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{{redirect|Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine|the daughter of Ludwig IV and Princess Alice|Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (1874–1878)}}
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[[August von Senarclens de Grancy]] (rumored)
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{{House of Hesse and by Rhine|louis2}}
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[[Image:Marie of Hesse and her family.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Marie of Hesse with her family in 1841: The statue is her grandfather [[Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse|Ludwig I]]. Her father [[Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse|Ludwig II]] stands in the left center; her uncle Georg is to the left of Ludwig; her uncle Friderich is between them; and her uncle [[Prince Emil of Hesse and by Rhine|Emil]] stands on the extreme right. The portrait is her mother [[Princess Wilhelmine of Baden|Wilhelmine]]. Her eldest brother [[Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse|Ludwig III]] is the tall man in the center behind her sister-in-law, his wife [[Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria|Mathilde]]. Her brother [[Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine|Karl]] is on the extreme left, behind his wife [[Princess Elisabeth of Prussia|Elisabeth]] and their children, [[Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse|Ludwig IV]] and [[Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine|Heinrich]]. Her brother [[Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine|Alexander]] is standing between his brother and the statue, while Marie herself stands to the right of the statue. Her husband [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander]] is between her and Emil.]]
Maximiliane Wilhelmine Auguste Sophie Marie was born in [[Darmstadt]], Hesse, Germany,<ref name="Zeepvat 49">Zeepvat, ''Romanov Autumn'', p. 49.</ref><ref name="Gilbert 40">Gilbert, ''Alexander II and Tsarkoe Selo'', p. 40.</ref> the youngest of seven siblings born to [[Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse|Prince Hereditary Ludwig of Hesse]] and [[Princess Wilhelmine of Baden]], sister of Russian Empress [[Louise of Baden|Elizabeth Alexeievna]]. Although her parents were double first cousins, they were a mismatched couple:<ref name="Zeepvat 2">Zeepvat, ''Heiligenberg'', p. 2.</ref> Ludwig was dull, shy and withdrawn, while Wilhelmine, eleven years his junior, was pretty and charming.<ref name="Zeepvat 49"/><ref name="Zeepvat 2"/> After the birth of three sons, the couple grew apart during the turbulent years of the [[Napoleonic Wars]] while Ludwig was in the battlefields.<ref name="Zeepvat 2"/>
After a gap of eleven years, Princess Wilhelmine went on to have four more children, but court rumors attributed the biological paternity of the second set of children to [[Freiherr|Baron]] [[August von Senarclens de Grancy]], [[Master of the Horse|Grand Master of the stables]] of the Grand Duke of Hesse.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 13">Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Russia & Europe'', p. 13</ref> Of those four children, Marie and her brother [[Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1823–1888)|Alexander]], who was a year older, lived to adulthood. While Prince Ludwig officially recognized the children as his,<ref name="Zeepvat 49"/> he and his wife became estranged by 1827.<ref name="Zeepvat 2"/> Her ancestry chart below assumes her legitimacy. See Grancy's page for her [[Non-paternity event|rumored paternal ancestry]].
In 1828, Princess Wilhelmine moved with her two younger children and their household to Heiligenberg, a mountainside estate nestled on a hill overlooking the village of [[Jugenheim]] that she purchased that same year.<ref name="Zeepvat 50">Zeepvat, ''Romanov Autumn'', p. 50.</ref><ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 13"/> Wilhelmine Marie was 4 years old when she moved with 5-years-old Alexander and their mother to Heiligenberg, where the siblings spent most of their childhood.<ref name="Zeepvat 50"/> The castle had been previously a nunnery and was located some 20 kilometers from Darmstadt.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 13"/><ref name="Zeepvat 3"/> In 1829, however, their parents celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in apparent harmony.<ref name="Zeepvat 50"/><ref name="Zeepvat 3">Zeepvat, ''Heiligenberg'', p. 3</ref> In 1830, their paternal grandfather, Ludwig I of Hesse, died and their father became the new reigning Grand Duke. The ducal couple gradually reconciled and used Heiligenberg in the summer months.<ref name="Zeepvat 3"/>
Wilhelmine Marie grew up under the care of her mother, who was responsible for her high education and had preference for French culture. This was evident in her lessons, which had special emphasis on [[finances]], history, and [[literature]]. After her mother died of tuberculosis,<ref name="Zeepvat 3"/> her [[lady-in-waiting]] and possible paternal aunt, Marianne [[:fr:Famille de Senarclens|von Senarclens de Grancy]], successfully took over the responsibility of 11-years-old Marie's education.<ref name="Zeepvat 50"/>
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==Engagement==
[[Image:Александр II и Мария Александровна.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna. Engraving.]]
In 1839, [[Tsesarevich]] [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander Nikolaevich]], son of Tsar [[Nicholas I of Russia]], traveled to western Europe to complete his education and search for a wife.<ref name="Van der Kiste 11">Van der Kiste, ''The Romanovs 1818–1959'', p. 11</ref> His parents had preselected Princess [[Alexandrine of Baden]], but he was unmoved.<ref name="Van der Kiste 11"/><ref name="Zeepvat 31">Zeepvat, ''Romanov Autumn'', p.31</ref> On 13 March, after visiting the courts of [[Prussia]], [[Kingdom of Württemberg|Württemberg]] and [[Grand Duchy of Baden|Baden]], Alexander's entourage made an unplanned stop at the court of Hesse.<ref name="Zeepvat 31"/> Although the Grand Duke's only surviving daughter wasn't on the list of possible brides,<ref name="Radzinsky 66">Radinsky, ''Alexander II'', p. 66.</ref> they stopped for one day in Darmstadt because it was on their way and they needed some rest.<ref name="Zeepvat 31"/><ref name="Van der Kiste 11"/>
Invited to a performance of [[Gaspare Spontini]]'s ''[[La vestale]]'' by the Grand Duke, Alexander was introduced to 14-year-old Marie, who was slender and tall for her age, but still wore her hair loose. She was eating cherries and had to spit the pits into her hands when she was pushed forward to be introduced to the Tsesarevich.<ref name="Zeepvat 41">Zeepvat, ''The Camera and the Tsars'', p. 41.</ref> Alexander's tutor, [[Vasily Zhukovsky]], who was traveling with him, described the Princess as: "modest, charming and even intelligent."<ref name="Radzinsky
Alexander was smitten<ref name="Van der Kiste 12">Van der Kiste, ''The Romanovs 1818–1959'', p.12</ref> and stayed to dine with the boring Ludwig II to see Marie again. Before he left Darmstadt, she gave him a locket containing a piece of her hair. That night Alexander wrote to his father: "I liked her terribly at first sight. If you permit it father, I will come back to Darmstadt after England."<ref name="Radzinsky 67"/> As his son had carefully planned, Nicholas I received the letter nine days later on the day of the annunciation and saw the timing as a good omen. He gave his approval<ref name="Radzinsky 67"/>
The engagement between the Princess of Hesse and the Russian Tsesarevich was officially announced in April 1840.<ref name="Van der Kiste 13"/> Two generations earlier, another princess of Hesse-Darmstadt had married a Tsesarevich: Marie's paternal great-aunt, [[Natalia Alexeievna (Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt)|Natalia Alexeievna]], was the first wife of Tsar [[Paul I of Russia|Paul I]].<ref name="Van der Kiste 12"/> In addition, Marie's maternal aunt [[Elizabeth Alexeievna (Louise of Baden)|Louise of Baden (Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna)]] had married Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]], though she died when Marie was only two years old. However, [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia)]] objected to her son's choice of a wife. The Empress wasn't only disturbed by the rumors surrounding Marie's paternity, but ill-disposed towards the Hesse family and concerned that Marie might have inherited her mother's consumption.<ref name="Van der Kiste 12"/> In a letter to his mother, Alexander wrote: "I love her, and I would rather give up the throne, than not marry her. I will marry only her, that has my decision!"<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 13"/> After being persuaded by her husband, Empress Alexandra went to [[Frankfurt]], where she met Marie in June.<ref name="Zeepvat 50"/> By then, Marie had quickly learned the Russian language. The Empress liked what she saw and gave her permission for the marriage.{{cn|date=February 2024}}
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===Wedding===
[[File:Maria of Hesse with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.jpg|left|thumb|Tsarina [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia)]] with her daughter [[Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (1819–1876)|Maria Nikolaevna]] and her daughters-in-law: Grand Duchesses Maria Alexandrovna and [[Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg|Alexandra Iosifovna]], 1853.]]
A few weeks after her sixteenth birthday in August 1840, Marie's party set out for Russia. She was escorted by her brother Alexander and her governess, Mlle. von Grancy, who remained in Russia.<ref name="Zeepvat 50"/> Marie arrived in September and shared her impressions of [[Saint Petersburg]] in a letter to her family: "St. Petersburg is much more beautiful than I thought. The Neva River contributes to this. I think it is difficult to find a greater city. The view from the [[Winter Palace]] on the Neva is wonderful!" Her arrival in Russia was greeted with great ceremony with a continuous round of amusements. French plays, operas and new ballets were performed in the Chinese theater, and each Sunday her future mother-in-law gave a banquet in the Alexander Palace.<ref name="Gilbert 40"/> However, Marie had a hard time adapting to her new surroundings.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 13"/> Years later, her-lady-in waiting [[Anna Tiutcheva]] was to write about this period in the life of her mistress: "Having been raised in seclusion even, one might say, in austerity, in the little castle of Jugenheim, where she saw her father only rarely, she was more frightened than bedazzled when she was suddenly brought to the most opulent and brilliant court of all European nations. She told me that many times. After constant battles of overcoming her awkwardness, later on, under cover of darkness and the stillness of her room, she would give freedom to her muffled cries".<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 16">Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Russia & Europe'', p. 16.</ref>▼
▲[[Saint Petersburg]] in a letter to her family: "St. Petersburg is much more beautiful than I thought. The Neva River contributes to this. I think it is difficult to find a greater city. The view from the [[Winter Palace]] on the Neva is wonderful!" Her arrival in Russia was greeted with great ceremony with a continuous round of amusements. French plays, operas and new ballets were performed in the Chinese theater, and each Sunday her future mother-in-law gave a banquet in the Alexander Palace.<ref name="Gilbert 40"/> However, Marie had a hard time adapting to her new surroundings.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 13"/> Years later, her-lady-in waiting [[Anna Tiutcheva]] was to write about this period in the life of her mistress: "Having been raised in seclusion even, one might say, in austerity, in the little castle of Jugenheim, where she saw her father only rarely, she was more frightened than bedazzled when she was suddenly brought to the most opulent and brilliant court of all European nations. She told me that many times. After constant battles of overcoming her awkwardness, later on, under cover of darkness and the stillness of her room, she would give freedom to her muffled cries".<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 16">Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Russia & Europe'', p. 16</ref>
Having been raised in the [[Lutheran]] religion, Marie was received into the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] on {{OldStyleDate|17 December
===First years===
{{Blockquote|Marie won the hearts of all those Russians who could get to know her. Sasha [Alexander II] became more attached to her every day, feeling that his choice fell on God-given. Their mutual trust grew as they recognized each other. Papa [Nicholas I] always began his letters to her with the words: "Blessed be Thy Name, Mary." ... Dad joyfully watched the manifestation of the strength of this young character and admired Marie's self-control. This, in his opinion, balanced the lack of Sasha's lack of energy from which he constantly worried about.|source=Olga Nikolaevna. ''A dream of youth. Memories of the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna''}}
After the wedding, the young couple settled in a suite of rooms in the south-west block of the [[Winter Palace]].<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 16"/> During the summer, they resided in [[Tsarskoye Selo]]. Their apartments were located in the Zubov wing of the [[Catherine Palace]].<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 17">Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Russia & Europe'', p. 17.</ref>
Maria Alexandrovna struggled to assimilate herself with the court and make friends. Endless balls an. 70.</ref> She preferred country life in Tsarskoye Selo, where she enjoyed a more private life.<ref name="Gilbert 42">Gilbert, ''Alexander II and Tsarkoe Selo'', pd court receptions bored her, but etiquette obliged her to fulfill the duties of representation as the wife of the Tsarevich. She reflected that life at court demanded "daily heroism... I lived like a volunteer fireman, ready to jump up at the alarm. Of course, I wasn't too sure about where to run or what to do."<ref>Edvard Radzinsky, ''Alexander II: the Last Great Tsar'', p.
Maria won the approval of her father-in-law, [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nicholas I]]. Nicholas I forbade anyone from discussing, or even thinking about, any rumors about her.<ref>Edvard Radzinsky, ''Alexander II: the Last Great Tsar'', p. 69.</ref>
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Like her mother, Maria took great interest in horticulture and imported flowers from her native Germany, such as [[Lilies of the Valley|lilies of the valley]] and [[Primula veris|cowslips]]. In the mornings, she took long walks with her ladies-in-waiting through the parks at the Catherine and [[Alexander Palace]] at Tsarskoe Selo.
In this early period of her life in Russia, Maria was guided by her husband's aunt, [[Princess Charlotte of Württemberg|Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna]]. Although seventeen years apart in age, the two women became close friends and frequently ran their salons as a joint venture.<ref name="Cowles 171">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 171.</ref>
Maria and Alexander made a happy couple, full of tender care for one another. He ordered that banquets of fresh strawberries should be placed on his wife's dining table and enjoyed her company spending his mornings sitting on her bed.<ref name="Gilbert 41"/> There were regular informal gatherings at the young couple's household of loud readings, music, and card playing. Alongside her husband, Maria read [[Mikhail Lermontov]]'s ''[[A Hero of Our Time]]'', [[Nikolai Gogol]]'s ''[[Dead Souls]]'', [[Fyodor Dostoevsky]]'s ''[[Poor Folk]]'', and later, [[Ivan Turgenev]]'s ''[[A Sportsman's Sketches]]'', sharing Alexander's sympathies for the plight of the [[Serfdom in Russia|serfs]] and becoming an ardent abolitionist.<ref name="Cowles 171"/> The Tsarevich and the Tsarevna charmed their guests with their manners. She gave useful advice to her husband, who in turn gave her confidence to guide herself into society.{{cn|date=February 2024}}
Sixteen months after her wedding, Maria Alexandrovna gave birth to her first child, [[Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna of Russia|Alexandra]], born in August 1842, two years after her arrival in Russia. In September 1843, she gave birth to a son, [[Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsesarevich of Russia|Nicholas]]. Two more sons, [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander]] and [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia|Vladimir]], were born in 1845 and 1847. Shortly after having her third son, her health began to fail and she had to go to [[Bad Kissingen]] in [[Bavaria]] to recuperate. To mark each birth, Alexander and Maria planted oak trees in their private garden at Tsarskoye Selo, where [[Skittles (sport)|skittles]], swings and slides were provided for the children. Indoors, she played the piano and created tapestries with her family. In July 1849, both parents were devastated when their daughter Alexandra died from infant meningitis at the age of six and a half. Grief-stricken by her loss, Maria had to go to the sea town of [[Tallinn|Revel]] in [[Estonia]] to recuperate.<ref name="Nelipa 10">Nelipa, ''Alexander III His Life and Reign'', p. 10.</ref> Even many years later, she would still cry over the death of her eldest child.<ref name="Zeepvat 52">Zeepvat, ''Romanov Autumn'', p. 52.</ref> In January 1850, she gave birth to a fourth son, [[Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia|Grand Duke Alexei]].<ref name="Nelipa 10"/>
During her first decade in Russia, Maria Alexandrovna enjoyed the company and support of her brother Alexander, who had accompanied her to Russia to follow a military career there. In 1851, he contracted a [[morganatic marriage]] with [[Julia von Hauke]], one of his sister's ladies-in-waiting. As a consequence, he fell from grace and had to resign his Russian commission. He left the country, returning to Heiligenberg, the siblings' childhood home. In October 1853, Maria had a much-awaited second daughter, [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia|Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna]].<ref name="Nelipa 22">Nelipa, ''Alexander III His Life and Reign'', p. 22.</ref>
==Empress==
{{Blockquote|The first time I set eyes on the Grand Duchess, she was already twenty-eight years old, but still looked very young. She retained that youthful appearance all her life; when she was forty, she could have been taken for a woman of thirty. Although she was tall and slender, the Empress was so thin and fragile that at first glance she gave no impression of a 'belle dame'. However, she was unusually elegant, with that special kind of grace only found in old German paintings or Madonnas by [[Albert Dürer]]. Although her facial features were regular, her beauty lay in the delicate color of her skin and her large blue eyes, which looked at you with both perception and timidity... She seemed almost out of place and uneasy in her role as mother, wife, and empress. She was tenderly attached to her family and conscientiously fulfilled the duties which her exalted rank demanded. Her mind was like her soul: refined, subtle, penetrating and extremely ironic, but lacking in breadth and initiative.|source=Anna Tiutcheva. ''At the court of two Emperors'', pages 78–80.}}
On 18 February 1855, Nicholas I died of pneumonia and was succeeded by Alexander to the Russian throne as Tsar.<ref name="Cowles 179">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 179.</ref> It was a turbulent period as Russian troops were being defeated by an international coalition in the [[Crimean War]].<ref name="Cowles 178">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 178</ref> After a siege lasting eleven months, [[Sevastopol]] fell in September 1855. With a prospect of invasion from the west if the war continued, Russia sued for peace in March 1856 in Paris.<ref name="Cowles 181">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 181</ref> The humiliation of defeat was left behind by the coronation festivities that were held with [[Byzantine]] splendor from 14 to 26 August 1856. The coronation ceremony lasted five hours took place at the [[Assumption Cathedral in Moscow|Assumption Cathedral]] of Moscow Kremlin on {{OldStyleDate|7 September
Nine months after the coronation, Maria Alexandrovna gave birth to a fifth son, [[Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia|Sergei]], in April 1857.<ref name="Zeepvat 53">Zeepvat, ''Romanov Autumn'', p.53</ref> Suffering from depression, she was sent to Kissingen to recuperate.<ref name="Nelipa 37">Nelipa, ''Alexander III His Life and Reign'', p. 37.</ref> On 3 October [O.S. 21 September] 1860, she gave birth to [[Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich|Paul]], her eighth and final child,<ref name="Nelipa 48">Nelipa, ''Alexander III His Life and Reign'', p. 48.</ref> but was so weakened that she was forced to spend several months resting on a couch in her boudoir in the Winter Palace.<ref name="King 147">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 147.</ref> A month later, her mother-in-law died.<ref name="Nelipa 48"/>
===Charity Institutions===
[[File:Croixrouge logos.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|alt=Two flags waving|The [[Emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems]], the symbols from which the movement derives its name.]]
Since Russian tradition gave precedence to the Empress Mother over the reigning tsar's consort, it was only then that Maria Alexandrovna took a more decisive role in charitable activities. It was with her that the [[Red Cross]] was established in Russia, which quickly turned into the largest and wealthiest public structure. Under her organization, the institution accumulated in its [[Account (bookkeeping)|accounts]] [[funds|huge sums of money]] transferred by [[Benefactor (law)|benefactors]] from all over the Empire.<ref name="Cowles 185">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 185.</ref> The women's committees recollected twice the average funds recollected by provincial committees.<ref name="RMC">{{
Maria Alexandrovna was the supreme patroness of the Red Cross: In total, she patronized 5 hospitals, 12 alms-houses, 30 shelters, 2 institutes, 38 gymnasiums, 156 lower schools, and 5 private charitable societies. Empress Maria expanded charitable activities during the [[Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78]]. The beginning of a new era in women's education in Russia was marked by her establishment of open all-union women's educational institutions in 1872.<ref name="Cowles 185"/> The students received lessons of [[physics]], [[chemistry]], and [[medicine]].<ref name="RMC"
===Emancipation Manifesto===
[[File:Reading of the Manifest (Liberation of peasants) - Kustodiev, 1907.jpg|thumb|right|170px|A 1907 painting by [[Boris Kustodiev]] depicting [[Serfdom in Russia|Russian serfs]] listening to the proclamation of the [[Emancipation reform of 1861|Emancipation Proclamation]] in 1861.]]
Tsar Alexander II relied on Maria Alexandrovna's judgment and serious nature to support his government, opening official documents and discussing states of affairs with her.<ref name="Gilbert 41"/> She supported Alexander's ideals of introducing reforms. Two opposite philosophical currents divided Russian politics of their time: [[Westernizer]]s and [[Slavophilia|Slavophiles]]. The Westernizers, led by [[Alexander Herzen]], [[Vissarion Belinsky]], [[Ivan Turgenev]] and [[Mikhail Bakunin]], wanted Russia aligned to Western science and values such as free thought, rationalism and individual liberty.<ref name="Cowles 172">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 172.</ref> By contrast, the Slavophiles, led by [[Aleksey Khomyakov]], the two Aksakov brothers, [[Konstantin Aksakov|Konstantine]] and [[Ivan Aksakov|Ivan]], and [[Ivan Kireyevsky]] and his brother [[Pyotr Kireevsky]] advocated three principles: [[Autocracy]], [[Orthodoxy]] and [[Nationalism]].<ref name="Cowles 173">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 173.</ref>
Although she embraced Slavism with fervor, Maria Alexandrovna encouraged freedom and [[capitalism]]. She played an important role in the liberation of the serfs that came into fruition with the [[Emancipation reform of 1861|Emancipation Proclamation]] on {{OldStyleDate|3 March|1861|19 February}}, ending [[serfdom]] in Russia.<ref name="Cowles 185"/>
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[[File:Alexander II and his wife.jpg|thumb|left|Empress Maria Alexandrovna alongside her husband, Tsar Alexander II of Russia.]]
[[File:Мария Александровна (императрица).jpg|thumb|right|Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia with her children Maria and Sergei, 1861.]]
The Russian court began its season early December and lasted until [[Lent]].<ref name="Cowles 189">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 189.</ref> While subzero temperatures and icy winds kept the streets empty, balls and banquets were held indoors in overheated palaces, where their gracious host, Alexander II, gave intimate parties known as ''Les Bals des Palmières'' for which hundreds of palm trees were brought to the Winter Palace in horse-drawn boxes.<ref name="Cowles 190">Cowles, ''The Romanovs'', p. 190.</ref> However, Maria Alexandrovna did not share her husband's enthusiasm since she still disliked court events and considered Russian nobility frivolous.<ref name="King 146">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 146.</ref> Society complained that she seemed cold, distant, and had no taste in dress.<ref name="Van der Kiste 13"/> Behind her back, she was called ''la petite bourgeoise allemande''.<ref name="Van der Kiste 13"/>
Instead of letting the gossips affect her, Empress Maria paid great attention to the upbringing and education of her children, carefully choosing experienced teachers and ensuring their environment was strict. Her efforts centered on her eldest son, [[Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsesarevich of Russia|Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich]], her favorite child who resembled her most.<ref name="Zeepvat 36">Zeepvat, ''Romanov Autumn'', p. 36.</ref>
Empress Maria expressed her anger about [[Queen Victoria]]'s negative view of Russia and her poor treatment of her daughter-in-law and Empress Maria's daughter, [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia]]. She complained to her brother [[Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse]] that England was "certainly hostile to us. That makes [[Alexander II of Russia|the Tsar]] very anxious, on [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia|Marie's]] account too."<ref>Julia P. Gelardi, From Splendor to Revolution,
==Declining health==
[[File:Мария Александровна (императрица pоссийской империи).jpg|thumb|right|Empress Maria Alexandrovna wearing a mourning dress.]]
[[Image:Мариинский-дворец.jpg|left|thumb|The Mariinskyi Palace as it appeared in 1918.]]
As Empress consort, Maria Alexandrovna had to attend many state functions, but from the 1860s her health declined. The doctors advised her to spend the winters in a warm climate and stop intercourse with her husband in an effort to prolong her life. Preferring to remain in Russia, she agreed to the suggestion of recuperating in Crimea. Alexander II then bought for his wife the [[Livadia Palace|Livadia villa]],<ref name="King 148">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 148.</ref> a two-story wooden villa from the heirs of Polish Count [[Potocki|Lev Potocki]].<ref name="King 145">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 145.</ref> At the end of August 1861, Maria, her husband, and their children Alexei, Sergei and Paul visited Crimea for the first time.<ref name="King 148"/> She was charmed by the southern flora, the mild climate, the beautiful house, and the surrounding park.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 29">Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Russia & Europe'', p. 29.</ref> The modest villa was expanded with the additions of a large palace, a small palace, and a church. Construction took place between 1862 and 1866 under the direction of [[Ippolito Monighetti]], a Russian architect who had redecorated her apartments in the Catherine Palace in the 1850s.<ref name="King 153">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 153.</ref>▼
▲intercourse with her husband in an effort to prolong her life. Preferring to remain in Russia, she agreed to the suggestion of recuperating in Crimea. Alexander II then bought for his wife the [[Livadia Palace|Livadia villa]],<ref name="King 148">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 148</ref> a two-story wooden villa from the heirs of Polish Count [[Potocki|Lev Potocki]].<ref name="King 145">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 145</ref> At the end of August 1861, Maria, her husband, and their children Alexei, Sergei and Paul visited Crimea for the first time.<ref name="King 148"/> She was charmed by the southern flora, the mild climate, the beautiful house, and the surrounding park.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 29">Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Russia & Europe'', p. 29</ref> The modest villa was expanded with the additions of a large palace, a small palace, and a church. Construction took place between 1862 and 1866 under the direction of [[Ippolito Monighetti]], a Russian architect who had redecorated her apartments in the Catherine Palace in the 1850s.<ref name="King 153">King, ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II'', p. 153</ref>
Feeling better, Maria Alexandrovna financed the [[Mariinsky Theatre]] in St Peterburg in 1859–1860, built according to the plans of architect [[Albert Cavos]] as an opera and ballet house. The theatre opened on 2 October 1860, with a performance of [[Mikhail Glinka]]'s opera
The humid summers in Saint Petersburg began to take a toll on Maria's frail constitution, to the point she was absent from Russia's capital for long periods of time. In June 1864, she left Russia, accompanied by her husband and their three youngest children, to take the waters in the Bavarian spa of [[Bad Kissingen]]. King [[Ludwig II of Bavaria]] came to meet his distant aunt and became infatuated with her. In late July, Alexander II returned to Russia, but Maria traveled to [[Bad Schwalbach]], where she celebrated her birthday with Ludwig II. In late August, the whole family was reunited in Darmstadt.
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==Last years==
[[File:Мария Александровна с сыном и дочерью.jpg|thumb|right|Empress Maria Alexandrovna with two of her children: Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich.]]
From the early 1860s through the 1870s, Maria Alexandrovna began to pay extended visits to her homeland. Usually accompanied by her husband, children and their Russian entourage, she stayed at ''[[Schloss Heiligenberg (Jugenheim)|Schloss Heiligenberg]]'', the small castle of her brother Alexander, who lived with his morganatic wife and their children at [[Seeheim-Jugenheim|Jugenheim]] outside Darmstadt. There she met [[Princess Alice of the United Kingdom|Princess Alice]], second daughter of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] and wife of her nephew [[Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse|Louis of Hesse]]. She resisted Alice's suggestion that her brother, [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh]], marry her only daughter [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia|Maria]], but the couple would wed anyway in 1874.<ref name=huberty>{{cite book
After Princess Alice died in 1878, it was Maria Alexandrovna's turn to pity the British royal family. She invited her motherless relatives to visit during the holidays she spent with brother Alexander at Heiligenberg. It was during these visits that her second youngest son Sergei met his future wife, Alice's second daughter, [[Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1864–1918)|Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine]]. It was also here that Maria met Elisabeth's youngest surviving sister, [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Princess Alix]], who would eventually become the devoted and ill-fated wife of Maria's eldest grandson, [[Emperor Nicholas II]].<ref name=huberty/> A legend alleges that on a visit to Darmstadt, upon meeting Alix, Empress Maria turned to her ladies-in-waiting with the words, "Kiss her hand. That is your empress to be."<ref>King, Greg ''The Last Empress: the Life and Times of Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia'' (Birch Lane Press, 1994), p. 13.</ref>
Tsar Alexander had three children with Princess Dolgorukova,<ref name=huberty/> whom he moved into the Imperial Palace during Maria's final illness out of fear that she might become the target of assassins. The affair, in the face of the Tsarina's declining health, served to alienate the rest of his adult children, save their son Alexei and their daughter.<ref>Van Der Kiste, p. 67</ref> When the Grand Duchess Marie made a visit to her mother in May 1880, she was horrified to learn of the imperial mistress' living arrangements and confronted her father.<ref name="Van Der Kiste, pg. 97">Van Der Kiste, p. 97.</ref> Courtiers spread stories that the dying Empress was forced to hear the noise of Catherine's children moving about overhead, but their rooms were actually far away from each other.<ref>Radzinsky (2005), p. 300.</ref> After Maria Alexandrovna asked to meet her husband's children with Catherine, he brought their two older children, George and Olga, to her deathbed, where she kissed and blessed both children. Both rulers were in tears during the meeting.<ref name="Tarsaidze 1970">Tarsaidze (1970)</ref> With her blessing, the couple entered into a morganatic marriage on {{OldStyleDate|18 July|1880|6 July}}.<ref name=huberty/><ref>Толмачев Е. П. ''Александр III и его время.'' М.: Терра, 2007. — {{ISBN|978-5-275-01507-2}} (in Russian)</ref>
Empress Maria Alexandrovna died on 3 June 1880, aged 55. She was buried with full dignity with her children present and remembered for her wisdom and grace. In later years, Nicholas II's eldest daughter, [[Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia|Grand Duchess Olga]], claimed that as a small child she saw the ghost of her great-grandmother, according to her nanny Margaretta Eagar.<ref>Banks, ECS. ''Road to Ekaterinburg: Nicholas and Alexandra's Daughters 1913–1918''. SilverWood Books 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-78132-035-8}}.</ref>
==Issue==
[[File:The Family of Tsar Alexander II of Russia.jpg|thumb|320px|left|Empress Maria Alexandrovna with her husband and children. Seated in the first row, left to right are: [[Alexander II of Russia|Emperor Alexander II]], [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Tsarevna Maria Feodorovna]] with her son [[Nicholas II of Russia|Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich]] on her lap, and Empress Maria Alexandrovna. In the second row, same order: [[Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia|Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich]], [[Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia|Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich]], [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia|Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna]], [[Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich]], [[Alexander III of Russia|Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich]], and [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia|Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich]]. c 1870.]]
Through her marriage with Alexander II, Maria Alexandrovna gave birth to and raised eight children, which consisted of six sons and two daughters:<ref name=burke>[[Hugh Massingberd|Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh]]. "[[Burke's Peerage|Burke's]] Royal Families of the World: ''Volume I Europe & Latin America'', 1977, pp. 212–215, 474–476. {{ISBN|0-85011-023-8}}.</ref>
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==Honours==
*
▲* {{flag|Kingdom of Portugal}}: Dame of the [[Order of Saint Isabel|Order of Queen Saint Isabel]], ''20 February 1861''<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bragança |first1=Jose Vicente de|last2=Estrela |first2=Paulo Jorge |date=2017 |title=Troca de Decorações entre os Reis de Portugal e os Imperadores da Rússia|url=https://www.academia.edu/35782766 |language=pt|trans-title=Exchange of Decorations between the Kings of Portugal and the Emperors of Russia|journal=Pro Phalaris |volume=16 |page=10 |access-date=19 March 2020 }}</ref>
▲* {{Flag|Spain}}: Dame of the [[Order of Queen Maria Luisa]]
The city of [[Mariinsk]] in [[Kemerovo Oblast]],<ref name="mariinsk_kem">{{cite web|title=General Information|url=http://www.gorod-mariinsk.ru/nash-gorod.html|language=ru|access-date=January 22, 2018}}</ref> and the city of [[Mariehamn]] in [[Åland]] are named after Empress Maria.
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==Ancestry==
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*King, Greg. ''Livadia in the Reign of Alexander II''. Published in ''Imperial Crimea: Estates Enchanment & The Last of the Romanovs.'' CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017.{{ISBN|978-1981436828}}
*Korneva, Galina & Cheboksarova, Tatiana. '' Russia & Europe: Dynastic Ties ''. Eurohistory, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-9854603-2-7}}
*
*Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. ''Burke's Royal Families of the World: Volume I Europe & Latin America'', 1977, pp. 212–215, 474–476. {{ISBN|0-85011-023-8}}
* Nelipa, Margarita. ''Alexander III His Life and Reign''. Gilbert's Books, 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-927604-03-8}}
* [[Edvard Radzinsky|Radzinsky, Edvard]]. ''Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar''. Free Press, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0743284264}}
*[[Anna Tiutcheva|Tiutcheva, Anna Feodorovna]]. ''At the court of two Emperors''. Moscow, Novosti. 1990.
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==External links==
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