Elena Pavlovna (; 24 December 1784
S 13 December
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
Histor ...
– 24 September 1803) was born a grand duchess of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
as the daughter of
Paul I Paul I may refer to:
*Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch
* Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople
*Pope Paul I (700–767)
*Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia
*Pau ...
,
Emperor of all the Russias
The emperor or empress of all the Russias or All Russia, ''Imperator Vserossiyskiy'', ''Imperatritsa Vserossiyskaya'' (often titled Tsar or Tsarina/Tsaritsa) was the monarch of the Russian Empire.
The title originated in connection with Russia' ...
and later became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin as the wife of
Frederick Louis of Meclenburg-Schwerin (1778–1819).
Early life
Grand Duchess
Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...
Elena Pavlovna
Romanova of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
was born in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
as the fourth child and second daughter of
Tsesarevich
Tsesarevich (russian: Цесаревич, ) was the title of the heir apparent or presumptive in the Russian Empire. It either preceded or replaced the given name and patronymic.
Usage
It is often confused with " tsarevich", which is a di ...
Paul Petrovich
Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her l ...
of Russia (1754–1801) and his second wife, Tsesarevna
Maria Feodorovna, born
Duchess
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
Sophie Dorothea of
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...
(1759–1828). Out of her nine siblings, Elena was closest to her older sister
Alexandra Pavlovna (1783–1801). She was educated privately at home, for the first years, under the supervision of her paternal grandmother,
Catherine the Great (1729–1796). Her education was focused mainly on
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
s,
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
and
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
.
Marriage and life in Schwerin
Marriage
In 1798, negotiations took place about the marriage of Elena Pavlovna and the heir of the
Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Prince
Paul Frederick (1778–1819), the eldest son of
Frederick Francis I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The formal betrothal was celebrated on 5 May 1799, and on 23 October 1799, they were married at the
Great Gatchina Palace near
Saint Petersbourg
Life in Schwerin
Elena Pavlovna moved to
Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...
with her husband and led a content married life there. On 15 September 1800 she gave birth to her firstborn son,
Paul Frederick, who would go on to inherit the throne of the duchy. He was named after his grandfathers. On 16 March 1801, Elena Pavlovna's sister
Archduchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Austria died in
Buda in childbirth. Only eight days later her father was assassinated. On 31 March 1803 she gave birth to a daughter,
Marie Louise Marie Louise or Marie-Louise may refer to:
People
*Marie Louise of Orléans (1662–1689), daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, queen consort of Charles II of Spain
*Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1688–1765), daughter of Charles I, Landgrave ...
, named after her grandmothers, who would later become the duchess of
Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg (german: Sachsen-Altenburg, links=no) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in present-day Thuringia. It was one of the smallest of the German states with an area of 1323 square kilomete ...
.
Death
In September 1803, Elena Pavlovna fell gravely ill and died suddenly on 24 September. She was buried in the Helena Paulovna
Mausoleum in
Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust () is a central castle town of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. Since 2011 it has been part of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district.
Ludwigslust is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The former royal re ...
. Her widower, Frederick Louis remarried two times and had more children, but never succeeded to the throne, as his father outlived him.
Issue
Hereditary Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna had two children with her husband,
(1778–1819), both of whom survived to adulthood:
*
Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Paul Friedrich (15 September 1800 – 7 March 1842) ruled as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1837 to 1842.
Biography
He was born in Ludwigslust the son of Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duc ...
(15 September 1800 – 7 March 1842), who inherited the throne of the duchy, married
Princess Alexandrine of Prussia (1803–1892) in 1822 and had issue.
*
Marie Louise Friederike Alexandrine Elizabeth Charlotte Catherine, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg (31 March 1803 – 26 October 1862), who married
Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
Georg Karl Frederick (24 July 1796 in Hildburghausen – 3 August 1853 in Hummelshain) was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg.
Family
He was the fourth but second surviving son of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (of Saxe-Altenburg from 1826) and Duch ...
on 7 October 1825 and had issue.
Letters
Elena Pavlovna's letters to her maternal grandfather,
Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg
Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756). He was born in Stut ...
written between 1795 and 1797 are preserved in the State Archive of Stuttgart in
Stuttgart,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
*
Alan Palmer
Alan Warwick Palmer (1926 – 25 March 2022) was a British author of historical and biographical books.
Background
Palmer was educated at Bancroft's School, Woodford Green, London, and Oriel College, Oxford. He spent 19 years as senior history ...
: ''Alexander I''.
* Zoé Oldenbourg: ''Katharina II''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elena Pavlovna Of Russia, Grand Duchess
1784 births
1803 deaths
Royalty from Saint Petersburg
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Russian grand duchesses
Hereditary Grand Duchesses of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
18th-century people from the Russian Empire
19th-century people from the Russian Empire
18th-century women from the Russian Empire
19th-century women from the Russian Empire
Daughters of Russian emperors
Children of Paul I of Russia