Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (8 August 1824 – 8 June 1880) was a princess of the Grand Duchy of Hesse

Grand Duchy of Hesse

The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...

 and, as Maria Alexandrovna (in Russian Мария Александровна), Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia

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...

. She was born at Darmstadt

Darmstadt

Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...

, the capital of the Grand Duchy, and died at Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

. The Mariinsky Theatre

Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...

 and the city Mariehamn

Mariehamn

Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...

 in Åland are named after her.

Early life

Marie was the youngest of seven children born to the Grand Duchess Wihelmine of Hesse

Wilhelmine of Baden

Wilhelmine of Baden was Grand Duchess consort of Hesse and the Rhine.She was the youngest daughter of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Amalia of Hesse-Darmstadt...

 (1788–1836), the youngest sister of the Russian Empress Elizaveta Alexeievna

Louise of Baden

Elizabeth Alexeievna was the wife of Emperor Alexander I of Russia.-Princess of Baden:...

. The younger four were likely the biological children of Baron August von Senarclens de Grancy

August von Senarclens de Grancy

August Ludwig Freiherr von Senarclens de Grancy was born Auguste Louis de Senarclens de Grancy at the Château d'Etoy in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, the ancestral home of the de Loriol Family, the firstborn son of three sons and four daughters of Cesar August Freiherr von Senarclens de Grancy,...

, but to avoid a scandal, Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse acknowledged Alexander and Marie as his own children; the other two had died young.

Marriage

When in 1838, the Tsarevich Alexander Nikolayevich toured Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 to find a wife, he fell in love with the 14-year-old Marie. He married her on 16 April 1841, even though he was well aware of the "irregularity" of her birth. His mother Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna objected, but Alexander insisted.

As she was very shy, she was regarded as stiff, austere, and with no taste in dress, no conversation, no charm. The damp climate of Saint Petersburg did not agree with the delicate chest Marie had inherited from her mother, so that she had a racking cough

Cough

A cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes...

 and recurring fever

Fever

Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...

. Nevertheless, she became the mother of eight children. These pregnancies together with ill health kept her away from many Court festivities, which brought temptations to her husband.

Although he always treated her well, Marie knew Alexander was unfaithful and had many lovers. He already had three children with his favorite mistress, Princess Catherine Dolgoruki, when he moved her and their children into the Imperial Palace. They entered into a morganatic marriage

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...

 on 6 July 1880, less than a month after Marie's death.

Russian Empress

In 1855 Alexander became Emperor, which forced her to attend more State functions whether she was ill or not. Although Alexander II always treated her well, she knew from 1858 onwards that his feelings were for someone else. In 1865, the death of her eldest and favourite son, the Tsarevich Nicholas

Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia

For the son of Alexander III, who succeeded his father on the throne in 1894, see Nicholas II of Russia.Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov , full title: Heir, Tsesarevich and Grand Duke of Russia was Tsesarevich —the heir apparent—of Imperial Russia from 2 March 1855 until...

, was a great blow.

Every now and again she was able to go to her brother Alexander who lived with his morganatic wife in Heiligenberg. There she met Princess Alice

Princess Alice of the United Kingdom

The Princess Alice was a member of the British royal family, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.Alice's education was devised by Albert's close friend and adviser, Baron Stockmar...

, daughter of Queen Victoria

Victoria of the United Kingdom

Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

 and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, wife of her nephew Prince Louis

Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse

Louis IV , was the fourth Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, reigning from 13 June 1877 until his death...

. She resented Alice's suggestion of the marriage between her brother Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh

Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...

 and Marie's daughter, Maria Alexandrovna, but the marriage ultimately went through. When Alice died in 1878, Marie often invited the motherless children for visits to Heiligenberg. It was during these visits that Marie's son, Grand Duke Serge

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia...

, first got to know his future wife, Alice's daughter Elisabeth as well as Marie's first encounter with Princess Alix of Hesse, (who was the younger sister of Elisabeth) and would one day marry Marie's eldest grandson Nicholas II

Nicholas II of Russia

Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...

.

Children

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna of Russia was the eldest child of Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. She died from infant meningitis at the age of six and a half.-Life and death:...	30 August 1842	10 July 1849	nicknamed Lina, died of infant meningitis Meningitis Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...  in St. Petersburg at the age of six
Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich	20 September 1843	24 April 1865	engaged to Dagmar of Denmark
Tsar Alexander III Alexander III of Russia Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...	10 March 1845	1 November 1894	married 1866, Dagmar of Denmark (Maria Feodorovna); had issue
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia ) was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia...	22 April 1847	17 February 1909	married 1874, Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Maria Pavlovna); had issue
Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia was the sixth child and the fourth son of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna . Destined to a naval career, Alexei Alexandrovich started his military training at the age of 7...	14 January 1850	14 November 1908	married 1867/1870, Alexandra Vasilievna Zhukovskaya; had issue
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna	17 October 1853	20 October 1920	married 1874, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha... ; had issue
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia...	29 April 1857	4 February 1905	married 1884, Elisabeth of Hesse (Elizabeth Feodorovna) Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia canonized as St. Elizabeth Romanova was a German princess of the House of Hesse, and the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and the Rhine... ;
Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich Grand 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...	3 October 1860	24 January 1919	married 1889, Alexandra of Greece and Denmark (Alexandra Georgievna); had issue - second marriage 1902, 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:... ; had issue

Titles and styles

• 8 August 1824 – 8 June 1880 Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine
• 16 April 1841 – 2 March 1855 Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, the Tsesarevna of Russia
• 2 March 1855 – 8 June 1880 Her Imperial Majesty The Empress of all the Russias

Ancestry

External links

• www.Mariagessen.narod.ru

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