Emperor of All Russia Alexander II (1818 - 1881), The Tsar of Poland and the Grand Duke of Finland (since 1855) from the Romanov dynasty, was married twice. His first wife was Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse. True, the mother of the Tsarevich was against marriage, suspecting that the princess was actually born from the chamberlain of the duke, but Nicholas I simply adored his daughter-in-law. In the august marriage of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna eight children were born. However, soon the relationship in the family went wrong and the emperor began to make himself a favorite.
So in 1866 he hooked up with an 18 year old Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukova. She became the closest person to the king Alexander II and moved to the Winter Palace. From Alexander II she gave birth four illegitimate children. After the death of the Empress Maria Alexandrovna, EmperorAlexander II and Ekaterina Dolgorukova got married than legitimized common children. Who were the descendants of Emperor Alexander II - you will learn from our material.

Alexandra Alexandrovna
Alexandra was the first and long-awaited child of the grand ducal couple. She was born on August 30, 1842. The birth of a granddaughter was especially expected by Emperor Nicholas I. The next day, happy parents received congratulations. On the ninth day, the Grand Duchess was transferred to the chambers prepared for her and the child. Maria Alexandrovna expressed a desire to feed her daughter on her own, but the emperor forbade this.

On August 30, the girl was baptized in the Tsarskoye Selo Church, but unfortunately, the little Grand Duchess did not live long. She fell ill with meningitis and died suddenly on June 28, 1849, before she was 7 years old. Since then, girls in the imperial family were no longer called Alexandra. All the princesses with the name of Alexander mysteriously died before reaching the age of 20.

Nikolai Alexandrovich

Tsarevich Nicholas was born September 20, 1843 and was named after his grandfather Nicholas I. Emperor Nicholas I was so excited about the birth of the heir to the throne that he ordered his sons - the Grand Dukes Constantine and Michael , - kneel before the cradle and take an oath of allegiance to the future Russian emperor. But the Tsarevich was not destined to become a ruler.
Nicholas grew up as a universal favorite: his grandfather and grandmother doted on him, but his mother, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, was most attached to him. Nicholas was well brought up, polite, courteous. Friends with his second cousin Evgenia Maksimilianovna Romanovskaya, Princess of Oldenburg who was the third daughter in the family of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna (1845 - 1925) from her first marriage to Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg from Bavaria. There were even negotiations about the wedding of the Tsarevich Nicholas and Evgenia , but in the end, the mother of the princess, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, refused.
In 1864, the Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich went abroad. There he is on his 21st birthday got engaged to the princess Maria Sophia Frederica Dagmar (1847-1928) , who later became the wife of Alexander III - Maria Feodorovna, mother of the last emperor of Russia, Nicholas II. Everything was perfect until while traveling in Italy Nikolai Alexandrovich suddenly did not fall ill, he was treated in Nice, but in the spring of 1865, Nikolai's condition began to deteriorate.

On April 10, Emperor Alexander II arrived in Nice, and on the night of the 12th, the Grand Duke Nicholas died after a four-hour agony from tuberculous meningitis. The body of the heir was delivered to Russia on the Alexander Nevsky frigate. Mother Maria Alexandrovna was inconsolable and, it seems, never fully recovered from the tragedy. After years Emperor Alexander III named his eldest son in honor of his brother Nicholas whom he "loved more than anything in the world."

Alexander Alexandrovich

Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich was two years younger than his older brother Nikolai, and by the will of fate it was he who was destined to ascend the Russian throne and become Emperor Alexander III . Since Nicholas was being prepared for the reign, Alexander did not receive an appropriate education, and after the sudden death of his brother, he had to take an additional course of science necessary for the ruler of Russia.

In 1866, Alexander became engaged to Princess Dagmar. The ascension of Emperor Alexander III to the throne was also overshadowed by the sudden his father's death in 1881 As a result of a terrorist act, Emperor Alexander II died. After such a brutal murder of Emperor Alexander, his son did not support his father's liberal ideas, his goal was to suppress protests. Emperor Alexander III followed a conservative policy. So, instead of the draft “Loris-Melikov constitution” supported by his father, the new emperor adopted the “Manifesto on the inviolability of autocracy”, compiled by Pobedonostsev, who had a great influence on the emperor.

During the reign of Alexander III, administrative pressure was intensified in Russia, the beginnings of peasant and city self-government were eliminated, censorship was strengthened, the military power of Russia was strengthened, namely, Emperor Alexander III said that "Russia has only two allies - the army and the navy." Indeed, during the reign of Alexander III there was a sharp decrease in protests, so characteristic of the second half of his father's reign. Terrorist activity in the country also began to decline, and from 1887 until the beginning of the 20th century there were no terrorist attacks in Russia.

Despite the buildup of military power, during the reign of Alexander III Russia has not waged a single war, for maintaining peace, the emperor received the name Peacekeeper. Alexander III bequeathed his ideals to his heir and the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

Vladimir Alexandrovich

Grand Duke Vladimir was born in 1847 and devoted his life to a military career. He participated in the Russian-Turkish war, since 1884 he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and the St. Petersburg Military District. In 1881, his brother Emperor Alexander III appointed him regent in case of his death before the age of Tsarevich Nicholas, or in the event of the latter's death.
Grand Duke Vladimir ordered Prince Vasilchikov to use force against the procession of workers and residents of the city, which was heading towards the Winter Palace on Sunday, January 9, 1905, known as "Bloody Sunday".

After a high-profile scandal with the marriage of his son Cyril, Grand Duke Vladimir was forced to leave his post as Commander of the Guards and the St. Petersburg Military District. His senior son Cyril married the former wife of the brother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Princess Victoria-Melita of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who was second daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. Even despite the blessing of Cyril's mother Maria Pavlovna, the Highest permission was not given for this marriage, since, having married a divorced woman, Cyril and all his subsequent descendants (“Kirillovichi”) lost their right to the throne. Vladimir was a well-known philanthropist and was even the president of the Academy of Arts. In protest against his role in the execution of workers and townspeople, the artists Serov and Polenov left the Academy.

Aleksey Aleksandrovich

Fifth child Emperor Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna Since childhood, he was enrolled in military service - in the Guards crew and the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky and Jaegersky regiments. His fate was sealed, he was being prepared for military service.
In 1866, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was promoted to lieutenant of the fleet and lieutenant of the guard. Participated in the voyage of the frigate "Alexander Nevsky", which on the night of September 12-13, 1868 was wrecked in the Jutland Strait. The commander of the frigate "Alexander Nevsky" noted the courage and nobility of the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, who refused to leave the ship, and four days later he was promoted to staff captain and adjutant wing.
In 1871 became a senior officer of the frigate "Svetlana", on which he reached North America, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and, having visited China and Japan, arrived in Vladivostok, from where he reached St. Petersburg by land through all of Siberia.

In 1881 Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was appointed a member of the State Council, and in the summer of the same year - Chief of the Navy and the Naval Department with the rights of Admiral General and Chairman of the Admiralty Council. During the management of the Russian fleet, he carried out a number of reforms, introduced a naval qualification, increased the number of crew, arranged the ports of Sevastopol, Port Arthur and others, expanded the docks in Kronstadt and Vladivostok.
At the end of the Russo-Japanese War, after the Tsushima defeat, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich resigned and was dismissed from all naval posts. He was considered one of the responsible for the defeat of Russia in the war with Japan. Died Prince Alexei in Paris in 1908.

Maria Alexandrovna

Grand Duchess Maria was born in 1853, and grew up as a "weak" girl, but despite the prescriptions of doctors, the father did not look for his soul in his daughter. In 1874 Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna married Prince Alfred (1844-1900), Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Ulster and Kentsecond son of the British Queen Victoria and Albert (1819-1861). Emperor Alexander II gave his daughter as a dowry the unimaginable sum of 100,000 pounds and an annual allowance of 20,000 pounds.

Emperor Alexander II insisted that in London his daughter should be addressed only as " Her Imperial Highness" and that she took precedence over the Princess of Wales. This did not please Queen Victoria, however after marriage, the requirements of the Russian emperor were met.

On August 22, 1893, the husband of Grand Duchess Maria was an admiral of the Royal Navy Prince Alfred became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as his older brother Edward abdicated. " Her Imperial Highness" Maria became a duchess Saxe-Coburg-Gotha , retaining the title of Duchess of Edinburgh. However, tragedy befell their family.

Children Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and Prince Alfred (1844-1900):

Their eldest son, Crown Prince Alfred (1874-1899), was engaged to Duchess Elsa of Württemberg. However, Alfred was convicted of extramarital affairs and in 1898 he began to show severe symptoms of syphilis. It is believed that the disease shook his mind. In 1899, he shot himself with a revolver during a solemn family gathering on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his parents' marriage. On February 6, he died at the age of 24. A year later, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha died of cancer. The Dowager Duchess Maria remained to reside in Coburg.

Their eldest daughter Princess Mary (1875-1936) married, January 10, 1893, to King Ferdinand I of Romania(1865-1927); left offspring.

Their daughter - Princess Victoria Melita (1876-1936) married, April 19, 1894, to Ernest Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse; left offspring; divorced 21 December 1901
Second marriage Victoria Melita- October 8, 1905, with the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich; left offspring.

Their daughter - Princess Alexandra(1878-1942) married, April 20, 1896, for Ernest of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; left offspring.

Them daughter Princess Beatrice(1884-1966) married, July 15, 1909, to Don Alfonso, Infante of Spain, 3rd Duke of Gallieria; left offspring

Sergey Aleksandrovich

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905) became Governor-General of Moscow (1891-1904) in 1884 married Elizaveta Feodorovna (at birth - Elizabeth Alexandra Louise Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt), the second daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Ludwig IV and Princess Alice, granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria.

With him the Moscow Art and Public Theater was opened, in order to take care of the students, he ordered the construction of a hostel at Moscow University. The dark episode of his reign in Moscow was tragedy on the Khodynka field on May 30, 1896. In t On the occasion of the coronation of Nicholas II, there was a stampede, where, according to official figures, 1,389 people died and another 1,300 people were seriously injured. The public found Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich guilty and nicknamed him "Prince Khodynsky", Emperor Nicholas II - "Bloody".

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich supported monarchist organizations and was a fighter against the revolutionary movement. He died on the spot in a terrorist attack in 1905. At the entrance to the Nikolaevskaya Tower, a bomb was thrown into his carriage, which tore apart the carriage of Grand Duke Sergei. The attack was carried out by Ivan Kalyaev from the "Combat Organization of the Party of Socialist Revolutionaries." He planned to carry out a terrorist attack two days earlier, but was unable to throw a bomb into the carriage, which was the wife and nephews of the Governor-General - Maria and Dmitry. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, founder of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent in Moscow. It is known that the widow of Prince Elizabeth visited her husband's killer in prison and forgave him on behalf of her husband.

At Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Elizaveta Feodorovna did not have their own children, but they raised the children of their brother Sergei Alexandrovich, Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, Maria and Dmitry , whose mother, Alexandra Grigoryevna, died in childbirth.

Pavel Alexandrovich

made a military career, possessed not only Russian, but also foreign orders and badges of honor. He was married twice. He made his first marriage in 1889 with his cousin, Greek princess Alexandra Georgievna, who gave birth to him two children - Maria and Dmitry, but died during childbirth at the age of 20. The children were raised by their brother Pavel Aleksandrovich by the Moscow Governor-General Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna.

10 years after the death of his wife Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich married a second time, to a divorced Olga Valerievna Pistolkors. Since the marriage was unequal, they could not return to Russia. In 1915, Olga Valerievna received for herself and the children of Prince Pavel Alexandrovich a Russian title of princes Paley . They had three children: Vladimir, Irina and Natalia.

Soon after the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne, the Provisional Government took measures against the Romanovs. Vladimir Paley was exiled to the Urals in 1918 and then executed. Pavel Alexandrovich himself was arrested in August 1918 and sent to prison.

In January of the following year, Pavel Alexandrovich, along with his cousins, Grand Dukes Dmitry Konstantinovich, Nikolai Mikhailovich and Georgy Mikhailovich, were shot in the Peter and Paul Fortress in response to the murder of Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht in Germany.

Georgy Alexandrovich

Georgy Alexandrovich (1872 - 1913) was born out of wedlock, but after marriage Alexander II with Princess Dolgoruky, June 6, 1880, the emperor wanted to equalize the rights of his morganatic children from Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgoruky with his legitimate heirs to the throne from an alliance with Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and his decree was sent to the Senate: marriage with Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgoruky, we order her to be given the name of Princess Yuryevskaya with the title of Lordship. We order that the same name with the same title be given to our children: to our son George, daughters Olga and Ekaterina, as well as those who may subsequently be born, we grant them all the rights belonging to legitimate children in accordance with Article 14 of the Fundamental Laws of the Empire and Article 147 of the Establishment of the Imperial Family. Alexander".

Prince George received the title Most Serene Prince Yuryevsky.

After the assassination of the father-emperor Alexander II, His Serene Highness Prince Georgy Alexandrovich together with sisters - Ekaterina and Olga, and mother, Princess Ekaterina Dolgoruky , left for France.

In 1891 Prince George Alexandrovich graduated from the Sorbonne with a bachelor's degree, then returned to Russia, where he continued his studies. He served in the Baltic Fleet, studied at the dragoon department of the Officer Cavalry School.

February 4 1900 His Serene Highness Prince George married with Countess Alexandra Konstantinovna Zarnekau (1883-1957), daughter of Prince Konstantin Petrovich of Oldenburg from a morganatic marriage with Countess Alexandra Zarnekau, nee Dzhaparidze. The marriage is dissolved. On October 17, 1908, Alexandra Zarnekau married Lev Vasilyevich Naryshkin.

Most Serene Prince George b He was seconded to the 2nd squadron of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, in 1908 he retired. After 4 years, he died of jade in Magburg, German Empire. He was buried in Wiesbaden at the Russian cemetery.

Children His Serene Highness Prince George and Countess Alexandra Zarnekau:

Son Alexander (December 7 (20), 1900, Nice, France - February 29, 1988).
Grandson George (Hans-Georg) (born December 8, 1961, St. Gallen, Switzerland)

Olga Alexandrovna

Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya Olga Alexandrovna was born in 1882, a year after her elder brother George. It is interesting that Emperor Alexander II chose the title for children not by chance. It was believed that the princely family of his second wife Ekaterina Dolgoruky originates from Prince Yuri Dolgoruky of the Rurik family. It is known that the ancestor of the Dolgoruky was Prince Ivan Obolensky, who received this nickname for his vindictiveness. Prince Ivan Obolensky was a second cousin of Yuri Dolgoruky - Vsevolod Olgovich.

Most Serene Princess Olga Yurievskaya published in 1895 married the grandson of Alexander Pushkin -count Georg-Nicholas von Merenberg and became known Countess von Merenberg . In marriage, she gave birth to a spouse 12 children.

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna

The youngest daughter of Emperor Alexander II, the Most Serene Princess Ekaterina Yurievskaya (1878 - 1959) twice unsuccessfully married and became a singer. After the accession of Emperor Nicholas II, the Most Serene Princess Catherine, together with her mother, Princess Catherine Dolgoruky, her brother Georgy and sister Olga, returned to Russia.

In 1901, the Most Serene Princess Ekaterina Yuryevskaya married the staff captain Alexander Vladimirovich Baryatinsky (1870-1910), one of the heirs of an ancient family Rurikovich who gave the world several saints, including the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and the holy noble Prince Michael of Chernigov. Alexander Vladimirovich on his father's side is the grandson of Lieutenant General Prince Anatoly Baryatinsky (1821-1881) and the cousin of Field Marshal Prince.

Prince Aleksandr VladimirovichBaryatinsky was one of the richest people in Russia, which allowed him to lead a luxurious and sometimes thoughtless life. Since 1897, he was in an open relationship with the famous beauty Lina Cavalieri and spent a lot of money on her. His passion for Cavalieri was so serious that he asked Emperor Nicholas II to give him permission to marry her. Baryatinsky's parents did everything to prevent this from happening, and in October 1901, Prince Alexander Boryatinsky married the princess Ekaterina Yurievskaya.

The Most Serene Princess Catherine, loving her husband, tried to win his attention from Lina Cavalieri, but it was all in vain. The three of them went everywhere - performances, operas, dinners, some even lived together in a hotel. Their love triangle fell apart with the death of Prince Boryatinsky, the inheritance passed to the children of Catherine - the princes Andrei (1902-1944) and Alexander (1905-1992). Since the children were minors in 1910, their mother, Ekaterina Yuryevskaya, became their guardian.

After World War I, they moved from Bavaria to the Baryatinsky estate in Ivanovsky. Soon Ekaterina Yurievskaya met a young guards officer Prince Sergei Obolensky and married him. After the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia princes Boryatinsky lost everything and left on false documents to Kyiv, and then to Vienna and further to England. For the sake of earning money, the Serene Princess Ekaterina Yuryevskaya began to sing in living rooms and at concerts. The death of Ekaterina Dolgoruky's mother did not improve the financial situation of the princess.

AT In 1922, Prince Sergei Obolensky left his wife Ekaterina Yuryevskaya for another rich lady, miss Alice Astor, daughter of millionaire John Astor. Abandoned by her husband, Ekaterina Yuryevskaya became a professional singer. For many years she lived in allowance from Queen Mary, widow of George V, but after her death in 1953 she was left without a livelihood. She sold her property and died in 1959 in a nursing home on Hayling Island.

According to the article

The Russian Emperor Alexander II was born on April 29 (17 according to the old style) in 1818 in Moscow. The eldest son of the Emperor and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. After his father's accession to the throne in 1825, he was proclaimed heir to the throne.

He received an excellent education at home. His mentors were lawyer Mikhail Speransky, poet Vasily Zhukovsky, financier Yegor Kankrin and other outstanding minds of that time.

He inherited the throne on March 3 (February 18, according to the old style), 1855, at the end of an unsuccessful year for Russia, which he managed to complete with minimal losses for the empire. He was married to the kingdom in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on September 8 (August 26, according to the old style), 1856.

On the occasion of the coronation, Alexander II announced an amnesty for the Decembrists, Petrashevites, participants in the Polish uprising of 1830-1831.

The transformations of Alexander II affected all spheres of activity of Russian society, forming the economic and political contours of post-reform Russia.

On December 3, 1855, the Supreme Censorship Committee was closed by imperial decree and the discussion of state affairs became open.

In 1856, a secret committee was organized "to discuss measures to arrange the life of the landlord peasants."

On March 3 (February 19, according to the old style), 1861, the emperor signed the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and the Regulations on peasants who emerged from serfdom, for which he was called the "tsar-liberator". The transformation of the peasants into a free labor force contributed to the capitalization of agriculture and the growth of factory production.

In 1864, by issuing the Judicial Statutes, Alexander II separated the judiciary from the executive, legislative and administrative powers, ensuring its complete independence. The process became public and competitive. The police, financial, university and all secular and spiritual educational system as a whole was reformed. By 1864, the beginning of the creation of all-estate zemstvo institutions, which were entrusted with the management of economic and other public issues in the field, also dates back. In 1870, on the basis of the City Regulations, city dumas and councils appeared.

As a result of reforms in the field of education, self-government became the basis for the activities of universities, and secondary education for women was developed. Three Universities were founded - in Novorossiysk, Warsaw and Tomsk. Innovations in the press significantly limited the role of censorship and contributed to the development of the mass media.

By 1874, the army was re-equipped in Russia, a system of military districts was created, the Ministry of War was reorganized, the officer training system was reformed, general military service was introduced, the term of military service was reduced (from 25 to 15 years, including service in the reserve), corporal punishment was abolished .

The emperor also established the State Bank.

The internal and external wars of Emperor Alexander II were victorious - the uprising that broke out in 1863 in Poland was suppressed, the Caucasian War ended (1864). According to the Aigun and Beijing treaties with the Chinese Empire, Russia annexed the Amur and Ussuri regions in 1858-1860. In 1867-1873, the territory of Russia increased due to the conquest of the Turkestan Territory and the Ferghana Valley and the voluntary entry into the vassal rights of the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khiva Khanate. At the same time, in 1867, overseas possessions - Alaska and the Aleutian Islands were ceded to the United States, with which good relations were established. In 1877 Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. Turkey suffered a defeat that predetermined the state independence of Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro.

© Infographic

© Infographic

The reforms of 1861-1874 created the prerequisites for a more dynamic development of Russia, increased the participation of the most active part of society in the life of the country. The reverse side of the transformations was the aggravation of social contradictions and the growth of the revolutionary movement.

Six attempts were made on the life of Alexander II, the seventh was the cause of his death. The first was the shot of the nobleman Dmitry Karakozov in the Summer Garden on April 17 (4 according to the old style), 1866. By a lucky chance, the emperor was saved by the peasant Osip Komissarov. In 1867, during a visit to Paris, the leader of the Polish liberation movement, Anton Berezovsky, attempted on the emperor. In 1879, the populist revolutionary Alexander Solovyov tried to shoot the emperor with several revolver shots, but missed. The underground terrorist organization "Narodnaya Volya" purposefully and systematically prepared regicide. The terrorists blew up the tsarist train near Aleksandrovsk and Moscow, and then in the Winter Palace itself.

The explosion in the Winter Palace forced the authorities to take extraordinary measures. To fight the revolutionaries, the Supreme Administrative Commission was formed, headed by General Mikhail Loris-Melikov, popular and authoritative at that time, who actually received dictatorial powers. He took harsh measures to combat the revolutionary terrorist movement, while at the same time pursuing a policy of bringing the government closer to the "well-intentioned" circles of Russian society. So, under him in 1880, the Third Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery was abolished. Police functions were concentrated in the Police Department, formed within the Ministry of the Interior.

On March 14 (Old Style 1), 1881, as a result of a new attack by the Narodnaya Volya, Alexander II was mortally wounded on the Ekaterininsky Canal (now the Griboedov Canal) in St. Petersburg. The explosion of the first bomb thrown by Nikolai Rysakov damaged the royal carriage, wounded several guards and passers-by, but Alexander II survived. Then another thrower, Ignatius Grinevitsky, came close to the tsar and threw a bomb at his feet. Alexander II died a few hours later in the Winter Palace and was buried in the family tomb of the Romanov dynasty in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. On the site of the death of Alexander II in 1907, the Church of the Savior on Blood was erected.

In the first marriage, Emperor Alexander II was with Empress Maria Alexandrovna (nee Princess Maximilian-Wilhelmina-August-Sophia-Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt). The emperor entered into a second (morganatic) marriage with Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukova, granted the title of Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya, shortly before her death.

The eldest son of Alexander II and heir to the Russian throne, Nikolai Alexandrovich, died in Nice of tuberculosis in 1865, and the throne was inherited by the emperor's second son, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (Alexander III).

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Romanov
Years of life: April 17 (29), 1818, Moscow - March 1 (13), 1881, St. Petersburg
Emperor of All Russia, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland 1855-1881

From the Romanov dynasty.

He was awarded a special epithet in Russian historiography - the Liberator.

He is the eldest son of the imperial couple Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna, daughter of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III.

Biography of Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov

His father, Nikolai Pavlovich, was the Grand Duke at the time of his son's birth, and in 1825 he became emperor. From childhood, his father began to prepare him for the throne, and considered it a duty to “reign”. The mother of the great reformer, Alexandra Feodorovna, was a German who converted to Orthodoxy.

He received an education corresponding to his origin. His main mentor was the Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky. He managed to raise the future king as an enlightened person, a reformer, not deprived of artistic taste.

According to numerous testimonies, in his youth he was very impressionable and amorous. During a trip to London in 1839, he fell in love with the young Queen Victoria, who later became for him the most hated ruler in Europe.

In 1834, the 16-year-old youth became a senator. And in 1835 a member
Holy Synod.

In 1836, the heir to the throne received the military rank of major general.

In 1837 he went on his first trip to Russia. He visited about 30 provinces, drove to Western Siberia. And in a letter to his father he wrote that he was ready "to strive for the work for which God has ordained me."

1838 - 1839 were marked by travels in Europe.

On April 28, 1841, he married Princess Maximilian Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt, who received the name Maria Alexandrovna in Orthodoxy.

In 1841 he became a member of the State Council.

In 1842, the heir to the throne entered the Cabinet of Ministers.

In 1844 he received the rank of full general. For some time he even commanded the guards infantry.

In 1849, he received military educational institutions and secret committees for peasant affairs in his charge.

In 1853, at the beginning of the Crimean War, he commanded all the troops of the city.

Emperor Alexander 2

March 3 (February 19), 1855 became emperor. Having accepted the throne, he also accepted the problems of his father left behind. In Russia at that time the peasant question was not resolved, the Crimean War was in full swing, in which Russia suffered constant setbacks. The new ruler had to carry out forced reforms.

March 30, 1856 Emperor Alexander II signed the Peace of Paris, thus ending the Crimean War. However, the conditions for Russia turned out to be unfavorable, she became vulnerable from the sea, she was forbidden to have naval forces in the Black Sea.

In August 1856, on the day of the coronation, the new emperor announced an amnesty for the Decembrists, and also suspended recruiting for 3 years.

Reforms of Alexander 2

In 1857, the tsar intends to free the peasants, "without waiting for them to free themselves." He established a Secret Committee dealing with this issue. The result was the Manifesto on the liberation of the peasantry from serfdom and the Regulations on peasants emerging from serfdom, published on March 3 (February 19), 1861, according to which the peasants received personal freedom and the right to freely dispose of their property.

Among other reforms carried out by the tsar, there is a reorganization of the educational and legal systems, the actual abolition of censorship, the abolition of corporal punishment, and the creation of zemstvos. He carried out:

• Zemstvo reform on January 1, 1864, according to which issues of local economy, primary education, medical and veterinary services were entrusted to elected institutions - district and provincial zemstvo councils.
• The city reform of 1870 replaced the previously existing class city administrations with city dumas elected on the basis of a property qualification.
• The Judicial Charter of 1864 introduced a unified system of judicial institutions based on the formal equality of all social groups before the law.

In the course of military reforms, a systematic reorganization of the army was launched, new military districts were created, a relatively harmonious system of local military administration was created, the military ministry itself was reformed, operational command and control of troops was carried out and their mobilization. By the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. the entire Russian army was armed with the latest breech-loading rifles.

During the educational reforms of the 1860s. a network of public schools was created. Together with the classical gymnasiums, real gymnasiums (schools) were created, in which the main emphasis was on teaching the natural sciences and mathematics. The published Charter of 1863 for higher educational institutions introduced partial autonomy for universities. In 1869, the first higher women's courses in Russia with a general education program were opened in Moscow.

Imperial policy of Alexander 2

He confidently and successfully led the traditional imperial policy. Victories in the Caucasian War were won in the first years of his reign. The advance to Central Asia was successfully completed (in 1865-1881, most of Turkestan became part of Russia). After a long resistance, he decided to go to war with Turkey in 1877-1878, in which Russia won.

On April 4, 1866, the first attempt was made on the emperor's life. The nobleman Dmitry Karakozov fired at him, but missed.

In 1866, the 47-year-old Emperor Alexander II entered into an extramarital affair with a 17-year-old maid of honor, Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgoruky. Their relationship lasted for many years, until the death of the emperor.

In 1867, the tsar, seeking to improve relations with France, negotiated with Napoleon III.

On May 25, 1867, there was a second assassination attempt. In Paris, the Pole Anton Berezovsky shoots at the carriage where the tsar, his children and Napoleon III were. The rulers were saved by one of the officers of the French guard.

In 1867 Alaska (Russian America) and the Aleutian Islands were sold to the United States for $7.2 million in gold. The expediency of the acquisition of Alaska by the United States of America became apparent 30 years later, when gold was discovered in the Klondike and the famous "gold rush" began. The declaration of the Soviet government of 1917 announced that it did not recognize the agreements concluded by tsarist Russia, so Alaska should belong to Russia. The sale agreement was carried out with violations, so there are still disputes about the ownership of Alaska by Russia.

In 1872, Alexander joined the Union of the Three Emperors (Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary).

The years of the reign of Alexander 2

During the years of his reign, a revolutionary movement developed in Russia. Students unite in various unions and circles, often sharply radical, while for some reason they saw the guarantee of the liberation of Russia only if the tsar was physically destroyed.

On August 26, 1879, the executive committee of the Narodnaya Volya movement decided to assassinate the Russian tsar. This was followed by 2 more assassination attempts: on November 19, 1879, an imperial train was blown up near Moscow, but again the emperor was saved by chance. On February 5, 1880, there was an explosion in the Winter Palace.

In July 1880, after the death of his 1st wife, he secretly married Dolgoruky in the church of Tsarskoe Selo. The marriage was morganatic, that is, unequal in gender. Neither Catherine nor her children received any class privileges or succession rights from the emperor. They were granted the title of the Most Serene Princes of Yuryevsky.

On March 1, 1881, the emperor was mortally wounded as a result of another assassination attempt by I.I. Grinevitsky, who threw the bomb, and died on the same day from blood loss.

Alexander II Nikolaevich went down in history as a reformer and liberator.

Was married twice:
First marriage (1841) with Maria Alexandrovna (07/1/1824 - 05/22/1880), nee Princess Maximilian-Wilhelmina-August-Sophia-Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Children from first marriage:
Alexandra (1842-1849)
Nicholas (1843-1865), brought up as heir to the throne, died of pneumonia in Nice
Alexander III (1845-1894) - Emperor of Russia in 1881-1894.
Vladimir (1847-1909)
Alexey(1850-1908)
Maria (1853-1920), Grand Duchess, Duchess of Great Britain and Germany
Sergei (1857-1905)
Pavel (1860-1919)
The second, morganatic, marriage to an old (since 1866) mistress, Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (1847-1922), who received the title of Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya.
Children from this marriage:
Georgy Alexandrovich Yuryevsky (1872-1913), married to Countess von Tsarnekau
Olga Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1873-1925), married to Georg-Nicholas von Merenberg (1871-1948), son of Natalya Pushkina.
Boris Alexandrovich (1876-1876), posthumously legalized with the assignment of the surname "Yurievsky"
Ekaterina Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1878-1959), married to Prince Alexander Vladimirovich Baryatinsky, and later to Prince Sergei Platonovich Obolensky-Neledinsky-Meletsky.

He opened many monuments. In Moscow in 2005 at an open the inscription on the monument: “Emperor Alexander II. He abolished serfdom in 1861 and freed millions of peasants from centuries of slavery. He carried out military and judicial reforms. He introduced a system of local self-government, city dumas and zemstvo councils. He completed the long-term Caucasian war. He freed the Slavic peoples from the Ottoman yoke. He died on March 1 (13), 1881 as a result of a terrorist act. A monument was also erected in St. Petersburg from gray-green jasper. In the capital of Finland, in Helsinki, in 1894 a monument to Alexander II was erected for strengthening the foundations of Finnish culture and recognizing the Finnish language as the state language.

In Bulgaria, he is known as the Tsar Liberator. The grateful Bulgarian people for the liberation of Bulgaria erected many monuments to him and named streets and institutions in his honor throughout the country. And in modern times in Bulgaria, during the liturgy in Orthodox churches, Alexander II and all Russian soldiers who fell on the battlefield for the liberation of Bulgaria in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 are commemorated.

Family of Alexander II

Alexey Kharlamov. Portrait of Emperor Alexander II. 1874

Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolaevich loved women from a young age. All life. Even before his marriage, he experienced several ordinary youthful romances, which his parents looked through their fingers, considering them a natural tribute to age. So, at the age of 15, he flirted with the maid of honor of his mother, Natalya Nikolaevna Borozdina, who was two years older than him. Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolaevich **** The most serious "premarital" hobby of the future Alexander II was the beautiful polka, his mother's maid of honor Olga Kalinovskaya. The novel began in January 1837 at the so-called Chinese masquerade, where Kalinovskaya portrayed the first lady of the court. The Tsarevich was then 19 years old. Olga Kalinovskaya, artist Joseph Desire Court ************ Relations between young people, of course, were under strict "control" by the Empress Mother Alexandra Feodorovna and Father Nikolai Pavlovich. Naturally, these relationships were platonic in nature, but at their young age they were experienced very passionately. Sverchkov Vladimir Dmitrievich 1820-1888, portrait of Emperor Nicholas I Empress Alexandra Feodorovna *** After completing his education in 1838, the Tsarevich went to Europe. By this time, a list of potential brides had already been compiled for him. According to the younger sister of the Tsarevich: “Sasha left with a heavy heart. He was in love with Olga Kalinovskaya and was afraid that during his absence she would be married off.” Nevertheless, a sense of duty forced the crown prince to carefully consider the prepared "list", and what happened was what was supposed to happen: crown prince Alexander Nikolayevich drew attention to one of the German princesses. Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolaevich **** During a large study tour of Europe in 1838-1839. Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich stopped for one night in Darmstadt. This accidental, unplanned, fleeting stop in March 1839 ultimately sealed his fate. It was there that he first saw the 15-year-old daughter of the Duke of Darmstadt Ludwig II, Princess Maximilian - Wilhelmina-August-Sophia-Maria and became interested in her. An agreement was reached between the parents of the young princess and the Russian Tsarevich on a future engagement. Darmstadt Princess Maximilian Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria *** However, not everything turned out to be simple, and this showed the inconsistent and weak character of the Tsarevich. The fact is that after returning from Germany in 1839, “his love for Olga Kalinovskaya again flared up with a hot flame. He stated several times that because of her he agreed to give up everything ... Dad was very unhappy with Sasha's weakness. Back in March, he had said that he agreed to marry the Princess of Darmstadt, and now, after four months, he already wanted to break with her. Those were hard days. We decided that Olga should leave the Court. Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolaevich V.I. Gau **** Nicholas I found it necessary to personally talk with the maid of honor, explaining to her " in simple words, that not only two hearts, but the future of the whole state is at stake". As a result, Olga Kalinovskaya was removed from the Imperial Court, and soon she married Count Oginsky. This hobby of the eldest son did not please the parents at all, although they understood that for a 20-year-old boy such hobbies are completely normal. The extent to which the parents feared the “Kalinovskaya option” is evidenced by an eloquent remark in a letter from Nikolai Pavlovich in 1841: “ His longing for the polka, what God forbid !" But the parents did not exert direct pressure on their son. Although it is customary to consider Nicholas I a martinet, in relation to his children he behaved carefully and subtly. Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich and Maria Alexandrovna **** After the removal of the maid of honor and several difficult conversations with his father, Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich left for Germany in the spring of 1840, where on March 4, his engagement was announced in Darmstadt. In the summer, the Tsarevich introduced the bride to her parents. On August 8, 1840, the solemn entry of the Princess of Hesse into St. Petersburg took place. On December 5, 1840, she adopted the name of Maria Alexandrovna in Orthodoxy, and the next day - December 6, 1840, on the name day of Nicholas I, the young people were betrothed. The marriage took place in April 1841. **** Exactly one year after the solemn entry of Maria Alexandrovna into St. Petersburg, Nicholas I remembered how much nerves the “Kalinovskaya affair” cost him, therefore, in a letter to Adjutant General A.A. Kavelin, dated August 8, 1841, Nikolai Pavlovich wrote: “His penchant for Olga Kalinovskaya could not escape my eyes; not paying more attention to this than I should have, however, I explained to my son that, however natural at his age to prefer one female person to another, one should not, however, give vent to dreams or inclinations when they are not decent by rank, nor by the position of persons ”It is noteworthy that the father of many children, Nicholas I, was very kind to all the wives of his sons. But he was especially kind to the eldest daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna: “Dad was happy to follow the manifestation of the strength of this young character and admired Marie’s ability to control herself. This, in his opinion, balanced the lack of energy in Sasha, which he constantly worried about. Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna VI Gau *** The family of the Tsarevich grew rapidly. From 1842 to 1860, Maria Alexandrovna gave birth to 8 children - two girls and six boys. However, Alexander II, having “entered the age”, acquired a strong reputation as a “lover of life”. He was always very attentive to women, and many fleeting love affairs happened in his life. Traditionally, the "fun" of the monarch was overlooked, since this is also one of the traditions of the Imperial Court. Empress Maria Alexandrovna outwardly tried not to react to the rapidly changing "fun" of her husband. Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna with her son Nikolai Views of the halls of the Winter Palace. The Cabinet of Emperor Alexander II Alexandra Alexandrovna (August 18, 1842 - June 16, 1849) - died of meningitis; Children of Alexander II Sverchkov Nikolai Egorovich - Riding In a Carriage (Alexander II With Children) Emperor Alexander II with children no younger Paul. Photo of 1860 Alexander II with his son Paul Alexander II with his daughter Maria and son Alexei *** Objective circumstances also affected the relationship of the married couple: the empress became more and more unhealthy, lost weight. However, the situation changed radically in 1860 after the birth of the last child, Pavel Alexandrovich. Doctors declared that the next pregnancy would kill the Empress, and marital relations between Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna completely ceased. Portrait of Emperor Alexander II Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna Franz Xavier Winterhalter *** After that, a new passion immediately appeared next to Alexander II. She became the maid of honor of the Empress, a young princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova. The fact that the ladies-in-waiting was used at the Court for adultery was customary. In the second half of the XIX century. they were replaced by ballerinas. They did not marry maids of honor, as well as ballerinas. But the maid of honor E.M. Dolgorukova was the only one who ended her story with a legal marriage to the emperor. This was the last love of the aging emperor for a woman 29 years younger than him. Their relationship lasted 14 years, and four children were born in the second family of Emperor Alexander II. Unknown photographer. Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova - a graduate of the Smolny Institute and her daughter-in-law, Princess Louise Dolgorukova, nee Marquise Cereche Maggiore (wife of Mikhail's brother). 1860s From the publication E KL452/2005 Alexander I. 2005, p. 10 Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna. **** Meanwhile, Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna very modestly celebrated their silver wedding in 1866. Modestly because the year-long mourning for the deceased eldest son has barely ended. This tragic event literally broke the empress. From that time on, she constantly wore mourning. She was not up to traditional family celebrations. The memoirist mentions that their Majesty's silver wedding “was celebrated as a family, without any official celebration. Only the closest people gathered in the morning to offer congratulations "Portrait of Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich. Sergei Konstantinovich Zaryanko Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna in mourning **** Alexander II on April 16, 1866 presented to his wife" engagement ring with "XXV» made of diamonds and a golden Easter egg with double the number of the engagement and her 25th anniversary; the same number was depicted on a bracelet with a large pearl and on the portrait of the Sovereign in full dress uniform of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment (in this form he asked for her hand). There were other gifts as well. Maria Alexandrovna received a vase made of lapis glaze from the Peterhof Lapidary Factory, and each of the children received an Easter egg made of hard stone. In addition, the younger sons, Sergei and Pavel, received " baskets with live pugs to replenish their collection" . Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, I.K. Makarov Emperor Alexander II with his family. Late 1860s Top row from left to right: Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, heir Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich with his wife Tsarevich Maria Feodorovna and Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich; bottom row: the only daughter of Alexander II, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna; Grand Dukes Sergei and Pavel Alexandrovichi; Empress Maria Alexandrovna and Emperor Alexander II. **** The inevitable, but minimized, solemn public events also took place. The sister of Alexander II, Queen Olga Nikolaevna of Württemberg, arrived at the family celebration. Of the outsiders, only Prince A.I. was present at the celebration. Baryatinsky, invited by the tsar as his best man at a wedding in 1841. On April 16, 1866, at 11 o’clock in the morning, all members of the Imperial family gathered in the Winter Palace, and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (the Elder), on behalf of the entire royal house, presented the icon of the three saints to the imperial couple , which Alexander II himself took to the Small Church of the Winter Palace for permanent placement. This was followed by Mass with thanksgiving service. At 2 pm, the entire Imperial family went to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where a memorial service was held for Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich. This ended the family celebrations. Two days later, on April 18, 1866, a big ball for 1000 people was held in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace, which, in fact, ended the public celebrations in St. Petersburg. Portrait of Prince Alexander Ivanovich Baryatinsky. **** Nicholas Hall Konstantin Andreevich Ukhtomsky. Interiors of the Winter Palace **** By this time, Alexander II already had a certain reputation among the beautiful half of the high society. Contemporaries who paid attention to the smallest nuances in the emperor’s behavior (for example, Count S.D. Sheremetev mentions that “everyone already knew the movement of his hand when he took out a handkerchief, and this movement was used to judge the mood of his spirit”) noted that, “not succumbing to the influence of men, Alexander II had an unusual weakness for women. People close to him, who sincerely loved him, said that in the presence of a woman he becomes a completely different person. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Zichy (1827-1906) Mikhail Aleksandrovich Zichy (1827-1906) **** Despite the fact that the family practically fell apart, and the presence of a second family in Alexander II was an open secret (that is, a secret that is known to everyone), nevertheless, at the official level, everything looked very decent. Family anniversaries were regularly celebrated. So, on March 13, 1874, the 35th anniversary of the first meeting of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna was celebrated in the family. At the so-called hunting dinner, there were roses and the first strawberries. In 1876, another family anniversary took place, connected with the 35th anniversary of the wedding of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna. On April 16, Alexander II gave his wife a bracelet with a large diamond (diamond), which could also be worn as a brooch. Commemorative dates are engraved on the bracelet " 1841–1876 ". In addition, he transferred "gift" 100,000 rubles to his wife's account. At the end there was a big family dinner. Libovich, V.N. Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna visiting Potemkina T.B. - Early 1870s. The family of Alexander II The family of Alexander II *** By this time, little Katenka Dolgorukova had long and firmly held her civil husband in her hands. Alexander II really loved his “darling”, although he already knew all its shortcomings well. In 1868, he wrote to his Katenka: “I know my ugly minx to the very bottom and love my darling to madness with all her shortcomings, as God created her.” Suscipj, Lorenzo. Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna. - Late 1860s - early 1870s. - *** They loved each other. This is evidenced by all their correspondence. They had their own language. In the photographs donated by E. Dolgorukova, Alexander II wrote in French: “T howl disgusting Munk who adores you"(1868); " From your Munky, who loves you more than his soul"(1878). Dolgorukova herself was no less frank: “ I love you with passion, like crazy ... find yourself in your arms and forget the whole world " (1868); “So, until tonight, until 3/4, and we will scream like cats. This is what I have a terrible passion for. I kiss you passionately” (1870). Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna **** However, he is the emperor of a vast country, and she came from an impoverished princely family. Therefore, in the love of E. Dolgorukova there was also frank practicality. All extensive correspondence between E. Dolgorukova and Alexander II is imbued with the princess's concern for her position, for the future of her children. E. Dolgorukova made it so that the emperor, at the beginning of their relationship, swore before the icon that he would marry her when he became free. Dolgorukova wrote in her memoirs: “He swore to me before the image that he was devoted to me forever and that his only dream was to marry me if he was ever free.” Alexander II, as best he could, reassured "Dusya" and in his will, drawn up on September 8/20, 1876, provided for her and the future of their children financially. This testament he repeatedly supplemented. Ultimately, in the fall of 1880, in the name of E.M. Dolgorukova was given capital to the State Treasury, which by the time of the death of Alexander II amounted to more than 3 million rubles. Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna As a result of the examination, the authorship of K.E. Makovsky (1839 - 1915). The identities of those depicted in the portrait have been established: the children of Emperor Alexander II and the Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya - Georgy, Ekaterina, Olga. Expert N.S. Ignatov. **** Alexander II, not particularly hiding, lived in two families. When the official royal family moved to Tsarskoye Selo, E.M. Dolgorukov with children. Until 1877 she lived in the house of the Commandant of the Imperial Headquarters A.M. Ryleeva. This single and childless general was engaged in raising the children of Dolgorukova, and after the death of Alexander II became their guardian. Over time, in Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof for E.M. Dolgorukova bought dachas. A.I. Gebens. The ranks of the Imperial Headquarters. 1860. Oil on canvas. GMZ "Tsarskoye Selo". depicted: P.N. Sleptsov, A.I. Musin-Pushkin, captain A.M. Ryleev, Count Palen, Count K.K. de Lambert, Prince A.I. Baryatinsky, Count N.T. Baranov, Count V.F. Adlerberg, Prince A.F. Orlov, F.I. Bazhanov, Count P.A. Shuvalov, An.I. Baryatinsky **** In 1877, repair work began in the Zubovsky wing of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo on the "half" of Alexander II. Several rooms, previously used as office space (Reinknecht and Standard), were turned into living quarters. It is quite possible that E.P. settled in these rooms. Dolgorukov. It is known for sure that in 1877 E.M. Dolgorukova was given rooms next to the apartments of Alexander II in the Grand Palace of Tsarskoye Selo. Luigi Premazzi: Cameron Gallery and Zubovsky Wing. Dressing (lavatory) room of Alexander II E. Hau. Living room of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. The bedroom of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** For the adult children of Alexander II, the fact that the father had a second family was not a secret. However, everyone behaved as if no Katenka existed in nature, although Ekaterina Dolgorukova did not miss the opportunity to indicate her presence next to the emperor. Mostly scandals. So, in August 1877, in an anonymous letter to the head of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace Administration, Rebinder, she demanded "to send to the apartment of Adjutant General Ryleev that share of fruit that is assigned to the sovereign himself during his stay here." Rebinder ignored the letter and continued to send the best fruits from the Tsarskoye Selo greenhouses to Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Then Katenka wrote a complaint to Alexander II, who at that time was in the Danube army, which was besieging Plevna. As a result of this correspondence from the banks of the Danube, Rebinder received a telegram with the highest order to send Dolgorukova " fruits intended for the sovereign himself". Emperor Alexander II with his family Emperor Alexander II with his sons Alexander, Vladimir and Alexei. Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** At the beginning of 1879, even before a series of assassination attempts on Alexander II, the emperor moved his second family to the Winter Palace. Ekaterina Dolgorukova was placed on the third floor of the southwestern risalit of the imperial residence. According to memoirists, the laughter and cries of small children were clearly audible in Maria Alexandrovna's living room, which was located on the floor below. However, the empress did not reproach her husband with a word or a look. Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** Boudoir of Empress Maria Alexandrovna Crimson Study of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *** From that time on, Ekaterina Dolgorukova began to interfere in state affairs. Judging by the memoirs of E. Dolgorukova, her influence even extended to the protection of the emperor. So, after the April 1879 assassination attempt on Palace Square, Alexander II, at the request of E. Dolgorukova, abandoned daily morning walks around his residence and instead took a daily morning walk through the large halls of the Winter Palace " in the company of his three children born from his marriage to Princess Yurievskaya". She constantly consulted on security issues with Count Loris-Melikov and A. Ryleev, and discussed these issues with Alexander II. According to her, "for such information she usually applied, guided by concerns inspired by her sincere affection". Her energy can be understood: a young, thirty-three-year-old woman with three children (one child died) understood that all her well-being rests on the life and health of Alexander II, who was 63 years old and who was constantly assassinated. Emperor Alexander II, Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukaya and their children Georgy and Olga The Most Serene Princess E.M. Yuryevskaya with her son Georgy and daughter Olga. 1880s George Olga **** Some of the courtiers immediately "changed their orientation", giving E. Dolgorukova the closest attention. All sorts of businessmen began to revolve around Katenka, who well represented the degree of her influence on the aging Alexander II. So, S.Yu. Witte, a prominent political figure, mentioned that Katenka did not disdain booty in favor of these businessmen " various concessions and benefits". And, of course, not disinterestedly. “Finally”, on May 20, 1880, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, after a long illness, faded away alone in the Winter Palace. Alexander II at that time lived with his "darling" in the Zubovsky wing of the Great Catherine Palace. From May 20, hot days began for Katenka Dolgorukova, during which she showed frantic energy and iron will. She literally "forged while it's hot ...". Köhler IP Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna Ivan Kramskoy Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna *********** Their correspondence gives an idea of ​​how relations between Alexander II and Ekaterina Dolgorukova developed in May-June 1880. On the day of his wife's death, May 20, 1880, Alexander II wrote to Dolgorukova: You know ... that I will do my duty, only circumstances will allow me to do this.. The next day, Alexander II informed the Minister of the Imperial Court A.V. Adlerberg about his desire to enter into a legal marriage with Ekaterina Dolgorukova. The tsar recorded the results of this conversation in his diary on May 22, 1880: “Adlerberg, having presented many objections, does not advise me to enter into a new marriage. I must admit that in some respects he is right, but I could not speak to him with complete frankness. I gave my word of honor and must keep it, even if Russia and History do not forgive me for this. Adlerberg Alexander Vladimirovich (05/01/1818 - 09/22/1888) *** Only after the death of Alexander II, the Minister of the Imperial Court A. V. Adlerberg shared his impressions of this conversation with close people. He emphasized that " the late sovereign was completely in the hands of Princess Yuryevskaya, who would have brought the sovereign to the most extreme recklessness, to shame". According to the minister, he was extremely outraged "The intention of the king to marry, when the body of his wife, the mother of his children, is not yet buried. Adlerberg was categorically against this marriage, Alexander II insisted on his desire: “The sovereign, for his part, proved the necessity of the proposed marriage, considering himself obliged to this by a sense of honor, conscience and religion. He got excited, worried, and our heated argument lasted more than an hour. Finally, Adlerberg succeeded in persuading the tsar to observe the minimum propriety and postpone the marriage. Empress Maria Alexandrovna on her deathbed **** For Katenka, the delay seemed like a catastrophe. She began to press hard on Alexander II, demanding the immediate fulfillment of the promise to marry. The tsar did not renounce his promise, but wanted to observe elementary decency, and the persistence of the "dusi" began to irritate him. In a letter to her dated May 27, 1880, Alexander II wrote: “But you must understand, dear darling, that it is unpleasant for me to touch such an object when the body of the deceased has not yet been interred. Therefore, we will not talk about it, for you know me well enough not to doubt my word. Princess Dolgorukaya Ekaterina Mikhailovna **** Alexander II really kept his word. When the 40th day after the death of Empress Maria Alexandrovna passed, he decisively announced A.V. Adlerberg about his desire to marry: “The sovereign, at one of my reports, again struck me, announcing his decision not to postpone the fulfillment of the intention any longer and to perform the ceremony immediately, in a secret way. I again tried to reject it, presenting all the indecency of such an act before the expiration of a year after the death of the Empress. During the whole time that I spoke, the sovereign sat silently, pale, embarrassed, his hands trembled, suddenly gets up and, without saying a word, goes into another room. I am completely bewildered at what remains for me to do, and I also intended to leave, when suddenly the door opens again, and a woman enters; behind her I see the figure of the sovereign, who, having let the princess into the study, closes the door behind her. My position was strange - to find myself face to face with a woman with whom I had to speak for the first time and who attacked me with sharp reproaches for dissuading the sovereign from fulfilling the duty of honor. I was forced to object to her, so a stormy scene took place between us, which continued for quite some time. In the midst of our heated argument, the door to the office half-opened, and the head of the sovereign appeared, who meekly asked if it was time for him to enter. To this the princess replied vehemently: "No, leave us to finish the conversation." The sovereign slammed the door again and only a few moments later entered the office, when the princess herself, pouring out all her anger on me, left the office. **** This scene amazed the Minister of the Imperial Court A.V. Adlerberg. For the first time he saw and heard how the autocratic master of a multi-million dollar empire was being thrown out of his own office! At that moment, he apparently quite clearly understood who would run this empire. Adlerberg Alexander Vladimirovich (05/01/1818 - 09/22/1888) *** The wedding of Alexander II and Ekaterina Dolgorukova took place on July 6, 1880 in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo in front of the marching altar of Alexander I. Despite the secrecy, the fact of the wedding immediately became widely known. The imperial family and the Petersburg high society were shocked by the act of Alexander II. In the autumn of 1880, in the Crimean Livadia, the young wife was officially introduced to the children of Alexander II from his first marriage. Catherine's Palace L. Premazzi. *** For the young grand dukes, the younger sons of Alexander II, this was a real tragedy. At the same time, Alexander II informed his sons about his marriage through their tutor Arsentiev, “for them it was a terrible blow; they had a cult to the memory of their mother, who had so recently died. Sergei Alexandrovich knew about his father's connection, but he set himself the task of preventing his younger brother, Grand Duke Pavel, from learning anything about it. Shortly after returning to St. Petersburg from Livadia, Ekaterina Dolgorukova, by the Highest Decree (dated December 5/17, 1880), turned into Princess Yuryevskaya. According to rumors that circulated in St. Petersburg living rooms, such a “surname” was associated with one of the Romanov family traditions. Allegedly, Emperor Paul I “by a posthumous order named the illegitimate daughter Yuryevskaya, who had been born, which prompted the late sovereign to name his illegitimate children and their mother Yuryevsky”. Princess Ekaterina Yuryevskaya (Dolgorukaya) *** The reaction of the children was passive-demonstrative. For example, Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, who in the 1870s. He willingly lived in Tsarskoye Selo, in the Alexander Palace, from the day of the wedding of Alexander II with Princess Yuryevskaya, he stopped visiting the Alexander Palace. Ivan Tyurin. Portrait led. book. Alexander Alexandrovich. 1865. GIM Alexander Palace Meyer. **** In St. Petersburg, the events of the summer and autumn of 1880 became the main subject of conversation. Almost everyone condemned the aging emperor and sympathized with his children. A.N. Benois was then a child, but he also remembered the unanimous condemnation of the hasty marriage of Alexander II. Much later, he recalled: “This summer we did not move to the dacha, and Aunt Liza did not interrupt her weekly visits, which is why I especially remember this anger of her, accompanied by completely convinced prophecies: God will certainly punish him for such a violation of divine and human laws! ". Portrait of Alexander II., Konstantin Makovsky **** The pace of development of events in the second half of 1880 did not satisfy the claims of the ambitious "darling". In the bowels of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, unofficial preparations began for her coronation and the transformation of Princess Yuryevskaya into Empress Catherine III. The ambitions of Princess Yuryevskaya were strongly supported by the then all-powerful "dictator", Minister of the Interior M.T. Loris-Melikov, who maintained the most friendly relations with Yuryevskaya. Count Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov ***** The coronation was planned for August 1881. M.T. Loris-Melikova. According to Professor B.N., close to the Court, Chicherina, “The Bishop of the Jerusalem Church, now State Comptroller Tertiy Filippov, even traveled to Moscow on this occasion in order to extract from the archives details about the coronation of Catherine I ... Having obtained archival information in Moscow for the future coronation, he triumphantly returned to St. halfway learned about the event on March 1". Relations in the family became so aggravated that Alexander II periodically, in a moment of anger, directly told his eldest son that he could lose his status as crown prince. Relations in the large family of Alexander II at the beginning of 1881 were very difficult. Alexander II with his family Alexander III with his family *** Portrait of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (Zaryanko S.K., 1867) Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich with his wife and children. Vladimir Alexandrovich with his family *** Alexei Ivanovich Korzukhin (1835-1894) Portrait of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich *** Maria Alexandrovna (October 5, 1853-1920), Grand Duchess, Duchess of Great Britain and Germany 1. Maria Alexandrovna with her husband Prince Alfred and the firstborn son Alfred 2. Empress Maria Alexandrovna with her grandson Alfred Maria Alexandrovna with children Daughters of Maria Alexandrovna - Maria, Victoria, Alexandra, Beatrice *** Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in the 1890s. Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna **** Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, Valentin Alexandrovich Serov Grand Duke Pavel and his first wife, Princess Alexandra. Pavel Alexandrovich with his daughter Maria and son Dmitry ***** Dmitry and Maria Second wife - Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley, Countess von Hohenfelsen Pavel Alexandrovich with his wife and children from his second marriage **** However, the death of Emperor Alexander II at the hands of terrorists on March 1 1881 put an end to the ambitious claims of the "dusi". Many dignitaries, devoted associates of Alexander II, to a certain extent, accepted with relief the news of the tsar's martyrdom, which "written off" all his earthly sins. Minister of the Imperial Court A.V. Adlerberg confidentially expressed the following opinion: “It is difficult to say what this woman, impudent and at the same time stupid and undeveloped, could bring the sovereign to! That is why I said that the martyrdom of the sovereign, perhaps, prevented new reckless acts and saved the brilliant reign from an inglorious and humiliating finale. Assassination of Emperor Alexander II "Alexander II on his deathbed". K.E. Makovsky Canvas, oil. End of the 19th century. **** Under Alexander III, after a series of scandals, Princess Yuryevskaya left Russia for France. Under Nicholas II, she periodically came to Russia. During this period, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna became friends with Yurievskaya, who often visited the house of her grandfather's second wife. She recalled that “every time I came to her, it seemed to me as if I were opening the page of history. She lived exclusively in the past. She only talked about him.” Moreover, Yuryevskaya kept all the uniforms of Alexander II, all his clothes, even a dressing gown, and placed them in a glass case in the home chapel. On the eve of the First World War, Yuryevskaya sold all her property and left for France, where she died in 1922. French passport of Princess Yuryevskaya **** Prince Georgy Alexandrovich Yuryevsky Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1872-1913) (1873-1925) Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1878-1959) **** Igor Zimin Adult world of imperial residences. Second quarter of the 19th - early 20th centuries.

Date of publication or update 01.11.2017

Contents: Rulers

Years of life: April 17 (29), 1818, Moscow - March 1 (13), 1881, St. Petersburg.
Emperor of All Russia, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland 1855-1881

From the Romanov dynasty.

Awarded with a special epithet in Russian historiography - the Liberator.

Alexander II Nikolaevich- the eldest son of the imperial couple Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna, daughter of the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III.

Unknown artist. Portrait Emperor Alexander II. Canvas, oil. 1880s.

Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov was born on April 29 (17), 1818 in Moscow.

His father, Nikolai Pavlovich, was the Grand Duke at the time of his son's birth, and in 1825 he became emperor. From childhood, his father began to prepare Alexander for the throne, and he considered it a duty to “reign”. The mother of the great reformer, Alexandra Feodorovna, was a German who converted to Orthodoxy.

Alexander Nikolaevich received an education corresponding to his origin. His main mentor was the Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky. He managed to bring up Alexander II Nikolaevich an enlightened person, a reformer, not deprived of artistic taste.

According to numerous testimonies, in his youth, Alexander II was very impressionable and amorous. During a trip to London in 1839, he fell in love with the young Queen Victoria, who later became for him the most hated ruler in Europe.

Emperor. Photo from the 1860s.

In 1834, 16-year-old Alexander became a senator. And in 1835 a member of the Holy Synod.

In 1836, the heir to the throne received the military rank of major general.

In 1837, Alexander Nikolaevich set off on his first trip to Russia. He visited about 30 provinces, drove to Western Siberia. And in a letter to his father he wrote that he was ready "to strive for the work for which God has ordained me."

1838 - 1839 were marked by travels in Europe.

On April 28, 1841, he married Princess Maximilian Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt, who received the name Maria Alexandrovna in Orthodoxy.

In 1841 Alexander became a member of the State Council.

In 1842, the heir to the throne entered the Cabinet of Ministers.

In 1844, Alexander Nikolaevich received the rank of full general. For some time he even commanded the guards infantry.

In 1849, Alexander II Nikolaevich received military educational institutions and secret committees for peasant affairs.

In 1853, at the beginning of the Crimean War, Alexander Nikolayevich commanded all the troops of the city.

March 3 (February 19), 1855 Alexander Nikolayevich Romanov became emperor. Having accepted the throne, Alexander accepted the problems of his father left behind. In Russia at that time the peasant question was not resolved, the Crimean War was in full swing, in which Russia suffered constant setbacks. The new emperor Alexander had to carry out forced reforms.

On March 30, 1856, Emperor Alexander concluded the Peace of Paris, thus ending the Crimean War. However, the conditions for Russia turned out to be unfavorable, she became vulnerable from the sea, she was forbidden to have naval forces in the Black Sea.

In August 1856, on the day of the coronation, the new emperor Alexander declared an amnesty for the Decembrists, and also suspended recruitment for 3 years.

calls on the Moscow nobles to begin the liberation of the peasantry. 1857

In 1857, Alexander II intends to free the peasants, "without waiting for them to free themselves." He established a Secret Committee dealing with this issue. The result was the Manifesto on the liberation of the peasantry from serfdom and the Regulations on peasants emerging from serfdom, published on March 3 (February 19), 1861, according to which the peasants received personal freedom and the right to freely dispose of their property.

HELL. Kivshenko. on the street of St. Petersburg. Watercolor. 1880

Among other reforms carried out by Alexander II, there is a reorganization of educational and legal systems, the actual abolition of censorship, the abolition of corporal punishment, and the creation of zemstvos. He carried out:

Zemstvo reform on January 1, 1864, according to which issues of local economy, primary education, medical and veterinary services were entrusted to elected institutions - district and provincial zemstvo councils.

The city reform of 1870 replaced the previously existing class city administrations with city dumas elected on the basis of a property qualification.

The Judicial Charter of 1864 introduced a unified system of judicial institutions based on the formal equality of all social groups before the law.

In the course of military reforms, a systematic reorganization of the army was launched, new military districts were created, a relatively harmonious system of local military administration was created, the military ministry itself was reformed, operational command and control of troops was carried out and their mobilization. By the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. the entire Russian army was armed with the latest breech-loading rifles.

During the educational reforms of the 1860s. a network of public schools was created. Together with the classical gymnasiums, real gymnasiums (schools) were created, in which the main emphasis was on teaching the natural sciences and mathematics. The published Charter of 1863 for higher educational institutions introduced partial autonomy for universities. In 1869, the first higher women's courses in Russia with a general education program were opened in Moscow.

Alexander II Nikolaevich confidently and successfully led the traditional imperial policy. Victories in the Caucasian War were won in the first years of his reign. The advance to Central Asia was successfully completed (in 1865-1881, most of Turkestan became part of Russia). After a long resistance, Alexander decided to go to war with Turkey in 1877-1878, in which Russia won.

On April 4, 1866, the first attempt was made on the life of Emperor Alexander. The nobleman Dmitry Karakozov fired at him, but missed.

In 1866, the 47-year-old Emperor Alexander II entered into an extramarital affair with a 17-year-old maid of honor, Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgoruky. Their relationship lasted for many years, until Alexander's death.

In 1867, Alexander, seeking to improve relations with France, negotiated with Napoleon III.

On May 25, 1867, there was a second assassination attempt. In Paris, the Pole Anton Berezovsky shoots at the carriage where Alexander II, his children and Napoleon III were. The rulers were saved by one of the officers of the French guard.

In 1867 Alaska (Russian America) and the Aleutian Islands were sold to the United States for $7.2 million in gold. The expediency of the acquisition of Alaska by the United States of America became apparent 30 years later, when gold was discovered in the Klondike and the famous "gold rush" began. The declaration of the Soviet government of 1917 announced that it did not recognize the agreements concluded by tsarist Russia, so Alaska should belong to Russia. The sale agreement was carried out with violations, so there are still disputes about the ownership of Alaska by Russia.

In 1872, Alexander joined the Union of the Three Emperors (Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary).

During the reign of Alexander II, a revolutionary movement developed in Russia. Students unite in various unions and circles, often sharply radical, while for some reason they saw the guarantee of the liberation of Russia only if the tsar was physically destroyed.

On August 26, 1879, the executive committee of the Narodnaya Volya movement decided to kill Alexander II Nikolaevich. This was followed by 2 more assassination attempts: on November 19, 1879, an imperial train was blown up near Moscow, but again Alexander was saved by chance. On February 5, 1880, there was an explosion in the Winter Palace.

In July 1880, after the death of his 1st wife, Alexander II secretly married Dolgoruky in the church of Tsarskoye Selo. The marriage was morganatic, that is, unequal in gender. Neither Catherine nor her children received any class privileges or succession rights from the emperor. Alexander granted them the title of the Most Serene Princes of Yuryevsky.

On March 1, 1881, Emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded as a result of another assassination attempt by I.I. Grinevitsky, who dropped the bomb. The emperor died the same day from blood loss.

Alexander II Nikolaevich went down in history as a reformer and liberator.

Was married twice:

First marriage (1841) with Maria Alexandrovna (07/1/1824 - 05/22/1880), nee Princess Maximilian-Wilhelmina-August-Sophia-Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Children from first marriage:

Alexandra (1842-1849)

Nicholas (1843-1865), brought up as heir to the throne, died of pneumonia in Nice

(1845-1894) - Emperor of Russia in 1881-1894.

Vladimir (1847-1909)

Alexei (1850-1908)

Maria (1853-1920), Grand Duchess, Duchess of Great Britain and Germany

Sergei (1857-1905)

Pavel (1860-1919)

The second, morganatic, marriage to an old (since 1866) mistress, Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (1847-1922), who received the title of Most Serene Princess Yuryevskaya.

Children from this marriage:

Georgy Alexandrovich Yuryevsky (1872-1913), married to Countess von Tsarnekau

Olga Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1873-1925), married to Georg-Nicholas von Merenberg (1871-1948), son of Natalya Pushkina.

Boris Alexandrovich (1876-1876), posthumously legalized with the assignment of the surname "Yurievsky"

Ekaterina Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya (1878-1959), married to Prince Alexander Vladimirovich Baryatinsky, and later to Prince Sergei Platonovich Obolensky-Neledinsky-Meletsky.

Many monuments have been opened to Alexander II.