#Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia

[empress-alexandra]

Princess Alix of Hesse (later Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia) with her sister Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, 1890.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

BORN ON THIS DAY:

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine; 1 November 1864 – 18 July 1918) was a German Hessian and Rhenish princess of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt.

She was the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine.

A granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an older sister of Alexandra, the last Russian Empress, Elisabeth became famous in Russian society for her dignified beauty and charitable works among the poor.

After the Socialist Revolutionary Party's Combat Organization assassinated her husband with a bomb in 1905, Elisabeth publicly forgave Sergei's murderer, Ivan Kalyayev, and campaigned without success for him to be pardoned.

She then departed the Imperial Court and became a nun, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent dedicated to helping the downtrodden of Moscow.

In 1918, she was arrested and ultimately killed by the Bolsheviks.

She was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1981 and by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1992 as Holy Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna (Saint Elizabeth Romanova / Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr).

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

Louis IV Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine with his two eldest daughters Princess Victoria and Princess Elizabeth, 1883.

[oceanlilacs]

Russia! My astonished child's eyes see huge palaces, beautiful parks, fountains, gardens, amazing gatherings of relatives, military parades, religious services in churches glittering with gold, jewels so breathtaking you can hardly believe they are real [... ] My eyes also see long corridors, vestibules, and halls, of a size beyond compare, opening one into another, and our feet trotting timidly over wide stretches of floors, so unbounded and polished, that we seemed to walk on ice. And everywhere, a very characteristic smell: a mixture of turpentine, Russian leather and cigarette smoke, with a fragrance, unique in its own way, that distinguished the imperial palaces. Imperial is the right word, fantastic, like in fairy tales [...] every superlative is at its place in that Russia of the Tsars, that Russia full of splendour, which today is no more...

－ Queen Marie of Romania, “Story of My Life”

[thehessiansisters]

Portrait of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia holding a fan, 1887.

[loiladadiani]

The Romanov Martyrs

I wanted to put together a little memorial that included all the members of the Romanov Family (as well as the members of their staff) that were murdered by the Bolshevik terrorists. This seems like a good week to keep them in our minds. Although we love and mourn the children especially, there were others we cannot forget.

Tsar Alexandre II was hunted down until finally blown to pieces.

Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna lost two sons and five grandchildren (no wonder she could not accept they were dead)

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was also hunted down and blown to pieces

Three Mikhailovichi brothers were murdered

Four Konstantinovichi were murdered, three of them brothers; I cannot imagine what their mother, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mavrikievna, went through...and so on.

May they rest in peace.

[graceofromanovs]

Members of the House of Romanov, the last reigning Dynasty of Russia.

From the first Romanov Russian Tsar Michael I (reigned 1613-1645) until the last Emperor Nicholas II (reigned 1894-1917). Including the 18 members of the house executed from 1918 until 1919; Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (13 June 1918). Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchesses Olga Nikolaevna, Tatiana Nikolaevna, Maria Nikolaevna, Anastasia Nikolaevna, and Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich (17 July 1918). Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Prince Ioann Konstantinovich, Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich, Prince Igor Konstantinovich, and Prince Vladimir Paley (18 July 1918). Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, Grand Duke Dmitri Konstantinovich, Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich, and Grand Duke George Mikhailovich (28 January 1919).

[adini-nikolaevna]

How was Alexander III's relationship with his brothers' wives? I know I hate Maria Pavlovna. But what did he think of his brother Sergei's wife, Elizabeth Feodorovna? I read somewhere that he considered Elizabeth the most beautiful woman in Russia. What did he think about Elizabeth, how were they between them?

Hi! You’re correct that Alexander III was less than fond of his brother Vladimir’s wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna “the Elder.” We don’t know for sure if Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich did in fact marry his significant other, Alexandra Zhukovskaya (and if he did, it was a morganatic marriage), but we do know that his father, Alexander II, did not approve of the relationship; however, Alexander III later gave Alexei and Alexandra’s son the title of “Count,” which Alexander II had refused to do; I don’t know how he felt about Alexandra Zhukovskaya, though. I believe he was fond of Sergei Alexandrovich’s wife, Elizaveta Feodorovna—she wrote a letter to Queen Victoria describing the kindness shown her by her brother-in-law Sasha. As for Pavel’s first wife, Alexandra Georgievna, I have to assume that he liked her as well—she was his niece, and to my knowledge; no one had a bad word to say about her.

[foreverinthepagesofhistory]

I read became Grand duchess elizabeth feodorovna was a foster parent is that true can you tell me more?

Yes yes I can!!!

So basically Princess Elisabeth of Hesse (1864-1918) married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia and became Elisabeth Feodorovna. Sergei had a brother named Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich and he had a wife named Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark aka Alexandra Georgievna.

Pavel married Alexandra and they had a daughter named Maria (aka Maria Pavlovna the younger) and they also had a son named Dmitri (aka Dmitri Pavlovich). While in premature labor with Dmitri, Alexandra sadly passed away in 1891 and Pavel struggled with the care of his two young children. Elisabeth and Sergei who were the children’s aunt and uncle slowly started taking on most of the childcare responsibilities and eventually became the pairs legal guardians. Pavel also married another woman morganatically and had 3 more children.

Elisabeth and Sergei never conceived but we’re known as Maria and Dmitri’s foster parents.

I hope this helps and thank you for asking!

[royalsofhistory]

Three royal women who became nuns: Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (1864–1918), Princess Alice of Battenberg (1885–1969) and Princess Ileana of Romania (1909-1991).

[otmaaromanovas]

Happy belated birthday Alexei!

119 years ago yesterday, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich was born at Peterhof Palace to Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna

Alexei’s eldest sister, Olga Nikolaevna, described the presents he received for his tenth birthday in 1914 to his former nanny: “Alexei received his first gold watch, the same as Papa’s first one, and he is terribly pleased. He takes it out of his pocket all the times and admires it.”

Alexei also received a gift from his aunt, Elizabeth ‘Ella’ Feodorovna, that once belonged to her husband, Sergei Alexandrovich. It’s unknown what the gift was exactly, but it clearly had great sentimental value to the family as ‘Uncle Sergei’ was killed in 1905, when Alexei was barely six months old.

Finally, from his grandmother Maria Feodorovna, Alexei was gifted a donkey. The Heir already had a small donkey, named Vanka, who was a gift from the Italian royals and arrived with a custom, lavishly decorated harness. The new donkey was a welcome addition to Alexei’s menagerie; he loved animals. Alexei rode around on small donkey carts, trying to steer himself around the Alexander Palace park.

Happy birthday Alexei Nikolaevich!

Sources: Correspondence of the Russian Grand Duchesses: Letters of the Daughters of the Last Tsar by George Hawkins Alexei - Russia's Last Tsesarevich: Letters, diaries and writings Part One: 1904 – 1915 by George Hawkins

[empress-alexandra]

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, 1894.

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Princess Alix of Hesse, Grand Duke Louis IV, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Prince Ernest Louis, 1888.

[csarinaalexandra]

“Always be guided by your heart rather than by your head, and your life will be transformed. Happiness does not consist in living in a palace or enjoying a large fortune; these can be lost. True happiness is something that neither men nor events can take from you. You will find it in Faith, in Hope and in Charity. Try to make those around you happy, and you will be happy yourself.” – Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia

[thehessiansisters]

Portrait of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, 1880s.

[loiladadiani]

Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna in fancy dress

Nicholas was so young he did not even have a mustache yet!