What Could Nicholas II Have Done to Preserve the Imperial Throne?

[Tsarfan]

Vanya, I have begun digging back through Alexandra's letters to Nicholas, which contain numerous examples of her involvement in government and military matters.  I don't know how much patience I'm going to have for continuing this exercise, but here are a few nuggets just from the first four months of 1915:


She was reviewing official reports for Nicholas:

"The children have lessons or are in hospitals, I have lots of papers from Rostovtzev to finish."  (23 Jan 1915)

"Ortipo [a dog] has been rushing all over my bed like mad & crushed Vilichkovsky's reports I was reading."  (1 Mar 1915)

"At 11 1/2 I have Vilichkovsky with a report which is sure to last an hour - then Schulenburg with his papers at 12 1/2; & at 2 Witte with his affairs, sent by Rauchfuss."  (15 Apr 1915)


She was ramping up her campaign against Grand Duke Nicholas, who was removed as Commander in Chief in August (one of the most disastrous decisions Nicholas made during the war) in part due to her urging:

"Darling, you will think of speaking about the officers of the different regiments, that they should not lose their places & speak over those different questions with Nikolasha; perhaps you wish to mention the Manifest to him . . . ."  (21 Jan 1915)

"I . . . sat with Ania who is alright - she begs me to tell you what she forgot giving over to you yesterday from our Friend [Rasputin], that you must be sure not once to mention the name of the Commander in Chief: in your manifest it must solely come from you to the people."  (22 Jan 1915)

"Don’t you tell N[ikolasha] & go off where it suits you & where nobody can expect you - of course he will try to keep you back, because one won't let him move - but if you go, I know that God will hold you in safe keeping &, you & the troops will feel comforted."  (15 Mar 1915)

"You will see a bit more I hope before you get to the Headquarters and should Nikolasha say any thing to Voyeikoy in form of a complaint, have it at once stopped and show that you are the master. Forgive me, precious One, but you know you are too kind and gentle - sometimes a good loud voice can do wonders, ard and severe look - do my love, be more decided and sure of yourself - you know perfectly well what is right, and when you do not agree and are right, bring your opinion to the front and let it weigh against the rest. They must remember more who you are and that first they must turn to you. Your being charms every single one, but I want you to hold them by your brain and experience. Though Nikolasha is so highly placed, yet you are above him. The same thing shocked our Friend, as me too, that Nikolasha words his telegrams, answers to governors, etc. in your style -- his ought to be more simple and humble and other things. - You think me a medlesome bore, but a woman feels and sees things sometimes clearer than my too humble sweetheart. Humility is God's greatest gift - but a Sovereign needs to show his will more often."  (4 Apr 1915)

"Well, I shall ask our Friend to quite particularly pray for you there - but, forgive my saying so - its not for N [Grand Duke Nicholas] to accompany you - you must be the chief one, the first time you go. You find me an old goose, no doubt, but if others wont think of such things, I must. He must remain & work as usual - really don't take him, as the hate against him must be great there - & to see you alone will rejoice those hearts that go out to you in love and gratitude."  (6 Apr 1915)

"[Rasputin] does not like Nikolasha going with you, finds everywhere better alone - & to this end I fully agree."  (7 Apr 1915)


She was passing on military advice from Rasputin:

"I think near Libau - I feel sure they want to make a landing with their heaps of sailors (doing nothing) & other troops, to push down from there towards Varsovie from the back, or along the coast, to get the Germans onto their side - that has all along been in my head since autumn. - Our Friend [Rasputin] finds them awfully sly - looks at all seriously, but says God will help. - My humble opinion, why does one not get some cosack regiments along the coast, or our cavalry a little bit up more towards Libau, to keep them from ruining everything & finding basis for settling down with their devilish aero planes."  (20 Apr 1915)


She stays apprised of whom Nicholas is meeting and implies that he does not have her ability to discern truth from lies:

"Fredericks sends me the copies of Voyeikov's telegrams, so I got the news of all you do, & whom you see."  (26 Jan 1915)

"I wish I were near you as I am sure you go through many difficult moments not knowing who speaks the exact truth, who is partial & so on . . . ."  (15 Mar 1915)


And, in this extraordinary passage, she takes it upon herself to respond to on overture about private peace talks between Germany and Russia:

"I had a long, dear letter from Erni [Grand Duke Ernst and Alexandra's brother] - I will show it you upon your return. He says that 'if there is someone who understands him (you) & knows what he was going through, it is me'. He kisses you tenderly. He longs for a way out of this dilema, that someone ought to begin to make a bridge for discussion.  So he had an idea of quite privately sending a man of confidence to Stockholm, who should meet a gentleman sent by you (privately) that they could help disperse many momentary difficulties. He had this idea, as in Germany there is no real hatred against Russia. So he sent a gentleman to be there on the 28 - (that is 2 days ago & I only heard to-day) & can only spare, him a week. So I at once wrote an answer (all through Daisy) & sent it the gentleman, telling him you are not yet back, so he better not wait - & that tho' one longs for peace, the time has not yet come. – I wanted to get all done before you return, as I know it would be unpleasant for you."  (17 Apr 1915)


You may see a woman who had "no agency" in affairs, Vanya.  I see something else entirely.

[Vanya Ivanova]

I never said Alexander II caused the Revolution nor Alexander III entirely by himself, his reign was pivotal because it came directly after the emancipation. I can cite direct cause and effect with Alexander III and have repeatedly- the immediate reversal of his father's Ukaz policies, the creation of the 'land captains', the 'May laws' etc etc, direct evidence of policy decisions that were carried out and evidence of the effects they had. With Nicholas II I have discussed policies he followed advised by Sergei Witte and then ones such as the fast track court system under Stolypin etc etc Thats all I've asked for regarding Alexandra.

Some posts would lead one to believe she was some sort of black widow spider that descended from the ceiling of Nicholas's study to whisper her evil agenda into his ear every five minutes and therefore mastermind her evil plot to destroy Russia. ( sorry tongue firmly in cheek and no disrepect intended)

Alexandra only held a semi official post while Nicholas was at the front in WWI so what I was asking for was evidence of what exactly she did in that role, but actual evidence, ie what policies did she put into effect, when she hired or fired  this or that minister what specific effect did it have. I'm not entirely clear on this myself so the challenge includes me. Its just the word 'Influence' comes up time and again and I think it would be helpful to see if there was actually anything more than that as in essence its only conjecture without specific evidence to back it up.

I am of course being slightly disingenuous because of course Alexandra could and most probably did have an effect as a wife to a husband so to speak, however even here it would be good to see documentary evidence of letters or diary entries that actually prove she was advising him to do this or that and to see if he did then follow that advice and what the effect on the country was.

Thanks Tsarfan just seen your post, which is fascinating, however apart from the military strategy advice from Rasputin all she going on about is his delivery, how he should appear personally to others as Tsar, nothing at all specific to policy. Did Nicholas act on the advice about Libau?

[Tsarfan]

. . . nothing at all specific to policy.

You do not think that telling Ernst's agent not to wait for an answer from Nicholas about a peace overture -- and then going further to say that the time was not yet ripe for such discussions -- is not "specific to policy"?  It seems to me the very essence of policy for a nation at war.

And remember, Vanya, my post was gleaned from just the first four months of 1915, well before things got out of hand.  We're not even near the merry-go-round of bizarre ministerial appointments later in the war.  This is just the tip of the iceberg and comes only from her personal letters.  There is much, much more out there from historians, diarists, memoirists . . . much of it spread (with cites to sources) all over this forum.

[Louis_Charles]

As Tsarfan has pointed out, the evidence that she was manipulating Nicholas is shot through her letters to him, but it was present from the moment that she arrived in Livadia shortly before the death of Alexander III. Alix insisted that the doctors report first to Nicholas as the next Tsar, and that those who surrounded the dying emperor recognize her future husband's role. I think it's an early indication that she was going to difficult. She wasn't saying this to the doctors themselves, or Marie Fedorovna; she was sending it in the form of notes to Nicholas, always sugarcoating her advice with self-deprecating remarks about how she was just trying to help.

I am also a little uncomfortable with the whole idea that the roles N&A were ideally suited for were running an English country house. Even the gentry in England didn't "run" their houses; they employed competent staff to do that. If there is a thread that runs through his entire reign, it is Nicholas' inability to attract competent advisers and take their advice. I suppose it was due to his managerial style, and it is worth pointing out that this "style" was much criticized at the time by his ministers. It made working for him a challenge, since you could never tell what the Emperor was thinking, or which of them he truly supported.

And now for the heretical note:  I don't really even buy them as terrific parents. The reason those young women and Alexei were in that basement room at all was because Nicholas and Alexandra were too short-sighted to have made arrangements for them to go abroad once the Revolution had taken to the streets of Petersburg. And before everyone starts with "How could they separate themselves from their children?", I remind you that Alexandra wrote letters in her study sitting beneath a portrait of Marie Antoinette. And look how well things turned out for my poor namesake, the Dauphin. It must have crossed Alexandra's mind that the Revolution wasn't going to spare even children, especially if they were royal children.

[Tsarfan]

Vanya, I would like to make an additional observation about Alexandra's role during the war.

It is widely recognized that the most powerful person besides the President in any U.S. administration is almost always the Chief of Staff.  Why is that?  Because the Chief of Staff is the gatekeeper for who and what gets through to the President as well as often the interpreter of what comes back from the President.

Nicholas, who refused to appoint even a personal secretary, was using his wife as his chief of staff, having her sift through reports for him to synopsize their contents and decide what needed the tsar's attention.  In those passages that show she was tracking who was getting in front of him and her nervousness that she was not around to decode for him who was telling the truth, she is exhibiting precisely the mindset of an aggressive chief of staff.  By the very nature of the role, it put her in an immensely powerful position -- and one that Rasputin exploited with increasing frequency as war fortunes reversed and Nicholas was pressed more and more onto the ropes.  In fact, it was this very concern about the inevitable undue influence of such a role that had prompted Nicholas to refuse repeated urgings by his ministers over the years to appoint a private secretary. 

[Alixz]

OK from there, I am going to get the information that you are looking for because there was a virtual carousel of ministers during 1917 and Alexandra with Rasputin at her side picked an chose and sent letters to Nicholas informing him that OUR FRIEND says this one is bad and this one is good and we must put aside yet another and bring back the first.

That would be an interesting trick, Rasputin influencing Alexandra in 1917, when he died in 1916.

Thanks Tim. Of course I meant 1916 and it was a year and 8 moths that Alexei survived without his great "friend" and protector. Just slip of the finger on the keyboard.

[Tsarfan]

It must have crossed Alexandra's mind that the Revolution wasn't going to spare even children, especially if they were royal children.

During their confinement at the Alexander Palace, one of the daughters (I believe it was Marie, but I'm no longer sure) was being petulant and started crying about some difficulty relating to the house arrest.  Alexandra's sharp retort was, "you're going to have much more to cry about later".  Given Alexandra's fascination with the life and fate of Marie Antoinette (in whose bedroom at Versailles she slept while on a state visit to France), I agree that she must have recognized the possibility of a parallel journey for herself and her family.

And her refusal to evacuate the children from the Alexander Palace while there was still time because they were recovering from the measles strikes me as somewhat similar to Michael's refusing to let a loyal troop detachment into the Winter Palace at the tipping point of the Petersburg disorders because they might break the china.

What were those people thinking?  Had so much power for so long rendered them completely deaf to the beast banging on their door?

[Tsarfan]

More on Alexandra's inserting herself into state affairs . . .

By May 1915, the steady drumbeat of her unrelenting campaign against Grand Duke Nicholas had grown into a constant roar, and by June she is explicitly urging Nicholas to turn to Rasputin for advice on ministerial appointments, management of the Church, and military matters.

The following excerpts come from Alexandra's letters to Nicholas over just a six-week period.  There are literally dozens of examples in this short time frame of the following points, but in the interest of brevity I have chosen only a few:

Alexandra frets that Nicholas is away from home where she and Rasputin can keep him from error:

"Therefore our Friend dreads your being at the Headquarters as all come round with their own explanations & involuntarily you give in to them, when your own feeling has been the right one, but did not suit theirs . . . .  No, hearken unto our Friend, beleive Him, He has your interest & Russia's at heart' - it is not for nothing God sent Him to us - only we must pay more attention to what He says - His words are not lightly spoken - & the gravity of having not only His prayers, but His advice - is great. The Ministers did not think of telling you, that this measure is a fatal one, but He did. "  (10 Jun 1915)

"God guard & guide you my very own Love. If you have any question for our Friend [Rasputin] write at once."  (14 Jun 1915)

"He [Rasputin] gave over this message for you, that you are to pay less attention to what people will say to you, not let yourself be influenced by them but use your own instinct & go by that, to be more sure of yourself & not listen too much nor give in to others, who know less than you. The times are so serious & grave, that all your own personal wisdom is needed & your soul must guide you. He regrets you did not speak to Him more about all you think & were intending to do & speak to Him about your ministers & the changes you were thinking of making. [emphasis added]"  (15 Jun 1915)  

"He [Rasputin] was so much against your going to the Headquarters, because people get round you there & make you do things, which would have been better not done - here the atmosphere in your own house is a healthier one & you would see things more rightly - if only you would come back quicker."  (16 Jun 1915)

  
Alexandra advises Nicholas on ministerial, military, and Church appointments:

"Then, Deary, if a new Commandant of the Nijegrodtzy is to be named, won't you propose Jagmin?"  (4 May 1915)

" . . . the rage of the officers against Soukhomlinov is quite colossal poor man - his very name they loathe & yearn for him to be sent away well for his sake too, before any scandle arises, it would be better to do so."  (12 Jun 1915)

"Forgive me, but I don't like the choice of Minister of war . . . is he a man in whom one can have any confidence, can he be trusted? How I wish I were with you & could hear all your reasons for choosing him . . . God grant I am mistaken & this choice may be blest - but I like a crow, croak over it rather . . . is he not our Friend's enemy?"  (12 Jun 1915)

"There is another minister I don't like in his place, Stcheglovitov, (to speak to pleasant) he does not heed to your orders, & whenever a petition comes which he thinks our Friend brought, he won't do it & not long ago tore one of yours through again. Verevkine his aid (Gr.'s [Grigori Rasputin] friend) told this - & I have noticed that he rarely does what one asks . . . ." (13 Jun 1915)

"Our Friend dined (I think) with Shakhovskoy again & likes him - He can influence him for the good."  (13 June 1915)

"Town is so full of gossip, as tho' all the ministers were being changed- Krivoshein first minister, Manukhin instead of Stcheglovitov, Gutchkov as side to Polivanov & so on & our Friend, to whom A. [Vyrubova] went to bid goodbye, was most anxious to know what was true. (As though also Samarin instead of Sabler, whom it is better not to change before one has a very good one to replace him, certainly Samarin would go against our Friend & stick up for the Bishops we dislike."  (15 June 1915)

"Tiutchev, that bishop Trifon I have strong reason to dislike, as he always spoke & now speaks in the army against our Friend - now we shall have stories against our Friend beginning & all will go badly . . . .  Oh, why are we not together to speak over all together & to help prevent things which I know ought not to be."  (16 Jun 1915)

"When Or. heard in town yesterday before He [Rasputin] left, that Samarin was named, already then people knew it He was in utter despair, as He, the last evening here, a week ago to-day, begged you not to change him Sabler just now, but that soon one might perhaps find the right man - & now the Moscou set will be like a spiders net around us, our Friend's enemies are ours, & Schtcherbatov will make one with them, I feel sure. I beg your pardon for writing all this, but I am so wretched ever since I heard it & cant get calm."  (16 Jun 1915)

"Tell him [Samarin] severely, with a strong & decided voice, that you forbid any intrigues against our Friend or talks about Him, or the slightest persecution, otherwise you will not keep him. That a true Servant dare not go against a man his Sovereign respects & venerates."  (16 Jun 1915)

-- Continued in next post --

[Tsarfan]

-- Continued from above --

Alexandra acknowledges that people fear her influence over Nicholas (and takes a swipe at Grand Duke Nicholas in the process):

"People are affraid of my influence, Or. said it (not to me) & Voyeikov, because they know I have a strong will & sooner see through them & help you being firm. I should have left nothing untried to dissuade you, had you been here, & I think God would have helped me & you would have remembered our Friend's words. When He says not to do a thing & one does not listen, one sees ones fault always afterwards. Only if he does accept, N. [Grand Duke Nicholas] will try & get round him too against our Friend thats N.'s campaign."  (16 Jun 1915)

". . . our first Friend gave me that Image with the bell to warn me against those, that are not right & it will keep them from approaching, I shall feel it & thus guard you from them - Even the family [the Romanovs] feel this & therefore try & get at you alone, when they know its something not right & I wont approve of."  (16 Jun 1915)
 

Alexandra attacks Grand Duke Nicholas, the Commander in Chief, whom she wants Nicholas to remove:

"Remember you are the Emperor, & that others dare not take so much upon themselves beginning by a mere detail, as the Nostitz story - he is in your suite & therefore N. [Grand Duke Nicholas] has absolutely no right to give orders without asking your permission first."  (4 May 1915)

"I care for neither, but the whole thing is a crying shame & N. [Grand Duke Nicholas] had no right to act as he did with a member of your Suite, without asking first your permission - so easy to ruin a reputation & more than difficult to reestablish it."  (11 May 1915)

"Therefore our Friend dreads your being at the Headquarters as all come round with their own explanations & involuntarily you give in to them, when your own feeling has been the right one, but did not suit theirs. Remember you have reigned long, have far more experience than they.  N. [Grand Duke Nicholas] has only the army to think of & success - you carry the internal responsibilities on for years - if he makes faults (after the war he is nobody), but you have to set all straight."  (10 Jun 1915)

"Wonder how the spirit in the Head-Quarters is? - Would to God N. [Grand Duke Nicholas] were another man & had not turned against a man of God's . . . ."  (12 June 1915)

"[Alexandra is advising Nicholas on how to deal with the suspicion there is a spy on his staff]  Only don't mention it to Nikolasha before you have taken information, as he can spoil all by his excited way & tell the man straight out or disbelieve all . . . . Many dislike the Headquarters & have an uncomfortable feeling there & as, alas, we have had spies & also innocent people accused by Nikolasha, now you can find out carefully, please."  (14 Jun 1915)

"Have you spoken to Voieikov about Danilov, please do so - only not to fat Orlov, who is N. [Grand Duke Nicholas] colossal friend they correspond the whole time when you are here, B. knows it.  That can mean no good. He grudges no doubt about Gr.'s [Grigori Rasputin's] visits to our house, & therefore wants you away from him, at the Head-Quarters."  (16 Jun 1915)


Alexandra counsels Nicholas on how to manage his ministers:

"I do so yearn. to make it easier for you & the ministers all squabbling amongst each other at a time, when all ought to work together & forget their personal offenses - have as aim the welfare of their Sovereign & Country it makes me rage. In other words its treachery, because people know it, they feel the government in discord & then the left profit by it. If you could only be severe, my Love, it is so necessary, they must hear your voice & see displeasure in your eyes . . . ."  (10 Jun 1915)

May the ministers only seriously work to-gether fulfill your wishes & orders, & not their own - harmony under your guidance. Think more of Gr. [Rasputin] Sweetheart, before every difficult moment, ask Him to intercede before God to guide you aright."  (16 Jun 1915)

[Petr]

And now for the heretical note:  I don't really even buy them as terrific parents. The reason those young women and Alexei were in that basement room at all was because Nicholas and Alexandra were too short-sighted to have made arrangements for them to go abroad once the Revolution had taken to the streets of Petersburg. And before everyone starts with "How could they separate themselves from their children?", I remind you that Alexandra wrote letters in her study sitting beneath a portrait of Marie Antoinette. And look how well things turned out for my poor namesake, the Dauphin. It must have crossed Alexandra's mind that the Revolution wasn't going to spare even children, especially if they were royal children.

While I'm sympathetic to their concerns regarding Alexei, to my knowledge there was a fair amount of contemporaneous criticism of how the girls were kept quite sheltered. Their playmates when young were quite restricted and Olga, the eldest, was never permitted to enter into society and establish her own position despite her age.  AF's apron strings were pretty tight. I think that was a reflection of her insecurity and sense of persecution.

Finally, while she gets a fair amount of criticism on this site please note, Maria Feodorvna never meddled in her husband's governmental affairs (and he would never have permitted it).

Petr   

[Tsarfan]

. . . Maria Feodorvna never meddled in her husband's governmental affairs (and he would never have permitted it).

The tone in which Alexandra writes to Nicholas is that of a mother scolding an immature teenager who will do anything his irresponsible buddies tell him and therefore must be constantly under her watchful eye.  In essence she is telling him that "I need to know who your friends are and what you're up to", so "I want you to stay in the backyard where I can keep an eye on you":

"Don't you tell Nikolasha and go off where is suits you . . . "

"I am sure you go through many difficult moments not knowing who speaks the exact truth . . . "

"You know perfectly well what is right . . . "

"I want you to hold them by your brains and experience . . . "

"[Rasputin] does not like Nikolasha going with you . . . "

"Don't listen to any excuses . . . "

"Involuntarily you give in to them when your own feeling has been the right one . . . "

"Be more autocratic my very own Sweetheart, show your mind . . . "

"You are to pay less attention to what people say to you . . . "

"Be more sure of yourself and not listen too much nor give in to others . . . "

"Don't go putting if off, Lovy . . . "

"People get round you there and make you do things which would have been better not done . . . "

"Here the atmosphere in your own house is a healthier one and you would see things more rightly . . . "

"There [with Nicholas at military HQ] I am in a constant dread about what one is concocting . . . "


Nicholas spent his reign insisting that he had -- and should have -- the absolute right to control every aspect of the largest nation on earth and its 120 million inhabitants.  He was a TSAR, for God's sake.  That he would allow a wife to lecture him as if he were a stupidly impressionable and constantly errant school boy -- and to complain endlessly of it to a peasant starets (Rasputin), a silly goose of a minor noblewoman (Vyrubova), and members of his suite -- simply beggars belief.

Is it any wonder that people who had close-in knowledge of the dynamic between the couple -- including the senior Romanovs -- eventually fell into utter despair that Nicholas was on the throne and that Alexandra was at his side with her lips constantly to his ear?

[Alixz]

Tsarfan - I am back today, but you have done so much work and it is exactly what I would have done. Peruse Alexandra's letters and get the information straight from the source.

I find your postings to be thoughtfully prepared and right on target.

There are many  women in this world who are formidable and intelligent and intuitive and probably smarter and more in tune with life than their husbands.  There is a saying that men often marry a woman who reminds them of their mother.

Nicholas needed someone to "take care of"him and from 1894 even before the wedding, Alexandra began taking care of Nicholas. Even her forgiving of his past indiscretions in his diary was a form of mothering. A man doesn't need to have his life "forgiven" by the woman he marries. A woman doesn't either. Just acceptance of what was and understanding is all that is needed.

Alexandra started almost from day one trying to make him over in her image of the perfect Tsar/husband. His and her "baby" talk can be excused because they didn't write this for future generations and we probably would not have access to some of this material had they not been murdered the way they were.

But from the earliest diary insertions to the final spate of letters that Tsarfan has been so kind to research and post, Alexandra was always meddling in something that was none of her business. And toward the end of the dynasty she was actually making suggestions and submitting names for ministers and most of them were based on the advice or at least consent of RASPUTIN! The woman sounds totally mad in her letters. Whether she was drunk with authority or falling into religious ecstasy over a Siberian peasant who was supposedly a "conduit" to God, she even capitalizes Him when speaking of Rasputin as if he were not just a conduit but a "god' himself.

And did she have the audacity to tell her daughter that worse was to come? Was she looking for martyrdom? Or was she simply and truly 'mad" at the end.

[Alixz]

I have always maintained that she was not a "good mother" to her daughters even before the birth of Alexei set her off the rails of sanity.

The examples given here as cases in point. Her apron strings were long and she wound them, not only around her children, but her husband as well. Nicholas is at fault as well for allowing her to treat him and his children the way she did. She then wound them around Anna Vyrubova and Lilli Dehn and Sophie (I don't remember her last name right now but is not Buxhoeveden it was another Sophie).

Nicholas was besotted but he was still a Tsar/Emperor. Could he have done something to preserve the Imperial Throne? Yes, but he would have had to begin in 1984 not in 1914.

Excuses for this type of mothering are given by comparing Alexandra to Queen Alexandra of Great Britian and to Empress Marie. Both women tried to keep their sons close and their daughters closer. But Queen Alexandra and Empress Marie were sisters and cut from the same cloth. Queen Victoria tried to keep Beatrice by her side and not let her marry but QV lost that one in the end.

It may have been a trend in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but that doesn't make it or the comparisons used to explain it right.

[edubs31]

And did she have the audacity to tell her daughter that worse was to come? Was she looking for martyrdom? Or was she simply and truly 'mad" at the end.

From some of the exchanges I've read between the two of them Alexandra seems to have had a somewhat peculiar relationship with daughter Marie. Perhaps she found her emotionally weaker than her sisters and thought her borderline admonishments necessary at times. But I wouldn't look too deeply into there being any sense of fate she was specifically readying her daughters for.

I have always maintained that she was not a "good mother" to her daughters even before the birth of Alexei set her off the rails of sanity.

I've always found it difficult to judge her overall parenting skills. I'm mostly content to criticize her in some ways while praising her in others...perhaps Alexandra the "mother" reciprocates quite well with Alexandra the "Empress" for me. One of the things that I do so admire about OTMA is how lovely, in my opinion, they turned out to be in spite of the obvious shortcomings of their domineering mother, and trapped in the Imperial bubble.

I've always felt that Nicholas was a better father than Alexandra a mother however. The relationship of a father, who just happened to be a busy world leader, with his daughters is naturally going to be different than that of a mother. I think he excelled in his role of father to OTMA. It's harder to grade him on his son, especially given the circumstances of the boy's illness, but he was certainly no worse a dad to Alexei than Alexander III was to him. In some ways he was much better...ignoring the possible risks to Alexei's health and taking him to the front in (I think) 1916. Nicholas seemed to be bringing Alexei along, at an appropriate pace, and preparing him for what he assumed might one day be his role as Tsar. Nicholas, it could be argued, did more to prepare a sick boy who likely would not have lived long on he throne anyway for his "eventual" role than Alexander did in preparing a perfectly healthy Nicholas as a twenty-something adult. Or at least Nicholas had an actual plan...following some type of trajectory in regards to this.

Even her forgiving of his past indiscretions in his diary was a form of mothering. A man doesn't need to have his life "forgiven" by the woman he marries. A woman doesn't either. Just acceptance of what was and understanding is all that is needed.

Hmmm, I see what you're getting at but I never found Alexandra to be a paranoid, jealous wife either. At least once Kschessinska was firmly in the rearview mirror. Some of her joking comments towards Nicholas speaking with some of the lovely ladies of the court in a charming (borderline flirtatious) manner ("You sinner you" type comments she made) suggests she was a woman well at ease with her husband. Of course it was probably easy for her to feel this way considering, as you pointed, how she so dominated him.

Alexandra was always meddling in something that was none of her business. And toward the end of the dynasty she was actually making suggestions and submitting names for ministers and most of them were based on the advice or at least consent of RASPUTIN! The woman sounds totally mad in her letters. Whether she was drunk with authority or falling into religious ecstasy over a Siberian peasant who was supposedly a "conduit" to God, she even capitalizes Him when speaking of Rasputin as if he were not just a conduit but a "god' himself.

Well said! Agreed, sadly...

The tone in which Alexandra writes to Nicholas is that of a mother scolding an immature teenager who will do anything his irresponsible buddies tell him and therefore must be constantly under her watchful eye.  In essence she is telling him that "I need to know who your friends are and what you're up to", so "I want you to stay in the backyard where I can keep an eye on you":

How much the chicken how much the egg here though? For all of the meddling in affairs and negative influence on her husband, particularly in the later years, should we also be acknowledging the fact that Alix had Nicky pretty well pegged early on? Why wouldn't she be led to believe that her dear husband, while well meaning and having the capacity to lead, needed the kind of assistance a trusted and devoted individual like herself could provide? One day in 1894/95 she may have realized that [not a direct quote here of course] "I love Nicky but I realize now that I've married boy with only great potential, not a man prepared to accept his duty as leader."

As you point out Tsarfan with your latest round of quotes, Alexandra always found it necessary to try and build up her husband's confidence. She had over twenty years to witness Nicholas's personal shortcomings and failings as a Tsar and was obviously in a unique position to provide the guidance that she, at least, felt necessary. We see the letters they wrote to one another and occasionally find something noteworthy in a diary entry but lets not forget N&A shared a bed together. We really have no idea what was being said in those intimate conversations.

Is it any wonder that people who had close-in knowledge of the dynamic between the couple -- including the senior Romanovs -- eventually fell into utter despair that Nicholas was on the throne and that Alexandra was at his side with her lips constantly to his ear?

Nope, and I agree with you, but of course it's more complicated than that. I blame N&A for their ridiculous handling of the ministers but am willing to cut them plenty of slack with the Romanov family and the rest of the Court. Alix didn't like much of the family, but then, much of the family never liked her...and I blame them more for this relationship getting off on the wrong foot. She was German, she was all of 22...she could barely speak Russian for God's sake! He needed more and she needed more. I actually wish Nicholas had taken more of his wife's "meddlesome" advice in those early years and toughened the hell up, put a few people in their place. Dressed down and given someone the old "Johnson Treatment" if only to prove a point and make an example of. Perhaps then by 1914 she wouldn't have felt it necessary to intervene so much.

Finally, while she gets a fair amount of criticism on this site please note, Maria Feodorvna never meddled in her husband's governmental affairs (and he would never have permitted it).

True true. She apparently saved up all of her wonderful advice for her son. Also Alexander III wasn't a weak and completely ill prepared leader dealing with a World War and a revolution. Her reign as Empress was a trip to Disney World compared to her daughter in law's experience.

[edubs31]

I have a question to ask about the much discussed and snarked about "Magic Comb" Nicholas used prior to meetings with ministers and, I suppose, just to straighten out his hair prior to any number of public functions.

I'm wondering if we make too big a deal of this. A cheap and easy way to poke fun at Nicholas and criticize he and his wife for the litany of mistakes and errors in judgement made over those last few years. Brushing your hair with a magic comb sounds preposterous enough but it reminds me much of the way we fixate on and make fun of Mormon's for their "Magic Underwear" garments. The media and popular culture would have you believe that all Mormon's believe in the protecting and healing power of this underwear blessed by God. In truth the vast majority of Mormon's look at it similar to the way the rest of us look at wedding rings or Kippah's. It's a simple symbol and gesture for them to remember their relationship with God, his mercy, and the spiritual promises they've made.

Could this roughly be one in the same to Nicholas's use of the comb? More of a good luck charm than a holy icon/relic that provided special powers and wisdom? Or maybe Alexandra believed in the latter but Nicholas thought of it more along the lines of the former...

It sounds like a rather convenient way for people already critical of Nicholas to help paint a picture of his bizarre decisions as Tsar. Much like the magic underwear is a tool used constantly for Mormon bashing...just asking, thanks!