Extreme king. The fatal men and women of Nicholas II. The Last Empress. Why in Russia they did not like the wife of Nicholas II Alexandra Fedorovna was the princess of which country
June 6 marks the 147th anniversary of the birth of the last Russian empress, wife of Nicholas II Alexandra Feodorovna, née Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt. Despite the fact that there were sincere feelings between the spouses, people disliked her from the moment she appeared in Russia and called her a “hated German.” And although she made every effort to win sympathy in society, the attitude towards her never changed. Was it deserved?
She first visited Russia in 1884, when her older sister married Nicholas's uncle, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. She came to St. Petersburg for the second time at the beginning of 1889. From the moment of this visit, sympathy arose between 20-year-old Nikolai Romanov and 16-year-old Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt (or Alix, as Nikolai called her). His parents did not approve of his choice - they did not consider the girl a suitable match for the future emperor, but Nicholas firmly stood his ground. In 1892 he wrote in his diary: “ I dream of someday marrying Alix G. I have loved her for a long time, but especially deeply and strongly since 1889, when she spent 6 weeks in St. Petersburg. All this time I didn’t believe my feeling, I didn’t believe that my cherished dream could come true».
Due to the fact that Alexander III's health had deteriorated greatly, the family had to come to terms with Nicholas's choice. Alice began to study the Russian language and the basics of Orthodoxy, because she had to renounce Lutheranism and accept a new religion. In the fall of 1894, Alice arrived in Crimea, where she converted to Orthodoxy with the name Alexandra Feodorovna and spent several weeks with the royal family until the day of the death of Emperor Alexander III. After this, mourning was declared, and the wedding ceremony should have been postponed for a year, but Nikolai was not ready to wait that long.
It was decided to schedule the wedding on the Dowager Empress's birthday, which allowed the royal family to temporarily interrupt mourning. On November 26, 1894, the wedding of Nikolai Romanov and Alexandra Fedorovna took place in the Great Church of the Winter Palace. Later, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich recalled: “ The young tsar's wedding took place less than a week after the funeral of Alexander III. Their honeymoon passed in an atmosphere of funeral services and mourning visits».
From the moment the German princess appeared in Russia, many disliked her both in the inner circle of the royal family and among the people. She seemed too cold, arrogant, withdrawn and aloof, and only those close to her knew the real reason for this behavior - natural shyness. Russian statesman and publicist Vladimir Gurko wrote about her: “ The alienation of the queen from St. Petersburg society was significantly facilitated by the external coldness of her treatment and her lack of outward friendliness. This coldness arose, apparently, mainly from the extraordinary shyness inherent in Alexandra Fedorovna and the embarrassment she experienced when communicating with strangers. Embarrassment prevented her from establishing simple, relaxed relationships with people who introduced themselves to her, including the so-called city ladies, and they spread jokes around the city about her coldness and unapproachability" According to a contemporary, she was reproached for “ she held on as if she had swallowed an arshin, and did not bow to the deputations».
Few people believed in the sincere love, mutual respect and devotion of spouses to each other. Some representatives of high society were confident that Alexandra Feodorovna had completely subjugated her husband, suppressing his will. Vladimir Gurko wrote: “ If the sovereign, due to his lack of the necessary internal power, did not possess the authority required for a ruler, then the empress, on the contrary, was entirely woven from authority, which was also based on her inherent arrogance».
The reasons for the hostile attitude towards Alexandra Fedorovna among the people were different. At first, discontent in society was caused by the fact that the wedding with Nikolai took place almost immediately after the death of his father. And during the coronation of the royal family in May 1896, a terrible tragedy occurred, leading to the death of hundreds of people. On the day of public festivities on the occasion of the coronation of Nicholas II, a terrible stampede occurred on Khodynka Field, during which more than 1,300 people were trampled, but the imperial couple did not cancel the planned celebrations.
There were rumors among the people that the German princess defended the interests of Germany even after her marriage, that she was preparing a coup to become regent for her young son, and that the “German party” rallied around her. On this occasion, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich wrote: “ It's amazing how unpopular poor Alix is. One can, of course, argue that she did absolutely nothing to give reason to suspect her of sympathizing with the Germans, but everyone is trying to claim that she sympathizes with them. The only thing she can be blamed for is that she failed to be popular" And one of her contemporaries said: “ Rumor attributes all failures, all changes in appointments to the empress. Hair stands on end: no matter what they accuse her of, each layer of society from its own point of view, but the common, friendly impulse is dislike and distrust».
Alexandra Feodorovna felt the unkind attitude of the people towards her and made every effort to change the situation. She was engaged in charitable activities, was a trustee of 33 charitable societies, communities of sisters of mercy and shelters, organized schools for nurses, clinics for children, and schools of folk art. During the First World War, she financed several ambulance trains, established and patronized infirmaries, trained herself in nursing, made dressings and assisted in operations. And she did it at the call of her heart. However, despite all her efforts, the empress did not earn sympathy. And another reason for her dislike was her attachment to the odious Grigory Rasputin, who had a huge influence on her.
When the empress had a son with hemophilia, she became interested in religious and mystical teachings, often turning to Rasputin for help and advice, who helped Tsarevich Alexei fight a disease against which official medicine was powerless. They said that Alexandra Fedorovna trusted him completely, while Rasputin’s reputation was very ambiguous - he was later called a symbol of the moral degradation of power under the last Russian emperor. Many believed that Rasputin subjugated the very religious and exalted empress to his will, and she, in turn, influenced Nicholas II. According to another version, ill-wishers deliberately spread rumors among the people about Alexandra Fedorovna’s close relationship with Rasputin in order to denigrate her image in society, and in fact he was her spiritual mentor.
In July 1918, members of the imperial family were shot. Who was the last Russian empress really - a fiend from hell, an innocent victim or a hostage of circumstances? Her own words, which she said shortly before her death in a letter to her close associate Anna Vyrubova, speak volumes: “ I thank God for everything that happened, that I received - and I will live with the memories that no one will take away from me... How old I have become, but I feel like the mother of the country, and I suffer as if for my child and I love my Motherland, despite all the horrors now ...You know that it is impossible to tear love out of my heart, and Russia too... Despite the black ingratitude to the Emperor, which tears my heart... Lord, have mercy and save Russia».
Such a tender attitude of spouses towards each other was very rare in ruling families: .
Alexandra Feodorovna, the wife of Nicholas II and the last Russian empress, is one of the most mysterious figures of this era. Historians are still arguing about various aspects of her biography: about her connection with Rasputin, about her influence on her husband, about her “contribution” to the revolution, about her personality in general. Today we will try to unravel the most famous mysteries associated with Alexandra Feodorovna.
Costs of education
When Alix arrived in Russia, she was terribly embarrassed by the new society, in which she had no acquaintances, and by the fact that she knew nothing about this distant country and was forced to quickly study the language and religion of the Russians. Her shyness and the costs of her English upbringing seemed to everyone like arrogance and arrogance. Because of her shyness, she was never able to establish relationships with either her mother-in-law or the ladies of the court. The only friends in her life were the Montenegrin princesses Milica and Stana - the wives of the grand dukes, and also her maid of honor Anna Vyrubova.
A question of power
Alix's domineering character was legendary. There is still a widespread belief that she kept the All-Russian Emperor “under the thumb.” However, this is not entirely true. It is an indisputable fact that she inherited her strong and commanding character from her grandmother, Queen Victoria. However, she was unable to take advantage of Nikolai’s gentle character, because she simply did not want it and loved her husband, trying to support him in everything. Their correspondence often contains advice from the empress to her husband, but, as is known, the tsar did not implement all of them. It is this support that is often perceived as Alexandra’s “power” over Nikolai.
However, it is true that she participated in the discussion of laws and decision-making. This began during the days of the First Russian Revolution, when Nicholas needed advice and support. Did the emperor and his wife discuss decrees and orders? Of course, this is undeniable. And during the First World War, the tsar actually gave control of the country into the hands of his wife. Why? Because he loved Alexandra and trusted her endlessly. And who else, if not the most trusted person in life, should be given the administrative affairs that the emperor could not tolerate and from which he fled to Headquarters? The two of them tried to make key decisions in the life of the country because it was difficult for autocrat Nicholas to do this due to a lack of character, and Alexandra wanted to lighten the emperor’s heavy burden as much as possible.
Connections with “seers”
Alexandra Feodorovna is also accused of her contacts with “God’s people” and seers, primarily with Grigory Rasputin. It is interesting that before the Siberian elder, the empress already had a whole collection of different healers and fortunetellers. For example, she welcomed the holy fool Mitka and a certain Daria Osipovna, and the most famous “healer” before Grigory Rasputin is Dr. Philip from France. Moreover, all this lasted from the beginning of the century until 1917. Why did these incidents happen?
Firstly, because it was a feature of her character. Alexandra Fedorovna was a believer and accepted Orthodoxy very deeply, but her faith had exalted features, which were expressed in her love for mysticism, which, by the way, was popular at that time. Secondly, this keen interest in her was fueled by her friends Milica and Stana. After all, it was they who brought “miracle workers” to the court, including Gregory. But, perhaps, the most important reason for such interest was her obsession with two problems: the first was the birth of an heir, which still could not take place. That is why she believed the charlatan Philip, who promised the empress to “conjure” the imminent birth of an heir. Because of his fortune telling and predictions, she suffered a false pregnancy, which greatly affected the attitude of the court towards Alexandra. And the second is the tragic illness of Alexei’s heir: hemophilia. She couldn't help but feel guilty that her beloved son had contracted this disease. And the empress, like any loving mother, tried by all means to alleviate the fate of her child. True, for this she did not use the help of doctors, who could not do anything about Alexei’s condition, but the services of Rasputin, who managed to treat the heir.
All this subsequently influenced the fact that she began to immensely trust the “elder” Gregory and taught her children and husband to do so. She could not help but believe the one who treated not only her son, but also herself for the headaches that tormented her. And Rasputin, who was a smart Russian peasant, could not help but take advantage of this. And they, in turn, were already used by cunning officials, ministers and generals, who asked to appoint them higher or closer to the court.
Why didn't they love her?
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was disliked by many, including Nikolai's mother Maria Feodorovna. Everyone had their own reasons for this, but by the end of the emperor’s reign, all the hatred of the court and society had only one reason: it was leading Niki and the empire to destruction. Rumors were spread about her connections with Rasputin, which never happened, about her espionage for Germany, which was also a lie, about her influence on the Tsar, which was not what it was “inflated.” But all these rumors and gossip greatly affected the prestige of the authorities. And the empress and emperor themselves contributed to this by isolating themselves from society and the Romanov family.
This is what her relatives and associates said and wrote about Alexandra Fedorovna:
- “All of Russia knows that the late Rasputin and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna are one and the same. The first one was killed, now the other one must disappear too” (Grand Prince Nikolai Mikhailovich).
- “The alienation of the queen from St. Petersburg society was significantly facilitated by the external coldness of her treatment and her lack of outward friendliness. This coldness arose, apparently, mainly from the extraordinary shyness inherent in Alexandra Fedorovna and the embarrassment she experienced when communicating with strangers. This embarrassment prevented her from establishing simple, relaxed relationships with people who introduced themselves to her, including the so-called city ladies, and they spread jokes around the city about her coldness and unapproachability.” (Senator V.I. Gurko).
- “...Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna (sister of Empress Alexandra), also almost never visiting Tsarskoye, came to talk with her sister. After that we waited for her at home. We sat on pins and needles, wondering how it would end. She came to us trembling and in tears. “My sister kicked me out like a dog! - she exclaimed. “Poor Niki, poor Russia!” (Prince F.F. Yusupov).
- “Opinions may differ about the role played by the Empress during her reign, but I must say that in her the Heir found a wife who fully accepted the Russian faith, principles and foundations of royal power, a woman of great spiritual qualities and duty” (ballerina M.F. Kshesinskaya ).
Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas I)- This term has other meanings, see Alexandra Fedorovna. Alexandra Fedorovna Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine von Preußen ... Wikipedia
Alexandra Fedorovna- Alexandra Feodorovna is the name given in Orthodoxy to two wives of Russian emperors: Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas I) (Princess Charlotte of Prussia; 1798 1860) Russian empress, wife of Nicholas I. Alexandra Feodorovna (wife... ... Wikipedia
ALEXANDRA FYODOROVNA- (real name Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse Darmstadt) (1872 1918), Russian Empress, wife of Nicholas II (from 1894). Played a significant role in government affairs. She was strongly influenced by G. E. Rasputin. In period 1... ...Russian history
Alexandra Fedorovna- (1872 1918) empress (1894 1917), wife of Nicholas II (from 1894), born. Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice, daughter of Vel. Duke of Hesse of Darmstadt Ludwig IV and Alice of England. Since 1878, she was brought up in English. Queen Victoria; graduated... ...
Alexandra Fedorovna- (1798 1860) empress (1825 60), wife of Nicholas I (from 1818), born. Frederica Louise Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of the Prussian King Frederick William III and Queen Louise. Mother of the Imp. Al ra II and led. book Konstantin, Nikolai, Mikh. Nikolaevich and led. book... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
ALEXANDRA FYODOROVNA- (25.V.1872 16.VII. 1918) Russian. Empress, wife of Nicholas II (from November 14, 1894). Daughter led. Duke of Hesse of Darmstadt Ludwig IV. Before her marriage she was named Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice. Powerful and hysterical, had a great influence on... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia
Alexandra Fedorovna- ALEXANDRA FYODOROVNA (real name Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse of Darmstadt) (1872-1918), born. empress, wife of Nicholas II (since 1894). That means she was playing. role in government affairs. She was strongly influenced by G. E. Rasputin. In period 1... ... Biographical Dictionary
Alexandra Fedorovna- , Russian empress, wife of Nicholas II (from November 14, 1894). Daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, Louis IV of Darmstadt. Before her marriage she was named Alice Victoria Elena Louise Beatrice. Imperious and hysterical,... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Alexandra Feodorovna (empress, wife of Nicholas II)- ... Wikipedia
Alexandra Feodorovna (empress, wife of Nicholas I)- ... Wikipedia
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- The Fate of the Empress, Alexander Bokhanov. This book is about an amazing woman whose life was like both a fairy tale and an adventure novel. Empress Maria Feodorovna... Daughter-in-law of Emperor Alexander II, wife of the emperor... Buy for 543 UAH (Ukraine only)
- The Fate of the Empress, Bokhanov A.N.. This book is about an amazing woman whose life was similar to both a fairy tale and an adventure novel. Empress Maria Feodorovna... Daughter-in-law of Emperor Alexander II, wife of the emperor...
On November 26 (14), 1894, in the Great Church of the Winter Palace, the wedding of Nicholas II and the granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria, daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine - Alexandra took place. The lovers' honeymoon, according to the memoirs of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, took place in an atmosphere of mourning and funeral services - a few days before the ceremony, the groom's father, Emperor Alexander III, died.
“The most deliberate dramatization could not have invented a more suitable prologue for the historical tragedy of the last Russian Tsar,” the prince wrote in his memoirs.
On the anniversary of the wedding of the last Russian emperor, the site recalls what the marriage of the emperor was like, who allowed himself to marry for love.
At the behest of the heart
The first meeting of Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt and the eldest son of Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna took place in St. Petersburg in January 1889. During the six weeks of her stay in the city on the Neva, the young lady was able to charm 20-year-old Nikolai, and after her departure a correspondence began between them.
During her six weeks of stay in the city on the Neva, the young lady was able to charm 20-year-old Nikolai. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The feelings of the future emperor that he felt for the German princess are evidenced by the entry that he made in his diary in 1892: “I dream of someday marrying Alix G. I have loved her for a long time, but especially deeply and strongly since 1889. when she spent 6 weeks in St. Petersburg. All this time I didn’t believe my feeling, I didn’t believe that my cherished dream could come true”...
Despite the sympathy that the Tsarevich showed for the fragile Alix, his parents dreamed of another daughter-in-law. In the role of his chosen one, they wanted to see the daughter of the Count of Paris - Elena Louise Henrietta. In those years, she was known as an enviable bride, distinguished by her beauty and intelligence. The Washington Post even called her "the epitome of women's health and beauty, a graceful athlete and a charming polyglot." But Nikolai was adamant. His persistence did its job, and his parents approved of his choice.
When the health of Alexander III began to rapidly deteriorate, the engagement of the young couple was announced. The bride arrived in Russia, where she converted to Orthodoxy with the name Alexandra, began to study the Russian language and culture of the country, which from now on was to become her homeland.
After the death of the emperor, mourning was declared. Nicholas's wedding ceremony could have been postponed for a year, but, according to some historians, the lovers were not ready to wait that long. A difficult conversation took place between Nikolai and his mother Maria Fedorovna, during which a loophole was found that allowed certain rules of decency to be observed and a speedy ceremony to be held. The wedding was scheduled for the day the Empress Dowager was born. This made it possible for the royal family to temporarily interrupt the mourning.
Preparations for the wedding took place under force majeure. The golden wedding dress for the bride was sewn by the best fashion designers in St. Petersburg. The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and the image of the Feodorovskaya Mother of God, wedding rings and a silver saucer were delivered to the Court Cathedral in gold frames.
On November 26, in the Malachite Hall of the Winter Palace, the bride was dressed in a chic dress with a heavy mantle and taken to the Great Church.
The golden wedding dress for the bride was sewn by the best fashion designers in St. Petersburg. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Later, in her letter to her sister Victoria, Alexandra wrote: “You can imagine our feelings. One day in deep mourning, we mourn a dearly loved person, and the next day we stand down the aisle in magnificent clothes. It’s impossible to imagine a greater contrast, and all these circumstances brought us even closer.”
“The woman is good, but abnormal”
After the wedding, the relationship between the 22-year-old princess and the 26-year-old emperor, according to the recollections of those close to them, was touching and tender. Letters and diaries kept by the emperor and his wife have survived to this day. They are full of tender words and declarations of love.
Even many years later, when Alexandra Feodorovna was 42 years old, she wrote a letter to her husband at the front on the day of their engagement, April 8:
“For the first time in 21 years we are not spending this day together, but how vividly I remember everything! My dear boy, what happiness and what love you have given me over all these years... How time flies - 21 years have already passed! You know, I saved that “princess dress” I was wearing that morning, and I’ll wear your favorite brooch...”
The relationship between the spouses was touching and tender. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Reading these lines, it is difficult to imagine that many considered Alexandra Feodorovna to be a cold and arrogant woman. However, according to people who knew her closely, this external aloofness was more likely a consequence of her shyness.
“Embarrassment prevented her from establishing simple, relaxed relationships with people who introduced herself to her, including the so-called city ladies, and they spread jokes around the city about her coldness and inaccessibility,” wrote actual state councilor Vladimir Gurko about her.
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sergei Witte, whom historians nicknamed “the grandfather of Russian industrialization,” had a different opinion. In her he saw a powerful woman who had completely enslaved her own husband:
“He married a good woman, but a woman who was completely abnormal and took him into her arms, which was not difficult given his lack of will. Thus, the empress not only did not balance out his shortcomings, but on the contrary, she significantly aggravated them, and her abnormality began to be reflected in the abnormality of some of the actions of her august husband.”
Her communication with the man of God Grigory Rasputin did not have the best effect on the empress’s image. The poor health of her son, who had hemophilia, forced the desperate mother to believe the peasant from the Tobolsk province.
In difficult moments, the royal family turned to him for help. Rasputin was either called to the palace from his apartment on Gorokhovaya, or they simply held a telephone receiver to the boy’s ear, and the “holy devil” whispered to him the cherished words that helped the child.
In Soviet historiography, there was an opinion that Rasputin completely enslaved the empress, subordinating her to his will, and she, in turn, influenced her husband. According to another version, the close relationship between Alexandra Fedorovna and Grigory Efimovich is nothing more than “black PR”, which was intended to denigrate the image of the queen in society.
In 1905, when political life in the country was tense, Nicholas II began to hand over the state acts he published to his wife for review. This trust was not to the liking of all statesmen, who saw this as the emperor’s weakness.
“If the sovereign, due to his lack of the necessary internal power, did not possess the authority required for a ruler, then the empress, on the contrary, was all woven from authority, which was also based on her inherent arrogance,” wrote Senator Gurko.
Alexandra Fedorovna with her daughters Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
“I feel like the mother of the country”
On the night of July 16-17, 1918, in Yekaterinburg, in the “House of Special Purpose” - Ipatiev’s mansion - Nicholas II, Alexandra Fedorovna, their children, Doctor Botkin and three servants were shot.
Shortly before these terrible events, while in exile, Alexandra Fedorovna wrote to her close friend Anna Vyrubova: “I thank God for everything that happened, that I received - and I will live with memories that no one will take away from me... How old I have become, but I feel mother of the country, and I suffer as if for my child and I love my Motherland, despite all the horrors now... You know that you cannot tear love out of my heart, and Russia too... Despite the black ingratitude to the Emperor, which tears my heart... Lord, have mercy and save Russia."
Alexandra Fedorovna (wife of Nicholas II)
Alexandra Feodorovna, née Princess Victoria Alice Helena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt (German: Victoria Alix Helena Louise Beatrice von Hessen und bei Rhein). Born on June 6, 1872 in Darmstadt - shot on July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg. Russian Empress, wife of Nicholas II. The fourth daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and Rhine, Ludwig IV, and Duchess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England.
Victoria Alice Elena Louise Beatrice was born in Darmstadt (German Empire) on June 6, 1872.
The name given to her consisted of her mother's name (Alice) and four names of her aunts.
The godparents were: Edward, Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII), Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich (future Emperor) with his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, Queen Victoria's youngest daughter Princess Beatrice, Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Cambridge and Maria Anna, Princess of Prussia .
Alice inherited the hemophilia gene from Queen Victoria.
In 1878, a diphtheria epidemic spread in Hesse. Alice's mother and her younger sister May died from it, after which Alice lived most of the time in the UK at Balmoral Castle and Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Alice was considered the favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who called her Sunny.
In June 1884, at the age of twelve, Alice visited Russia for the first time when her older sister Ella (in Orthodoxy - Elizaveta Fedorovna) married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich.
The second time she arrived in Russia in January 1889 at the invitation of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. After staying in the Sergius Palace (St. Petersburg) for six weeks, the princess met and attracted the special attention of the heir to the Tsarevich.
In the early 1890s, the latter’s parents, who hoped for his marriage to Helen Louise Henrietta, daughter of Louis-Philippe, Count of Paris, were against the marriage of Alice and Tsarevich Nicholas. A key role in the arrangement of Alice’s marriage with Nikolai Alexandrovich was played by the efforts of her sister, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and the latter’s husband, through whom correspondence between the lovers was carried out.
The position of Emperor Alexander and his wife changed due to the persistence of the crown prince and the deteriorating health of the emperor. On April 6, 1894, a manifesto announced the engagement of the Tsarevich and Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt.
In the following months, Alice studied the basics of Orthodoxy under the guidance of the court protopresbyter John Yanyshev and the Russian language with teacher E. A. Schneider.
On October 10 (22), 1894, she arrived in Crimea, in Livadia, where she stayed with the imperial family until the death of Emperor Alexander III - October 20.
On October 21 (November 2), 1894, she accepted Orthodoxy through confirmation there with the name Alexandra and patronymic Fedorovna (Feodorovna). Nicholas and Alexandra were distant relatives of each other, being descendants of German dynasties. For example, on the side of her father, Alexandra Fedorovna was both a fourth cousin (common ancestor - Prussian king Frederick William II) and second cousin of Nicholas (common ancestor - Wilhelmina of Baden).
Alexandra Fedorovna's height: 167 centimeters.
Personal life of Alexandra Fedorovna:
On November 14 (26), 1894, on the birthday of Empress Maria Feodorovna, which allowed for a retreat from mourning, the wedding of Alexandra and Nicholas II took place in the Great Church of the Winter Palace. After the wedding, members of the Holy Synod, led by Metropolitan Palladius of St. Petersburg, served a thanksgiving prayer service. While singing “We praise you, God,” a 301-shot cannon salute was fired.
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich wrote in his emigrant memoirs about the first days of their marriage: “The wedding of the young tsar took place less than a week after the funeral of Alexander III. Their honeymoon passed in an atmosphere of funeral services and mourning visits. The most deliberate dramatization could not have invented a more suitable prologue for the historical tragedy of the last Russian Tsar.”.
The family lived most of the time in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo.
In 1896, shortly after the coronation, Alexandra and Nikolai went to Nizhny Novgorod to the All-Russian Exhibition. In August 1896 they traveled to Vienna, and in September - October - to Germany, Denmark, England and France.
In subsequent years, the empress gave birth to four daughters in a row:
Olga(3 (15) November 1895;
Tatiana(29 May (10 June) 1897);
Maria(14 (26) June 1899);
Anastasia(5 (18) June 1901).
In the imperial family, the question of a son - the heir to the throne - became very acute. Finally, on July 30 (August 12), 1904, the fifth child and only son, the Tsarevich, appeared in Peterhof Alexey Nikolaevich, born with a hereditary disease - hemophilia.
In 1905, the imperial family met. He managed to help Alexei fight attacks of illness, against which medicine was powerless, as a result of which he acquired great influence on Alexandra Fedorovna, and through her on Nikolai.
In 1897 and 1899, the family traveled to Alexandra Feodorovna’s homeland in Darmstadt. During these years, on the instructions of Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II, the Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene was built in Darmstadt, which is still in operation today.
On July 17-20, 1903, the Empress took part in the celebrations of the glorification and discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov in the Sarov Hermitage.
For entertainment, Alexandra Fedorovna played the piano with Rudolf Kündinger, a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The Empress also took singing lessons from conservatory professor Natalia Iretskaya. Sometimes she sang a duet with one of the court ladies: Anna Vyrubova, Emma Fredericks (daughter of Vladimir Fredericks) or Maria Stackelberg.
Of the ladies-in-waiting, they were close to the empress: at the beginning of the reign - Princess M.V. Baryatinskaya, then Countess Anastasia Gendrikova (Nastenka) and Baroness Sofia Buxhoeveden (Iza). For a long time, the closest person to her was Anna Vyrubova. Vyrubova had a huge influence on the empress. The empress's communication with Grigory Rasputin mainly took place through Vyrubova.
In 1915, at the height of the First World War, the Tsarskoye Selo hospital was converted to receive wounded soldiers. Alexandra Feodorovna, together with her daughters Olga and Tatyana, were trained in nursing by Princess Vera Gedroits, and then assisted her during operations as surgical nurses. The Empress personally financed several ambulance trains.
Empress Alexandra was the chief of the regiments: the Life Guards of Her Majesty's Uhlan, the 5th Hussars of Alexandria, the 21st East Siberian Rifle and Crimean Cavalry, and among the foreign ones - the Prussian 2nd Guards Dragoon Regiment.
The empress was also involved in charitable activities. By the beginning of 1909, under her patronage there were 33 charitable societies, communities of sisters of mercy, shelters, orphanages and similar institutions, among which: the Committee for finding places for military ranks who suffered in the war with Japan, the House of Charity for crippled soldiers, the Imperial Women's Patriotic Society , Trusteeship for labor assistance, Her Majesty's school of nannies in Tsarskoe Selo, Peterhof Society for Welfare of the Poor, Society for Assistance with Clothes to the Poor of St. Petersburg, Brotherhood in the Name of the Queen of Heaven for the charity of idiotic and epileptic children, Alexandria Shelter for Women and others.
On March 8 (21), 1917, after the February Revolution, in accordance with the decree of the Provisional Government, Alexandra Feodorovna, together with her daughters, was placed under house arrest in the Alexander Palace by General Lavr Kornilov. Julia Den remained with her, who helped her look after the Grand Duchesses and Anna Vyrubova. At the beginning of August 1917, the royal family was exiled to Tobolsk by decision of the Provisional Government, and in April 1918, by decision of the Bolsheviks, they were transported to Yekaterinburg.
Alexandra Fedorovna was killed along with her entire family and associates on the night of July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg. She was buried along with others executed on July 17, 1998 in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The remains of Alexandra Fedorovna and her husband were exhumed for investigative actions as part of establishing the identities of the remains of their children - Alexei and Maria.
In 1981, Alexandra Feodorovna and all members of the royal family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in August 2000 by the Russian Orthodox Church.
During canonization, Alexandra Feodorovna became Queen Alexandra the New, since Queen Alexandra was already among the saints.