Emperor Alexander and Princess Ekaterina Dolgoroukaya

[carl fraley]

Will or have any of AII's direct descendants trying to block their publication?  Can any of the collateral branches (Desc of his brothers) stop the publications legally?  Has HIH Grand Duchess Maria made any public statement?

[dmitri]

What is disgusting about private correspondence only meant for the eyes of two lovers? What is disgusting is it all being made public. I doubt any of us would wish our private lives to be made public in such a way.

[carl fraley]

I agree with you totally Dimitri... Those were private letters and should remain so.  DOes anyone know how they left the family's posession?

[Svetabel]

I agree with you totally Dimitri... Those were private letters and should remain so.  DOes anyone know how they left the family's posession?

The correspondence of Alexander II and Ekaterina Dolgorukaya had been settlled  in some private collections. The main part of the letters ( about 4 thousands) though are now in the Russian State Archives, they had been exchanged with the  Rothschilds in the 1990s...So the items that periodicallly popped up at the auctions are just remainders of the whole collection.

[tsarsrule]

dmitri- what i meant by disgusting was really because it was happening while his wife was dying of tb!
it hurt the tsarina deeply but she still forgave him, i find tsar alexander II heartless.

[KiKi]

Wow, that is all I can say about the content of the letters.

I also think they should be kept private.  I am sure the Tzar had no idea they would be made, in part or in whole, available to the public. 

[Svetabel]

I also think they should be kept private.  I am sure the Tzar had no idea they would be made, in part or in whole, available to the public. 

We can think and sound off and declare that the whole thing is disgusting but we can't stop the people who want to  get money through the sale of those letters...

[grandduchessella]

I think we understand a little better why many royals (to the despair of historians) burn their correspondence.  Yes, it sheds a light on the relationship between AII & Katia but they are intensely personal (and graphic) letters between 2 individuals.

[KiKi]

I think I would burn everything after I read it.  Thank God, I don't have to worry about such things.

[Grace]

I can't see what the problem is here? 

Not only is everyone concerned long dead, there's nothing libellous here - the letters were written by their own hands.  Whether it's a week ago or 150 years ago, if you don't want others to know your personal feelings, don't write them down - simple.     

[Thomas_Hesse]

An undeserving, disgusting link between a rotten man and a prostitute...

[Svetabel]

An undeserving, disgusting link between a rotten man and a prostitute...

Whom do you mean? Princess Ekaterina Dolgoroukaya as a prostitute and Alexander II as a rotten one?

[Thomas_Hesse]

Yes indeed

[beladona]

Where did you find such portrait of Ekaterina, Marc? Are you absolutely sure that is she?

I believe it is Ekaterina too.  I know the portrait is a quite shocking and I was shocked to see her painted naked too.  However, the description says this is an allegorical painting.  

I think it should be Ekaterina. Alexander was very lustful. I have read in his biography (from E. Radzinsky) that he has a collection of erotical and pornographic pictures of Ekaterina. He also had a great collection of paintings with erotical motifs.

[Belochka]

An undeserving, disgusting link between a rotten man and a prostitute...

Alexander II was most certainly not "a rotten man" as you have so boldly asserted.

Ekaterina Dolgorukaya was faithful to Alexander all her life, the mother of his children and eventually became his wife. Her behavior can hardly described as that of a prostitute.

Your comments are most disrespectful.