A mocking and defamatory cartoon depicting Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, as well as the Emperor and their children, betraying Russia to the Germans and Rasputin
Nicholas II, Diary, 3 November 1895 | A day I will remember for ever, during which I suffered a very very great deal. At about 2 o’clock dear Mama arrived from Gatchina; she, Ella and I were with Alix the whole time. At exactly 9 o’clock a baby’s cry was heard and we all breathed a sigh of relief! With a prayer we named the daughter sent to us by God ‘Olga’! When all the anxiety was over, and the terrors had ceased, there was simply a blessed feeling at what had come to pass! Thank god, Alix came through the birth well, and felt quite alert in the evening. I ate late at night with Mama, and when I went ot bed, I fell asleep at once!
Grand Duchess Xenia, Diary, 3 November 1895 | The birth of a daughter to Nicky and Alix! A great joy although it’s a pity it’s not a son! The birth pains began already last night. At 10 o’clock we went to Tsarskoe. Poor Nicky and Mama were quite weak with exhaustion. The baby is huge - weighing ten pounds - and had to be pulled out with forceps! A terrible thing to witness. But thank god everything ended well. I saw dear Alix, she looks well; little Olga lay next to her on the bed!
Nicholas II, Diary, 4 November 1895 | Although Alix slept very little at night, she felt well. Of course I was present for our daughter’s bath. She is a big baby weighing 10 pounds and measuring 55 centimetres. I can hardly believe it’s really our child! God what happiness!!! At 12 o’clock the whole family arrived for a service of thanksgiving.
Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna with her favourite daughter Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich with his wife and four children 1880s
From left to right: Grand Duke Andrei, Grand Duke Kirill, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Grand Duchess Elena and Grand Duke Boris.
Anonymous asked:
You can tell me what the personalities of the sons and daughters of Paul I of Russia and Sophia of Wurtemberg were like. Thank you :)
imperial-russia answered:
Here comes the crashcourse
- Alexander I: Very intelligent, but slow to mature in his teens, he was not a stranger to sarcasm. Outwardly he was very dignified and always courteous. He was an introvert though, quite sensitive and often in turmoil over the things he had done. He started off as very idealistic, but after some of his experiences he more or less abandoned his earlier “constitutional” ideas out of fear.
- Konstantin Pavlovich: Impulsive, rebelious and prone to outbursts of temper, he was also considered rude by many. He was definitely not hungry for power, though he too did not lack intelligence or education. He was honest and loud in voicing his opinions, unfortunately often he did not care if his comments and behaviour hurt other people.
- Alexandra Pavlovna: I was not able to gather much information on Alexandra´s character. She was a gentle soul, apparently a dilligent student and really devoted to her grandmother and parents. She was artistically gifted and learned easily.
- Elena Pavlovna: I found literally nothingabout Elena! She was considered exceedingly pretty and was close to her elder sister, but that is as much as I could gather about her personality.
- Maria Pavlovna: Like some others of her siblings Maria was well-educated and was attracted by science and arts. Diplomatic and gracious, she was an ideal product of her time and class, and was very successful as a Grand Duchess, a wife and a mother.
- Ekaterina Pavlovna: described as vivacious and sweet, she was again very intelligent and continued to educate herself throughout her whole life. She was also a person who knew what she wanted and she would work dilligently to get it.
- Olga Pavlovna: Died too soon to have developed personality.
- Anna Pavlovna: Intelligent, sensitive and loyal to her family, Anna was another among her siblings to prove clever and appreciating education. She was also discreet and prefered not to get involved in politics. As an adult, however, she showed herself to be rather proud and thought very highly of herself because of her imperial rank.
- Nicholas Pavlovich: A soldier through-and-through, Nicholas was considered as cold, calculative and even cruel. He definitely held discipline and precision above everything else. Not as bright as his older brothers, he was still gifted with iron will and could be an inspirational leader. Very devout and definitely more of a family man than his brothers, he was a loving, but still very strict father.
- Mikhail Pavlovich: Spoilt from childhood, Mikhail could be nice, but most of the time proved himself to be selfish and self-centered. He behaved differently in different siatuations. Men serving under him considered his cruel, even brutal, but his friends knew him as a cheerful and generous. He treated his wife poorly and was actually one of the Romanov Grand Dukes who benefited greatly from their position of birth, but had very little of value to offer their country in return.
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