Coronation of Nicholas II 1896 & other Grand Occasions

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Does anyone know where I could view (or if someone has any to post) pictures from the 1896 Coronation?
I am interested in the Imperial Family and visiting Royalties in dress uniform and/or court dress.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Warren]

Here are two pics (actually one, as the second is part of the first) from the Coronation Ball of 1896.
copyright expired

large group

Grand Duchess Alexandra Josifovna (seated left) with the Duchess of Connaught (daughter-in-law of Queen Victoria);
Behind, from left to right, are Grand Duchess Vera Constantinovna, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mihailovna, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna (the elder), Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mavrikevna and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden;
Foreground: Duchess Elsa of Württemberg.
The attendant pages behind are members of the Corps des Pages.

small group

• Grand Duchess Constantine (Alexandra Iossifovna), neé Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg (1830-1911);
• Grand Duchess Vladimir (Maria Pavlovna), neé Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1854-1920);
• Grand Duchess Helena Vladimirovna, later Princess Nicholas of Greece (1882-1957) which would make her 14 years old if the identification is correct;
• Duchess of Connaught, neé Princess Louise of Prussia (1860-1917)

Source: 'The Last Courts of Europe' by Jeffrey Finestone, Introduction by Robert K Massie, 1981.

 

[Rebafan81]

Wonderful pictures Warren, can you identify any of the people in the pictures? I am also very interested in the imperial family. Thanks for all your great posts!!

 

[Warren]

Here's another pic..
(Dowager) Empress Maria Feodorovna dressed for the 1896 Coronation.
copyright expired
.

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Thanks so very much!! What a great set of pictures.

Grand Duchess Constantine - would she not ( a few years in the future) be Helen's grandmother-in-law?

Wow - you can sure tell they are sisters, the Dowager Empress and Queen Alexandra , I mean - that picture of Marie is uncanny in its resemblence to Alexandra.

 

[magnik]

Just found:
Royal Russia - The Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Warren, on the wonderful picture (lrg) that you sent... is the 2nd lady from the left (older lady with the fur trimmed gown) Queen Olga of Greece (nee Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna)?
It resembles her a great deal.... and it would make sense since the elderly Grand Duchess Alexandra Iossifovna was her mother. Or maybe Vera, Duchess of Wurttemberg (nee Grand Duchess Vera Constantinovna), and Queen Olga's (of Greece) sister.

 

[Warren]

Another photograph of the Coronation, originally posted in another thread by pedro1968.

• Coronation procession
.

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Thanks Warren!

 

[Michael HR]

Do we know who made up the corps des pages?

 

[Michael HR]

Corps Des Pages

I saw a message that said this photo is from the 1913 ball at the winter palace rather than 1896 coronation. Does anyone know which one it is?

 

[Warren]

The source for the group photos is 'The Last Courts of Europe' by Jeffrey Finestone, Introduction by Robert K Massie, 1981.
The caption describes it as "the coronation ball at Moscow".

 

[Michael HR]

Thanks Warren, I uderstand that each Grand Duchess had a individual photo taken with their page. Do we know if these photos still exsist?

Mike

 

[Carminha Stalker]

What wonderful photos. I am totally entranced by the last Tsar Nicholas II and his family. I have read a lot of books about them and I still can´think why they killed them all in such a cruel way. There were other options such as exile, for instance.

 

[Royal Fan]

What is The Russian Coronation Oath The Tsar took?

 

[Al_bina]

What wonderful photos. I am totally entranced by the last Tsar Nicholas II and his family. I have read a lot of books about them and I still can´think why they killed them all in such a cruel way. There were other options such as exile, for instance.

They were killed for the same reasons French revolutionaries brought the French royal couple to the trial and publicly executed them as well as attempted to exterminate French aristocrats. As said by Robespierre, "Louis must die, so that the country may live". Although revolutionaries did not execute Louis Charles, Prince Royal of France, they made sure that he did not live long after his parents' death. Russians just secretly executed the whole family at once. Generally speaking, Russian revolutionaries slightly modified and repeated actions of the French ones.
I do apologise, if I sound insensitive.

 

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Michael HR,

That picture is definitely from the Coronation in 1896.
It could not be from 1913 as the Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosefovna died in 1911.
Also, the Duchess of Connaught was then in Canada as her husband had been appointed Governor-General in 1912.

Larry

 

[Michael HR]

Hi Larry,

Thanks for the info. Sorry I made such a mistake.

 

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Michael HR,

You're welcome about the info & no need to be sorry - we're all here to help each other...

Cheers,
Larry

 

[Michael HR]

I have identified the far right Page as Serge Nikolaevich Crichton. Does anyone know anything about this Page?

 

[Carminha Stalker]

Yes, I understand your reasoning, Al Bina. But also ,what I have noticed studying History is that both the French people and the Russians, eliminated one system for one much worse. In the case of France, they ended up with an Emperor, In the case of Russia, I think that Stalin and others were not easy masters.

 

[magnik]

Here you go:
YouTube - Tsar Nicholas II Coronation

 

[CarolinaLandgrave]

Great footage.....
can we ID the women in the carriages?

 

[AnastasiaEvidence]

During Nicholas and Alexandra's coronation, (Khodynka tragedy) the peasants where angry and worried that there was enough presents for everyone, and they began to panic and people were trampled to death over 1,000 people died. Some were also injured too.Nicholas and Alexandra shouldn't have went to the ball,that day because it would show that many would had criticized Nicholas. But, I think he did because he visit many injured peasants in hospitals and supported the wounded. Other's knew Nicholas reign was going to be an bad omen.

 

[Odette]

According to R Massey in "Nicholas and Alexandra" the day following the coronation belonged to the people of Moscow. G D Serge arranged for a huge open air feast and the Tsar and the Empress would attend. There were hundreds of barrels of beer brought and a few thousand of Muscovites came from the night before and by dawn a lot were drunk. When a rumour circulated that there was not enough beer and only those who were first would get some there was a run and a lot of people were trumpled, injured or died. The Tsar did not want to go to the French Ambassador's ball that night but his uncles prevailed. The Tsar and the Empress spent one day after that going from hospital to hospital visiting the injured.
In another paragraph Massey mentions that while Nicholas walked up the altar steps to receive the sacrament, the heavy chain of the Order of St Andrew slipped from his shoulder and fell to the floor. Only those around him noticed but it was taken as an omen to his reign.

 

[AnastasiaEvidence]

Yes, but the tsar went anyway to the ball. The peasants were angry about that, they believed he should have stayed and help the peasants.Some of the families of the peasants were angry that the people who were killed in khodynka tragedy were buried in unmarked graves. A lot of people were disapointed that the peasant graves weren't buried with a name.

 

[Odette]

The disaster happenned before the Cossacks even made it to the scene. Massey describes the meadow as a battefield. The Tsar gave from his private funds 1,000 rubles to the family of each victim. They both spent the next day going from hospital to hospital.
This was an unforseen tragedy and I do not believe it can be attributed to the Tsar. To keep appearances they went to the ball and there were blamed for it. As they were blamed for everything they did during their reign.

 

[Michael HR]

The Tsar did not want to go to the Ball but was advised that should he not do so others may be offended, the Ball being given by the French. GD Serge had been in charge and he should have taken the full blame and be dismissed but Alexandra interjected on behalf of GD Ella to keep his position, or so I read somewhere. Horrible start to the reign and of course down hill from there.

 

[Carminha Stalker]

It´s awful to think that they were "doomed" from the start. If they had not gone to the ball they would be criticized, as they went...Anything they would have done, seems to me would be the wrong thing.

 

[Odette]

Seems like the time they ascended to the throne and taking the oath as an autocrat, when the attitudes were changing, was the wrong thing to do. Nicholas as it turned out was naive and ill prepared. Alexandra of course was disliked from the beginning and it all snowballed with Alexei's illness, Rasputin's influence, the influence the uncles had on Nicholas and so on and so forth.
Of course in the Orthodox faith there is a lot of superstition and a lot of outcomes can be blamed on "omens" and "fates" and "evil eye". ( I belong to this Church so I am not criticising it)
It is unfortunate that two monarchs who were deep down kind hearted and loved their people ended in the ditch.