#Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna of Russia

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Princess Victoria of Battenberg and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.

Moscow. 1910.

[adini-nikolaevna]

“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…”

- Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia on Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna.

[thehessiansisters]

Painting of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia by François Flameng, 1894.

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Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna of Russia.

[glitterofthepast]

Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, ca. 1892.

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Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna.

Великий князь Сергий Александрович и его супруга великая княгиня Елизавета Федоровна.

I was able to make a hq post of the photo i just rebloged

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Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna was such an incredible woman. Her death was an absolute disgusting disgrace and I hope the men who committed the crime are burning in hell where they belong.

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Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

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Currently there is no known photos of the wedding of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Princess Alix of Hesse and By Rhine on 14 November 1894 ( 26 November 1894 N.S.) at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace.Of course they may still be in the Russian Archives,not yet released

On 19 April 1894, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia was at the wedding of Ernst-Ludwig Grand Duke of Hesse, to their mutual cousin,Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Nicholas had also obtained permission from his parents, Tsar Alexander III and Empress Marie Feodorovna, to propose to Ernst's younger sister, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine.The Emperor and Empress had initially been opposed to the match. However, Nicholas, who had first met Alix a decade earlier in St. Petersburg when Alix's sister, Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, married Nicholas's uncle, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov of was not to be dissuaded. Furthermore, Tsar Alexander's health was beginning to fail.

Shortly after arriving in Coburg, Nicholas proposed to Alix. However, Alix, who was a devout Lutheran, rejected Nicholas's proposal, as in order to marry the heir to the throne, she would have to convert to Russian Orthodoxy.However, Alix's cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, who had been at the wedding, insisted that it was her duty to marry Nicholas, despite her religious scruples.Elisabeth also spoke with her, insisting that there were not that many differences between Lutheranism and Orthodoxy. At the prompting of the Kaiser, Nicholas proposed for the second time, and she accepted.

On 1 November 1894, Alexander III died at Maly Palace, Livadia, leaving twenty-six-year-old Nicholas as the next Tsar of Russia. The following day, Alix, who had arrived at Livadia several days earlier in order to receive the dying Tsar's blessing, was received into the Russian Orthodox Church as Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna.Alix had apparently expressed her wish to take the name Catherine, but decided to take the name Alexandra on Nicholas's request.

Guests

The groom's family

•The Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia ~ mother of Nicholas II

•Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna Romanova of Russia ~ sister of Nicholas ll

•Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov of Russia ~ brother-in-law and first cousin once removed) of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia, brother of Nicholas II

•Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova of Russia, sister of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal uncle of Nicholas II

Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Romanova of Russia (the Elder) ~ paternal aunt by marriage of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal first cousin of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal first cousin of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal first cousin of Nicholas II

•Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna Romanova of Russia ~ paternal first cousin of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal uncle of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal uncle of N0icholas II

Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna Romanova of Russia ~ sisters-in-law and paternal aunt by marriage of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal uncle of Nicholas II

•Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna Romanova of Russia ~ paternal grandaunt by marriage of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov of Russia ~ first cousin,once removed of Nicholas II

•Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna Romanova of Russia ~ first cousin once removed by marriage of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Dmitri Konstantinovich Romanov of Russia ~ first cousin once removed of Nicholas II

•Duchess Vera of Württemberg, first cousin once removed of Nicholas II (representing the King of Württemberg)

•Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov of Russia ~ paternal granduncle of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich Romanov of Russia ~ first cousin once removed of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhailovich Romanov of Russia ~ first cousin once removed of Nicholas II

•Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich Romanov of Russia ~ first cousin once removed of Nicholas II

•King Christian lX of Denmark ~ maternal grandfather of Nicholas II

•King George l of the Hellenes ~ maternal uncle of Nicholas ll

•Queen Olga of the Hellenes ~ maternal aunt and first cousin once removed of Nicholas II

•Prince George of Greece and Denmark ~ first cousin of Nicholas II

•Prince Valdemar of Denmark ~ maternal uncle of Nicholas II

The bride's family

•Grand Duke Ernst-Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine ~ brother of Alexandra Feodorovna

•Princess Irene of Prussia ~ Sister of Alexandra Feodorovna

•Prince Henry of Prussia ~ brother-in-law and maternal first cousin of Alexandra Feodorovna (representing the German Emperor)

•Edward, Prince of Wales ~ uncle of both Alexandra and Nicholas (representing the Queen of the United Kingdom)

•Alexandra,Princess of Wales ~ aunt of both Alexandra and Nicholas (representing the Queen of the United Kingdom)

•The Prince George,Duke of York ~ Alexandra and Nicholas' mutual first cousin

•Alfred,Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ~ uncle of Alexandra Feodorovna and uncle by marriage of Nicholas ll

•Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna Romanova,Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ~ aunt of Nicholas ll and aunt by marriage of Alexandra Feodorovna

•Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Romania, husband of Alexandra and Nicholas' mutual first cousin (representing the King of Romania)

Foreign Royalty

•Mecklenburg : Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg ~ second cousin once removed of Nicholas II (representing the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin)

•Grand Duchy of Baden : Prince Wilhelm and Princess Maria Maximilianovna of Baden, second cousin once removed of both Nicholas and Alexandra, and first cousin once removed of Nicholas II (representing the Grand Duke of Baden)

•The Duke of Leuchtenberg, first cousin once removed of Nicholas II

Prince George Maximilianovich and Princess Anastasia of Leuchtenberg, first cousin once removed of Nicholas II and his wife

•Grand Duchy of Oldenburg : Duke Alexander Petrovich and Duchess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Oldenburg, second cousin once removed and first cousin once removed of Nicholas II (cousin of the Grand Duke of Oldenburg)

•Grand Duchy of Oldenburg : Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg ~ second cousin of Nicholas II

•Grand Duchy of Oldenburg : Duke Constantine Petrovich of Oldenburg ~ second cousin once removed of Nicholas II

•Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz : Duke Georg Alexander of Mecklenburg-Strelitz ~ second cousin once removed of Nicholas II (nephew of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz)

•Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz : Duke Karl Michael of Mecklenburg-Strelitz ~ second cousin once removed of Nicholas II

•Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg Prince Albert and Princess Helene of Saxe-Altenburg ~ third cousin once removed of both Nicholas and Alexandra, and second cousin once removed of Nicholas II (representing the Duke of Saxe-Altenburg)

[edwardslovelyelizabeth]

Portrait of Emperor Paul I’s Daughters by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun c.1796 (Hermitage) x

Depicted: Grand duchess Alexandra and Elena Pavlovna of Russia.  Elena Pavlovna is holding a medallion with their grandmother’s Catherine the Great portrait.

The famous french painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun while visiting St.Petersburg in 1795 was commissioned by Empress Catherine the Great to paint her eldest granddaughters - Alexandra and Elena. Élisabeth shared in her memoirs the impressions of both young ladies: “ Words cannot express  how many pretty women I’ve seen [at court in St.Petersburg] but the prettiest of them all are the grand duchesses (Alexandra and Elena) and princesses (Elizaveta Alexeievna and Anna Feodorovna)...Both of them [Alexandra and Elena] had angelic faces, but with very different expressions. Most astonishing was their face colour, so pure and delicate, that one might think they were eating ambrosia. The eldest, Alexandra, was a classic greek beauty and looked a lot like her bother Alexander, but the youngest Elena’s face was much more delicate.  I painted them together looking at the portrait of the Empress that they were holding in their hands. I painted them in greek but very modest tunics.  And I was so surprised when a favourite of the Empress Platon Zubov said that Her Majesty did not like that i choose these tunics. I believed this and changed the tunics for the dresses that the grand duchesses usually wore and covered their hands with ghastly sleeves. It turned out the Empress didn’t say any of this and was so kind as to tell me so herself...I did already spoil the whole idea of my painting, not to mention their beautiful hands which i painted as best as i could now were not seen.” 

Though in fact from the letter to Baron Grimm we know that Catherine the Great was not satisfied with the portrait as a whole: “...her first experience here is to paint grand duchesses Alexandra and Elena. The first one has a graceful interesting face and royal bearing, the second is an ultimate beauty and looks totally innocent. Madame Le Brun made both of them writhe on the couch, makes the youngest turn her neck to the fullest, which makes them both look like two monkeys basking in the sun...All in all, there is not only no resemblance to the originals, but both of the grand duchesses are so scarred that some people can’t say who is the eldest and who is the youngest. Madame Le Brun admirers are praising the painting till heavens, but i think it’s very bad, because it has neither taste nor grace and there is no resemblance what so ever. One must have no feelings and understanding to miss the mark so much especially when you have such original before your eyes...”

- my translation from “The Romanov Princess: the Tsars Daughters” by E.V. Prokofieva, M.V. Skuratovskaya, S.A. Annina (2016) 

[adini-nikolaevna]

“We love her more and more every day. And yet I sometimes cannot believe that she is Pavel's wife and will remain with us forever. It's so wonderful!”

- Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna of Russia on her new sister-in-law, Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna. Sadly, Alexandra died giving birth to her son, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, aged only twenty-one.

[thehessiansisters]

Full length portrait of Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse and by Rhine, with Princess Alix and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, 1890s.

[epoque-victorienne]

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Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna of Russia.

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Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna (neé Princess of Hesse und by Rhine) in Russian Court dress, ca 1892. Photo colored by me.