Charlotte of Prussia

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Charlotte of Prussia: “Crushed hopes” (Part six)

Read part five here. Once back in Russia, the focus returned to the upcoming nuptials of Charlotte’s eldest son, Alexander, and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. On 12 December 1840, Marie was accepted into the Russian Orthodox Church with the name Maria Alexandrovna. She and Alexander could now be officially betrothed. The wedding took [read more]
Charlotte of Prussia

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Charlotte of Prussia: “A quiet melancholy” (Part five)

Read part four here. The Austrian diplomat Karl Ludwig von Ficquelmont and his wife, Dolli, were invited to the Peterhof. Dolli later wrote, “But there, too, was Sophie Urusova, this enigmatic figure, with her dazzling white and dispassionate beauty, at the sight of which the Empress’s friends’ hearts ached, and who occupied a place in [read more]
Book News

Book News Week 30

*contains affiliate links* Book News Week 30 – 20 July – 26 July 2026 Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Crafting (Lives of Royal Women)  Paperback – 23 July 2026 (US & UK) Barbarian Queens and the Conversion of Europe  Paperback – 23 July 2026 (US & UK) The Women Who Clothed the Stuart Queens: [read more]
Charlotte of Prussia

The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Charlotte of Prussia: “The ideal of the Russian Tsarina” (Part four)

Read part three here. Life changed forever in December 1825. Nicholas’s elder brother, Emperor Alexander I, died on 1 December in the arms of his once-estranged wife. He had fallen ill during a trip to Crimea. The news arrived in St Petersburg on 9 December. Charlotte’s mother-in-law, Empress Maria Feodorovna, fainted upon hearing the news [read more]