Royal Wedding Recollections – Dagmar of Denmark & the future Emperor Alexander III of Russia

On 9 November (28 October Old Style) 1866, Maria Feodorovna (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark) married the future Emperor Alexander III of Russia.

Dagmar of Denmark was the second daughter of the future King Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Her elder sister, Alexandra, married the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.

In 1864, Emperor Alexander II of Russia sought a bride for his eldest son, Tsarevitch Nicholas. There appeared to be no advantage to a match with Dagmar, but it was considered non-political.¹ In September, Nicholas visited Denmark and the two were soon headed for an engagement. On 28 September, Nicholas proposed to Dagmar during a walk at Bernstorff. Shortly before he left, they carved their names on a window with a diamond ring.²

Nicholas’s health was delicate, and as he continued his journey through Europe, he was often forced to take it easier.³ In the new year, Nicholas travelled to Nice to meet his mother. While there, he began having trouble walking. He moved into a villa near the sea, hoping his health would improve. Nicholas had promised to be back in Denmark by April for Christian’s birthday, but reports on his health became increasingly worrying. Nicholas moved to yet another villa, away from the noise of the sea.⁴ For weeks, there were no letters from Nicholas.

On Easter Monday, a telegram announced that Nicholas had suffered a cerebral haemorrhage, which had left one side of his body paralysed. He was then diagnosed with cerebrospinal meningitis. Just hours later, another telegram informed them that Nicholas had received the Last Rites. The Emperor also asked her to come if she was able. Dagmar began racing against time to get to Nice.⁵

Dagmar arrived on 23 April, and Nicholas died the following day. Her mother later wrote, “He said goodbye to her, kissed her and held her hand firmly in his until he died.”⁶ Dagmar asked to keep the cross by his bed.

When Dagmar returned to Denmark, she kept up correspondence with Nicholas’s mother, who carefully planned for Dagmar to marry Nicholas’s brother, Alexander. Dagmar had also begun writing to Alexander as a “sister and a friend.”⁷ Alexander hesitated in wanting to marry Dagmar, infuriating his father. However, when he saw her again a year later, he realised he did want to marry her.⁸

Alexander had travelled to Denmark, and over the next few weeks he got to know Dagmar. He decided to propose but let several opportunities pass him by. On 23 June, as they were reading some of Nicholas’s letters, he finally plucked up the courage. He later wrote in his diary that Dagmar almost threw herself at him.⁹ Five days later, Alexander had to return to Russia. The wedding date was originally planned for spring but was moved forward to November.¹⁰

On 22 September 1866, Dagmar set out for Russia. Two days later, she sailed into Kronstadt, and she was welcomed with fireworks and the traditional Russian greeting of bread and salt. She disembarked the following day to be greeted by the Emperor and her fiancé.¹¹ They boarded the Imperial Yacht, which would take them to Peterhof. Thousands welcomed Dagmar. After lunch, the journey continued to Tsarskoe Selo. On 29 September, she made her official entry into St Petersburg.¹²

Princess Catherine Radziwiłł wrote, “Rarely has a foreign Princess been greeted with such enthusiasm as the new Grand Duchess, who from the first moment she set foot on the Russian soil, succeeded in winning to herself all hearts. Her smile, the delightful way she had of bowing to the crowds assembled to welcome her, laid immediately the foundations of that popularity which, instead of waning as is often the case, grew day by day, and increased continually as the years went on.”¹³

For the next few weeks, Dagmar lived at the Winter Palace and Tsarskoe Selo and learned everything she could about the Russian court ceremonial. On 24 October, Dagmar was formally received into the Russian Orthodox Church and, by Imperial Decree, she became Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna.¹⁴

On the wedding day, Dagmar’s day started in the Malachite Room of the Winter Palace. There, she was dressed in her wedding gown, which was of a silver brocade with a long court train of silver tissue, clusters of diamonds along the edges, and an ermine lining. The Empress placed a diadem with a pink diamond on her head, and she placed the Bride’s Crown behind it. Her veil was attached to the Crown. She also wore a diamond necklace, a triple-row bracelet and drop earrings. It took nearly three hours before Dagmar was ready.¹⁵ The groom wore the blue and silver uniform of his Cossack regiment.

Inside the Great Church of the Winter Palace, the wedding ceremony took place. At the altar, crowns were held above their heads in turn by Dagmar’s brother, the future Frederick VIII of Denmark, Grand Duke Alexis, Grand Duke Vladimir and Nicholas Maximilianovitch Romanovsky, 4th Duke of Leuchtenberg. After an hour, Alexander and Dagmar turned to the Emperor and Empress and made a deep reverence. To mark the end of the ceremony, a 101-gun salute was fired.¹⁶

In the Nicholas Hall inside the Winter Palace, a large state banquet was held for over 500 guests. This was followed by a wedding ball in St George’s Hall.¹⁷

It was very late when Dagmar and Alexander were finally able to leave, but they were still not done. Before they spent the night together, they were offered a silver platter of rye bread and salt for luck and happiness. They were also blessed with a holy image. Dagmar was then led away to be undressed and redressed in a silver dressing gown weighing almost sixteen pounds, silver slippers and a headdress.¹⁸

According to Alexander’s diary, “Thus we spent our first night together – and we never slept!”¹⁹

1. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.16
2. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.18
3. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.19
4. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.20
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6. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.22
7. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.24
8. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.27
9. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.28
10. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.28
11. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.36
12. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.37
13. My recollections by Princess Catherine Radziwiłł p.54
14. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.39
15. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.41
16. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.42
17. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.42
18. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.43
19. Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall p.43