Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia (russian: Александра Павловна: 9 August 1783
S 29 Julyat
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the cen ...
– 16 March 1801 in
Buda
Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
) was a daughter of Emperor
Paul I of Russia
Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...
and sister of emperors
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome
* Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...
and
Nicholas I. She married
Archduke Joseph of Austria, Palatine (Governor) of Hungary. Her marriage was the only
Romanov
The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to th ...
-
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
marital alliance to date.
Birth
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna was born in Tsarskoye Selo as the third child and eldest daughter of Tsar
Paul I of Russia
Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...
and his second wife
Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg
Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess of ...
(renamed Maria Feodorovna after her wedding). The sex of the child disappointed her paternal grandmother,
Empress Catherine II
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
. She wrote:
The Empress' secretary Alexander Khrapovitsky wrote that the Empress considered the newborn Grand Duchess Alexandra very ugly, especially compared with her older brothers.
Evgeny Karnovich
Evgeny Petrovich Karnovich (russian: Евге́ний Петро́вич Карно́вич; 15 November 1823 – 6 November 1885) was Russian writer, historian, journalist and editor.
Born in rural Yaroslavl region into an affluent Ukrainian l ...
: ''Alexandra Pavlovna'' in: ''Remarkable and enigmatic personalities of the 17th and 19th centuries'', ed. A.S. Suvorin 1884, pp. 305–376 - 520 p. The comparison with her younger sister
Elena
Elena may refer to:
People
* Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name
* Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician
* Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet
Geography
* Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...
, was also unfavorable to her: the Empress noted that the six-month-old Elena was much smarter and more charming than the two-year Alexandra.
However, as a gift for the birth of Alexandra, Catherine II gave her son
Gatchina Palace
The Great Gatchina Palace (russian: Большой Гатчинский дворец) is a palace in Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It was built from 1766 to 1781 by Antonio Rinaldi (architect), Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigori Grigoryevi ...
.
Gradually the Empress started to have better feelings about her granddaughter. On 12 March 1787 she wrote to her:
In turn, Alexandra was particularly attached to her grandmother. Catherine II noted:
Education
![Alexandra and Elena Pavlovna of Russia by E](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Alexandra_and_Elena_Pavlovna_of_Russia_by_E.Vigee-Lebrun.jpg)
She received the usual education of Russian princesses and was taught French and German as well as music and drawing. Alexandra was very close to her younger sister
Elena
Elena may refer to:
People
* Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name
* Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician
* Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet
Geography
* Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...
, and they were often painted together.
Alexandra's upbringing, as well as her sisters, was entrusted to
Charlotte von Lieven
Charlotte Margarete Fürstin von Lieven (Née Baroness von Gaugreben; 1748–1828), was a Russian princess of German origin and an Imperial governess.
Early life
She was born as daughter of Carl Caspar, Baron von Gaugreben (1716-1767) and Bar ...
, who acted as Governess.
![Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia in Russian dress by anonim (1790s, Gatchina)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Alexandra_Pavlovna_of_Russia_in_Russian_dress_by_anonim_%281790s%2C_Gatchina%29.jpg)
The older Grand Duchess was a very diligent student. In 1787, her mother proudly wrote about her four-year-old daughter, that "she continues to be diligent, making notable advances and begins to translate from German".
Alexandra was fascinated by drawing and "I think she has a great talent in this art",
and the music and singing, and "in these arts has found remarkable abilities".
In 1790, in her letter to the
Baron von Grimm, Catherine II gave a description of her granddaughter:
Gustav IV
In 1794, the Empress began to think about the future of the Grand Duchess. Alexandra Pavlovna was eleven years old, and "that summer a girl should be considered an adult."
In the letters of those years Catherine II expresses the idea of bringing to Russia "landless princes", who after marrying her granddaughters would get the position and means for life in their new homeland.
But the fate of Alexandra turned out differently. In 1792, news arrived at the Russian court regarding the murder of King
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.
Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...
(who was the Empress' first-cousin) and the accession to the throne of his 14-year-old son
Gustav IV Adolf
Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland.
The occupation of Finland in 1808–09 ...
. Reportedly, the desire of the late Swedish monarch was to make an alliance with the Russian Imperial family by marrying his only son to one of the granddaughters of the Empress; however, according to another version, the idea of marriage belonged to the Empress, and even became one of the secret conditions of the
Treaty of Värälä
The Treaty of Värälä (sometimes known as the Treaty of Wereloe) was signed in Värälä, Elimäki, Elimäki Municipality, Finland under Swedish rule, Finland, between Russian Empire, Russia (represented by Otto Heinrich Igelström) and Gustavi ...
.
The idea of this alliance was supported by the Swedish regent, the new King's uncle
Charles, Duke of Södermanland.
In October 1793, on the occasion of the marriage of the
Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich with
Princess Louise of Baden arrived in St. Petersburg Count Stenbock with congratulations from the Swedish court, and started the official talks about marriage. Alexandra began to learn the Swedish language, as well as to prepare to think about her future husband.
Negotiations went with varying success. In January 1794, Catherine II wrote to her first-cousin, the Duke of Södermanland:
But on two issues the parties could not reach an agreement: The religion of the future Queen and the fate of Count
Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt (russian: Граф Густав-Маврикий Максимович Армфельт, tr, ; 31 March 1757 – 19 August 1814) was a Finnish-Swedish-Russian courtier and diplomat. In Finland, he is considered one of ...
, member of the conspiracy against the Swedish regent, who took refuge in Russia. In retaliation, the regent began to negotiate a marriage between Gustav IV Adolf and
Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (19 November 1779 – 4 January 1801) was the maternal grandmother of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Louise Charlotte was born Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, ...
. Pretending to ignore the machinations of the Swedish regent, the Empress wrote in April 1795 to Baron von Grimm:
On 1 November 1795 the Swedish court officially announced the engagement between Gustav IV Adolf and
Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (19 November 1779 – 4 January 1801) was the maternal grandmother of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Louise Charlotte was born Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, ...
, and the official church prayer in Sweden the intended bride began to be mentioned. Catherine II stood to protect her granddaughter:
But the Empress was not limited to just words: she refused to accept the ambassador who came with the message of the engagement's announcement. Count
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...
was sent to the Swedish border for "exploring the castles", and in Stockholm Major General Count
Andrei Budberg
Andreas Eberhard Freiherr von Budberg-Bönninghausen (russian: Андрей Яковлевич Будберг; tr. ) (10 August 1750 – 1 September 1812) was a Baltic German diplomat who served as Foreign Minister in 1806–07.
Biography
By ...
was instructed to prevent the marriage. While the Swedish court was waiting for the arrival of the bride, the King suddenly changed his mind and broke off the engagement. In April 1796, talks about the "Russian marriage" were resumed by Catherine II, who invited Gustav IV Adolf to visit her in St. Petersburg.
Gustav IV Adolf and his uncle the Duke of Södermanland arrived incognito under for a meeting with the bride. A series of brilliant parties were arranged in their honor. The Swedish sovereign and Alexandra fell in love at first sight. The passion of Gustav IV Adolf for the Grand Duchess was evident: he danced with her constantly and had intimate conversations with her.
On 25 August 1796, Gustav IV Adolf asked the Empress for permission to marry the Grand Duchess. The negotiations with Sweden were led by Counts
Platon Zubov
Prince Platon Alexandrovich Zubov (russian: Платон Александрович Зубов; ) was the last of Catherine the Great's favourites and the most powerful man in the Russian Empire during the last years of her reign.
Life
The princ ...
and
Arkady Morkov. However, they were concerned with the question of the faith of the future Queen. The procurator-general
Alexander Samoylov
Count Aleksander Nikolayevich Samoylov (russian: Александр Николаевич Самойлов) (1744 – 1 November 1814) was a Russian general and statesman.
Alexander Samoylov was born into the family of senator Nikolay Samoylov ...
wrote:
Only on 2 September Gustav IV Adolf agreed that Alexandra would keep her
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
faith. Four days later, on 6 September, the Swedish embassy formally requested the hand of the Grand Duchess. The groom and the bride's father visited some military maneuvers, and poet
Gavrila Derzhavin
Gavriil (Gavrila) Romanovich Derzhavin ( rus, Гаврии́л (Гаври́ла) Рома́нович Держа́вин, p=ɡɐˈvrilə rɐˈmanəvʲɪtɕ dʲɪrˈʐavʲɪn, a=Gavrila Romanovich Dyerzhavin.ru.vorb.oga; 14 July 1743 – 20 ...
wrote a "''Concert for the engagement of the King of Sweden with Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna''". The official engagement was scheduled to take place on 11 September in the Throne Room of the
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace ( rus, Зимний дворец, Zimnij dvorets, p=ˈzʲimnʲɪj dvɐˈrʲɛts) is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the Emperor of all the Russias, Russian Emperor from 1732 to 1917. The p ...
. However, when Counts Zubov and Morkov were to sign the marriage contract in the morning of that day, they found that there was no article about the freedom of religion of the Grand Duchess, which was erased by order of the king. Despite the pleas of the Russian envoys, the King was firm that he would never give his people an Orthodox queen, and locked himself in his room. The Empress, her court and Alexandra, who was dressed as a bride, waited for him for more than four hours. Following the announcement of the final rejection of the king, the Empress had a small attack of apoplexy, and a grief-stricken Alexandra, in tears, locked herself in her room; the Swedish embassy declared that the engagement was canceled due to illness of the King.
On 12 September Gustav IV Adolf was present at the ball on the occasion of the birthday of Grand Duchess
Anna Feodorovna (born Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld), wife of Grand Duke
Konstantin Pavlovich
Konstantin Pavlovich (russian: Константи́н Па́влович; ) was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. He was the heir-presumptive for most of his elder brother Alexand ...
, but he was given a cold reception. Alexandra wasn't present at the ball, and the Empress had spent a little more than 15 minutes there, citing illness. Although the engagement didn't take place, talks about a marriage continued for a while. On 22 September 1796 the Swedish King had left Russia, with the Empress warned his son: "They're just your sons and their wives, but your four daughters should all be ill with colds."
Catherine II died two months later, on 17 November, and the marriage negotiations were continued by Alexandra Pavlovna's father and new Emperor
Paul I of Russia
Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...
. But in spite of all attempts, the main issue, the religion of Grand Duchess, was not settled, and the marriage negotiations were finally stopped.
Soon, the Imperial family suffered another blow. In October 1797 Gustav IV Adolf married Princess
Frederica of Baden
Princess Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden (12 March 1781 – 25 September 1826) was Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as the consort of King Gustav IV Adolf.
Life Early life
Frederica of Baden was born in Karlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Ba ...
, a younger sister of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alexeievna, Alexandra's sister-in-law. Empress
Maria Feodorovna blamed both her daughter-in-law for intriguing in favor of her sister and her husband the Emperor for "allowing himself these sharp and biting antics against her daughter".
Marriage
In 1799, three years after her failed betrothal with the King of Sweden, another marital project originated for Alexandra. Previously in 1798, Dukes Ferdinand Augustus and
Alexander Frederick of Württemberg who were the brothers of the Empress Maria Feodorovna, arrived in St. Petersburg to serve in the Russian army. They expressed the interest of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
to join with Russia in a coalition against the rising power of the
French Republic
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, and to cement this alliance, it was decided to arrange a marriage between Alexandra and
Archduke Joseph of Austria,
Palatine (Governor) of Hungary and a younger brother of
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...
.
Archduke Joseph personally came to Russia to see his bride. The meeting between them was successful. In mid-February 1799 the betrothal ball was held. Later, a marriage contract was signed in which Alexandra would be allowed to kept her Russian Orthodox faith. In October, Count
Fyodor Rostopchin
Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Rostopchin (russian: Фёдор Васильевич Ростопчин) ( – ) was a Russian statesman and General of the Infantry who served as the Governor-General of Moscow during the French invasion of Russia. H ...
wrote:
On 25 September 1799, a decree was published about the royal title of Alexandra. In Russia, she was referred to as "Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess the Archduchess of Austria" with the French prefix of "Palatine d'Hongrie".
The wedding took place on 30 October 1799 at
Gatchina Palace
The Great Gatchina Palace (russian: Большой Гатчинский дворец) is a palace in Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It was built from 1766 to 1781 by Antonio Rinaldi (architect), Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigori Grigoryevi ...
, one week after the wedding of her sister Elena. To celebrate both events, poet Gavrila Derzhavin wrote the ode "the wedding celebrations of 1799".
On 21 November the couple went to Austria. Countess
Varvara Golovina remembered that Alexandra was sad to leave Russia, and her father Emperor Paul I "constantly repeated, would not see her since her sacrifice."
According to Alexandra's confessor, Andrei Samborski, Alexandra was given a cold reception in Vienna. However, other sources offer a different view.
Queen Maria Carolina of Naples (the Emperor's mother-in-law) and her daughters arrived in Vienna in August 1800 for a long stay. Maria Carolina's daughter,
Princess Maria Amalia of Naples, wrote in her journal that on 15 August the Queen and her daughters were introduced to Alexandra, whom she described as "very beautiful". Maria Amalia and Alexandra became friends during this time; and the Princess of Naples wrote in her journal that the Russian Grand Duchess and her husband had a friendly relationship with the rest of the imperial family and took part in the family gatherings, parties and balls in Vienna, which contrasts with the version given by Andrei Samborski. For instance, in January 1801,
Maria Amalia wrote in her journal that the imperial family used to attend balls in Archduke Joseph's residence in Vienna, where "beautiful Alexandra, always serious and sad, has a magnificent household."
When she was presented to Emperor Francis II, she reminded him of his first wife
Elisabeth of Württemberg
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...
, who was her maternal aunt; this caused the jealousy of
Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
, Francis II's second wife, who also was envious of Alexandra's beauty and fine jewelry. Imperial confessor Andrew Samborski wrote:
Once, Alexandra turned up to a ball beautifully dressed, with magnificent jewellery. The Empress was incensed at being upstaged by the Archduchess, and ordered her to remove her jewellery, and also told her that she could no longer wear them. Heeding her instructions, Alexandra only decorated her hair with flowers when she attended a play some time later. The flowers highlighted her beauty, leading her to be applauded and being given a standing ovation, making Maria Theresa even more furious. Archduke Joseph could not protect his wife from these attacks. Furthermore, her Eastern Orthodox faith aroused the hostility of the Roman Catholic Austrian court, who urged her to convert.
Death
Due to his responsibilities as Palatine, after a short stay in the Imperial court, Archduke Joseph and his wife moved to Hungary, where they settled in the
Alcsút Castle, although they also normally returned to Vienna to spend time with the imperial family.
On May 7, 1800, the composer Ludwig van Beethoven played in the presence of Archduke Joseph and his wife Alexandra at the Buda castle. This was part and main event of a week-long celebration organized by the Archduke in honor of his beautiful wife Alexandra.
Soon Alexandra was expecting her first child. The pregnancy was hard, as she was tormented by bouts of nausea. The doctor, following the orders of Empress Maria Theresa, was "more skilled in intrigues than in medicine, and moreover, with rude manners"; in addition, the cook prepared meals that she could not eat.
The childbirth, which lasted several hours, tormented Alexandra. Imperial confessor Andrew Samborski wrote:
A daughter, Archduchess Alexandrine of Austria, was born on 8 March 1801, but died within hours. She was named after her mother. Upon learning of the death of her daughter, Alexandra Pavlovna said:
On the eighth day after the birth, Alexandra was allowed to get up, but in the evening she developed
puerperal fever
Postpartum infections, also known as childbed fever and puerperal fever, are any bacterial infections of the female reproductive tract following childbirth or miscarriage. Signs and symptoms usually include a fever greater than , chills, lower ab ...
, which finally caused her early death on 16 March 1801 aged 17.
Hungarian historian Sándor Domanovszky related the event as follows:
Her death occurred during the same week as her father's murder. Both were terrible blows for the Romanov family.
Burial
According to the Russian Orthodox tradition they had to celebrate masses over the corpse during six weeks, so the body of Alexandra was unburied during this time. After the specified time elapsed, on 12 May, the body of the Archduchess was placed in the crypt of the Capuchin monastery of Víziváros (now Main Street 20).
![AlexandraPavlovnaChapel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/AlexandraPavlovnaChapel.jpg)
Because the Austrian court refused her burial in any Catholic cemeteries, Alexandra's remains remained unburied at Víziváros monastery until 1803, when her widower built a mausoleum dedicated to her in
Üröm
Üröm is a village in Pest county, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, R ...
near
Pest, following the late Archduchess' wishes, and after her definitive burial in this place, an Eastern Orthodox service was held in her memory. In 1809, during the invasion of Napoleon's troops, Archduke Joseph ordered that the coffin with his wife's remains must be placed in
Buda Castle
Buda Castle ( hu, Budavári Palota, german: link=no, Burgpalast) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the si ...
for precaution, with a special Orthodox chapel prepared for this purpose. Once the threat of war was over, Alexandra's coffin was returned to the Üröm Mausoleum, which became a place of pilgrimage for the local Orthodox community. During the
Vienna Congress
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
, Alexander I and the Grand Duchesses
Maria Pavlovna and
Ekaterina Pavlovna visited the grave of their sister.
Archduke Joseph remained a widower for several years, and only in 1815 remarried
Princess Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
, house = Ascania
, father =Victor II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
, mother = Amelia of Nassau-Weilburg
, birth_date =
, birth_place =Hoym
, death_date =
, death_place =Budapest
, religion = Calvin ...
, who died two years later in 1817, also after giving birth, though this time
fraternal twins
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
who survived. In 1819 the Archduke contracted his third and last marriage with
Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg
Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg (Maria Dorothea Luise Wilhelmine Caroline; 1 November 1797 in Carlsruhe (now Pokój), Silesia – 30 March 1855 in Pest, Hungary) was the daughter of Duke Louis of Württemberg (1756–1817) and Princess H ...
, who bore him five children, of whom three survived infancy.
After the death of Archduke Joseph in 1847, his children inherited the Üröm state, who even survived both
World War
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
s. The chapel was sacked, the valuables taken away and the coffins were open, but the remains weren't profaned, so the clothing and jewelry remained intact. In 1945, due to the
Collectivization in Hungary In the Hungarian People's Republic, agricultural collectivization was attempted a number of times in the late 1940s, until it was finally successfully implemented in the early 1960s. By consolidating individual landowning farmers into agricultural c ...
near the property some farmers were established until 1953, when in the
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
took over the ownership of the site. In November 1977 the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the National Institute of Chemistry of Justice and the Budapest History Museum archaeologist and anthropologist experts carried out detailed investigations in the Üröm Mausoleum.
On 26 April 1981 the Üröm Mausoleum was invaded by thieves, who profaned Alexandra's remains and coffin which was completely looted, taking clothing and jewelry. After this event, on 13 May Alexandra's remains were transferred to the crypt of Buda Castle, which had not yet been restored since the 1970s after the plunder and destruction made also by thieves. Until 2004, the Archduchess rested along the children and wives of her widower.
Thanks to a generous financial support from a Russian and also due to the tireless organizing work of Father Nikolai since St. Petersburg, as well as Üröm citizens who wanted to respect Alexandra's wishes, on 11 September 2004 her remains were returned to Üröm Mausoleum in a solemn ceremony held by Bishop Hilarion, head of the Hungarian Orthodox Church. In the ceremony were present members of the Habsburg and Romanov families, Cardinal
Péter Erdő
Péter Erdő ( hu, Erdő Péter, ; born 25 June 1952) is a Hungarian Cardinal of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, who has been the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Primate of Hungary since 2003.
He was president of the Council of ...
and the leaders of the Orthodox Churches in Hungary. Valery Muszatov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian state gave a copy of Alexandra's portrait to the Üröm Mausoleum.
Archives
Alexandra's letters to her 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 Stuttg ...
, together with letters from her siblings, written between 1795 and 1797 are preserved in the State Archive of Stuttgart (''Hauptstaatsarchiv'' Stuttgart) in Stuttgart, Germany.
Alexandra's letters to her sister-in-law
Maria Theresa of Naples are preserved in the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv in Vienna, Austria.
Ancestry
Honours
*
![Band to Order St Ekaterin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Band_to_Order_St_Ekaterin.png)
Dame Grand Cordon of the
Order of Saint Catherine
The Imperial Order of Saint Catherine (russian: Императорский Орден Святой Екатерины) was an award of Imperial Russia. Instituted on 24 November 1714 by Peter the Great on the occasion of his marriage to Catherine ...
(1783)
List of Dames of the Order of St. Catherine
/ref>
See also
* Alexandra Land
References
Bibliography
* Volovik Oleg Evgenyevitch. Velikaya Kniaginya Alexandra Pavlovna. Semia, Jizny, Sudba, Pamiaty. Interpressfact. 2005. Budapest. http://dinastia.org , http://rulit.org
* Beeche, Arturo, ''The Grand Duchesses'', Eurohistory, 2004.
* Palmer, Alan, ''Alexander I tsar of War and Peace'', 1974.
* Troyat, Henri, ''Catherine the Great'', 1980.
* Vendôme, Duchesse de (Princesse Henriette de Belgique): ''La Jeunesse de Marie-Amélie, Reine des Français, d’après son journal'', París, Plon, 1935.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandra Pavlovna Of Russia, Grand Duchess
1783 births
1801 deaths
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
Russian grand duchesses
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Deaths in childbirth
Daughters of Russian emperors
Children of Paul I of Russia