Romance of Nicholas and Alexandra
The Heir to the Russian Throne Married a German Princess in 1894
The romance between Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna would last all of their lives, even while Russia was suffering from the political turmoil of the Revolution.
The romance between Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna (called Alix of Hesse), began when Alexandra was only a girl. It was at her older sister Elizabeth's wedding to Grand Duke Sergei that Alix and Nicholas played as children. It is often reported that Nicholas and Alexandra fell in love as children and that it was fated that they should marry one day.
Romance of Nicholas and Alexandra – Courtship
When it became clear that it was time Alexandra begin looking for a husband, both her older sister Elizabeth and her grandmother, Queen Victoria, began to advocate for their personal choices. Queen Victoria felt that Alexandra would make a suitable match for the Duke of Clarence. Elizabeth and Alexandra were close, and Elizabeth found comfort in the idea that her sister would join her in Russia if she married the Tsarevich Nicholas.
Elizabeth arranged meetings, passed on secret love letters, and counselled Alexandra about marrying Nicholas.
Romance of Nicholas and Alexandra – Engagement and Religious Conversion
Alexandra's largest fear about marrying Nicholas arose from the conversion from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy under which she would have to go before marriage to the future Tsar could take place. It was at the wedding of a relative that Nicholas convinced Alexandra to convert to his religion and take his hand in marriage.
During Nicholas and Alexandra's engagement Nicholas' father, Alexander III, died. Nicholas was crowned Tsar of Russia at the age of 26 in 1894.
Romance of Nicholas and Alexandra – Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony for Nicholas and Alexandra took place in the month following Alexander III's death. As was the coronation, the wedding celebrations were carried out with great displays of the Romanovs' wealth. Processions, parties, and the wedding ceremony itself left onlookers in awe. Even though the court was in mourning, all involved attempted to make the wedding of Nicholas and Alexandra a cheerful event by which no expense was spared.
Romance of Nicholas and Alexandra – Children
Nicholas and Alexandra produced four daughters before their son, Alexei, was born. The absence of a male heir was especially stressful to Alexandra, who felt responsible for bearing an heir to the throne; when Alexei was born, it was revealed that he would suffer from hemophilia – a dangerous obstacle in his future ascension to the throne. All of the Romanov children, however, were well-loved by their parents.
Romance of Nicholas and Alexandra – Married Years
Nicholas and Alexandra stayed devoted to each other, even when outsiders disapproved and attempted to intervene. Nicholas abided Rasputin's presence at court, while Alexandra encouraged Nicholas to keep a stranglehold on the crown of Russia. Revolution was upon them, but they lived within the circle they had drawn about themselves as a couple. It was this ignorance and refusal to react to outside events that led to their capture, imprisonment, and death at the hands of Bolsheviks.
References
Figes, Orlando. A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.
Lieven, Dominic. Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1993.
Magar, Hugo. Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia. New York: Carroll and Graff Publishers, Inc., 1998.
