The last love of the last Romanovs: Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna. For the Empress's birthday: her love will still find a response

This term has other meanings, see Alexandra Fedorovna. Alexandra Fedorovna Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine von Preußen ... Wikipedia

Alexandra Fedorovna is the name given in Orthodoxy to two spouses Russian emperors: Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas I) (Princess Charlotte of Prussia; 1798 1860) Russian empress, wife of Nicholas I. Alexandra Feodorovna (wife ... ... Wikipedia

- (real name Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse Darmstadt) (1872 1918), Russian Empress, wife of Nicholas II (from 1894). Played a significant role in government affairs. She was strongly influenced by G.E. Rasputin. In period 1... ...Russian history

Alexandra Fedorovna- (1872 1918) empress (1894 1917), wife of Nicholas II (from 1894), born. Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice, daughter of Vel. Duke of Hesse of Darmstadt Ludwig IV and Alice of England. Since 1878, she was brought up in English. Queen Victoria; graduated... ...

Alexandra Fedorovna- (1798 1860) empress (1825 60), wife of Nicholas I (from 1818), born. Frederica Louise Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of the Prussian King Frederick William III and Queen Louise. Mother of the Imp. Al ra II and led. book Konstantin, Nikolai, Mikh. Nikolaevich and led. book... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic Dictionary

- (25.V.1872 16.VII. 1918) Russian. Empress, wife of Nicholas II (from November 14, 1894). Daughter led. Duke of Hesse of Darmstadt Ludwig IV. Before her marriage she was named Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice. Powerful and hysterical, had a great influence on... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Alexandra Fedorovna- ALEXANDRA FYODOROVNA (real name Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse of Darmstadt) (1872-1918), born. empress, wife of Nicholas II (since 1894). That means she was playing. role in government affairs. She was strongly influenced by G.E. Rasputin. In period 1... ... Biographical Dictionary

Russian Empress, wife of Nicholas II (from November 14, 1894). Daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, Louis IV of Darmstadt. Before her marriage she was named Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice. Imperious and hysterical,... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- ... Wikipedia

Books

The Fate of the Empress, Alexander Bokhanov. This book is about an amazing woman whose life was like both a fairy tale and an adventure novel. Empress Maria Feodorovna... Daughter-in-law of Emperor Alexander II, wife of the emperor...
The Fate of the Empress, Bokhanov A.N.. This book is about an amazing woman whose life was similar to both a fairy tale and an adventure novel. Empress Maria Feodorovna... Daughter-in-law of Emperor Alexander II, wife of the emperor...

May 25, 1872 – July 17, 1918

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Feodorovna) (nee Princess Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt), 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.

Name day (in Orthodoxy) - April 23 to Julian calendar, memory of the martyr Alexandra.

Biography

In 1878, a diphtheria epidemic spread in Hesse. Alice's mother and her died from it. younger sister May, after which Alice lived most of the time in the UK at Balmoral Castle and Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Alice was considered the favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who called her Sunny.

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. She arrived in Russia for the second time in January 1889 at the invitation of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. After staying in the Sergievsky Palace (St. Petersburg) for six weeks, the princess met and attracted Special attention heir to Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.

In the early 1890s, the marriage of Alice and Tsarevich Nicholas was opposed by the latter's parents, who hoped for his marriage to Helen Louise Henrietta, daughter of Louis-Philippe, Count of Paris. A key role in the arrangement of Alice’s marriage with Nikolai Alexandrovich was played by the efforts of her sister, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and the latter’s husband, through whom correspondence between the lovers was carried out. The position of Emperor Alexander and his wife changed due to the persistence of the crown prince and the deteriorating health of the emperor; On April 6, 1894, a manifesto announced the engagement of the Tsarevich and Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt. In the following months, Alice studied the basics of Orthodoxy under the guidance of the court protopresbyter John Yanyshev and the Russian language with teacher E. A. Schneider. On October 10 (22), 1894, she arrived in Crimea, in Livadia, where she stayed with the imperial family until the day of the emperor’s death Alexandra III- The 20th of October. On October 21 (November 2), 1894, she accepted Orthodoxy through confirmation there with the name Alexandra and patronymic Fedorovna (Feodorovna).

November 14 (26), 1894 (on the birthday of Empress Maria Feodorovna, which allowed for a retreat from mourning) in the Great Church Winter Palace The wedding of Alexandra and Nicholas II took place. 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.

Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova

Russian Empress, wife of Nicholas II (since 1894). Shot along with Nicholas II by order of the Ural Council in Yekaterinburg.

The martyrdom of the last Russian empress, her dignity and fortitude in the face of death, her devotion to her husband, her calm acceptance of the tragic lot made Alexandra Feodorovna in the eyes of her descendants almost a heroine, a saint who innocently suffered at the hands of murderers. However, history slowly but surely places in life powerful of the world everything is in its place. No matter how impressive the meekness and humility of the queen is in the painful hours of trials, no matter how admirable her words spoken in captivity are: “It is impossible to tear love from my heart for Russia, despite the black ingratitude towards the sovereign, which tears my heart apart” - one cannot help but remember that Alexandra Fedorovna was not only by fate the last Russian empress, but also “by vocation”, by the role she played in the destruction of the great statehood.

The young Princess Alice of Hesse, having lost her mother at the age of eight, was raised by her grandmother, Queen Victoria, in England. In 1886, she came to visit her sister, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, 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. In Russia, a young, exalted girl meets for the first time Orthodox service. After a modest Protestant service, the solemnity and splendor of the Russian rite made an enchanting impression on 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 marriage with the daughter of Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. 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 in sad days The suffering of the dying Alexander III probably turned Maria Feodorovna even more against the new empress.

Usually the wives of Russian heirs to the throne for a long time were on the sidelines. 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, she herself inner nature was not adapted for the vain royal craft.

Painfully withdrawn, Alexandra Fedorovna seemed to be the opposite example of the 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 engulfs the queen when communicating with strangers, prevented the establishment of simple, relaxed relationships with representatives of high society, which were vital for her. 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 a relaxed attitude towards herself in college students, turning into 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 diverse and even tragic. Alexandra Fedorovna’s excessive pride played a fatal role in this.

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. 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 female queen, 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 an 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 Feodorovna, 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 any 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. And soon the long-awaited miracle followed - the heir Alexey was born. However, the birth of a son did not bring peace to the royal family. The child suffered from a terrible hereditary disease - hemophilia, in which the walls of blood vessels burst from weakness and lead to difficult-to-stop bleeding. Around the time of the first attacks of this disease, fate, to the great misfortune of Russia, brought Grigory Rasputin to St. Petersburg.

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 instill in the empress 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. Realizing that the empress could be captured not by servility or by impeccable execution of court etiquette, the girl 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 Feodorovna 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 that A. Vyrubova played in last period 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.

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.

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. By your selfless act former king I wanted only one thing - to save my 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 Fedorovna... The execution in Yekaterinburg put an end to the 300-year reign of the House of Romanov in Russia.

Plan
Introduction
1 Biography
2 State duties
3 Policy impact (estimates)
4 Canonization

5.1 Letters, diaries, documents, photographs
5.2 Memories
5.3 Works of historians and publicists

Bibliography

Introduction

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Feodorovna) ( born princess Alice Victoria Helen Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt; May 25, 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.

Name day (in Orthodoxy) - April 23 according to the Julian calendar, memory of the martyr Alexandra.

1. Biography

Born in Darmstadt (Germany) in 1872. She was baptized on July 1, 1872 according to the Lutheran rite. The name given to her consisted of her mother's name (Alice) and four names of her aunts. Godparents were: Edward, Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII), Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich ( future emperor Alexander III) with his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, youngest daughter Queen Victoria Princess Beatrice, Augusta von Hesse-Cassel, Duchess of Cambridge and Maria Anna, Princess of Prussia.

In 1878, a diphtheria epidemic spread in Hesse. Alice's mother and her younger sister May died from it, after which Alice lived most of the time in the UK at Balmoral Castle and Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Alice was considered the favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who called her Sunny("Sun").

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. She arrived in Russia for the second time in January 1889 at the invitation of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. After staying in the Sergius Palace (St. Petersburg) for six weeks, the princess met and attracted the special attention of the heir to Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.

In the early 1890s, the latter’s parents, who hoped for his marriage to Helena Louise Henrietta, daughter of Louis-Philippe, Count of Paris, were against the marriage of Alice and Tsarevich Nicholas. A key role in the arrangement of Alice’s marriage with Nikolai Alexandrovich was played by the efforts of her sister, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and the latter’s husband, through whom correspondence between the lovers was carried out. The position of Emperor Alexander and his wife changed due to the persistence of the crown prince and the deteriorating health of the emperor; On April 6, 1894, a manifesto announced the engagement of the Tsarevich and Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt. In the following months, Alice studied the basics of Orthodoxy under the guidance of the court protopresbyter John Yanyshev and the Russian language with teacher E. A. Schneider. On October 10 (22), 1894, she arrived in Crimea, in Livadia, where she stayed with the imperial family until the death of Emperor Alexander III - October 20. On October 21 (November 2), 1894, she accepted Orthodoxy through confirmation there with the name Alexandra and patronymic Fedorovna (Feodorovna).

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 301-shot cannon salute was fired. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich wrote in his emigrant memoirs about their first days of marriage:

The family lived most of the time in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo. In 1896, Alexandra and Nikolai traveled to Nizhny Novgorod for the All-Russian Exhibition. And in August 1896 they made a trip to Vienna, and in September-October - to Germany, Denmark, England and France.

In subsequent years, the Empress gave birth to four daughters: Olga (November 3 (15), 1895), Tatiana (May 29 (June 10), 1897), Maria (June 14 (26), 1899) and Anastasia (June 5 (18), 1901 of the year). On July 30 (August 12), 1904, a fifth child was born in Peterhof and The only son- Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. Alexandra Feodorovna was a carrier of the hemophilia gene; the Tsarevich was born a hemophiliac.

In 1897 and 1899, the family traveled to Alexandra Feodorovna’s homeland in Darmstadt. During these years, the Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene was built in Darmstadt, which is still in operation today.

On July 17-20, 1903, the Empress participated in the celebrations of the glorification and opening of the relics St. Seraphim Sarovsky in the Sarov Desert.

For entertainment, Alexandra Feodorovna played the piano with the professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory R.V. Kündinger. The Empress also took singing lessons from Conservatory professor N.A. Iretskaya. Sometimes she sang a duet with one of the court ladies: Anna Vyrubova, Alexandra Taneyeva, Emma Fredericks (daughter of V.B. Fredericks) or Maria Stackelberg.

In 1915, at the height of the First World War, the Tsarskoye Selo hospital was converted to receive wounded soldiers. Alexandra Feodorovna, together with her daughters Olga and Tatyana, were trained in nursing by Princess V.I. Gedroits, and then assisted her during operations as surgical nurses.

During February Revolution Alexandra Feodorovna was placed under house arrest in the Alexander Palace. Yu.A. remained with her. Den, who helped her look after the Grand Duchesses and A.A. Vyrubova. At the beginning of August 1917, the royal family was exiled to Tobolsk by decision of the Provisional Government. Later, by decision of the Bolsheviks, they were transported to Yekaterinburg.

Alexandra Fedorovna was shot along with her entire family on the night of July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg.

2. State duties

Empress Alexandra was the chief of the regiments: the Life Guards of Her Majesty's Uhlan, the 5th Hussars of Alexandria, the 21st East Siberian Rifle and Crimean Cavalry, and among the foreign ones - the Prussian 2nd Guards Dragoon Regiment.

The Empress also worked charitable activities. By the beginning of 1909, under her patronage there were 33 charitable societies, communities of nurses, shelters, orphanages and similar institutions, among which: the Committee for finding places for military ranks who suffered in the war with Japan, the House of Charity for crippled soldiers, the Imperial Women's Patriotic Society , Trusteeship of Labor Assistance, Her Majesty's School of Nannies in Tsarskoe Selo, Peterhof Society for Welfare of the Poor, Society for Assistance with Clothes to the Poor of St. Petersburg, Brotherhood in the Name of the Queen of Heaven for the charity of idiotic and epileptic children, Alexandria Shelter for Women and others.

Policy impact (estimates)

Count S. Yu. Witte, former Chairman The Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire (1905-1906) wrote that Nicholas II:

General A. A. Mosolov, who was from 1900 to 1916 the head of the chancellery of the Ministry of the Imperial Household, testified in his memoirs that the empress failed to become popular in her new fatherland, and from the very beginning the tone of this hostility was set by her mother-in-law, Empress Maria Feodorovna, who hated Germans; against her, according to his testimony, the influential Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, which ultimately led to society's aversion from the throne.

Senator V.I. Gurko, discussing the origins of the “mutual alienation that has grown over the years between society and the queen,” wrote in exile:

The Empress' chamberlain M. F. Zanotti showed investigator A. N. Sokolov:

Review of the Empress ballerina M. F. Kshesinskaya, ex-lover Tsarevich Nicholas in 1892-1894, in her emigrant memoirs:

4. Canonization

In 1981 Alexandra Fedorovna and all members royal family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, in August 2000 - by the Russian Orthodox Church.

At canonization, Alexandra Feodorovna became Queen Alexandra the New, since Queen Alexandra was already among the saints.

Literature

5.1. Letters, diaries, documents, photographs

· August Sisters of Mercy. / Comp. N.K. Zvereva. - M.: Veche, 2006. - 464 p. - ISBN 5-9533-1529-5. (Excerpts from the diaries and letters of the queen and her daughters during World War I).

· Album of photographs of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, 1895-1911. // Russian Archive: History of the Fatherland in testimonies and documents of the 18th-20th centuries: Almanac.. - M.: Studio TRITE: Ros. Archive, 1992. - T. I-II.

· Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova. Wonderful Light: Diary entries, correspondence, biography. / Comp. nun Nektaria (Mac Lees).- Moscow: Brotherhood of St. Herman of Alaska, Publishing House Russian Pilgrim, Valaam Society of America, 2005. - 656 p. - ISBN 5-98644-001-3.

· Reports on cash inflows and outflows. amounts received at the disposal of Her Majesty G.I. Alexandra Feodorovna for the needs of the war with Japan for 1904-1909.

· Report on the activities of Her Majesty's Warehouse in St. Petersburg. for the entire period of its existence, from February 1, 1904 to May 3, 1906.

· Report on the activities of Her Majesty's Central Warehouse in Harbin.

· Letters from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to Emperor Nicholas II. - Berlin: Slovo, 1922. (In Russian and English).

· Platonov O. A. crown of thorns Russia: Nicholas II in secret correspondence. - M.: Rodnik, 1996. - 800 p. (Correspondence of Nicholas II and his wife).

· The last diaries of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova: February 1917 - July 16, 1918 / Compiled, ed., preface, introduction. and comment. V. A. Kozlova and V. M. Khrustalev - Novosibirsk: Sibirsk. chronograph, 1999. - 341 p. - (Archive modern history Russia. Publications. Vol. 1 / Federal Archive Service of Russia, GARF).

· Tsesarevich: Documents, memories, photographs. - M.: Vagrius, 1998. - 190 pp.: ill.

5.2. Memories

· Gurko V.I. King and queen. - Paris, 1927. (And other publications)

· Den Yu. A. The True Queen: Memoirs close friend Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. - St. Petersburg: Tsarskoye Delo, 1999. - 241 p.

Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova was born on June 7, 1872 in Darmstatt. The future Empress was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse - Ludwig of Darmstadt and the English Princess Alice.

The parents named their daughter Alix Elena Louise Beatrice. She was the sixth child in the family. It is worth noting that her grandmother was Queen Victoria of England.

Alix's mother loved England, and her children received a real English upbringing. The daughter had oatmeal for breakfast, ate potatoes and meat for lunch, and for dessert she ate puddings and baked apples. Alix slept on a soldier's cot, and in the mornings she took a cold bath.

Since childhood, Alix was characterized by shyness, which she had to struggle with in adulthood. Her mother died early, saw Alix and the death of her little brother, who died due to an accident. These events left a deep mark on her heart.

After the death of her mother, Alix took up her studies, and very diligently. Her teacher was Margaret Jackson, an Englishwoman who had a great influence on the formation of the personality of the future empress. By the age of 15, the girl knew literature, history, art, geography and mathematics very well.

She played the piano well. The princess knew foreign languages- English and French, read serious literature.

Alix met her future husband Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov for the first time at a wedding older sister, who married Nikolai’s uncle, Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov. When visiting her sister, she more than once met with the heir to the Russian throne.

In 1889, he wanted to marry Alix, but did not receive the blessing of his parents. and Maria Fedorovna Romanov believed that Alix was not best wife for the future emperor. For a long time, Nikolai and Alix corresponded and exchanged gifts.

In the spring of 1894, the parents nevertheless gave their consent to the marriage of Nicholas II to Alix. It was not an easy decision. In order to become the wife of Nikolai Alexandrovich, Alix had to convert to Christianity. It was very difficult for Alix to renounce Lutheranism, but she still accepted Orthodoxy. The influence of Nicholas II and his older sister Ella, who converted to Orthodoxy when she became the wife of Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, had an effect.

Alix arrived in the Russian Empire shortly before the death of her husband's father, Alexander III. The baptism was performed by John of Kronstadt. During the baptismal ceremony, Alix received Russian name. Now she was called Alexandra Fedorovna. She received the middle name Fedorovna later, before the wedding. German princesses accepted Orthodox faith in front of the image Holy Mother of God Feodorovskaya - patroness of the royal dynasty.

Alexandra Fedorovna diligently prepared for marriage. The future Empress diligently studied the Russian language. Russian speech came very easily to her. She quickly learned to write and read, and a little later she was able to speak Russian fluently. In addition to the usual Russian language, Alexandra Fedorovna learned and Church Slavonic language. This allowed her to read liturgical books and the works of Russian saints.

On November 27, 1894, their wedding took place. The wedding ceremony was performed by John of Kronstadt. The royal couple, who were in mourning for the death of Alexander III, did not organize receptions or celebrations. IN Honeymoon the young ones didn’t go either.

Contemporaries describe Alexandra Fedorovna as a very graceful woman. She was fragile, beautifully built, with a beautiful neck and shoulders. She wore her hair long, it was golden and thick. The empress's complexion is pink, like small child. The eyes are large, dark gray, always lively. Later, sorrows and anxieties betrayed a hidden sadness into the empress’s eyes.

On May 27, 1896, the coronation of the royal family took place in the Assumption Cathedral. Anointing to the throne, a church sacrament, is the sovereign’s oath to rule the country, accepting responsibility for the state and people before God. Absolute power brings absolute responsibility. During the crowning ceremony, a tragedy occurred on the Khodynskoe field...

Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II were depressed. But the planned celebrations could not be cancelled. Russia's ally, France, has invested heavily in the festivities, and would be very offended if the festivities were cancelled. The royal couple spent a lot of time in Moscow hospitals, empathizing with the victims.

From the first days of her anointing, the Empress wanted to slightly change the life of high Russian society. Her first project for this occasion is the organization of a circle of needlewomen, consisting of court ladies. Each of its participants had to sew three dresses a year and send them to the poor. The circle did not last long.

In 1895, Alexandra Fedorovna became a mother. The Empress gave birth to a daughter. In total she had 5 children. Four daughters and one son - the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei. Russian society treated the empress coldly. Soon this coldness grew into open confrontation and hatred. Therefore, she plunged headlong into family affairs and charitable causes.

Alexandra Fedorovna felt happy only in the circle of her loved ones. She raised the children herself. I thought that communicating with young ladies high society would spoil her children, which is why she rarely took them to appointments. She did not spoil the children, although she loved them dearly. I ordered dresses for them myself. The clothes of the royal children also included ceremonial uniforms with skirts, which corresponded to the uniform of the regiments led by the Grand Duchesses.

Alexandra Feodorovna was a great devotee of charity. She was an impeccable mother and wife, and knew firsthand what love and pain were. She provided all possible assistance to mothers in need. During the famine that broke out in 1898, she donated 50 thousand rubles from her personal funds for the hungry.

On the initiative of the Empress, in Russian Empire workhouses, schools for nurses, and orthopedic clinics for sick children were created. Since the beginning, she spent all her funds on helping widows of soldiers, wounded and orphans. Alexandra Feodorovna also cared about the school of folk art, which she founded in St. Petersburg.

She taught the children to keep diaries and write letters. Thus, she instilled literacy in them. It was a kind of educational trick. Children learned to express their thoughts competently and coherently and share their impressions. The royal couple exemplified true Christian life.

The relationship between the Emperor and the Empress was based on sincere love, which they gave not only to each other, but also to their children. The Romanov couple waited a long time for an heir; for a long time, they prayed to God for a son. And, on August 12, 1904, a son was born into the family -.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova did not get involved in state affairs, although her influence on the sovereign was enormous. The main concern in her life was still her children, whose upbringing took all her time.

During the First World War, when the Emperor became the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and was at Headquarters, the Empress began to think about state affairs, as it should be in such cases. Alexandra Fedorovna, together with her daughters, worked in hospitals. Often at night she came to the cemetery where the soldiers were buried. She walked around the graves and fervently prayed for the souls of the deceased Russian soldiers.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova was brutally murdered along with her husband and children on July 17, 1918 in the basement of the Ipatiev House. The main thing in the life of the empress was love for God and neighbor, caring for her family and those in need. Prayer was a consolation for Alexandra Fedorovna, the inspiration for all the merciful deeds of the empress.