Maria Feodorovna-wife of Paul I

[Marc]

Something about this woman...Pictures?Was she politically influential?

[crazy_wing]

As far as I know, Maria was not very politically involved.  First, her mother-in-law who hated Paul made sure they were kept out of it.  Second, her husband Paul was only Tsar for a few years before he was murdered and thus she couldn't do a lot in those years.  Third, after Paul was murdered, I think she retreated and spent most of her time bringing up her younger children (mikail, nicholas and anna).  

She was a serious, intelligent and artistic.  She left her artistic marks in Pavlovsk.  

[hikaru]

She was wonderful mother and wife.
The evidence of her wonderful character is that
nobody of her grand sons etc. changed nothing in her Palace Pavlovsk after her death.
Konstantinovichi lived there but changed nothing even in the beginning of the 20th century.
The way of her education of the girls were very high estimated by all royal families of the Europe.Her daughters were famous as the most good educated princesses.
She also was fond of  bone's engraving and watercolor paintings as well as she liked roses and gardens.

[crazy_wing]

Is she the who established smolny institute for girls?  

Her daughters and younger sons had a balanced education with a strong emphasis on languages.

[Marc]

I was asking about her political influence because one of her sisters was Empress of Austria and another one Duchess von Oldenburg...

[hikaru]

Smolny Institute was established by Elizaveta, daughter of Peter, then Catherine the Great built a new building for this institute.

But Mariya Fyodorovna established charity institute of the further Romanov's wives: she established the charity committee and became his head - a lot of Mariinsky's orfanages and hospitals were made under her guidance.

[Marc]

I was watching some documentary movie about Pavlovsk and they said that Pavlovsk was designed to outshine every European court of the time and to impress German cousins of Queen Maria Feodorovna!I was wondering who of the royals was at that time frequent vissitor of the Russian Court and Maria Feodorovna's geust at the same time!With whom was she most in contact and whom did she want to impress the most!?

[Paul]

If memory serves, she was quite influential at the Court.

She was loyal to her husband. In gratitude, he changed court precedence to place the mother of a reigning czar ahead of the czar's wife.

Maria was unique for a Romanov at the time in that she had a gift for finance. The Empress did well financially. She knew how to use the money that she accumulated to influence the right people.

[Marc]

So,that's why Emperor Paul I changed the law!Just because of her-didn't know that!Well,then,it was a great influence at the time...

[leanora]

She was wonderful mother and wife.
The evidence of her wonderful character is that
nobody of her grand sons etc. changed nothing in her Palace Pavlovsk after her death.
Konstantinovichi lived there but changed nothing even in the beginning of the 20th century.
The way of her education of the girls were very high estimated by all royal families of the Europe.Her daughters were famous as the most good educated princesses.
She also was fond of  bone's engraving and watercolor paintings as well as she liked roses and gardens.

Her daughters, the most good educated princesses in Europe?... It seems, however, that her daughter Catherina (the Alexander I's favorite sister) was said to be very rude, impolite, and her behaviour was in a very bad way (Alexander I and Constantin was also said very very rude- above all Constantin) a story talk about that: " Tsar Alexander I joined his sister GD Catherine in London in june 1814.. the tsar took the lead from his sister Catherine and did everything possible to be rude to the Prince regent.. the tsar arrived several hours late for a court reception given in his honor...The climax came at a dinner when Catherine asked the regent to stop the band from playing "God save the King" on the grounds that it "made her sick". The insulting behaviour of both the tsar and the Grand Duchess damaged english-russian relations for many years to come"...

[hikaru]

Catherine had the diplomatic talent.
Maybe, she did it for the purpose....

[Marc]

How interesting...What do you know more about her daughters?

[leanora]

How interesting...What do you know more about her daughters?

Marc, you can find a lot of intersting informations in the book "the grand duchesses" from Eurohistory.com. Take a look in the thread "book about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia"

[Marc]

Ok,thanks very much!I hope I will find it!

[Marc]

What kind relations did she have with other royals?With whom was she close?