tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62982082904991819372024-03-14T22:29:24.144+08:00Arrayed in GoldStories, anecdotes, and portraits of royal and noble ladies throughout history.Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-2842806207771981982020-06-03T23:58:00.001+08:002020-06-04T14:08:17.748+08:00"Adini and Sanny" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPL5tOBgpfbZyDLaJepswiA5jntTvkhenQlct9Zj1F1EdkQRK5NT1gN6yi68Noe6huoT-INawAgwMzt-xVk974bruDxF-1Mrt-B8ritubRDlYax_mOXHrOZLkcLU-H0qrqtpb2SIitIjo/s1600/94392943_225408555356086_1079659120210165061_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPL5tOBgpfbZyDLaJepswiA5jntTvkhenQlct9Zj1F1EdkQRK5NT1gN6yi68Noe6huoT-INawAgwMzt-xVk974bruDxF-1Mrt-B8ritubRDlYax_mOXHrOZLkcLU-H0qrqtpb2SIitIjo/s320/94392943_225408555356086_1079659120210165061_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Duchesses Alexandra Nikolaievna ('Adini')<br />
and Alexandra Iosifovna ('Sanny')</td></tr>
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Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaievna was the youngest daughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. She died at the tender age of 19 in childbirth. 'Adini' had been suffering from tuberculosis even before her marriage to Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel, but it was soon after her wedding that her health deteriorated rapidly. Her illness, her difficult pregnancy, and her tragic death was a dark episode to the otherwise happy and idyllic family life of the Russian emperor. </div>
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Lively, talented, and mischievous, Adini was a favorite among her siblings, but she had a particular soft spot for her younger brother Konstantin who she called 'Kostya'. They bonded over shared love for music - she, a talented singer and he, a skillful player of musical instruments. Both were also artistically-inclined and voracious readers. When Adini died, Konstantin was on a sea voyage. He was then an officer of the Russian navy and when he received the news that his favorite sister died, he was profoundly affected. "...the sun's rays have faded forever in our family", he wrote in his journal. He often think about his sister, especially when he went on a campaign oversees, and he referred to her as his "guardian angel". </div>
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3 years after the death of Adini, he fell in love with and married a German princess, Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. Curiously, his chosen bride not only bore the name of his dead sister, but she also looked a lot like her. 'Sanny' was a highly attractive and lively girl. Furthermore, she was also a music and an art lover. These qualities of Sanny greatly reminded him of Adini. When Sanny came to Russia and was introduced to Konstantin's mother for the first time, the Empress could not help but notice the physical resemblance and burst into tears. The sight of her future daughter-in-law undoubtedly brought back the happy and sad memories about Adini.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM4DnI6pkbkvAKT3PADVuEus-6IvgZP-abo7S3017NB8iGts9slP2gZoX33g-GmM1oWtilwkQ7BuN5E6mzgvmYPQDI521xzZKJsdlTEnq6FQgT9x5iZELi1GW17cJQVUhtIodyjvwFQc/s1600/Kruger_Franz_-_Portrait_of_Grand_Duke_Konstantin_Nikolayevich.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM4DnI6pkbkvAKT3PADVuEus-6IvgZP-abo7S3017NB8iGts9slP2gZoX33g-GmM1oWtilwkQ7BuN5E6mzgvmYPQDI521xzZKJsdlTEnq6FQgT9x5iZELi1GW17cJQVUhtIodyjvwFQc/s320/Kruger_Franz_-_Portrait_of_Grand_Duke_Konstantin_Nikolayevich.jpeg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich ('Kostya')<br />
Portrait by Franz Kruger<br />
(State Hermitage Museum, Russia)</td></tr>
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-16994930192022635882020-06-01T23:09:00.001+08:002020-06-03T12:27:17.090+08:00Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna about the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhIZwrBRK2pJ9O2VoHpLkUKOzsUw26eaJAKjC3dqPgnXd76R7nng8w92hNAXt81gOTDxASCxvL-EK2qdmmbqJyGEIv57SZ_e9xWQPi2GrShvMz7YnsYoPpzQI6v2PNnHz68BcVMEMQbM/s1600/photo-card-princess-elisabeth-hesse_1_ab91518d6b2a4f49bd0d630affdf70b8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="719" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhIZwrBRK2pJ9O2VoHpLkUKOzsUw26eaJAKjC3dqPgnXd76R7nng8w92hNAXt81gOTDxASCxvL-EK2qdmmbqJyGEIv57SZ_e9xWQPi2GrShvMz7YnsYoPpzQI6v2PNnHz68BcVMEMQbM/s400/photo-card-princess-elisabeth-hesse_1_ab91518d6b2a4f49bd0d630affdf70b8.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna<br />
(Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.worthpoint.com/">https://www.worthpoint.com/</a>)</td></tr>
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"Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna came to [St.] Petersburg the very first winter I spent there. Her husband was the Governor-General of Moscow, and they did not often visit the capital. A few days after my arrival, the Grand Duchess called and led me to walk along the promenade. I have been especially fond of her since I first met her in Athens during my sister's engagement. She was especially kind and sweet with me, and since then we have become friends. Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Ella, was one of the most beautiful women of her time. Her head was in perfect shape, like a statue, and beautiful features. Her complexion was like rose petals, and she never used make-up or powder. At the ball, she was simply dazzling, always dressed beautifully and wore her wonderful jewelry like no other. I was devoted to her, and throughout all the years that I knew her, she was always the same kind and dear friend. The stay with her in the beautiful country house of her husband, Ilinskoe, near Moscow, was amazing. She did everything so that everyone felt at home, and could always do what she wanted. She kept herself simple, took part in all the fun and did everything in her power so that the guests had a good time."</blockquote>
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~ From the memoirs of Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia</td></tr>
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-56926639353895448762020-05-17T01:38:00.002+08:002020-05-22T22:17:47.041+08:00Queen Caroline of Bavaria: A Royal Stepmother and Mother<div style="text-align: justify;">
Stepmothers are often portrayed as wicked and evil in fairy tales and other stories. They were almost always the antagonist in a story and hell-bent in making the protagonist's life miserable. Among royal families, there were also stories of stepmoms who were (although not exactly wicked and evil), downright difficult or were unable to endear themselves to their stepchildren. Or stepchildren hating their stepmothers because they were loyal to the memory of their beloved biological mother. Then there were also stories of intrigues and family disputes.</div>
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But there was a royal stepmother who was the complete opposite of the fairy tales' portrayal. Not only was she became a beloved member of the family but also a doting and devoted stepmother to her stepchildren. She was Princess Caroline of Baden, future Queen of Bavaria.</div>
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<a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-first-bavarian-queen-princess.html" target="_blank">Princess Caroline of Baden</a>, was the second daughter of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Princess Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. She came from a close-knit family, a characteristic that she would want for her own family someday. Her upbringing was more French than her native German, so it was quite ironic that several years later, she developed a deep hatred with anything French. This hatred was largely rooted to the execution of Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Enghien, at the instigation of Napoleon Bonaparte. Caroline was said to be very much in love with the Duke and that her family considered him a potential husband for her. But they eventually had to drop the matter because of their fear of French opposition.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAYUVrUxaiTkthjlNYz4zXtCipkruiNZU4gjqgJlSd0o67kYIGK6e6013R_8FuzSAKDu6Jpy9oGv4olmLH8YTcgwMWlEiQNfxHm5Wo5wFolIk3NQktntMaN5QSAwbAihvZIo5HdFqC_U/s1600/Karoline_von_Baden_-_K%25C3%25B6nigin_von_Bayern+From+Karolinen+Gymnasium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="981" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAYUVrUxaiTkthjlNYz4zXtCipkruiNZU4gjqgJlSd0o67kYIGK6e6013R_8FuzSAKDu6Jpy9oGv4olmLH8YTcgwMWlEiQNfxHm5Wo5wFolIk3NQktntMaN5QSAwbAihvZIo5HdFqC_U/s320/Karoline_von_Baden_-_K%25C3%25B6nigin_von_Bayern+From+Karolinen+Gymnasium.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline of Baden, later Queen of Bavaria, 1820.<br />
Portrait from Karolinen Gymnasium</td></tr>
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Instead of marrying a dashing young man like the Duke of Enghien, the 20-year-old Caroline agreed to marry the 40-year-old Maximilian, Duke of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, who two years later became the Elector of Bavaria.</div>
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"Good Father Max", as the Bavarian people fondly referred to him, was a widower. He fell in love with Caroline when he met her while his family and her family fled to Ansbach from the advancing French army. Max had been a widower for about a year when he asked for Caroline's hand in marriage. Given his age and his widower status, he understood that what he was asking from Caroline was not easy, considering also that he had four small <a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-daughters-of-king-maximilian-i-of.html" target="_blank">children</a> in tow. This was evident from a letter he sent to Caroline's mother:</div>
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"You will think I am the most ridiculous person in the world because I am writing to you even though we live under the same roof. But it is better to express one's self in writing than verbally. Especially in this case, because it pertains to the luck or misfortune of my life. I love the Princess Caroline; I am well aware of the boldness in my position to offer my hand, so tell her if such a loving heart, straight and honest character could make her look away from my age and my qualities as a father of four. I beg you not to reject my application. Read my letter to your lovely daughter and above all, do not influence her. Her heart should dictate the answer."</div>
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Max's children had a rather difficult upbringing because of the family's constant need to move to safety from the advancing French army. They were extremely attached to their mother who provided them a loving, secure and comfortable home-life despite the constant fear. That is why when Augusta Wilhelmine died at the age of 30 due to consumption, her entire family was devastated. The children found it hard to cope with the lost, and Max, now a widower with four small children found it difficult to be both a father and a mother to them. Perhaps it was also for this reason that he decided to immediately "find" a new wife who could care and look after his naturally boisterous children.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yq2WVQLONJIBIqtkvyV4rUDROl30TPBVsdDU92tEP_1I47JFVmlU2V1jrqO5O1vAj9IPK9ZurQRgzt44eaTvgfxQCz6TOYbDAjb53KQ0XK65pmAtSmKEIN-ufB_KSsMc6E51r2fAd-8/s1600/Maxchildren1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yq2WVQLONJIBIqtkvyV4rUDROl30TPBVsdDU92tEP_1I47JFVmlU2V1jrqO5O1vAj9IPK9ZurQRgzt44eaTvgfxQCz6TOYbDAjb53KQ0XK65pmAtSmKEIN-ufB_KSsMc6E51r2fAd-8/s320/Maxchildren1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children of Maximilian of Bavaria from his first wife who reached adulthood.<br />
Clockwise from top: <br />
Ludwig I, King of Bavaria,<br />
Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg,<br />
Prince Karl Theodore of Bavaria,<br />
and Charlotte, Queen of Wurttemberg and then Empress of Austria</td></tr>
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For Caroline, it was challenging enough to agree to marry an older man "out of convenience". But she was also to become a young stepmother to his four children; the oldest was half of Caroline's age (the 10-year-old and difficult Ludwig). Then the second one, <a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-sacrifice-for-my-country-princess.html" target="_blank">Augusta,</a> though very pretty, was a highly energetic girl. Then there was 4-year-old Charlotte and the almost one year-old Karl.</div>
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Fortunately, Caroline proved to be a no non-sense woman, with a firm and highly driven personality. Soon after her marriage, she took the four children under her wing. Initially, it was only with Charlotte and Karl that she succeeded in gaining affection. Then, slowly, the reluctant Augusta also warmed to her. However, the story was completely different with Ludwig, who would carry a lifelong antipathy towards his stepmother despite her best efforts in trying to gain his trust.</div>
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Marriages based on love were a rarity among royalty and nobility in the past centuries. After all, a marriage was not about feelings or emotions, but about politics, dynasties, kingdoms, and money. Although this was how it started for Caroline, eventually, she also genuinely fell in love with the kindhearted Max. She was a good husband to her and good father to their numerous children. She was especially impressed of how an affectionate father he was - and the only thing that made him frown was Ludwig's attitude towards her.</div>
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While caring for her four stepchildren, Caroline also became a mother to eight more children, of which only five reached adulthood. Stepchildren or biological children, she loved and cared for all of them. In the palace rooms, small pieces of furniture were set up, so that every children could always find a suitable seat. Her private rooms became a family room because wherever she was, the children followed her around. Every summer, they went to the country in a sort of "family vacation". They stayed in Nymphenburg Palace and its park was a paradise to the children as they were free to romp and play around.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5cWX88Vuv_n9E5QAAyuhSwc7tNf4hx-3cTMSaIbjslV7WT4OOoHbvy1Vn8Csxu2gMIH7rrxE0OVA5oYnyu-ZlT6wn_hq0ZBZCs9r7GFcexVPcnVbGy33W4AJLSrpM9V9OdOvXbrtUjY/s1600/Maxchildren2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="1600" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5cWX88Vuv_n9E5QAAyuhSwc7tNf4hx-3cTMSaIbjslV7WT4OOoHbvy1Vn8Csxu2gMIH7rrxE0OVA5oYnyu-ZlT6wn_hq0ZBZCs9r7GFcexVPcnVbGy33W4AJLSrpM9V9OdOvXbrtUjY/s400/Maxchildren2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children of Maximilian and Caroline who reached adulthood<br />
From left to right:<br />
Elisabeth, Queen of Prussia,<br />
Amalie, Queen of Saxony,<br />
Sophie, Archduchess of Austria,<br />
Maria Anna, Queen of Saxony,<br />
and Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria</td></tr>
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She wholly and devotedly fulfilled her role as a mother, describing it as her most important duty and top priority. In second place, she dealt with her role as queen and "mother of the land". She made sure that all her children received good education and instilled in them a deep sense of duty. Even as adults, they enjoyed a lifelong good relationship with one another (except with Ludwig). That is why when the time came for her children to marry, she made sure that each one of them married well, especially her numerous <a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-daughters-of-king-maximilian-i-of.html" target="_blank">daughters</a>. One daughter became an empress, four became queens, one an archduchess and two duchesses. Raised in a happy, secure, affectionate, and close-knit family, her daughters would always have a profound love for "home".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LR5iSSpmWeFZlL-iYxsIbH0TAfgmT31dXVNGV5P55tm4cMJrhyMPRq6SD4JGyjHWSLXdOkfbBlw4z9fyuj6JzEKyl8hGIT1EA-hh75lJArxZmTy8TDrZeZrv2H2kFeNe2alvW-r5a3A/s1600/King_Maximilian_I%252C_Queen_Caroline_and_their_5_daughters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="611" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LR5iSSpmWeFZlL-iYxsIbH0TAfgmT31dXVNGV5P55tm4cMJrhyMPRq6SD4JGyjHWSLXdOkfbBlw4z9fyuj6JzEKyl8hGIT1EA-hh75lJArxZmTy8TDrZeZrv2H2kFeNe2alvW-r5a3A/s320/King_Maximilian_I%252C_Queen_Caroline_and_their_5_daughters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Maximilian and Queen Caroline with their five daughters.</td></tr>
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The eldest of the girls, Augusta, was selected personally by Napoleon Bonaparte to be the wife of his stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais. This marriage was highly significant for Maximilian and Caroline since this paved the way for Bavaria to be raised from an electorate to a kingdom. But before the marriage could take place, Napoleon and Josephine had to ingratiate themselves to the indomitable Caroline, who was highly reluctant to allow her stepdaughter to marry Napoleon's stepson. When the wedding was finally set, the French emperor and empress wasted no time in showering presents to Caroline and Augusta when the couple visited Munich in January 1806. Caroline wrote about the generous presents: "When I came back from dinner, a valet brought me a box full of things... Augusta received just as much: gold-embroidered tulle dresses, lace." Although Augusta and Eugene's marriage started out as a marriage of convenience, fortunately, it turned out to be a love match. Caroline could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that her beloved eldest stepdaughter was happy.</div>
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From being a young and inexperienced girl thrust into the role of motherhood to children that were not even her's to begin with, Caroline transformed into an exemplary wife, mother/stepmother, and queen, fulfilling each role impeccably all at the same time.</div>
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Other posts about Caroline's family:<br />
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<a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2012/10/frederica-of-baden-queen-of-sweden.html" target="_blank">Frederica of Baden</a> - about Caroline's sister who became a Swedish queen consort<br />
<a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2011/07/psyche-empress-elizabeth-alexeievna-of.html" target="_blank">Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia</a> - Caroline's sister who became an Empress of Russia<br />
<a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-sacrifice-for-my-country-princess.html" target="_blank">"A Sacrifice for My Country"</a> - about Princess Augusta of Bavaria, Caroline's stepdaughter<br />
<a href="https://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2016/08/elisabeth-ludovika-of-bavaria-queen-of.html" target="_blank">Elisabeth Ludovica of Bavaria</a> - Caroline's daughter who became Queen of Prussia<br />
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-56693516435442260992020-05-10T14:24:00.000+08:002020-05-12T23:23:04.877+08:00Love and Marriage Prospects of the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna of Russia</b><br />
<b>Detail from a portrait by Christina Robertson</b><br />
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Beautiful, elegant, imposing and intelligent – these were just some of the words used to describe the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna, the second daughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna.</div>
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As a young grand duchess in the Russian court, she was the focus of admiration among courtiers and members of the nobility. Contemporaries described her as tall and slender, graceful, blonde, with long eyelashes and a “divine” gleam in her eyes. There was kindness and gentleness in her expression, but she was also proud and judicious.</div>
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Despite her beauty, virtues, and her status as the daughter of the Russian emperor, Olga was not lucky in love, unlike her sisters. She married a future king and became a queen, just as her parents hoped, but the relationship with her husband was far from ideal.</div>
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Olga’s older sister, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna, had married a prince of low rank, Maximilian of Leuchtenberg. Consequently, the Emperor and Empress hoped that their second daughter, would make a more brilliant match. They cherished the hope to someday see Olga marry a future king, however they did not want to force her to marry someone against her will.</div>
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In 1838, during a visit to relatives in Berlin with her parents, Olga attracted the attention of the then <b>Crown Prince Maximilian of Bavaria</b>. They met during a ball and Max was clearly besotted. He was determined to pursue Olga, but then she was unimpressed. Before marriage talks could even begin, Olga categorically refused to even think about a wedding with the Crown Prince.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The future Maximilian II,<br />King of Bavaria</b></td></tr>
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A year later, Olga’s brother, the Tsarevich Alexander, paid a visit to Vienna, where he made friends with <b>Archduke Stephan</b> of Austria. Alexander saw Stephan as a potential husband for his sister and communicated his opinions to his parents. Nicholas I supported his son’s idea – he had nothing against Stephan personally and he also thought that this was a good opportunity to finally resume the connection between the Romanovs and the Habsburgs, which started and also ended with the marriage of his sister Alexandra Pavlovna and Archduke Joseph of Austria decades ago.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Archduke Stephan of Austria,<br />son of Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary<br />(Image from artnet.com)</b></td></tr>
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For the wedding of Maria Nikolaievna to Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg in St. Petersburg in 1839, Archduke Stephan was invited to attend. This was a good opportunity for him to spend time with Olga and get to know more of each other. But instead of him, the Austrian court sent another representative to the wedding, <b>Archduke Albrecht</b>, a cousin of Stephan. To the surprise of Olga’s family, it was Albrecht who fell in love with Olga and made a proposal. Olga refused him – she was liked Stephan better and was hopeful that her feelings would be reciprocated. Furthermore, she found Albrecht to be unattractive, as she wrote in her diary: “At least Stephan was not physically unpleasant like the others…”</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Archduke Albrecht of Austria, Duke of Teschen</b></td></tr>
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But the possible alliance with the Habsburgs, which Nicholas I had really hoped for, did not take place. A letter from Vienna arrived in St. Petersburg a few months later stating that “the marriage between Stephan and Olga Nikolaievna, who profess different faiths, was unacceptable for Austria”. The court in Vienna considered that if the wife of the next Palatine of Hungary (Stephan) would remain Orthodox, it could pose a great danger for the country’s stability. It should be remembered that the same difficulty happened when Alexandra Pavlovna, Olga’s aunt, did not give up her Orthodox faith when she married the Catholic Archduke Joseph. The Habsburgs were staunch Catholics and Alexandra suffered mainly because of the issue in her religion. As for Stephan himself, although he found Olga to be an attractive young lady, he had to give up the idea of marrying her due to the firm opposition of his family.</div>
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Now 18 years old, the still unmarried but beautiful Olga caught the eyes of a prince from the Russian aristocracy, <b>Alexander Baryatinsky</b>. The young man was said to be very handsome that he even managed to turn the head of Olga’s older sister Maria two years earlier. He was considered to be the Don Juan of St. Petersburg – he had good looks, was extremely wealthy and very popular with women. When Nicholas I heard about this, he did everything he could to prevent the relationship from going too far. He had Baryatinsky sent to the Caucasus, where he eventually made a brilliant career and becoming the Governor of Caucasus.</div>
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By 1840, Olga decided that she would not rush into marriage. She was quite happy to stay home with her parents and her favorite sister Alexandra (“Adini”). Around this time, Olga’s aunt, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (wife of Nicholas I’s brother, Mikhail Nikolaievich), began making efforts in finding a match for her still unmarried niece. She suggested her brother, <b>Friedrich of Württemberg.</b> But Olga was clearly averse with the idea. She recalled how Friedrich, who had been visiting Elena for a long time, became a frequent visitor at the Emperor’s palace. “I felt his intentions and directly told everything about it to Mama, who was terrified and choking with indignation. He was twice as old as me, at one time he even danced with Mama, and he is the same age as my parents; I treated him like an uncle …” In the end, Friedrich was refused amiably. And Nicholas I declared that his daughter need not rush into marrying and that she was free to choose who to marry. As for Elena Pavlovna, she did not take her niece’s refusal lightly and was offended.</div>
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In 1842, Olga’s mother, Empress Alexandra, began to look for another potential groom for her daughter. The Empress had her eyes set on <b>Duke Adolf of Nassau</b>, but this time, she was not alone. Elena Pavlovna was also hoping that Adolf would choose one of her own daughters. The imminent arrival of Adolf of Nassau and his brother Prince Moritz in St. Petersburg caused a tension between the two families, as Olga recalled: “This nearly caused a break with the Mikhailovsky Palace. Aunt Elena had conceived a dream of making her older daughter Maria, the Grand Duchess in Karlsruhe [Baden] and placing the younger one in Wiesbaden as the wife of Adolf of Nassau. When Papa heard about it, he said at once that his nieces were grand duchesses just like us and that he considered them as his own children, therefore Adolf of Nassau was free to choose among all of us as he wished.” Eventually, Adolf chose Elena’s second daughter Elizabeth as his wife. The Emperor was surprised by the choice but he had nothing against it and so he gave his blessing.</div>
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Meanwhile, Adolf's younger brother, <b>Prince Moritz</b>, began to show interest to Olga. She later wrote about him: "He was a handsome boy, well-built, very pleasant in conversation, with a slight touch of sarcasm. He quickly won our sympathies, but I like him for his generosity as well as his frankness… My heart was beating like a bird in a cage. Each time it tried to fly up, it immediately fell back heavily.” Maria Nikolaievna noticed that her sister liked the young man and even offered to talk with their father so that he would give permission for marriage. But Olga refused. The thought that her husband would play the same role as Maximilian of Leuchtenberg, whom her older sister had married, was humiliating for her. Furthermore, she firmly believed that the wife should follow the husband, and not the husband to the wife’s homeland.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Prince Moritz of Nassau, Adolf's younger brother.<br />He would die unmarried at the age of 30.<br />(Image from artnet.com)</b></td></tr>
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In the following year, another potential bridegroom arrived in St. Petersburg - <b>Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel</b>. The heir to the modest Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel was not the most brilliant choice for an Emperor’s daughter, but he had strong family ties with the royal family of Denmark, which made him one of the candidates for the Danish throne. At the Russian court, many speculated that the prince would ask for the hand of Olga and courtiers watched intently on how it would unfold. For her part, Olga liked “Fritz” and found him attractive and charming. Fritz also seemed interested in her, but the budding relationship took an unexpected turn when Fritz met Olga’s younger sister Adini. The young prince instead fell in love with Adini and Olga noted the change in Fritz’s countenance and demeanour every time he saw the younger grand duchess. Noticing all of this, Olga decided that she did not want to be her sister’s rival and an obstacle to her happiness; she graciously step aside and let Adini and Fritz develop their romance. When Fritz asked the Emperor and Empress for Adini’s hand, they were surprised and slightly disappointed that it was not Olga, but still they gave him their blessings. After the couple’s wedding, Adini was diagnosed as consumptive and her failing health was further aggravated by a difficult pregnancy. The suffering that she endured while sick and pregnant at the same time and her subsequent tragic death was a huge blow to her family. The Empress Alexandra fell into depression which seriously affected her health. As a result, doctors advised her to seek treatment outside Russia.</div>
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Two years later in 1846, the 22-year-old Olga accompanied her mother in seeking treatment in Palermo, Italy. While staying there, they were visited by <b>Crown Prince Karl of Württemberg</b>. He and Olga had met once when they were teenagers. Karl had turned from a shy boy into a handsome young man. In her memoirs, Olga recalled that she immediately felt that “he was the person whom her heart had been looking for so long”. On the other hand, Karl was so fascinated by the beauty and intelligence of this Russian grand duchess that he proposed to her a few days later. They married in St. Petersburg in July of the same year and festivities lasted for two weeks. Before Olga set out to Württemberg, her new homeland, her father advised her daughter: “Be for Karl as your mother has been for me all these years.”</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtbUhVEfU8mH_STotM9p_mFkYsyYMS3cQK312O9tthza4RhQKQ5QUIUj6JG1LBAEqB4EcClgAEvOcwL4M4E8DA74BrxDd54keRz-E6YHYsHdi_UILC6BIaEVp9WqNtgkEmpf8KMkBCXQ/s1600/Karl_I._von_W%25C3%25BCrttemberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1003" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtbUhVEfU8mH_STotM9p_mFkYsyYMS3cQK312O9tthza4RhQKQ5QUIUj6JG1LBAEqB4EcClgAEvOcwL4M4E8DA74BrxDd54keRz-E6YHYsHdi_UILC6BIaEVp9WqNtgkEmpf8KMkBCXQ/s320/Karl_I._von_W%25C3%25BCrttemberg.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Image of Crown Prince Karl of Wurttemberg<br />as a young man.</b></td></tr>
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Once settled in Württemberg, Olga proved to be an exemplary wife and Crown Princess. She and Karl did not have children of their own but their marriage was harmonious. Karl was a homosexual and he had a male favourite to whom he showered many gifts and privileges. It became the talk of Europe and there was public criticism of his scandalous behaviour. Olga, always proud and dignified, bore everything with dignity, and performed her role as the wife of the future King impeccably.</div>
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Karl and Olga became King and Queen of Württemberg in 1864. Despite the problems in their marriage, Olga remained a devoted wife to Karl and a worthy Queen to her adopted homeland.</div>
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<a href="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85922/koshka686/4dd02f6c508b13a21538f80c5701fe08.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85922/koshka686/4dd02f6c508b13a21538f80c5701fe08.png" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px;" /></a>Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-63839776488911374672020-03-21T13:00:00.001+08:002020-03-21T13:01:55.771+08:00"A being in close contact with the ineffable and divine..."<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kVVCTl1mRUq00WKlfMYtChS2BeXBQRr6mY4_WOT4zV4EUVoHZLfO7nyhxnmb-HowLmWJTK0s7rLnhWU3UiPYyt_yTZ4QCyW7Aa8gPMM8cv4RV8L8O1ZlaF-Lx6_zJCKqGq_oAllb27E/s1600/EllaasaNun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1117" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kVVCTl1mRUq00WKlfMYtChS2BeXBQRr6mY4_WOT4zV4EUVoHZLfO7nyhxnmb-HowLmWJTK0s7rLnhWU3UiPYyt_yTZ4QCyW7Aa8gPMM8cv4RV8L8O1ZlaF-Lx6_zJCKqGq_oAllb27E/s400/EllaasaNun.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Duchess Elizabeth in her nun's habit<br />Photo courtesy of Klimblim</td></tr>
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"Although she is approaching fifty, she has kept her slim figure and her old grace. Under her loose white woolen hood, she was as elegant and attractive as in the old days before her widowhood when she still inspired profane passions… Her face in the frame of her long white woolen veil was alive with spirituality. Her delicate features and white skin, the deep, far-away look in her eyes, the low, soft tone of her voice and the luminous glow round her brow all betrayed a being in close contact with the ineffable and divine."</blockquote>
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<i>- From the memoirs of Maurice Paleologue about the Grand Duchess Elizabeth as a nun.</i></div>
Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-64484480434332964352020-03-20T00:40:00.000+08:002020-03-20T00:40:52.745+08:00Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen of Hanover<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkVNzzatjk4Mh65CjpkE2jKbEgHA43bxs1VuahFU1y2TraL3APZp5P7cnialWowrXIecsVb04YH79v-LKjsYq82L5hEtZCllIcA3RblvQA-yFrwLojemP6-fR2SkK_a7u8SvOjc8N5t0/s1600/K%25C3%25B6nigin_Marie_von_Hannover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="459" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkVNzzatjk4Mh65CjpkE2jKbEgHA43bxs1VuahFU1y2TraL3APZp5P7cnialWowrXIecsVb04YH79v-LKjsYq82L5hEtZCllIcA3RblvQA-yFrwLojemP6-fR2SkK_a7u8SvOjc8N5t0/s320/K%25C3%25B6nigin_Marie_von_Hannover.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Queen Marie of Hanover<br />Portrait by Joseph Stieler</i></td></tr>
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In the middle of the 19th century, the German kingdom of Hanover was ruled by King Ernest Augustus, a British prince by birth, who was also the Duke of Cumberland. Long before Ernest Augustus became king, he had married the rather controversial and scandalous Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Although their marriage can be said that it was out of love, their relationship with his family was quite sour. Frederica was disliked by most members of the British royal family and when Ernest Augustus became King of Hanover, he and Frederica wasted no time in setting up their court in Hanover. Frederica had only four years as queen and she died after an illness. She failed to endear herself with the people and as a result she did not become a popular queen.</div>
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Fortunately, her successor, the daughter-in-law she never met, was immensely popular with the people of Hanover.<br />
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Hanover's next and most popular queen, Marie, was born a princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen on the 14th of April 1818, the eldest daughter of Joseph, the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Amelia, Duchess of Wurttemberg. She had five younger sisters, the two of them - Elisabeth and Alexandra - became Grand Duchess of Oldenburg and Grand Duchess of Russia, respectively. As a little girl, Marie and her family moved to Altenburg from their native Hildburghausen as a result of a transfer of territories among the Saxon duchies, and she and her siblings became princesses of Saxe-Altenburg instead.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>King George V of Hanover by Franz Kruger.</i></td></tr>
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At the age of 21, Marie first met the then Crown Prince George of Hanover in his summer residence, Schloss Monbrillant. But it was during a summer vacation on the island of Norderney that the two fell in love. They discovered that they both shared many things in common, particularly their devotion to religion and love for music. They were also temperamentally suited with each other and both were simple and down-to-earth. </div>
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George was the only surviving child of King Ernest Augustus and Queen Frederica. He was by all accounts, a sweet-natured, sensitive, intelligent boy who was blinded in one eye at the age of nine by a childhood illness and then lost the sight of his other eye on an unfortunate incident involving the brass weight at the end of a curtain cord a few years later. From then on, he could only distinguish between light and dark. "I'm still alive and I'm already buried. Blind or dead is pretty much the same thing", wrote the frustrated prince. All medical efforts to save his vision have all been unsuccessful. </div>
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In 1843, George and Marie married in Schlosskirche and it was followed by a five-day celebration. They settled in <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">F</span>ürstenhof in Calenberger Neustadt, where they lived in an almost middle-class family life. By all accounts, they had an exemplary marriage and were devoted to each other and their children. Marie's inclination to Pietism and her insistence to breastfeed her children earned the ire of her father-in-law - he even refused to dine with her at a table. Ernest Augustus also disapproved of George and Marie driving in a carriage together. However, the crown prince couple was extremely popular among the population. So it was said that Marie tenderly called her husband "my man" or "angel man" and made no secret of it.</div>
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George and Marie succeeded to the throne of Hanover upon the death of King Ernest Augustus in 1851. The now King George V had a castle built for his wife as a birthday present, the Marienburg Castle. During their reign, the courtly and bourgeois musical life of Hanover experienced a great boom. The king and queen surrounded themselves with musicians and artists, and Marie immersed herself in charitable works. She founded the Henriettenstiftung - a hospital which was named after her beloved grandmother. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Queen Marie wearing the Russian<br />Order of St. Catherine <br />(courtesy of the Royal Collection)</i></td></tr>
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During the Austro-Prussian War, George sided with Austria, which was defeated eventually by Prussia. As a result, he was expelled from Hanover when the victorious Prussians annexed Hanover. Nevertheless, George never abdicated; he went into exile in Vienna, while Marie and the children initially stayed at the Marienburg as an act of defiance, because the castle was the family's private property and could therefore not be confiscated by Prussia. She was able to successfully smuggled abroad all the Hanoverian crown jewels and other precious items before finally leaving for Austria herself and her children. There, the family moved into a villa in Gmunden near Salzburg, which they rented and later acquired.</div>
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Marie had a good relationship with Queen Victoria and even in exile, she was invited to England to become a godmother to the British queen's granddaughter, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein in 1872.</div>
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King George died in 1878 while he was in Paris where he attempted to re-establish his Guelphic Legion, a military unit aimed at a re-conquest of his kingdom. He was buried in St. George's Chapel in Windsor. Marie died 28 years later and was buried near the Schloss Cumberland in Austria.</div>
Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-31696553734398421992020-03-18T20:09:00.002+08:002020-05-17T10:37:46.467+08:00Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, First German Empress <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVSfoL98UyZWLgQBPoecUUCntVxEz_kKUr0NBUFDmjw3NArctwnkjCEKyWtiyh9cP2xcG2y_wK905JTQ8NUCHu_xk1YD_oXF5ZTCf2bokkRJQL5ELdQECQoZC0Hhq0NWAnjQDNVl3M28/s1600/11846346254_f63a07db0a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVSfoL98UyZWLgQBPoecUUCntVxEz_kKUr0NBUFDmjw3NArctwnkjCEKyWtiyh9cP2xcG2y_wK905JTQ8NUCHu_xk1YD_oXF5ZTCf2bokkRJQL5ELdQECQoZC0Hhq0NWAnjQDNVl3M28/s1600/11846346254_f63a07db0a_o.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach,<br />Queen of Prussia and Empress of Germany</i></td></tr>
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Empress Augusta, consort of Emperor William I and the first empress of Germany, was born a Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on September 30, 1811. She was the youngest daughter of Grand Duke Carl Frederick of Saxe-Weimar and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Catherine the Great.<br />
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Princess Augusta spent her formative years in the literary court of Weimar. She received a well-rounded education that was carefully supervised by her mother. Maria Pavlovna was a highly-cultivated woman who presided over the cultural development of Weimar, while Augusta's father was a simple and timid man who nevertheless enjoyed the works of Goethe. Maria Pavlovna instilled in her daughter the strict observance of etiquette and courtly manners, and above all else, the importance of performing one's duties. Thus, while Augusta grew up in the romantic atmosphere of the Weimar court, where Goethe and other well-known writers and musicians throughout Germany frequented the grand ducal palaces, she also turned into an intelligent and well-read woman who possessed a firm and independent character.<br />
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From October 1824 to September 1825, Augusta and her older sister Marie accompanied their parents on a visit to their mother's homeland, Russia. Augusta enjoyed her adventures in there, but she never became fond of Russia. Instead, she developed a great fondness of France and all things French, and she learned to speak French fluently.<br />
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Augusta met her future husband, the then Crown Prince William of Prussia, on the occasion of her older sister Marie's wedding to William's younger brother, Prince Charles. Marie was considered by everyone to be more beautiful than Augusta, but William thought Augusta as having an excellent personality. He was at that time very much in love with Elisa Radziwill, a Polish princess whom he had known ever since they were children and whom he fiercely wished to marry. But his parents, although fond of their relationship, were against the marriage; they deemed the princess not noble enough to marry the heir to the Prussian throne.<br />
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When it became apparent that William and Elisa could not possibly marry, William's father pressed him to consider Augusta as a bride. William, who was still heavily in love with Elisa, was forced to give up his feelings and asked Augusta's hand in marriage. She happily agreed; she loved William and expected to have a happy marriage life with him, but at the same, she understood very well that she could never possibly replace Elisa in William's heart.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Watercolor portrait of the 19-year-old Princess Augusta.<br />Courtesy of the Royal Collection.</i></td></tr>
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On June 11, 1829, William and Augusta were married in the chapel of Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin. While the first years of their marriage were relatively harmonious, William was emotionally distant. And this was generally ascribed to William's affection for Elisa. He confessed in a letter to her sister, the Empress of Russia, that: "One can love only once in life, really." And wrote that Augusta was "nice and clever, but she leaves me cold". He had a great deal of respect to his intelligent wife, but could not bring himself to love her. Nevertheless, Augusta gave birth to their first child, Frederick William, in 1831, and it was followed by a daughter, Louise, named after William's beloved mother, in 1838.<br />
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Augusta had moved into a city and country which was larger than her homeland but its cultural horizon much smaller and had married a man who was ahead of her in age and experience but, as people said, inferior in wit. Her sharp intellect, William complained to his sister, would give her an “undesirable touch of femme d’esprit." It was apparent that she and William had different inclinations and temperament. They also had different political views. Her unhappy marriage and the rigid military sobriety of the Prussian court took a toll on Augusta's health and she began suffering from manic-depression. However, she consoled herself by inviting people at the palace who shared her artistic and scientific interests. She was very interested in politics, and being liberal-minded, hoped that on the accession of her brother-in-law, Frederick William IV, he would continue his liberal approach as he had while he was still the heir to the throne. However, he refused to grant a constitution to Prussia and this led into a more conservative government. </div>
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In 1861, King Frederick William IV's died, and William and Augusta became the new King and Queen of Prussia. Augusta tried her best to give advice to her husband when it comes to politics. And yet, he just did what he thought as right as he always thought her advice an annoyance – which she tended to give like a schoolmistress, and usually in written form in order to avoid misunderstandings or a fight. But when William faced a massive setback with the parliament and was even considering to hand the power over to his son, the one who came to his rescue and would be his most important partner from then onwards: Otto von Bismarck.<br />
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Augusta considered Bismark as her biggest enemy. His pragmatic Realpolitik with ‘blood and iron’ was, for her, the most terrifying and wrong way to gain more power for Prussia. She believed that there were more ideal ways to rightful rule. Their hatred was mutual. As she showed her disdain not only for him but also to his rather timid wife, Bismarck was in for payback. He did not shy away from giving journalists material on her and publicly called her old bat or nag.<br />
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Augusta hoped for Prussian leadership in Germany. But what Bismarck eventually gained after three wars and what earned her the title of an Empress, to her remained a mixed blessing. It was not the kind of moral conquest which she had considered not only ideal but possible, instead the wars waged for her just bore the seed for further conflicts. Most Germans caught in nationalist euphoria would not see it that way. As something of a pacifist there were, after all, some few ideas which she could successfully realize. They happened to be within her official role and female ‘job description’. She started a charitable organization that care for those who were wounded in war and a school for girls orphaned by the war. But for her, that was not enough. At some point, her will to discuss and shape politics got obsessive. She eavesdropped on William’s political meetings and in order to do that, her maids had to make her hair while sitting on the stairs close by to his office. What she told her few confidants about her moods, can only be read as massive signs of manic depression.<br />
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To the people, she seemed inaccessible and her behavior contrived and insincere. The natural charm that she had possessed in her youth, seemed all gone. Her husband and others commented on her lack of sensuality and femininity. Few would see it like her French reader Jules Laforge in the 1880s: “As simple and somewhat palish the personality of the emperor is, so complicated, distinct and impressive is she, the empress.”<br />
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Augusta died on January 7th, 1890, and was put to rest alongside her husband in the mausoleum of Charlottenburg. She also rests alongside the famous Queen Louise, her sweet and beautiful mother-in-law who was deceased long before Augusta arrived in Berlin. While Louise's beautiful image was further sugar-coated and idealized since her death at the age of 34, the serious and 78-year old empress was forgotten by most.<br />
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-5589203007415713472020-01-04T23:35:00.000+08:002020-01-04T23:37:28.019+08:00A Mother's Advice to Her Daughter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Princess Charlotte of Prussia as a Grand Duchess of Russia.</td></tr>
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<br /> Below is an excerpt from a letter of Queen Louise of Prussia to her eldest daughter, Princess Charlotte. Queen Louise never saw her daughter eventually become Empress of Russia as consort of Nicholas I as the Queen died when Charlotte was only 12 years old.<br />
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<i>"Dear Charlotte, listen to these cheerful cries and the bells ringing with reverence... Those who want to deserve this, must respond with love to the love of their people; must have a heart capable of sharing their sufferings and joys; and the most important thing - one must be with the people... Remember this, my daughter, and if you ever get to wear a crown, remember this solemn hour."</i></blockquote>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQieCjf35Ww-dliIWtseCBsOdcAzBh8cwRc7qMEVJc7QDjDV9j6DxjwPJv1Ksh5thP4A5K-hERf2GwXMTZhLbeocPS6XCotbUnzhDQdRB7ie1okKU3X3gmxGmKtIuDHMMSzdmj6waPqk/s1600/Luise_Portraet_DW__10905452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQieCjf35Ww-dliIWtseCBsOdcAzBh8cwRc7qMEVJc7QDjDV9j6DxjwPJv1Ksh5thP4A5K-hERf2GwXMTZhLbeocPS6XCotbUnzhDQdRB7ie1okKU3X3gmxGmKtIuDHMMSzdmj6waPqk/s320/Luise_Portraet_DW__10905452.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Louise of Prussia</td></tr>
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From a letter of Queen Louise to her daughter - Princess Charlotte, future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I of RussiaGemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-18832480331413349132020-01-04T23:31:00.004+08:002020-01-04T23:31:55.065+08:00New Year 2020Happy New Year everyone! I apologized for the lack of updates for a very long time. So many events have happened in the past years - I got married, switched jobs, moved to a new place... But that does not mean that I will not be continuing this blog anymore. I love history and I love writing, and this blog is a labor of love, so it will still continue as it is. There will be articles that I will still be posting so you can check my blog from time to time. In the mean time, I wish everyone a happy and blessed new year ahead!<br />
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- GemGemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-15697043728380259712019-01-24T09:30:00.000+08:002020-06-04T21:46:39.027+08:00January 24, 1779 - Birth of the Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAtw-PwurBtJMsBtYUHY-A9lkuGuD4BKo5s_MnTVzdTKxRM_o5ZcNBqFlv0ODv7GQS8YPJAoBiWY5cg2JB2PUgv9pu8U4M_wAUTwrLwB57rmDNj5rddd5W6qm1idsXBKW7vEfR8_otls/s1600/elizabet31806pavlovskmonnier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1295" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAtw-PwurBtJMsBtYUHY-A9lkuGuD4BKo5s_MnTVzdTKxRM_o5ZcNBqFlv0ODv7GQS8YPJAoBiWY5cg2JB2PUgv9pu8U4M_wAUTwrLwB57rmDNj5rddd5W6qm1idsXBKW7vEfR8_otls/s400/elizabet31806pavlovskmonnier.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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<i>"Today, on your birthday, my dear Eliza, I write this letter in response to yours, passed by Amelia [Elizabeth's sister]. May Heaven grant you happiness and bliss in this world! This is my most heartfelt and ardent desire! But for this, you should adhere to the principle that you have defined for yourself in the form of a motto: patience and perseverance! Remind yourself that it was Providence that determined your place; leaving it voluntarily would be a sign for the disgruntled."</i></blockquote>
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-Extract from a letter written by the Margravine of Baden to her daughter the Empress Elizabeth on the latter's birthday on January 24, 1811.Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-39775990446166842612018-11-18T18:42:00.001+08:002018-11-18T18:42:34.259+08:00New Portrait of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="400" src="https://www.rct.uk/sites/default/files/collection-online/2/1/755382-1525790879.jpg" width="317" /></div>
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A lovely portrait of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna by little-known Russian artist, Ekaterina Ieronimovna Viskovatova, 1896. </div>
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This particular painting of the Grand Duchess is currently on display at the Buckingham Palace as part of the exhibit, <i><b>"Russia, Royalty and the Romanovs"</b></i>. </div>
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Courtesy: The Royal Collection</div>
Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-44513517685903450202018-07-18T22:36:00.000+08:002018-07-22T19:36:31.026+08:00In Remembrance of the Martyrdom of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDEOMf9a1ltSEBxQoMLft2yFPqBAWzUifmpOFm6kkd2eaeed3h_NYvFoowG801_7ud_wTfjFHJqhpoApcw6AMiNAuK8c7veSJM45IOsL8dIFezuWnwmolLRRwndL4BnA4nAk9amCGI-4/s1600/by+Klimbim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="660" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDEOMf9a1ltSEBxQoMLft2yFPqBAWzUifmpOFm6kkd2eaeed3h_NYvFoowG801_7ud_wTfjFHJqhpoApcw6AMiNAuK8c7veSJM45IOsL8dIFezuWnwmolLRRwndL4BnA4nAk9amCGI-4/s400/by+Klimbim.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Grand Duchess Elizabeth from a black-and-white photo,</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>colorized by Klimbim</b></span></div>
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Today marks the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia. She, along with other members of the extended Imperial Family, were murdered by Bolsheviks on July 18, 1918, in the Siberian town of Alapayevsk. Their death, even with those of the Tsar and his family, a day before, were one of the bloodiest chapters on the history of Russia. </div>
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As a commemoration to this beautiful and selfless woman, who has been an inspiration to me for so many years already, here are quotes from her cousin and admirer, Queen Marie of Romania:</div>
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<i>"Aunt Ella, on these occasions was so fairy-like an apparition that I would like to dip my pen in colour, so as to be able to make her live again, if only for a moment, because eyes that have never beheld her will never be able to conceive what she was. With that divine smile curving her perfect lips, with a blush on her cheeks, only comparable to almond-blossoms, and an almost bashful look in her long-shaped, sky-blue eyes... Her gown, heavily embroidered in silver, is a colour which is neither blue nor green, the colour of glaciers or of aquamarine; her kokoshnik of emeralds and diamonds is truly a halo for her angelic face, and the gorgeous jewels, covering arms and throat, have, when she wears them, the aspect of gifts, piously offered to some beloved saint."</i></blockquote>
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<i>"Aunt Ella, beautiful, beautiful Aunt Ella, may something of my love for you reach you in that faraway country where you rest in a martyr's grave. Now you are in the Holy Land, the victim of this world, too dark for your light."</i></blockquote>
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-8173770069358910732017-09-09T23:55:00.000+08:002017-09-09T23:55:43.489+08:00The Austrian Empress and the Russian Grand Duchess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOjkG1wBYMqXApjzI3hFxP2_YkTc6pzjAlfGJTZTsbCxMJ23plHiqkG2ckM1KTSVNLqdsetVLQVauzYBbMrxfMErSlpz14m68drMNB_iRU5NRFtW490c5rE_Wrbg4l_XHK4Rs4jK7smM/s1600/KaiserinSissi_zps8c5c0e8b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="759" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOjkG1wBYMqXApjzI3hFxP2_YkTc6pzjAlfGJTZTsbCxMJ23plHiqkG2ckM1KTSVNLqdsetVLQVauzYBbMrxfMErSlpz14m68drMNB_iRU5NRFtW490c5rE_Wrbg4l_XHK4Rs4jK7smM/s320/KaiserinSissi_zps8c5c0e8b.jpg" width="237" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-z1SFHiPK80tM-IabsuGE21H6X1GB4nfZNTK8qNoVyvVC4t_exQ6mv855eojg9cBc7FwuzDlYwoYJKHYQzaiN_6_ehg1KYeqAvxIb7BWnt0F182gvfiGm4xkYoXsr3eShrIZyWMm8PPc/s1600/Sanny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="744" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-z1SFHiPK80tM-IabsuGE21H6X1GB4nfZNTK8qNoVyvVC4t_exQ6mv855eojg9cBc7FwuzDlYwoYJKHYQzaiN_6_ehg1KYeqAvxIb7BWnt0F182gvfiGm4xkYoXsr3eShrIZyWMm8PPc/s320/Sanny.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
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<i>"The Grand Duchess was always terribly interested in everything that concerned the Austrian Empress. Perhaps, some envy played a part in this, since the Empress was famous for her beauty. So, for example, the Grand Duchess often asked: "Is my hair as beautiful as the Empress? Do you not find that I am like her?" I remember how she once interrogated someone who has newly returned from Vienna, where he was traveling with an order to Emperor Franz Joseph, Adjutant-General von Stühler: "Who is more beautiful, the Austrian empress or I?" General Stühler, slightly embarrassed, replied: "If the Austrian empress is the most beautiful woman on Earth, your Highness is undoubtedly the most beautiful princess! "The Grand Duchess was satisfied with this answer."</i></blockquote>
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--From the "Memories of a Shipwrecked World" by Countess Kleinmichel. </div>
Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-35606948798814520482017-09-04T11:17:00.000+08:002017-09-04T11:17:00.308+08:00The idol of Moscow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaQ_aUOyJb55W2RDL2S9yD1evNf-n_Dv6fc7UX3HQt-HO1YjSOW9UkXuVJVSsjKXCBBwRxJ0hhvvOvppLeJQ3V1MJDiXmzi0A1YmVMrMPFnp_K1Z9OleNcpq9HtAWb-gZzqspMxzC67Q/s1600/bc_qtk5hidI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1132" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaQ_aUOyJb55W2RDL2S9yD1evNf-n_Dv6fc7UX3HQt-HO1YjSOW9UkXuVJVSsjKXCBBwRxJ0hhvvOvppLeJQ3V1MJDiXmzi0A1YmVMrMPFnp_K1Z9OleNcpq9HtAWb-gZzqspMxzC67Q/s320/bc_qtk5hidI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<br />"As for Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, she was the idol of Moscow, the soul of every charitable enterprise and the ornament of every meeting. She was not shy, like her sister, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, she knew how to talk to anyone about anything. She was everywhere, she knew everyone, and if her help was needed, she would render it with both hands. She had a rare gift of sympathy and understanding, which enabled her to enter into the position of each person."<span style="background-color: white; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
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-From the memoirs of Princess Lydia Leonidovna Vasilchikova, 1886-1919</div>
Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-64970523708060673582017-09-02T22:37:00.001+08:002017-09-02T22:37:35.791+08:00Marie of Baden, Duchess of Brunswick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXmXXbzLoQXteU0rFJ8Ed7g-ERzxMxw1TEXA058hKHk09jvjLeEcz4UGlEbuadSQqfNBYWHmmfoBqMR00zx4CcUsSVj5FfzH5VzZECd8EuDhDjWl0lGnS89w9ej8zWa63pi5B3CIXDIw/s1600/6t9606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXmXXbzLoQXteU0rFJ8Ed7g-ERzxMxw1TEXA058hKHk09jvjLeEcz4UGlEbuadSQqfNBYWHmmfoBqMR00zx4CcUsSVj5FfzH5VzZECd8EuDhDjWl0lGnS89w9ej8zWa63pi5B3CIXDIw/s320/6t9606.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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I have always found the daughters of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden quite interesting. In the past, I wrote several articles about his daughters, Caroline, Louise, and Frederica, and now I'll be continuing with Marie, second to the youngest daughter in the family.</div>
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Marie was born in 1782, the fifth daughter in a family of 7
children. Marie's family had a rather modest lifestyle as opposed to other
noble houses of Europe, so her parents had to made up with this by ensuring that their children receive an excellent education which will strengthen their marriage prospects. Both Charles Louis and Amalie were politically astute individuals who tried to make the most out of their circumstances. As a result, Marie’s
eldest sister, Caroline, would eventually become Queen of Bavaria, while her
other sisters, Louise and Frederika would become, Empress of Russia and Queen
of Sweden, respectively. Her younger sister Wilhelmine would become Grand
Duchess of Hesse. Another sister, Amalie, who was the identical twin of
Caroline, remained unmarried and would settle permanently in Russia with their
sister Louise. Their brother Charles would marry Napoleon's step-niece, Stephanie de Beauharnais.</div>
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With her sisters and brother made brilliant marriages, it was also imperative for Marie to have the same brilliant marriage. She was suggested as a prospective bride to one of the sons of Charles William, Duke of Brunswick, Prince Frederick William</div>
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Like Marie, Frederick William also came from a large family. As the fourth son and since his eldest brother was already married, much cannot be expected of him inheriting his father's title. However, with his eldest brother proved to be incapable of having an issue and his two elder brothers declared invalid and excluded from the succession, Frederick William was now seen as the hope of the House of Brunswick in continuing the family line. His father began to put pressure on him to marry. On his part, Frederick William felt that there was no need for him to
marry right away.</div>
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At the same time, Marie was not fond of the idea of marriage to
Frederick William, since he already had a reputation of leading a rather “fast”
life. However, Frederick William's family continued to put pressure on him to marry and he finally agreed to woo the young princess. Fortunately, he and Marie became fond of each other and they were married in Karslruhe on 1 November 1802. Their eldest child, Karl, was born two years later and they had another son, William, in 1806.</div>
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Marie's quiet family life in Brunswick was interrupted by the war against Napoleonic France. As her husband was a major-general in the Prussian army, he actively participated in the war zone. When Frederick William's father died from a wound he sustained in the battlefield, Marie and her mother-in-law, Augusta, went to his deathbed despite the danger. They were not allowed to remain for a long time and they were advised to flee. Marie's husband was captured and with two very young children with her, she had no choice but to flee in Northern Europe. She and her children accepted the offer of her brother-in-law, King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden to take up residence with the royal family in Malmo. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EIh9KiI7ovOgFI-zWteu6uWWABKtxGx7qkD5EtOA4sioIFUYp96eRl5Hs-RwcrY-4PMLoQ_G_OKnbODi9Rs2ubur3utlwkrD9rdNa4lsndHjkVmBUNkxvcbqDB8REWwaUnufcuRL0a4/s1600/7484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1600" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EIh9KiI7ovOgFI-zWteu6uWWABKtxGx7qkD5EtOA4sioIFUYp96eRl5Hs-RwcrY-4PMLoQ_G_OKnbODi9Rs2ubur3utlwkrD9rdNa4lsndHjkVmBUNkxvcbqDB8REWwaUnufcuRL0a4/s320/7484.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie with her eldest son, Karl</td></tr>
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While in Sweden, Marie was constantly worried about the whereabouts of her husband and the future of their duchy. They were finally allowed to return to Germany in 1807 and she was reunited with her husband. Since Brunswick was now under Napoleon's control, they were not able to go back there and they stayed with Marie's family in Karlsruhe. While in Karlsruhe, Marie became pregnant with her third child, However, when she gave birth, the baby was stillborn, and Marie succumbed to puerperal fever. She died four days later, on December 8, 1808 at the age of 25.</div>
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Marie's life was short, but she led an exemplary life dedicated to, to her husband, and to the preservation of her duchy. After her death, Frederick William became a freedom-fighter and formed a corps raised from volunteers. They wore black uniforms which earned them the name "the Black Brunswickers". Frederick William, the Black Duke of Brunswick, became a local hero and a living legend. Perhaps as a way to give tribute to the memory of his wife, several streets, places and churches in Brunswick were named after. </div>
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-79113206236345875752016-11-01T22:35:00.002+08:002020-06-02T22:41:37.838+08:00A Requiem for Adini<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODb95VCLIIsiQq85ckeTDU3gVJISKPO09rSSCBuwFAkEztWagOc-rapZnpTma3OMhvBA5SBYbwav9_jnVWO-PWF2DUeqdzl-Pb4XltQxHJM5veN_ELLWxnUgynoU4FZyj_9g0nK-wisw/s1600/2e7599727e96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODb95VCLIIsiQq85ckeTDU3gVJISKPO09rSSCBuwFAkEztWagOc-rapZnpTma3OMhvBA5SBYbwav9_jnVWO-PWF2DUeqdzl-Pb4XltQxHJM5veN_ELLWxnUgynoU4FZyj_9g0nK-wisw/s320/2e7599727e96.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
The Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna was the youngest daughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (born Princess Charlotte of Prussia). She was affectionately called "Adini" and her family loved her immensely. She was a favorite among her brothers and sisters because of her cheerful, spirited and mischievous nature. Her death at the age of 19 devastated the whole family and this left a lasting sorrow to the otherwise blissful family life of Nicholas I. This event also left a profound effect on each family member, particularly on Grand Duchess Olga, who was very close to her sister. On her memoirs, Olga wrote about her relationship with her sister, the courtship between Adini and Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel, Adini's marriage, sickness and subsequent death.</div>
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The following was an excerpt from the memoirs of the Grand Duchess Olga entitled <i><b>"The Golden Dream of My Youth".</b></i><br />
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"... Those who lived in complete harmony with my beloved sister will understand what I went through before approaching our farewell to Adini. On January 16th the wedding was celebrated. On the last ball, after the closing of the festivities, there was a polonaise to marked the end of the celebration, we danced madly through the large halls, with Papa leading all of us. ...</blockquote>
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Fritz and his young wife decided to stay with us until the spring, and took a large apartment in the northern wing of the palace which was very elegant, but uncomfortable. Adini had to go through five salons before she could get into the room to her husband. At Easter, they were supposed move to Copenhagen, where a palace was arranged for the young couple, as well as a house on the beach for their summer holidays. The Danish king lovingly cared for the both of them ...</blockquote>
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Adini caught a cold upon returning from the ball... One of the windows was inadvertently left open by a lackey. It was ten degrees below zero. The next day she woke up with a fever. Nobody gave a serious thought about this matter, believing that she was of robust health. She appeared, as always, in the morning for breakfast and the evening for dinner, knowing that our parents were waiting because she would be leaving them soon. In the next day, I did not notice any change in her, while we are engaged in conversation... With alacrity, she told me of her plan in life together with Fritz. She wanted to develop Fritz morally and spiritually, and she wanted to read for him, especially Plutarch, about the example of noble men to help him. She suspected he had a tendency to search for entertainment within an unequal society than himself, however, she was convinced that soon he will completely change: "We're so like each other." </blockquote>
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We often talked about religion. The fact that many young girls converted to Catholicism made us unhappy. In most cases, they were the ones who were raised abroad, mainly in France. They grew up without any connection with the native Church. We were imbued with the teachings of our Orthodox faith. ...We loved our confessor - Father Bazhanov! Tolerant in his religiosity and completely impartial, he taught us the history of the Church. Thanks to him, we have learned to understand that the Russian character and Russian Church. When we became adults, Father Bazhanov would come, as before, every Monday, to see us, but instead of the giving us lessons, we had conversations, which were heartfelt and sincere. </blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAfI2TaseRGWL0ifyEzdrbU4Y8idE_LaFat9RlTYh5aXH3HhVi074_Eu1vlhlmOlExzevc5GfLWCoeDKS-M3J9-Urf7k_dJMPPAoMIKsJhT8gQr4v87rpuTf3vu5jEgmSICg-vjc-Av8/s1600/c9ab79fb00c83f576e9a33d67d47d8db.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAfI2TaseRGWL0ifyEzdrbU4Y8idE_LaFat9RlTYh5aXH3HhVi074_Eu1vlhlmOlExzevc5GfLWCoeDKS-M3J9-Urf7k_dJMPPAoMIKsJhT8gQr4v87rpuTf3vu5jEgmSICg-vjc-Av8/s200/c9ab79fb00c83f576e9a33d67d47d8db.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adini's husband,<br />
"Fritz" of Hesse-Kassel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
At the end of the Lent in the same year, we have moved, as always, in the Anichkov to prepare for Communion. We returned to the Winter Palace after Easter without Adini. She stayed behind and was feeling very weak due to a strong cough. The doctors prescribed her to rest and was put to bed for three weeks. After this period, she moved to the Winter Palace and settled in her gloomy rooms... She was forbidden to even move around with a wheelchair and she spent the whole days lying on a couch without complaint. No one worried about her. Papa made a trip to England to meet with his young niece Victoria and her husband Albert. In the midst of the festivities in his honor, he learned the terrible news that Adini was suffering from consumption. Mandt [the court doctor] himself came to him to tell him about the terrible news. According to him, one lung had already been completely destroyed, and that there no more hopes for cure. Before leaving, Papa said Adini a farewell: "Good-bye in Copenhagen!" Mandt was at this time in Teplice to treat his injured leg, and the other two doctors turned all their attention to the pregnancy of Adini, attributing this to her health. When Mandt returned in May, he very carefully examined the patient twice. After that, not wasting any words, he immediately went to the Papa in London. Papa immediately cut short his visit and arrived in great haste to St. Petersburg. We have a few days to live in Tsarskoye Selo. </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
Rural air revived Adini, she often sat in the garden and take a little walk with Fritz to show him their favorite places. When Papa told us about the Mandt's diagnosis, we just could not believe it. ... Hot milk and pure water to quench her thirst, was, in fact, all he ordered. ... When the days became warmer, Adini began to suffer fits of suffocation. Mother gave her her room with seven windows - even in the summer it was full of air and freshness. She arranged it as a bedroom for Adini. When Mandt told her that it would be better for her and Frtiz to live separately, she wept. Fritz was full of tenderness for his young wife, but Adini knew that he would not survive such long quiet life, and constantly urged him to do anything, afraid that he might miss something because of her... </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
In mid-June, few days before her birthday, her condition worsened. She was just burning in the heat. Nausea prevented her from eating, and fits of coughing - up to forty times a night - prevented her from sleeping. I was instructed to offer her Communion. "I'm too weak to prepare for it" - she said to me. Father Bazhanov wrote to her: "Your long-term illness - this your best training." "If he thinks I'm worthy, I want to take communion tomorrow," - was her answer. The next day Adini would give birth. A chapel was hastily arranged in the Alexander Palace; from there we followed the priest who carried the Blessed Sacrament to the sick. We all knelt down in her bed, while the priest read a prayer. With a clear voice, she repeated the words of the prayer and taking Holy Communion, crossed her arms over her chest. In her eyes there was some special radiance. She held out a hand to all of us with a smile, which was no longer belonging to this world. Then she quietly asked us to leave; she needed a rest. When a few hours later she called me to her, her face still glowed with an unearthly light.</blockquote>
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"Tonight I had a vision of death, - she said, and immediately added: - "Oh my God, can I not really have this child until the end?" But then she added softly: "Let it be as pleasing to the Lord!"And then she added, with her usual, almost childlike voice: "You know, Olga, I think a lot of Papa, who is now in Tsarskoe Selo because of me, where he lives so reluctantly. I thought of something which will bring him pleasure. Look, here I drew something for him." And she showed me a sketch of a small pavilion, which she designed with a pond with black swans. This sketch she forwarded to Papa with the following lines: "Dear Papa, since I know that you have no greater joy than to make Mama happy, I am suggesting your next surprise for her." </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
This pavilion was built after her death, and near it on the bank of a pond - a chapel with a statue of her with her child in her hands, made by Vitali </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
Since that day she took Communion, it seemed as if the disease and its destructive effect stopped. We thought that this was a sign of improvement. Mama said that when she make a trip to Berlin, she would accompany Adini on her journey to Copenhagen, at least until Sttein, because the child was supposed to be born in Copenhagen. On June 30, the midwife confirmed the child's movements. Adini immediately wrote about this happy event to Mama. From this date, no complaints escaped from her lips. She thought only about the child... Lying near the window, she looked at the blue sky. So often she lay with folded hands as if in silent prayer. </blockquote>
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Once, when I brought her a bouquet of wildflowers, she said to me: "Oh, please, you do not need to; they just make me sad, because I can no longer collect them myself." And when Papa gave her an emerald cross: "You are all so good to me, your love crushes me immensely." </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
The doctors wanted our parents to stay briefly in Peterhof, presuming that the patient would see this as a good sign; but in fact, they just wanted them to have a bit of distraction away from depressing worries. When I look at Pope....all of a sudden he became an old man. Mama often cried, however, she would not lose hope. </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
The cool, rainy days of June, which brought relief to Adini, were replaced by July heat. Red spots on her cheeks heralded the return of the heat. Doctors prescribed inhalation of creosote; Adini all took this with great patience, but her weakness increased. At first she refused to walk in the garden, and then to the balcony, and could only walk a few steps from the bed to the couch, which was placed at an open window. Soon she even stopped reading, and Fritz, "her Fritz" becomes exhausted in taking care of her. Miss Hagg and Frau Ayana exchanged in taking care of her. She was so thin that her lips appeared to be closed to her teeth, and her shortness of breath made her mouth constantly open. But all these did not make her ugly. From the thinness of her finger, her wedding ring fell off; Papa gave her then a very small ring that she kept on. This ring I still wear to this day exactly forty years later. </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-indent: 23px;">In mid-July she suddenly expressed a desire to get out into the garden and asked Papa and Fritz to assist her, so they carried her down the stairs. </span><span style="text-indent: 23px;">Supported on both sides, she only made a few steps back and asked to be returned to her room. </span><span style="text-indent: 23px;">Doctors saw this as the last of her vitality and </span><span style="text-indent: 23px;">hoped that she will </span><span style="text-indent: 23px;">survive the night. </span><span style="text-indent: 23px;">But she lived for another fifteen days. </span><span class="" style="text-indent: 23px;">At the end of the month, she asked for our little brothers and Kostya [Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich], who had just returned from a trip to the White Sea. </span><span style="text-indent: 23px;">All three she gave them small gifts, and said: "Though it is not yet your birthdays, I still want to give you these small gifts today, because who knows where I'll be then!"</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
The thought of her giving birth preoccupied her. She wanted to be at that time in the Anichkov Palace. But at the night of 28 July to 29, she went into severe pain; it was the first sign of labor. She did not say anything about it, but she knew this worried the nurses and began trembling nervously at the thought of a premature birth. "Fritz, Fritz", - she cried - this is the will of God!" And an indescribable look on her eyes raised upwards had me thinking that she was praying. Her pulse was getting weak, and they sent for a priest, and Father Bazhanov to give confession and communion to her. It was eight o'clock. Between nine and ten o'clock she gave birth to a boy. The child began to cry. It was her last joy on earth, a miracle, a blessing of Heaven. </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
The child was only six months. At this moment, she called me in. "Olly", - she gasped, while I kissed her hand - "I - am mother!" Then she bowed her face, which was as white as her pillow, and immediately fell asleep. A Lutheran pastor baptized her little one with the name Fritz Wilhelm Nicholas. He lived until lunch. Adini slept peacefully, like a child. At four o'clock in the afternoon, she moved to a different life. </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
In the evening she lay, drown in a sea of flowers, with a child in her arms, in the chapel of the Alexander Palace. I sprinkled rose petals on her chest, which I brought her the day before from a bush that grew under her window. Priests and deacons who have served at the tomb, they could not sing and were stifled by their sobs. At night, she was moved to the Fortress; Fritz, Papa and all our brothers accompanied the coffin on horseback. </blockquote>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;">
I have no more strength to write about her and about the days that followed later. Anyone who has lost a loved one, know that these days are full of both love and pain. Mom would cry and this facilitated her grief. Papa, on the contrary, tried to escape from it and showed extraordinary energy. He avoided all the mourning ceremonies, and did not like tears. He did not return anymore in Tsarskoye Selo and ordered it to change the flower beds, the balcony and everything that reminded him of Adini's illness. The room in which she died, Mama's room, was divided in half; on the spot where she died, hung a large icon of St. Queen Alexandra with features that vaguely resembled that of Adini."</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoW9tq35kLySj9M0PeCp1T4_tj_UssI-1NDBOGaLlFMQxsIq1x-gysmHdt7xzL3-Cuu8CM3XolqUCcUwnoFtuEGkEZSXPn_T___8hgoBAC3-zrKd-Eb6KIiZqPjertcP24yVD20MG5j4c/s1600/McMn4RtTsFo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoW9tq35kLySj9M0PeCp1T4_tj_UssI-1NDBOGaLlFMQxsIq1x-gysmHdt7xzL3-Cuu8CM3XolqUCcUwnoFtuEGkEZSXPn_T___8hgoBAC3-zrKd-Eb6KIiZqPjertcP24yVD20MG5j4c/s200/McMn4RtTsFo.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The icon of St. Alexandra<br />
with Adini's face</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Grand Duchess Olga was not the only one who shared recollections about her sister. Adini's younger and favorite brother, Grand Duke Konstantin, whom she called "Kostya", also fondly wrote about his sister on his diary. Every year, a memorial service was held for Adini which the whole family attended. In 1860, a few months before the death of their mother, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, he perceived the image of Adini. "July 29, 1860. [...] We four brothers were in the Fortress for the memorial service for Adini. Somehow, her death suddenly and clearly came to my mind. And I wept much, and it is gratifying," he wrote on his diary.</div>
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In 1861, after the death of Alexandra Feodorovna, Emperor Alexander II bequeathed the albums belonging to their mother to his brothers and sisters. Konstantin again noted in his diary: "I got my most favorite [...] Adini and her magazines... she was involved in a magazine that I so passionately love. I am very happy. "</div>
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The Emperor Alexander II also had three portraits of Adini that he kept on his room: one on his desk, one on the wall, and the other on the door. </div>
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-21325445003686727272016-10-30T23:38:00.000+08:002016-10-30T23:38:21.768+08:00Royal Portrait: The Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna of Russia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmWA6EjgSniDDSkpZRlPeQyfs8R7pVE3qq9Fi51gzhZm4Q69bgrJgnyfYNQIodntFknOnZsipMCsUdGhXwlVHn288Gjgg_eFOIWo-Tr5jMmEmrDhtKCjgkZJLY7gLWT1E8eAecS1w5Bc/s1600/natalia+alexeievna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmWA6EjgSniDDSkpZRlPeQyfs8R7pVE3qq9Fi51gzhZm4Q69bgrJgnyfYNQIodntFknOnZsipMCsUdGhXwlVHn288Gjgg_eFOIWo-Tr5jMmEmrDhtKCjgkZJLY7gLWT1E8eAecS1w5Bc/s400/natalia+alexeievna.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>“I always get a pleasant feeling every time I see something that reminds me of her. Strangely, I love her immensely, although I have never known her, and not only because she was dear to you, but also because of all the things I heard about her; it was said that she was really a great woman: she was able to keep people’s deep affection for her.”</i></blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
–Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alexeievna about her aunt, the Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna (nee Princess Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt), the first wife of Emperor Paul I of Russia, in a letter to her mother on July 1, 1797.</div>
Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-69812232132754441692016-09-18T21:32:00.001+08:002016-09-18T21:32:42.046+08:00"A charming effect that is impossible to describe"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZ4XQEjTE1quedEtwEm55TS_zSiNBV8hlDSbF92njT_s66HchSHF1iIrMaWMYIzWdcehar9UW_ntnbGbilnefmgI6fNz181UozD3HNj6Ve8ap0G-bBej_agQX2k_C7JkTQeMoXCCCwwA/s1600/kat100054p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZ4XQEjTE1quedEtwEm55TS_zSiNBV8hlDSbF92njT_s66HchSHF1iIrMaWMYIzWdcehar9UW_ntnbGbilnefmgI6fNz181UozD3HNj6Ve8ap0G-bBej_agQX2k_C7JkTQeMoXCCCwwA/s400/kat100054p.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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"Those who were given the good fortune to see up close the Empress Elizabeth had the opportunity to judge the extreme sociability of her nature and her extraordinary judgment. Gifted with great tact and exquisite taste, having a mass of diverse and deep knowledge, she always tried to hide her talents, as opposed to that zeal and skill with which she showed to ordinary people. Her nature had the property of contemplation which allowed her to see the serious side of her surrounding; but at the same time her passion and imagination gave her a charm and grace of simplicity; combining all these qualities engendered <i>a charming effect that is impossible to describe</i>."</blockquote>
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- From an essay about the spouse of Alexander I "Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna" by Sergei Semenovich Uvarov. Published in the journal "Russian Antiquity" in 1884.</div>
Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-14753410153003438412016-09-07T20:56:00.000+08:002016-09-08T18:49:59.388+08:00Tatiana Vasilievna Engelhardt, Princess Yusupova<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7na9fjARl0AGdwGdc5xriNhJpolXeHvtczKxtdOb46P6SYiRUE9aiTM5q2mVcofbjj_sgl8TEMUPXj9PHNcdrL90tPr9QXLt4uAvtJyAloW6wLNN_6zM1ACvnNrOptbrgFdlpKNRIG5c/s1600/596507.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7na9fjARl0AGdwGdc5xriNhJpolXeHvtczKxtdOb46P6SYiRUE9aiTM5q2mVcofbjj_sgl8TEMUPXj9PHNcdrL90tPr9QXLt4uAvtJyAloW6wLNN_6zM1ACvnNrOptbrgFdlpKNRIG5c/s320/596507.jpeg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Tatiana Yusupova<br />
by Elisabeth Louise Vigee Lebrun</td></tr>
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Today my post is dedicated to the great-grandmother of the famous Russian belle and heiress, <a href="http://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2011/10/princess-zinaida-yussupova.html" target="_blank">Princess Zinaida Yusupova</a>. </div>
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Zinaida's great-grandmother was Princess Tatiana. She was actually born as Tatiana Engelhardt into a family of an impoverished gentry in Smolenk, Russia named Vasily Engelhardt. Her mother was Martha Elena Alexandrovna Potemkin, sister of Grigory Potemkin, who would go down in history as a brilliant military leader, statesman and a lover of Catherine the Great. Tatiana's childhood coincided with that period when her uncle rose to power. As a result, she and her sisters made a brilliant match because of their uncle's influence at the Russian court. Possessing both beauty and a gentle nature, and not to mention her uncle's protection, she was destined to have a bright future.</div>
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Tatiana and her five sisters were orphaned at a very young age. They were left to the care of their grandmother and as a result, they received little education and their manners were unpolished. As their uncle Potemkin rose to power, he took the sisters under his protection and brought them to the Russian court, where the Empress Catherine treated them generously. They were treated almost as grand duchesses and soon they learned how to be sophisticated and act accordingly.<br />
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Tatiana, at the age of 12, was appointed as a maid-of-honor to the Empress Catherine. And although she came from a poor province, she attracted admiration and attention at the court not only for being the niece of Potemkin but also for being a witty and lively girl. When the Duchess of Kingston visited St. Petersburg and was invited at court, she became strongly attached to the then 15 year-old Tatiana, treating her like her own daughter. The Duchess even told Tatiana that she would make her the heiress of her vast fortune if she would agree to live with her in England. Tatiana, however, refused.</div>
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Instead, her uncle arranged her to be married to her uncle and mother's cousin who was 25 years her senior, Mikhail Potemkin. Her uncle gave her a large dowry which further made her an attractive bride. The couple had two daughters, with the Empress serving as their godmother. However, the marriage did not last long - Tatiana's husband died six years later. It was a blow for her and she retired from court life, occasionally appearing only at the request of the Empress herself. </div>
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But soon enough, she met a dashing nobleman named Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, who had just returned to Russia from Italy where he was working at the embassy. He and Tatiana married in 1793 with Catherine's blessing and a year later, they had a son, Boris. Despite the promising start of their married life, Nikolai and Tatiana's marriage would be a failure and soon enough the couple started living separately. Nikolai stayed in Arkhangelskoye Grand Palace while Tatiana moved to Caprice Palace where she managed the Kupavinskaya textile plant, one of Prince Nikolai’s properties. Along with the management of her husband's estate, she also devoted her time in raising her son Boris.<br />
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Despite her wish for a more quiet and secluded life, this would prove to be almost impossible. Her intellectual pursuits and artistic inclinations attracted a group of likewise intellectual and artistic people who frequented her home including the Russian poet Gavrila Derzhavin who dedicated a poem for her entitled "To a mother who brings up her children herself", Vasily Zhukovsky and Alexander Pushkin.<br />
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Tatiana also proved to be skillful and highly competent in the management of their estates. Under her supervision, she was able to increase the already vast fortune of the Yusupovs (which is also due to her inheritance from Potemkin that amounted to 18 million rubles) and her practical ability and financial acumen made her acquired substantial properties. But people were surprised by her modest lifestyle and her disdain for flamboyance and ostentatious display of wealth and they sometimes mistook it for stinginess. However, she was spending large sums of money for charity which she donated anonymously.</div>
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Tatiana, with an eye for beauty, was fascinated with jewelry and she possessed some of the most dazzling jewelry collections. Among them was the world-famous Polar Star Diamond, the diamond earrings of Marie Antoinette, a sapphire statue of Venus, the pearl and diamond tiara of Caroline Murat and the Peregrina pearl.<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
Tatiana died in May 25, 1841 and the large fortune of the Yusupovs was inherited by her only son, Boris.<br />
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-30475882008930556762016-08-12T22:59:00.002+08:002016-08-12T22:59:13.683+08:00Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna in EnglandThe Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna of Russia and her husband, Charles, Crown Prince of Wurttemberg visited England in August 5, 1853. They were warmly received by Queen Victoria at Osborne House a few days after their arrival. The young Queen wrote to his uncle Leopold, King of the Belgians about Olga:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Olga is still very handsome as to features, figure, but she is a wraith which is a sad thing for one who was so beautiful and is so young. She is terribly thin and pale... Her manners are very dignified and pleasing."</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo courtesy of The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg</span><br />
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<br />Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-28286188349413336472016-08-06T17:24:00.000+08:002016-08-27T16:14:26.982+08:00Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Princess Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria,</b><br />
<b>Queen Consort of Prussia</b><br />
<b>by Joseph Stieler</b></td></tr>
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My post for today is about another beloved Prussian queen, Elisabeth Ludovika, consort of Frederick William IV of Prussia. The Bavarian-born princess was one of the daughters of Maximilian I, King of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden. Elisabeth, called "Elise" by her family, has an identical sister named Amalie who would become Queen of Saxony. By all accounts, Elisabeth's childhood was happy and carefree. She and her sisters were allowed to roam freely around the Nymphenburg Palace. Court atmosphere was tolerant and liberal, owing to their father's preference for a simple and bourgeois way of life. The Bavarian princesses were also taught in literature, history and geography by the philologist and theologian Friedrich Thierch. The Bavarian royal family spent their summers in Tegernsee, where the countryside greatly appealed to Elisabeth. Her visits to Tegernsee intensified her love for her homeland and she would always remain a Bavarian in heart and soul.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Portrait of Elisabeth as a Bavarian princess</b></td></tr>
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Elise's father had a keen interest to the marital prospects of his daughters. He wanted to secure a "close family relationship" with Prussia and had his intentions known to its king, Frederick William III. The King of Prussia had two sons in marriageable age in 1819. The eldest, also named Frederick William, was 24 years old, and the other one, William, was 21. The two brothers were in a search for brides when they visited Baden-Baden in 1819. At that time of their visit, the Bavarian royal family were also there at the same time, taking advantage of a health bath. Frederick William became acquainted with Elise and soon enough he found himself drawn to her unusually beautiful eyes. He wrote to a friend how he was <i>"...very struck by the beautiful eyes of Princess Elise... her lovely, graceful face, eyes as clear as the Neapolitan sky, black eyebrows, dark hair... I can only dream about her". </i>It was now apparent that the Prussian Crown Prince had fell in love with Elise. As for Elise, she reciprocated his feelings, finding him intelligent, artistic and gentle. Frederick William was clearly determined to marry her immediately, however, there were religious hindrances for the wedding to take place.</div>
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Elise was a Catholic and as a future Queen of Prussia she had to convert to Protestantism. This was something that she could not personally accept by her own self. She politely refused to convert and her strong convictions made her even more worthy and precious in the eyes of Frederick William. Despite the King's objections to the Catholic religion of the princess, he personally liked Elise. However, the couple still had to wait for four years during which political and diplomatic negotiations took place. The long wait only drew the couple closer together until finally King Frederick William III finally gave his consent for the marriage to take place. There was a condition, however, that Elise would convert as soon as possible after the marriage on her own conviction. An elated Frederick William wrote a letter to Elise in which he expressed his happiness in finally being allowed to marry the love of his life. <i>"For four years, it is your image that lives in my heart... And that I will keep this love faithfully all my whole life. I am confidently putting my happiness in your hands." </i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Frederick William IV, King of Prussia</b></td></tr>
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Frederick William and Elisabeth married on November 16, 1823 in a Catholic ceremony at Munich Residenz. They left Munich soon after and arrived in Berlin at the end of November where they was given a warm reception. They had a Protestant wedding on November 29 at the chapel of the Berlin Palace. Before the wedding, Elise's father, King Maximilian, wrote to his daughter's future father-in-law: <i>"I now commend you my dear child. I am confident that Elisabeth will endeavor to seek your grace and fatherly love. She is extremely happy and her old father as well." </i>Elise was also writing an enthusiastic letter to her brother Ludwig about the kindness of her in-laws, especially the King. <i>"I am indescribably happy. My new family is</i></div>
<i>extremely amiable. I have found here all domestic happiness and unity, just like ours."</i><br />
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The people's impression of the new Crown Princess were generally favorable, but she was unfairly compared to her husband's late mother, the popular and beautiful Queen Louise. For her part, Elise never tried to live up to her mother-in-law's image and immense popularity even though she was very much aware of the high expectations that people put on her since she was now the highest-ranking woman in the Prussian court. She did not find pleasure in social events, preferring to stay in her rooms.<br />
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Even though the match between Frederick William and Elisabeth was primarily politically motivated, it was still a love match. Their letters to each other reveal a deep mutual affection and intimacy. They also both shared a keen interest in the arts, history and architecture and Elise strongly supported her husband in all his works. After 7 years as Crown Princess, Elise finally converted to Protestantism. Frederick William was happy and proud of his wife's decision although in her heart she would always remain a Catholic. She was also constantly homesick for Bavaria, spending long periods in Tegernsee with her mother. As a sweet gesture and as a way to alleviate his wife's homesickness, Frederick William gifted her the Charlottenhof Palace in Potsdam and designed it himself in allusion to his wife's Bavarian origins. He and Elisabeth would spend their summers here.</div>
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On 1840, Frederick William became King of Prussia as Frederick William IV. He was offered to be made German Kaiser by the democratic people but he refused, saying that his "crown was made of dirt and clay" and that he was too modest to become Emperor. But in reality, he viewed his position as God-appointed one and that his kingdom was likewise given by God and that any human intervention lessen the sanctity of his kingdom.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elisabeth as Queen of Prussia</b></td></tr>
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Now as Prussia's Queen Consort, Elisabeth dipped in politics and actively supported the friendship between Prussia and Austria. She dedicated her energy for the welfare of the poor and orphans. She helped established many hospitals and schools among them the Königin-Elisabeth-Hospital in Berlin. The only one thing that was lacking for the couple was their childlessness. But despite this, Frederick William and Elisabeth remained strongly in love. Their childlessness made Frederick William's brother, William, as heir to the throne and was thus not allowed to marry the woman that he truly loves, <a href="http://arrayedingold.blogspot.com/2016/06/elisa-radziwill-and-prince-william-of.html" target="_blank">Elisabeth Radziwill.</a></div>
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When her husband became ill, she personally nursed him all throughout his long illness. Her dedication to him was greatly admired by those around her. At the death of Frederick William, Elisabeth found it hard to adjust to a life without him. Fortunately, she found support in the kindness of her niece-in-law, Princess Victoria ("Vicky"), the wife of her husband's nephew. Vicky comforted Elisabeth during the early days of her widowhood and the two women developed a closer relationship.</div>
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On her widowhood, Elisabeth withdrew from public life and stayed in Charlottenburg Palace where she dedicated her time in charity works. She was held in high regard by members of the Prussian royal family, especially her brother-in-law William, the future Emperor. While on a visit to her twin sister in Dresden in 1873, Elisabeth died. She was buried beside her husband in the Church of Peace in Potsdam.</div>
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-69518285843186447872016-07-31T05:26:00.000+08:002020-04-22T19:16:45.213+08:00Royal Portrait: Augusta Amalie, Duchess of Leuchtenberg with Her Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A beautiful portrait of Princess Augusta Amalie of Bavaria, Duchess of Leuchtenberg and Vicereine of Italy by Andrea Appiani. It was commissioned by the Princess herself as a wedding anniversary gift to her husband, Eugene de Beauharnais while he was in Eisenstadt. She was depicted here with her two eldest children, Josephine and Eugenie. Augusta was pointing with her daughter's finger on the Hungarian city of Raab where Eugene and Napoleon's troops defeated their Austrian opponents.<br />
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This portrait is courtesy of <u>Neumeister Alte Kunst-Moderne</u>.Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-7969670006218817352016-06-04T01:56:00.000+08:002020-01-02T23:25:22.582+08:00Elisa Radziwill and Prince William of Prussia: A Love Found and Lost<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Princess Elisa Radziwill as the Goddess Peri by<br />Wilhelm Hensel. She wore this costume on the<br />play "Lalla Rookh".<br />(Courtesy of Getty Images)</b></span></i></td></tr>
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Long before Kaiser William I, became King of Prussia and German Emperor, he had been in love with a pretty Polish princess named Elisa Radziwill. Theirs was a touching but poignant story; due to their ranks and the political circumstances surrounding them, the call of duty eventually outweighed their love for each other. <i>Love was not enough to conquer all. </i><br />
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Their story coincided with the political situation in Prussia towards the end of the 18th century. Prussia had successfully absorbed a large portion of Poland but the Poles proved to be uncooperative in assimilating them. However, Prussia's hope was a certain Pole named Prince Anton Radziwill, who accepted Prussian supremacy over his country and married one of its princess, Louise. He made Berlin his home and enjoyed an idyllic family life. As relatives of the Hohenzollern royal family thru his wife, Anton's children grew up in the company of their Hohenzollern cousins. One of his children, Elisabeth, grew up particularly close to Prince William, the second son of King Frederick William III of Prussia. "Elisa" as she was called, was said to be very beautiful and was musically- and artistically-gifted like her parents. Eventually William and Elisa's friendship blossomed into love. When they confessed their love for one another, William was 24 and Elisa was 18, and it was their deepest desire that someday they would marry. Their relatives were fond of the relationship between the couple seeing how they were truly devoted to each other. However, when the prospect of marriage was finally brought up, it was met with uncertainty.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Elisa's parents: Princess Louise of Prussia and Prince Anton Radziwill</b></span></i></div>
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William was the heir presumptive to the Prussian throne. His eldest brother, Prince Frederick William, was childless, and it was expected that William would eventually inherit the throne. Because of this, he was also expected to marry a princess within his rank and have children. Unfortunately, Elisa was not that princess. Although her mother was a Prussian princess by birth, she descended into her husband's rank as a mere Polish noble. Thus, Elisa was considered to be not royal enough to marry the heir to the Prussian throne.<br />
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To raise some hopes for the couple, William's father, the King of Prussia turned to Alexander I about the possibility of adopting Elisa to raise her rank, but the Russian emperor declined. Furthermore, there were laws which govern the ruling families that adoption does not change the blood. Various committee were consulted and Elisa and William went through anxious time, waiting, as the whole matter would remain undecided for the next five years . They also had to endure long periods of separation, as William was constantly away from Berlin because of his duties. Elisa wrote to her friend:<br />
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<i>"It was a sad and sorrowful time, but we found consolation in our love. We understand each other perfectly; there is no doubt, no uncertainty. On the evening before his departure for Teplitz, William spent the evening at our house. We sat in the garden till midnight, and we were able to talk alone... We talked only as brother and sister, but he spoke to me earnestly...without a hint of selfish love, that I could not repress my tears. In this short time, he has become far dearer to me than ever before, and I am determined that whatever may happen I will remain faithful to him and keep the love for him in my heart."</i></blockquote>
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As the years passed, there were intermittent hopes for the young couple. One time, the King and his two sons, Prince Frederick William and Prince Karl, visited Elisa and her family in their home in Silesia. Elisa was naturally nervous about the visit but the whole day passed without the matter being brought up. As the King and the princes prepared to leave, the King warmly embraced and kissed Elisa to which she burst into tears. The two princes were also clearly affected with sympathy for her.<br />
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For the next three years, William and Elisa did not see each other. When the opportunity finally came in 1825 to visit her beloved, William spent a whole week with Elisa, and this was certainly a time of so much happiness for them. In the end, after five years of waiting, the matter of elevating Elisa's rank was declared impossible and William's father had no choice but to demand William to give up Elisa. </div>
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William, despite his great love for Elisa, had to abide to his high sense of duty, and give up on her. He and his father later wrote to her family about the impossibility of their marriage. Elisa's first thought was that William had a change of heart and that he had now held no affection for her. She wrote to her friend: <i>"What moments of joy I have lived in these five years despite the bitter hours it brought me! What sorrow is there in this life that I have not tasted? It is enough."</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Elisa Radziwill</b></i></td></tr>
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William then spent the next months looking for a suitable princess and he found that suitability on Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Despite his upcoming marriage to Augusta, William still remained emotionally attached to Elisa and met her for the final time. Her mother described the meeting between Elisa and William: <i>"He arrived at 12 o'clock... I went to see him. His emotion was so visible and so intense that I too lost my self-control, and it was with feelings of the greatest distress that I took him to my room, where Elisa was waiting. I was sorely afraid of the effect which the meeting would have upon them both. Yet, as God willed it, so it happened. His love strengthened Elisa's heart. She is now convinced that William fulfilled the King's wish out of his strict sense of duty. She is quieter than before, and her sorrow has been softened. She knows that it was stern necessity and his father's will which intervened, and not in any inconsistency of heart in his part."</i></div>
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Soon after William's marriage to Augusta, Elisa's health deteriorated. She had been suffering from tuberculosis and she died unmarried in 1834 at the age of 31.<br />
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William never forgot about Elisa and this was seen as the primary reason why his and Augusta's marriage was not a happy one despite having two children. He admitted to his sister that he was capable of loving only once and that he remained emotionally distant to his wife. He kept a miniature portrait of Elisa on his desk until his old age and on his deathbed, he asked for it to be brought to him as he breathed his last with his first and true love by his side.<br />
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Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-11403713999671918502016-06-03T22:40:00.000+08:002017-10-05T22:51:10.659+08:00From Royal to Monastic: Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexandra of Oldenburg,<br />
Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia</td></tr>
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Another member of the Romanov family that I am writing about today is the Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, wife of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaievitch, third son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. The Grand Duchess Alexandra was a scion of the German princely family of Oldenburg, who were descended from Tsar Paul I thru his daughter, Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna. The Grand Duchess Catherine married Duke George of Oldenburg and they had two sons. The youngest one, Peter, was Alexandra's father.</div>
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Prince Peter, despite his Oldenburg title, was born and raised in Russia. He married Princess Therese of Nassau-Weilburg in 1837 and together they had eight children; Alexandra was their eldest child.</div>
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Alexandra was born in June 2, 1838 in St. Petersburg in the Mansion of Ivan Betskoy, the residence of Alexandra's parents. At the time of her birth, her father was serving in the Russian Army as Lieutenant General. The Prince had a promising career in the Russian Army but soon retired and took a post in the Russian government. He became a philanthropist and a scholar. Princess Therese, on the other hand, was highly-educated and artistic, and was very much involved in her husband's philanthropic works. With such a happy family life and exemplary parents, Alexandra grew up to be a simple and down-to-earth young girl who inherited her parents' love for charitable works and scholarly pursuits. She had a budding interest in medicine, and she was a talented painter like her mother. Her grandson Prince Roman Petrovich later recalled how her paintings were hung on frames on Znamenka Palace.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A miniature of a young Princess<br />
Alexandra <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">of Oldenburg by Vladmir Hau.</span></td></tr>
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At 14 years old, Alexandra was described as possessing a sweet and gentle face and an apparent seriousness on her expression. She first met her future husband, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich during a ball in St, Petersburg. He was a soldier most of his life and was then serving in the Life Guards Regiment. He also had a special interest in military engineering which earned him a place at the State Council. With his tall and attractive looks, he was able to enchant the young princess Alexandra. He proposed to her at the Red Drawing Room of the Anichkov Palace when she was 17 years old.</div>
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Alexandra converted from Lutheranism to the Orthodox faith on before her marriage and received the name and title Alexandra Petrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia. During the ceremony, Alexandra demonstrated her conviction to her new faith by reciting the prayers loudly and falling on her knees for many times. At the betrothal reception, Alexandra wore a luxurious blue velvet dress decorated with diamonds and among the presents she received was an emerald and diamond tiara from Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna. She and Nicholas married on 6 February 1856 in Peterhof and were given apartments at the Winter Palace for their use during the first few years of their marriage.</div>
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Nine months after the wedding, Alexandra gave birth to her first son, Nicholas, and a few years later the couple moved to their newly-built palace in St. Petersburg, the Nicholas Palace, where Alexandra gave birth to her second son, Peter, in 1864. They were also given a summer residence near Peterhof, the Znamenka Palace.</div>
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Nicholas and Alexandra's marriage was well-received by their respective families. For Alexander II, his brother's marriage was a way to anchor him for Nicholas was known to be frivolous and delights in the company of women. Alexander II was hoping that Alexandra would have a good effect on his brother. As young wife and mother, Alexandra was a hospitable and accommodating hostess to members of the imperial family. Although not particularly beautiful and was rather plain and unsophisticated, her kindness and gentle manners endeared her to her husband's family as well as to her sisters-in-law.</div>
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Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich</td></tr>
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Despite the beginning of a prosperous family life, Alexandra's marriage to Nicholas was not destined to be happy. The court life in St. Petersburg held no appeal to her and she avoided court balls as much as possible and only appeared in receptions when absolutely necessary. She dressed modestly and the endless array of jewelries donned by court ladies held no appeal to her as well. This often caused displeasure to her husband who often admired his sister-in-law, the glamorous Alexandra Iosifovna, because of her love of society and fine dresses, and envisaged in her of what a grand duchess should be. Alexandra on the other hand, was brought up in a family with deep Christian spirit, and she professed very different ideals which may seem strange to society. Initially, her husband respected and admired her interest in charities and medicine as well as her being extremely religious. He supported her causes like founding a nursing institute in St. Petersburg and a hospital in Znamenka. Despite her good works, not everyone in society admired her actions. Some members of the aristocracy started making fun of her piousness and passion for social work and even calling her an eccentric. Eventually, her husband grew tired of her increasing preoccupation with religion and began complaining of his wife's lack of glamour and distaste for society. He got a mistress, a ballerina named Catherine Chislova, to whom he subsequently had five children, and avoided seeing Alexandra.</div>
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With her husband's unfaithfulness and neglect, Alexandra's health became affected and her legs were paralyzed. Following the doctor's advice, she moved to Kiev and settled in Maryinsky Palace in the hope that she could recover. She completely rely on religion for solace and comfort. However, she was now bound to a wheelchair and decided to stay in Kiev for good. Of course, this means breaking her marital duties, but this was more than convenient for her husband, who wanted to divorce her so he could marry his mistress. Alexandra vehemently refused to grant a divorce and Nicholas hoped that he could be a widower so he could remarry, but this was not to happen; Alexandra survived him for several years and his mistress. </div>
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She then became a nun under the name "Sister Anastasia" and she founded a convent of nursing nuns dedicated in helping the poor and the sick. Alexandra died in 25 April 1900 in Kiev due to stomach cancer. She was buried in the grounds of Kievo Pechersky Monastery and on the cross of her tomb was inscribed: "There lies the remains of the servant of God: Alexandra".</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Duchess Alexandra as Sister Anastasia</td></tr>
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<a href="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85922/koshka686/4dd02f6c508b13a21538f80c5701fe08.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85922/koshka686/4dd02f6c508b13a21538f80c5701fe08.png" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px;" /></a>Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6298208290499181937.post-61857316805196154292016-04-17T22:22:00.000+08:002016-06-03T22:59:30.811+08:00Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau,</i><br />
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The first Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. She was the second wife of Luxembourg's first Grand Duke, Adolf of Nassau. Adelheid-Marie was born on Christmas Day 1833 in Dessau, a small duchy in Central Germany, the eldest daughter of Friedrich-August Prince of Anhalt-Dessau and Landgravine Marie-Luise of Hesse-Kassel.</div>
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Adelheid-Marie had two younger sisters, Bathildis and Hilda. The children grew up in the Stadtschloss Dessau in Dessau and in the Rumpenheim Castle in Offenbach. It was in Rumpenheim that the 16-year-old Adelheid-Marie met for the first time the Duke Adolf of Nassau. Adolf was 34 years old and he was a widower since 1845. His first wife was the <a href="https://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjnubW7j4zNAhVEl5QKHRiwBZEQFggZMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Farrayedingold.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fmelancholic-princess-elizabeth.html&usg=AFQjCNHeGuGVZCrXsj8yl8tREuSP7B1h1Q&sig2=nnE9P256uAx5Y5n2PjeVaA">Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia</a> but the young grand duchess, who was suffering from tuberculosis, had died in childbirth, less than a year after their marriage. The baby had died as well. Adolf was deeply affected by this tragedy that he remained a widower for almost 5 years but he had to remarry to give his duchy an heir.</div>
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Adolf and Adelheid-Marie were married two years after their first meeting, in Dessau, on April 21, 1851. They spent their honeymoon in Oranienstein Castle, and Adelheid-Marie was so enchanted by the beautiful and elegant castle that it was chosen to be their summer residence. The couple set-up their court in Wiesbaden and their official residence was the Biebrich Palace, picturesquely located in the banks of the Rhine River. They had five children:Wilhelm, the future Grand Duke William IV, Friedrich, Mary, Franz, and Hilda, future Grand Duchess of Baden.</div>
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During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Adolf sided with Austria and it proved to be a bad decision. Austria was defeated and Prussia henceforth annexed the Duchy of Nassau. Adolf and Adelheid-Marie lost their throne and lived in exile in Vienna and then Frankfurt. In 1870, Adolf bought Schloss Hohenburg in Bavaria and this became the family's new residence; in here, Adolf was able to pursue his passion for hunting while Adelheid-Marie, her love for painting. She painted numerous watercolors of landscapes and nature, and she even participated in the decoration of an Evangelical church built on a donated land; she painted the flowers on the church's pulpit and donated chandeliers for the church.</div>
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In 1879, Adolf succeeded in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Adelheid-Marie became the first Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. After the death of Adolf in 1905, Adelheid-Marie, now the Dowager Grand Duchess, stayed most of her time in Königstein. Her son, now the Grand Duke William IV died in 1912, after being ill for many years, and he was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Marie-Anne. The six princesses of Luxembourg relied heavily on their grandmother, Adelheid-Marie, for support and advice. She was responsible for their education and gave them drawing lessons. She also received numerous visits from her daughter Hilda, Grand Duchess of Baden, who had apartments in Königstein; eventually, Königstein will pass to Hilda after her mother's death. Even in her old age, the plight of the needy was still in her mind and she did not hesitate in giving patronage to various charities. In 1905, her paintings were exhibited, and the proceeds from the exhibit will be given for the benefit of the poor. </div>
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The Dowager Grand Duchess Adelheid-Marie died at the age of eighty-three years in Königstein on November 24, 1916. A funeral service was held in the village church in the middle of World War II, and among the present was the son of Emperor Wilhelm II. The people of Königstein sincerely mourned Adelheid-Marie's death and her memory is still alive today. After the funeral, her body was buried alongside her husband in the crypt of the Weilburg castle.</div>
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<a href="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85922/koshka686/4dd02f6c508b13a21538f80c5701fe08.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85922/koshka686/4dd02f6c508b13a21538f80c5701fe08.png" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px;" /></a>Gemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023075032222113979noreply@blogger.com0