Discussions about the Imperial Family and European Royalty > Rulers Prior to Nicholas II

Natalia Alekseevna, 1st wife of Emperor Pavel I

(1/12) > >>

Lisa:
NATALIA ALEXEIEVNA, Pavel's first wife:
1776 by ROSLIN: ; idem: ; 1774 by FALCONET (the sculptor's son):

synnadene:

Dear Discussion Group,

I started this thread in order to collect the portraits of Pss Wilhelmine of Hesse, first wife of Tsar Paul I. as Grand Duchess NATALIA ALEXEIEVNA.

Please, help me to find pictures and it would be also great to read some informations about her.

Thanks in advance,

Synnadene

Yseult:
Nothing at all, Synnadenne.
Natalia always seemed to me a very sad historical figure. If I´m not mistaken, somewhere I read that her husband Paul loved her passionately but, after the death of the wife in childbirth, Catherine the Great, wishing to put to an end the almost hysterical mourning of her son, showed him letters sended by Natalia to her lover. Is it true?

ilyala:
i didn't know there were any letters, but it's true that catherine tried (i don't know if she succeeded, given the relationship she and paul had) to convince him that his wife had been unfaithful in order to get him to marry soon after her death.

Svetabel:

--- Quote from: Yseult on March 23, 2007, 03:10:09 PM ---Nothing at all, Synnadenne.
Natalia always seemed to me a very sad historical figure. If I´m not mistaken, somewhere I read that her husband Paul loved her passionately but, after the death of the wife in childbirth, Catherine the Great, wishing to put to an end the almost hysterical mourning of her son, showed him letters sended by Natalia to her lover. Is it true?

--- End quote ---

Sad figure???? Well, she died young, it's true, so sad, but for the Russian court she was more a mess than a sad figure. Natalia was too ambitious, too arrogant, too extravagant, too egoistic and definitely not as pure as an angel. She did not love her husband (and fell in love with Andrey Razumovskiy), she did not love Russia, she did not want to learn Russian - it's a nonsense for a future possible Tsarina of all the Russians - and Ekaterina II was furious about this.
Actually I don't see any sadness only bitterness that such a Princess was Pavel's first wife. Though she was of course a victim of the matrimonial intrigues of Friedrich II and her parents.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page