Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (Alexandra Feodorovna)

Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix was born on 6 June 1872 in Darmstadt; she was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his first wife, Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. As an infant, she was very pretty, with delicate features and long dark lashes.

Her mother gave her the nickname of Sunny, due to her cheerful disposition, a practice later picked up by her husband. Out of her siblings, she was closest to Princess Marie (May), who was 2 years younger. Both of them enjoyed a happy childhood and were doted on by their elder siblings and mother, who adored her two younger daughters.

In November 1878, diphtheria swept through the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. Alix, her three sisters, her brother Ernst (Ernie) and her father fell ill. Alix's mother Alice tended to the children herself, rather than abandon them to the doctors. Alice herself soon fell ill and died on 14th December 1878. Alix, Victoria, Irene and Ernst survived the epidemic, but Marie did not. After her mother and sister's death, Alix went from being happy and cheerful to reserved and withdrawn.

Alix was married relatively late for her rank in her era; she refused a proposal from her first cousin, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale in 1890, despite strong familial pressure. Alix had already met and fallen in love with Grand Duke Nicholas, heir to the throne of Russia.

Alix and Nicholas first met in 1884, at the wedding of Nicholas' uncle Sergei to Alix's sister Elisabeth. When Alix returned to Russia in 1889, they fell in love. Nicholas wrote in his diary: It is my dream to one day marry Alix H. I have loved her for a long time, but more deeply and strongly since 1889 when she spent six weeks in Petersburg. For a long time, I have resisted my feeling that my dearest dream will come true. Initially, Nicholas' father refused the prospect of marriage. Alexander III and his wife, Maria Feodorovna, were both vehemently anti-German and had no intention of permitting a match with Princess Alix and the tsesarevich. The Tsar was angling for a bigger catch, someone like Princess Hélène, the daughter of Philippe, Comte de Paris. This match didn't work out, so the Tsar chose another possible bride: Princess Margaret of Prussia. Nicholas declared flatly that he would rather become a monk than marry the plain and boring Margaret. Alexander III ignored his son's demands, and only relented when his health began to fail in 1894. The Tsar and Tsarina weren't the only ones opposed to the match: Queen Victoria, Alix's grandmother, wasn't keen either.

In April 1894, Alix's brother Ernst was to be married to Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The day after his arrival in Coburg for the wedding, Nicholas proposed to Alix. She rejected him because she didn't want to convert to Orthodoxy. However, after pressure from Kaiser Wilhelm II and her sister Elisabeth, Alix accepted Nicholas' second proposal.

Later that Autumn, as Alexander III's health began to further deteriorate, Nicholas obtained the permission to summon Alix to the Palace of Livadia. Escorted by her sister Elisabeth, she was forced to travel by ordinary passenger train. The dying Tsar received Alix in full dress uniform and gave his blessing.

Alexander III of Russia died on 1 November 1894; Nicholas was now Tsar Nicholas II. The following day, Alix was received into the Russian Orthodox Church as the truly believing Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna.
The marriage with Nicholas was not delayed. Alexandra and Nicholas married on 26 November 1894 in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. The marriage that began that night remained exceptionally close until their deaths. Many people in Russia took the arrival of their new Empress so soon after the death of Alexander III as a bad omen: She has come to us behind a coffin. She brings misfortune with her.

On 15 November 1895, Alexandra gave birth to her first child, Olga Nikolaevna. Although many Russians and the Romanovs were disappointed an heir to the throne was not born, Nicholas and Alexandra were delighted and doted on their child.

Alexandra became Empress of Russia on her wedding day, but it was not until 14 May 1896 that the coronation took place. The following day, the coronation celebrations were halted when the deaths of over 1000 people became known. The victims had been trampled to death at the Khondynka Field, in Moscow, when rumours spread that there would no be enough of the food being distributed in honour of the coronation. In light of these events, the Tsar declared he could not go to the ball being given that night by the French ambassador. Nonetheless, his uncles urged him to attend so as not to offend the French. Nicholas gave in, and he and Alexandra attended the ball. Alexandra was affected by the loss of life: The Empress appeared in great distress, her eyes reddened by tears. Although Alexandra and Nicholas had visited the wounded the day after and offered to pay for the coffins of the dead, many Russians took the disaster as an omen that the reign would be unhappy. Others used the circumstances and the behaviour of the royal establishment to underscore the heartlessness of the autocracy and the contemptible shallowness of the young Tsar and his German woman.

Unlike her mother-in-law, Alexandra was heartily disliked among her subjects. She came off as very cold and curt, although according to her and many other close friends, she was only terribly shy and nervous in front of the Russian people. She was also frowned upon by the wealthy and poor alike for her distaste for Russian culture. Her inability to produce a son also incensed the people. When her second daughter Tatiana Nikolaevna was born, Alexandra was said to have burst into tears over what the Russian people would think of her. The disappointment only increased with the birth of her subsequent daughters, Maria Nikolaevna and Anastasia Nikolaevna. When her sunbeam Alexei Nikolaevich was born, she further isolated herself from the court by spending nearly all of her time with him.

Alexandra lived mainly as a recluse during her husband's reign. She was also reported to have had a terrible relationship with her mother-in-law, Maria Feodorovna. Unlike other European courts of the day, in the Russian court, the position of Dowager Empress was senior in rank and precedence to that of the Tsarina - a rule that Maria and her son enforced strictly. At royal balls and other formal gatherings, Maria would enter on her son's arm, and Alexandra would trail silently behind them. It did not help that Maria tended to be extremely possessive of her sons. In addition, Alexandra resented the ostentatiously considerate treatment of Maria by her husband. For Maria's part, she did not approve her son's marriage and was appalled by her daughter-in-law's inability to win favour with the Russian people. Alexandra, at least, was astute enough not to criticise openly the woman she publicly referred to as Mother dear.

While Nicholas and Alexandra did love their daughters, they were always overshadowed by their gender. They were frequently treated as one, with the nickname OTMA (Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia) and their individuality was somewhat lost, particularly after the birth of Alexei.
Having to live with the knowledge that she had given him haemophilia, Alexandra was obsessed with protecting her son; she kept a close eye on him at all times and consulted with mystics who claimed to be able to heal him. In 1912, Alexandra finally revealed the truth about Alexei's illness. The revelation backfired and Alexandra was now blamed for her son's frail health.

To treat Alexei's haemophilia, Alexandra turned to Russian doctors. Their treatments, however, generally failed. Burdened with the knowledge that any fall or little cut could kill her son, Alexandra turned toward religion for comfort. She spent hours praying on her private chapel and, in desperation, turned to mystics and holy men. One of them seemed to have a cure for her son: Grigori Rasputin.

Rasputin's debauched lifestyle led Nicholas to distance him from the family. Even after Alexandra was told that a drunk Rasputin had exposed himself at a Moscow restaurant and bragged to the crowd that Nicholas let him top his wife whenever he wanted, she blamed it on malicious gossip: Saints are always calumniated. He is hated because we love him. Nicholas was not nearly as blind, but he felt powerless to do anything about the men who seemingly saved Alexei's life.
From the start, there were persistent rumours and snickers behind Rasputin's back. Stories from back home in Siberia chased him, such as how he conducted weddings for villagers in exchange for sleeping the 1st night with the bride. In his apartment in St Petersburg, Rasputin was visited by anyone seeking his blessing, a healing or a favour with the tsarina. Women also came to Rasputin for more private blessings (*wink wink*) and received a private audience in his bedroom (called Holy of Holies).

In 1912, Alexei suffered a life-threatening haemorrhage. Alexandra and Nicholas took turns at his bedside and tried, in vain, to comfort him. In one rare moment of peace, Alexei whispered When I am dead, it will not hurt anymore, will it, Mama? Believing Alexei would die, a desperate Alexandra sent a telegram to Rasputin, who immediately replied God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Do not grieve. The little one will not die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much. Alexei recovered after Rasputin's advice was followed. From then on, Alexandra relied increasingly on Rasputin and believed in his ability to ease Alexei's suffering. This enhanced Rasputin's political power, which would seriously undermine Romanov rule during World War I.

The outbreak of World War I was a pivotal moment for Russia and Alexandra. When the tsar travelled to the front line in 1915, he left Alexandra in charge as Regent in St Petersburg. Alexandra had no experience of government and constantly appointed and re-appointed incompetent new ministers, which meant the government was never stable or efficient. She paid attention to the self-serving advice of Rasputin, and their relationship was (falsely) believed to be sexual in nature. Alexandra was the focus of ever-increasing negative rumours, and was widely believed to be a German spy.

World War I put an unbearable burden on Russia's government and economy, both of which were dangerously weak. Mass shortages and hunger became the daily situation for tens of millions of Russians due to the disruptions of the war economy. Inflation was rampant. All this, combined with the food shortages and the poor performance by the Russian military in the war, generated a great deal of anger and unrest. Nicholas' decision to take personal command of the military against advice was disastrous, as he was directly blamed for all losses. The poor performance of the military led to rumours believed by the people that the Tsarina was part of a conspiracy to help Germany win the war. The severe winter of 1916/7 essentially doomed Imperial Russia. Food shortages worsened and famine gripped the cities.

By March 1917, conditions worsened even more. Steelworkers went out on strike on 7 March and, on the following day, crowds hungry for bread began rioting on the streets of St Petersburg. After 2 days of rioting, the Tsar ordered the army to restore order and, on 11 March, they fired on the crowd. That very same day, the Duma (elected legislature) urged the Tsar to take action to ameliorate the concerns of the people. Nicholas responded by dissolving the Duma.

On 12 March, the soldiers sent to suppress the riots mutinied and joined the rebellion, thus providing the spark to ignite the February Revolution. Soldiers and workers set up the Petrograd Soviet of 2500 elected deputies while the Duma declared a Provisional Government on 13 March. The Duma informed the Tsar that he must abdicate. In an effort to put an end to the uprising in the capital, Nicholas tried to get to St Petersburg. His train was stopped at Pskov where, after receiving advice, he abdicated the throne for himself and his son.

Alexandra was now in a perilous position as the wife of the deposed Tsar, hated by the Russians. There were attempts made by the crowds to storm the Alexander Palace, but the guards successfully defended it. However, Alexandra noticed that the guards wore handkerchiefs around their wrists, signalling that they supported the Duma. From that moment on, she and her children were, in fact, prisoners. Nicholas was allowed to return to the Alexander Palace, where he was placed under arrest with his family.
The Provisional Government kept Nicholas and the family confined in house arrest. They did not wish to keep the family in Russia, particularly as both the family as well as the Provisional Government were under threat from the Bolsheviks; they trusted that the former Tsar and his family would be welcomed in Great Britain, and made sure inquiries were being made. However, George V refused to allow them permission to evacuate to the United Kingdom, as he was alarmed by their unpopularity in his country and the potential repercussions to his own throne. After this, they were suggested to be moved to France, but the family was not likely to be welcome there, as anti-German feelings were strong and Alexandra was believed to be a sympathiser of Germany. The Provisional Government was forced to act and relocate them within Russia, as the security situation was becoming more and more difficult.

In August 1917, the family were moved to Tobolsk in Siberia. They remained there until after the Bolshevik Revolution in November 1917. The fall of the Provisional Government greatly worsened their position.

In 1918, they were moved to Bolshevik controlled Ekaterinburg. Nicholas, Alexandra and their daughter Maria arrived at the Ipatiev House on 30 April. On entering their new prison, they were ordered to open all their luggage. Alexandra objected and Nicholas tried to come to her defence. He was cut off and the guards informed him that refusal to comply with their request would result in his removal from the rest of the family; a second offence would be rewarded with hard labour. Alexandra gave in and allowed the search. In May, the rest of the family arrived in Ekaterinburg.

For the Romanovs, life at Ipatiev House was a nightmare of uncertainty and fear. The privileges allowed to them were few. For one hour each afternoon, they could exercise in the garden under the watchful eye of the guards. Alexandra rarely joined her family in these activities; instead, she spent most of her time sitting in a wheelchair, reading the Bible or the works of St Seraphim. At night, they played cards or read.

On 4 July 1918, Yakov Yurovsky was appointed commandant of the Ipatiev House. Yurovsky was a loyal Bolshevik, a man Moscow could rely on. He quickly tightened security; he collected the family's jewellery and valuables. However, he did not know that Alexandra and her daughters had concealed on their person diamonds, emeralds, rubies and ropes of pearls. Yurovsky had been given the order for the murder on 13 July.

Tuesday, 16 July 1918 passed normally for the family. At 7 p.m., Yurovsky summoned all the men into his room and ordered to collect all the revolvers from the outside guards. With 12 heavy military revolvers lying before him on the table, he said Tonight, we shoot the entire family, everybody.

Nicholas, Alexandra and their children, along with several family servants, were summoned to the basement of the Ipatiev House early in the morning of 17 July 1918. In the basement, Alexandra complained about how there were no chairs; Nicholas asked for and received three chairs. Minutes later, at about 2:15 a.m., a squad of armed soldiers entered the room. Yurovsky ordered the family to stand and casually pronounced Your relations tried to save you. They have failed and now we must shoot you. Nicholas only had time to utter What…?before he was shot several times. Alexandra watched the murder of her husband and two manservants before military commissar Peter Ermakov took aim at her. She instinctively turned away from him and began to make the sign of the cross. Before she could finish the gesture, Ermakov killed her with a single gunshot.

After the execution, Alexandra's body (along with Nicholas, their children and their servants) was stripped and the clothing burned. Initially, the bodies were thrown down a disused mine-shaft at Ganina Yama. A short time later, they were retrieved; their faces were smashed, and the bodies were dismembered and disfigured with sulphuric acid. Then, they were hurriedly buried under railway sleepers (two children were missing until 2007 - Maria or Anastasia and Alexei).

In the early 1990s, following the fall of the Soviet Union, the bodies of the majority of the Romanovs were located, exhumed and formally identified. Alexandra, Nicholas and three daughters were reinterred in the St Catherine Chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St Petersburg in 1998, on the 80th anniversary of the execution.

In 1981, Alexandra and her immediate family were recognised as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. In 2000, Alexandra was canonised as a saint and passion bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church, together with her husband and her children.

Alexandra Feodorovna

Nikolai Bodarevsky

1907