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 of her eldest son’s death.

Nicholas was quick to swear allegiance to his brother, Konstantin, despite the arrangements, which were not public, that had been made. For several weeks, there was an interregnum as they awaited what Konstantin would do. Then, after much conspiring, Charlotte finally wrote on 24 December, “So, for the first time, I am writing in this diary as an empress. My Nicholas came back and knelt before me to be the first to greet me as Empress.”¹ The following day, Nicholas issued a manifesto to declare his accession. His reign was off to an uneasy start, and Nicholas trusted no one following the conspiracies.

It wasn’t until mid-March that the late Emperor’s body arrived in St Petersburg, and he was buried on 25 March. Now the preparations for their coronation could begin. In the midst of all of this, Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna died. She was buried next to her husband on 3 July.

The coronation took place on 3 September 1826. It was the greatest event of the year. One writer wrote of Charlotte, “Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was then in the full bloom of her beauty. She embodied, so to speak. the ideal of the Russian Tsarina, combining majesty of bearing with boundless kindness and gentleness.”² The Duke of Ragusa wrote, “I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life. Never has a celebration been more splendid, never has one seemed more sublime.”³

Nicholas crowned himself and then held the crown to Charlotte’s forehead. Another smaller crown was placed on her head, while she received the purple mantle. His brother Konstantin and Michael also attended the coronation to show that the family was stable. Charlotte’s brother Charles later wrote, “Charlotte bore the entire indescribably magnificent ceremony in the very best way, with all the dignity one can imagine. She had such a lovely, humble look, as if she wanted to say – don’t think that the crown makes me proud!!!”⁴

On 21 September 1827, Charlotte gave birth to her second son, who was named Konstantin. The following year, Charlotte’s mother-in-law died on 5 November 1828 at the age of 69. Charlotte and Maria had never gotten along great, as Charlotte felt she was overbearing. Her death also meant that Charlotte would have to take up more patronages.⁵ She wrote to her brother William, “I am so overwhelmed by the pain of the news of her death that I cannot recover at all. Until now, I have always been more of a daughter than an empress, but now the entire burden, the seriousness of life, falls upon me, a weakling!”⁶

In 1829, a second coronation took place for Nicholas and Charlotte. They were to be crowned King and Queen of Poland, and for Alexandra, it was also a chance to see her family again. ⁷ The coronation took place on 24 May 1829 in the senate hall of the royal palace in Warsaw. Nicholas later said he felt uncomfortable throughout the ceremony.⁸

Shortly after, Charlotte visited Prussia, for the time as Empress, as her father had been unable to attend the Polish coronation. Nicholas joined her, and they were able to attend the wedding of Charlotte’s brother, William, and Augusta of Saxe-Weimar. One attendee wrote, “The Empress is just like the old Princess Charlotte; she hasn’t lost her former, friendly and original manner.”⁹ On 13 July, Charlotte celebrated her birthday with her family in Berlin. At the end of July, Nicholas and Charlotte were back in St Petersburg to celebrate the victory over the Turks.

In September 1829, Charlotte was pregnant again. Her husband wrote to her father, “My wife will have already informed you, sire, that the good Lord has granted us an eighth child. So far, everything is going well, but I dare to implore you, sire, to urge my wife to take better care of herself than usual, because this is very important for her.”¹⁰ Charlotte had a miscarriage the following day.

Nicholas’s elder brother, Konstantin, died of cholera on 27 June 1831. Cholera had been spreading for a while, and after Konstantin’s death, the court went into strict quarantine. Charlotte wrote in her diary, “The disease is spreading terribly in the city; the people were troubled, further embittered by agitators and incited to disorder; they stormed hospitals and killed a doctor.”¹¹ Meanwhile, Charlotte was dealing with a difficult pregnancy. On 8 August, Charlotte gave birth to another son, who was named Nicholas as he was born on the feast day of St Nicholas of Novgorod.

Not long after that, it became clear that Charlotte’s husband had a mistress, Charlotte’s lady-in-waiting, Princess Urusova. After a ball, one attendee wrote, “The ball could have been wonderful, but the Empress was sad; she seemed disturbed and tormented, and I saw for the first time how she temporarily lost a spark of confidence and that happy, solemn expression that suits her so well. The pale pink, smooth, and always dispassionate face of Princess Urusova animated, and an expression of indescribable joy appears only when she is beside her ruler and master. But otherwise, it is impossible to read anything in the face. Undoubtedly, she is beautiful, but how much more noble and graceful is the Empress’s beauty!”¹² Luckily, Charlotte had the court on her side, and most courtiers shunned Princess Urusova.

Part five coming soon.

1. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.124
2. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.139
3. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.141
4. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.143
5. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.154
6. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.154
7. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.157
8. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.161
9. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.164
10. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.172
11. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.181
12. Die Preußin auf dem Zarenthron by Marianna Butenschön p.184-185