Biography
The future Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Emperor Alexander II, was born on July 27 (according to the old style) of 1824 in Darmstadt. Her parents were the duke of Ludwig II Hessian and Great Duchess Maria Wilhelmina Badenskaya. The girl was given a long name Maximilian Wilhelmina Augustus Sofia Maria Hessian and Prievinskaya.
At the courtyard, rumors were spread that the daughter was born of the extramarital connection between Mother and Baron Augustus Senarklen de Granci. But to prevent rumors, the Duke of Hessen recognized the illegitimate girl Maria and the boy Alexander his heirs and gave them his surname. Children settled together with her mother in the palace in Heiligenberg.
The priest of the Protestant Church of Cimmerman was engaged in the upbringing of Mary, since her parent died when the girl was only 12 years old. From Mary's loved ones, only a native brother remained. The nominal father did not attend a small semi-desert castle and the children were not interested. Advanced years spent in privacy explains the calm and unlike the nature of the princess. She did not love magnificent balls and crowded social society, both in youth and in adulthood.
Personal life
At the age of 14, the biography of Princess Mary has changed forever. In one of the visits to the local opera house, Russian Tsearevich Alexander met through Darmstadt. Despite the fact that Princess Hessénskaya did not enter the list of European brides for the Russian heir, he imbued with a sincere feeling precisely. Maria answered him with reciprocity. For a long time, his parents were against the candidacy of princess because of her origin. But the son was adamant.
Maria Fedorovna, Alexander's mother, even came to a personal meeting with Maria to Germany. A cute serious girl unexpectedly liked the future mother-in-law, and she agreed to marry. For two years, it was decided to postpone the wedding in connection with the young age of the bride. At that time she managed to get comforted in Russia. The German princess adopted Orthodoxy, replacing his real name to the Russian - Maria Alexandrovna, after which he immediately wounded with Zesarevich. In the spring of 1841, Maria and Alexander were responsible for the Cathedral Church of the Tsarskoye Palace.
Her imperial majesty
In 1856, at the age of 32, Maria Alexandrovna, together with his spouse, joined the throne. Coronation took place in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Moskovsky Kremlin. But after the end of the throne, the new Empress of the Romanov family was avoided by noisy events. She preferred the society of approximate, and also talked a lot with the clergy.
Many representatives of the highest society reacted contradictory to its rule. Some condemned Maria Alexandrovna for small participation in the imperial affairs of foreign and domestic politics. But many contemporaries rightly appreciated its role in the development of Russian society. According to the close Freilina Empress Anna Tyutcheva, Maria Alexandrovna carried a heavy cross of serving the Russian people.
Achievements of Empress
It is impossible to underestimate the results of the activities of the Queen of Mary Alexandrovna and, above all, its role in the development of a charitable medical organization Red Cross, who began broad activities during the Russian-Turkish war.
Empress, saving on departures to Europe and on the number of outfits, invests the funds of the royal family in favor of building hospitals for the treatment of soldiers, as well as support for orphans and widows. At its behavior, a large number of physicians were sent to the Balkans to help the Slavs Brothers during the Turkish invasion. Under its management across the country, new allests and shelters opened.
Maria Alexandrovna played a big role in the education reform. With it, it earned 2 higher educational institutions, about 40 gymnasiums, more than 150 educational low-level educational institutions. The Queen contributed to a new twist in the organization of women's education, which was mainly funded on the means of charity.
Under its patronage, scientists K. D. Shushinsky developed a number of pedagogical methods, which all the gymnasiums of the period were adhered. The obligatory primary education program began to include the objects of the law of God, Russian, geography, history, cleaning, arithmetic, gymnastics. Girls were additionally taught needlework and housekeeping. At the highest level, the foundations of physics, algebra and geometry were added.
Patronized Empress and High Art. With it, the building was now built by the world famous Mariinsky Theater, whose troupe always supported a high professional level and adequately represented Russia in the international arena. The theater was founded by a ballet school, headed by the legendary ballerina Agrippina Vaganov in a few years. These institutions were kept on personal money Maria Alexandrovna.
A great contribution made Queen to the liberation of peasants, in every way supporting the reforms of her husband.
Family
The most important achievement of the empress was that she gave Russia a large number of heirs. In marriage with Alexander II Maria Alexandrovna gave birth to six sons and two daughters. At the very beginning of Marriage, the imperial family experienced a heavy tragedy - at the age of 7 from meningitis, their eldest daughter Alexander died. Young spouses mourned loss for a long time.
Another blow to the mother was the end of the hot-beloved son Nikolai, who was preparing to the heirs of the throne. In 1865, at the age of 22, Zesarevich died from the tuberculous spine damage. It happened suddenly, and after his funeral Maria Alexandrovna had already lost interest in life forever. The second son, Alexander, in a rush order was prepared on the throne, and ultimately he managed to become one of the wisers and peace-loving rulers on the Russian throne.
The presidential son Sergey distinguished himself as general-governor of Moscow, who married in his time at the Princess Elizabeth Fedorovna. Subsequently, they fell from the hands of Bolsheviks: Sergey in 1905, and Elizabeth - in 1918. Princess also belonged to the Darmstadian yard, and her native sister Alexander Fedorovna became his wife Nikolai II, the last king of the house of Romanov. Another three sons of Maria Alexandrovna, Vladimir, Alexey and Paul, held high military positions. Mary's daughter married Prince Edinburgh, the son of Queen Victoria, thereby somewhat strengthening Russian-British relations.
Religion
Maria Alexandrovna was a pious man. She combined the best features of the Protestant ministry to people and the depths of the Orthodox faith. The Empress studied the works of the holy fathers, the lives of the saints. She read Holy Maria Magdalene and Saint Seraphim Sorovsky. With the biography of the Russian ascetic faith, Maria Alexandrovna introduced her Freulin Anna Tyutchev.
Soon the heman of the righteous appeared in the royal family, which Native Maria Alexandrovna carefully retained, among others, the shrines of the family. The Tsarina was led by theological conversations with Parfacy Kiev, Philaret, Moscow, Vasily Pavlovo-Posadsky. After her death in memory of the mother of her sons built in Jerusalem the temple of Mary Magdalena, in which now the relics of Elizabeth Feodorovna are resting.
Death
The last years of the life of Mary Alexandrovna were overshadowed by the disease, the death of a beloved son, as well as numerous treason of loving husband. The queen never externally showed his discontent with the behavior of a spouse and did not blame him.
It is known that the main favorite of Alexander II, Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukova, lived together with illegitimate children a floor above the entrances of the crowded Empress. In many ways, this was done for security reasons: 7 attempts were made on the Tsar reformer, the last of which turned out to be fatal.
The Queen was seriously experienced all terrorist acts, each time its condition had deteriorated. Personal doctor Mary Alexandrovna, Sergey Petrovich Botkin, taking care of her well-being, recommended to live in Crimea periodically. But the last six months of his life Maria Alexandrovna, contrary to the prescriptions of the doctor, spent in St. Petersburg, which had a negative impact on her health.
The Empress died at the beginning of the summer of 1880 due to the complications of tuberculosis. The tomb of the Queen is located in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of St. Petersburg.
Memory
The memory of the Empress Mary Alexandrovna is immortalized by the descendants to the name of cities, streets and educational institutions. In the Mariinsky Theater, a bust of the queen with a memorable board was recently installed. The Mariinsky Temple today is the main cathedral of the Women's Monastery in Hepsimania.
In the newsreel, Mary Alexandrovna is captured in documentary and in artistic cinema. Alexander II's wife's roles at one time played such actresses like Natalia Vlasov, Marina Aleksandrov, Tatiana Korsak and Anna Isaikina. Especially great visual similarity with the Empress reached Irina Kozchenko, which is visible in the photo frames of the ribbon with the participation of Russian actress.
Spectator love enjoy the films "Roman Emperor", "Emperor's Love" and the series "Poor Nastya". In Kinokartina, Alexei Teacher "Matilda, who is devoted to the era of the sunset house of Romanov, starred Russian actors Danil Kozlovsky, Ingeborg Dapkunayte, Sergey Garmash and foreign stars of game cinema - Mikhalin Olshanskaya, Lars Idinger, Louise Tolfram.