Family of Alexander II
Alexey Kharlamov. Portrait of Emperor Alexander II. 1874
Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich loved women from a young age. All life. Even before his marriage, he experienced several ordinary youthful romances, which his parents turned a blind eye to, considering them a natural tribute to age. So, at the age of 15, he flirted with his mother’s maid of honor Natalya Nikolaevna Borozdina, who was two years older than him. Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich **** The most serious “premarital” hobby of the future Alexander II was the beautiful Polish woman, his mother’s maid of honor Olga Kalinovskaya. The novel began in January 1837 at the so-called Chinese masquerade, at which Kalinovskaya portrayed the first court lady. The Tsarevich was then 19 years old. Olga Kalinovskaya, artist Joseph Desiree Court ************ Relations between young people, of course, were under strict “control” by the Empress-mother Alexandra Feodorovna and father Nikolai Pavlovich. Naturally, these relationships were platonic in nature, but at their young age they were experienced very passionately. Sverchkov Vladimir Dmitrievich 1820-1888, portrait of Emperor Nicholas I Empress Alexandra Feodorovna *** After completing his education in 1838, the Tsarevich went to Europe. By this time, a list of potential brides had already been compiled for him. According to the testimony of the crown prince’s younger sister: “Sasha left with a heavy heart. He was in love with Olga Kalinovskaya and was afraid that during his absence she would be married off.” Nevertheless, a sense of duty forced the Tsarevich to pay close attention to the prepared “list,” and what was supposed to happen happened: Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich drew attention to one of the German princesses. Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich **** During a large familiarization tour of Europe in 1838–1839. Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich stayed for one night in Darmstadt. This chance, unplanned, fleeting stop in March 1839 ultimately sealed his fate. It was there that he first saw the 15-year-old daughter of the Darmstadt Duke Ludwig II, Princess Maximilian, Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria, and became interested in her. An agreement was reached between the parents of the young princess and the Russian crown prince on a future engagement. Darmstadt Princess Maximilian Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria *** However, not everything turned out to be simple, and this revealed the inconsistent and weak character of the crown prince. The fact is that after returning from Germany in 1839, “his love for Olga Kalinovskaya again flared up with a hot flame. Several times he stated that because of her he agreed to give up everything... Dad was very dissatisfied with Sasha’s weakness. Back in March, he said that he agreed to marry the Princess of Darmstadt, and now, after four months, he already wanted to break up with her. These were difficult days. They decided that Olga should leave the Yard.” Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich V.I. Gau **** Nicholas I considered it necessary to personally talk with the maid of honor, explaining to her “ in simple words, that not only two hearts, but the future of an entire state is at stake.”. As a result, Olga Kalinovskaya was removed from the Imperial Court, and she soon married Count Oginsky. The parents were not at all happy about this hobby of their eldest son, although they understood that for a 20-year-old boy such hobbies were completely normal. How much the parents feared the “Kalinovskaya option” is evidenced by an eloquent remark in a letter from Nikolai Pavlovich in 1841: “ His longing for a Polish woman, God forbid ! But the parents did not put direct pressure on their son. Although it is customary to consider Nicholas I a martinet, in his relations with his children he behaved carefully and subtly. Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich and Maria Alexandrovna **** After the removal of the maid of honor and several difficult conversations with his father, Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich left for Germany in the spring of 1840, where on March 4 his engagement was announced in Darmstadt. In the summer, the Tsarevich introduced the bride to his parents. On August 8, 1840, the ceremonial entry of the Hessian princess into St. Petersburg took place. On December 5, 1840, she accepted the name Maria Alexandrovna in Orthodoxy, and the next day - December 6, 1840, the name day of Nicholas I - the young people were engaged. The wedding took place in April 1841. **** Exactly a year after Maria Alexandrovna’s ceremonial entry into St. Petersburg, Nicholas I remembered how much nerves the “Kalinovskaya case” had cost him, so in a letter to Adjutant General A.A. Nikolai Pavlovich wrote to Kavelin, dated August 8, 1841: “His inclination towards Olga Kalinovskaya could not escape my eyes; Without paying more attention to this than I should have, I explained to my son that no matter how natural it is at his age to prefer one female person to another, one should not, however, give free rein to dreams or inclinations when they are not decent in rank, not by the position of the persons.” It is noteworthy that the father of many children, Nicholas I, treated all his sons’ wives very kindly. But he was especially kind to his eldest daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna: “Dad happily watched the manifestation of the strength of this young character and admired Marie’s ability to control herself. This, in his opinion, balanced the lack of energy in Sasha, which was a constant concern for him.” Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna V.I. Gau *** The Tsarevich's family grew rapidly. From 1842 to 1860, Maria Alexandrovna gave birth to 8 children - two girls and six boys. However, Alexander II, “coming of age,” acquired a strong reputation as a “lover of life.” He was always very attentive to women, and many fleeting love affairs happened in his life. According to tradition, the monarch’s “fun” was turned a blind eye, since this is also one of the traditions of the Imperial Court. Empress Maria Alexandrovna outwardly tried not to react to her husband’s rapidly changing “fun.” Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna with her son Nicholas Views of the halls of the Winter Palace. Cabinet of Emperor Alexander II Alexandra Alexandrovna (August 18, 1842 - June 16, 1849) - died of meningitis; Children of Alexander II Sverchkov Nikolai Egorovich - Riding in a Carriage (Alexander II With Children) Emperor Alexander II with children no younger Paul. Photo of 1860. Alexander II with his son Paul Alexander II with his daughter Maria and son Alexei *** Objective circumstances also affected the relationship of the married couple: the empress became increasingly unhealthy and was losing weight. However, the situation changed radically in 1860 after the birth of the last child, Pavel Alexandrovich. Doctors declared that the next pregnancy would kill the empress, and marital relations between Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna completely ceased. Portrait of Emperor Alexander II Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna Franz Xavier Winterhalter *** After this, a new passion immediately appeared next to Alexander II. She became the empress's maid of honor, the young princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova. The fact that ladies-in-waiting were used at the Court for adultery was common. In the second half of the 19th century. they were replaced by ballerinas. Maids of honor, like ballerinas, were not married. But the maid of honor E.M. Dolgorukova became the only one who ended her story with a legal marriage to the emperor. This was the last love of the aging emperor for a woman 29 years younger than him. Their relationship lasted 14 years, and four children were born into the second family of Emperor Alexander II. Unknown photographer. Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova is a graduate of the Smolny Institute and her daughter-in-law, Princess Louise Dolgorukova, née Marquise Chereche Maggiore (wife of brother Mikhail). 1860s. From the publication E KL452/2005 Alexander I. 2005, p. 10 Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna. **** Meanwhile, Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna very modestly celebrated their silver wedding in 1866. Modestly because the year-long mourning for the deceased eldest son had barely ended. This tragic event literally broke the empress. From that time on, she constantly wore mourning. She had no time for traditional family celebrations. The memoirist mentions that their Majesty’s silver wedding “was celebrated as a family, without any official celebration. Only the closest people gathered in the morning to bring congratulations " Portrait of Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich. Sergei Konstantinovich Zaryanko Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna in mourning **** Alexander II gave his wife April 16, 1866 " ring similar to a wedding ring with the number “XXV”» diamond and gold Easter egg with double engagement number and her 25th anniversary; the same number was depicted on a bracelet with a large pearl and on a portrait of the Tsar in full dress uniform of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment (in this uniform he asked for her hand).” There were other gifts too. Maria Alexandrovna received a vase made of lapis glaze from the Peterhof lapidary factory, and each of the children received an Easter egg made of hard stone. In addition, the youngest sons, Sergei and Pavel, received “ baskets with live pugs to add to their collection" . Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, I.K. Makarov Emperor Alexander II with his family. Late 1860s Top row from left to right: Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, heir Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich with his wife Tsesarevna Maria Fedorovna and Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich; bottom row: the only daughter of Alexander II, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna; Grand Dukes Sergei and Pavel Alexandrovich; Empress Maria Alexandrovna and Emperor Alexander II. **** The inevitable, but kept to a minimum, ceremonial public events also took place. The sister of Alexander II, Queen of Württemberg Olga Nikolaevna, arrived at the family celebration. Of the outsiders, only Prince A.I. was present at the celebration. Baryatinsky, invited by the Tsar as his best man at the wedding in 1841. On April 16, 1866, at 11 o’clock in the morning, all members of the Imperial family gathered in the Winter Palace, and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (the Elder), on behalf of the entire royal house, presented the icon of the three saints to the imperial couple , which Alexander II himself took to the Small Church of the Winter Palace for permanent placement. Following this, a mass with a prayer of thanks was served. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon the entire Imperial family went to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where a memorial service for Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich took place. This ended the family celebrations. Two days later, on April 18, 1866, a large ball for 1000 people took place in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace, which, in fact, ended the public celebrations in St. Petersburg. Portrait of Prince Alexander Ivanovich Baryatinsky. **** Nicholas Hall Konstantin Andreevich Ukhtomsky. Interiors of the Winter Palace **** By this time, Alexander II already had a certain reputation among the fair half of high society. Contemporaries who paid attention to the smallest nuances in the emperor’s behavior (for example, Count S.D. Sheremetev mentions that “everyone already knew the movement of his hand when he took out his handkerchief, and by this movement they judged the mood of his spirit”), noted that, “not being influenced by men, Alexander II had an unusual weakness for women. People close to him, who sincerely loved him, said that in the presence of a woman he becomes a completely different person.” Mikhail Alexandrovich Zichy (1827-1906) Mikhail Alexandrovich Zichy (1827-1906) **** Despite the fact that the family practically broke up, and the presence of a second family with Alexander II was an open secret (i.e., a secret that everyone knows), nevertheless, at the official level everything looked very decent. Family anniversaries were celebrated regularly. So, on March 13, 1874, the family celebrated the 35th anniversary of the first meeting of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna. At the so-called hunting dinner there were roses and the first strawberries. In 1876, another family anniversary took place, connected with the 35th anniversary of the wedding of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna. On April 16, Alexander II gave his wife a bracelet with a large diamond (diamond), which could also be worn as a brooch. Memorable dates are engraved on the bracelet " 1841–1876 " In addition, he transferred 100,000 rubles as a “gift” to his wife’s account. At the end there was a big family dinner. Libovich, V.N. Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna visiting Potemkina T.B. - Early 1870s. Family of Alexander II Family of Alexander II *** By this time, little Katenka Dolgorukova had long and firmly held her common-law husband in her hands. Alexander II really loved his “dusya”, although he already knew well all her shortcomings. In 1868, he wrote to his Katenka: “I know my disgusting minx to the very bottom and I love my darling to the point of madness with all her shortcomings, just as God created her.” Suscipj, Lorenzo. Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna. - Late 1860s – early 1870s. - *** They loved each other. All their correspondence testifies to this. They had their own “language”. In the photographs donated by E. Dolgorukova, Alexander II wrote in French: “T disgusting howl Munka, who adores you"(1868); " From your Munka, who loves you more than his soul."(1878). Dolgorukova herself was no less frank: “ I love you with passion, like crazy... to find myself in your arms and forget the whole world.” (1868); “So, until tonight, until 3/4, and let’s scream like cats. This is something I have a terrible passion for. I kiss you passionately" (1870). Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna **** However, he is the emperor of a huge country, and she came from an impoverished princely family. Therefore, in E. Dolgorukova’s love there was also frank practicality. The entire extensive correspondence between E. Dolgorukova and Alexander II is imbued with the princess’s concern for her position and for the future of her children. E. Dolgorukova made it so that the emperor, at the beginning of their relationship, swore in front of the icon that he would marry her when he became free. Dolgorukova wrote in her memoirs: “He swore to me in front of the image that he would be devoted to me forever and that his only dream was to marry me if he was ever free.” Alexander II, as best he could, reassured “Dusya” and in his will, drawn up on September 8/20, 1876, he provided for her and the future of their children financially. He amended this will several times. Ultimately, in the fall of 1880, in the name of E.M. Dolgorukova deposited capital into the State Treasury, which by the time of the death of Alexander II amounted to more than 3 million rubles. Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna As a result of the examination, the authorship of K.E. was confirmed. Makovsky (1839 – 1915). The identities of those depicted in the portrait have been established: the children of Emperor Alexander II and His Serene Highness Princess Yuryevskaya - George, Catherine, Olga. Expert N.S. Ignatova. **** Alexander II, without particularly hiding, lived in two families. When the official royal family moved to Tsarskoe Selo, E.M. also moved there. Dolgorukova with children. Until 1877, she lived in the house of the Commandant of the Imperial Main Apartment A.M. Ryleeva. This single and childless general was involved in raising Dolgorukova’s children, and after the death of Alexander II he became their guardian. Over time, in Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof for E.M. Dolgorukova bought dachas. A.I.Gebens. Officials of the Imperial Headquarters. 1860. Oil on canvas. GMZ "Tsarskoe Selo". depicted: P.N. Sleptsov, A.I. Musin-Pushkin, Captain A.M. Ryleev, Count Palen, Count K.K. de Lambert, Prince A.I. Baryatinsky, Count N.T. Baranov, Count V.F. Adlerberg, Prince A.F. Orlov, F.I. Leclerc, Protopresbyter Fr. Bazhanov, Count P.A. Shuvalov, An.I. Baryatinsky **** In 1877, repair work began in the Zubov wing of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo on the “half” of Alexander II. Several rooms previously used as service premises (Reinknecht and Standard) were converted into living quarters. It is quite possible that E lived in these rooms. Dolgorukova. It is known for sure that in 1877 E.M. Dolgorukova was given rooms next to the apartments of Alexander II in the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace. Luigi Premazzi: Cameron Gallery and Zubovsky Wing. Dressing room (restroom) of Alexander II E. Gau. Living room of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Bedroom of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** For the adult children of Alexander II, the fact that their father had a second family was no secret. However, everyone behaved as if no Katenka existed in nature, although Ekaterina Dolgorukova did not miss the opportunity to indicate her presence next to the emperor. Mostly scandals. So, in August 1877, in an anonymous letter to the head of the Tsarskoye Selo palace administration, Rebinder, she demanded “to send to the apartment of Adjutant General Ryleev the share of fruit that is assigned to the sovereign himself during his stay here.” Rebinder ignored the letter and continued to send the best fruits from the Tsarskoye Selo greenhouses to Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Then Katenka wrote a complaint to Alexander II, who at that time was in the Danube army, which was besieging Plevna. As a result of this correspondence from the banks of the Danube, Rebinder received a telegram with the highest order to send Dolgorukova “ fruit intended for the sovereign himself" Emperor Alexander II with his family Emperor Alexander II with his sons Alexander, Vladimir and Alexei. Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** At the beginning of 1879, even before a series of assassination attempts on Alexander II, the emperor moved his second family to the Winter Palace. Ekaterina Dolgorukova was placed on the third floor of the southwestern risalit of the imperial residence. According to the memoirists, the laughter and screams of small children were clearly heard in Maria Alexandrovna’s living room, which was located on the floor below. However, the empress did not reproach her husband with a word or a look. Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** Boudoir of Empress Maria Alexandrovna Raspberry Study of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** From this time on, Ekaterina Dolgorukova began to interfere in state affairs. Judging by the memoirs of E. Dolgorukova, her influence even extended to the emperor’s security. Thus, after the April 1879 assassination attempt on Palace Square, Alexander II, at the request of E. Dolgorukova, abandoned daily morning walks around his residence and instead took a daily morning walk through the large halls of the Winter Palace " in the company of his three children born from his marriage to Princess Yuryevskaya" She constantly consulted on security issues with Count Loris-Melikov and A. Ryleev, and discussed these issues with Alexander II. According to her, “she usually sought such information, guided by concerns inspired by her sincere affection.” Her energy can be understood: a young, thirty-three-year-old woman with three children (one child died) understood that all her well-being rested on the life and health of Alexander II, who was in his 63rd year and on whom assassination attempts were constantly being made. Emperor Alexander II, Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukaya and their children Georgy and Olga Most Serene Princess E.M. Yuryevskaya with her son Georgy and daughter Olga. 1880s Georgy Olga **** Some of the courtiers immediately “changed orientation”, paying close attention to E. Dolgorukova. All sorts of businessmen began to revolve around Katenka, well aware of the degree of her influence on the aging Alexander II. So, S.Yu. Witte, a prominent political figure, mentioned that Katenka did not disdain loot for these businessmen “ various concessions and benefits" And, of course, not disinterestedly. “Finally,” on May 20, 1880, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, after a long illness, died alone in the Winter Palace. Alexander II at this time lived with his “darling” in the Zubov wing of the Grand Catherine Palace. On May 20, hot days began for Katenka Dolgorukova, during which she showed frantic energy and iron will. She literally “forged while it was hot...”. Köhler I.P. Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna Ivan Kramskoy Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *********** How Alexander II’s relationship with Ekaterina Dolgorukova developed in May-June 1880 is illustrated by their correspondence. On the day of his wife’s death, May 20, 1880, Alexander II wrote to Dolgorukova: “ You know... that I will fulfill my duty, only circumstances will allow me to do so.”. The next day, Alexander II informed the Minister of the Imperial Court A.V. Adlerberg about his desire to enter into a legal marriage with Ekaterina Dolgorukova. The tsar recorded the results of this conversation in his diary on May 22, 1880: “Adlerberg, having presented many objections, does not advise me to enter into a new marriage. I must admit that in some respects he is right, but I could not speak with him with complete frankness. I gave my word of honor and must keep it, even if Russia and History will not forgive me for this.” Adlerberg Alexander Vladimirovich (05/01/1818 – 09/22/1888) *** Only after the death of Alexander II, the Minister of the Imperial Court A.V. Adlerberg shared his impressions of this conversation with his loved ones. He emphasized that “the late sovereign was completely in the hands of Princess Yuryevskaya, who would have brought the sovereign to the most extreme recklessness, to disgrace.” According to the minister, he was " extremely indignant “The king’s intention to marry when the body of his wife, the mother of his children, has not yet been buried. Adlerberg was categorically against this marriage, Alexander II insisted on his desire: “The Emperor, for his part, argued for the necessity of the proposed marriage, considering himself obliged to this by a sense of honor, conscience and religion. He got excited, worried, and our heated argument lasted more than an hour.” Finally, Adlerberg managed to convince the king to maintain minimal decorum and postpone the marriage. Empress Maria Alexandrovna on her deathbed **** For Katenka, the delay seemed like a disaster. She began to put hard pressure on Alexander II, demanding the immediate fulfillment of his promise to marry. The king did not give up his promise, but wanted to maintain basic decency, and the persistence of the “dusi” began to irritate him. In a letter to her dated May 27, 1880, Alexander II wrote: “But you must understand, dear darling, that it is unpleasant for me to touch such an object when the body of the deceased has not yet been buried. Therefore, we will not talk about this, for you know me well enough not to doubt my word.” Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna **** Alexander II really kept his word. When the 40th day passed after the death of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, he decisively announced A.V. Adlerberg about his desire to get married: “The Emperor, during one of my reports, amazed me again by announcing his decision not to delay the fulfillment of his intention any longer and to perform the ceremony immediately, in a secret way. I again tried to reject him, presenting all the indecency of such an act before the expiration of a year after the death of the Empress. During the entire time that I was speaking, the sovereign sat silently, pale, embarrassed, his hands were shaking, suddenly he gets up and, without saying a word, goes into another room. I was completely at a loss to figure out what I could do, and I also intended to leave, when suddenly the door opened again and a woman entered; behind her I see the figure of the sovereign, who, having let the princess into the office, closes the door behind her. It was a strange position for me to find myself face to face with a woman with whom I had to speak for the first time and who attacked me with sharp reproaches for dissuading the sovereign from fulfilling his duty of honor. I was forced to contradict her, so a stormy scene took place between us, which lasted for quite a long time. In the midst of our heated argument, the door to the office half opened, and the head of the sovereign appeared, who meekly asked if it was time for him to enter. To this the princess answered heatedly: “No, leave us to finish the conversation.” The Emperor slammed the door again and only a few moments later entered the office, when the princess herself, having poured out all her anger at me, left the office.” **** This scene struck the Minister of the Imperial Household A.V. Adlerberg. For the first time he saw and heard how the autocratic owner of a multimillion-dollar empire was expelled from his own office! At that moment, he apparently understood quite clearly who would rule this empire. Adlerberg Alexander Vladimirovich (05/01/1818 – 09/22/1888) *** The wedding of Alexander II and Catherine Dolgorukova took place on July 6, 1880 in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo in front of the marching altar of Alexander I. Despite the secrecy, the fact of the wedding immediately became widely known. The imperial family and St. Petersburg high society were shocked by the act of Alexander II. In the fall of 1880, in Crimean Livadia, the young wife was officially introduced to the children of Alexander II from his first marriage. Catherine's Palace L. Premazzi. *** For the young grand dukes, the youngest sons of Alexander II, this became a real tragedy. At the same time, Alexander II informed his sons about his marriage through their teacher Arsentyev, “for them it was a terrible blow; they had a cult for the memory of their mother, who had so recently died. Sergei Alexandrovich knew about his father’s connection, but he set himself the task of preventing his younger brother, Grand Duke Pavel, from learning anything about it.” Soon after returning to St. Petersburg from Livadia, Ekaterina Dolgorukova, by the Highest Decree (dated December 5/17, 1880), turned into Princess Yuryevskaya. According to rumors circulating in St. Petersburg living rooms, such a “surname” was associated with one of the Romanov family legends. Allegedly, Emperor Paul I “by posthumous order named his side daughter Yuryevskaya, who was about to be born, which prompted the late sovereign to name his side children and their mother Yuryevsky.” Princess Ekaterina Yuryevskaya (Dolgorukaya) *** The children’s reaction was passive and demonstrative. For example, Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, who in the 1870s. willingly lived in Tsarskoe Selo, in the Alexander Palace, from the day of the wedding of Alexander II with Princess Yuryevskaya he stopped visiting the Alexander Palace. Ivan Tyurin. Portrait led. book Alexander Alexandrovich. 1865. State Historical Museum Alexander Palace Meyer. **** In St. Petersburg, the events of the summer and autumn of 1880 became the main subject of conversation. Almost everyone condemned the aging emperor and sympathized with his children. A.N. Benoit was a child then, but he also remembered the unanimous condemnation of Alexander II’s hasty marriage. Much later, he recalled: “That summer we did not move to the dacha, and Aunt Lisa did not interrupt her weekly visits, which is why I especially remember this anger of hers, accompanied by completely convinced prophecies: God will certainly punish him for such a violation of divine and human laws! " Portrait of Alexander II., Konstantin Makovsky **** The pace of events in the second half of 1880 did not satisfy the claims of the ambitious “dusya”. In the depths of the Ministry of the Imperial Household, unofficial preparations began for her coronation and the transformation of Princess Yuryevskaya into Empress Catherine III. The ambitions of Princess Yuryevskaya were strongly supported by the then all-powerful “dictator”, Minister of Internal Affairs M.T. Loris-Melikov, who maintained the most friendly relations with Yuryevskaya. Count Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov ***** The coronation was planned for August 1881. M.T. was involved in the development of the ceremony project. Loris-Melikova. According to the testimony of Professor B.N., close to the Court. Chicherin, “Epitrop of the Jerusalem Church, now state controller Tertiy Filippov, on this occasion even went to Moscow to extract details from the archives about the coronation of Catherine I....Having obtained archival information in Moscow for the future coronation, he triumphantly returned to St. Petersburg, when suddenly on halfway I learned about the event on March 1.” Relations in the family became so strained that Alexander II periodically, in a moment of anger, directly told his eldest son that he could lose his status as crown prince. Relations in the large family of Alexander II at the beginning of 1881 were very difficult. Alexander II with his family Alexander III with his family *** Portrait of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (Zaryanko S.K., 1867) Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich with his wife and children. Vladimir Alexandrovich with his family *** Alexey Ivanovich Korzukhin (1835-1894) Portrait of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich *** Maria Alexandrovna (October 5, 1853-1920), Grand Duchess, Duchess of Great Britain and Germany 1. Maria Alexandrovna with her husband Prince Alfred and firstborn son Alfred 2. Empress Maria Alexandrovna with grandson Alfred Maria Alexandrovna with children Daughters of Maria Alexandrovna - Maria, Victoria, Alexandra, Beatrice *** Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in the 1890s. Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna **** Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, Valentin Alexandrovich Serov Grand Duke Pavel and his first wife Princess Alexandra. Pavel Alexandrovich with daughter Maria and son Dmitry ***** Dmitry and Maria Second wife - Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley, Countess von Hohenfelsen Pavel Alexandrovich with his wife and children from his second marriage **** However, the death of Emperor Alexander II at the hands of terrorists on March 1 1881 put an end to the ambitious claims of the “dusi”. Many dignitaries, devoted comrades-in-arms of Alexander II, were to a certain extent relieved by the news of the tsar’s martyrdom, which “wrote off” all his earthly sins. Minister of the Imperial Household A.V. Adlerberg confidentially expressed the following opinion: “It’s hard to say what this woman, impudent and at the same time stupid and undeveloped, could bring to the sovereign! That’s why I said that the martyrdom of the sovereign, perhaps, prevented new reckless actions and saved the brilliant reign from an inglorious and humiliating ending.” The assassination of Emperor Alexander II "Alexander II on his deathbed." K.E. Makovsky Oil on canvas. End of the 19th century. **** Under Alexander III, after a series of scandals, Princess Yuryevskaya left Russia for France. Under Nicholas II, she periodically came to Russia. During this period, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna became friends with Yuryevskaya, who often visited the house of her grandfather’s second wife. She recalled that “every time I came to her, it seemed to me as if I was opening a page of history. She lived exclusively in the past. She only talked about him." Moreover, Yuryevskaya preserved all the uniforms of Alexander II, all his clothes, even his dressing gown, and placed them in a glass display case in the home chapel. On the eve of the First World War, Yuryevskaya sold all her property and went to France, where she died in 1922. French passport of Princess Yuryevskaya **** Prince Georgy Alexandrovich Yuryevsky Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1872-1913) (1873-1925) Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1878-1959) **** Igor Zimin The adult world of imperial residences. Second quarter of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries.
April 29, 1818, born 190 years ago Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov, who in the history of Russia remained the emperor Alexander II Liberator. During his reign, significant reforms took place: peasant, zemstvo, judicial, urban and military. Descendants will always associate the name of Alexander II with February 19, 1861 - the day of the abolition of serfdom. It is unknown what the future fate of the Russian Empire would have been like if he had managed to promulgate the draft Constitution. But the day before this event, the emperor was killed by the terrorist Grinevitsky.
Personal data
Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov was born on April 29 (17), 1818, on Bright Wednesday, at 11 a.m. in the Bishop's House of the Chudov Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin, where the entire imperial family arrived in early April for fasting and celebrating Easter. In honor of the birth of the heir to the throne, Moscow was given a salute of 201 cannon salvos, and on May 5, the sacraments of baptism and confirmation were performed in the Church of the Chudov Monastery by Moscow Archbishop Augustine, after which a gala dinner was given by Empress Maria Feodorovna.
The future emperor was educated at home. His mentor (with the responsibility of supervising the entire process of upbringing and education) was Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky, the teacher of the Law of God and Sacred History - Archpriest Gerasim Pavsky (until 1835), the military instructor - Karl Karlovich Merder, as well as: Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky (legislation ), Konstantin Ivanovich Arsenyev (statistics and history), Egor Frantsevich Kankrin (finance), Academician Collins (arithmetic), Karl-Bernhard Antonovich Trinius (natural history).
According to numerous testimonies, the future emperor was very impressionable and amorous in his youth. So, during a trip to London in 1839, he developed a fleeting but strong love for the young Queen Victoria, who would later become for him the most hated ruler in Europe. Upon reaching adulthood on April 22, 1834 (the day he took the oath), the heir-cresarevich was introduced by his father to the main state institutions of the Empire: in 1834 - to the Senate, in 1835 - to the Holy Governing Synod; from 1841 - member of the State Council, from 1842 - member of the Committee of Ministers. In 1837, Alexander made a long trip around the country and visited 29 provinces of the European part of Russia, Transcaucasia and Western Siberia, and in 1838-39 he visited Europe. The future emperor's military service was quite successful. In 1836 he already became a major general, in 1844 - a full general, commanding the guards infantry. Since 1849, Alexander was the head of military educational institutions, chairman of the Secret Committees on Peasant Affairs of 1846-1848. During the Crimean War of 1853-56, with the declaration of martial law in the St. Petersburg province, he commanded all the troops of the capital.
Work history
Emperor Alexander II ascended the throne on February 19, 1855, during one of the most difficult moments Russia had ever experienced. “I hand over my command to you, but, unfortunately, not in the order I wanted, leaving you with a lot of work and worries,” Nicholas I told him as he died. Indeed, the political and military situation in Russia at that time was close to catastrophic .
After the lost Crimean War of 1853-1856. all levels of society demanded change. It was then that the terms “thaw” and “glasnost” appeared. The Supreme Censorship Committee was closed, and discussion of government affairs became open. A polyamnesty was announced for the Decembrists, Petrashevites, and participants in the Polish uprising of 1830-1831. But the main issue remained the peasant one. In 1856, a secret committee was organized “to discuss measures to organize the life of the landowner peasants.” Alexander II addressed a speech to representatives of the nobles of the Moscow province: “The existing order of ownership of souls cannot remain unchanged. It is better to begin to destroy serfdom from above, rather than wait for the time when it begins to be destroyed of its own accord from below.” Overcoming the opposition of opponents of the reform, Alexander II was contradictory and inconsistent, and yet the Editorial Commissions managed to develop the basis of the “Regulations of February 19, 1861.” This reform failed to resolve the issues of either land ownership or personal rights of peasants. During the reign of Alexander II, the following reforms were also carried out: university (1863), judicial (1864), press (1865), military (1874); self-government was introduced in zemstvos (1864) and cities (1870). The “revolution from above,” which had a bourgeois character, was not only not consistent, but also could not reach its logical conclusion - a constitution. As a result, Alexander II becomes a target for terrorist revolutionaries (he survived six assassination attempts in total), which, in turn, contributed to the transition to protective principles in government policy, in particular, to strengthening the role of the III Department, headed by P.A. Shuvalov. The changes in Alexander II's mood were also influenced by events in his personal life. In April 1865, Alexander suffered a severe blow both as a man and as an emperor. In Nice, his eldest son Nikolai, a young man who had just turned 21, had successfully completed his education, found a bride, and intended to begin government activities as an assistant and future successor to his father, died of spinal meningitis. The emperor's second son, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich, was declared the new heir to the throne. Both in ability and education, he frankly did not correspond to his high purpose. Alexander II became apathetic and lost interest in state affairs. In the field of foreign policy, Alexander II sought to expand the empire and strengthen Russian influence. He contributed to the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke (1877-1878), went to the active army and left it only after the fall of Plevna, which predetermined the outcome of the war. Having won a military victory, Russia suffered a diplomatic defeat at the Berlin Congress in 1878. This war, which played a beneficial role for the southern Slavs and raised the military prestige of Russia, disrupted the implementation of the necessary monetary and exchange rate reform and thereby increased confrontation in society. The conquest and then the peaceful development of vast territories of Central Asia were successful. According to the agreements concluded with China, the Ussuri region was recognized as Russian territory.
On March 1, 1881, the Tsar was mortally wounded by the terrorist Grinevitsky. Alexander was killed on the very day when he was supposed to sign the draft of a broad program of administrative and economic reforms developed by M.T. Loris-Melikov.
Information about relatives
Father - Nicholas I (1796-1855), emperor since 1825, third son Emperor Paul I, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1826). He ascended the throne after the sudden death of his brother - Emperor Alexander I. Suppressed the Decembrist uprising. Under Nicholas I, the centralization of the bureaucratic apparatus was strengthened, the Third Department was created, the Complete Collection of Laws was published and the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire was compiled, and new censorship regulations were introduced (1826, 1828). Secret committees were repeatedly convened to discuss the issue of abolishing serfdom, but their work had no consequences. In 1837, traffic was opened on the first Tsarskoye Selo railway in Russia. The Polish uprising of 1830-1831 and the revolution in Hungary of 1848-1849 were suppressed. An important aspect of foreign policy was the return to the principles of the Holy Alliance. During the reign of Nicholas I, Russia took part in the Caucasian wars (1817-1864), Russian-Persian (1826-1828), Russian-Turkish (1828-1829), Crimean (1853-1856). Defeat in the last war became the reason for the reforms of the 1860-70s, carried out by Alexander II.
Mother - Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Friederike Charlotte Wilhelmina, also known as Charlotte of Prussia). Friederike Charlotte Wilhelmina was born on July 13, 1798, the third child of Prussian King Frederick William III and his wife, Queen Louise. She was the sister of the Prussian kings Frederick William IV and Wilhelm I, later the first German emperor. On July 13, 1817, she married the brother of Russian Emperor Alexander I, Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich. Marriage presupposed the transition of the bride to the Orthodox confession and the naming of a new name, which is available in the Orthodox calendar. The marriage pursued primarily political goals: strengthening the political union of Russia and Prussia, but it turned out to be happy and with many children. After her husband's accession to the throne in 1825, Alexandra Feodorovna became the Russian Empress.
Personal life
The personal life of Alexander II was always full of bright novels and unforgettable hobbies. This handsome man broke more than one hundred women's hearts. Two women became truly significant in the life of the emperor.
Alexander's first wife was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, Louis II, whose maiden name was Maximilian-Wilhelmina-Augusta-Sophia-Maria. The future emperor, traveling during his time as crown prince in Western Europe (1838-1839), according to the attraction of his heart, chose Mary as his friend in life. In the summer of 1840 she arrived in Russia; On April 16, 1841 the marriage took place. Maria Alexandrovna gave birth to Alexandra two daughters, Alexandra and Maria, and six sons: Nicholas, Alexander (who became Emperor of Russia after his father), Vladimir, Alexei, Sergei and Pavel.
Alexander first saw his second wife, Katya Dolgorukova, in the summer of 1859, while visiting Prince Dolgorukov on the Teplovka estate. Soon, Catherine’s father went bankrupt and died, and her mother with four sons and two daughters found herself without funds. The Emperor took the children into his care: he facilitated the entry of the Dolgoruky brothers into St. Petersburg military institutions, and the sisters into the Smolny Institute. On March 28, 1865, Palm Sunday, Alexander II visited the Smolny Institute, where 18-year-old Ekaterina Dolgorukova was introduced to him. They began meeting secretly in the Summer Garden near the Winter Palace. On July 13, 1866, they met for the first time at Belvedere Castle near Peterhof, where they spent the night, after which they continued dating there.
At that time, Empress Maria Alexandrovna was already sick with consumption and did not get out of bed. The adulterous relationship caused acute displeasure among many Romanovs and, above all, the Tsarevich, the future Alexander III. By the end of the year, the Emperor was forced to send his mistress, accompanied by her brother, to Naples, followed by a visit to Paris, where they met in June 1867 in a hotel under the secret supervision of the French police.
During their relationship, Dolgorukova gave birth to three children to Alexander: a son, George, and two daughters, Olga and Ekaterina. Following the death of his wife on May 22, 1880, before the expiration of the protocol mourning period, on July 6, 1880, a wedding took place in the military chapel of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace, performed by Protopresbyter Xenophon Nikolsky.
Hobbies
Alexander II loved hunting. According to the classification of that time, hunters were divided into efficient, true, field and stupid. To be efficient meant: to take care of your dogs, to be quick-witted, dexterous and in no case a liar. Never appropriate someone else's animal, do not be greedy and do not run around in vain in the forest. Alexander II was considered the most efficient hunter of the Romanovs. Despite the fact that in the imperial dog hunting of Alexander II there were standard specimens of hunting dogs of various breeds, Alexander Nikolaevich loved Milord most of all. A detailed description of Milord as a representative of the hunting dog breed is given by the famous writer L. Sabaneev: “I saw the Imperial black dog in Ilyinsky after dinner, to which the sovereign invited members of the board of the Moscow Hunting Society. It was a very large and very beautiful indoor dog, with a beautiful head, well dressed, but there was little of the setter type in it, moreover, the legs were too long, and one of the legs was completely white. They say that this setter was given to the late emperor by some Polish gentleman, and there was a rumor that the dog was not entirely blood-born.”
Enemies
When asked whether Alexander II had enemies, we can say with confidence: yes. There were at least six attempts on his life alone.
The first attempt took place on April 4, 1866. Alexander II went for a walk with his nephews in the Summer Garden. Having enjoyed the fresh air, the tsar was already getting into the carriage when a young man came out from the crowd of onlookers watching the sovereign’s walk and shot at him, but missed. The shooter turned out to be nobleman Dmitry Karakozov. He called the motive for the assassination attempt the tsar’s deception of his people by the reform of 1861, in which, according to him, the rights of the peasants were only declared, but not actually implemented.
But it was not only in Russia that the sovereign was in danger. In June 1867, Alexander II arrived on an official visit to France. On June 6, after a military review at the Longchamps racecourse, he was returning in an open carriage with his children and a French Emperor Napoleon III. In the area of the Bois de Boulogne, among the jubilant crowd, a short, black-haired man, Anton Berezovsky, a Pole by origin, was already waiting for the official procession to appear. When the royal carriage appeared nearby, he fired a pistol at Alexander II twice. Thanks to the brave actions of one of Napoleon III’s security officers, who noticed a man with a weapon in the crowd in time and pushed his hand away, the bullets flew past the Russian Tsar, hitting only the horse. This time the reason for the assassination attempt was the desire to take revenge on the Tsar for the suppression of the Polish uprising of 1863.
The third attempt took place on April 4, 1879: the sovereign was walking in the vicinity of his palace. Suddenly he noticed a young man walking quickly towards him. The stranger managed to shoot five times before he was captured by security. On the spot they found out that the attacker was teacher Alexander Solovyov. At the investigation, he, without hiding his pride, stated: “The idea of an attempt on the life of His Majesty arose in me after becoming acquainted with the teachings of the socialist revolutionaries. I belong to the Russian section of this party, which believes that the majority suffers so that the minority can enjoy the fruits of the people’s labor and all the benefits of civilization that are inaccessible to the majority.”
If the first three attempts on the life of Alexander II were carried out by unprepared individuals, then since 1879 the goal of destroying the Tsar has been set by an entire terrorist organization - “People's Will”. Having analyzed previous attempts to kill the Tsar, the conspirators came to the conclusion that the surest way would be to organize an explosion of the Tsar’s train when the Tsar was returning from vacation from Crimea to St. Petersburg. But this time too the conspirators were defeated. Once again, heavenly forces intervened in the fate of Alexander II. The Narodnaya Volya knew that the imperial cortege consisted of two trains: Alexander II himself and his retinue were traveling in one, and the royal luggage in the second. Moreover, the train with luggage is half an hour ahead of the royal train. However, in Kharkov, one of the locomotives of the baggage train broke down - and the royal train went first. Not knowing about this circumstance, the terrorists let the first train through, detonating a mine under the fourth carriage of the second. Having learned that he had once again escaped death, Alexander II, according to eyewitnesses, sadly said: “What do they have against me, these unfortunates? Why are they chasing me like a wild animal? After all, I have always strived to do everything in my power for the good of the people!”
The “unhappy” people, not particularly discouraged by the failure of the railway epic, after some time began preparing a new assassination attempt. The Executive Committee decided to blow up the emperor's chambers in the Winter Palace. The explosion was scheduled for six twenty minutes in the evening, when Alexander II was supposed to be in the dining room. And again, chance confused all the cards for the conspirators. The train of one of the members of the imperial family - the Prince of Hesse - was half an hour late, shifting the time of the gala dinner. The explosion found Alexander II near the security room, located near the dining room.
After the explosion in Zimny, Alexander II began to rarely leave the palace, regularly leaving only for the changing of the guard at the Mikhailovsky Manege. The conspirators decided to take advantage of this punctuality of the emperor. The security department warned the tsar more than once about the impending assassination attempt. He was advised not to travel to the Manezh and not to leave the walls of the Winter Palace. To all the warnings, Alexander II replied that he had nothing to fear, since he firmly knew that his life was in the hands of God, thanks to whose help he survived the previous five assassination attempts.
On March 1, 1881, Alexander II left the Winter Palace for Manege. Having attended the guard duty and having tea with his cousin, the Tsar went back to Zimny through... the Catherine Canal. The royal cortege drove to the embankment. Further events developed almost instantly. The terrorist Rysakov threw his bomb towards the royal carriage. There was a deafening explosion. After traveling some distance, the royal carriage stopped. The Emperor was not injured. However, instead of leaving the scene of the assassination attempt, Alexander II wished to see the criminal. He approached the captured Rysakov... At this moment, Grinevitsky, unnoticed by the guards, throws a second bomb at the Tsar’s feet. The blast wave threw Alexander II to the ground, blood gushing from his crushed legs. With the last of his strength, he whispered: “Take me to the palace... There I want to die...”.
On March 1, 1881, at 15:35, the imperial standard was lowered from the flagpole of the Winter Palace, notifying the population of St. Petersburg about the death of Emperor Alexander II.
Companions
Loris-Melikov can be called a true ally of Alexander II. Together they prepared a draft constitution, wanting to radically change the future of Russia. They saw Russia as a great power moving with the times. Loris-Melikov’s plans included a broad program for modernizing the state and public life of Russia. In the 70s, the tsar decided that pacification had arrived and appointed Mikhail Tarielovich Minister of Internal Affairs. It was then that Loris-Melikov began to prepare a draft document, which, for tactical reasons, was not called the word “constitution”, so as not to aggravate relations with reactionary circles in the government and at court. Mikhail Tarielovich considered it fundamentally important to take the first step in limiting autocracy. This document was already ready for publication. But within a day of this, a fatal bomb interrupted the life of the emperor, forever canceling out Loris-Melikov’s plans. Perhaps the 1917 revolution would never have happened if Russia had become a constitutional monarchy at the end of the 19th century.
Weaknesses
“Alexander’s main weakness as a political figure was that all his life human problems were more important to him than state ones. This was his weakness, but also his superiority: he was, first of all, a kind and noble man, and often his heart took precedence over his mind. Unfortunately, for a person destined by fate to be the ruler of Russia, this was rather a disadvantage,” says historian Vsevolod Nikolaev, and it is difficult to disagree with him.
Strengths
Emperor Alexander II was rightly awarded the “title” of Tsar-Liberator: he freed not only the peasants, but the personality of the Russian people in general, putting it in conditions of independent existence and development. Previously, the personality was suppressed and absorbed: in the most distant times - by the tribal life, later - by the state, which it had to serve, for which it had to exist. Now the state ceases to be a goal, it itself turns into an official body, into a means for the free development of the individual and the satisfaction of his material and spiritual needs.
Merits and failures
The great merit of Alexander II can be called the five reforms he carried out: peasant, zemstvo, judicial, urban and military; together with the abolition of corporal punishment, they constitute the inalienable glory and pride of the emperor’s reign. “The peasant reform, despite all its imperfections, was a colossal step forward; it was also the greatest merit of Alexander himself, who during the years of its development withstood with honor the onslaught of feudal and reactionary aspirations and at the same time revealed such firmness that those around him apparently did not count on” (Kornilov). “With wise determination, following the instructions of the times, Emperor Alexander II left the traditional path of discussing reform in secret committees and called on society itself to develop the intended transformation, and then, vigilantly monitoring the progress of reform work, with extreme tact, chose the time and external forms for declaring his personal views on one side or another of peasant affairs. If the art of ruling consists in the ability to correctly determine the urgent needs of a given era, to open a free outlet for viable and fruitful aspirations lurking in society, from the height of wise impartiality to pacify mutually hostile parties with the power of reasonable agreements, then one cannot but admit that Alexander Nikolaevich correctly understood the essence of his calling in memorable (1855-1861) of his reign. He firmly maintained his post at the “stern of his native ship” during these difficult years of his voyage, rightfully earning the inclusion of the enviable epithet Liberator to his name” (Kiesewetter).
The classless zemstvo and the classless city, attracting different classes of the population to common work for the common benefit, significantly contributed to the consolidation of individual groups and social classes into a single state body, where “one for all, and all for one.” In this regard, the zemstvo and city reforms were as great a national cause as the peasant reform. They put an end to the predominance of the nobility, democratized Russian society, and attracted new and more diverse layers of society to common work for the benefit of the state.
Judicial reform, in turn, had enormous cultural significance in Russian life. Set up independently of external and random influences, enjoying public trust, ensuring the population in the fair enjoyment of their rights, protecting these rights or restoring them in case of violation, the new court educated Russian society in respect for the law, for the personality and interests of their neighbors, and elevated people in their own eyes, served as a restraining principle equally for both the rulers and the subordinates.
The military reform, inseparably associated with the name of Milyutin, is entirely imbued with the spirit of liberation and humanity. It complemented other great reforms and, together with them, created a new era in Russian history from the reign of Alexander II. The same can be said about the abolition of corporal punishment. The decree of April 17, 1863 had enormous educational significance, since the old whip and girders taught people to cruelty, made them indifferent to the suffering of others; Fist reprisals and punishment with canes, often arbitrary, belittled a person’s personality: it embittered some, while others, on the contrary, were deprived of self-esteem.
The failures of Alexander II include the fact that none of the above reforms were ever completed. But it is worth mentioning that in the entire history of Russia, not a single ruler has yet managed to fully implement his reforms.
Alexander II conducted his foreign policy quite successfully. In 1872 he joined the Alliance of the Three Emperors, which became the cornerstone of Russian foreign policy until the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1893. In 1877, Turkish policies led to the Russo-Turkish War, which ended in Russian victory in 1878. Under Alexander II, the annexation of the Caucasus was completed. Russia expanded its influence in the east; it included Turkestan, the Amur region, the Ussuri region, and the Kuril Islands in exchange for the southern part of Sakhalin.
Compromising evidence
Alexander II loved Ekaterina Dolgorukova so boundlessly that he settled her and her children in the Winter Palace during the life of his first wife, which further exacerbated the hostility of many Romanovs towards her. The court was divided into two parties: supporters of Dolgorukova and supporters of the heir Alexander Alexandrovich. Such an act by Alexander II was unheard of insolence. Only he could afford to openly house his wife and mistress under one roof.
KM.RU April 29, 2008
Alexander II Nikolaevich (Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov; April 17, 1818 Moscow - March 1 (13), 1881 St. Petersburg)
Alexander II
The eldest son of first the grand ducal, and since 1825, the imperial couple Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna, daughter of the Prussian king Frederick William III.
Born on April 17, 1818, on Bright Wednesday, at 11 o'clock in the morning in the Bishop's House of the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin, where the entire Imperial family, excluding the uncle of the newborn Alexander I, who was on an inspection trip to the south of Russia, arrived in early April for fasting and celebrating Easter; A 201-gun salvo was fired in Moscow. On May 5, the sacraments of baptism and confirmation were performed over the baby in the church of the Chudov Monastery by Moscow Archbishop Augustine, in honor of which Maria Feodorovna gave a gala dinner.
The future emperor was educated at home. His mentor (with the responsibility of supervising the entire process of upbringing and education) was the poet V.A. Zhukovsky, teacher of the Law of God and Sacred History - Archpriest Gerasim Pavsky (until 1835), military instructor - Karl Karlovich Merder, and also: M.M. Speransky (legislation), K. I. Arsenyev (statistics and history), E. F. Kankrin (finance), F. I. Brunov (foreign policy), Academician Collins (arithmetic), K. B. Trinius (natural history) .
According to numerous testimonies, in his youth he was very impressionable and amorous. So, during a trip to London in 1839, he had a fleeting, but strong, love for the young Queen Victoria, who would later become for him the most hated ruler in Europe.
Upon reaching adulthood on April 22, 1834 (the day he took the oath), the Heir-Tsarevich was introduced by his father into the main state institutions of the Empire: in 1834 into the Senate, in 1835 he was introduced into the Holy Governing Synod, from 1841 a member of the State Council, in 1842 - the Committee ministers.
In 1837, Alexander made a long trip around Russia and visited 29 provinces of the European part, Transcaucasia and Western Siberia, and in 1838-39 he visited Europe.
The future emperor's military service was quite successful. In 1836 he already became a major general, and from 1844 a full general, commanding the guards infantry. Since 1849, Alexander was the head of military educational institutions, chairman of the Secret Committees on Peasant Affairs in 1846 and 1848. During the Crimean War of 1853-56, with the declaration of martial law in the St. Petersburg province, he commanded all the troops of the capital.
In his life, Alexander did not adhere to any particular concept in his views on the history of Russia and the tasks of public administration. Having ascended the throne in 1855, he received a difficult legacy. None of the issues of his father’s 30-year reign (peasant, eastern, Polish, etc.) were resolved; Russia was defeated in the Crimean War.
The first of his important decisions was the conclusion of the Paris Peace in March 1856. A “thaw” has set in in the socio-political life of the country. On the occasion of his coronation in August 1856, he declared an amnesty for the Decembrists, Petrashevites, and participants in the Polish uprising of 1830-31, suspended recruitment for 3 years, and in 1857 liquidated military settlements.
Not being a reformer by vocation or temperament, Alexander became one in response to the needs of the time as a man of sober mind and good will.
Alexander II
It is inappropriate to evaluate the results of the complex and contradictory reform activities of Alexander II in a reference article. At the moment we are interested in, only one reform has become a fact (but what a reform!) - the peasant reform. But its practical implementation has only just begun. For details of the peasant reform, see the articles already posted earlier.
Next, I refer those interested to a rather good popular journalistic book: L. Lyashenko. Alexander II, or the story of three solitudes
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Maria Alexandrovna (August 8, 1824, Darmstadt - June 8, 1880, St. Petersburg) - wife of the Russian Emperor Alexander II and mother of the future Emperor Alexander III.
Born Princess Maximilian Wilhelmina Maria of Hesse (1824-1841), after her marriage she received the title of Grand Duchess (1841-1855), after her husband's accession to the Russian throne she became empress (March 2, 1855 - June 8, 1880).
Mary was the illegitimate daughter of Wilhelmine of Baden, Grand Duchess of Hesse and her chamberlain Baron von Sénarclin de Grancy. Wilhelmina's husband, Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse, to avoid scandal and thanks to the intervention of Wilhelmina's siblings, recognized Maria and her brother Alexander as his children (the other two illegitimate children died in infancy). Despite the recognition, they continued to live separately in Heiligenberg, while Ludwig II lived in Darmstadt.
Empress Maria Alexandrovna
In 1838, the future Emperor Alexander II, traveling around Europe to find a wife, fell in love with 14-year-old Maria of Hesse and married her in 1841, although he was well aware of the secret of her origin.
Wedding silver ruble of Nicholas I for the wedding of the heir to the throne Alexander Nikolaevich and Princess Maria of Hesse
On the initiative of Maria Alexandrovna, all-class women's gymnasiums and diocesan schools were opened in Russia, and the Red Cross was established.
Cities in Russia were named in honor of Maria Alexandrovna:
Mariinsky Posad (Chuvashia). Until 1856 - the village of Sundyr. On June 18, 1856, Emperor Alexander II renamed the village to the city of Mariinsky Posad in honor of his wife.
Mariinsk (Kemerovo region). Renamed in 1857 (former name - Kiyskoe).
Here it is website(school local history museum), dedicated to Maria Alexandrovna.
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At the point in time that interests us, the heir to the throne is considered... no, not the future Emperor Alexander III. And the eldest son of Alexander II is Nikolai Alexandrovich.
Nikolai Alexandrovich (8 (20) September 1843 - 12 (24) April 1865, Nice) - Tsarevich and Grand Duke, eldest son of Emperor Alexander II, ataman of all Cossack troops, major general of His Imperial Majesty's retinue, chancellor of the University of Helsingfors.
Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich
In the early 1860s, accompanied by his tutor Count S.G. Stroganov, he made study tours around the country. In 1864 he went abroad. While abroad, on September 20, 1864, he was engaged to the daughter of Christian IX, King of Denmark, Princess Dagmar (1847-1928), who later became the wife of his brother, Emperor Alexander III. While traveling in Italy, he fell ill and died of tuberculous meningitis.
Heir Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich with his bride, Princess Dagmara
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In total, at the time we are interested in, the imperial couple had seven children (and a total of 8 children were born in the family)
The first child of the future Emperor Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna, was born in 1842 and died suddenly at the age of seven. After her death, no one in the imperial family named their daughters after Alexander, since all the princesses with that name died early, before reaching the age of 20.
Second child - Nikolai Alexandrovich, Tsarevich (see above)
The third is Alexander Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Alexander III (born in 1845)
Further:
Vladimir (born in 1847)
Alexey (born in 1850)
Maria (born in 1853)
Sergei (born in 1857) (the same one who would later be killed by the Socialist-Revolutionary terrorist Ivan Kalyaev in 1905)
Pavel (born in 1860)
At least two other members of the imperial family played a major role in carrying out the Great Reforms: Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna.
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich (September 9, 1827 St. Petersburg - January 13, 1892 Pavlovsk) - the second son of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I.
His father decided that Konstantin should become almiral of the fleet and, from the age of five, entrusted his upbringing to the famous navigator Fyodor Litka. In 1835 he accompanied his parents on a trip to Germany. In 1844 he was appointed commander of the brig Ulysses, in 1847 - the frigate Pallada. On August 30, 1848 he was appointed to the retinue of His Imperial Majesty and chief of the Naval Cadet Corps.
In 1848 in St. Petersburg he married Alexandra Friederike Henrietta Paulina Marianna Elisabeth, the fifth daughter of Duke Joseph of Saxe-Altenburg (in Orthodoxy Alexandra Iosifovna).
In 1849 he was appointed to sit on the State and Admiralty Councils. In 1850 he headed the Committee to revise and supplement the General Code of Naval Charter and became a member of the State Council and the Council of Military Educational Institutions. Promoted to vice admiral in 1853. During the Crimean War, Konstantin Nikolaevich took part in the defense of Kronstadt from the attack of the Anglo-French fleet.
Since 1855 - admiral of the fleet; from that time on he managed the fleet and the maritime department as a minister. The first period of his management was marked by a number of important reforms: the former sailing fleet was replaced by a steam one, the available composition of coastal teams was reduced, office work was simplified, and emerital cash desks were established; Corporal punishment has been abolished.
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich
He adhered to liberal values, and in 1857 he was elected chairman of the peasant committee that developed reform projects.
Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland from June 1862 to October 1863. His viceroy fell on the period before and during the January Uprising. Together with the civil governor of the CPU, Marquis Alexander Wielopolsky, he tried to pursue a conciliatory policy and carry out liberal reforms, but without success. Soon after Konstantin Nikolaevich arrived in Warsaw, an attempt was made on his life. Journeyman tailor Ludovic Yaroshinsky shot him point-blank with a pistol on the evening of June 21 (July 4), 1862, when he was leaving the theater, but Konstantin Nikolaevich was only slightly wounded. (more details about the events in the Central Election Commission on the eve of the January Uprising will be discussed in a separate article)
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A truly outstanding person was Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, widow of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich (younger brother of Alexander I and Nicholas I).
Before accepting Orthodoxy - Princess Frederike Charlotte Marie of Württemberg (German: Friederike Charlotte Marie Prinzessin von Württemberg, December 24 (January 6) 1806 - January 9 (22), 1873)
Princess of the House of Württemberg, daughter of Duke Paul Karl Friedrich August and Princess of the Ducal House of Saxe-Altenburg Charlotte Dahlia Friederike Louise Sophia Theresa.
She was brought up in Paris at the private boarding house Campan.
At the age of 15, she was chosen by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, also a representative of the House of Württemberg, as the wife of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, the fourth son of Emperor Paul I.
She converted to Orthodoxy and was granted the title of Grand Duchess as Elena Pavlovna (1823). On February 8 (21), 1824, she was married according to the Greek-Eastern Orthodox rite with Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich.
In 1828, after the death of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, according to Her Highest will, control of the Mariinsky and Midwifery Institutes passed to the Grand Duchess. She was the chief of the 10th Dragoon Novgorod Regiment.
She showed herself as a philanthropist: she gave funds to the artist Ivanov to transport the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People” to Russia, and patronized K. P. Bryullov, I. K. Aivazovsky, and Anton Rubinstein. Having supported the idea of establishing the Russian Musical Society and Conservatory, she financed this project by making large donations, including proceeds from the sale of diamonds that personally belonged to her. The conservatory's primary classes opened in her palace in 1858.
She supported the actor I. F. Gorbunov, the tenor Nilsky, and the surgeon Pirogov. She contributed to the posthumous publication of the collected works of N. V. Gogol. She was interested in the activities of the university, the Academy of Sciences, and the Free Economic Society.
Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna
In 1853-1856 she was one of the founders of the Holy Cross community of sisters of mercy with dressing stations and mobile hospitals - the community charter was approved on October 25, 1854. She issued an appeal to all Russian women not bound by family responsibilities, calling for help for the sick and wounded. The premises of the Mikhailovsky Castle were provided at the disposal of the community for storing things and medicines; the Grand Duchess financed its activities. In the fight against the views of society, which did not approve of this kind of activity by women, the Grand Duchess went to hospitals every day and bandaged the wounded with her own hands.
For the cross that the sisters were to wear, Elena Pavlovna chose St. Andrew's ribbon. On the cross there were inscriptions: “Take My yoke upon you” and “You, O God, are my strength.” Elena Pavlovna explained her choice like this: “Only in humble patience do we receive strength and strength from God.”
On November 5, 1854, after mass, the Grand Duchess herself put a cross on each of the thirty-five sisters, and the next day they left for Sevastopol, where Pirogov was waiting for them.
On N.I. Pirogov, the great Russian scientist and surgeon, was entrusted with training and then supervising their work in the Crimea. From December 1854 to January 1856, more than 200 nurses worked in Crimea.
After the end of the war, an outpatient clinic and a free school for 30 girls were additionally opened in the community.
Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna among the sisters of mercy, mid-1850s
The Grand Duchess provided guardianship to the school of St. Helena; founded in memory of her daughters the Elisabeth Children's Hospital (St. Petersburg), and the Elisabeth and Mary orphanages (Moscow, Pavlovsk); reorganized the Maximilian Hospital, where, on her initiative, a permanent hospital was created.
Since the late 1840s, evenings were held in the Mikhailovsky Palace - “Thursdays” at which issues of politics and culture, literary novelties were discussed. The circle of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, which met on “Thursdays,” became the center of communication for leading statesmen - the developers and conductors of the Great Reforms.
According to A. F. Koni, meetings with Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna were the main discussion platform where plans for reforms in the second half of the 19th century were developed. Supporters of reforms called her among themselves “the benefactor mother.”
In an effort to cause a positive shift in the sentiments of the nobility regarding peasant reform, in 1856 she took the initiative to liberate the peasants on her estate Karlovka, Poltava province, which included 12 villages and villages, 9090 acres of land, with a population of 7392 men and 7625 women. A plan was developed with the manager, Baron Engelhart, which provided for the personal liberation of the peasants and the provision of land to them for a ransom.
In March 1856, Elena Pavlovna, together with N. A. Milyutin (brother of D. A. Milyutin, also a liberal statesman and one of the main developers of peasant reform), developed an action plan for the liberation of peasants in Poltava and adjacent provinces, which received preliminary approval from the Sovereign .
By patronizing liberal figures - the Milyutin brothers, Lansky, Cherkassky, Samarin and others - Elena Pavlovna acted as one of the leading forces of the upcoming peasant reform.
For her activities to liberate the peasants, she received the honorary title in the society “Princesse La Liberte”. She was awarded a gold medal by the Emperor.
Elena Pavlovna was a widely educated person, in her youth she was friends with A.S. Pushkin, then with I.S. Turgenev, communicated with the entire intellectual elite of Russia at that time; attended lectures on a variety of subjects, including technical subjects - agronomy, military statistics, etc.
The death of her 4 daughters and her husband (in 1849), for whom she mourned until her death in 1873, made a grave impression on the Grand Duchess.
Growing up in a Protestant family, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna was a deeply religious Orthodox Christian. Having been baptized in honor of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen of Constantinople, she became close to the Feast of the Exaltation, especially caring for the Exaltation Church of the Moscow Yamskaya Settlement in St. Petersburg; as a gift to the temple she brought icons of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen with particles of the Cross of the Lord, the honorable relics of John the Baptist, Apostle Andrew the First-Called, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and St. John Chrysostom; I ordered a large altarpiece of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross for the church. The image was created by the icon painter Fadeev in a specially designated hall of the Mikhailovsky Palace.
On the instructions of Elena Pavlovna, the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, a short prayer book and the penitential canon of Andrew of Crete were translated and published in French, “in order to acquaint foreigners with the beauty and depth of our worship and make it easier for those who have accepted Orthodoxy to understand our prayers.” In 1862, in Carlsbad, A.I. Koshelev, with the approval of the Grand Duchess, initiated a subscription for the construction of an Orthodox church there, completed within two years.
According to Count P. A. Valuev, with the death of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna in 1873, “the brilliant mental lamp went out. She patronized many things and created many things...”; “It’s unlikely that anyone will replace her,” I. S. Turgenev wrote sadly.
Few monarchs in history have been honored with the epithet “liberator.” Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov deserved such an honor. Alexander II is also called the Tsar-Reformer, because he managed to get off the ground many old problems of the state that threatened riots and uprisings.
Childhood and youth
The future emperor was born in April 1818 in Moscow. The boy was born on a holiday, Bright Wednesday, in the Kremlin, in the Bishop's House of the Chudov Monastery. Here, on that festive morning, the entire Imperial family gathered to celebrate Easter. In honor of the boy’s birth, the silence of Moscow was broken by a 201-volley cannon salute.
Archbishop of Moscow Augustine baptized the baby Alexander Romanov on May 5 in the church of the Chudov Monastery. His parents were Grand Dukes at the time of their son's birth. But when the grown-up heir turned 7 years old, his mother Alexandra Feodorovna and father became the imperial couple.
The future Emperor Alexander II received an excellent education at home. His main mentor, responsible not only for training, but also for education, was. Archpriest Gerasim Pavsky himself taught sacred history and the Law of God. Academician Collins taught the boy the intricacies of arithmetic, and Karl Merder taught the basics of military affairs.
Alexander Nikolaevich had no less famous teachers in legislation, statistics, finance and foreign policy. The boy grew up very smart and quickly mastered the sciences taught. But at the same time, in his youth, like many of his peers, he was amorous and romantic. For example, during a trip to London, he fell in love with a young British girl.
Interestingly, after a couple of decades, it turned into the most hated European ruler for the Russian Emperor Alexander II.
The reign and reforms of Alexander II
When Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov reached adulthood, his father introduced him to the main state institutions. In 1834, the Tsarevich entered the Senate, the following year - into the Holy Synod, and in 1841 and 1842 Romanov became a member of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers.
In the mid-1830s, the heir made a long familiarization trip around the country and visited 29 provinces. In the late 30s he visited Europe. He also completed his military service very successfully and in 1844 became a general. He was entrusted with the guards infantry.
The Tsarevich headed military educational institutions and chaired the Secret Committees on Peasant Affairs in 1846 and 1848. He delves quite well into the problems of the peasants and understands that changes and reforms are long overdue.
The outbreak of the Crimean War of 1853-56 becomes a serious test for the future sovereign on his maturity and courage. After martial law was declared in the St. Petersburg province, Alexander Nikolaevich assumed command of all the troops of the capital.
Alexander II, having ascended the throne in 1855, received a difficult legacy. During his 30 years of rule, his father failed to resolve any of the many pressing and long-standing issues of the state. In addition, the country's difficult situation was aggravated by the defeat in the Crimean War. The treasury was empty.
It was necessary to act decisively and quickly. The foreign policy of Alexander II was to use diplomacy to break through the tight ring of blockade that had closed around Russia. The first step was the conclusion of the Paris Peace in the spring of 1856. The conditions accepted by Russia cannot be called very favorable, but the weakened state could not dictate its will. The main thing was that they managed to stop England, which wanted to continue the war until the complete defeat and dismemberment of Russia.
That same spring, Alexander II visited Berlin and met with King Frederick William IV. Frederick was the emperor's maternal uncle. They managed to conclude a secret “dual alliance” with him. The foreign policy blockade of Russia was over.
The domestic policy of Alexander II turned out to be no less successful. The long-awaited “thaw” has arrived in the life of the country. At the end of the summer of 1856, on the occasion of the coronation, the tsar granted amnesty to the Decembrists, Petrashevites, and participants in the Polish uprising. He also suspended recruitment for another 3 years and liquidated military settlements.
The time has come to resolve the peasant question. Emperor Alexander II decided to abolish serfdom, this ugly relic that stood in the way of progress. The sovereign chose the “Baltsee option” of landless emancipation of peasants. In 1858, the Tsar agreed to a reform program developed by liberals and public figures. According to the reform, peasants received the right to purchase the land allocated to them as their own.
The great reforms of Alexander II turned out to be truly revolutionary at that time. He supported the Zemstvo Regulations of 1864 and the City Regulations of 1870. The Judicial Statutes of 1864 were put into effect and the military reforms of the 1860s and 70s were adopted. Reforms took place in public education. Corporal punishment, which was shameful for a developing country, was finally abolished.
Alexander II confidently continued the traditional line of imperial policy. In the first years of his reign, he won victories in the Caucasian War. He successfully advanced in Central Asia, annexing most of Turkestan to the territory of the state. In 1877-78, the tsar decided to go to war with Turkey. He also managed to fill the treasury, increasing the total income of 1867 by 3%. This was done by selling Alaska to the United States.
But in the last years of the reign of Alexander II, the reforms “stalled.” Their continuation was sluggish and inconsistent. The emperor dismissed all the main reformers. At the end of his reign, the Tsar introduced limited public representation in Russia under the State Council.
Some historians believe that the reign of Alexander II, for all its advantages, had a huge disadvantage: the tsar pursued a “Germanophile policy” that did not meet the interests of the state. The monarch was in awe of the Prussian king - his uncle, and in every possible way contributed to the creation of a united militaristic Germany.
A contemporary of the Tsar, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Pyotr Valuev, wrote in his diaries about the Tsar’s severe nervous breakdown in the last years of his life. Romanov was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and looked tired and irritated. “Crown half-ruin” - such an unflattering epithet given by Valuev to the emperor, accurately explained his condition.
“In an era where strength is needed,” the politician wrote, “obviously, one cannot count on it.”
Nevertheless, in the first years of his reign, Alexander II managed to do a lot for the Russian state. And he really deserved the epithets “Liberator” and “Reformer”.
Personal life
The emperor was a passionate man. He has many novels to his credit. In his youth, he had an affair with his maid of honor Borodzina, whom his parents urgently married off. Then another novel, and again with the maid of honor Maria Trubetskoy. And the connection with the maid of honor Olga Kalinovskaya turned out to be so strong that the Tsarevich even decided to abdicate the throne for the sake of marrying her. But his parents insisted on breaking off this relationship and marrying Maximilianna of Hesse.
However, the marriage with, nee Princess Maximiliana-Wilhelmina-Augusta-Sophia-Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt, was a happy one. 8 children were born there, 6 of whom were sons.
Emperor Alexander II mortgaged the favorite summer residence of the last Russian tsars, Livadia, for his wife, who was sick with tuberculosis, by purchasing the land along with the estate and vineyards from the daughters of Count Lev Pototsky.
Maria Alexandrovna died in May 1880. She left a note containing words of gratitude to her husband for a happy life together.
But the monarch was not a faithful husband. The personal life of Alexander II was a constant source of gossip at court. Some favorites gave birth to illegitimate children from the sovereign.
An 18-year-old maid of honor managed to firmly capture the heart of the emperor. The Emperor married his longtime lover the same year his wife died. It was a morganatic marriage, that is, concluded with a person of non-royal origin. The children from this union, and there were four of them, could not become heirs to the throne. It is noteworthy that all the children were born at a time when Alexander II was still married to his first wife.
After the tsar married Dolgorukaya, the children received legal status and a princely title.
Death
During his reign, Alexander II was assassinated several times. The first assassination attempt occurred after the suppression of the Polish uprising in 1866. It was committed in Russia by Dmitry Karakozov. The second is next year. This time in Paris. Polish emigrant Anton Berezovsky tried to kill the Tsar.
A new attempt was made at the beginning of April 1879 in St. Petersburg. In August of the same year, the executive committee of Narodnaya Volya sentenced Alexander II to death. After this, the Narodnaya Volya members intended to blow up the emperor’s train, but mistakenly blew up another train.
The new attempt turned out to be even bloodier: several people died in the Winter Palace after the explosion. As luck would have it, the emperor entered the room later.
To protect the sovereign, the Supreme Administrative Commission was created. But she did not save Romanov’s life. In March 1881, a bomb was thrown at the feet of Alexander II by Narodnaya Volya member Ignatius Grinevitsky. The king died from his wounds.
It is noteworthy that the assassination attempt took place on the day when the emperor decided to launch the truly revolutionary constitutional project of M. T. Loris-Melikov, after which Russia was supposed to follow the path of the constitution.
M.A. Zichy. "The highest reception in the Winter Palace on April 5, 1866 after the first attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander II.
Patronizing enlightenment
The Empress founded countless shelters, almshouses and boarding houses. She marked the beginning of a new period of women's education in Russia, with the establishment of open all-class women's educational institutions (gymnasiums), which, according to the regulations of 1860, it was decided to open in all cities where it would be possible to ensure their existence. Under her, women's gymnasiums in Russia were supported almost exclusively by public and private funds. From now on, it was not only the Highest patronage, but social forces that largely determined the fate of women's education in Russia. Teaching subjects were divided into compulsory and optional. Compulsory classes in three-year gymnasiums included: the Law of God, the Russian language, Russian history and geography, arithmetic, penmanship, and handicrafts. In the course of women's gymnasiums, in addition to the above subjects, the basics of geometry, geography, history, as well as “the most important concepts in natural history and physics with the addition of information related to household management and hygiene,” penmanship, needlework, and gymnastics were required.
Ivan Makarov, wife of Alexander II.
"Like an unsolved mystery..."
Like an unsolved mystery
Living beauty breathes in her -
We look with anxious trepidation
To the quiet light of her eyes.
Is there an earthly charm in her?
Or unearthly grace?
My soul would like to pray to her,
And my heart is eager to adore...
F. I. Tyutchev. Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Timofey Neff Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
Andrey Drozdov Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II.
Girls who were awarded gold or silver medals at the end of the gymnasium course of general studies, and who, in addition, attended a special special course of an additional class, acquired the title of home tutors. Those who did not receive medals received a “certificate of approval” for completing a full general course in a gymnasium and attended a special course in an additional class, and enjoyed the rights of home teachers. The transformative activities of Empress Maria Alexandrovna also affected her education in institutions. On the personal initiative of the Empress, measures were taken not only to protect the health and physical strength of children, by eliminating from their range of activities everything that has a purely mechanical, unproductive nature (drawing and copying notes that replaced printed manuals, etc.), but also to bringing pupils closer to their family and to the environment surrounding the parental home, for which they were allowed to go to the homes of their parents and immediate relatives during vacations and holidays. At the thought and initiative of the Empress, women's diocesan schools began to emerge for the first time in Russia. In the field of charity, the Empress’s most important merit is the organization of the Red Cross, to expand the activities of which during the Russian-Turkish War she put a lot of work and expense, refusing even to sew new dresses for herself, giving all her savings to the benefit of widows, orphans, the wounded and the sick. The “restoration of Christianity in the Caucasus”, “distribution of spiritual and moral books”, “Russian missionary”, “brotherly loving in Moscow” and many other charitable institutions owe their development and success to the patronage of Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Peter Ernst Rockstuhl
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Ivan Makarov
And finally, the Empress, with the full support of her August husband, founded the largest theater and ballet school in St. Petersburg and all of Russia, which was later headed by Agrippina Vaganova. At the same time, both the school and the famous theater were entirely supported by the funds of the Imperial Family, the Empress personally, and, at the insistence of her August husband, Emperor Alexander II, bore her name. The theater still bears the sovereign name. A bust of Empress Maria Alexandrovna was recently installed in the theater's foyer. From the first hour of the sovereign service of the Hessian Princess Mary on Russian soil, her burden was so voluminous and all-encompassing that the Empress spent countless amounts of energy to keep up everywhere, not to be late, to give gifts, to smile, to console, to encourage, to pray, to instruct, to answer, caress and: sing a lullaby. She burned like a candle in the wind! To her maid of honor and teacher, confidant, Anna Tyutcheva, the Tsesarevna, and later the Empress of All Russia, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, admitted with a tired smile more than once that she lived most of her life as a “volunteer” - that is, a voluntary soldier!
Karl Schulz Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Not a moment of rest or peace, moral or physical. Only an ardent feeling of reverent, selfless love for her husband, the Emperor, and an equally strong feeling of true faith, which at times delighted even people of primordially Orthodox faith, including: the confessor of the Imperial Family V. Ya Bazhanov and the famous Holy Hierarch of Moscow, Metropolitan Philaret Drozdov, supported the rapidly depleted fragile forces of the Empress. The Moscow saint left several evidence of his gratitude to the Empress, often addressing her with speeches and conversations given here.
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna in mourning
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna,
I.K. Makarov
It is known that the Empress was extremely God-loving and generous, humble and meek. In her sovereign position, she was the only Empress in the Russian state for almost 20 years. She was kept on earth only by constant good spirits and that “unsolved mystery of living charm”, which the observant diplomat and poet Tyutchev so subtly noted in her. The powerful charm of her personality spread to everyone who loved and knew her, but over the years there were fewer and fewer of them!
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
But the trials, on the contrary, did not diminish in the life of the High Royal Person, surrounded by the close attention of hundreds of picky eyes. One of these difficult trials for Her Majesty Empress Maria was the presence in the Empress’s personal retinue of a young, charming lady-in-waiting, Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukaya, with whom her much-adored husband, the ruler of the Empire, desperately, dizzyingly and quickly fell in love. Empress Maria Alexandrovna knew everything, because she was too smart and impressionable to deceive herself, but she could not do anything... Or did she not want to? She suffered all fourteen years of this scandalous relationship - silently, patiently, without lifting an eyebrow, without making a sign. This had its own pride and its own aching pain. Not everyone understood or accepted this. Especially the grown-up August children and sons, who literally idolized their mother!
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Firs Sergeevich Zhuravlev (1836-1901) Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Blessed death
I dare to urgently ask Your Imperial Majesty not to return for the winter to St. Petersburg and, in general, to central Russia. As a last resort - Crimea. For your exhausted lungs and heart, weakened from stress, the climate of St. Petersburg is destructive, I dare to assure you! Your villa in Florence has long been ready and is waiting for you. And the new Palace in the vicinity of Livadia is all at the service of your Imperial...:
- Tell me, Sergey Petrovich,- the Empress Botkin, the life-medic, suddenly interrupted, - Did the Emperor ask you to keep me here, away from Russia? He doesn't want me to come back?- thin, emaciated fingers nervously drummed on the sill of the high Italian window of the villa, which looked directly onto the sea coast. The sea behind the glass floated in the morning haze and was still sleepy and serene. It seemed to be swaying right at my feet:
August Behrendsen Küste bei Nizza
Stop all these curtsies, Sergei Petrovich! There are only tiny drops left of my priceless health, and only one drop of the August Will humility before God's permission!- the emaciated profile of the Empress was still abnormally beautiful with some unusual, painful subtlety, it was not there before, but even on his profile, it seemed, the imperious shadow of death had already fallen.
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
- I dare to argue with Your Majesty about the last statement!
So - sir, rapid pulse, wet palms... You should lie down, Your Imperial Majesty, I’ll call the nurse now. We must follow the regime!
I’ll rest in the next world, Sergei Petrovich, I don’t have long to wait. Tell me to get ready, tomorrow morning I need to be in Cannes, from there to St. Petersburg, that's enough, I stayed too long by the sea. I want to die at home, in my bed.
Sergei Petrovich Botkin
The entire course of procedures has not yet been completed, and I don’t want to resort to oxygen pillows, like on my last visit to the capital! Your Majesty, I beg you! I received a letter from Their Highnesses, Tsarevich Alexander and Tsarevna Maria Feodorovna, they also find that it is extremely undesirable for you to be in the capital and sour in the stuffy Winter Palace. Autumn this year in St. Petersburg, as always, is not a smooth one! - the life doctor smiled slightly, the Empress immediately picked up this weak smile:
Alexander II with his family
I know, dear doctor, I know, but that’s not the reason! You are simply afraid of how the presence in the Palace, over my poor head, of a famous person, Sacred to the Sovereign Emperor, will affect my health! - The Empress chuckled slightly. Don't be afraid, I will no longer drop combs and break cups from the sound of children's steps. (An allusion to Princess Catherine Dolgorukaya and her children from Emperor Alexander. There were three of them. They all lived in the Winter Palace and occupied apartments directly above the Empress’s head! This was dictated, as historians write, by considerations of the safety of the Princess and children. At that time, attempts became more frequent attempts on the life of the Emperor. But is it only this?.. - author’s note).
Köhler I. P. Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
As always, I will find a natural explanation for such natural noise, so as not to confuse the young maids! - The Empress tried to smile, but her face was distorted by a painful grimace. She lowered her head, trying to suppress a coughing fit, and pressed a handkerchief to her lips. He was instantly soaked in blood.
- Your Imperial Majesty, I beg you, there is no need! - the excited Botkin sharply squeezed Maria Alexandrovna’s hand in his palms. I understand, I shouldn't! I understand everything, I just want you to know: I never blamed him for anything and never do! He has given me so much happiness over all these years and so often proved his immense respect for me that this would be more than enough for ten ordinary women!
Ivan Kramskoy Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
It’s not his fault that he is Caesar, and I am Caesar’s wife! You will object now that he insulted the Empress in me, and you will be right, dear doctor, of course you are right, but let God judge him! I don't have the right to do this. Heaven has long known and known my resentment and bitterness. Alexander too. And my true misfortune is that life takes on full meaning and multicolored colors for me only next to him, it doesn’t matter whether his heart belongs to me or to someone else, younger and more beautiful... It’s not his fault, which means more to me than anything else , I'm just built so strangely.
Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna. - Late 1860s - early 1870s. - Photo
And I'm happy that I can leave before him. Fear for his life greatly tormented me! These six attempts! Crazy Russia! She always needs something stunning foundations and foundations, disastrous shocks... And maybe the heartfelt personal weaknesses of the Autocrat will only benefit her, who knows? “He’s just like us, a weak mortal, and an adulterer at that! Trample him, kill him, kill him!” - they shout, forgetting themselves. Perhaps, with my prayer, There, at the Throne of the Heavenly Father, I will ask for a quiet death for him, in return for the martyr's crown of the sufferer, driven into a corner by the raging mob, foaming at the mouth, forever dissatisfied. Maria Alexandrovna sighed wearily and bowed her head on her folded palms. Her strength had completely left her.
-Your Imperial Majesty, you are tired, take a rest, why tear your soul apart with gloomy thoughts?! - the life doctor muttered helplessly, trying to hide the confusion and excitement that gripped him.
Sergei Petrovich, tell us to get ready! - The Empress whispered tiredly. - While I have the strength, I want to return and die next to him and the children, on my native land, under my native clouds. You know, nowhere there is such a high sky as in Russia, and such warm and soft clouds! - the shadow of a dreamy smile touched the Empress’s bloodless lips.
Haven't you noticed? Tell His Majesty that I bequeath to be buried in a simple white dress, without a crown on my head or other Royal regalia. There, under the warm and soft clouds, we are all equal before the King of Heaven; in Eternity there are no differences of rank. You say, dear doctor?
Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna
Instead of answering, the life physician only respectfully pressed to his lips a small feverish palm with blue streaks of veins and a feverishly beating pulse. He, this pulse, was like a small bird, greedily rushing upward under the warm and high, native clouds... So greedily that there was no point in keeping it on Earth any longer! Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress of All Russia, Maria Alexandrovna, died quietly in St. Petersburg, in the Winter Palace, in her own apartment, on the night of the second to third of June 1880. Death came to her in a dream. According to the will, like all the Empresses of the House of Romanov, she was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg six days later, on May 28 (June 10), 1880.
Funeral procession
After her blessed death, a letter was found in the box addressed to her August husband, in which she thanked him for all the years spent together and for the gift given to her so long ago, on April 28, 1841 (Date of the marriage of the Royal couple) - vita nuova - new life.
In her marriage to Alexander Nikolaevich, Maria Alexandrovna had eight children:
Alexandra Alexandrovna
Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich ( September 8, 1843 - April 12, 1865) - died of tuberculous meningitis in the city of Nice;
Portrait of Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich. Sergei Konstantinovich Zaryanko
Alexander III(February 26, 1845 - October 20, 1894) - Emperor of Russia in 1881-1894;
Ivan Tyurin. Portrait led. book Alexander Alexandrovich. 1865. State Historical Museum
Alexander III with his family
Vladimir Alexandrovich(April 10, 1847-1909) - in 1874 he married the Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with whom he had five children;
Portrait of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (Zaryanko S.K., 1867)
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich with his wife and children.
Vladimir Alexandrovich with his family
Aleksey Aleksandrovich(January 2, 1850-1908) - from 1883 to 1905, Admiral General of the Navy of the Russian Empire;
Alexey Ivanovich Korzukhin (1835-1894) Portrait of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich
Maria Alexandrovna(5 October 1853-1920), Grand Duchess, Duchess of Great Britain and Germany, wife of Alfred of Edinburgh;
Maria Alexandrovna (5 October 1853–1920), Grand Duchess, Duchess of Great Britain and Germany