The last Russian tsarina Alexander Romanov

Empress Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova ... Her personality in Russian history is very ambiguous. On the one hand, a loving wife, mother, and on the other - a princess, categorically not accepted by Russian society. A lot of mysteries and secrets are connected with Alexandra Fedorovna: her fascination with mysticism - on the one hand and deep faith - on the other. Researchers attribute it to her responsibility for the tragic fate of the imperial house. What are the mysteries of the biography of Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova? What is its role in the destiny of the country? We will answer in the article.

Childhood

Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova was born on June 7, 1872. The parents of the future Russian Empress were the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig and the English Princess Alice. The girl was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and this kinship will play an important role in the formation of the character of Alexandra.
Full name of her - Victoria Alix Elena Louise Beatrice (in honor of her aunts). In addition to Alix (as the family called the girl), the duke's family had seven children.

Alexandra (Romanova subsequently) received a classical English education, she was brought up in the strict traditions of the Victorian era. Modesty was in everything: in everyday life, food, clothes. Even the children slept on soldiers' beds. Already at this time the girl traced shyness, all her life she will fight with natural stamping in an unfamiliar society. At home, Alix was not to find out: she was smart and smiling, she got herself a second name - "the sun".

But childhood was not so cloudless: first, as a result of an accident, a brother dies, then younger sister Mei and Princess Alice, Alix's mother, die from diphtheria. This served as an impetus to the fact that a six-year-old girl withdrew into herself, became alienated.

Youth

After the death of her mother, according to Alexandra herself, a dark cloud hung over her and blocked all the sunny childhood. She is sent to England to her grandmother - the ruling Queen Victoria. Naturally, state affairs were taken from the latter all the time, so the upbringing of children was entrusted to the governess. Later, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna will not forget the lessons she received in her youth.

Margaret Jackson - that's the name of her teacher and teacher - moved away from prim Victorian manners, she taught the girl to think, reason, form and voice her opinion. Classical education did not provide for a multifaceted development, but by the fifteenth anniversary of the future Empress Alexandra Romanova was versed in politics, history, beautifully played music and knew several foreign languages.

It was during his youthful years, at the age of twelve, that Alix first met his future spouse Nikolai. This happened at the wedding of her sister and Grand Duke Sergei. Three years later, at the invitation of the latter, she again comes to Russia. Nicholas was conquered by the girl.

Wedding with Nicholas II

Nicholas's parents were not happy with the union of young people-in their opinion, it was more profitable for them to have a wedding with the daughter of the French count Louis-Philippe. For lovers, long five years of separation begin, but this circumstance further united them and taught them to appreciate the feeling.

In any Nicholas does not want to accept the will of his father, he continues to insist on marriage with his beloved. Acting Emperor Alexander III has to give in: he feels the approaching illness, and the heir must have a party. But here Alix, who received the name of Alexander Romanov after the coronation, faced a serious test: she had to accept Orthodoxy and leave Lutheranism. She studied the basics for two years, after which she was converted to Russian faith. It should be said that Alexandra entered Orthodoxy with an open heart and pure thoughts.

The marriage of the young took place on November 27, 1894, again, John Kronstadt. There was a sacrament in the church of the Winter Palace. Everything happens against the background of mourning, after all, 3 days after Alix's arrival, Alexander III dies in Russia (many then said that she "came for the coffin"). Alexandra notes in a letter to her sister the striking contrast between sorrow and a great celebration - it rallied the couple even more. Everyone, even haters of the imperial family, later noticed the fortress of the union and the fortitude of the spirit of Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II.

The blessing of the young couple for the reign (coronation) was held on May 27, 1896 in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. Since that time, Alix, "the sun" has acquired the title of Empress-Empress Alexander Feodorovna Romanova. Later, she noted in her diary that this was the second wedding - with Russia.

Place at court and in political life

From the very first day of the reign, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna - support and support for her husband in his difficult state affairs.

In public life, a young woman tried to encourage people to charity, because she absorbed it as a child from her parents. Unfortunately, at the court her ideas were not accepted, moreover, the Empress was hated. In all her proposals and even mimicry, courtiers saw falsity and unnaturalness. But in fact they just got used to idleness and did not want to change anything.

Of course, like any woman and wife, Alexandra Romanova had an effect on the state activities of the spouse.

Many prominent politicians of that time noted that it had a negative impact on Nicholas. This was the opinion, for example, of S. Witte. And General A. Mosolov and Senator V. Gurko regretfully state that it was not accepted by the Russian society. And the latter blames not the capricious nature and some nervousness of the incumbent empress, but the widow of Alexander III, Maria Fyodorovna, who until the end did not accept her daughter-in-law.

Nevertheless, her subjects obeyed, and not because of fear, but because of respect. Yes, she was strict, but she was the same with herself. Alix never forgot her requests and instructions, each of them was clearly considered and weighed. Sincerely loved her those who were close to the empress, knew her not by rumor, but deeply in person. For the rest, the Empress remained a "dark horse" and a subject of gossip.

There were also very warm responses about Alexander. So, the ballerina M. Kshesinskaya (by the way, she was the mistress of Nicholas before the wedding of the latter with Alix) mentions her as a woman of high morale and a broad soul.

Children: Grand Duchesses

The first Grand Duchess Olga was born in 1895. People's dislike for the Empress increased even more, because all were waiting for the boy, heir. Alexandra, not finding the response and support of her undertakings from her subjects, completely deepens into family life, she even feeds her daughter herself, not using the services of anyone else, which was not typical even for noble families, not so much for the empress.

Later Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia are born. Nikolai Aleksandrovich and Alexandra Fedorovna brought up children in simplicity and purity of spirit. It was an ordinary family, devoid of any arrogance.

Upbringing was done by the queen of Alexander Romanov. The only exception were items with a narrow focus. Great attention was paid to sports games in the open air, sincerity. Mother was the person to whom girls could apply at any time and with any request. They lived in an atmosphere of love and absolute trust. It was an absolutely happy, sincere family.

The girls grew up in an atmosphere of modesty and goodwill. Mother ordered their dresses on their own, to save them from excessive wastefulness and to bring up meekness and chastity. They were very rarely participants of social events. Their entrance into society was limited only to the requirements of palace etiquette. Alexandra Fedorovna, Nicholas's wife, 2 was afraid that spoiled daughters of the nobility would have a detrimental effect on girls.

With her mother's function, Alexandra Fedorovna coped brilliantly. Great princesses grew unusually clean, sincere young people. In general, the family was dominated by an extraordinary spirit of Christian splendor. This was noted in his diaries and Nicholas II, and Alexander Romanov. The citations given below only confirm the above information:

"Our love and our life are one ... Nothing can separate us or diminish our love" (Alexandra Fedorovna).

"The Lord blessed us with rare family happiness" (Emperor Nicholas II).

The birth of the heir

The only thing that saddened the life of the couple was the lack of an heir. On this occasion, Alexander Romanov was very worried. On such days she became very nervous. Trying to understand the cause and solve the problem, the Empress begins to get carried away by mysticism and even more strikes into religion. This is reflected in her husband, Nicholas II, because he feels the emotional torment of his beloved woman.

It was decided to attract the best doctors. Unfortunately, among them was a real charlatan, Philip. Arriving from France, he so impressed the empress of the thought of pregnancy, that she really believed in what she bears the heir. Alexandra Feodorovna developed a very rare disease - "false pregnancy". When it became clear that the stomach of the Russian tsarina was growing under the influence of the psycho-emotional state, we had to make an official announcement that there would be no heir. Philip is expelled from the country with shame.

A little later, Alix still conceives and gives birth on August 12, 1904 to the boy - Tsarevich Alexei. But she did not receive the long-awaited happiness of Alexander Romanov. Her biography says that the life of the Empress from now on becomes tragic. The fact is that the boy shows a rare disease - hemophilia. This is a hereditary disease, the carrier of which is a woman. Its essence is that the blood does not clot. A person is overcome by constant pain and attacks. The most famous carrier of the hemophilia gene was Queen Victoria, nicknamed the grandmother of Europe. For this reason, the disease received such names: "Victorian disease" and "royal disease". With the best care, the heir could survive for a maximum of 30 years, on average, patients rarely overcome the age barrier at age 16.

Rasputin in the life of the Empress

In some sources, one can find information that only a man - Grigory Rasputin - was able to help Alexei the Tsarevich. Although this disease is considered chronic and incurable, there is much evidence that the "God-man" by his prayers could have allegedly stopped the suffering of an unhappy child. Than it is explained - it is difficult to say. It should be noted that the Tsesarevich's disease was a state secret. From here we can conclude how much the imperial family trusted this rough-hewn Tobolsk muzhik.

A lot has been written about the relations between Rasputin and the Empress: some attribute to him exclusively the role of the savior of the heir, others - a love affair with Alexandra Feodorovna. The latest conjectures are not unfounded - in the Empress's adultery the then society was sure that around the betrayal of Tsarina Nicholas II and Gregory there were rumors. After all, the Starets himself spoke about this, but then he was in good spirits, so he could easily give out what he wanted for reality. And for the birth of gossip much is not necessary. In the opinion of a close associate who did not harbor hatred towards the august couple, the main reason for the close relationship between Rasputin and the imperial family was exclusively the attacks of hemophilia of Alexei.

And how did Nikolai Aleksandrovich treat rumors that defame the pure name of his wife? He considered all this to be nothing more than fiction and improper interference in the private life of the family. Rasputin himself considered the Rasputin "a simple Russian man, very religious and believing."

One thing is certain: the royal family had a deep sympathy for Grigory. They were one of the few who sincerely grieved after the murder of the elder.

Romanov during the war

The First World War forced Nicholas II to leave St. Petersburg for GHQ. State concerns were taken by Alexandra Romanova. The empress pays special attention to charity. She perceived the war as her personal tragedy: she sincerely grieved, escorting soldiers to the front, and lamenting the dead. She read prayers on every new grave of a fallen warrior, as if he were her relative. It can be safely said that the title "Holy" Alexander Romanov was received already during his lifetime. This is the time when Alix becomes more and more attached to Orthodoxy.

It would seem that rumors must subside: the country suffers from war. Far from it, they became even more cruel. For example, she was accused of being addicted to spiritualism. This could not be true in any way, because even then the Empress was a deeply religious person, rejecting everything else-worldly.

Prayers to help the country during the war was not limited. Together with her daughters, she mastered the skills of nurses: they began to work at the hospital, helping surgeons (assisted in operations), carried out all care for the wounded. Every day at half past nine in the morning their service began: along with other sisters of mercy, the empress removed amputated limbs, dirty clothes, and bandaged heavy wounds, including gangrenous ones. This was alien to representatives of the nobility: they collected donations for the front, visited hospitals, opened medical institutions. But none of them worked in the operating room, as the empress did. And all this despite the fact that she was tormented by problems with her own health, undermined by nervous experiences and frequent childbirth.

Tsar's palaces were re-equipped for hospitals, Alexandra Fedorovna personally formed sanitary trains and warehouses of medicines. She vowed that as long as the war is going on, neither she nor the Grand Duchesses will sew themselves a single dress. And I remained true to my word to the end.

Spiritual appearance of Alexandra Romanova

Was there really a believer of Alexander Romanov? Photos and portraits of the empress, preserved to this day, are always shown by the sad eyes of this woman, in them hiding some sorrow. Even in her youth she fully accepted the Orthodox faith, giving up Lutheranism, on the truths of which she was brought up from childhood.

Life shocks make her closer to God, she often secluded for prayers when she tries to conceive a boy, then - when she learns about the deadly illness of her son. And during the war she furiously prays for the soldiers, the wounded and those who died for their country. Every day before her service in the hospital, Alexandra Feodorovna takes some time for prayers. For these purposes in the Palace of Tsarskoe Selo even a special prayer room is assigned.

However, her service to God consisted not only of zealous pleas: the empress unfolds a truly large-scale charitable activity. She organized an orphanage, a house for invalids, and numerous hospitals. She found time for her maid of honor, who had lost the ability to walk: she talked to her about God, mentally instructed and supported her every day.

Alexandra Feodorovna never exhibited her faith for show, most often on trips around the country she visited churches and incognito hospitals. It could easily merge with a crowd of believers, because its actions were natural, went from the heart. Religion was for Alexandra Feodorovna a purely personal matter. Many at court tried to find in the queen the notes of hypocrisy, but they did not succeed.

Her husband Nicholas II was the same. They loved God and Russia with all their heart, did not imagine a different life, outside of Russia. They did not distinguish between people, did not draw a line between the titled individuals and the common people. Most likely, therefore, the usual Tobolsky peasant, Grigory Rasputin, at one time "took root" in the imperial family.

Arrest, exile and martyrdom

Alexandra Fyodorovna completes her life by martyrdom in the Ipatiev house, where the emperor's family was exiled after the 1917 revolution. Even in the face of the approaching death, being under the muzzle of the firing squad, she overshadowed herself with the sign of the cross.

"The Russian Calvary" predicted the imperial family more than once, they lived with it all their lives, knowing that for them everything will end very sad. They submitted to the will of God and thus defeated the forces of evil. The tsar's couple was buried only in 1998.