Empress Marie Feodorovna - discussion and pictures, Part III

[Ena]

To clarify: NICHOLAS (1868-1918) was the first born, though, as Coryne Hall suggests in "Little Mother of Russia", there is some evidence that the future Empress Marie F. may have had a miscarriage before her successful pregnancy with him. Alexander lived 1869-70, and the idea that he was the first son is nothing more than one of those "lost heir" fantasies which arise when a monarch screws up as Nicholas did: the fond idea that if his brother had succeeded, things might have gone differently. It used to be written that Alexander was the eldest in the sort of books which summarised royal lives, not in-depth biographies - in fact, Alexander Mikhailovich may be responsible, ultimately, because he did say this in one of his many tomes. Coryne does not describe him as first son in her in-depth book, because he wasn't.

Thank you, Janet.  It also doesn't help when a so-called "expert" on this forum also continues on with this misinformation.

Here is a photo of baby Alexander's tomb I took inside the Peter & Paul Cathedral. He lived 1869-1870. I hope all debates about his order of birth can cease!




 

[cebi26]

What was the color of Minnie's eyes? And what about her children?

[Eric_Lowe]

Nicholas II had blue eyes like his mother...

[Ally Kumari]

Minnie had brown eyes as far as I know. They look dark on photographs and there is this well-known portrait of her and Alexandra. Alix has blue eyes and minnie brown in it.



Nicholas and Misha had blue eyes, Xenia, Georgi and Olga brown eyes I think.

[cebi26]

Thank you for the replies! I always thought that GD George had blue eyes like his brothers.

[Ally Kumari]

Thank you for the replies! I always thought that GD George had blue eyes like his brothers.

that may be correct, I am really not sure. I have only seen one colour portrait of him and it was rather hazy, so impossible to state his eye-colour from it.

[Eric_Lowe]

Not sure...Many books commented on the blueness of the last Tsar's eyes and how they resembled his mother's.

[Naslednik]

Minnie's first fiancee, Nixa, described her eyes as "kind, intelligent, animated."

And here Dr. Malcolm Grow, the American surgeon who joined the Russian Army in WWI, described Nicholas' eyes:

"He had large dark eyes---the kindest eyes I have ever seen" (I always like the fact that he wrote this before Nicholas was killed, so you know Grow's memory wasn't tainted by historical events)

Perhaps mother and son did have similar eyes.

[Ally Kumari]

I have never come across any book or account, forget "many", that would claim the last Tsar got his mother´s eyes. While it is possible that the look in Nicholas´ and his mother´s  eyes was similar, Nicholas had unquestionably blue eyes and Marie brown ones. I think I recall a quote by Ssandro, where he says Xenia had the darkest eyes possible just like her mother. And while I know that sometimes blue eyes look brown because of the angle of the light and all, I don´t think that is the case here.

The portraits of Marie Fyodorovna speak quite clearly.

[Eric_Lowe]

Thanks. I wonder where the blue eyes of the Tsar came from ? Empress Marie Alexandriovna (his grandmother) ?

[Ally Kumari]

Alexander III. had blue eyes. And I believe Alexander II. as well.

[Eric_Lowe]

Maybe from the father's side. They usually quote Nicholas II having the same eyes as his mother. I guess that must be a miss quote. That aspect also came up in the Anna Anderson case.

[cebi26]

From the portraits, it seems to me that Nicholas, George & Michael had blue eyes and Xenia and Olga brown ones.

[Eric_Lowe]

Some of the portraits are not realiable...

[Yelena Aleksandrovna]

Maybe from the father's side. They usually quote Nicholas II having the same eyes as his mother. I guess that must be a miss quote. That aspect also came up in the Anna Anderson case.

Just an opinion: Can't it be that they were reffering that Emperor Nicholas had the same -or similar- shape of eyes than his mother? I really doubt that MF had blue eyes, she seemed to have dark eyes, unlike her sister Alexandra. I also believe that both Olga and Ksenia had dark eyes, they inherited a lot of her mother's appereance.