The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Charlotte of Prussia: “Her soul resonates with ours” (Part three)

Read part two here.

On 12 June 1817, Charlotte left Berlin with her brother, William. Her entire entourage consisted of 12 carriages, and Charlotte’s carriage alone was being pulled by eight horses.¹ She had been told that Nicholas would meet her at the border, but he surprised her at Memel. When they finally reached the border, Charlotte officially stepped over the border into Nicholas’s arms. He whispered to her, “At last you are with us, dear Charlotte!” Then he added loudly, “Welcome to Russia, Your Royal Highness! This is no stranger, gentlemen, this is the daughter of our most loyal ally and best friend!”² Charlotte later wrote, “Now I am calm again, but God knows how difficult it was for me to leave my beloved Prussia today and greet the last Prussian soldier.”³

On 30 June, Charlotte met her mother-in-law, Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) at Kaskovo, a post station before St Petersburg. She managed to win her heart, and the journey continued to Pavlovsk. The ceremonial entry into St Petersburg took place on 2 July, and crowds came to greet her. Nicholas reported to her father that he had never seen such crowds.⁴ The Empress wrote to the King of Prussia, “Her soul resonates with ours, and her entire being has an attraction, a charm for me, that makes her dearer to me with each passing moment.”⁵ The marriages of her two eldest sons had been miserable, and she hoped that things would be better for Nicholas and Charlotte.

On 6 July, Charlotte was received into the Russian Orthodox Church, and she took the name Alexandra Feodorovna. The following day, the betrothal took place, which was almost as good as marriage and from that day on, she became known as Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna. On the eve of their wedding, Nicholas showered her with jewels. Charlotte later said that she hadn’t had a single diamond in Berlin.⁶

The wedding took place on 13 July. Charlotte’s dressing took an hour, and she was draped in jewels. During the ceremony, Charlotte’s brother, William, and Nicholas’s brother, Michael, held the crowns over the couple’s heads. Charlotte later recalled, “I felt very, very happy when our hands finally joined; I placed my life in the hands of my Nicholas with complete trust, and he has never disappointed that hope!”⁷ Charlotte was happy, but she had married into a family with difficulties. The marriage of the Emperor and his wife was practically over, and their daughters had died in childhood. The second brother, Grand Duke Konstantin, was still married, but he and his wife had been separated for some time. There was a very good chance that Nicholas would succeed as Emperor one day.

At the end of August, Charlotte fainted during a long mass and realised that she was pregnant for the first time. On 29 April 1818, Charlotte gave birth to a son, the future Alexander II. Charlotte later wrote, “Niks kissed me and wept, and together we thanked God, not knowing if he had given us a son or a daughter, but then Maman came in and said, ‘It’s a son.’ Our happiness doubled, but I remember feeling something profound and sad at the thought that this little being would one day be Emperor.”⁸ Two months later, Charlotte’s father and eldest brother arrived to see the new baby.

Charlotte’s early years in Russia were a succession of glittering social events. She admitted that she cared little for politics. At the end of 1818, she was pregnant again. On 18 August 1819, Charlotte gave birth to a daughter named Maria. She was quickly pregnant again, but on 22 July 1820, she had a stillbirth. A visit to Berlin lifted her spirits somewhat. They returned home to St Petersburg in September 1821.

The following year, Emperor Alexander removed his brother Konstantin from the line of succession. Konstantin had divorced his first wife, and he was now married to a mere countess. This meant that Charlotte’s husband, Nicholas, was now first in the line of succession. Konstantin had written, “I feel neither the abilities nor the strength, nor the courage to be raised, whenever that may be, to the rank to which I have a right by virtue of my birth, so I dare to ask Your Imperial Majesty to transfer this right to the one to whom it belongs after me.”⁹

On 12 September 1822, Charlotte gave birth to her third surviving child, a daughter named Olga. It was the Emperor’s name day, and he was delighted. He wrote, “This is the most beautiful gift she could have given me for my name day.”¹⁰

In 1824, Charlotte gained a sister-in-law when her brother-in-law, Michael, married Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, who became known as Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna. Charlotte reportedly did not get along with her, and Nicholas called her “the scientist in the family.”¹¹ At the end of the year, Charlotte’s father caused quite the scandal by marrying Auguste von Harrach, whom he enobled as Princess of Liegnitz. Charlotte was devastated but resigned herself to the situation. She wrote, “Princess Liegnitz has not introduced the slightest change into the course of daily life.” Her husband wrote to his brother that the Princess of Liegnitz was “good, very simple, modest but quite insignificant.”¹²

On 24 June 1825, Charlotte gave birth to another daughter, named Alexandra. She was nicknamed Adini and would most closely resemble her mother.

Read part four here.

1. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.61
2. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.63
3. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.64
4. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.68
5. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.68
6. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.74
7. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön, p.74
8. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.87
9. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.108
10. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.109
11. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.112
12. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.113