Empress Alexandra Feodorovna 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 mysteries are connected with Alexandra Fedorovna: her passion for mysticism, on the one hand, and deep faith, on the other. Researchers attribute to her the responsibility for the tragic fate of the imperial house. What mysteries does the biography of Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova keep? What is its role in the fate 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 relationship will play an important role in the development of Alexandra's character.
Her full name is Victoria Alix Elena Louise Beatrice (in honor of her aunts). In addition to Alix (as the relatives called the girl), the duke's family had seven children.
Alexandra (later Romanova) 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, clothing. Even the children slept in soldiers' beds. Already at this time, shyness can be traced in the girl, all her life she will struggle with natural shading in an unfamiliar society. At home, Alix was unrecognizable: nimble, smiling, she earned herself a middle name - “sun”.
But childhood was not so cloudless: first, a brother dies as a result of an accident, then her younger sister Mei and Princess Alice, Alix's mother, die of diphtheria. This was the impetus for the fact that the six-year-old girl withdrew into herself, became aloof.
Youth
After her mother's death, according to Alexandra herself, a dark cloud hung over her and blocked her entire sunny childhood. She is sent to England to live with her grandmother, the reigning Queen Victoria. Naturally, state affairs took away all the time from the latter, so the upbringing of children was entrusted to the governess. Later, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna will not forget the lessons she received in her youth.
Margaret Jackson - that was the name of her tutor and teacher - moved away from stiff Victorian mores, she taught the girl to think, reflect, form and voice her opinion. Classical education did not provide for versatile development, but by the age of fifteen, the future Empress Alexandra Romanova understood politics, history, played music well and knew several foreign languages.
It is in youthyears, at the age of twelve, Alix first meets his future husband 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. Nikolay was captivated by the girl.
Wedding with Nicholas II
Nikolai's parents were not happy with the union of young people - more profitable, in their opinion, was for him a wedding with the daughter of the French Count Louis-Philippe. For lovers, five long years of separation begin, but this circumstance has rallied them even more and taught them to appreciate the feeling.
No way Nikolai wants to accept the will of his father, he continues to insist on marriage with his beloved. The current emperor Alexander III has to give in: he feels the approaching illness, and the heir must have a party. But here, too, Alix, who received the name Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova 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 is converted to the 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, it was conducted by John of Kronstadt. The sacrament took place in the church of the Winter Palace. Everything happens against the backdrop of mourning, because 3 days after Alix's arrival in Russia, Alexander III dies (many then said that she "came for the coffin"). Alexandra notes in a letter to her sister a striking contrast betweengrief and great triumph - this rallied the spouses even more. Everyone, even haters of the imperial family, subsequently noticed the strength of the union and the fortitude of the spirit of Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II.
The blessing of the young couple on the board (coronation) took place on May 27, 1896 in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. From that time on, Alix the “sun” acquired the title of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova. Later, she noted in her diary that this was the second wedding - with Russia.
A place at court and in political life
From the very first day of her reign, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna has been a support and support for her husband in his difficult public affairs.
In public life, a young woman tried to encourage people to charity, because she absorbed this from her parents as a child. Unfortunately, her ideas were not accepted at court; moreover, the empress was hated. In all her sentences and even facial expressions, the courtiers saw deceit and unnaturalness. But in fact, they were just used to idleness and did not want to change anything.
Of course, like any woman and wife, Alexandra Romanova had an effect on her husband's public activities.
Many prominent politicians of that time noted that she negatively influenced Nicholas. Such was the opinion, for example, of S. Witte. And General A. Mosolov and Senator V. Gurko state with regret the non-acceptance of it by Russian society. Moreover, the latter blames not the capricious character and some nervousness of the current empress, but the widowAlexander III, Maria Feodorovna, who never fully accepted her daughter-in-law.
Nevertheless, her subjects obeyed her, and not out of fear, but out of respect. Yes, she was strict, but she was the same in relation to herself. Alix never forgot her requests and instructions, each of them was clearly considered and balanced. She was sincerely loved by those who were close to the empress, knew her not by hearsay, but deeply personally. For the rest, the Empress remained a "dark horse" and the subject of gossip.
There were also very warm reviews about Alexander. So, the ballerina M. Kshesinskaya (by the way, she was Nikolai's mistress before the latter's wedding with Alix) mentions her as a woman of high morality and a broad soul.
Children: Grand Duchesses
The first Grand Duchess Olga was born in 1895. The people's dislike for the Empress increased even more, because everyone was waiting for the boy, the heir. Alexandra, not finding a response and support for her undertakings from her subjects, completely delves into family life, she even feeds her daughter on her own, without using the services of anyone else, which was atypical even for noble families, not to mention for the empress.
Later Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia are born. Nikolai Alexandrovich and Alexandra Fedorovna raised their children in simplicity and purity of spirit. It was an ordinary family, devoid of any arrogance.
Tsarina Alexandra Romanova herself was engaged in education. The only exceptions were subjects of a narrow focus. Great attention was paid to sports games in the fresh air, sincerity. The mother was the person to whom the girlscould turn at any moment and with any request. They lived in an atmosphere of love and absolute trust. It was an absolutely happy, sincere family.
Girls grew up in an atmosphere of modesty and goodwill. Mother independently ordered dresses for them in order to protect them from excessive wastefulness and to cultivate meekness and chastity. They very rarely attended social events. Their access to society was limited only by the requirements of palace etiquette. Alexandra Fedorovna, wife of Nicholas 2, was afraid that the spoiled daughters of the nobility would adversely affect the girls.
Alexandra Fyodorovna coped brilliantly with the function of mother. The Grand Duchesses grew up as unusually pure, sincere young ladies. In general, an extraordinary spirit of Christian splendor reigned in the family. This was noted in their diaries by both Nicholas II and Alexander Romanov. The quotes below only confirm the above information:
"Our love and our life are one… Nothing can separate us or reduce our love" (Alexandra Feodorovna).
"The Lord blessed us with a rare family happiness" (Emperor Nicholas II).
Birth of an heir
The only thing that marred the life of the spouses was the absence of an heir. Alexandra Romanova was very worried about this. On such days she became especially nervous. Trying to understand the cause and solve the problem, the empress begins to get involved in mysticism and even more hits on religion. This is reflected in her husband, Nicholas II, because he feels the mental anguish of the woman he loves.
It was decided to involvethe best doctors. Unfortunately, among them was a real charlatan, Philip. Arriving from France, he inspired the Empress with thoughts of pregnancy so much that she really believed that she was carrying an heir. Alexandra Fedorovna developed a very rare disease - "false pregnancy". When it turned out that the belly of the Russian tsarina was growing under the influence of a psycho-emotional state, an official announcement had to be made that there would be no heir. Philip is expelled from the country in disgrace.
A little later, Alix nevertheless conceives and gives birth on August 12, 1904 to a boy - Tsarevich Alexei.
But did not receive the long-awaited happiness of Alexander Romanov. Her biography says that the life of the Empress from that moment becomes tragic. The fact is that the boy has 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 seizures. The most famous carrier of the hemophilia gene was Queen Victoria, nicknamed the grandmother of Europe. For this reason, this disease has received such names: "Victorian disease" and "royal disease". With the best care, the heir could live up to a maximum of 30 years, on average, patients rarely crossed the age barrier of 16.
Rasputin in the life of the Empress
In some sources you can find information that only one person could help Tsarevich Alexei - Grigory Rasputin. Although this disease is consideredchronic and incurable, there is a lot of evidence that the "man of God" with his prayers could allegedly stop the suffering of an unfortunate child. How this is explained is difficult to say. It should be noted that the illness of the Tsarevich was a state secret. From this we can conclude how much the imperial family trusted this uncouth Tobolsk man.
A lot has been written about the relationship 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 - the then society was sure of the adultery of the Empress, rumors circulated around the betrayal of the Empress to Nicholas II and Gregory. After all, the elder himself spoke about this, but then he was pretty drunk, so he could easily pass off wishful thinking. And for the birth of gossip, much is not needed. According to the close circle, who did not hate the august couple, the main reason for the close relationship between Rasputin and the imperial family was Alexei's attacks of hemophilia.
And how did Nikolai Aleksandrovich feel about the rumors discrediting the pure name of his wife? He considered all this nothing more than fiction and an inappropriate interference in the private life of the family. The emperor himself considered Rasputin "a simple Russian man, very religious and faithful."
One thing is known for certain: the royal family had deep sympathy for Grigory. They were among the few who sincerely grieved after the murder of the old man.
Romanov during the war years
The First World War forced Nicholas II to depart fromPetersburg to Headquarters. State concerns were taken over by Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova. The empress pays special attention to charity. She perceived the war as her personal tragedy: she sincerely grieved, seeing off the soldiers to the front, and mourned the dead. She read prayers over each new grave of a fallen warrior, as if he were her relative. We can safely say that Alexandra Romanova received the title of "Saint" during her lifetime. This is the time when Alix is becoming more and more Orthodox.
It would seem that the rumors should die down: the country is suffering from war. No, they have become even more cruel. For example, she was accused of being addicted to spiritualism. This could not be true, because even then the empress was a deeply religious person, rejecting everything otherworldly.
Prayers helped the country during the war was not limited. Together with her daughters, Alexandra mastered the skills of nurses: they began to work at the hospital, helping surgeons (assisted in operations), carried out all kinds of care for the wounded.
Every day at half past ten in the morning their service began: along with other sisters of mercy, the empress cleaned amputated limbs, dirty clothes, bandaged severe wounds, including gangrenous ones. This was alien to the representatives of the upper nobility: they collected donations for the front, visited hospitals, opened medical institutions. But none of them worked in operating rooms, as the empress did. And all this despite the fact that she was tormented by problems with her own he alth,undermined by nervous experiences and frequent childbirth.
The royal palaces were converted into hospitals, Alexandra Fedorovna personally formed sanitary trains and warehouses for medicines. She vowed that while the war was going on, neither she nor the Grand Duchesses would sew a single dress for themselves. And she remained true to her word to the end.
The spiritual appearance of Alexandra Romanova
Was Alexandra Romanova really a deeply religious person? Photos and portraits of the Empress, which have survived to this day, always show the sad eyes of this woman, some kind of grief lurked in them. Even in her youth, she fully accepted the Orthodox faith, abandoning Lutheranism, on the truths of which she was brought up from childhood.
Life upheavals make her closer to God, she often secludes herself for prayers when she is trying to conceive a boy, then - when she finds out about her son's fatal illness. And during the war, she passionately prays for the soldiers, the wounded and those who died for the Motherland. Every day, before her service in the hospital, Alexandra Feodorovna sets aside a certain time for prayers. For these purposes, a special prayer room is even allocated in the Tsarskoye Selo Palace.
However, her service to God consisted not only in zealous entreaties: the Empress is launching a truly large-scale charitable work. She organized an orphanage, a nursing home, and numerous hospitals. She found time for her maid of honor, who lost the ability to walk: she talked with her about God, spiritually instructed and supported her every day.
Alexandra Fedorovna never flaunted her faith, most often when traveling around the country she visited churches and hospitals incognito. She could easily merge with the crowd of believers, because her actions were natural, came from the heart. Religion was for Alexandra Feodorovna a purely personal matter. Many at court tried to find notes of hypocrisy in the queen, but they did not succeed.
The same was her husband, Nicholas II. They loved God and Russia with all their hearts, they could not imagine another life outside of Russia. They did not distinguish between people, did not draw a line between titled persons and ordinary people. Most likely, this is why an ordinary Tobolsk peasant, Grigory Rasputin, at one time “got accustomed” to the imperial family.
Arrest, exile and martyrdom
Alexandra Feodorovna ends her life, martyrdom in the Ipatiev House, where the emperor's family was exiled after the 1917 revolution. Even in the face of approaching death, under the muzzles of the firing squad, she made the sign of the cross.
“Russian Golgotha” was predicted to the imperial family more than once, they lived with it all their lives, knowing that everything would end very sadly for them. They submitted to the will of God and thus defeated the forces of evil. The royal couple was buried only in 1998.
