Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse and by Rhine)
Maximiliane Wilhelmine Auguste Sophie Marie of Hesse and by Rhine ( born August 8, 1824 in Darmstadt, .. † 22 Maijul / June 3 1880greg in Saint Petersburg ) was a princess of Hesse and by Rhine and under the name of Maria Alexandrovna (in Russian Мария Александровна ) Russian empress.
Life
Origin, Family and Youth
Marie was officially the youngest of the five children of Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse and by Rhine (1777-1848) from his marriage to Princess Wilhelmine of Baden (1788-1836), daughter of the Hereditary Prince Karl Ludwig of Baden.
The parents had been estranged over the years together and lived partially separated for months under the protection of an externally intact family. The birth of her two youngest children, Alexander and Marie, brought them closer together again, even though the paternity of the Grand Duke in the last two children of Wilhelmine was in doubt. The biological father of these children Wilhelmine was probably August Ludwig von Senarclens - Grancy, with whom she lived temporarily.
The education of the young Princess was the Grand Duchess is not in the hands of governesses, but put even the plans for the upbringing and education together. On the teaching of literature and history, knowledge, special emphasis was placed. The mother's penchant for French culture and literature coined the lessons for little Marie. Wilhelmine died when Marie was eleven years old. The further education took over the maid of honor Marianne Gransi that followed the plan of education of the mother.
Empress
In 1838 met the future emperor of Russia Alexander II know the young Princess of Hesse and opted for a marriage with her, even though he stigma of her birth was well aware. The marriage was on 16 Apriljul. / April 28 1841greg. closed in St. Petersburg. Marie converted before the wedding to the Russian Orthodox faith and was henceforth called Maria Alexandrovna. After the death of her husband Emperor Nicholas I succeeded him on the throne, and Maria Alexandrovna was Empress of Russia.
Although Alexander always treated his wife with respect, he had numerous mistresses and illegitimate children. Marie responded with common diseases. At her instigation, and in cooperation with the Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse she arranged against the resistance of Queen Victoria married her only daughter Mary and Alfred Duke of Edinburgh.
A particularly close relationship had always Marie to her brother Alexander, with whom she has also had an extensive correspondence partly political content. Through her frequent holidays in Hesse Castle Heiligenberg with her brother also result later marriages of Grand Duke Sergei with Princess Elizabeth and the connection of Marie's grandson Nicholas with Princess Alix.
Illness and death
In 1863 the Empress fell ill with tuberculosis and was hoping to gain relief with the help of spa stays. In the summer of 1864, she went to Bad Kissingen, where the first personal encounter with Ludwig II of Bavaria took place. It was followed by a further visit Louis in Bad Schwalbach, where the Empress was staying at a follow-up treatment. This resulted in an exchange of letters between the two monarchs, which lasted for a year. However, due to a worsening of their disease and any suspicion on the part of the imperial court of the contact broke off again.
The marital infidelity of her husband and the early death of her eldest son was the soreness. The very weakened Empress died on June 3, 1880 their suffering and was buried with full honors in the family vault of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Progeny
- Alexandra (1842-1849)
- Nikolai (1843-1865), Tsarevich
- Alexander III. (1845-1894), Emperor of Russia
- Vladimir (1847-1909)
- Alexei (1850-1908)
- Maria (1853-1920)
- Sergius (1857-1905)
- Paul (1860-1919)
Reception
After Empress Maria Alexandrovna the Central Siberian city Marinsk was named in 1857, which bears this name today. The city of Anadyr in the Far East was from its inception from 1889 to 1923 Novo- Marinsk.
Furthermore, named after Marie are the Marienplatz in Darmstadt, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and the Finnish city of Mariehamn.