"I can't believe my son is dead." How the mother of Nicholas II survived the revolution (9 photos). Empress Maria Feodorovna Romanova widow of the Russian Empire When Nicholas II's mother died

The wife of Tsar-Peacemaker Alexander III had a happy and at the same time tragic fate

Photo: Alexander GLUZ

Change text size: A A

Eleven years ago, on September 28, 2006, a coffin containing the remains of Alexander III’s wife, Maria Fedorovna, was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. A few days earlier, the coffin was delivered from Denmark, the empress's homeland. Thus, the will of the monarch’s wife was fulfilled: to be buried next to her husband.

The ceremony was quite modest. Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Vladimir, members of the Romanov family were present. A white marble tombstone with a gilded cross on top was installed on the grave, identical to the tombstones in the imperial tomb.

Eight years earlier, here, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, in the presence of the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the remains of Maria Feodorovna's son, Emperor Nicholas II, her daughter-in-law and granddaughters were buried. True, discussions about who these remains actually belong to still continue.

Should have married my older brother...

...She was adored in her native Denmark, immediately accepted and loved in Russia, always mysterious to foreigners. She was an ardent bride, a tender and devoted wife, a loving and affectionate mother.

Her name was Sofia Frederika Dagmara, she was born in Copenhagen, was the daughter of Prince Christian of Luxembourg, later King Christian IX of Denmark.

Princess Dagmara was not even eighteen years old when her marriage to the heir to the Russian throne, the eldest son of Emperor Alexander II, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, was decided. That rare case when young people, matched for dynastic reasons, immediately sincerely fell in love with each other. They became engaged in 1865, while he was traveling in Europe. But soon the Tsarevich fell seriously ill. Doctors diagnosed him with tuberculous meningitis. His brother Alexander Alexandrovich arrived in Nice, where the heir was hastily sent for treatment. Together with Princess Dagmara, he looked after the sick.

It was then, near the bed of his dying brother, that the future Russian Emperor Alexander III felt that his heart was filled with love for this fragile girl. And in his thoughts Alexander did not allow blasphemous desires: with all his soul he wished for his brother’s recovery. But Nikolai himself soon realized that he was doomed. The illness burned him, and two days before his death he told his brother: “Sasha, don’t leave Mini! (this is how Princess Dagmara was nicknamed in the Romanov family - Author). Be her protection and support... If she is dear to your heart, marry her! Mini, become a good wife to him.” The future emperor was silent, stunned and depressed, and Dagmara, sobbing, exclaimed: “Come to your senses! You will definitely get better!”

After the death of his betrothed, Alexander did not speak about the will of his dying brother. But he tried in every possible way to please Dagmara: he gave flowers, knowing that she loved music very much, he took performances to concerts, and he brought books. And the heart of the young Danish woman thawed! The huge and powerful young man, next to whom she was like a thin stalk, turned out to be a wise and kind man, capable of understanding her soul...

The engagement took place in Copenhagen, and the wedding took place in the Church of the Winter Palace. This happened on October 28 (November 9 according to the new style) 1866. The princess converted to Orthodoxy and became Maria Feodorovna.

Did not interfere in government affairs

Almost fifteen years later, after the death of Emperor Alexander II, who was killed by the Narodnaya Volya, his son inherited a difficult inheritance: the empire was rocked by unrest and conspiracies. Alexander Alexandrovich managed to strengthen the power, thereby delaying its collapse. During the reign of the Tsar the Peacemaker, Russia did not wage wars, and industry and the national economy developed at a speed that alarmed the Western world.

The Empress always understood her husband well, but she never interfered in his affairs or tried to influence the decisions he made.

But, without touching on state affairs, Alexandra Fedorovna brought considerable benefit to her new Fatherland. On her initiative, girls' schools were opened. Under the patronage of the queen, in particular, were the Alexander Lyceum, St. Petersburg and Moscow commercial schools, the Gatchina Orphan Institute, and charitable societies.

Maria Fedorovna was, in addition, a talented artist. The portraits, still lifes, and plot sketches she created have been preserved.

Without relying only on tutors and teachers

The Emperor and Empress had six children: Nicholas, the future Emperor Nicholas II, Alexander, George, Ksenia, Mikhail and Olga. Alexander died in infancy, George did not live to be thirty years old. Mikhail shared the fate of his crowned older brother: he was shot in 1918. Ksenia and Olga lived to a ripe old age and died abroad.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Maria Feodorovna actively participated in the upbringing of her sons and daughters, not relying only on tutors and teachers. However, she never sought to suppress the will of the children. In this regard, the story of the matchmaking and marriage of her eldest son, the heir Nikolai Alexandrovich, is indicative.

In 1894, the Tsarevich met in Crimea the German Princess Victoria Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, who had come to stay with her Russian relatives. The twenty-six-year-old heir quickly fell in love with a beautiful and intelligent girl. The future emperor told his parents that he was going to woo and get married.

The Emperor and Empress were against this marriage. Alexander III, among others, put forward this very compelling argument. Alice was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England and, as doctors claimed, she probably inherited from her a terrible disease - hemophilia. That is, a crowned couple may have terminally ill sons. And this is a threat to the Russian state itself! Maria Fedorovna shared her husband's concern. But, after listening to her son, she firmly told the monarch: “If he loves, then let him marry! We can’t make our son unhappy when we ourselves have been living happily for so many years!”

The imperial couple were not bothered by the heir’s contacts with the ballerina.

Here we cannot help but say about the empress’s attitude towards the love affair between the heir to the throne and the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. In the language of the Soviet era, this topic has recently attracted unhealthy interest that resembles mass insanity. Meanwhile, according to historians, the king and queen did not attach much importance to this hobby of their son.

Nikki’s contacts with Matilda did not alarm anyone, because it was clear that marriage was out of the question, Doctor of Historical Sciences Vladlen Izmozik told Komsomolskaya Pravda. - The marriage of the heir to the throne was a matter of national importance. Another question is that the young man needed to gain sexual experience, and in decent families this role was performed by milliners, maids, seamstresses, and finally, ballerinas.

In Valentin Pikul’s sensational novel “At the Last Line,” which is dedicated to the events preceding the collapse of the Russian Empire, there are the following lines: “The Tsarina spoke with Madame Myatlyova, who had a broken daughter and four dachas on the Peterhof highway, costing 100,000 rubles . “And I will pay you three hundred thousand for these dachas,” said Tsarina Myatlyova, “but you must close your eyes to the behavior of your daughter... What if my Niki needs a hygienic prelude to marriage!”

The October Revolution was met in Crimea

On October 20 (November 1, new style), 1894, having lived only 49 years, Emperor Alexander III died. And then everything went downhill. Russia was gripped by revolutionary fever, terrorists killed statesmen one after another. The courtiers who came into contact with all kinds of conspirators betrayed Emperor Nicholas II. How it all ended is well known.

In October 1917, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, along with her daughters and a small group of relatives, was in Crimea. A few months before this, she last saw her eldest son: she went to see him at Headquarters, in Mogilev.

In Crimea, the Bolsheviks put the former empress and her relatives under house arrest. Eyewitnesses recalled that during the search, the Bible was snatched from Maria Fedorovna’s hands. She begged him to leave her the book. And she heard in response: “An old woman your age has no business reading such nonsense!”

It's hard to say what saved their lives. They say that this was done by the head of the guard named Zadorozhny, who probably only posed as a Bolshevik...

In 1919, the British, finally remembering that the Romanovs were close relatives of their royal family, sent the cruiser Marlboro for the Dowager Empress: at that moment Crimea was in the hands of the White Guards. But she categorically refused to leave Russia unless all her relatives who were on the peninsula were allowed to emigrate. Allowed!

Photo: Wikipedia. The former empress aboard the cruiser Marlboro

Here the question arises: why didn’t the British Lion bother to save Emperor Nicholas II himself and his family:

“I understand that in 1917 the British authorities sought at all costs to keep Russia in the world war,” says Professor Izmozik. – And in order not to displease the Provisional Government, they gave up on the fate of the Russian monarch.

“Impostors” annoyed me

Maria Fedorovna did not remain in England for long. She left for her homeland, Denmark, where she lived her last years, not succumbing to the persuasion of emigrant circles to get involved in political activities.

But even more annoying than the politicians, she was besieged by “impostors”: her “granddaughters” who allegedly miraculously escaped execution. To one young lady who claimed that she was Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the Empress said: “Young lady! You are still very young. You will have time to achieve success. But I’m not your helper: we both know very well that you are not my granddaughter!”

I didn’t believe in my son’s death

When the Empress settled in Copenhagen, a colonel who had arrived from Russia, sent to Denmark by Alexander Kolchak, wanted to visit her. He brought the results of an investigation proving the death of the royal family. But Maria Feodorovna refused to accept the messenger. She stated that she did not believe in the death of the family and forbade serving a memorial service for the murdered.

Departure of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress
from Anichkov Palace to Nevsky Prospekt.

Maria Fedorovna, mother of the future Nicholas II.

rice. Brolling. Engraver Schubler. Niva.1891 No. 6; rice. Brolling. (Figure made locally.)

*******
Anichkov Palace is the palace in which Alexander III lived with his family.
After the death of Maria Feodorovna's husband, Emperor Alexander III, son,
Nicholas II not only left the Anichkov palace to his mother, but also against the laws of Russia,
took to pay for all the gigantic costs of maintaining the Anichkov Palace.

The Dowager Empress was entitled to 100 thousand after the death of her husband. rubles per year.
She couldn't live big if she paid for her own rent.

According to Russian laws, the tsar's oral order was equal to a written one.
Therefore, Nicholas II should not even have written. He could simply SAY and in law
would make a change. And then he, the Russian Emperor, would not break the law,
and would pay for the maintenance of his mother’s apartment BY LAW!

But the last king and queen constantly repeated: - The king can do anything! -

Autocratic power at the turn of the 20th century, it was, of course, pornography,
who couldn't survive.
But when the Supreme Power itself does not comply with the laws, then it (the power)
cannot expect anything good from her subjects.

One day, Nicholas II ordered Witte to allocate a lot of money for something. And it was
against the law. Witte was different as a person, but he had a rare talent,
he had real talent as a statesman. And Witte always stood for
enforcement of laws by the central government itself
Therefore, Witte proposed changing the law so as not to act illegally.

But the stupid and terribly vain queen again announced: -The Tsar can do anything!--

And Witte carried out the order.

And the next year, in a new edition of the laws, the king changed
this law is retroactive without announcing it to the public.

Like a thief in the night! The almighty "Master of Russia", as he called himself, SECRETLY changed the law.

Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna.
Future Empress Maria Feodorovna
(wife of the future Alexander III)
(years of life 1847-1928) 1874

Heinrich von Angeli (1840-1925)

**************************************** ********
There are many portraits of her. I chose this one because it has no tension.
Before us clearly stands a young mother of her children, the wife of her husband from
, it seems, a prosperous bourgeois family. And she doesn't tense up.

What a nice calm look. Is it true?

“Empress Maria Feodorovna and her son Nikolai (Niki),
Niki (Future Emperor Nicholas II) with
by his mother Maria Fedorovna. 1870 .

The Danish royal family was quite bourgeois.

King Christian IX of Denmark with his daughters, Queen Alexandra of England
(left) and Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna. Copenhagen. 1880s

=====
Take a look. We see the king, queen and empress.

But in fact, if we didn’t know, we would confidently assume
that we see a fairly prosperous, middle-class, bourgeois family.

It seems that the father is a PASTOR, who successfully married his daughters to worthy ones,
neighborhood gentlemen as reliable as himself.

Nice photo!!!

Unless, of course, this photo was staged.

But done on a scientific level, the exhibition of Russian archives studied every
photo. And he doesn't say it was staged.

Taken from the Russian Archives exhibition. Thanks to the archives! You can view.
This is interesting.

=================================================
There is nothing super bad about bourgeoisity. To be fair, it must be said
that bourgeois means the stability of life. Conservative if
does not border on reactionary, is necessary to a certain extent
in the life of society for balance.

Petty-bourgeois and bourgeois, these are VERY SERIOUS - two big differences.

And the last Russian Tsarina beat everyone in this regard.

The wife of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was
PETTY-BOurgeois in its essence.

And when this woman, with her petty-bourgeois habits and the same
Petty-Bourgeois psychology, and also with serious mental problems,
became the empress of the largest country in the world with an unimaginably WEAK and therefore
with a husband unable to make decisions, the empire rolled towards the finish line much faster,
How could this have happened without this “brilliant” couple.
Guess what would have happened if this couple had not driven,
with every decision, law and decree, the country and people towards revolution
all 23 years of their reign, it was not at all easy.
The empire and autocratic monarchy were doomed in the 20th century. But who knows?
Maybe Russia was able to survive the First World War
without revolution?
The change of power after the war might have happened differently.

Her level was that of an official, a burgher elite in a German town.

Nikolai would have been a successful city government official, and they would have had the same
a bunch of children, and she, just like in the palace in St. Petersburg, would give him a light,
when he would come home in the evening, but they would be happy!

She was thoroughly petty-bourgeois. Nikolai was not a giant of spirit either,
but he was capable of understanding sufficiently if he was calm
and explained it thoroughly. His main problem was that
he was absolutely incapable of making independent decisions.
And besides, not very smart, he nevertheless did not know how and was not ready to listen
those who understood the situation.

These two ended not only their dynasty on the throne, but also their own children,
because they were not able to listen to the simplest and natural
advice from their immediate family. Not to mention the subordinates.

**************************************** ********

Emperor Nicholas II and
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
in the costumes of Russian tsars of the 17th century.
January 1903
Photographer S. L. Levitsky

This photo was taken by the first Russian famous photographer. S. Levitsky.
I took prizes in Paris.
And of course he did everything he could to make it work
highly artistic photo of the king and queen.
Instead, the crown on Alexandra Feodorovna sits like a pot on her head.
She was a German princess, but she did not have the dignity of a princess.
Not to mention the fact that here, in the photo, she is already an empress in the largest country in the world.
She was thoroughly petty-bourgeois.
If you can believe Witte, who did not love them mutually (to put it mildly),
then the chief courtier at her father's court told him that they all, including her parents,
were happy when Russia took her.
She gave the whole yard a torn year.

**************************************** ******************

Princess Dagmara of Denmark,
that is, the mother of Nicholas II, the Empress
Maria Fedorovna was an amateur artist.

There is a landscape made by Nikolai himself when he was still studying.

Her daughter, Olga, who lived and died in Canada, inherited from her
abilities and even graduated from art school in St. Petersburg,
on the course of the then famous artist and teacher K.Ya. Kryzhitsky.

They didn’t create anything super special, but you can take a look for fun.

To finish this article, I’ll post a couple of works.

Still life. 1868 Canvas, oil.

Artist, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, future empress. (1847-1928)

She was from a poor royal house.

There they used to drink beer and eat herring and onions. Like us.

======================================== =========

Miser. 1890 Paper, watercolor.

Artist, Empress Maria Feodorovna. (1847 - 1928)

======================================== ====


artist, Grand Duchess Olga, sister of Nicholas II

As you probably understood yourself, Grand Duke. Olga drew her son Tikhon in a stroller. That is, this is the grandson of the empress
Maria Feodorovna and Alexander III. This grandson was already born in Crimea.
And this work was done there. The year as you see is 1917.

======================================== ====

Hood. Grand Duchess Olga, sister of Nicholas II

This is already in emigration. Amalienborg is the residence palace of the Danish kings.
And there are already two grandchildren, that is, sons.

After the Second War, in 1948, Olga and her family moved to Canada and lived
there until death.

Years of Olga's life:

(1882-1960).

======================================== ====


Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna
with a fishing rod on the shore of a pond. Peterhof. 1896

She rode a bicycle very well, and not only fished.

======================================== =========

Empress Maria Feodorovna (sitting) with her sister in Denmark,
where Maria Fedorovna spent her last years.

This photo was taken no earlier than five or six years before the death of Nicholas II’s mother.
This is all she has left.
Photos on the table and grandchildren from the youngest daughter.
======================================== ==============
Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna died in Denmark,
at Amalienborg Palace in 1928, at the age of 80.
======================================== =========================

This is 1864. Whole life ahead. And this attractive one
with such a light, good smile girl,
another name ---PRINCESS DAGMAR . (Dagmara)

======================================== =========

The last photo is taken from here:

Danish Royal Watchers

http://danishroyalwatchers.blogspot.com/2006/09/tsarina-maria-feodorovna-reburial.html
****************************************************************************************
Thanks again to the Russian Archives.

Several photos are taken from the Russian Archives exhibition. From here:

http://www.rusarchives.ru/evants/exhibitions/mf_exp/135.shtml
********************************************************************

Benjamin.

The book is dedicated to the life and work of Empress Maria Feodorovna Romanova, née Danish Princess Dagmar (1847–1928), the wife of Emperor Alexander III, mother of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, whose name was forgotten in our country for more than 80 years. Meanwhile, she was an extraordinary person. Contemporaries noted her intelligence and determination, diplomatic abilities and political intuition, and all these qualities of a strong personality were harmoniously combined with the charming manners, fragility and charm of a charming woman. She was an impeccable wife and mother, a loyal friend and adviser to both her husband and son, and did a lot to improve education and develop culture in Russia. Her enormous public and charitable activities aroused respect in secular circles, among the creative intelligentsia, and among the common people. A distinctive feature of her personality was a passionate desire to serve the good of Russia, which she loved with all her soul immediately and forever.

Yu. V. Kudrina

Maria Feodorovna

“THE LOVE OF THE PEOPLE IS THE TRUE GLORY OF THE GOVERNMENT...”

The entry of the Danish princess Dagmar into the Russian Imperial House began with drama - her fiancé (1865), the eldest son of Alexander II, Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, died suddenly. She had the privilege of witnessing the collapse of this House and the death of its head - her son Nicholas II and his entire family. Her youngest son Mikhail was also killed by the Bolsheviks. Her two other sons died earlier: Alexander (1870) and George (1899). Her father-in-law, Alexander II, died before her eyes in the Winter Palace as a result of an assassination attempt by terrorists (1881); one of her husband’s brothers, Sergei Alexandrovich, also became a victim of terrorists (1905). In 1913, Maria Feodorovna’s brother, Prince William, the Greek King George I, was also killed.

Russia and the Russian public received the Danish princess with great sympathy. “Her (Dagmar. -

the people had long waited, hoped and known, because she was preceded by a poetic legend, connected with the memory of the deceased Tsarevich, and the day of her entry was like a poem, sung and sung by all the people,” wrote member of the State Council, Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K.P. Pobedonostsev.

Years passed. From a young princess of a small European state, Dagmar turned into the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna, who enjoyed great respect and love from her subjects.

Poets F. I. Tyutchev, A. N. Maikov, K. K. Romanov dedicated their poems to her, composer P. I. Tchaikovsky - twelve of his best romances. In 1898, composer M. A. Balakirev created a hymn in honor of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. Her portraits were painted by the best Russian artists: I. N. Kramskoy, V. E. and K. E. Makovsky, A. P. Sokolov, N. E. Sverchkov, I. S. Galkin, V. A. Bodrov, N. S. Samokish and others. A peak in the Pamirs (now Engels Peak) and the city of Novomariinsk (now Anadyr in Chukotka) were named in her honor.

The marriage of Maria Feodorovna and Alexander III was extremely successful and happy. Maria Fedorovna gave birth to six children: Nicholas (1868), Alexander (1869, died in infancy), Georgy (1871, died in 1899), Ksenia (1875), Mikhail (1878), Olga (1882). She accompanied her husband not only at balls and receptions, trips to the theater and concerts, trips to holy places, hunting, but also at military parades. Memories of contemporaries have been preserved, telling about the first test of a submarine in Russia by engineer Dzhevitsky on Silver Lake in Gatchina, which was attended by the august couple.

Part one

EMPRESS MARIA FYODOROVNA AND EMPEROR ALEXANDER ALEKSANDROVICH

Chapter first

DANISH PRINCESS DAGMAR AND TSESAREVICH NIKOLAI ALEXANDROVICH

Dagmar (full name Maria Sofia Frederica Dagmar) was the fourth child in the family. Her father Christian IX (1818–1906), born Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderburg-Glücksburg, succeeded the childless King Frederick VII (1808–1863) and Crown Prince Ferdinand, also without heirs, to the throne in 1853. His accession to the throne was preceded by complex and lengthy negotiations in the context of a powerful national liberal movement unfolding in Denmark for the inclusion of Schleswig into the Danish kingdom. Christian IX was a supporter of preserving state integrity and advocated for the duchy and kingdom to have equal independent status under a single authority. Under pressure from the national liberals, Christian IX had to abandon his idea and sign a constitution common to Schleswig and the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish-Prussian War that soon broke out led to the fact that Christian IX lost his status as the ruling Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg, since these duchies came under the rule of Prussia and were then annexed to it.

Maria Feodorovna's mother, the Danish Queen Louise (1817–1898), née Princess of Hesse-Kassel, niece of King Christian VIII, was a highly gifted person. She loved music and painting, she played the piano beautifully and drew well. Remaining in the shadows, Queen Louise, who was interested in politics, had a certain influence on her husband and maintained connections with influential politicians and public figures both in Denmark and abroad. She also had a great influence on her children, especially in their choice of future spouses. In European monarchical circles, the Danish royal couple was called the “European father-in-law and mother-in-law.” The family had six children. The eldest son, Frederick VIII (1843–1912), was married to Princess Louise of Sweden; middle son Wilhelm (1845–1913) was married to Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna (1851–1926), cousin of Alexander III, and occupied the Greek throne under the name of George I; youngest son Waldemar (1859–1939) married the French princess Marie of Orléans (1865–1909).

The eldest daughter Alexandra (1833–1925) - her father called her "Beautiful" - married the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of Great Britain (1841–1910), in 1863; Thür's youngest daughter (1853–1933) - "Kind" - was married to Ernst Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1845–1923). King Christian IX called his middle daughter Dagmar “Clever.”

In the mid-19th century, Copenhagen was a typical medieval city, surrounded by a defensive rampart, with crooked narrow streets and alleys. At the end of the century, during the reign of Christian IX, a lot changed: the defensive fortifications were demolished, the city was quickly built up with new beautiful houses, wide boulevards and squares appeared.

Chapter two

DANISH PRINCESS DAGMAR AND GRAND DUKE ALEXANDER ALEXANDROVICH

After the death of Nikolai Alexandrovich, Dagmar returned to Denmark, but very soon the Danish royal couple received a letter from the Russian Emperor and Empress in which they invited Dagmar to Russia.

Alexander's desire to marry his brother's fiancée, the Danish princess Dagmar, arose soon after Nixa passed away. “Since I’ve been in Peterhof, I’ve been thinking more about Dagmar, I pray to God every day that he will arrange this business, which will be happiness for the rest of my life. I feel the need more and more to have a wife, to love her and to be loved by her. I would like to arrange this matter sooner, and I do not lose heart and trust in God. There is still no news from Denmark after the return of Freddy (Prince Frederick of Denmark. -

Mama wrote to the Queen about her desire, if possible, to come here with Dagmar, but I am afraid that the Queen will not agree.”

Soon, however, a response came from Denmark. On May 30, 1865, the Tsarevich wrote in his diary: “At ¼ 11 I went to Mom. Dad read a letter from the Queen of Denmark, who writes that she now would not like to send Dagmar to us, because she now needs peace and she must swim in the sea, that in the winter she will continue to study the Russian language and, perhaps, the Law of God. Dad explains that the Queen does not want to send Dagmar now, because the Queen is afraid that they will think that she certainly wants to give her daughter away as soon as possible, so as not to appear as if she is afraid of losing the opportunity. It seems that Dagmar herself wants to marry me. As for me, I only think about this and pray to God that he will arrange this matter and bless it.”

Alexander Alexandrovich was little like his older brother. Nikolai was smiling, tall, slender, educated; Alexander is huge, a little clumsy, very naive, but he amazed everyone with his heroic strength and incredible charm. Count S. D. Sheremetev, a historian, chronicler of his era, who served with Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich in 1868–1880, and since 1881 as an aide-de-camp with Emperor Alexander III, noted in his memoirs: “He (Alexander III. -

Chapter Three TSESAREVICH AND TSESAREVNA

After the wedding, the newlyweds settled in the Anichkov Palace, which quickly began to change its appearance. Life has returned to its normal course. The time of the Tsarevich and Tsesarevna was filled with regular classes. “On Mondays and Saturdays,” K. Pobedonostsev wrote to A. Aksakov, “I visit the crown princess - she is very kind and simple by nature. I read and speak Russian with her.”

From the diaries of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich: “At ½ 10 Pobedonostsev came to me and finally began his studies again. I was already starting to get bored with idleness, although until now, really, I had little free time, such a stupid and senseless life was these weeks. Almost all the time passed between the stupidest balls, parades and divorces... For my wife and I, classes begin at 10 and until ½ 1. At 1 o'clock we had breakfast, then someone always arrives. At 2 o'clock I am not at home. We go for a ride or play, but we have to find the time when Mom comes home. We have lunch at about ½ 5, sometimes there are guests, they stay at home until 8..."

Protopresbyter Ivan (John) Leontievich Yanyshev continued Dagmar’s acquaintance with the norms of Orthodoxy, which had begun in Denmark. She already wrote well in Russian, copied and learned prayers by heart. The archives preserved textbooks on history, literature and the Russian language, in which excerpts from poems and poems by the favorite poets and writers of the Tsarevich and Tsesarevna were written in the hand of young Dagmar: Pushkin and Lermontov, Zhukovsky, Koltsov, Fet, Maykov; Gogol, Leskov, Turgenev, Nikitin and others.

Empress Maria Alexandrovna helped Dagmar master the basics of Orthodox rituals, taught her Russian prayers and prayed together in front of icons in a small house church. It was not easy for Dagmar in a new, still little familiar environment. Count S. D. Sheremetev wrote that Empress Maria Alexandrovna treated Dagmar with restraint, as if emphasizing the betrayal of her favorite, she cooled the impulses of her courtesy. “Stay in your place. You are not an empress yet,” she often said.

Chapter Four

DEATH OF EMPRESS MARIA ALEXANDROVNA AND EMPEROR ALEXANDER II

1879–1880 - the years of the “hunt for the Tsar.” The first attempt was made on April 4, 1866: when the emperor, accompanied by his nephew, Duke N.M. of Leuchtenberg and niece, Princess M.M. of Baden, was leaving the Summer Garden, Dmitry Karakozov shot at him. The emperor was saved from death by the peasant Osip Komissarov, who was in the crowd, who saw Karakozov aiming at the sovereign, and hit the attacker on the arm just at the very moment when he pulled the trigger.

All of Russia was horrified by this shot. F.I. Dostoevsky ran to the poet A.N. Maikov with a mad cry: “They shot at the Tsar!” - “Killed!” - Maikov shouted in some kind of inhuman wild voice. “No... rescued... safely... but they shot, shot, shot!” Maikov responded to this act with the poem “April 4, 1866”:

In all theaters, the public demanded the performance of the anthem “God Save the Tsar.” At the Alexandria Theater the anthem was performed nine times, at the Mikhailovsky and Mariinsky Theaters - up to six times. On April 6 in St. Petersburg, Alexander II was forced to schedule a parade in his presence. On May 1, 1866, Herzen in “The Bell” spoke about what happened this way: “We are amazed at the thought of the responsibility that this fanatic took upon himself... Only among wild and decrepit peoples does history break through with murders.”

Chapter Five

EMPEROR ALEXANDER III AND EMPRESS MARIA FYODOROVNA

The discussion in the Council of Ministers of the Loris-Melikov draft constitution, appointed by Alexander II, was postponed due to the tragic events to March 8.

Two days before the meeting, on March 6, Pobedonostsev sent the Tsar a letter that decided the fate of both the Minister of Internal Affairs and his supporters. It said:

During the meeting, various directly opposing points of view were expressed. From the speech of Count Stroganov: “This measure is harmful because with its adoption, power will pass from the hands of the autocratic monarch, who is certainly necessary for Russia, into the hands of various scoundrels who think not about the common good, but only about their own personal benefit... This path leads directly to a constitution, which I do not want either for you or for Russia.”

Part two

EMPEROR NICHOLAS II AND HIS AUGUSTIC MOTHER

Chapter first

MARRIAGE OF EMPEROR NICHOLAS II AND GERMAN PRINCESS ALICE OF HESS

On November 14 (26), 1894, on the birthday of Empress Maria Feodorovna, 25 days after the death of Emperor Alexander III, the wedding ceremony of Nicholas II and the German princess Alice, who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, took place in the Church of the Holy Image of the Holy Image of the Winter Palace.

According to tradition, in the Malachite Hall of the Winter Palace, in front of the golden toilette of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, where the royal and grand ducal brides were combed before the wedding, Alice was dressed in a silver brocade dress with a neckline and a large train. Empress Maria Feodorovna personally placed a crown decorated with diamonds on her head. The princess also wore a diamond tiara and a veil made of antique lace, and around her neck was a necklace of large diamonds. A crimson robe trimmed with ermine fur is draped over the shoulders over the dress.

When all preparations were completed, the solemn procession moved through the halls of the palace to the church. The marshal of the court, Prince Trubetskoy, walked ahead. In his hand sparkled a golden staff, topped with a diamond crown. Lord Carrington, sent by Queen Victoria of England to St. Petersburg, in a letter to the queen on November 14, 1894, described the entire wedding ceremony in great detail: “The palace was already crowded - there were so many people in most of the halls that it was difficult to get through. All the ladies are in Russian dresses, some have amazing diamonds...

It was said that 8,000 or even 10,000 people were present. It is quite possible, since the halls are huge, and there is no end to them...<…>ladies and gentlemen were led into separate rooms and stood there until the end of the ceremony. The path or passage along which the reigning persons were led was very narrow and 2 chamberlains assigned to each room probably had great difficulty holding back the onslaught of those invited: generals, admirals, army and navy officers, all the ladies presented to the court, dignitaries of the first four classes, mayors of St. Petersburg and other big cities and many large businessmen...

At 12.30 the doors opened and the King of Denmark opened the imperial procession, leading the Empress Mary. She was dressed in white and looked pale and sad, but very calm and collected and showed no signs of agitation. Throughout this terrible time, the Empress’s courage was truly amazing, and one can hope that she will have enough strength not to break under the weight of grief when everything takes its normal course.” Behind them walked the august bride with the young emperor, who was dressed in a life hussar uniform.

Chapter two

CORONATION OF EMPEROR NICHOLAS II

The coronation of Nicholas II took place on May 14 (26), 1896 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. Many foreign guests were present, among whom were the Emir of Bukhara, Queen Olga Konstantinovna of Greece, twelve crown princes, including Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria, Prince Nicholas of Montenegro, Prince Henry of Prussia - brother of William II, English Duke Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , son of the King of Siam, brother of the Shah of Persia, Japanese prince, papal nuncio and many others. There were also Chinese and Japanese delegations.

On the days of the coronation there was beautiful May weather. It was warm and quiet. “The sun shone joyfully, as if at one with the Muscovites, wishing to meet the Emperor, who had entered his capital,” Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich wrote in his diary.

There were a lot of people, the stands were completely filled with spectators, the air was filled with the roar of bells. Holiday decorations all over the city. The walls of the houses are draped with carpets and bright fabrics. On the balconies - among the green garlands - are myriads of electric light bulbs that were supposed to light up with the onset of darkness.

From the diary of Nicholas II: “At 2.30 the procession started exactly. I was driving Norma. Mom was sitting in the first golden carriage. Alix - in the second - is also alone. There is nothing to say about the meeting; it was as welcoming and solemn as anything can be in Moscow!”

The first shot of the fireworks announced that the Tsar had left the Petrovsky Palace. There was general rejoicing all around. Many in the crowd prayed, many baptized the sovereign after him. The procession reached the Spassky Gate. Behind the gendarmes - His Majesty's own convoy, then the Life Cossacks, followed by the royal hunt, the court musical choir and golden carriages. In the first carriage is the Empress Mother. In the second carriage is the young queen. She was dressed in a coronation dress made of silver brocade, the work of the craftswomen of the Ivanovo Monastery, and on her shoulders was a golden mantle trimmed with ermine cords. The weight of the coronation robe was high - 23 kilograms. But the queen behaved courageously and calmly. Nicholas II in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.

Chapter Three

DEATH OF GRAND DUKE GEORGE ALEXANDROVICH

In 1898, four years after the death of Alexander III, Maria Feodorovna buried her mother, Queen Louise. Numerous relatives representing the royal houses of Europe, as well as members of the Russian imperial family, gathered in Copenhagen for the solemn funeral. Later, in 1918, on the day of her mother’s death, Maria Fedorovna wrote in her diary: “Thank God that she did not have the opportunity to live in this terrible time, when everything around was burning and blazing with a bright flame, brother goes against brother! What she had so often warned about happened. We, however, hoped that this cup would pass us by, but, unfortunately, all this fell to our lot!”

But a new problem was on the horizon. My son George's illness - pulmonary tuberculosis - progressed.

In the fall of 1895, while in Denmark, the Empress received a telegram about the next bleeding from the Grand Duke and immediately sent a letter to her daughter Ksenia, who with her husband, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, was then in Abastuman: “I just received a telegram from Chelaev (life physician of the Grand Duke. -

who reports that George was bleeding again! What a horror, I’m simply shocked with despair and fear! Although I understand that this means nothing, it causes trouble for poor Jorge, and I feel terribly sorry for him. Why did all this happen? Because he climbed mountains too much? You didn’t tell me in your telegram that he rode on horseback to St. George’s Square, where you were drinking tea. Maybe he moves too much? As you can see, I still can’t calm down. Fortunately, you are next to him now, and that consoles me somewhat. It’s terrible that I’m so far away now, if only Jorge would behave more carefully - that’s what’s most important. Kiss him for me and tell him that none of this matters, try to cheer him up and distract him as much as possible from the dark thoughts that may come to him alone. All this really depresses me. Poor Jorge, how I wish I could be next to him now!”

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich recalled: “In the fall of 1894, Ksenia and I visited Jorge in Abastumane. He has changed a lot over the past year: he has lost weight, turned pale and darkened. The disease was clearly progressing. It was inconvenient for us to be cheerful around him, talk about our happiness and make plans for the future. We left him with a heavy heart..."

Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, who visited George Alexandrovich in 1896, reported in a letter to Nicholas II that his condition had changed for the worse:

Chapter Four

EMPRESS MOTHER

After the accession of Nicholas II to the throne, the Russian imperial house continued to live for some time in accordance with established traditions. In the figurative expression of the famous diplomat A.P. Izvolsky, “The Russian Empire continued to be governed literally by the shadow of the deceased emperor.” The great princes, for their part, tried to put pressure on the young emperor and influence him in resolving various issues of government.

Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov wrote: “They chatter that the uncles of the Sovereign are trying to have influence on the Tsar, they do not leave without advice, but I think that these rumors speak of envy and that these are empty gossip. But I know for sure that Vladimir really bothers the Dowager Empress with various reminders and proposals, for example, he strongly insisted, although unsuccessfully, that the bride be taken down the aisle in a gilded carriage, so that various diamonds be given to her as the future empress. Minnie is very burdened by all this."

After the death of her husband and the accession of her son to the throne, a new period of life began for Maria Feodorovna. An intelligent, powerful woman with deep political intuition, she learned a lot from Alexander III. Hence her constant desire to guide her son in his affairs, to protect him from the harmful influence of others, and to surround him with the right people. The Empress Mother understood that Nicholas, who ascended the throne at the age of 27 (10 years earlier than his father), certainly needed support, and first of all, her help.

In the first years of his reign, his mother tried to help him. “The young sovereign treats his mother extremely tenderly. The day begins with the fact that he comes to her in the dressing room and, showing her all the letters he has received, consults about everything that awaits him that day,” Secretary of State A. A. Polovtsov wrote in his diary. Chairman of the Archaeological Commission, manager of the orphanage institutions of the Department of Empress Maria A. A. Bobrinsky recalled: “They say that more than once he (Nicholas II. -

Thus, on December 7, 1896, turning to his grandfather Christian IX with a request to “let go” of the Russian ambassador to Denmark, Count Muravyov, to St. Petersburg in connection with his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicholas II said: “But I spoke with Mom, and she sees no obstacles to this.” The influence of “women's politics” in St. Petersburg (meaning the influence of Maria Feodorovna) was written in February 1898 by the French ambassador in Copenhagen Paul Cambon in connection with the nomination by the Athenian government in 1897 of Prince George (son of the Greek King George, brother of Maria) to the post of Governor General of Crete Fedorovna). In the first years of his reign, Nicholas II was influenced not only by his mother, but also by the great princes and the royal mentor K.P. Pobedonostsev. After the death of Alexander III, notes and reports from governors continued to be regularly received in the name of Maria Feodorovna on the state of affairs in the provinces and on student unrest in higher educational institutions of Russia in 1899–1901. All of them are stored in Russian archives.

Chapter Five

PRESENTATION OF TROUBLE

Soon after the accession of Nicholas II to the throne, Maria Fedorovna, in her letters to relatives in Denmark, increasingly began to add the word “stakkels” (translated from Danish as “poor”, “poor fellow”) to Nika’s name. What the mother meant in this definition was clear only to her, but it seems as if she already understood well that the burden of governing the state was too heavy for her son. He, the Emperor of Russia, the owner of a sixth of the Earth, often ended his letters to his mother with the words: “You pray for your poor Niki, Christ is with you.”

Later, Maria Feodorovna constantly complained that he was surrounded by people who were not loyal to either him or the state. In the diary of A. A. Polovtsov, an expert in palace intrigue, we read the following: “Whose voice is heard around the Sovereign? Exclusively ministerial; and yet it is very clear that the Emperor wants to hear the voice, to check what the ministers are buzzing in a constant concert of self-praise. He turns to the nonentities who are rubbing against him, thinking to hear an independent voice. All this is very sad and, let’s say, dangerous.”

“My poor son, how little luck he has in people... My poor son has so few people whom he trusts, and you always told him what you think,” she repeatedly told Finance Minister V.N. Kokovtsov. “All the rest (except P. Svyatopolk-Mirsky. -

they don’t tell the Tsar the truth…” she declared to E. Svyatopolk-Mirskaya. During the reception of A. Obolensky, as Polovtsov testifies, the Empress reproached him for the fact that “he could present affairs to the Emperor in their present form, while D. Sipyagin, due to the extreme limitations of his mind, is not able to do this... Obolensky in vain proved to her that, due to his position as a “comrade,” he did not have access to the sovereign...” The Empress concluded by saying: “Go, go to my son, tell him the truth” (“Allez, allez chez mon fils el dites lui toute la vérité”).

Many contemporaries highly appreciated the abilities of the young emperor. S. Yu. Witte wrote: “I must say that when the heir became chairman of the committee, after just a few meetings it was noticeable that he had mastered the position of chairman, which, however, is not at all surprising, since Emperor Nicholas II is undoubtedly a man , very quick mind and quick abilities; In general, he grasps everything quickly and understands everything quickly.” Such qualities of the king as kindness and responsiveness were noted by many of his contemporaries. Conveying his opinion about Tsar L.N. Tolstoy, Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, historian, uncle of the Tsar, wrote: “Tolstoy began to talk about the current sovereign Nicholas II. I really feel sorry for him, I would really like to help him, he is apparently a kind, sympathetic and well-intentioned person, but the people around him are where the trouble lies!”

When, at the end of 1902, Nicholas suddenly fell ill with typhoid fever and the question arose about the possible transfer of power to Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, a conversation between the Dowager Empress and S. Yu. Witte took place. In his memoirs, the latter cites its content: “Do you want to say that the Sovereign does not have the character of an emperor? “That’s true,” Maria Fedorovna answers, “but if something happens, Misha must replace him, and he has even less will and character.” During the illness of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna denied Maria Feodorovna the opportunity to care for the sick, declaring that she could handle everything herself. Maria Feodorovna never came to see them.

Part three

RUSSIA IS AT A BREAK. WAR AND REVOLUTION THROUGH THE EYES OF EMPRESS DOWER MARIA FYodorovna

Chapter first

“OH, THIS CURSED AND VILE WAR. SO MUCH LOSSES AND MISTRESSES EVERYWHERE!”

The First World War found Maria Fedorovna in England. On July 17, 1914, the Dowager Empress wrote to her eldest daughter Xenia: “It seems that everyone has gone crazy; I can’t believe that all this could happen so soon. I'm completely depressed. Everything that happened is so terrible and so scary that there are no words. My God, what else awaits us and how will it all end?

From England, Maria Fedorovna moved to Denmark. According to the memoirs of Prince Yusupov, who found himself in Copenhagen with her and his wife Irina in those days, many trains were placed at the disposal of Russians who did not have the opportunity to return to their homeland. When trying to return to Russia through Germany, Maria Fedorovna was subjected to gross bullying in Berlin.

On July 20 (August 2) she made the following entry in her diary: “In France, we were greeted everywhere with exclamations of “Long live Russia!” Mobilization was in full swing. Nothing was noticeable in Germany until we arrived on the outskirts of Berlin, where the faces of passers-by breathed hatred. When we entered Berlin, a disgusting place, Sverbeev (Russian Ambassador to Germany) appeared.

and announced the declaration of war. I couldn't go any further to the border. Sverbeev was like crazy; it was clear that he had lost his head and was no longer an ambassador. He told me that little Irina was with the Yusupov family and that they were all arrested. Have you ever heard of anything like this... Then the Germans appeared, and one official said that I should go back through England, Holland or Sweden, or maybe I would prefer Denmark. I protested and asked what happened, to which I received the answer: “Russia declared war.” I replied that it was a lie."

Maria Fedorovna was forced to return to Copenhagen. When she was already returning to Russia through Sweden and Finland, the Finns, who were especially disposed towards the Dowager Empress, greeted her with ovations at the stations. Thousands of people sang national anthems in her honor. The Empress sincerely loved Finland and, according to Secretary of State A. A. Polovtsov, she always “passionately defended it from the onslaught of the Russian bureaucracy.”

Chapter two

“SUCH A TERRIBLE DISASTER COULD NOT BE FORESeen...”

On February 26, 1917, meetings of the State Duma were interrupted. The tsar’s decree stated: “The sessions of the State Duma will be interrupted on February 26 of this year and a deadline for their resumption will be set no later than April 1917, depending on emergency circumstances.”

On February 27 (March 12) the so-called Private Meeting of Duma members took place. Of the nineteen deputies who spoke, only six were in favor of the Duma taking power. As a result of pressure from the Cadets, the Duma did not dare to resume its meetings, but a Provisional Committee of the State Duma was created.

On February 28 (March 13), in connection with the unrest and the expanding strike movement in Petrograd, Nicholas II ordered the military command to “immediately restore order.” On February 28, 1917, the troops began to openly rebel. As sources confirm, agitators who were members of the conspirators’ organizations openly worked among the soldiers and officer corps. The seizure of government buildings began. Since February 27, virtually double power was established in the capital - the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, headed by M. A. Rodzianko, and the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, headed by N. S. Chkheidze and A. F. Kerensky.

In 1910, in his speech delivered in the State Duma, P. A. Stolypin said: “If there were a madman who could now realize the political freedoms of Russia with one stroke of the pen, then tomorrow the Council of Workers’ Deputies would meet in St. Petersburg, which within six months of its existence it would have plunged Russia into fiery hell.” The words of P. A. Stolypin turned out to be prophetic.

Chapter Three

CRIMEA IMPRISONMENT

At the end of March 1917, Maria Feodorovna with her daughter Olga, her husband Colonel N.A. Kulikovsky, and the husband of her second daughter Ksenia, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, moved to Crimea. Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna with her three eldest sons arrived there from Petrograd along with the Yusupov family a little later. The Dowager Empress stayed in Crimea for two and a half years, until April 1919 - first in Ai-Todor, then in Dulber and Kharaks. This stay became practically house arrest for her, full of constant deprivation and humiliation.

Together with Maria Fedorovna in Crimea there were some members of the former imperial family and people close to them. Her daughters lived on the Ai-Todor estate: the eldest Ksenia Alexandrovna with her husband and their six children - Andrei, Nikita, Rostislav, Fedor, Dmitry, Vasily; the youngest daughter Olga Alexandrovna with her second husband, retired colonel N.A. Kulikovsky and little son Tikhon (born in Ai-Todor on August 13, 1917), as well as Countess Mengden, maid of honor Evreinova, General Vogel and others.

Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and his wife Anastasia Nikolaevna, Prince S. G. Romanovsky, Count S. V. Tyshkevich and his wife, Prince V. N. Orlov, Doctor Malama and General Boldyrev lived on the Chair estate. Grand Duke Pyotr Nikolaevich and his wife Militsa Nikolaevna, their children Roman and Marina, General A.I. Stal with their daughters Elena and Maria settled in the Dulber estate, and Ksenia’s daughter Irina and her husband F.F. Yusupov settled in Koreiz.

At first, the Dowager Empress was allowed to take walks throughout Ai-Todor, but when two warships carrying 250 sailors and commanders of the Black Sea Division arrived in Yalta at the end of April, the situation changed dramatically. In April 1917, a search was carried out on the estates where members of the royal family lived. A letter has been preserved, written shortly after this event by the Dowager Empress to Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna. In it, Maria Feodorovna described in detail the humiliation to which she was then subjected:

Chapter Four

“ONLY TO STOP THIS TERRIBLE CIVIL WAR...” THE RUTHLESS YEAR OF 1918

The summer of 1918 turned out to be very hot in Crimea. In the sun it was 34 degrees, in the shade - 22. For Maria Fedorovna, her stay here became more and more painful and depressing with each passing month. The mother’s heart sensed impending disaster, and thoughts about her sons Nicholas and Mikhail and other members of the imperial family who disappeared in Siberia haunted her. Since the end of 1917, nothing has been known about the fate of Mikhail’s son, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, although, however, in her letter to Nicholas in Siberia dated November 21, Maria Feodorovna reported that Misha wrote to her about the last meeting of the two brothers “in the presence of witnesses” (Kerensky and others -

before Nikolai's family left for Siberia.

On June 16 (29), 1918, Madame Goujon visited the Empress in Dulber and reported that “Misha is in Omsk.” This news gave rise to a faint hope and even calmed the empress for a while. Hope went out as quickly as it had flared up: “It’s terrible, but I don’t have any news from him (Mikhail. -

not from Nika."

In fact, on June 16 (29), Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was no longer alive. He was the first from the royal family to die from the Bolshevik regime, which was not accidental.

A forty-year-old brilliant officer, lieutenant general, commander of the Caucasian Native Wild Division, Knight of St. George, Mikhail Alexandrovich enjoyed love and well-deserved authority in the army. “The Grand Duke’s sincere attention, his charming simplicity and delicacy forever attracted the hearts of those who had to meet him,” wrote Colonel B.V. Nikitin, who led the Russian counterintelligence in March-July 1917, “we were happy with our closeness to him and devoted immeasurably."

Maria Fedorovna Romanova, née Princess of Denmark

89 years ago, Maria Dagmar Romanova, who went down in history as the wife of Emperor Alexander III and the mother of Nicholas II, passed away. She was the bride of Tsarevich Nicholas, and became the wife of his brother, was the mother of the Russian emperor, and became an exile, losing her son and grandchildren and ending her days alone. There were so many sharp turns and difficult trials in her destiny that it could have broken the will of even a strong-willed person, but she endured all the difficulties with steadfastness.

Portrait of Maria Sophia Frederica Dagmar. Unknown lithographer, 1866

Danish princess with her groom, Tsarevich Nicholas

The fate of the Danish princess Maria Sophia Frederica Dagmar was predetermined from birth. Her parents were called father-in-law and mother-in-law throughout Europe - their daughters were enviable brides for many royal houses. They married their eldest daughter Alexandra to the English king Edward VII, and Dagmar was engaged to the heir to the Russian throne, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov. The young people treated each other with great tenderness, things were heading towards the wedding, but then Nikolai fell ill with meningitis and died suddenly. The bride spent her last days in Nice next to him. Together with her, his younger brother Alexander also looked after the heir. Their common grief brought them closer, and after the death of Nicholas, Alexander took his place not only in inheriting the throne, but also next to Dagmar.


Danish Princess Maria-Sophia-Frederica-Dagmar

Maria Fedorovna with her sister Alexandra and husband

According to legend, the dying Nicholas himself blessed his brother and bride for this union. The political benefits of such a marriage were obvious, the family pushed Alexander to this decision, and he himself felt sympathy for the Danish princess. And a year later, after the end of mourning, Dagmar agreed to his proposal. In 1866, she went to Russia, where she was greeted with jubilation by several tens of thousands of people. Later, she will be able to justify people's love with sincere devotion to her new homeland and her deeds.


Empress Maria Feodorovna in a Russian dress with a diadem and a necklace of 51 diamonds, 1883

Maria Fedorovna in Livadia, 1880s.

The wedding took place in October 1866. Dagmar accepted the Orthodox faith and began to be called Maria Fedorovna. Six children were born in this marriage, and the firstborn was named in honor of the deceased Tsarevich Nicholas. It was he who was destined to become the last Russian emperor. During the reign of Alexander III, Maria Dagmar (or Dagmara, Dagmaria, as her husband called her) did not interfere in state affairs, but was actively involved in social activities: she headed the Russian Red Cross Society and many educational and charitable institutions, opened shelters for children and the poor, took patronage over the Cavalry and Cuirassier regiments, and together with the emperor participated in the creation of the funds of the Russian Museum.


Empress Maria Feodorovna

Maria Feodorovna with her son Nika and all the children

After the death of Alexander III in 1894, Maria Feodorovna bore the title of Dowager Empress. The illness and death of her husband were a heavy blow for her. She wrote: “I still can’t get used to this terrible reality that my dear and beloved is no longer on this earth. It's just a nightmare. Everywhere without him there is a killing emptiness. Wherever I go, I miss him terribly. I can't even think about my life without him. This is no longer life, but a constant test that we must try to endure without lamenting, surrendering to the mercy of God and asking him to help us bear this heavy cross!”


The penultimate Russian empress

Emperor Alexander III with his wife and children

Maria Fedorovna did not approve of her son’s choice; the German princess seemed to her not a strong enough support for Nicholas, who was too soft and delicate for a sovereign. Their relationship with their son deteriorated, she often expressed her dissatisfaction, for which she earned the nickname “angry empress” in court circles. According to the memoirs of E. Svyatopolk-Mirskaya, Maria Feodorovna more than once complained that “it’s terrible for her to see that her son is ruining everything, to understand this and not be able to do anything.”


Maria Fedorovna with her husband

The revolution overtook her in Kyiv, and from there she later moved to Crimea, where she lived for about two years. For a long time, the Empress did not want to believe rumors about the death of her son and his entire family. After the White Guards and the English squadron came to Crimea, Maria Feodorovna succumbed to the persuasion of her relatives and agreed to leave Russia. Then it seemed to her that it was temporary, and after the revolutionary events subsided, she would be able to return. But she never saw her second home again.


Emperor Nicholas II with his mother. Kyiv, September 1916

At first, the Empress lived in England, and then returned to Denmark, where she spent the last years of her life, which were very lonely and restless - her nephew, the Danish king, did not like his aunt. On October 13, 1928, Maria Dagmar Romanova died. Her last wish was to rest next to her husband, but her will was fulfilled only in 2006, when her ashes were transported to Russia. In St. Petersburg, she was solemnly buried next to Alexander III, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the tomb of the Russian emperors.


Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna aboard the British battleship Marlborough on April 11, 1919. Yalta in the background

The penultimate Russian empress

November 26 (14 old style) is the birthday of Empress Maria Feodorovna, a woman who connected her life with Russia and enjoyed great love in the country...

Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928), Russian empress, wife of Emperor AlexanderIII and mother of Emperor NicholasII, born Danish Princess Maria Sophia Frederica Dagmar

One of the daughters of Christian IX, King of Denmark, Princess Dagmar, like her brothers and sisters, grew up in very modest conditions in Denmark, devastated by the Danish-Prussian War. But the simplicity of life of the royal family was compensated by the love and harmony that reigned in the house. In her early youth, Dagmar was betrothed to the heir to the Russian throne, the eldest son of Emperor Alexander II Nicholas. Alas, the sudden death of Tsarevich Nicholas in 1865 at the age of 22 did not allow the wedding plans of the two royal houses to come true. The common grief brought Dagmar closer to the brother of the late groom Alexander, who became the heir to the throne after the death of Nicholas. The mutual sympathy of the young people soon grew into a deep feeling.

In 1866, at the end of the period of mourning, Princess Dagmar accepted Orthodox baptism, becoming Maria Feodorovna, and married Tsarevich Alexander. The marriage, concluded under such sad circumstances, turned out to be extremely successful - Alexander Alexandrovich and Maria Fedorovna were one of the most loving and devoted couples in the history of the House of Romanov.
In 1868, the grand ducal couple had their first child - son Nicholas, the future emperor; in 1869, the second baby Alexander appeared, unfortunately for the parents, he did not live to see a year. The third son, George, born in 1871, fell ill with tuberculosis in his youth and died in 1899. The remaining children - Ksenia (born in 1875), Mikhail (1878) and Olga (1882) were distinguished by excellent health and in their childhood brought only joy to their mother.

Maria Fedorovna with little Nikolai

After the death of Emperor Alexander II at the hands of terrorists in 1881, Tsarevich Alexander inherited the Russian crown, and Maria shared the throne of one of the greatest empires with her husband.

Wisdom and tact helped her cope with the difficult role of the empress. The country idolized its empress, considering her the mother of the Russian Land, and the Romanov family, torn apart by internal intrigues, unconditionally recognized the moral authority of this extraordinary woman. The respect she enjoyed in society allowed her to engage in charitable work, involving the widest circles in helping the suffering. The department of Empress Maria, headed by Maria Feodorovna, resolved many practical issues, such as the organization of hospitals and orphanages, the fight against hunger, charity for the elderly, assistance to front-line soldiers and their families in wartime, etc.

Empress Maria has always been the main friend, adviser and assistant of Emperor Alexander III. Together they had to endure many difficult trials, such as the train accident of 1888, which almost claimed the lives of the entire imperial family.
Unfortunately, a serious illness ended the life of Alexander III too early. His eldest son Nicholas accepted the imperial crown in 1894 and a week after his father’s funeral he married his beloved bride, Princess Alice of Hesse, who became Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The mother did not interfere with her son’s happiness, but expressed her emotions in a personal letter: “ For me it was a real nightmare and such suffering. This ceremony is pompous with such a crowd of people! When you think that this has to take place in public, your heart bleeds and is completely broken. This is more than a sin. I still don't understand how I could bear it. It was terrible, but the good God gave superhuman strength to endure it all.”

The conflict between the mother-in-law, the dowager empress, and the daughter-in-law, the reigning empress, has not subsided since then, smoldering latently and complicating the lives of members of the imperial family. Relations finally worsened in the last years of Nikolai Alexandrovich's reign, when both the mother, tormented by bad premonitions, and the wife, who had fallen under the influence of Grigory Rasputin, ceased to restrain themselves in mutual reproaches.
In the fateful days of February 1917, when the empire was collapsing, Maria Feodorovna was not in Petrograd. But the abdication of Nicholas from the throne and the subsequent arrest and exile of the former emperor along with his family was extremely painful for the mother. She did not want to believe the news that reached her about the death of her sons - Nikolai and Mikhail - and other relatives in 1918 until the end of her days.

Daughters of Maria Feodorovna Ksenia and Olga

Unlike most of the Romanovs, Maria Feodorovna and her daughters Ksenia and Olga, along with their families, managed to leave Russia and go into exile. Life in a foreign land was difficult - humiliation, lack of money, hopelessness...
The death of Maria Feodorovna in 1928 was a shock for representatives of the white emigration. It seemed that old Russia was finally leaving along with her. The Russian people who survived the days of the revolution and were scattered around the world by fate, who remained faithful to the Romanov family, having collected their last money, gathered in Denmark for the funeral service to pay honor to their empress and common mother...

Maria Feodorovna in exile with her loyal Cossack Timofey Yashchik, who left Russia with the Dowager Empress

Before her death, Maria Fedorovna asked her daughters: as soon as circumstances permitted, to transport her ashes to St. Petersburg and bury them next to her husband Alexander III in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. At first it was impossible to fulfill this request. The Russian Empress rested for many years in the tomb of the Danish kings in Roskilde... Only in 2006 the remains of Empress Maria Feodorovna were reburied in Russia, and she found rest in St. Petersburg, in the tomb of the Romanovs next to her crowned husband and beloved son Nicholas.

Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family who died in 1918