Alexandra Fedorovna name. Nicky and Alix. Great love of the last Russian emperor. Arrest, exile and martyrdom

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 it to her responsibility for tragic fate 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 formation of the character of Alexandra.

Alexandra (later Romanova) received a classical English education, she was brought up in strict traditions. 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 the death of her mother, according to Alexandra herself, a dark cloud hung over her and obscured all her 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 would 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 was in his youth, at the age of twelve, that Alix first met 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. Nikolai was subdued by the girl.

Wedding with Nicholas II

Nikolai's parents were not happy with the union of young people - in their opinion, the wedding with the daughter of the French Count Louis-Philippe was more profitable for him. For lovers, five long years of separation begin, but this circumstance brought them together even more and taught them to appreciate the feeling.

Nikolai does not want to accept the will of his father in any way, he continues to insist on marriage with his beloved. The current emperor 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 between grief 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. She later 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 her reign, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna has been a 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 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 state 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 widow of Alexander III, Maria Feodorovna, who did not fully accept her daughter-in-law.

Nevertheless, her subjects obeyed her, 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 (by the way, she was Nikolai's mistress before the latter's wedding with Alix) mentions her as a woman of high morals and a broad soul.

Children: Grand Duchesses

First Grand Duchess Olga is 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 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. Much attention was paid to sports games on fresh air, sincerity. The mother was the person to whom the girls could 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 Feodorovna, the wife of Nicholas 2, was afraid that the spoiled daughters of the nobility would adversely affect the girls.

Alexandra Fedorovna coped brilliantly with the function of the 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 whole ... Nothing can separate us or reduce our love” (Alexandra Fedorovna).

“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 his beloved woman.

It was decided to attract the 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 Feodorovna 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 she 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 is diagnosed with 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 years.

Rasputin in the life of the Empress

In some sources, you can find information that only one person, Grigory Rasputin, could help Tsarevich Alexei. Although this disease is considered chronic and incurable, there is a lot of evidence that the "man of God" could allegedly stop the suffering of an unfortunate child with his prayers. What explains this is hard 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 peasant.

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 inner circle, who did not harbor hatred for the august couple, the main reason for the close relationship between Rasputin and the imperial family was exclusively Alexei's bouts of hemophilia.

And how did Nikolai Alexandrovich feel about 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 Gregory. They were among the few who sincerely grieved after the murder of the elder.

Romanov during the war

First World War forced Nicholas II to leave Petersburg for 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 ​​more and more attached to Orthodoxy.

It would seem that the rumors should subside: 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.

Help to the country during the war was not limited to prayers. 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 up 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 health, 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.

Spiritual image of Alexandra Romanova

Was Alexander Romanov 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 accepted the Orthodox faith with full devotion, refusing Lutheranism, on the truths of which she was brought up from childhood.

Life shocks make her closer to God, she often retires for prayers when she tries 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 Fedorovna 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 pleas: the empress launched 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 had 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, on trips 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.

So 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” in the imperial family.

Arrest, exile and martyrdom

Ends life path Alexandra Feodorovna, having been martyred in the Ipatiev House, where the emperor's family was exiled after the 1917 revolution. Even in the face of approaching death, being under the muzzles of the firing squad, she made the sign of the cross over herself.

"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.

On November 14, 1894, Nikolai Alexandrovich married the daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine Ludwig IV, the granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria Alike Victoria Elena Brigitte Louise Beatrice, who converted to Orthodoxy with the name Alexandra Feodorovna. His father at one time opposed this marriage, since hessian princesses, which included the wives of the murdered emperors Paul I and Alexander II, enjoyed a bad reputation at the Russian court. They were believed to bring bad luck. In addition, the family of the Hessian dukes through the female line passed hereditary disease- hemophilia. However, Nikolai, who was in love with Alik, insisted on his own.

Nikolai Alexandrovich was an exemplary family man, all free time spent with family. He enjoyed working with children, sawing and chopping firewood, removing snow, driving a car, going on a yacht, riding a train, walking a lot, and the emperor also liked to shoot crows with a rifle. The sovereign did not like only to engage in state affairs. But his wife constantly interfered in these matters, and her intervention had disastrous consequences. The Russian Empress was brought up by her grandmother in England. She graduated from Heidelberg University with a Bachelor of Philosophy. At the same time, Alexandra Feodorovna was subject to religious mysticism, or rather, she was superstitious and had a penchant for charlatans. She repeatedly turned for advice and help to dubious personalities. At first it was Mitka the holy fool, who could only mumble. However, with him was someone named Elpidifor, who explained the meaning of Mitka's cries during the seizures that happened to Mitka. Mitka was replaced by the hysterical Darya Osipovna, and many others followed her. In addition to domestic "wonderworkers", their foreign "colleagues" were also invited to the royal palace - Papus from Paris, Schenk from Vienna, Philippe from Lyon. What motives forced the queen to communicate with these people? The fact is that the dynasty certainly needed an heir to the throne, and daughters were born. The obsessive idea of ​​a male child so captured Alexandra Feodorovna that, under the influence of one of the "miracle workers", she imagined herself pregnant, despite the fact that she felt all the symptoms due to the case, and even gained weight. They were waiting for the birth of a boy, but all the deadlines had passed, and ... the pregnancy turned out to be the fruit of her imagination. Embarrassed by this turn of events, the subjects irreverently quoted Pushkin: “The queen gave birth in the night / Not a son, not a daughter; / Not a mouse, not a frog, / But an unknown little animal. But finally, the heir Alexei Nikolaevich was born. The joy on this occasion did not last long, as it turned out that Alexei was ill with hemophilia, which was considered incurable at that time.

The wedding of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna.

1894. Artist I.E. Repin

Speech of Nicholas II to the volost foremen and representatives of the rural population of the outskirts of Russia in the courtyard

Petrovsky Palace in 1896. Artist I.E. Repin

Alexandra Feodorovna in court dress.

Artist I.S. Galkin

- Tenderly beloved darling Sunny ... God willing, our separation will not be long. In my thoughts I always with you, never doubt it… Sleep well and sweetly. Your forever old hubby Nicky.

Such a letter the last Emperor Nicholas II sent Russia to his wife Alexandra Feodorovna on a frosty December morning in 1916. In his diary, he wrote that in the evening of that day he "read a lot and was very sad."

Love at second sight

The future empress, and originally Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, was born in 1872 and was the granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria. Her mother died when the girl was only six years old, so all the upbringing concerns fell on her grandmother and teachers. Historians note that already in her teens, the girl was well versed in politics, knew history, geography, English and German literature. A little later, she received her PhD in philosophy.

When the girl was 12 years old, her older sister Ella married younger brother Russian Emperor Alexander III, Prince Sergei Alexandrovich. And the future empress, together with numerous relatives, went on a visit to St. Petersburg.

The girl watched with curiosity as her sister was met at the Nikolaevsky railway station in St. Petersburg by a gilded carriage drawn by white horses. During the wedding ceremony, held in the palace church in the Winter Palace, Alix stood aside, with roses in her hair, dressed in a white dress. Listening to a long, incomprehensible service for her and inhaling the fragrance of incense, she glanced askance at the sixteen-year-old Tsarevich (Nicholas).R. Massey "Nicholas and Alexandra".

Nikolai wrote in his diary that the girl, whose piercing gaze was impossible not to notice, made an indelible impression on him.

It is difficult to call this mutual love at first sight, since there are no records of the relationship between Alice and Nikolai from the moment of the first visit to 1889, when Alix again arrived in St. Petersburg.

This time she stayed with her sister for six weeks. And she saw Nikolai every day. Young did not hide their feelings.

- I dream of marrying Alix G someday. I love her for a long time, but especially deeply and strongly - since 1889 ... All this time I did not believe my feeling, did not believe that my cherished dream could come true, - the crown prince wrote then Nikolai Alexandrovich in his diary after six weeks spent with Alice.

"Here's your mistress, just don't get married!"

An obstacle to the bright feeling of Nikolai and Alix suddenly became the parents of the "groom". The fact is that the Princess of Darmstadt was not the most successful acquisition for the imperial house. With the help of marriages, foreign policy, economic and other state affairs were resolved, and a bride was already "prepared" for Nicholas. Alexander III planned that Helena Louise Henrietta, daughter of Louis-Philippe, Count of Paris, would become the wife of the Tsarevich.

To begin with, Nikolai was sent on a world tour in 1890 in the hope that he would be distracted and forget about his love. The Tsarevich went to Japan on the cruiser "Memory of Azov", visited Athens, visited Egypt, India, Ceylon. But this did not help to heal heart wounds: the 21-year-old young man was firm in his decision.

Then Alexander III takes a desperate step. As historians assure, it was he who initiated the acquaintance of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya with the Tsarevich - in the hope that a new hobby would distract her son.

On March 23, 1890, Kshesinskaya took her final exam at the Imperial Theater School. The entire royal family was present at the premiere.

The sovereign, entering the hall where we gathered, asked in a loud voice: “Where is Kshesinskaya? Be the decoration and glory of our ballet,” Alexander III said after the girl’s performance.

After that, there was a gala dinner, before which the emperor ordered one of the students to move away from him, and Matilda, on the contrary, seated her in her place. Nikolai was ordered to sit next to him.

“I fell in love with the heir from our first meeting,” she later recalled. Dinner, as Kshesinskaya herself recalled, passed on a "fun note". And it seemed that she even attracted the attention of the Tsarevich, but ...

- Let's go to a performance at the theater school. There was a small play and a ballet. Very good. They had dinner with the pupils, ”Nikolai wrote about the first meeting with Kshesinskaya, without mentioning her with a single word.

"My grief knew no bounds"

I positively like Kshesinskaya very much, - Nicholas II wrote in his diary on July 17, 1890, after several meetings with a girl in St. Petersburg, and later in Krasnoe Selo.

The ballerina received the nickname "little Kshesinskaya" from Nikolai. The novel developed quite rapidly, but there was no question of marriage. The heir's mistress herself later recalled a conversation with her father, the Mariinsky dancer Felix Kshesinsky. When the girl told about what was happening, he asked if she understood that this relationship would not have a natural development. She firmly replied that she agreed, if only to "drink the cup of love to the bottom."

The romance ended shortly before the death of Alexander III and the subsequent coronation of Nicholas.

- On April 7, 1894, the engagement of the heir-tsarevich with Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt was announced. Although I knew for a long time that it was inevitable that sooner or later the heir would have to marry some foreign princess, my grief knew no bounds, Matilda herself wrote in her Memoirs.

Farewell letters Nikolai and "little Kshesinskaya" sent to each other in 1894. She asked to reserve the right to call him "you". He gladly agreed, calling the ballerina the brightest memory of his youth.

One funeral and wedding

Sovereign Emperor Alexander III was very ill and could no longer influence the desires of his son. Taking advantage of his father's poor health, Nikolai goes with the ring to Coburg, where Alice then lived. The girl, who, of course, heard rumors about the attitude of a potential "father-in-law", the opinions of Russians about foreign queens (not very positive), strongly doubted whether it was worth linking fate with Nikolai, despite all her sympathy for him. For three days, the princess did not give consent, and only, as historians recall, pressure from relatives helped her decide.

By the way, the future spouse Alix reacted to the affair with Kshesinskaya as wisely as possible.

- My dear, dear boy, never changing, always faithful. Trust and trust your dear girl who loves you more deeply and devotedly than she can express, she wrote in his diary.

Nikolai left, hoping to return before autumn for a girl. But the state of health of his father, Emperor Alexander III, was deteriorating, so he could not personally pick up the bride. As a result, Nikolai summons Alix to Russia by telegram, explaining the situation.

The lovers met in the Crimea, where by that time the sovereign himself was undergoing treatment.

The road to Livadia (the city in the Crimea, where Alexander III was) took about four hours. Passing Tatar villages, they stopped to take flowers and traditional bread and salt. Alexander III in last time put on a dress uniform to meet the bride and bless the marriage of his son.

The emperor died in Livadia on October 20, 1894. His body was sent on the cruiser "Memory of Mercury" to St. Petersburg, where it arrived on November 1.

Alice was baptized the next day under the name of Alexandra Feodorovna. Beloved wanted to marry on the day when Nicholas II ascended the throne. The fact is that this date was the day after the death of his father. As a result, relatives and courtiers dissuaded the young people from "marrying when the coffin is nearby," postponing the wedding for three weeks.

She sang. And danced

When this life ends, we will meet again in another world and stay together forever, - Alice-Alexandra wrote in her diary.

The wedding was scheduled for the birthday of the mother of Nicholas II, Maria Feodorovna - November 14, 1894.

Alexander was wearing a 475 carat diamond necklace. Heavy diamond earrings had to be fixed with gold wire and "tied" to the hair. A wreath of traditional orange blossom was put on top of the crown. Over the shoulder - the ribbon of the order of St. Catherine.

She later wrote in her diary that she was terribly worried before the wedding, not because of the marriage process itself or the responsibility, but because "you will have to wear a lot of unfamiliar things."

Happy November 14 Russian empress officially became Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova. This happened immediately after the young people were declared husband and wife.

The Lord rewarded me with happiness, which I could not even dream of, by giving me Alix, - Nikolai wrote in his diary at the end of 1894.

exemplary family man

Historians called the family of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna nothing less than amazing. He wrote cute notes for her, she left her messages in his diary, calling the sun, sweetheart and beloved.

The couple had five children - four daughters and younger son Alexei, who was supposed to take the Russian throne.

The family, as historians write, liked to spend evenings together (if the sovereign was in St. Petersburg). So, after dinner, they read, solved puzzles, wrote letters, sometimes the empress or daughters played music.

A wife is, after all, not only love and joint upbringing, but also, especially if you are an empress, also a reliable rear. At least one case speaks of how Alexandra provided for him.

In October 1900, Nikolai fell ill while the Romanovs were on holiday in the Crimea. Life physician G.I. Hirsch diagnosed him with influenza (a viral disease). As contemporaries note, Nikolai was so ill that he could not do business.

Then the wife, who was fond of politics, studied the Bible and had a doctorate in philosophy, undertook to personally read and highlight the main points in the documents that were delivered to him.

Why Alexandra sawed Nikolai

Every family is not without quarrels. So, the main theme of the notations that Alexandra Feodorovna read to Nicholas II was the emperor's excessive softness.

“You must simply order that this or that be done, without asking whether it is doable or not,” she wrote to him in 1915, when Nicholas II became the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops during the First World War.

Historians note that Alexandra repeatedly demanded that her husband show his authority. It is possible that this was the reason for the cooling in their relationship.

“Rasputin alone is better than ten tantrums a day,” Nikolai allegedly once threw such a phrase in his hearts.

But at the same time, he only wrote to his wife that he was already quite an adult and should not be treated like a child. In turn, the Empress, as they used to say in Petrograd, declared that "men's pants" in their family were on her.

In joy and in sorrow

I fully understand your act, my hero! I know that you could not sign anything contrary to what you swore at your coronation, ”Alexandra Fedorovna wrote to Nikolai after his abdication.

At midnight on March 2, 1917, in the carriage of the imperial train, which was near Pskov, Nicholas II signed the act of abdication. The Emperor's family was placed under arrest in Tsarskoye Selo.

Having received the news that her husband was no longer the emperor, the woman rushed with tears in her eyes to burn and tear to shreds all the letters so that they would not fall into the hands of the Provisional Government.

I heard muffled moans and sobs. Many of the letters were received by her even before she became a wife and mother, - Lily Den, a friend of Alexandra Feodorovna, wrote in her memoirs.

Despite this, in April 1917, Nikolai wrote in his diary that the family traditionally celebrated the anniversary of the engagement. They celebrated, as the sovereign emphasized, quietly.

Together until death

The family of the already former emperor with him at the head, by decree of the Council of Ministers, was sent to Tobolsk on July 31, 1917. The journey took six days. At this time, Nikolai every day left entries in his diary not so much about himself as about his wife and children, worrying mainly about the fact that his wife did not sleep well, his son's hand ached, and his daughters suffer from constant unrest headaches.

We had dinner, joked about the amazing inability of people to arrange even a room and went to bed early, ”Nikolai wrote after he saw where they were to live in Tobolsk.

In general, Nikolai and Alexandra do not describe in their diaries the hardships that they had to endure during their life in Tobolsk, in conditions of complete misunderstanding of what would happen to them next. In almost every entry of the former emperor, it is found that he spoke with Alix, but the topics are not disclosed.

- After breakfast, Yakovlev came and announced that he had received an order to take me away, without saying where. Alix decided to go with me. It was not worth protesting, - Nicholas II wrote in his diary on April 14, 1918.

Later it turned out that royal family by order of the Provisional Government, they were transported to Yekaterinburg, to the Ipatiev house, where they arrived on April 17.

Before last day Nikolay writes in his diary only nice words about his wife and their children.

Later, historians will more than once recall Alexandra's words on her wedding day: "When this life ends, we will meet again in another world and stay together forever."

Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova was born on June 7, 1872 in Darmstadt. The future Empress of the Russian Empire was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse - Ludwig of Darmstadt and the English princess Alice.

Parents named their daughter Alix Elena Louise Beatrice. She was the sixth child in the family. It is worth noting that her grandmother was Queen Victoria of England.

Alix's mother loved England, and her children received a real English upbringing. The daughter ate oatmeal for breakfast, ate potatoes and meat for lunch, and ate puddings and baked apples for dessert. Alix slept on a soldier's bed, and in the morning she took a cold bath.

From childhood, Alix was characterized by shyness, with which she had to fight during adult life. Her mother died early, saw Alix and the death of her little brother, who died due to an accident. These events left a deep imprint on her heart.

After the death of her mother, Alix took up her studies, and very diligently. Her teacher was Margaret Jackson, an Englishwoman who provided big influence on the formation of the personality of the future empress. By the age of 15, the girl knew literature, history, art, geography and mathematics perfectly.

She played the piano well. The princess knew foreign languages- English and French, read serious literature.

With her future husband Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov, Alix first saw each other at a wedding older sister, who married uncle Nikolai - Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov. Going to her sister, she met more than once with the heir to the Russian throne.

In 1889, Nicholas II wanted to marry Alix, but did not receive the blessing of his parents for this. Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna Romanov believed that Alix was not the best wife for the future emperor. For a long time, Nikolai and Alix corresponded, exchanged gifts.

In the spring of 1894, the parents nevertheless gave their consent to the marriage of Nicholas II to Alix. It was not an easy decision. In order to become the wife of Nikolai Alexandrovich, Alix had to accept Christianity. It was very difficult for Alix to renounce Lutheranism, but she still accepted Orthodoxy. The influence of Nicholas II and the elder sister Ella, who converted to Orthodoxy when she became the wife of Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, affected.

Alix arrived in the Russian Empire shortly before the death of her husband's father, Alexander III. Baptism was performed by John of Kronstadt. During the baptism, Alix received Russian name. Now she was called Alexandra Fedorovna. Patronymic Fedorovna, she received later, before the wedding. German princesses accepted the Orthodox faith before the icon Holy Mother of God Feodorovskaya - the patroness of the royal dynasty.

Alexandra Fedorovna diligently prepared for marriage. The future Empress diligently studied the Russian language. Russian speech was given to her very easily. She quickly learned to write and read, a little later she was able to speak Russian fluently. In addition to the usual Russian language, Alexandra Feodorovna also learned the Church Slavonic language. This allowed her to read liturgical books and works of Russian saints.

On November 27, 1894, their wedding took place. The marriage ceremony was performed by John of Kronstadt. The royal couple, who were in mourning over the death of Alexander III, did not arrange receptions and celebrations. The young people did not go on their honeymoon either.

Contemporaries describe Alexandra Fedorovna as a very graceful woman. She was fragile, beautifully built, with beautiful neck and shoulders. Her hair was long, it was golden and thick. The color of the Empress's face is pink, like that of a small child. The eyes are large, dark gray, always alive. Later, sorrows and anxieties betrayed the empress's eyes with hidden sadness.

May 27, 1896 in the Assumption Cathedral, the coronation took place royal family. Anointing for the kingdom church sacrament- this is the oath of the sovereign to rule the country, taking responsibility for the state and people before God. Absolute power brings absolute responsibility. During the wedding to the kingdom, a tragedy occurred on the Khodynka field ...

Alexandra Fedorovna and Nicholas II were depressed. But the planned celebrations could not be cancelled. Russia's ally, France, has invested heavily in the festivities, and would have taken a strong offense if the festivities were cancelled. The royal couple spent a lot of time in Moscow hospitals empathizing with the victims.

From the first days of anointing, the Empress wanted to slightly change the life of high Russian society. Her first project on this occasion was the organization of a circle of needlewomen, consisting of court ladies. Each of its participants had to sew three dresses a year and send them to the poor. The circle did not last long.

In 1895 Alexandra Fedorovna became a mother. The Empress gave birth to a daughter, Olga. She had 5 children in total. Four daughters and one son - the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei. Russian society treated the empress coldly. Soon this cold turned into open confrontation, hatred. Therefore, she plunged headlong into family and charitable affairs.

Happy Alexandra Fedorovna felt only in the circle of her loved ones. She took care of the upbringing of the children herself. She believed that communication with young ladies of high society would spoil her children, so she rarely took them to receptions. She did not spoil the children, although she loved them dearly. I ordered dresses from them. The clothes of the royal children also included ceremonial uniforms with skirts that corresponded to the uniform of the regiments led by the Grand Duchesses.

Alexandra Fedorovna was a great devotee of charity. She was an impeccable mother and wife, and knew firsthand what love and pain are. She provided all possible assistance to needy mothers. During the famine that broke out in 1898, she donated 50 thousand rubles from her personal funds for the hungry.

At the initiative of the Empress, Russian Empire workhouses, schools for nurses, orthopedic clinics for sick children were created. With the outbreak of the First World War, she spent all her money on helping the widows of soldiers, the wounded and orphans. Also, Alexandra Feodorovna's concern was the school of folk art, which she founded in St. Petersburg.

She taught children to keep diaries and write letters. Thus instilled in them literacy. It was sort of an educational trick. Children learned to express their thoughts competently and coherently, to share their impressions. The royal couple was an example of real Christian life.

The relationship between the Emperor and the Empress was based on sincere love, which they gave not only to each other, but also to their children. The Romanov couple waited a long time for an heir, for a long time, they prayed to God for a son. And, on August 12, 1904, a son was born in the family - Tsarevich Alexei.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova did not particularly get into state affairs, although her influence on the sovereign was enormous. The main concern in her life was still the children, the upbringing of which took all the time.

During the First World War, when the Emperor became the supreme commander and was at Headquarters, the Empress began to think about state affairs, as it should be in such cases. Alexandra Fedorovna, together with her daughters, worked in hospitals. Often at night she came to the cemetery where the soldiers were buried. She went around the graves and fervently prayed for the souls of the dead Russian soldiers.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova was brutally murdered along with her husband and children on July 17, 1918 in the basement of the Ipatiev House. The main thing that was in the life of the Empress was love for God and neighbor, caring for her family and those in need. Prayer was a consolation for Alexandra Feodorovna, the inspirer of all the deeds of the merciful empress.

The last Russian empress - one of the most "promoted" female characters of the Romanov dynasty - invariably maintained a strict view of "external propriety".

Alexandra Fedorovna. Photo: hu.wikipedia.org.