Added to which, AristoCat, had Nicholas been the Alpha male we would like him to have been, he would not have allowed her to get away with such behaviour BUT, had he been that man, the marriage would probably never have taken place.
She is not praised as a martyr in Russian Orthodox Church, but as a passion bearer.... I for one do not see that she died for her Orthodox belief.
Added to which, AristoCat, had Nicholas been the Alpha male we would like him to have been, he would not have allowed her to get away with such behaviour BUT, had he been that man, the marriage would probably never have taken place.
Added to which, AristoCat, had Nicholas been the man who wore well his title TSAR of ALL the RUSSIAS, he would not have tolerated such behaviour from a wife and likely would not have married someone who displayed such tendencies.
Had Alexander lived longer, Alexandra would have been able to dip her toes into the Imperial water at her leisure rather than being pushed in from the highest diving board which MAY have made her more ameanable to Russia's high society.
She is not praised as a martyr in Russian Orthodox Church, but as a passion bearer.
Unlike martyrs, passion-bearers are not explicitly killed for their faith, though they hold to that faith with piety and true love of God. Thus all martyrs are passion bearers, but not all passion bearers are martyrs.
My dear Kasumi,
Thank you for the correction.It is undeniable that Alexandra was a passion bearer; her religious beliefs colored every thing she did. It is a pity that she could not combine those beliefs with a better attitude towards her role in society and worked to improve the prestige and popularity of the throne.
According to Helen Rapaport in 'The Last Days of the Romanovs', when Victoria found out that Alix was going to marry into the Russian aristocracy, she was 'horrified' over the whole matter.She thought the Russian throne was a 'dark' monarchy. But, when Alix and Nicky came to visit her with their daughter, Olga,in 1896, she grew fond of Nicky. If she had lived until 1905, her opinion may have changed with the start of the Russo-Japan war and 'Bloody Sunday'. If Alix had married a prince from a smaller German state, history may have been kinder to the Romanovs. You made an interesting post, Warren, about the latest author of the latest 'Alix and Nicky' book. Do you think that any more books about the Romanovs as a whole, not just Nicholas and Alexandra, will ever be written?
Similar to her cousin who became Queen of Spain. Ena was considered cold and unfeeling because she didn't wail and carry on over the victims of the bomb that was thrown on her wedding day.Alexandra's biggest mistake is that she misinterpreted her role as Empress. She let her British Victorian heritage dictate her public behavior, which to the Russians (and Eastern European culture in general) is viewed as cold and withdrawn and uncaring..
I know nothing about the wife of Alex II other than that she was also a hessian Darmstadt by birth and very unwell in her later life. Was she as loved as Marie was?She didn't let Russian society get to know her and she didn't just enjoy what she had. Each Empress before had been very public figures socially as well as appearances and were loved for it.
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Alexandra's biggest mistake is that she misinterpreted her role as Empress. She let her British Victorian heritage dictate her public behavior, which to the Russians (and Eastern European culture in general) is viewed as cold and withdrawn and uncaring. She didn't let Russian society get to know her and she didn't just enjoy what she had. Each Empress before had been very public figures socially as well as appearances and were loved for it. The Dowager Empress made the Russians love her because she made sure that she was out there, among the aristocracy as well as the public. Each empress before loved every bit of it and every minute of being an Empress. Alexandra treated it like some horrible burden adn that the public appearances were a burden and going to balls were a burden. By default, the public sensed that they were a burden and bother and then society interpreted it as that THEY were an unwanted burden and a constant trial and acted accordingly. During the problematic times, she should have been out there, getting in touch, making an effort, and making she was seen as human and seen as a good part of Russian life.
As for Marie Antoinette, Marie did the same, shutting herself off from the arisotcracy (who could have protected her), or the people, who might have ended up not revolting.
She could have turned to her sister Elizabeth who charmed the Russian court when she first arrived and was very social. Ella loved the jewels and the gowns and the balls and skating parties of the Imperial Court. Even after Ella moved to Moscow Alex could still have reached out to her for advice. They shared the same background, but were obviously different people who reacted differently to life in Russia.
There was speculation that Georgie had contracted 2 morganatic marriages (see Warwick's book on ella and the Crawfords on GD Michael) however unless that information is verified and comes to light then no, I don't think any books on Georgie are forth coming.So, Erin9 and Warren, it's safe to say, in your opinion, you don't expect any books about GD George(Nicholas' younger brother) to be flying off shelves any time soon, correct?
I think she may have learned resentment. So we see her as an adult, elevated to the most exalted position a woman can hold, but STILL unable to be a part of a group, though she can now use this position as a reason not to. I suspect, however, she was watching Ella's popularity with jealousy-how dare she have the temerity to outshine her? It comes as no surprise at all that she didn't turn to Ella for advice on "how to."
That is such an intelligent observation.
Alexandra did strike me in a lot of books as really, really disliking the rest of the world for some intangible reason. That is why I mentioned taht she never gave society a chance and never let them befriend her. The Dowager Empress made friends and reached out despite her exalted position, as Grand Duchess and then as Empress. She never let her rank get in the way of a good time and a good life. I'ts too bad she was so bitterly alienated.
I think that's well said. One of the reasons I try to defend her is I look at her life and try to see HOW and WHY she evolved as she did....I remain convinced that NONE of us get to be who we are by accident, that we all have a life story, colloquially called "baggage"...
generally find myself feeling sympathy for her. It just seemed like people complained no matter what she did; it was never good enough. It must have been exhausting. (This is minor, but for instance, while she dressed nicely, it wasn't cutting edge enough, like Ella.)