The fate of the ladies at the court of His Imperial Majesty has always attracted public attention, because sometimes they, having affairs with autocrats and crown princes, became the main characters in the daily life of monarchs. It also happened that the maid of honor or chamberlain gave birth to children from the heir to the throne. But it also happened that the fate of the “person close to …” developed very unpredictably, and she left the palace forever. A vivid example of this is the maid of honor of the Grand Duchess Marina Nikolaevna. Who is she? A certain Olga Kalinovskaya. She was not bad-looking, her manners were refined, so the girl quickly got into the staff of court ladies. It was this maid of honor with big eyes that Tsarevich Alexander fell in love with with ardent passion. But their romance ended in nothing. So who is she, Olga Kalinovskaya? And why was the heir to the Russian throne turned out to be her chosen one? Let's take a closer look at this issue.
Biography
Olga Kalinovskaya came from a noble family, whose representatives have lived in Poland for a long time. Her father was in the servicecavalry general. Mother was a noblewoman (Pototsky family).
Back in the 13th century, her Polish ancestors managed castles and performed some judicial functions. Olga Kalinovskaya, whose biography is known to a narrow circle of readers, together with her family idolized and admired the Russian emperor, and this fact became another argument in the question of why she was chosen as a maid of honor.
How the romance began
Alexander Nikolaevich was spoiled by female attention and by nature was an amorous person. Already at a young age, he had affairs with the fairer sex. At the age of fifteen, Alexander Nikolaevich “fraudled” the lady-in-waiting of Alexandra Feodorovna, who was two years older than him. We are talking about Natalya Borozdina. The parents of the Tsarevich did not attach much importance to such a passion for their son, attributing everything to age.
But the young man's greatest love was Olga Kalinovskaya. The heir to the throne often saw her at balls and social events, and soon became indifferent to her.
Their romance began in early 1937, during a Chinese masquerade. Dressed in a ballroom suit, the young man honed his dancing skills. He w altzed awkwardly, but still tried. And the Polish noblewoman at the masquerade reincarnated as the first court lady. Alexander II was then only 19 years old.
Inner circle about the maid of honor
He was captivated by this girl. After some time, rumors spread that Alexander wanted to marryPolish noblewoman. And the courtiers fully assumed that if the emperor refused his offspring, then the crown prince could marry Olga secretly.
Princess Olga Nikolaevna will later describe her brother's passion as follows: “Her eyes are inexpressive, although large. Of course, she is not devoid of charm and femininity, which is inherent in the Poles. But I didn’t notice any special intelligence, wit, sentimentality or any hobbies behind her. Olga knows how to keep herself in society, to maintain small talk, but she could not make friends with anyone. A Polka who tries to coexist in this frivolous society is sure to evoke sympathy from many. And dad also feels sorry for her from the bottom of his heart.”
Lady-in-waiting A. Tolstaya also drew a portrait of a Polish noblewoman: “Her amazing eyes are immediately noticeable. An aristocrat from birth, she received a brilliant upbringing in St. Petersburg. She is not distinguished by dazzling beauty, but her manner of behaving in a secular society won the heart of the Tsarevich.”
Parents did not approve of son's choice
Expecting and anticipating gossip and rumors, Alexander and Olga set as an example Prince Konstantin Pavlovich (uncle of the Tsarevich), who married a Polish woman, Jeanette Lovich, whose marriage turned out to be happy. But no arguments could convince Nicholas I of the correctness of the choice of the chosen one, which was made by his son. Not only does Olga Kalinovskaya (maid of honor) do not have a “royal” title, she also has a different faith. Of course, the emperor made sure that the romance of Alexander and the maid of honor did not go beyondthe limits of what is permitted, so the relationship of this couple was exclusively platonic. But it is in adolescence that love taboos are perceived most acutely.
Will there be a replacement for the maid of honor?
Given this, Nicholas I decides to send his offspring away from the maelstrom of love passions, and the future heir to the throne goes to "unwind" in Europe.
At the same time, the purpose of the trip is trivial: a young man should pay attention not so much to sightseeing as to choosing a bride. Shortly before this, the father and mother thought about who could make a worthy couple for their offspring, making a list of contenders. However, the Tsarevich himself experienced spiritual discomfort: he was very worried that during his absence in Russia, Olga Kalinovskaya would become the wife of another.
The heir to the throne in search of
Alexander, even in Europe, could not forget about Olga, he thought about her all the time. But, having arrived in German Darmstadt and visited the royal castle, he saw Princess Maximilian-Wilhelmina, who was only fourteen. And then his amorous nature again made itself felt. He was captivated and discouraged by the beauty of the young princess. And he immediately announced to his adjutants that he would marry this girl of angelic appearance. Until recently, his heart was empty, and he no longer hoped to meet the one who would replace Olga, and then such a meeting. The Tsarevich immediately wrote to his parents that he wanted to marry. But Emperor Nicholas I, knowing the amorous nature of the offspring, stated that before the marriage, somepreparatory activities that require a certain amount of time.
Romance flares up again
The Tsarevich introduced his future wife to his parents, and in early August 1840 she moved into the imperial residence to be with Alexander.
Their marriage took place in the spring of 1841.
However, before that, Alexander again resumes meeting with Olga, and his love flared up with renewed vigor. But the emperor finds out about this after some time, and he decides to cut the "Gordian knot" once and for all. One day he wrote in his letter: "…his longing for the polka, God forbid!"
Nicholas I also talked to his son, who declared that he was ready to give up everything just to be with her, emphasizing that their love had no future, since it would interfere with the interests of the state. As a result, the emperor invited the Polish woman to leave the palace. Alexander, having learned about such a radical measure of his father, some time later became seriously ill.
His example is a science to others
But how would the autocrat behave if he found out that one of his daughters - Maria Nikolaevna - wants to enter into a morganatic marriage with Count Grigory Stroganov? And such unions were banned in Russia by Emperor Paul I. And Nicholas I never found out that his daughter, realizing that his lover could be exiled to Siberia, decided on such a desperate act.
At the same time, later, having taken the throne, Alexander reacted harshly to his sister's act. Hesigned a decree from which it followed that Maria Nikolaevna had no right to appear in public places with Count Stroganov. Members of the imperial court reacted with coolness to the choice of Princess Maria. It is noteworthy that her son Nikolai in the late 60s of the 19th century also chose a wife who did not belong to the royal family. We are talking about the daughter of a collegiate assessor, Nadezhda Annenkova.
The further fate of the maid of honor
Olga had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that she was expelled from the palace. In the city on the Neva, she lived with her sister, who was the wife of General Plautin. A relative consoled Olga. To distract from sad thoughts, the former maid of honor decided to get married. Her chosen one was the real state councilor, chamberlain of the Court of His Imperial Majesty Oginsky Iriney Kleofas Mikhailovich. Olga moved to the estate of her new husband and rarely left his territory. It is noteworthy that, having grown older, Alexander did not forget his youthful love, again brought the woman closer to the court and even visited her Retovo estate. The eldest son, who will be born in the marriage of Olga and Irenaeus, will then assure everyone that he is the offspring of Prince Alexander Nikolayevich Romanov.
The wife of the heir to the throne, Maria Alexandrovna, naturally, guessed about her husband's hobby and was jealous of him. She alienated all the pretty maids of honor from herself so that no gossip would go around the yard. The tsar was helpful, and Alexandra Feodorovna showed sympathy for her daughter-in-law, emphasizing that she was the wife of the heir to the throne and should be patient.
And she steadfastly endured all the blows of fate, knowing that her husband felt like a fish in water in women's society. Alexander sometimes even dedicated Maria Alexandrovna to his amorous affairs. And the Polish noblewoman-maid of honor was later forgotten by him.
Olga Kalinovskaya died on the last day of the 19th century, outliving both Alexander II and Empress Maria.
Conclusion
Relations between beautiful ladies-in-waiting and members of the royal family were far from always limited by strict ethical standards. Court ladies could approach the royal person so much that they were then surrounded by their closest attention and care. Up to a certain point, Olga Kalinovskaya fell under this category, who at court enjoyed the seemingly unshakable patronage of Emperor Nicholas I. He touchingly called her "poor Osipovna." But for the Russian monarchs, the honor of the family and state interests have always been in the first place, and no love affairs of their offspring could change this axiom. Its inviolability was once again confirmed by the conservative autocrat Nicholas II.
