, birth_date =
, birth_place =
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
,
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...
,
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria an ...
, death_date =
, death_place =
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 ...
,
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. ...
, burial_place =
Peter and Paul Cathedral,
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 ...
, Russian Empire
, religion =
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 ...
''prev.'' Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (9 January 1807 – 2 February
Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._21_January.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 21 January">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 21 January1873), later known as Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, was the wife of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, the youngest son of Emperor Paul I of Russia and Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg), Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.
Early life
She was born in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, as Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, the eldest daughter of
Prince Paul of Württemberg
Prince Paul of Württemberg (Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August; 19 January 1785 – 16 April 1852) was the fourth child and second son of King Frederick I and his wife, Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
Early life
Paul was born in St ...
and of
Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen (17 June 1787 Hildburghausen – 12 December 1847 Bamberg) was the child of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and his wife, Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was the wife of Prince Pa ...
. As a child, Charlotte lived in Paris with her father and her younger sister
Pauline. Their home was quite modest by royal standards. In
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, Charlotte came under the tutelage of several intellectuals.
Marriage and issue
In 1822, she became engaged to Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia, her first cousin once removed (Mikhail's mother was her father's aunt). It was said that Charlotte was an exceptional girl, highly intelligent and mature for her age of 15.
[Zeepvat, p.19.] The Grand Duke was obviously impressed by her beauty and her poise, and during a reception held in her honor, she charmed all the guests with her conversations.
On 17 December 1823, she was received into 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 ...
and was given the name Elena Pavlovna. On 20 February 1824, the couple married 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 ...
and settled in the
Mikhailovsky Palace
The Mikhailovsky Palace (russian: Михайловский дворец, tr=Mikhailovskiy dvorets) is a grand ducal palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is located on Arts Square and is an example of Empire style neoclassicism. The palace cu ...
. When the
Dowager Empress
Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere.
The title was also ...
Maria Feodorovna died in 1828, the palace of
Pavlovsk passed on to Mikhail and he and Elena visited it often. Their marriage was not a happy one: Mikhail's only passion was for the army, and he neglected Elena. Nevertheless, he and Elena had five daughters, only two of whom lived to mature adulthood:
*
Grand Duchess Maria Mikhailovna of Russia (9 March 1825,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
– 19 November 1846,
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
); died unmarried.
*
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia (26 May 1826,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
– 28 January 1845,
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
); married
Adolf, Duke of Nassau and died in childbirth.
*
Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia (russian: Великая Княжна Екатерина Михайловна) (28 August 1827 – 12 May 1894), was the third of five daughters of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia (youngest son ...
(28 August 1827 – 12 May 1894), married
Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, spouse = Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia
, house = House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, father = George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, mother = Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel
, birth_date =
, birth_place = N ...
* Grand Duchess Alexandra Mikhailovna of Russia (28 January 1831,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
– 27 March 1832,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
), died in childhood
* Grand Duchess Anna Mikhailovna of Russia (27 October 1834,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
– 22 March 1836,
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 ...
), died in childhood
Influence at court and in society
Elena became a close friend of her brother-in-law, Emperor
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.
The son of ...
and of his wife the
Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna. She was also quick to befriend the shy
Maria Alexandrovna, who married the then
Tsarevich Alexander in 1841. When Princess Charlotte's husband died, in 1849, she became a patron of several charitable organizations and of the arts. She founded the
Saint Petersburg Conservatoire and co-founded (1854) a group of nursing sisters () which would eventually become the forerunners of the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
in Russia. During her time in Russia she became known as the "family intellectual", and was considered the most exceptional woman in the imperial family since
Catherine the Great
, 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 founded the
Russian Musical Society
The Russian Musical Society (RMS) (russian: Русское музыкальное общество) was the first music school in Russia open to the general public. It was launched in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Rubinstei ...
(1859) and
the Russian Conservatoire (1862), and was liberal on
serfdom
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develop ...
. She helped to push her nephew
Alexander II to
abolish serfdom while he stayed with her.
As a patroness of the composer
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sai ...
(1829-1894), she commissioned some of his early
operas
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...
: ''
Fomka the Fool
''Fomka the Fool'' '' (Fomka-durachok: russian: Фомка-дурачок)'' is a one-act opera by Anton Rubinstein to a libretto by M. L. Mikhaylov. It was given its only performance in 1853.
Background
''Fomka'' was the second of Rubinstein's ...
'' (1853), ''
The Siberian Hunters'' (1852), and
''Vengeance'' (1852/1853).
[Taylor (2007), 39.]
Elena died 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 ...
, at the age of 66.
Gallery
Image:Портрет великой княгини Елены Павловны.jpg, Elena Pavlovna as a young woman, 1824.
Image:Elena Pavlovna of Russia by Brullov (1829, Tretyakov gallery).jpg, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna by Karl Bryullov
Karl Pavlovich Bryullov (russian: Карл Па́влович Брюлло́в; 12 December 1799 – 11 June 1852), original name Charles Bruleau, also transliterated Briullov and Briuloff, and referred to by his friends as "Karl the Great", was a ...
, 1829.
Image:Elena Pavlovna of Russia with daughter Maria by Brullov (1830, Russian museum).jpg, Elena with her eldest daughter Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
, 1830s.
Image:Елена Павловна (великая княгиня), 1842.jpg, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia (née Princess Charlotte 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, Würt ...
), 1842
Image:Elena Pavlovna by Joseph-Desire Court.jpg, Elena Pavlovna by Joseph-Desire Court (Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), 1842.
Image:Grand duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia.jpg, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna in middle age, by Christina Robertson
Christina Robertson RSA (''née'' Saunders; 17 December 1796 – 30 April 1854) was a Scottish painter generally remembered for her portraits of Russian imperial family, representative of Academical tradition. She was the first woman honorary ...
, 1850s
Image:Elena Pavlovna by Winterhalter (1862, Hermitage).jpg, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna by Winterhalter Winterhalter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Albert G. Winterhalter (1856–1920), admiral in the United States Navy, commander in chief of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet from 1915 to 1917
* Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873), ...
(1862, Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the list of ...
).
Image:Elena Pavlovna1.jpg, Elena Pavlovna in old age, late 1860s
Image:Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia in her final years.jpg, A photograph of Elena Pavlovna in her final years, 1872.
Ancestry
Bibliography
*Lincoln, W. Bruce. ''The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russians''. 1983
*Sebag Montefiore, Simon. ''The Romanovs: 1613-1918''. 2016. Knopf Publishing Group.
*Taylor, Philip S., ''Anton Rubinstein: A Life in Music'', Indianapolis, 2007
*Zeepvat, Charlotte. ''Romanov Autumn''. 2001
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlotte Of Wurttemberg, Princess
1807 births
1873 deaths
House of Württemberg
Princesses of Württemberg
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Russian grand duchesses by marriage
Nobility from Stuttgart
Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg