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Detail from a portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia by Christina Robertson (?).

#empress maria alexandrovna #romanov #russia #christina roberston #maybe? #portrait detail

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"I forgot to say that at Torby (home of Countess Sophie Torby) I saw the last photograph of Ksenia Alexandrovna's daughter. How beautiful she is..." Letter from Prince Felix Youssoupoff to his mother, Zenaida in October 1910.

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How was Alexander III's relationship with his brothers' wives? I know I hate Maria Pavlovna. But what did he think of his brother Sergei's wife, Elizabeth Feodorovna? I read somewhere that he considered Elizabeth the most beautiful woman in Russia. What did he think about Elizabeth, how were they between them?

Hi! You’re correct that Alexander III was less than fond of his brother Vladimir’s wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna “the Elder.” We don’t know for sure if Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich did in fact marry his significant other, Alexandra Zhukovskaya (and if he did, it was a morganatic marriage), but we do know that his father, Alexander II, did not approve of the relationship; however, Alexander III later gave Alexei and Alexandra’s son the title of “Count,” which Alexander II had refused to do; I don’t know how he felt about Alexandra Zhukovskaya, though. I believe he was fond of Sergei Alexandrovich’s wife, Elizaveta Feodorovna—she wrote a letter to Queen Victoria describing the kindness shown her by her brother-in-law Sasha. As for Pavel’s first wife, Alexandra Georgievna, I have to assume that he liked her as well—she was his niece, and to my knowledge; no one had a bad word to say about her.

#answered

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“Your sympathy is a great comfort to me and my daughter, who has endured such a severe trial at such an early age... She tells me that she would not for anything in the world wish to change the past, no matter how short, but happy it was; and I will never forget his look when the Tsar led her by the hand to his bed! It was pure happiness, and he recognized her all day when he was dying. He said goodbye to her, kissed her, and held her hand tightly in his until he died! We were on the road for four days and four nights, and she never left his bedside, kneeling next to him day and night, until at one o'clock in the afternoon she kissed him and he exhaled his young life! It was terrible for me, because I loved him very much and saw how all the happiness of the poor young bride had faded away... Minnie went to Darmstadt for the day to see his parents again. The whole dear family was so kind and sweet to her that the separation was doubly painful for her."

- Queen Louise of Denmark in a letter to Queen Victoria, on her daughter Princess Dagmar’s grief at the death of her fiancé, Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia. Dagmar went on to become Empress Maria Alexandrovna as the wife of Nicholas’s brother, Emperor Alexander III. Their firstborn son was named after the uncle he never knew, he is known to history as Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor.

#queen louise of denmark #queen victoria of the united kingdom #empress maria feodorovna #grand duke nicholas alexandrovich #romanov #russia #quotes

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If I'm not mistaken, empress Maria Alexandrovna's brother was infatuated with Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, but emperor Nicholas I did not want such a marriage to happen. Instead, he proposed a marriage with Grand Duchess Ekaterina Mikhailovna, but he demurred. What did Ekaterina think about this? Thx u!

Hi! Nope, you are not mistaken—Prince Alexander of Hesse fancied himself in love with Grand Duchess Olga. She did flirt with him quite a bit, but she knew her father did not approve, and she sort of led Alexander on a little. Because her two sisters had married relatively insignificant royal partners, Nicholas was eager to see Olga make a dynastic marriage, and Alexander of Hesse was not what he had in mind. He did suggest his niece, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Mikhailovna, as an alternative, but Alexander had no interest in marrying a woman he didn’t love; what’s more, Ekaterina’s father, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, disliked the future Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and his dislike extended to her younger brother as well, so even if the young prince hadn’t demurred, it’s unlikely that the marriage would have happened. We don’t know much about what Ekaterina herself thought of the situation, but from what I understand, she was in no hurry to marry, and she had already refused the hand of another German prince. Ultimately, she married Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and interestingly, the couple made their home in St. Petersburg. Prince Alexander later fell in love with Countess Julia von Hauke, maid of honor to his sister, much to the displeasure of Nicholas I; he and Julia left Russia, and by the time they were able to wed, she was already six months pregnant. Her husband’s brother, the Grand Duke of Hesse, gave her the title of Princess of Battenberg, and as such, the current Mountbattens are her descendants.

#answered

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The future Emperor Alexander III of Russia by Hau.

#emperor alexander iii #romanov #russia #vladimir ivanovich hau #portrait

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The three eldest sons of Emperor Alexander II of Russia (l. to r. Grand Dukes Alexander, Vladimir, and Nicholas) by Hau.

#grand duke nicholas alexandrovich #emperor alexander iii #grand duke vladimir alexandrovich #romanov #russia #vladimir ivanovich hau #portrait

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Grand Duchess Tatiana of Russia

September/October 1910

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Princesses Victoria and Maud of Wales by Josefine Swoboda.

#princess victoria of wales #princess maud of wales #josefine swoboda #portrait

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Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (nee Princess Charlotte of Prussia) by Hau, after Sokolov.

#empress alexandra feodorovna #romanov #russia #sokolov #vladimir ivanovich hau #portrait

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Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, second daughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, when Crown Princess of Wurttemberg, by Hau.

#grand duchess olga nikolaevna the elder #romanov #russia #vladimir ivanovich hau #portrait

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Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, consort of Emperor Nicholas I, with her eldest daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, by Sokolov.

#empress alexandra feodorovna #grand duchess maria nikolaevna the elder #romanov #russia #sokolov #portrait painting

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The future Emperor Alexander II of Russia with his sister, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna (later Duchess of Leuchtenberg) by Briullov.

#emperor alexander ii #grand duchess maria nikolaevna the elder #romanov #russia #briullov #portrait

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Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Detail) by Christina Robertson (1796-1854)

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“Grand Duchess of Russia, Alexandra Nikolaievna (Daughter of Nikolai I)” by Christina Robertson (1796-1854).

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Little Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich “Miche-Miche” of Russia.

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Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, 1887.

'She had besides a special talent for wearing her clothes, in a way quite her own. Of course everything suited her, for she was tall, slim and incredibly graceful, and no blush rose could have competed with her complexion. There was also something of a lily about her; her purity was absolute ; one could never take one’s eyes off her, and when parting from her in the evening one longed for the hour when one would behold her again next day.' Queen Marie of Romania