#Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich

[royal-confessions]

“The two eldest sons of Emperor Pavel I (Aleksandr and Konstantin) were terribly ugly because they physically resembled him, whereas the two youngest (Nikolay and Mikhail) were more beautiful because they did not resemble him physically.” - Submitted by Anonymous

[graceofromanovs]

GODPARENTS OF NICHOLAS II

Born during his grandfather's reign on 18 May (New Style) 1868 at the Alexander Palace, Tsarkoe Selo in Saint Petersburg. He was the eldest son of Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna (then, the Tsarevich and Tsarina of Russia). He was christened on 1 June at the  Chapel of the Resurrection of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, by the confessor of the imperial family, protopresbyter Vasily Borisovich Bazhanov. His godparents were: 

ALEXANDER II, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA - his paternal grandfather, the Russian Emperor stood as one of the godparents. He became the Emperor of All Russia in 1855. Alexander’s most significant reform as emperor was the emancipation of Russia’s serfs in 1861, for which he is known as Alexander the Liberator. He was assassinated in 1881 when the young Nicholas was only 12 years-old, to which he became the heir apparent upon his death.

PRINCESS MARIE OF HESSE AND BY RHINE, EMPRESS MARIA ALEXANDROVNA OF RUSSIA - his paternal grandmother, the consort of Emperor Alexander II, was another of his godparents. Known for her intellect, she was one of the founders of the Russian Red Cross Society. However, she suffered from tuberculosis from 1863 and spent long stays in southern Europe to avoid harsh winters. Although she and her husband were unofficially separated sometime after the death of their eldest son, Maria was treated with respect and love by her surviving family. Maria passed away from illness when the young Nicholas was still a child.

PRINCESS LOUISE OF HESSE-KASSEL, QUEEN CONSORT OF DENMARK - his maternal grandmother was listed as one of his godparents. Louise became the Queen consort of Denmark upon her husband's - King Christian IX - accession in 1863, just few years before her grandson Nicholas' birth. She, herself, was a niece of another King of Denmark (Christian VIII). The great dynastic success of Louise's six children was to a great extent a result of Louise's own ambitions - through them, she was a grandmother of not only the future Tsar of Russia (Nicholas II), but also that of King George V of the United Kingdom; King Constantine I of Greece; King Christian X of Denmark, and King Harken VII of Norway.

GRAND DUCHESS ELENA PAVLOVNA OF RUSSIA - his great-great-aunt, the wife of the late Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, was one of his godparents. Born as Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, she became a close friend of his grandmother the Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and was known as an intellectual. She was also considered the most exceptional woman in the imperial family since Catherine the Great.

KING FREDERICK VIII OF DENMARK - then, the Crown Prince, his maternal uncle stood as one of his godparents. During the long reign of his father, he was largely excluded from influence and political power. Upon his father's death in 1906, he acceded to the throne at the advanced age of 62. In many ways, Frederick VIII was a liberal monarch who was much more favorable to the new parliamentary system introduced in 1901 than his father had been, being reform-minded and democratically inclined. 

Source

[palecleverdoll]

Women of Imperial Russia: Ages at First Marriage

I have only included women whose birth dates and dates of marriage are known within at least 1-2 years, therefore, this is not a comprehensive list. This data set ends with the Revolution of 1917.

Eudoxia Lopukhina, wife of Peter I; age 20 when she married Peter in 1689 CE

Catherine I of Russia, wife of Peter I; age 18 when she married Johan Cruse in 1702 CE

Anna of Russia, daughter of Ivan V; age 17 when she married Frederick William Duke of Courland and Semigallia in 1710 CE

Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I; age 17 when she married Charles Frederick I, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, in 1725 CE

Catherine II, wife of Peter III; age 16 when she married Peter in 1745 CE

Natalia Alexeievna, wife of Paul I; age 17 when she married Paul in 1773 CE

Maria Feodorovna, wife of Paul I; age 17 when she married Paul in 1776 CE

Elizabeth Alexeivna, wife of Alexander I; age 14 when she married Alexander in 1793 CE

Anna Feodorovna, wife of Konstantin Pavlovich; age 15 when she married Konstantin in 1796 CE

Alexandra Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 16 when she married Archduke Joseph of Austria in 1799 CE

Elena Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 15 when she married Frederick Louis, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1799 CE

Maria Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 18 when she married Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1804 CE

Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 21 when she married Duke George of Oldenburg in 1809 CE

Anna Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 21 when she married William II of the Netherlands in 1816 CE

Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I; age 19 when she married Nicholas in 1817 CE

Joanna Grudzinska, wife of Konstantin Pavlovich; age 29 when she married Konstantin in 1820 CE

Elena Pavlovna, wife of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 17 when she married Mikhail in 1824 CE

Maria Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 20 when she married Maximilian de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, in 1839 CE

Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II; age 17 when she married Alexander in 1841 CE

Elizaveta Mikhailovna, daughter of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 17 when she married Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, in 1844 CE

Alexandra Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 19 when she married Prince Frederick-William of Hesse-Kassel, in 1844 CE

Olga Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 24 when she married Charles I of Wurttemberg, in 1846 CE

Alexandra Iosifovna, wife of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 18 when she married Konstantin in 1848 CE

Catherine Mikhailovna, daughter of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 24 when she married Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in 1851 CE

Alexandra Petrovna, wife of Nicholas Nikolaevich the Elder; age 18 when she married Nicholas in 1856 CE

Olga Feodorovna, wife of Michael Nikolaevich; age 18 when she married Michael in 1857 CE

Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III; age 19 when she married Alexander III in 1866 CE

Olga Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 16 when she married George I of Greece in 1867 CE

Vera Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 20 when she married Duke Eugen of Wurttemberg in 1874 CE

Maria Pavlovna, wife of Vladimir Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Vladimir in 1874 CE

Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 19 when she married Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1874 CE

Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Nikolaevich; age 19 when she married Friedrich Franz III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1879 CE

Nadezhada Alexandrovna Dreyer, wife of Nicholas Konstantinovich; age 21 when she married Nicholas in 1882 CE

Elizabeth Feodorovna, wife of Sergei Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Sergei in 1884 CE

Olga Valerianovna Paley, wife of Paul Alexandrovich; age 19 when she married Erich von Pistolhkors in 1884 CE

Elizabeth Mavrikievna, wife of Konstantin Konstantinovich; age 19 when she married Konstantin in 1885 CE

Anastasia of Montenegro, wife of Nicholas Nikolaevich the Younger; age 21 when she married George Maximilianovich, Duke of Leuchtenberg in 1889 CE

Milica of Montenegro, wife of Peter Nikolaevich; age 23 when she married Peter in 1889 CE

Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, wife of Paul Alexandrovich; age 19 when she married Paul in 1889 CE

Sophie Nikolaievna, wife of Michael Mikhailovich; age 23 when she married Michael in 1891 CE

Victoria Feodorovna, wife of Kirill Vladimirovich; age 18 when she married Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, in 1894 CE

Xenia Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander Mikhailovich; age 19 when she married Alexander in 1894 CE

Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II; age 22 when she married Nicholas in 1894 CE

Olga Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 18 when she married Count George-Nicholas von Merenberg in 1985 CE

Maria of Greece and Denmark, wife of George Mikhailovich; age 24 when she married George in 1900 CE

Alexandra von Zarnekau, wife of George Alexandrovich; age 16 when she married George in 1900 CE

Catherine Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 23 when she married Alexander Baryatinksy in 1901 CE

Olga Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander III; age 19 when she married Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

Elena Vladimirovna, daughter of Vladimir Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark in 1902 CE

Natalia Brasova, wife of Michael Alexandrovich; age 22 when she married Sergei Mamontov in 1902 CE

Elisabetta di Sasso Ruffo, wife of Andrei Alexandrovich; age 31 when she married Alexander Alexandrovitch Frederici in 1907 CE

Maria Pavlovna, daughter of Paul Alexandrovich; age 18 when she married Prince Wilhelm of Sweden in 1908 CE

Helen of Serbia, wife of Ioann Konstantinovich; age 27 when she married Ioann in 1911 CE

Tatiana Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Konstantinovich; age 21 when she married Konstantine Bagration of Mukhrani, in 1911 CE

Irina Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander Mikhailovich; age 19 when she married Felix Felixovich Yusupov in 1914 CE

Nadejda Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Mikhailovna; age 20 when she married George Mountbatten in 1916 CE

Antonina Rafailovna Nesterovkaya, wife of Gabriel Konstantinovich; age 27 when she married Gabriel in 1917 CE

Nadejda Petrovna, wife of Nicholas Orlov; age 19 when she married Nicholas in 1917 CE

Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Mikhailovna; age 25 when she married Sir Harold Wernher in 1917 CE

59 women; average age at first marriage was 20 years old. The oldest bride was 31 at her first marriage; the youngest was 14.

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthdays for today, February 8th:

Yaroslav II, Grand Prince of Vladimir, 1191

Afonso IV, King of Portugal, 1291

Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor, 1405

Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg, 1487

Sakuramachi, Emperor of Japan, 1720

Gia Long, Emperor of Vietnam, 1762

Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria, 1792

Michael Pavlovich, Grand Duke of Russia, 1798

Abdülaziz, Ottoman Sultan, 1830

[graceofromanovs]

The wife of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich. During her time in Russia she became known as the "family intellectual", and was considered the most exceptional woman in the imperial family since Catherine the Great. She was among those who pushed Tsar Alexander II to abolish serfdom.

Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia (nee Princess Charlotte of Wurttemberg) wearing court dress.

[roehenstart]

Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia. 

[i-am-not-like-you-ups]

[widvile-blog]

Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess George Augustus of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (28 August 1827 - 12 May 1894)

[mea-gloria-fides]

Tsar Nicholas II with his younger brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, and cousin, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich.

[orest-kiprensky]

Portrait of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, Orest Kiprensky

[venicepearl]

Grand Duchess Maria Mikhailovna of Russia (9 March 1825 – 19 November 1846) was the firstborn child and first daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, the youngest son of Emperor Paul I of Russia, and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, the eldest daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg, who took the name Elena Pavlovna upon converting to Russian Orthodoxy. Maria died, unmarried and without issue, at the age of 21 in Vienna.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1824-1876) in 1860.

He was born in Neustrelitz as second son of George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1779-1860) and his wife Marie (1796-1880), daughter of Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen.

On 16 February 1851 in St. Petersburg, George August married Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia (1827-1894), daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and had four children.

[graceofromanovs]

GODPARENTS OF EMPEROR ALEXANDER III

Emperor Alexander III (then Grand Duke) was born as the second son of Emperor Alexander II (then Tsesarevich) on 10 March 1845, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Nicholas I. He was christened a week later at 10 am in the Winter Palace Church, St. Petersburg, by the Confessor of Their Imperial Highnesses. He had six listed godparents:

NICHOLAS I, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA - his paternal grandfather was one of his godparents present at his christening. Mainly remembered in history as a reactionary whose controversial reign was marked by geographical expansion, centralisation of administrative policies and repression of dissent. He died in 1855, when the Alexander was only 9 years-old, just a week shy from his 10th birthday.

LOUIS II, GRAND DUKE OF HESSE AND BY RHINE - his maternal grandfather was another of his godparents, but was absent at the christening. The hessian grand duke, like his paternal grandfather, was also considered a reactionary leader, he was in conflict with parliament almost his entire reign. The German revolution in 1848-49 proved his inability to govern. On March 5, 1848 he named his son Louis III as co-regent, and a year later he died.

GRAND DUCHESS ELENA PAVLOVNA OF RUSSIA - his great-aunt, the wife of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, stood as one of his godparents. Born as Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, she became a close friend of Alexander's mother the Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and was known as an intellectual. She was also considered the most exceptional woman in the imperial family since Catherine the Great.

GRAND DUCHESS OLGA NIKOLAEVNA OF RUSSIA, QUEEN CONSORT OF WÜRTTEMBERG - his aunt was one of his godparents present at the christening. She was the younger sister of his father. Attractive, cultured and intelligent, she was considered to be one of the most eligible princesses in Europe. Just three years after her nephew was born, in 1846, she married Crown Prince Karl of Württemberg. Alexander's older brother the heir apparent Nicholas died just two months before their aunt Queen consort of Württemberg. With his death, he became the next heir apparent, the 'Tsesarevich'.

GRAND DUCHESS MARIA PAVLOVNA OF RUSSIA, GRAND DUCHESS CONSORT OF SAXE-WEIMAR-EISENACH - his great-aunt was another of his godparents. One of the daughters of Emperor Paul I, the grand duchess married a German prince Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1804. She was an intellect, interested in both arts and sciences. German poet and novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe hailed her as one of the worthiest women of his time. She was the great-grandmother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Queen Victoria of Sweden.

PRINCESS MATHILDE CAROLINE OF BAVARIA, GRAND DUCHESS OF HESSE AND BY RHINE - his aunt, the wife of his uncle Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, was listed as one of the future emperor's godparents. She was the eldest daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Her marriage to Louis III was childless. She died of cancer in 1862 at the age of 48.

Source

[the-last-tsar]

 Tsarinas Consorts of the Romanov House.

Maria Vladimirovna - Maria was born in 1601 and was the first wife of Tsar Michael I. She was selected for marriage to Michael by his mother, Xenia Shestova, after several years of difficulty of finding a partner for the Tsar.  The wedding took place on 19 September 1624. Not long after the wedding, the Tsarina took ill. She died on 17 January 1625, four months after the wedding. There were rumors at the time that she had been poisoned by fractions at court determined to prevent any potential pro-Rurikid influence, or by the enemies of her father’s family.

Eudoxia Lukyanovna - Eudoxia was born in 1608 and was the second wife of Tsar Michael I. She was among those daughters of the nobility summoned to appear in the Bride-show at court, when the tsar was to select his new tsaritsa, after his first spouse had died. He eventually chose Eudoxia because of her beauty, polite behavior and mild disposition. She was described as a modest and virtuous girl, dominated by her proud relatives, who sometimes brought her to tears but still did not complain. The wedding was conducted on 5 February 1626. After the wedding, she was given several lands, and a substantial fortune of her own. Eudoxia and Michael became parents of 10 children, including the future Tsar Alexei I.

Maria Ilyinichna - Maria was born in 1624 and was the first wife of Tsar Alexei I. The tsar was to choose his bride from a bride-show of hundreds of daughters of the nobility, Maria was selected as the tsar's second choice after his first choice to marry Euphemia Fedorovna Vsevolozhskaya was annuled. Maria was reportedly a beauty. The wedding was conducted in 16 January 1648 in Moscow and the union is described as a happy one. The couple had 13 children, including  Tsar Feodor III of Russia, Tsar Ivan V of Russia, and the Princess Regent Sophia Alekseyevna.

Natalya Kirillovna - Natalya was born in 1651 and was the second wife of Tsar Alexei I. In March 1669, Tsar Alexis’ first wife, Tsarina Maria, died during the birth of what would have been their fourteenth child. The Tsar supported by the Russian public, although not by the family of Maria, decided to remarry in the hope of producing more potential heirs. The tsar arranged an inspection of women he considered eligible in early 1670, Natalya was added to this inspection following an encounter with the tsar at the home of her adoptive father, Artamon Matveyev. Alexis was impressed by Natalya's beauty, and selected her to be his bride without needing to go ahead with a planned second inspection. The couple married on 1 February 1671. Alexis and Natalya had a happy marriage, spending much of their time together in various palaces and villas around Moscow. The couple became parents of the future Tsar Peter the Great.

Agafiya Semyonovna - Agafiya was born in 1663 and was the first wife of Tsar Feodor III. In 1680, Tsar Feodor, saw her during a religious procession: when she fainted after the sight of a witch in a religious theater play he rushed forward to support her, and fell in love with her. Aware that her uncle did not wish her to marry, a traditional summon was proclaimed to all unmarried noble women to gather for Feodor to choose from, and he chose her. On 18 July 1680, she married Feodor. Agafya has been described as merciful and loyal to her husband and the public's welfare.  She could speak and write Polish, French and Latin and was well informed about the Western European life style. She could also play harpsichord. She was described as beautiful as "an angel of heaven", with an easy going character. She was the first to advocate beard-shaving and the adoption of Western clothes at the Russian court. She herself was the first Tsarina to expose her hair and to wear a Western (Polish) dress. Agafya died as a consequence of the childbirth, and six days later, the nine-days-old Tsarevich Ilya also died. She was reportedly deeply mourned by Feodor.

Marfa Matveyevna - Marfa was born in 1664 and was the second wife of Tsar Feodor III. She was the daughter of Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. She and Feodor were married on 14 February 1682, and he died only a few months later in April.

Praskovya Fyodorovna - Praskovya was born in 1664 and was the only wife of Tsar Ivan V. The marriage of Ivan V was arranged by his sister, the regent Sophia. Ivan V himself reportedly showed no inclination toward marriage and according to the Swedish diplomat Hildebrandt Horn, Praskovia was not willing to marry Ivan, but was forced to consent. The wedding took place on 9 January 1684, with the Patriarch John officiating as the ceremony. Praskovia Saltykova was at the time of her marriage described as a healthy Russian beauty, tall, with a full figure and long thick hair, as a person, she was described as religious, superstitious and not very well educated. Praskovya and Ivan had five daughters including Empress Anna of Russia.

Eudoxia Feodorovna - Eudoxia was born on 1669 and was the first wife of Tsar Peter I (the Great). She was chosen as a bride for the Tsar by his mother Natalya. She was crowned Tsarina in 1689. The Tsar could not stand her conservative relatives and soon abandoned her for a Dutch beauty, Anna Mons. Eudoxia's letters to Peter were full of complaints and exhortations of unrequited love. She was the paternal grandmother of Peter II of Russia.

Catherine Alexeyevna - Catherine was born on 1684 and was the second wife of Tsar Peter I (the Great). She was originally named Marta Helena Skowrońska, In 1705,she converted to Orthodoxy and took the new name of Catherine Alexeyevna. Afterwards she became part of the household of Prince Alexander Menshikov, who was the best friend of Peter the Great of Russia. Anecdotal sources suggest that she was purchased by him. In 1704, she was well established in the Tsar's household as his mistress, and gave birth to a son, Peter. Though no record exists, Catherine and Peter are described as having married secretly in St. Petersburg in 1707. Peter married her again (this time officially) at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 1712; she took the style of her husband and became Tsarina. They had 12 children. Peter died on 1725 without name a successor and Catherine was chosen as Empress Regnant.

Catherine Alekseyevna - Catherine was born in Prussia as Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst on 1729 and was the only wife of Tsar Peter III. The choice of Sophie as wife of her second cousin, the prospective Tsar Peter, resulted from some amount of diplomatic management in which Count Lestocq, Peter's aunt (and the ruling Russian Empress) Elizabeth and Frederick II of Prussia took part. Lestocq and Frederick wanted to strengthen the friendship between Prussia and Russia to weaken Austria's influence and ruin the Russian chancellor Bestuzhev, on whom Empress Elizabeth relied, and who acted as a known partisan of Russo-Austrian co-operation. The diplomatic intrigue failed, largely due to the intervention of Sophie's mother, Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. Historical accounts portray Johanna as a cold, abusive woman who loved gossip and court intrigues. Despite Johanna's interference, Empress Elizabeth took a strong liking to Catherine, who, on arrival in Russia in 1744 spared no effort to ingratiate herself not only with Empress Elizabeth, but with her husband and with the Russian people as well. The long-planned dynastic marriage finally occurred on 21 August 1745 in Saint Petersburg. Sophie had turned 16; The newlyweds settled in the palace of Oranienbaum, which remained the residence of the "young court" for many years to come. In 1762 Peter died and Catherine took the throne as Catherine II. Peter and Catherine were parents of Tsar Paul I.

Maria Feodorovna - Maria was born in Prussia as Duchess Sophie Dorothea on 1759 and was the second wife of Tsar Paul I. In 1776, when Grand Duke Paul (the future Paul I of Russia), became a widower, Sophie Dorothea was chosen by Frederick II of Prussia, her maternal great uncle, and by Empress Catherine II of Russia, as the ideal candidate to be Paul’s second wife. They met in a state dinner in Berlin and their engagement was quickly arranged.Sophie Dorothea arrived in St Petersburg that September, converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, and took the name Maria Feodorovna. She married Paul on 26 September 1776. In spite of her husband's difficult character, Maria Feodorovna made a success of her marriage. Paul and Maria lived at Gatchina. They were devoted to each other and had ten children including: Tsar Alexander I, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Grand Duchess Maria of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Queen Catherine of Wurttemberg and Queen Anna of the Netherlands.

Elizabeth Alexeievna - Elizabeth was born on 1779 in Germany as Princess Louise Maria Auguste of Baden and was the only wife of Tsar Alexander I. Catherine the Great was looking for a bride for her eldest grandson, the future Alexander I, and set her eyes on the Princesses of Baden, so Catherine invited Princess Louise and her younger sister Frederica, who later became Queen of Sweden, to Russia. In the autumn of 1792, the two sisters arrived in St. Petersburg. The Empress was delighted by Louise, finding her a model of beauty, charm, and honesty. Louise herself was attracted to Alexander, who was handsome. At first, Alexander was shy with his future bride — very young and inexperienced, however, the young couple soon grew fond of each other. The Princess learned Russian and converted to the Orthodox Church. The wedding took place on 28 September 1793. "It was a marriage between Psyche and Cupid", Catherine wrote to the Prince of Ligne. Elizabeth was only fourteen, her husband a year older.

Alexandra Feodorovna - Alexandra was born in Berlim as Princess  Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine of Prussia on 1798 and was the only wife of Tsar Nicholas I. In 1814, Nicholas Pavlovich, future Tsar of Russia, and his brother Michael Pavlovich, visited Berlin. Arrangements were made for Nicholas to marry Charlotte, then fifteen years old, to strengthen the alliance between Russia and Prussia. On a second visit the following year, Nicholas fell in love with the then-seventeen-year-old Princess Charlotte. The feeling was mutual, "I like him and am sure of being happy with him." She wrote to her brother. On June 1817 Charlotte came to Russia with her brother William. After arriving in St. Petersburg she converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and took the Russian name "Alexandra Feodorovna". On her nineteenth birthday, on July 1817, she and Nicholas were married in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. The couple had 7 children including Tsar Alexander II.

Maria Alexandrovna - Maria was born as Princess Maximiliane Wilhelmine Auguste Sophie Marie of Hesse and by Rhine on 1824 and was the first wife of Tsar Alexander II. In 1839, the Tsarevich Alexander, traveled to western Europe to complete his education and to search for a wife. He  stopped for one day in Darmstadt during the evening, invited to the Opera house by the Grand Duke of Hesse, Alexander was introduced to Princess Marie. Alexander was smitten by her. In June of 1939, he returned to Darmstadt to seal his engagement with Princess Marie. The Princess was received into the Russian Orthodox Church on December 1840 and became Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. The wedding took place on 28 April, 1841. The couple had 8 children including Tsar Alexander III.

Maria Feodorovna - Maria was born on 1847 at Denmark as Princess Marie Sophie Frederikke Dagmar and was the only wife of Tsar Alexander III. In 1864, Tsarevich Nicholas went to Denmark where he was betrothed to Dagmar. On April 1865 he died from meningitis. His last wish was that Dagmar would marry his younger brother, the future Alexander III. Dagmar was distraught after her young fiancé's death. The disaster had brought her very close to "Nicholas’" parents, and she received a letter from Alexander II in which the Emperor attempted to console her. In June 1866, while on a visit to Copenhagen, the Tsarevich Alexander asked Dagmar for her hand. They had been in her room looking over photographs together. She converted to Orthodoxy and became Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. The wedding took place on November 1866 in the Imperial Chapel of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. The couple had 6 children including Tsar Nicholas II.

Alexandra Feodorovna - Alexandra was born on 1872 in Darmstadt as Princess Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix of Hesse and by Rhine and was the only wife of Tsar Nicholas II. Nicholas and Alix had first met in 1884 at the wedding of Nicholas's Uncle Sergei and Alix's sister Elisabeth in St. Petersburg. When Alix returned to Russia on a several week visit in 1889, the two young people fell in love. Initially Nicholas's father, Tsar Alexander III, refused the prospect of their marriage. Alexander and his wife were both vehemently anti-German, and did not want the match with Princess Alix. While in good health, Alexander III ignored his son's demands, but began to relent when his health began to fail. In 1894 Nicholas proposed to Alix. She initially rejected him on the grounds of her refusal to convert to Orthodoxy. However, after pressure from the Kaiser, who had told her that it was her duty to marry Nicholas she accepted his second proposal. Alexandra and Nicholas were wed in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace of St Petersburg on 26 November 1894. The marriage that began that night remained exceptionally close until the pair was assassinated in 1918. The marriage was outwardly serene and proper, but based on intensely passionate physical love.

[bokaijoka]

types of my historical waifu:

1. stupid babies who need protection:

Paul I of Russia, Peter II of Russia, Peter III of Russia, Joachim Murat, Alexander Suvorov, Louis XVI.

2. harmless bastards:

Alexander Menshikov, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia, Peter Pahlen, Alexey Arakcheev, Sergey Uvarov.

3. formidable enough to kick my ass:

Napoleon Bonaparte, Frederick II, Nicholas I of Russia, Louis Nicolas Davout, Alexey Ermolov, Karl XII.

4. good enough, so my ass is likely to be fine:

Alexander I of Russia, Peter I of Russia, Elizaveta Alexeievna of Russia, Michael Miloradovich, Michael Barclay de Tolly, Peter Bagration, Fedor Ushakov, Ivan Dibich-Zabalkansky, Michael Speransky.

[historylovers]

Watercolor portrait of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna, 1840s Painter: Vladimir Ivanovich Gau.

I believe this Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna is the daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, however I’m not sure. I think she died very young.