Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918) and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix) (1872-1918)

[snowflower]

I think that Alexandra was very much like QEII regarding jewels - she had some simpler personal jewels she liked wearing but she just viewed the grandest pieces as an obligatory part of her appearance in public functions. Besides honestly they are terrific,but some of these Romanov jewels are very close to vulgar , so it seems very understandable to me that Alexandra, a princess from a small Pricipality raised in the english and german simple ways (and not willing to trasform herself and change her ways like other German princesses did upon arriving to Russia- like Aunt Miechen ) would not truly enjoy them

[Vasillisos Markos]

Hi Snowflower--

I think you are correct that Alexandra did not go for all her jewelry; for example, she fought against her mother-in-law for the right to wear the crown jewels, then let it be known that she thought the jewels were old fashioned and not attractive. But I think she enjoyed jewels, some more than others, and saw that they could be used to procure necessities if and when things took a turn for the worse. But I think it was her reserved nature which prevented her from putting her jewels on display like the other grand women.

[Furienna]

But interestingly enough, it sounds like an empress, who didn't put her jewelry on display and showed just how rich she was, would be less likely to be a target for revolutionaries. But then, she seems to have made a lot of other mistakes instead.

[Vasillisos Markos]

I think whether Alexandra put her jewels on display or not would not factor into revolutionary fever. There were many factors which brought about the revolution -- the war, poverty, unrest, displeasure with the Tsar and Tsarina, etc. The populace, for the most part, hated Alexandra and referred to her as "The German." Her jewels were probably not even considered by the revolutionaries but I am certain they were very happy to discover them after the abdication and murder of the royal family.

[Furienna]

Yes, and I also acknowledged, that many other things happened, that would eventually lead to the revolution. But when it comes to jewels, or flaunting her riches in general, Alexandra interestingly seems to have been the opposite of Marie Antoinette, who in many other ways was a parallell to her.

[Marengo]

Curiously enough, Alexandra seems to have had an interest in Martie-Antoinette. She had paintings that once belonged to MA in her Mauve Boudoir for example. But there were some more things (which I just read in Miranda Carter's book about Nicholas, Wilhelm and George....but somehow I completely forgot them already!)

[Vasillisos Markos]

You are right and at the time, the relatives who survived the Russian Revolution did not attach any significance to that fact but afterwards wondered if it was not some foreshadowing of the Imperial family's fate. I believe that Alexandra also owned some pieces of Marie Antoinette's jewelry and on a state visit to France shortly after her marriage and coronation, Alexandra was placed in a suite of rooms once occupied by the unfortunate Queen

[kamlowsky]

Hi, I noticed that members were wondering about the relationship of Nicholas, George and Wilhelm and thought I could post this:

Maternally, Nicholas was the nephew of several monarchs, including George I of Greece, Frederick VIII of Denmark, Alexandra, Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the Crown Princess of Hanover.
Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany were all first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom.

King George V (right) with his first cousin Tsar Nicholas II, Berlin, 1913. Note the close physical resemblance between the two monarchs.[5]

They were at a family gathering and switched each others uniforms confusing some of the guests.

[Tsaritsa]

Hello, I have devoured every part of this fascinating thread and whilst I'm very conscious that most of you know much more than I about N and A, I nevertheless would like to share some thoughts with you.
I find it hard to see these people as autocrats, rather I see them as floundering through their world attempting to maintain the masks of what others believed they were, neither of them prepared or equipped for the position in which they found themselves. To find the reasons we must go back in time. Nicky's parents were powerful, confident people, probably, in part due to having many years of apprenticeship before they were cloaked by the heavy mantle of Tsardom. His uncles, strongminded and opinionated young men who N may have heroworshipped throughout his childhood, so with all these huge personalities around him it is likely that there was little room for him to express his own thoughts which may even have been dismissed as not worth listening to, thus we should not be surprised to learn, that as an adult his opinions were those of the last person with whom he had spoken. It is this (possible) scenario that shows us the type of personality of his future bride. He wouldn't have coped with a girl who had no opinions of her own, a girl for whom he had to do the thinking. In Alix he undoubtedly saw something he recognised and felt safe with, it has been labelled as many things in this thread - meddling, interfering bossing but the other side of the coin is helping, caring, encouraging all of which he would have experienced in his childhood and were very necessary to his somewhat diffident personality. To him, Alix was probably the part of him that had been missing, she was his support. they were perfect for each other because of their imperfections. As to Alix, a lonely, bereft little girl whose originally sunny disposition had too early been quelled by family losses, her new role model becomes her aging Granny who whilst as Queen was the ultimate Imperatrix, as a woman was entirely different, possibly feeling more at home with her servants than with the higher echelons, domestically a haus frau who I imagine saw no need to cover her little granddaughter in the trappings of luxury, indeed, when a clearly excited Alix showed off the jewels Nicky bestowed on her upon their engagement Granny admonished her not to become proud!!!! I feel that what the Russians mistook for aloofness was the crippling shyness and insecurity which stained her face and neck an unattractive crimsom. There was no easing in period for Alix, no time for her and Nicky to learn the ropes together, to mutually find their strengths and weaknesses, no dipping toes in water.They were thrown in at the deep end and expected to know what to do - and who was there who could possibly tell a Tsar what to do? Well, for starters there was his esteemed and well loved mother who was probably loth to give up her position and then there were his uncles who might have been trying to curry favour or genuinely trying to assist an absolute novice. His family members may well have realised that he was illprepared and unfit for the task.......but the loudest voice is likely to have been that of his wife who, I imagine would be damned if she would sit by and hear others telling her beloved husband how to rule!!! I wonder if it was a relief to him when Alix made her first show of strength? She would have known how to be a strong woman because her mother and grandmother would have demonstrated it but they had years of experience on their side......
.......and so we have this ideally suited couple who emotionally are equipped for nothing more arduous than the tasks of family and domesticity thrown centrestage into one of the most difficult political periods of the 20th century. Our times would wish for a happier finale - their time dictated that it wasn't to be.

[Vasillisos Markos]

Welcome Tsarista!!

I think you have touched upon the reasons why Nicholas and Alexandra were so unsuited to sit on the Russian throne. Yes, it was chance and fate which put N on the throne at such a young age and without guidance from his relatives, who indeed did try to overwhelm him and usually succeeded. And Alexandra was shy and reserved and this often was mistaken for being arrogant and cold. However, that only carries the royal couple so far and is not an excuse for their behavior. Essentially, they were unsuited to be autocrats and as recent events show, autocrats are often toppled by the public.

I don't think Nicky and Alicky would have even been much loved as constitutional monarchs, although that is just my opinion. The monarchs who shine are the ones who connected to their peoples and unfortunately, I am not sure N and A were able to do just that. They were a love match and probably would have been very happy to be an ordinary couple living ordinary lives.

[kell]

Russians worship 'miraculous' icon of tsar - *Latest news around the world and developments close to home - MSN Philippines News

[roseroyal]

Thought it was about time I posted in here as I am fascinated with N&A! So I want to join in....
Which of Queen Victoria's children was Empress Alexandra's mother?
I must tell you this fascination really just began yesterday, while watching the 1970 movie Nicolas & Alexandra with Micheal Jayston and Janet Suzman. Plus my mom is fascinated by N&A, so I have read some of her books in the past.
I am interested in the Imperial Family's personalities, and thier life story, especially the Empress.

[Katrianna]

Princess Alice was the mother of Alexandra. I saw the movie about a month ago and even though it's not accurate, it's pretty good.

[PrincessKaimi]

Princess Alice, the melancholy daughter of Queen Victoria, pictured here:

Princess Alice of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and is the mother of Alix/Tsaritsa Alexandra, whereas another Princess Alice (of Battenburg):

Princess Alice of Battenberg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

is the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Not too long ago, I kept getting the two women confused. Sometimes I still do, so please correct me if need be.

Princess Alice of Battenburg's son took the surname Mountbatten.

The two women are related, of course. Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (Queen Victoria's third child and second daughter) came first. And she is the mother of Princess Alix.

Prince Alice of the United Kingdom had another daughter, Victoria (of Hesse and by Rhine) who is the mother of Alice of Battenburg (also known as Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark). So, Prince Philip's mother was the niece of Prince Alice, Queen Victoria's daughter.

So Alix and Victoria (the Duke of Edinburgh's grandmother) were sisters. I think. If anyone can put this more plainly or in a chart or a different way, I would be delighted.

And Queen Elizabeth II is obviously also a descendant of Queen Victoria. Queen Elizabeth's grandpa was Queen Victoria's son, brother to Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse.

Please correct me if need be.

[Vasillisos Markos]

Princess Kaimi,

You are correct. Princess Alice of Great Britain, the second eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, was the mother of Empress Alexandra of Russia.

Victoria - Alice - Alix (or Alexandra)

Princess Alice was also the mother of Victoria, her eldest child, who was the grandmother of Prince Philip

Victoria - Alice - Victoria - Alice (married Prince Andrea of Greece) - Philip

Victoria of Hesse and Alix were sisters.

The only mistake you made was in reference to Elizabeth II's grandfather being a son of Queen Victoria. Elizabeth's grandfather was George V, a grandson of Queen Victoria. Victoria's son, Edward VII, was a great-grandfather of Elizabeth II

And obviously, Queen Elizabeth II was a descendant of Queen Victoria

Victoria - Edward VII - George V- George VI - Elizabeth

Now you can see why Queen Victoria was referred to as the Grandmother of Europe

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by Vasillisos Markos

Now you can see why Queen Victoria was referred to as the Grandmother of Europe

And then we get into the nitty gritty of the haemophelia gene by afore said grandmother passed into a lot of the royal houses of europe.

[Katrianna]

Princess Alice of Battenberg's son Philip didn't take the name Mountbatten. The Mountbatten name came about during WWI when King George V ordered his family to change their Germanic names due to the anti-German sentiment. Thus Battenberg became Mountbatten. Prince Philip was a Mountbatten when he met the Prince Elizabeth.

[Vasillisos Markos]

And by rights, I think, Philip's surname should have been Glucksburg or something similar, which was the royal house of Greece. Does anyone know why he did not take his father's surname? Was it because he was essentially raised by his grandmother, Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, and his uncle, Louis Mountbatten?

[kell]

winston churchill and a little klnown family sqaubble as it where he the duke had to take the last name also of windsor his wifes familyname instead of her being named mountbatton or any other name
i think it should be a artcle on his marrige to the queen

[Hereditary Thane]

The Duke of Edinburgh only assumed the Mountbatten name in the 1940s when there was much anti German sentiment in Great Britain. The original founder of the Mountbatten (Battenburg) family was a Polish woman with the Russian title of Julie von Hauk, countess and lady in waiting, who contracted a morganatic marriage with a German princeling in the Russian service.

While Mountbatten is included in the surname of the Queen's children and grandchildren the official designation of the dynasty is still Windsor. But I recall King Constantine saying his dynastic name is Oldenburg! This somewhat confused Queen Anne Marie who was with him at the time. I think Kell will agree that Sir Winston Churchill gave good advice on the surnames issue.