Category Archives: German Royals

Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg was the second wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. She was born in Cölln Electorate of Brandenburg, now part of Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany, on April 5, 1674, to Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and Princess Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and had six siblings:

Elisabeth Sophie also had six older half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Princess Luise Henriette of Nassau:

Friedrich Casimir Kettler, Duke of Courland; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 29, 1691, Elisabeth Sophie married her first cousin, Friedrich Casimir Kettler, Duke of Courland, as his second wife. He was the son of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland and Luise Charlotte of Brandenburg. They had two sons:

After being widowed in 1698, Elisabeth Sophie became Co-Regent of Courland with her brother-in-law. She left Courland in 1701 for her brother’s court in Berlin, losing custody of her son and her position as Co-Regent.

Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 30, 1703, in Potsdam, Elisabeth Sophie married Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, as his third wife. He was the son of Erdmann August, Hereditary Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and Sophie of Brandenburg-Ansbach. They had no children. From all accounts, she completely dominated her husband, particularly by imposing her pro-Prussian political views on him. A lavish spender, Elisabeth Sophie’s expenses greatly impacted the finances of the Margraviate during their nine-year marriage. She was widowed again in May 1712.

Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Sophie’s third husband was the widowed Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, whom she married at Schloss Ehrenburg in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg, Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany, on June 3, 1714. They had no children. After ten years of marriage, Elisabeth Sophie was once again widowed in 1724. She survived her husband by twenty-four years and died at Schloss Glücksburg (link in German), in Römhild, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, on November 22, 1748. She is buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace. in Meinigen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany.

Saxe-Meiningen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was the first wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. She was born in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany, on January 22, 1674, to Friedrich I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalena Sibylla of Saxe-Weissenfels. She had seven siblings:

Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 19, 1704, at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany, Dorothea Maria married Ernst Ludwig. The two first cousins, both grandchildren of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, had become engaged four months earlier. Over the next eight years, they had five children:

The marriage was happy, and both shared the same interest in music and the arts. Dorothea Maria devoted much of her time to charitable works, particularly supporting the orphanage in Meiningen. Because of a condition referred to as ‘facial fluxes’ – probably a nervous condition – she spent much of her time living in the countryside. At Dreiẞigacker, her husband planned to build a palace and name it Dorotheenburg in her honor, but she did not live long enough to see this happen.

Dorothea Maria died, aged 39, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, on April 18, 1713. She is buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Saxe-Meiningen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen: On March 26, 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. On February 24, 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Meinigen and Bernhard, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Meinigen.

On November 9, 1918, Wilhelm II abdicated as German Emperor and King of Prussia in the wake of the November Revolution. Bernhard III, the last Duke of Saxe-Meiningen abdicated the next day due to pressure from the Meininger Workers and Soldiers Council. His half-brother Ernst waived his succession rights on November 12, 1918, officially ending the monarchy of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. Today the territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen is in the German state of Thuringia.

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Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen was born at Friedenstein Palace in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany,  on October 7, 1672. The eldest child of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his first wife, Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ernst Ludwig had six younger siblings:

  • Bernhard (1673-1694) – unmarried
  • Johann Ernst (1674-1675) – died in infancy
  • Marie Elisabeth (born and died 1676) – died in infancy
  • Johann Georg (1677-1678) – died in infancy
  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1679-1746) – unmarried
  • Georg Ernst (1680-1699) – unmarried

Ernst Ludwig also had five half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel:

An artistically gifted child, Ernst Ludwig studied at the Rudolph-Antoniana Knight Academy in Wolfenbüttel. He began a military career in 1689, leading several regiments against France, and serving with troops led by Ludwig Wilhelm, Margrave of Baden-Baden, helping to conquer the city of Landau. He was later raised to the rank of Imperial Field Marshal Lieutenant.

Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg; Credit: Wikipedia

On September 19, 1704, in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany, Ernst Ludwig married his first cousin, Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. She was the daughter of Friedrich I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalena Sibylla of Saxe-Weissenfels. Together they had five children before Dorothea Maria died in April 1713:

Ernst Ludwig succeeded his father, Bernhard I, as Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Unlike his own father who had divided his territories among his sons, Bernhard stipulated in his will that the duchy should remain united. However, he also wanted his sons to rule jointly, which none of them wanted to do. Ernst Ludwig, as the eldest son, felt that the throne should go solely to him and his heirs, which caused a rift between him and his brothers. Eventually, he reached an agreement with them which gave him sole reign. His two remaining brothers later ruled after his death, in the guardianship of Ernst Ludwig’s sons.

Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1714, just over a year after the death of his first wife, Ernst Ludwig married Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, at Schloss Ehrenburg in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was the daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and Princess Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. They had no children.

During his reign, Ernst Ludwig was involved in several military conflicts, in an attempt to gain more territory after his uncles, the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Römhild, and Saxe-Eisenberg, died without heirs. The disputes eventually went to Imperial arbitration, with Ernst Ludwig receiving very little gain in his lands. These conflicts and the rift between Ernst Ludwig and his brothers, caused a decline in the economy in Saxe-Meiningen, already in bad shape since his father’s reign. Ernst Ludwig’s attempts at political reform were ineffective. He ended up focusing on the arts, composing numerous hymns, and expanding his collection of musical compositions. Several years before his death, he wrote the lyrics for the hymns at his funeral, with the music composed by Johann Ludwig Bach.

Ernst Ludwig I died in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in the German state of Thuringia, on November 24, 1724. He is buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty

Saxe-Meiningen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the second wife of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. She was born in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on September 30, 1658, to Anton Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Juliane of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg. She had 12 siblings:

On February 2, 1675, in Wolfenbüttel, Elisabeth Eleonore married Johann Georg, Duke of Mecklenburg-Mirow, the son of Adolf Friedrich I, Duke of Mecklenburg and Anna Maria of Ostfriesland. However, the marriage was short-lived as Johann Georg died just five months later, on July 9, 1675.

Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 25, 1681, in Schöningen, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, Elisabeth Eleonore married Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, who had been widowed the previous year. Elisabeth Eleonore and Bernhard had five children:

The family lived at the castle in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in the German state of Thuringia, while a new, much grander palace was being built. The Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen was completed in 1692 and named for Elisabeth Eleonore who lived there with her husband, and their children for the duration of Bernhard’s reign.

Following her husband’s death in 1706, Elisabeth Eleonore was drawn into the family battles over who would reign over the duchy. Like his father before him, Bernhard was not a proponent of primogeniture and stated in his will that his sons should rule jointly. Just as Bernhard had been against that idea when his own father died, so were his sons. Elisabeth Eleonore sided with her stepson Ernst Ludwig, who believed he was the rightful heir and should reign solely. In doing so, she sided against her own son Anton Ulrich. He had married morganatically, and Elisabeth Eleonore never accepted her daughter-in-law, or her son’s decision to marry. Ernst Ludwig won his quest to rule independently, and with Elisabeth Eleonore’s support, he developed Meiningen into a center of musical culture.

The in-fighting within the family took its toll on Elisabeth Eleonore and she retired from public life. The Dowager Duchess died in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen now in Thuringia, Germany on March 15, 1729, at the age of 70. She is buried in the castle church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Saxe-Meiningen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Maria Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt was the first wife of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and therefore the first Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen. She was born in Giessen on November 26, 1647, the youngest child of Georg II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Princess Sophie Eleonore of Saxony.

Marie Hedwig had 13 siblings:

Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Hedwig married Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, now in the German state of Thuringia, on November 20, 1671. The couple had seven children:

Coat of Arms of the Principality of Henneberg; Credit: Wikipedia by Kooij – Own work,

Several years after their marriage, the couple took up residence in Ichtershausen, at a castle Bernhard had built and named Marienburg in honor of his wife. When Bernhard and his brothers formally divided their territories, he became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and made plans to move the family to the city of Meiningen. The new duchy also included the former principality of Henneberg, which caused stress to Marie Hedwig. The coat of arms featured a black hen, which was seen at the time as a symbol of magic and witchcraft. Marie Hedwig said she would not move to the “land of the black hen”.

On April 19, 1680, Marie Hedwig died in Ichtershausen, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. She had given birth to her youngest child just a few weeks earlier. Marie Hedwig was first buried in the crypt of the city church in Meiningen, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, before being moved to the castle church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Saxe-Meiningen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen: On March 26, 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. On February 24, 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Meinigen and Bernhard, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Meinigen.

On November 9, 1918, Wilhelm II abdicated as German Emperor and King of Prussia in the wake of the November Revolution. Bernhard III, the last Duke of Saxe-Meiningen abdicated the next day due to pressure from the Meininger Workers and Soldiers Council. His half-brother Ernst waived his succession rights on November 12, 1918, officially ending the monarchy of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. Today the territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen is in the German state of Thuringia.

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Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

Bernhard I was the first Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, reigning from 1675 until he died in 1706. He was born in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany, on September 10, 1649, the sixth son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. Bernhard had 17 siblings:

Maria Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 20, 1671, at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany, Bernhard married Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was the daughter of Georg II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophie Eleonore of Saxony.

They had seven children:

Several years after their marriage, Bernhard and Marie Hedwig took up residence in Ichtershausen, Duchy of Saxe-Meinigen, now in the German state of Thuringia, where Bernhard had a castle built. Schloss Marienburg was named in Marie Hedwig’s honor. Just three weeks after giving birth to their youngest child, and only nine weeks before their planned move to Meiningen, Marie Hedwig died in Ichtershausen on April 19, 1680.

Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 25, 1681, Bernhard married for a second time in Schöningen, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. His new bride was Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the daughter of Anton Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Juliane of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Norburg.

The couple had five children:

When Bernhard’s father died in 1675, instead of passing everything to his eldest son, he divided his territory among his living sons. Each received part of the duchy and was expected to rule jointly, but under the authority of the eldest one. Bernhard received Meiningen and the surrounding area, including the former principality of Henneberg. By 1680, the brothers had formally divided their lands, each becoming the ruler of the newly established duchies. Bernhard became the first reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.

Elisabethenburg Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Having moved to Meiningen and taking up residence at the Meiningen Castle, Bernhard soon made plans to build a new official residence in the city. The Elisabethenburg Palace was built between 1682 and 1692 and was named for his second wife. Bernhard also established a court orchestra in 1690 and the Schlosspark in 1692.

Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen died in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, on April 27, 1706. He is buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Saxe-Meiningen Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

One of the few members of the Romanov family who managed to get their jewelry out of Russia after the Russian Revolution, Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Marie Alexandrine Elisabeth Eleonore) was born May 14, 1854, at Schloss Ludwigslust in Ludwiglust,  Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Marie was the only daughter and the third of the six children of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and his first wife Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz.

Marie’s mother died at the age of 40 when Marie was eight years old. The official cause was a heart valve inflammation but there is evidence that Grand Duchess Augusta died from tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was taboo in royal circles at the time and would have reduced the marriage prospects of her children.

Marie had five siblings, all brothers:

Marie’s father married a second time but his wife Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine died shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Marie’s half-sister:

  • Duchess Anna  of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1865 – 1882), died at age 16 from pneumonia

Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II married a third time in 1868 and Marie was then raised by a stepmother, Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who was only four years older than her.  Marie had four half-siblings from her father’s third marriage:

Marie’s childhood was marked by the wars of German unification. Her father Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the nephew of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. Friedrich Franz supported Prussia and distinguished himself in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 – 1871. As a result of the war, the German states proclaimed their union as the German Empire under the Prussian King Wilhelm I, finally uniting Germany as a nation-state with Wilhelm I becoming the German Emperor.

Engagement Photo: Marie and Vladimir, 1874; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1871, while traveling with his family through the various German monarchies, twenty-year-old Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, the second surviving son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, met his seventeen-year-old second cousin Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The two young people were descended from Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia. Vladimir and Marie quickly fell in love and Marie broke off her engagement to Georg Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

However, Marie, who was Lutheran, refused to convert to Russian Orthodoxy. This caused a three-year delay in the marriage until Vladimir’s father, Alexander II allowed Marie to remain Lutheran and ruled that Vladimir could still retain his succession rights. The engagement was announced in April 1874. The wedding was held at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on August 28, 1874, After marriage, the bride was known as Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.

The marriage caused Maria to have some brilliant alliances: She would be the sister-in-law of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna who had married Prince Alfred of the United Kingdom, a son of Queen Victoria. She would be the aunt of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and Queen Marie of Romania.

Vladimir and Maria had five children:

Vladimir, Maria, and their children, circa 1883; Credit – Wikipedia

Vladimir and Maria moved into the new 360-room Vladimir Palace on the Palace Embankment facing the Neva River just down the road from the Winter Palace in St.Petersburg. The yellow facade of the palace is in the Florentine Renaissance style and the interior is a mixture of Moorish, Gothic, and Rococo styles. It was the last imperial palace built in St. Petersburg. Across the Neva River was a view of the Peter and Paul Fortress and within the Fortress, the Peter and Paul Cathedral with its gilded spire with a flying angel at the very top. Vladimir and Maria enjoyed entertaining and Vladimir Palace became the heart of St. Petersburg’s social life. Marie was socially ambitious and established herself as one of the best hostesses in the capital. Her addiction to gambling caused her to defy Nicholas II’s prohibition on playing roulette and baccarat in private homes and she was temporarily banned from Court.

Vladimir Palace; Photo Credit – Von A.Savin (Wikimedia Commons · WikiPhotoSpace) – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21506331

In 1905, Maria Pavlovna’s eldest son Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich married his first cousin, Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Victoria Melita was the daughter of Prince Alfred of the United Kingdom, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (second son of Queen Victoria) and Vladimir’s sister Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. Because Kirill married his first cousin, prohibited by the Russian Orthodox Church, and because he had not received the consent of Nicholas II to marry, he was stripped of his imperial titles, military appointments, and funding. The couple was banished from Russia and settled in France. Grand Duke Vladimir went into a rage after a brief interview with his nephew Nicholas II and resigned from all his posts in the army.

Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 17, 1909, 61-year-old Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich died suddenly after suffering a major cerebral hemorrhage. His funeral and burial, held on February 21, 1909, was attended by Nicholas II, Vladimir’s widow Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, other members of the Imperial Family, government ministers, and Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich was buried in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum, adjacent to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1909, following several deaths within the Imperial Family including Vladimir’s, Kirill was third in line to the Russian throne after Nicholas II’s hemophiliac son Alexei and Nicholas’ younger brother Michael. Nicholas II relented and allowed Kirill to return to Russia, restoring his Imperial titles, his military positions, and his funding. Maria Pavlovna finally decided to convert to Russian Orthodoxy to help Kirill’s possibility of inheriting the throne.

Maria Pavlovna with her children; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Pavlovna was proud to have given birth to strong sons who were potential heirs to the throne, while Empress Alexandra, her niece by marriage, had four daughters before giving birth to a son with hemophilia, a hereditary disease transmitted by the Empress. Maria Pavlovna was the oldest of the Grand Duchesses and formed an alternative court during the last years of Nicholas II’s reign. Together with her sons, Maria Pavlovna planned a coup against Nicholas II during the winter of 1916-1917, which would force his abdication. However, Maria and her sons found no allies to support their coup.

After the abdication of Nicholas II in March 1917 and the advent of the Russian Revolution, Maria Pavlovna still hoped that her eldest son Kirill would one day be Emperor of All Russia. When other Romanovs were leaving Russia, including her son Kirill and his family, Maria spent 1917-1918 with her son Boris, her son Andrei, his lover Matilde Kschessinskaya, and her son Vladimir in the war-torn Caucasus. With the advance of the Bolsheviks, they fled to Anapa, Russia on the Black Sea, where they spent another fourteen months. However, Boris decided to leave Russia once he reached Anapa.

When the Commander of the White Army told Maria Pavlovna that the Bolsheviks would win the Russian Civil War, she finally agreed to go into exile. On February 13, 1920, Maria Pavlovna, her son Andrei, his mistress Matilde Kschessinska, and her son Vladimir boarded an Italian ship in the direction of Venice, Italy. They traveled from Venice to Switzerland and then to France, where Maria Pavlovna’s health failed. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna died on September 6, 1920, aged 66, surrounded by her family at her villa (now the Hotel La Souveraine) in Contrexéville, France.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna was buried in the Chapel of St. Vladimir and St. Mary Magdalene in Contrexéville, France which she had built in 1909. Her son Andrei and his wife were also buried there.

Chapel of St. Vladimir and St. Mary Magdalene, burial place of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna; Photo Credit – Par Yorick Petey — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=876364

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna had a passion for jewelry and her collection was renowned. She was one of the few members of the Romanov family who managed to get her jewelry out of Russia. British art dealer and diplomatic courier Albert Stopford, a family friend, rescued the jewelry from her Vladimir Palace safe and smuggled the jewels out of Russia to England. After Maria Pavlovna’s death, the jewelry was sold by her children to support their lives in exile. Queen Mary of the United Kingdom purchased some of the jewelry including the Vladimir Tiara. Maria Pavlovna had received the tiara as a gift from her husband at the time of their wedding. Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna inherited the tiara from her mother. Queen Mary bought the tiara in 1921 and had the tiara altered to accommodate fifteen of the Cambridge cabochon emeralds. The original drop pearls can easily be replaced as an alternative to the emeralds. Queen Mary personally gave the tiara to her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna wearing the Vladimir Tiara; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Mary wearing the Vladimir Tiara; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Vladimir Tiara; Credit – Wikipedia

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Works Cited

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Charlotte of Prussia, Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Charlotte of Prussia, Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Charlotte of Prussia (Friederike Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina) was born in Potsdam in the Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on July 13, 1798. She was the eldest of the four daughters and the third of the nine children of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Charlotte’s two elder brothers both became Kings of Prussia and the younger of the two brothers was the first German Emperor.

Charlotte had eight siblings:

Charlotte (leaning against her mother) with her parents and siblings in 1806; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte’s childhood was marked by the Napoleonic Wars. After the defeat of the Prussian troops in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in November 1806, Charlotte’s family was forced to flee Berlin. They settled in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) under the protection of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, Charlotte’s future brother-in-law. After the fall of Berlin and its occupation, the family settled in Memel, Prussia (now Klaipėda, Lithuania). In December 1809, the family finally returned to Berlin but on July 19, 1810, Charlotte’s mother Queen Luise died from an unidentified illness at the age of 34, less than a week after Charlotte’s twelfth birthday. As the eldest daughter, Charlotte was now the first lady at the court and had to undertake her mother’s duties. Throughout her life, Charlotte maintained her connection to Prussia as well as the memory of her mother.

Charlotte at age 12; Credit – Wikipedia

In the autumn of 1814, Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich of Russia and his younger brother Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, the two youngest brothers of Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, visited Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. When Charlotte and Nicholas met, it was love at first sight. In November 1815, arrangements were made for nineteen-year-old Nicholas to marry seventeen-year-old Charlotte to strengthen the alliance between Russia and Prussia. Alexander I, who was nineteen years older than Nicholas, had no surviving children but Nicholas was not expected to inherit the Russian throne as his elder brother Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich was the heir. Charlotte was glad that she would not be the empress and would be able to live away from palace intrigues.

Princess Charlotte of Prussia with her groom, Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte arrived in Russia in June 1817. She converted to Russian Orthodoxy on July 6, 1817, and took the name Alexandra Feodorovna. The next day, she was officially engaged to Grand Nicholas Pavlovich and was created a Grand Duchess of Russia. The wedding was held on Alexandra Feodorovna’s 19th birthday, July 13, 1817, at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Alexandra and Nicholas had seven children who would revive the Romanov dynasty:

Alexandra Feodorovna with her two eldest children Maria and Alexander; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra and Nicholas’ marriage was truly built upon love and they found great pleasure in each other’s company. Alexandra studied Russian customs and language with the foremost poet of the time, Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky. She never mastered Russian because the Imperial Family spoke German (the current empress and dowager empress both came from German royal houses) and all their correspondence was in French. Alexandra had a good relationship with her mother-in-law Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg) but not with her sister-in-law Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna (born Luise of Baden). The problems between the two sisters-in-law may stem from Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna’s childlessness and Alexandra Feodorovna’s quickly growing family.

Alexandra Feodorovna, 1817; Credit – Wikipedia

Because Nicholas’ eldest brother Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia had no surviving children, the second brother Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich was the heir to the throne. Konstantin had married Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1796. Juliane was very unhappy in the marriage, separated from Konstantin in 1799, and returned to her homeland permanently in 1801. In 1814, Konstantin tried to reconcile with Juliana but was firmly rebuffed. In 1815, Konstantin started a relationship with Polish noble Joanna Grudzińska, Princess of Łowicz. Finally, in 1820, after 19 years of separation, Konstantin and Juliana’s marriage was annulled by Alexander I. Two months later, Grand Duke Konstantin morganatically married Joanna Grudzińska. However, for Alexander I to give his approval to the marriage, Konstantin was required to forfeit his rights to the Russian throne in favor of his younger brother Nicholas. The decision was kept secret and was known only to a very close circle in Saint Petersburg.

When Alexander I told Alexandra and Nicholas that they were to be Emperor and Empress, they were taken aback. Nicholas wrote, describing his feelings, “My wife and I remained in a position which I can liken only to the sensation that would strike a man if he were going calmly along a comfortable road sown with flowers and with marvelous scenery on all sides when, suddenly, an abyss yawns wide beneath his feet, and an irresistible force draws him into it, without allowing him to step back or turn aside.”

On December 1, 1825, 47-year-old Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia died from typhus, not in St. Petersburg, but in Taganrog, Russia. Because of his wife’s health issues, Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna had been living in a warmer climate in Taganrog, Russia by the Sea of Azov, 1155 miles/1,858 km from St. Petersburg. The secrecy of the decision to replace Konstantin with Nicholas as heir to the throne backfired. Only three men, apart from the deceased Alexander I, were aware of his decision, and none of them was present in the Winter Palace when the news of Alexander’s death reached Saint Petersburg on December 9, 1825.

Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

Military governor Mikhail Miloradovich persuaded the hesitant Nicholas to pledge allegiance to Konstantin, who then lived in Warsaw as the Viceroy of Poland. The State Council agreed with Miloradovich and all the troops stationed in Saint Petersburg recognized Konstantin as their Emperor. Konstantin, still in Poland, repeated his rejection of the throne and blessed Nicholas as the Emperor. However, Konstantin refused to come to Saint Petersburg, leaving the dangerous task of resolving the crisis to Nicholas.

Evidence of a revolt (called the Decembrist Revolt) being planned that would involve Russian army officers leading soldiers in revolt against Nicholas becoming Emperor, forced Nicholas to act. On December 26, 1825, Nicholas proclaimed himself Emperor of All Russia. By noon, the government and most of the troops of Saint Petersburg pledged allegiance to Nicholas but the Decembrists incited three thousand soldiers in support of Konstantin and took a stand on Senate Square in St. Petersburg.  The battle in Senate Square cost over 1,200 lives, crushed the revolt, and resulted in 29-year-old Nicholas becoming the undisputed Emperor of All Russia, and Alexandra Feodorovna becoming Empress. Alexandra and Nicholas I were crowned at the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin on September 3, 1826. Nicholas ruled the Russian Empire in an authoritative and reactionary manner for 29 years.

Coronation portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Nicholas had mistresses and illegitimate children, his love for Alexandra continued. When part of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1837 caught on fire, Nicholas ordered that a small box with letters Alexandra had written him during their engagement be saved. Alexandra’s health had always been frail and she suffered several minor heart attacks. Nicholas had a villa built for Alexandra in the Crimea where the climate was warmer but because of the Crimean War, Alexandra only stayed there once. In 1854, Alexandra was very ill and close to death but she survived. However, the next year, Nicholas caught a chill, refused medical treatment, and developed pneumonia. He died at the age of 58 on March 2, 1855, at the Winter Palace. His eldest son succeeded him as Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.

Alexandra Feodorovna in 1860; Credit – Wikipedia – Royal Collection RCIN 2907923

After Nicholas’ death, Alexandra Feodorovna shut herself up in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. She surrounded herself with her favorite ladies-in-waiting who read to her from the works of the German writers Schiller and Goethe. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna survived her husband by five years, dying at the age of 62 on November 1, 1860, at the Alexander Palace. She was buried next to her husband at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Tomb of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; Photo Credit – Автор: El Pantera – собственная работа, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=364339

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Unofficial Royalty Tsardom of Russia/Russian Empire Resources

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Charlotte von Preußen (1798–1860). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_von_Preu%C3%9Fen_(1798%E2%80%931860) [Accessed 30 Jan. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Feodorovna_(Charlotte_of_Prussia) [Accessed 30 Jan. 2018].
  • Lincoln, W. Bruce. (1981). The Romanovs: Autocrats of  All the Russias. New York, NY.: Doubleday
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Александра Фёдоровна (жена Николая I). [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%A4%D1%91%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0_(%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%8F_I) [Accessed 30 Jan. 2018].

Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

The second wife of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, Her Serene Highness Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg (Sophia Marie Dorothea Auguste Luise) was the eldest of the four daughters and the fourth of the twelve children of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt. She was born on October 25, 1759, in Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland), the same birthplace as her mother-in-law Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia. Sophia Dorothea’s father served in the Prussian army as did the father of Catherine the Great. Her mother was a niece of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia.

Sophia Dorothea had eleven siblings. All but one survived to adulthood.

Sophia Dorothea in 1770; Credit – Wikipedia

After Sophia Dorothea’s father finished his military service, the family moved to Château de Montbéliard, a Württemberg castle in Montbéliard, France. Sophia Dorothea had a happy family life and was taught to be modest, disciplined, and religious. She was instructed in French, Italian, Latin, history, and geography. In addition, she was taught conversation, music, dance, drawing, painting, needlework, and housekeeping skills.

In 1773, when Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia was searching for a bride for her 18-year-old son and heir Grand Duke Paul Petrovich (the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia), Sophia Dorothea was one of the possibilities but was eventually excluded because she was too young. Wilhelmine Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt (Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna) married Paul in 1773 but she died in childbirth in April 1776 along with her only child. In that same year, 16-year-old Sophia Dorothea was engaged to Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt who would become the first Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and was the brother of Paul’s deceased first wife. Sophia Dorothea’s great-uncle Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia suggested she would make an ideal second wife for Grand Duke Paul. Catherine the Great, who had been born a German princess (Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst) in the same city as Sophia Dorothea and received a similar upbringing, thought it was a wonderful idea. The engagement to Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt was broken off and Ludwig received monetary compensation.

In a meeting arranged by King Friedrich II of Prussia, Sophia Dorothea and Paul first met in Berlin, Prussia in June 1776. Through the efforts of Friedrich, the widowed Paul became reconciled to a second marriage and immediately liked Sophia Dorothea. The 16-year-old Sophia Dorothea was pleased with the prospect of becoming Empress of All Russia. She arrived in Russia in August 1776. On September 14, 1776, Sophia Dorothea converted from Lutheranism to Russian Orthodoxy and received the name Maria Feodorovna. The next day Maria was formally betrothed to Paul and was created a Grand Duchess of Russia. On October 7, 1776, less than six months after the death of Paul’s first wife, 17-year-old Maria Feodorovna and 22-year-old Paul Petrovich were married in St. Petersburg. The couple had a happy marriage for many years.

Grand Duke Paul, the future Emperor Paul I by Alexander Roslin; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Feodorovna and Paul had ten children including two Emperors of All Russia. Only one of their children did not survive childhood.

The family of Maria Feodorovna and Paul in 1800; Credit – Wikipedia

The relationship between Paul and his mother had never been good. Paul had been taken at birth by his great-aunt Elizabeth I, Empress of All Russia, and raised under her supervision. Even after the death of Empress Elizabeth, Paul’s relationship with Catherine hardly improved. Paul’s early isolation from his mother created a distance between them which later events would reinforce.

At first, Maria Feodorovna and Catherine had a good relationship but the situation deteriorated when Maria’s first child was born in 1777. Just as Empress Elizabeth had done to her, Catherine the Great took away Maria’s firstborn child Alexander to raise him without interference from his parents. When a second son Constantine was born in 1779, Catherine also took him away. Maria and Paul were allowed to visit their sons only once a week. As their reward for producing an heir to the throne, Maria and Paul were given Pavlovsk Palace near Tsarkoye Selo. Maria and Paul’s remaining children were allowed to stay with them but the couple had a great feeling of animosity toward Catherine. When their eldest daughter Alexandra was born, Catherine presented the couple with Gatchina Palace near St. Petersburg which had been built for Count Grigori Grigoryevich Orlov, who had been a favorite of Catherine.

The approach to Pavlovsk Palace in 1808 Gabriel Ludwig Lory; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Feodorovna promoted the arts, painted watercolors, designed cameos, and created ivory artworks. She was a gifted musician, played the harpsichord, and arranged for plays to be performed at her court. Maria and Paul were particularly interested in German and French literature and created an extensive library of German works at Gatchina Palace where writers, artists, and scholars frequently gathered. Maria was instrumental in supporting the expeditions of Adam Johann von Krusenstern, a Russian admiral and explorer who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the world. She also supported welfare institutions and founded a mental institution in Saint Petersburg.

Catherine II (the Great) by Alexander Roslin, 1776; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia never considered inviting her son Paul to share her power in governing Russia. Once Paul’s son Alexander (the future Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia) was born, it appeared that Catherine had found a more suitable heir. It is possible that Catherine intended to bypass Paul and name her grandson Alexander as her successor but she never got the chance. On November 4, 1796, Catherine suffered a stroke. Despite all attempts to revive her, she fell into a coma from which she never recovered. Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia died on November 6, 1796, at the age of 67 and after a reign of 34 years. Paul was now Emperor of All Russia and Maria Feodorovna was Empress.

As Empress, Maria Feodorovna was more visible and was allowed to exert some political influence. She was responsible for the state welfare institutions and was a supporter of hospitals, soup kitchens, orphanages, and other facilities for the needy.  Maria continued to promote the cultural life of Russia and personally supervised the beautification of imperial residences especially Gatchina Palace and the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg.

As Emperor, Paul agreed with the practices of autocracy and tried to prevent liberal ideas in the Russian Empire. He did not tolerate freedom of thought or resistance against autocracy. Because he overly taxed the nobility and limited their rights, the Russian nobles, by increasing numbers, were against him. Paul’s reign was becoming increasingly despotic. Eventually, the nobility reached their breaking point. As early as the end of 1797, rumors began swirling of a coup d’état being prepared by the nobility. It is probable that Paul’s son and heir Alexander knew of the coup d’état plans and that Maria Feodorovna knew about the existence of plans.

Afraid of intrigues and assassination plots, Paul disliked the Winter Palace where he never felt safe so he had the fortified Mikhailovsky Castle built in Saint Petersburg. In February 1801, Paul and his family moved into Mikhailovsky Castle. On the night of March 23, 1801, only forty days after moving into the castle, a group of conspirators charged into Paul’s bedroom, forced him to abdicate, and then strangled and trampled him to death. Paul’s eldest son, who probably knew about the coup but not the murder plot, succeeded as Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia.

Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in mourning by Gerhard von Kügelgen, 1801; Credit – Wikipedia

After Paul’s death, Maria Feodorovna made her home at Pavlovsk Palace.  She demanded recognition as the highest-ranking woman in Russia and took precedence over Alexander I’s wife Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna. Sadly, Maria was similarly hurtful to her daughter-in-law as Catherine the Great had been to her. Maria’s charitable work, started under the reign of her husband, continued during her widowhood. Although Maria Feodorovna was unable to make direct political decisions, she did have a great influence on her son Alexander as well as on her other children.

Maria Feodorovna actively participated in the marriage arrangements of her younger children with members of European royal families. The current Dutch royal family are her descendants. Although Maria had not been allowed to make decisions regarding the education of her two eldest sons, she did so with her two younger sons and influenced them in their conservative sentiments. When Alexander I died in 1825 and Nicholas I, who was 19 years younger than Alexander, became the new Emperor, his reign was politically conservative and extremely reactionary.

Empress Maria Feodorovna lived long enough to see the first three years of the reign of her third son Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. She outlived five of her ten children, dying at Pavlovsk Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on November 5, 1828, at the age of 69 after a short illness. Maria Feodorovna was buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Tomb of Empress Maria Feodorovna; Photo Credit – Автор: El Pantera – собственная работа, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36433080

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Romanov Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Sophie Dorothea von Württemberg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Dorothee_von_W%C3%BCrttemberg [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Feodorovna_(Sophie_Dorothea_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg) [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].
  • Lincoln, W. Bruce. (1981). The Romanovs: Autocrats of  All the Russias. New York, NY.: Doubleday
  • Massie, R. (2016). Catherine the Great. London: Head of Zeus.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Мария Фёдоровна (жена Павла I). [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%A4%D1%91%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0_(%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9F%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B0_I) [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Wilhelmine Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna, Tsarevna of Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Wilhelmine Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna, Tsarevna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

Her destiny to be Empress of Russia was to remain unfulfilled. Princess Wilhelmine Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt began her life on June 25, 1755, in Prenzlau in the Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, where her father was stationed with the Prussian army. She was the fifth of the eight children and fourth of the five daughters of Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Countess Karoline of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken.

Wilhelmine had seven siblings:

Wilhelmine was brought up under the strict supervision of her mother Karoline, Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt, nicknamed “The Great Landgravine”. Karoline maintained friendly relationships with many scholars, including philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder, poet and writer Christoph Martin Wieland, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, perhaps the greatest German writer and poet. In addition, Karoline was in contact with Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia, and was one of the few women he respected. Karoline assembled a significant library as reading was one of her favorite pastimes. Brought up in this intellectually stimulating atmosphere, Wilhelmine was considered to have an outstanding intellect, a strong character, and a passionate temperament.

Catherine II (the Great) by Alexander Roslin, 1776; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1772, Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia was searching for a bride for her 18-year-old son and heir, Grand Duke Paul Petrovich (the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia). Catherine the Great asked Friedrich II of Prussia for recommendations, and his thoughts immediately turned to the three unmarried daughters of Karoline, Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt: Amalie, Wilhelmine, and Luise. Empress Catherine invited Landgravine Karoline and her three daughters to St. Petersburg. Four Russian ships were sent to take them to Russia. Andrei Razumovsky, Grand Duke Paul’s good friend, commanded the ship that transported Karoline and her three daughters. He was immediately charmed by the three sisters, particularly Wilhelmine, who felt similar feelings towards Andrei.

Once the three sisters were in St. Petersburg, it did not take Paul long to make his choice. Just like his friend Andrei Razumovsky, Paul was charmed by Wilhelmine, but she was not as enthusiastic about Paul. However, the wheels of diplomacy and protocol kept turning, and preparations for the wedding began. Wilhelmine converted to Russian Orthodoxy on August 15, 1773, taking the name Natalia Alexeievna. The next day, she was officially betrothed to Paul and was created a Grand Duchess of Russia.

Grand Duke Paul, the future Emperor Paul I by Alexander Roslin; Credit – Wikipedia

18-year-old Natalia and 19-year-old Paul were married on September 29, 1773, at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Petersburg, which stood on the site where the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan now stands. The wedding was followed by ten days of celebration for the nobility and the common people. Paul was very happy with his new wife, and Natalia consoled herself with the knowledge that Andrei Razumovsky was always close at hand.

Andrei Razumovsky by Alexander Roslin; Credit – Wikipedia

Paul had been taken at birth by his great-aunt Elizabeth I, Empress of All Russia, and raised under her supervision. Even after the death of Empress Elizabeth, Paul’s relationship with his mother Catherine hardly improved. Paul’s early isolation from his mother created a distance between them which later events would reinforce. At first, Natalia was very close to her mother-in-law Catherine II. Catherine had been in a similar situation – a German princess coming to Russia to marry the heir to the throne – so perhaps she had some sympathy for Natalia’s situation. Despite her misgivings about her marriage, Natalia attempted to reconcile Catherine and her son, who maintained a distant relationship. Catherine commented, “I am indebted to the Grand Duchess for returning my son to me.”

The happiness did not last long. After an initial settling-in, Natalia, after observing the Russian court, decided that she saw little good for herself there.  She had been raised in an educated and liberal court and adhered to liberal ideas such as freeing the serfs, and soon she became involved in palace intrigues. This did not please Empress Catherine. In addition, Natalia’s extravagance and refusal to learn Russian annoyed Catherine. Catherine also heard rumors about Natalia’s relationship with Andrei Razumovsky. It does appear that the two had an affair and that Paul was ignorant of their relationship.

Natalia Alexeievna by Alexander Roslin, 1776; Credit – Wikipedia

All these issues were forgotten when, after two-plus years of marriage, Natalia became pregnant. Catherine did not care whether the child was Paul’s or Razumovsky’s. She just wanted an heir to the throne. On the morning of Sunday, April 10, 1776, Paul awakened his mother with the news that Natalia had been in labor since midnight. By noon, Natalia was in such pain that it seemed the birth would happen very soon. The afternoon and evening passed without a birth. Natalia was either in terrible pain or exhausted sleep. Monday passed, and there was still no birth. On Tuesday, the doctors and midwives agreed that the child was probably dead. On Wednesday, the doctors all but gave up hope of saving Natalia, and she was given the last rites. At six in the evening on Friday, April 15, 1776, 20-year-old Natalia died after six days of agony. Neither Catherine nor Paul had left her side. Catherine was further saddened that her dead grandchild had been a perfectly formed boy who had been too large to pass through the birth canal.

Despite her exhaustion and sadness, Empress Catherine remained in control because Paul’s grief was so severe that he refused to allow Natalia’s body to be removed. Natalia was buried in the Annunciation Church at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg, Russia. Grief-stricken Paul did not attend the funeral, but Catherine II did.

Tombstone of Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Romanov Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Natalia Alexeievna (Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalia_Alexeievna_(Wilhelmina_Louisa_of_Hesse-Darmstadt) [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].
  • Lincoln, W. Bruce. (1981). The Romanovs: Autocrats of  All the Russias. New York, NY: Doubleday
  • Massie, R. (2016). Catherine the Great. London: Head of Zeus.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Наталья Алексеевна (великая княгиня). [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0_(%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BA%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8F) [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].