Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia
Encyclopedia
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, (: Tsarskoye Selo
9 August 1783 – 16 March 1801 in Vienna
) was a daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia
and sister of Emperors Alexander I
and Nicholas I
. She became Archduchess of Austria upon her marriage to Archduke Joseph of Austria, Governor of Hungary.
and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. She received the usual education of Russian princesses and was taught French and German as well as music and drawing. Alexandra was very close to her younger sister Elena, and they were often painted together.
In 1796, Alexandra's grandmother, the Russian Empress Catherine II
, considered the then 18-year-old King Gustav IV of Sweden
as a possible husband for Alexandra (who was 13 years old) in order to solve many political problems between Russia and Sweden. Catherine liked the young king very much because he was said to have "a very pleasing face, in which wit and charm were portrayed." Alexandra, on the other hand, was described by contemporaries as "the lovable, caring and most thoughtful of the available princesses in Europe."
Negotiations for the marriage soon started. When the King of Sweden arrived in Russia in August 1796, he and Alexandra fell in love at first sight. He was charmed by her naivete, and he went straight to the Empress Catherine to declare his love for Alexandra and asked for her hand. The Empress burst with joy. With all this excitement, Catherine had seemed to overlook the matter of religion: as Queen of Sweden, Alexandra would have to convert from her Russian Orthodox faith
to Lutheranism
. However, Catherine considered that Gustav had implicitly agreed to allow Alexandra to keep her Orthodox faith when he told Alexandra that he loved her. Negotiations continued for two weeks, but finally the king of Sweden left without a bride.
Their betrothal was eventually set for 11 September. On that very day, before taking their vows, Gustav read in the engagement contract that Alexandra would keep her Orthodox faith even after marrying. The young king exploded, declaring that a trap had been laid for him, and he swore that he would never agree to give his people an Orthodox queen. He did not appear at the betrothal ceremony, and Alexandra was completely grief-stricken. This rebuke shortened Catherine's life, and she died of a stroke less than two months after the marriage negotiations. Gustav later married Princess Frederica of Baden
, a younger sister of Alexandra's sister-in-law, Elizaveta Alexeievna
.
In 1799, three years after the death of Empress Catherine, Tsar Paul decided to join Austria
and Prussia
in a coalition against the rising power of the French Republic
. To cement the alliance, Alexandra was married to Archduke Joseph of Austria, a younger brother of the Emperor Franz II
. Archduke Joseph had been made Palatine (Governor) of Hungary. The wedding took place on 30 October 1799, in St Petersburg. The young couple settled in the castle of Alcsút in Hungary.
Alexandra's life in the Austrian court was unhappy. Empress Maria Theresa, the second wife of Emperor Franz II
, was jealous of Alexandra's beauty and her fine jewels. Not only that, Alexandra very closely resembled the emperor's first wife, Elizabeth of Wurttemberg, who was Alexandra's maternal aunt. Furthermore, her Orthodox faith aroused the hostility of Roman Catholic Austrian court.
A year and a half later, Alexandra died in Vienna on 16 March 1801, of puerperal fever
shortly after giving birth to a daughter, who died on the day of her birth. Alexandra was only 17 years old, and her death occurred during the same week as her father's murder. Both were terrible blows for the Romanov family.
Archduke Joseph built a mauseleom dedicated to his wife, but the Austrian Court refused her burial in any Catholic cemetery. Therefore, Alexandra's coffin remained unburied until the Russian government had her interred in Hungary. During the Vienna Congress, Alexander I and the Grand Duchesses Maria Pavlovna
and Ekaterina Pavlovna visited the grave of their sister.Burried later in her own classistic Mausoleum in the German village Üröm (North of Budapest) that stays even today. Her Husband Palatine Joseph of Habsburg (see his statue in Pesth) - foundator of the "Hungarian Habsburgs" and maker of Pesth-Buda to a future capital of Hungary - and his second wife are burried in the Royal Castle of Buda upon the Danube.
Archduke Joseph married twice more and left many descendants.
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
9 August 1783 – 16 March 1801 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) was a daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
and sister of Emperors Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
and Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
. She became Archduchess of Austria upon her marriage to Archduke Joseph of Austria, Governor of Hungary.
Life
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna was the third child and eldest daughter of Tsar Paul I of RussiaPaul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. She received the usual education of Russian princesses and was taught French and German as well as music and drawing. Alexandra was very close to her younger sister Elena, and they were often painted together.
In 1796, Alexandra's grandmother, the Russian Empress Catherine II
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
, considered the then 18-year-old King Gustav IV of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
as a possible husband for Alexandra (who was 13 years old) in order to solve many political problems between Russia and Sweden. Catherine liked the young king very much because he was said to have "a very pleasing face, in which wit and charm were portrayed." Alexandra, on the other hand, was described by contemporaries as "the lovable, caring and most thoughtful of the available princesses in Europe."
Negotiations for the marriage soon started. When the King of Sweden arrived in Russia in August 1796, he and Alexandra fell in love at first sight. He was charmed by her naivete, and he went straight to the Empress Catherine to declare his love for Alexandra and asked for her hand. The Empress burst with joy. With all this excitement, Catherine had seemed to overlook the matter of religion: as Queen of Sweden, Alexandra would have to convert from her Russian Orthodox faith
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
to Lutheranism
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
. However, Catherine considered that Gustav had implicitly agreed to allow Alexandra to keep her Orthodox faith when he told Alexandra that he loved her. Negotiations continued for two weeks, but finally the king of Sweden left without a bride.
Their betrothal was eventually set for 11 September. On that very day, before taking their vows, Gustav read in the engagement contract that Alexandra would keep her Orthodox faith even after marrying. The young king exploded, declaring that a trap had been laid for him, and he swore that he would never agree to give his people an Orthodox queen. He did not appear at the betrothal ceremony, and Alexandra was completely grief-stricken. This rebuke shortened Catherine's life, and she died of a stroke less than two months after the marriage negotiations. Gustav later married Princess Frederica of Baden
Frederica of Baden
Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden was Queen consort of Sweden from 1797 to 1809. Daughter of Karl Ludwig of Baden and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, she was the younger sister of Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna , wife of Tsar Alexander I of Russia.-Biography:She was born in Karlsruhe...
, a younger sister of Alexandra's sister-in-law, Elizaveta Alexeievna
Louise of Baden
Elizabeth Alexeievna was the wife of Emperor Alexander I of Russia.-Princess of Baden:...
.
In 1799, three years after the death of Empress Catherine, Tsar Paul decided to join Austria
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
and Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in a coalition against the rising power of the French Republic
French First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
. To cement the alliance, Alexandra was married to Archduke Joseph of Austria, a younger brother of the Emperor Franz II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
. Archduke Joseph had been made Palatine (Governor) of Hungary. The wedding took place on 30 October 1799, in St Petersburg. The young couple settled in the castle of Alcsút in Hungary.
Alexandra's life in the Austrian court was unhappy. Empress Maria Theresa, the second wife of Emperor Franz II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
, was jealous of Alexandra's beauty and her fine jewels. Not only that, Alexandra very closely resembled the emperor's first wife, Elizabeth of Wurttemberg, who was Alexandra's maternal aunt. Furthermore, her Orthodox faith aroused the hostility of Roman Catholic Austrian court.
A year and a half later, Alexandra died in Vienna on 16 March 1801, of puerperal fever
Puerperal fever
Puerperal fever or childbed fever, is a bacterial infection contracted by women during childbirth or miscarriage. It can develop into puerperal sepsis, which is a serious form of septicaemia. If untreated, it is often fatal....
shortly after giving birth to a daughter, who died on the day of her birth. Alexandra was only 17 years old, and her death occurred during the same week as her father's murder. Both were terrible blows for the Romanov family.
Archduke Joseph built a mauseleom dedicated to his wife, but the Austrian Court refused her burial in any Catholic cemetery. Therefore, Alexandra's coffin remained unburied until the Russian government had her interred in Hungary. During the Vienna Congress, Alexander I and the Grand Duchesses Maria Pavlovna
Maria Pavlovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia was the third daughter of Paul I of Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. She was the Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by her marriage to Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.-Life:...
and Ekaterina Pavlovna visited the grave of their sister.Burried later in her own classistic Mausoleum in the German village Üröm (North of Budapest) that stays even today. Her Husband Palatine Joseph of Habsburg (see his statue in Pesth) - foundator of the "Hungarian Habsburgs" and maker of Pesth-Buda to a future capital of Hungary - and his second wife are burried in the Royal Castle of Buda upon the Danube.
Archduke Joseph married twice more and left many descendants.