 1917, she wrote to A.V. Syroboyarsky (one of the former wounded, with whom friendly relations remained): “As long as we are alive, we and ours together are a small, tightly knit family. We are also in the garden (that is, in freedom).<…>And remember those others, O God, how we suffer for them, what they worry about, the innocent ones...” In the same letter we read: “We must forever thank God for everything that we have given, and even if we have taken away, then perhaps if we endure everything without grumbling, it will be even brighter. You always have to hope, the Lord is so great, and you just have to pray, tirelessly asking Him to save your dear Motherland. It began to collapse quickly and terribly in such a short time”...When you read the Empress’s letters from captivity (especially those addressed to Anna Vyrubova), strong hope arises: her love will find another response. God does not leave any word powerless, and it cannot be that this love and this heartache for Russia (which has become the Motherland for the Empress, no matter what) should be in vain. They were, without a doubt, accepted by God, but they should also be accepted by us.
From Tobolsk, during Great Lent, about a month before Commissar Yakovlev took away the royal couple and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna to Yekaterinburg, namely March 2/15, 1918, i.e. exactly a year after the abdication of Nicholas II, the Empress writes to Yulia Den: “I mentally worry, day after day, the whole last year, and think about those whom I saw in last time. I’ve been healthy all the time, but for the last week my heart has been acting up and I’ve been feeling unwell, but that’s nothing. We cannot complain, we have everything, we live well, thanks to the touching kindness of the residents who secretly send us bread, fish, pies, etc. / Don’t worry about us, dear, dearly beloved. It’s bad for you all and for the Motherland!!! This is the most painful thing and my heart clenches with pain - what they did in one year. The Lord allowed it - so it is necessary so that they understand and open their eyes to deception and lies.<…>in general, everything is painful, all feelings are trampled under foot - and it is useful - the soul must grow and rise above everything else; what is most dear and tender in us is wounded - isn’t it? So we must understand that God is above everything and that He wants to bring us closer to Him through our suffering. Love Him more and stronger than everyone and everything. But my Motherland - my God, how I love it with all my being, and its suffering causes me real physical pain.<…>the people are powerless, but with the help of God everything is possible, and He will show His strength, wisdom and forgiveness and love - you just have to believe, wait and pray.”Similar articles
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