Alexandra Georgievna of Greece and Denmark
Encyclopedia
Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia (Александра Георгиевна), née Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark (30 August 1870 – 24 September 1891) was born in Corfu
, Greece. She was the third child and firstborn daughter of George I of Greece
and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
, herself the daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia
. She was a sister to Constantine I of Greece
, and thus aunt of three kings and two queens, Constantine's three sons, who all became kings of Greece, and two of his daughters, who were queens, in name, of Romania and Croatia, respectively. She is also an aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
.
, the eighth child and sixth son of Emperor Alexander II
and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. They had become close when Grand Duke Paul spent winters in Greece due to his frequent respiratory illnesses. The Greek royal family also frequently spent holidays with the Romanov family on visits to Russia or Denmark.
They had two children:
and jumped directly into a boat that was permanently moored there, but fell as she got in. The next day, she collapsed in the middle of a ball from violent labour pains brought on by the previous day's activities. She gave birth to her son, Dmitri, lapsed into a fatal coma, and she died six days later in the Romanovs' estate Ilyinskoe near Moscow. The Grand Duchess was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral
, Saint Petersburg. Her grieving husband had to be restrained from throwing himself into the grave with her.
Her husband later morganatically
remarried Olga Karnovich
.
In 1939 when Alexandra's nephew George II of Greece
was reigning, the Greek government obtained a permission from the Soviet government under Joseph Stalin
to rebury Princess Alexandra in Greece. Her body was removed from the vault in Leningrad
and transferred by a Greek ship to Athens. It was finally laid to rest near the Tatoi Palace. Alexandra's marble tombstone over an empty tomb is still in its place in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The "Alexandra Maternity Hospital" (now "Alexandra General Hospital") in Athens was later named in her memory by her another nephew, King Paul
; it was affiliated with the University of Athens with a special remit to research and combat postpartum maternal mortality. Alexandras Avenue
in Athens was also named after her.
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
, Greece. She was the third child and firstborn daughter of George I of Greece
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia , later Queen Olga of the Hellenes , was the queen consort of King George I of Greece and briefly in 1920, Queen Regent of Greece...
, herself the daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia was the second son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.During the reign of his brother Alexander II, Konstantin was an admiral of the Russian fleet and reformed the Russian Navy. He was also an instrumental figure in the emancipation of the serfs...
. She was a sister to Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
, and thus aunt of three kings and two queens, Constantine's three sons, who all became kings of Greece, and two of his daughters, who were queens, in name, of Romania and Croatia, respectively. She is also an aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
.
Marriage and children
"Alexandra looked tall and beautiful, and ever since she was a child, life looked as it had nothing but joy and happiness in store for her." When she was nineteen years old, she was married to Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of RussiaGrand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia
Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia was the eighth child of Tsar Alexander II of Russia by his first wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna. His birth was commemorated by the naming of the city of Pavlodar in Kazakhstan...
, the eighth child and sixth son of Emperor Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. They had become close when Grand Duke Paul spent winters in Greece due to his frequent respiratory illnesses. The Greek royal family also frequently spent holidays with the Romanov family on visits to Russia or Denmark.
They had two children:
- Grand Duchess Maria PavlovnaGrand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1890-1958)Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, known as "Maria Pavlovna the Younger" was the daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and Alexandra Georgievna of Greece by marriage Princess of Sweden...
- Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.
Death
Seven months into her second pregnancy, Alexandra took a walk with her friends on the bank of the Moskva RiverMoskva River
The Moskva River is a river that flows through the Moscow and Smolensk Oblasts in Russia, and is a tributary of the Oka River.-Etymology:...
and jumped directly into a boat that was permanently moored there, but fell as she got in. The next day, she collapsed in the middle of a ball from violent labour pains brought on by the previous day's activities. She gave birth to her son, Dmitri, lapsed into a fatal coma, and she died six days later in the Romanovs' estate Ilyinskoe near Moscow. The Grand Duchess was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral
Peter and Paul Cathedral
The Peter and Paul Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the first and oldest landmark in St. Petersburg, built between 1712 and 1733 on Zayachy Island along the Neva River. Both the cathedral and the fortress were...
, Saint Petersburg. Her grieving husband had to be restrained from throwing himself into the grave with her.
Her husband later morganatically
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
remarried Olga Karnovich
Olga Valerianovna Paley
Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley , was the second wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia. -Early life and first marriage:...
.
In 1939 when Alexandra's nephew George II of Greece
George II of Greece
George II reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947.-Early life, first period of kingship and exile:George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia...
was reigning, the Greek government obtained a permission from the Soviet government under Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
to rebury Princess Alexandra in Greece. Her body was removed from the vault in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
and transferred by a Greek ship to Athens. It was finally laid to rest near the Tatoi Palace. Alexandra's marble tombstone over an empty tomb is still in its place in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The "Alexandra Maternity Hospital" (now "Alexandra General Hospital") in Athens was later named in her memory by her another nephew, King Paul
Paul of Greece
Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....
; it was affiliated with the University of Athens with a special remit to research and combat postpartum maternal mortality. Alexandras Avenue
Alexandras Avenue
Alexandra's Avenue is a main east-west thoroughfare running from Patission Street/28th of October Street and Kifissias Avenue in the northern part of the city of Athens, Greece. It is named after Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, later Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia...
in Athens was also named after her.
Titles and styles
- Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark
- Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia