Empress Alexandra Feodorovna | |
---|---|
Empress consort of All the Russias | |
Tenure | 1 December 1825 – 2 March 1855 |
Coronation | 3 September 1826 |
Born | Princess Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine of Prussia 13 July 1798 Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin, Prussia |
Died | 1 November 1860 Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire |
(aged 62)
Burial | Peter and Paul Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire |
Spouse | Nicholas I of Russia |
Issue |
Emperor Alexander II of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Duchess of Leuchtenberg Olga Nikolaevna, Queen of Württemberg Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna, Princess of Hesse-Kassel Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich |
House | Hohenzollern |
Father | King Frederick William III of Prussia |
Mother | Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
Religion |
Russian Orthodox prev. Calvinism |
Alexandra Feodorovna (Russian: Алекса́ндра Фёдоровна; IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksandrə ˈfjɵdərəvnə]), born Princess Charlotte of Prussia (13 July 1798 – 1 November 1860), was Empress consort of Russia. She was the wife of Emperor Nicholas I, and mother of Emperor Alexander II.
Charlotte was born the eldest surviving daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia, and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her childhood was marked by the Napoleonic wars and the death of her mother when she was twelve years old.
In 1814, her marriage was arranged for political reason with Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich of Russia, the future Tsar Nicholas I. They married on July 1, 1817. Upon her marriage, Charlotte converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and took the Russian name Alexandra Feodorovna. Ideally matched with her husband, she had a happy marriage that produced a large family; seven children survived childhood.
At the death of her brother in law, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, in December 1825, Alexandra’s husband became the new Russian emperor. Alexandra enjoyed her husband’s confidence in affairs of state, but she had no interest in politics other than her personal attachment to Prussia, her native country. She was the obedient and admiring supporter of her husband's views. Her personality was completely overshadowed by Nicholas I's strong character. As empress consort, Alexandra Feodorovna had no interest in charity work. Her chief interests were in family affairs, dancing, balls and jewels. After 1841 her health deteriorated. She spent long sojourns abroad in search for a respite to her frail constitution. As she became largely an invalid, Nicholas I took mistresses, but Alexandra retained her husband's love. She survived Nicholas I by five years and died in 1860.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was born as Princess Friederike Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina of Prussia, at the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin on 13 July [O.S. 1 July] 1798. She was the eldest surviving daughter and fourth child of Frederick William III, King of Prussia, and Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and a sister of Frederick William IV and of William I, German Emperor. She was known as Charlotte, a name popular in the Prussian royal family, and nicknamed Lottchen by her family.