Though born and wedded royal, the life of Tsarina Alexandra proved to be anything but charmed.
Alexandra Feodorovna was born Princess Victoria Alix Helena Louise Beatrice in Darmstadt , Germany , on June 6 , 1872 . Her majestic ties to England ’s Queen Victoria as her granddaughter gave her clout nail in Europe and she enjoyed all the housing of a charmed life .
Unfortunately , her life would become inextricably attach to the time to come of the Russian government and body politic at large . An foreigner on the throne of the state of her married man , Tsar Nicholas II , take to her demise and a country - wide rotation .
The Early Life Of Alexandra Feodorovna
The princess ’s early living was at once inner and unstable . While engaged in royal object lesson , the sixth nestling of Grand Duke Louis IV and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom , Alexandra fall behind her mother when she was six long time old .
After that , she spent most of her metre with cousin-german in England . Further , it was suspect that Princess Alix carried the gene for the blood upset , hemophilia , which she then would pass on to her children .
At age 12 , Princess Alix see Grand Duke Nicholas Romanov , heir to the Romanov dynasty in Russia . The two developed a friendly relationship , and later a relationship , which seemed reminiscent ofRomeo and Juliet . Princess Alix ’s German crime syndicate preached disdain for Russia , while Nicholas ’s Padre , Tsar Alexander III , did n’t obliterate his enmity towards Germany .
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1906.
Regardless , Princess Alix and Grand Duke Nicholas cut down in love .
Marriage And A New Life In Tsarist Russia
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1906 .
On November 26 , 1894 , the two married . As she was indoctrinated into the Russian Orthodox Church , Princess Alix took on a new name , Alexandra Feodorovna , and left her old life story behind . Theoccasion of her weddingwas distressing , though . Nicholas ’s beginner had just break down of kidney failure at age 49 .
In the empress ’s own words , her wedding felt like “ a mere sequel of the masses for the dead . ”
Empress Alexandra in her wedding dress, 1894.
Although they were in erotic love , they were young . They had drop off a guide , Nicholas ’ Fatherhood , Alexander III . Tsar Nicholas II was just 26 when he ascended the stool . He consequently was n’t ready to take duty for Europe ’s big country , which was also filled with ongoing unrest .
Empress Alexandra in her marriage dress , 1894 .
Alexandra Feodorovna was only 22 and she had no clue how to take to the woods social function of state . Nicholas come to power when Goth were hapless and half of the country ’s 150 million residents were considered cultural nonage . The two surely had their workplace cut out for them .
romanovempire.orgEmpress Alexandra in her opulent coronation dress, encrusted with diamonds and pearls, circa 1896.
Even though they were wed in 1894 , the couple ’s coronation as leader did n’t occur until 1896 . The enthronization of the new Tsar and his wife portend ill for their sovereignty . The day start out cheery enough . The princess wore anopulent dressfilled with diamond and bone .
romanovempire.orgEmpress Alexandra in her opulent investiture clothes , encrusted with diamond and pearls , circa 1896 .
The feast that celebrated the enthronisation was set up at Khodynka Field about five sea mile outside of Moscow . As people sat down to enjoy the dinner party , the field fall in because it was covered with ditch and trenches left over from military drills . A total of 1,300 mass died .
Wikimedia CommonsRasputin, the monk who had the ear of Empress Alexandra.
The night after the tragedy , rather than visit hospital where the victim from her wedding recuperate , Alexandra Feodorovna and her hubby attended a party at the French embassy . Less than a week after the disaster , Nicholas II held a massive military review article on the same field where so many commoners died .
An already ruffled constituency grew ever more impatient with the Romanov purple family unit .
Rasputin Charmes Alexandra Feodorovna And Russian Royalty
Alexandra Feodorovna also was not popular among Nicholas II ’s court . Rather than socialize , she turned towards religious mysticism and self-contemplation to solve her loneliness . In 1904 , after put up Nicholas four daughters , the consort finally give birth to a son , Alexei .
Unfortunately , he inherited his mother ’s haemophilia and was a sickly untried male child .
Wikimedia CommonsRasputin , the monastic who had the ear of Empress Alexandra .
Wikimedia CommonsThe basement of Ipatiev House, where the Romanovs were summarily executed. The wall was torn away to try to find bullets and evidence of the executions.
EnterRasputin , the notorious monk and mystic . He purportedly cured young Alexei ’s hemophilia when the yearling was three years honest-to-god in 1908 . He became the queen ’s confidante and adviser , even though most of Russia ( and the royal courtyard ) shunned Rasputin ’s sword of fanatical religious mysticism .
In a few short years after Alexei ’s remedy , Russia faced a new band of problems .
World War I And Russian Revolution
In 1914 , Russia went to state of war with Germany in World War I. compulsive to see a Russian triumph in the war , Tsar Nicholas II went to the front to require the troops himself in August 1915 , although his consultant told him not to .
That left Alexandra Feodorovna in burster of domesticated personal matters .
Rather than trust on her married man ’s desire ministers , she fired many of them . In their place , she appointed mass evoke by Rasputin who twist out to be either inept or dishonorable . As such , many in the Romanov court felt the empress was a German agent out to destroy the courtyard . She was bear in Germany , after all .
The regal homage had enough . On Dec. 16 , 1916 , theyassassinated Rasputin . This sent Empress Alexandra into turmoil and spur further modification in insurance .
Three months later in February 1917 , nutrient shortage and famine grip several Russian cities . pay for World War I had sapped the country ’s resources . People give out on smash and debauch all over the country . Vladimir Lenin rose as the leader of an anti - Tsar revolution . His party was known as the Bolsheviks .
So Nicholas II renounce the throne and fly . Lenin loyalist , by the spring of 1917 , had the chance to tangle into power .
The regal family was therefore dangerous . If get by revolutionaries , they would be drink down .
The Final Days Of The Romanovs
Alexandra , her five children , and Nicholas II wind up in Yekaterinburg , a Siberian city contain by the Bolsheviks . revolutionist thus halt the imperial family under planetary house arrest in April 1918 and the Romanovs endure their last day in fear .
On the night of July 16 , 1918 , Bolsheviks herded the entire family into the basement of the Ipatiev House as if to be set up for a mob photo . Each member of the Romanov royal family — Nicholas , Alexandra , their four girl , and teenage Logos — were executed . Anyone who survived a fastball meet their death by a bayonet .
Wikimedia CommonsThe basement of Ipatiev House , where the Romanovs were summarily executed . The wall was torn away to attempt to find bullets and grounds of the executions .
Even 100 geezerhood after the Russian Revolution , the last days of Alexandra Feodorovna and her family haunt the Russian mass . Speculation endures as to how just the family met their end .
Much time blow over between their carrying out and the find of their bodies in 1979 , which allow for for mythologies besiege a potential outflow to emerge . One such legend is that of Alexandra ’s daughter , Anastasia . It ’s also believe that the shock of such a murderous rebellion was unconvincing to the world at large at the clock time , and so there became stories of hopeful survivals .
Indeed their end were grim . The 1979 archeological site of their body showed not only that they were shoot and stabbed upon execution , but also that acid was poured on them upon their decease . They were left in an unmarked quarry .
In 2015 , Russian regime of the Orthodox Churchexhumed the bodiesof Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra to take deoxyribonucleic acid samples and to well understand how the Romanov ’s died .
Scientists used desoxyribonucleic acid of their corpse to verify the individuality of two bodies buried in Yekaterinburg , one conceive to be Alexei and another to be his sister , Maria . If so , the Church would be remiss if they did not entomb the bodies beside the other royal family member that were line up .
But the biggest enquiry remains unanswerable : What would have happened to the Romanov family had Alexandra governed her adoptive homeland more pronto ? Perhaps the Russian Revolution might not have go on , perhaps the chronicle of the rest of the twentieth one C would be radically changed .
Experience more about theRomanov family in these stunning photos of their last daysor explore thehistory of Rasputinyou missed out on in class .
