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Rulers Prior to Nicholas II / Daughters of Emperor Alexander I

« on: June 05, 2010, 08:37:41 AM »

In the 18 "day of May (1799), our dear daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alekseevna was delivered of the birth of our granddaughter, and their Imperial Highnesses the bride's daughter Maria.
From "Memoirs" of Countess V.N. Golovina:
"The Emperor was delighted by the birth of his granddaughter that he had been announced almost at the same time, when a messenger from the army brought him to the enemy flags and news of the victory of Suvorov in Italy. The emperor liked to stand on this kind of circumstance and declared himself the protector of the newborn, to which, as he said, were badly treated because it was not a boy.
In early August, the court returned to Pavlovsk. I hesitate to proceed to the description of the most nefarious plot, arranged at this time. Prince Czartoryski, still continues to be a close friend of Grand Duke Alexander, gave rise to slander, by which tried to discredit the honor and glory of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth. Her mother in law is constantly jealous of her daughter, never missed an opportunity to harm her. Count Tolstoy, playing the role of the zealous and faithful servant about Their Imperial Highnesses, at the same time was the first agent of the Empress, her spy and low servant. Until that time, the Emperor is very well behaved with the Grand Duchess Elizabeth. After the birth, he often questioned her in detail about the little Grand Duchess and urged her to have a son. In the last stay of the court in Pavlovsk empress ordered the Grand Duchess Elizabeth to send her child, although she was only three months and from the house of the Grand Prince to the palace was quite far. I had to obey, and then, when the girl was brought back, the Grand Duchess learned from the ladies who accompanied the child, that the empress wore it to the Emperor. The Grand Duchess, who suspected no storm gathering over her head, was grateful to the empress, considering it simply a desire to teach the Emperor to his granddaughter. She was sadly mistaken, and soon learn this, but the blame for her unhappiness was part of the truth from her and turn her anger on those who least deserve it. Graf Rostopchin and Kushelev were in the neighboring emnate with the cabinet the Emperor, when suddenly she became empress with a little Grand Duchess in her arms. She told them:
- Is not it true, what a lovely child?
They agreed with her, and she went into the office of Sovereign, where she went through a quarter of an hour quite a brisk pace. Kutaisov on behalf of the Sovereign tozval Rostopchina, telling him in Russian:
- Oh, my God, why this poor woman came to upset him with his evil words!
Rostopchin went to the Emperor, and found him in a state of rage.
- Come, sir, and write as soon as possible order link Czartoryski the Siberian Regiment. My wife is now aroused my doubts about an imaginary child of my son. Tolstoy knows this as she is.
Rostopchin refused to obey, and returned his Majesty that he was transferred to a terrible slander and that the reference to Prince Czartoryski disgrace the Grand Duchess, the former as innocent as virtuous. But he failed to shake the Emperor's decision. Rostopchin Then, seeing that it is impossible to dissuade him, confined the statement that he would never agree to write such an unjust order, and left the room. The Emperor wrote to him bake, in which he said all the circumstances that justified given them orders. Rostopchin again refused to obey, and the wrath of the Emperor finally calmed down. Graf managed to obtain the consent of his Majesty that Czartoryski will be removed without the noise and its appointed envoy to the King of Sardinia.

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Rulers Prior to Nicholas II / Tsesarevna Anna Petrovna, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp

« on: May 25, 2009, 09:10:42 AM »

Anna Petrovna (Moscow 7 Feb 1708-Kiel 15 May 1728).
She was a third child and first daughter Tsar Peter I and Catherine Alexeevna, Later Empress Catherine I. Her sister Elizabeth Petrovna was a Empress of Russia in 7 Dec 1741 - 5 Jan 1762.
Anna was born out of wedlock and was legitimized on the wedding of her parents in 1712. Her perceived illegitimacy caused several projects of matrimonial alliances to be turned down.
According to contemporaries, Anna strikingly resembled her famous father. She was clever and beautiful, well-educated, was fluent in German, French. Italian and Swedish. It is also known that Anna was devoted to children and took care of her nephew, Peter Alexeevich, later Emperor Peter II, when he was neglected during the reign of Catherine I.
It was finally decided that Anna would marry Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, a nephew of childless Karl XII of Sweden.
Karl Friedrich was a son of Friedrich IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Hedwig Sophie Auguste Pss of Sweden.
He was born in Stockholm 30 Apr 1700 year.
On 17 March 1721, Karl Friedrich arrived in  Russia to get acquainted with his future wife and father-in-law. He aspired to use the marriage in order to ensure Russia's support for his plans of retrieving Schleswig from Denmark. He also entertained hopes of being backed up by Russia in his claims to the Swedish throne. Under the terms of the Treaty of Nystad Russia promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of Sweden, so his hopes proved ill-founded.
Another possible candidate as a husband was a grandson of Louis XIV of France; Louis d’Orleans, Duke of Orleans - the son of the Regent of France for the infant Louis XV of France and also the grandson of Madam de Montespan. The marriages proposal was later ignored due to a difference in style of address. Anne was addressed as Her Imperial Highness and Louis was as His Serene Highness.
On 22 November 1724, the marriage contract was signed. By this contract, Anna and Karl Friedrich renounced all rights and claims to the crown of the Russian Empire on behalf of themselves and their descendants. As a result of this clause, the Emperor secured the right to name any of his descendants as his successor on the Russian throne, while the Duke undertook to execute the imperial will without any preconditions.
A few months thereafter, by January 1725, Peter the Great fell mortally ill. As the story goes, on his deathbed he managed to spell the words: to give all..., but could not continue further and sent for Anna to dictate his last will to her. By the time the princess arrived, the Emperor could not pronounce a single word. Based on the story, some historians speculated that Peter's wish was to leave the throne to Anna, but this seems to be doubtful.
The Karl and Anna was marry after Peter's death, on 21 May 1725, in Trinity Church, Saint Petersburg.
The Duke was admitted into the newly-established Supreme Secret Council and exerted a moderate influence on Russian politics. Catherine I's death in 1727 made his position precarious, as the power shifted to the hands of Alexander Menshikov, who aspired to marry the young emperor, Peter II, to his own daughter. A quarrel between the Duke and Menshikov resulted in the former's withdrawing to Holstein on 25 July 1727.
It was here that Anna died on 4 March 1728, within several days after giving birth to son, Karl Peter Ulrich. She had barely turned 20 years old. Before her death, Anna asked to be buried in Russia, near the tombs of her parents in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Her last will was executed on 12 November the same year.
Anna's husband died in Rolfshagen 18 Jun 1739, and her son - Karl Peter Ulrich became Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. He could thus be considered the heir to both thrones (Russia and Sweden);
Ruled over the Russian Empire as Peter III, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and was the husband of Catherine the Great of Russia
Peter, the future Emperor of Russia and progenitor of all the 19th-century Romanovs.
The Order of St. Anna or "Order of Saint Ann" was a Holstein and then Russian order of chivalry established by Anna's husband on 14 February, 1735, in honour of Anna. The motto of the Order was "Amantibus Justitiam, Pietatem, Fidem" ("To those who love justice, piety, and fidelity"). Its festival day was 3 February.

Portrait of Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna. I. Nikitin, 1716



Portrait of Grand Duchesses Anna Petrovna and Elizabeth Petrovna. Louis Caravaque, 1717.



Portraits of Tsesarevna Anna Petrovna





Portrait of Tsesarevna Anna Petrovna. Louis Caravaque, 1725 (before wedding).



Portrait of Tsesarevna Anna Petrovna, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp



The tomb of Anna Petrovna

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The Wittlesbachs / Queen Caroline of Bavaria

« on: December 09, 2008, 06:28:32 AM »

Good day!
I search portraits and information about Caroline of Baden. She was second wife King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.

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Rulers Prior to Nicholas II / Family of Tsarevitch Alexei Petrovitch

« on: June 27, 2008, 05:20:59 AM »

Charlotte Sophie Christina, Dss of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel is born in Braunschweig 29 Aug 1694.
Her parents was Rudolf Ludwig of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel and Christina Luise of Oettingen.
She has 2 sisthers:
Elisabeth, wife Emperor Karl VI of Austria
Antoinette, wife Friedrich Albrecht Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
25 Oct 1711 in Torgau, Saxony Charlotte will marry the Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, son Peter the Great and his first wife Yevdokia Lopukhina. She was 17 years old and Alexei was 21 years old.
She was allowed to keep her lutheran faith.
This marriage was unhappy.
Charlotte and Alexei have two children:
GD Natalia (St.Petersburg 3 Aug 1714-Moscow 3 Dec 1728)
PETER II, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russia 17 May 1727 (St.Petersburg 23 Oct 1715-Moscow 30 Jan 1730)
Charlotte  died a few days after the birth of her son,  in St.Petersburg 2 Nov 1715. She was 21 years old.

Portraits Charlotte of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel

Unknoun painters: