The Marriage of Sergei and Ella
C.E. Metz-Longinette-Gahring
Very curious, I decided to see what I could come up with
concerning the marriage of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich
and Princess Elisabeth ("Ella") of Hesse and by Rhein, from
the (admittedly limited and not overly impressive ;) resources
at hand.
Despite having had a crush on the young and dashing
Alexander II (when he had visited England when she was
newly Queen) Queen Victoria was neither a fan of the
Romanovs (whom she found to be wild and decadent)
the Russian Court (ditto ;) nor Russia (which she thought
to be backward and barbaric, and certainly no place for
tenderly-raised princesses.) I cannot think of any marriage
concerning the Romanovs which she embraced with
enthusiasm; rather, she accepted the inevitable when the
occasion demanded it, such as her finding something
"good" in the imperious Grand Duchess soon to be
her daughter-in-law (Marie Alexandrovna.) As it turned
out, Victoria was faced with the addition of three closely-
related Romanovs (a sister, a brother and nephew)
who would marry her son and two of her granddaughters
within a space of twenty years.
In 1841, the sixteen year old Princess Maximiliane
Wilhelmine Auguste Sophie Marie of Hesse and by Rhein
embraced Russian Orthodoxy and thus became "the truly
believing Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna." On
16 April 1841, she married the Tsarevich Alexander
Nicholevich. From what I have read, the marriage had
been a happy one, producing eight children, until,
suddenly, it appeared, Alexander, by then Tsar Alexander
II, took a mistress. Not only did he take a mistress,
Ekaterina Michielovna Dolgorukaya, but he casually
installed her in the Palace, beneath his wife's very nose,
where the Tsarina could hardly fail to notice the presence
of her husband's ambitious paramour.
Whereas once the Tsar had spent what free time he had
with his wife and children, enjoying their company, now
he spent it with Ekaterina and the children they began
to produce together. The Tsarina, who had suffered from
a myriad of health woes, was increasingly wracked with
(quite understandable!) bouts of depression, and fled to
the comfort of her family in Hesse. These visits, and the
reasons for them, were the subject of concerned
conversation in the various Courts of Germany and
England. By this time, Queen Victoria's daughter Alice
was living in Hesse and was the wife of the Tsarina's
nephew, Ludwig (Louis, the future Grand Duke of
Hesse.) Thus Victoria received inside information about
the visits of the unhappy "Aunt Marie."
Amongst the children of the Tsar and Tsarina, only their
sole daughter, the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna
was able to maintain the terrible balancing act of
remaining on good terms with both of her increasingly
estranged parents. Much as the Grand Duchess loathed
and was even outraged by her father's behaviour, she
still loved him, as she did her mother, who sank into
melancholia, neurasthenia, and other health woes, both
real and imagined. Much more partisan were the
youngest two sons, Grand Dukes Sergei and Paul, who
became their mother's travelling companions as she
sought solace away from the Russian Court, and even
her own homes, which, it was felt, were increasingly
taken over (certainly in the emotional sense) by her
rival.
The children of the Tsarina and Princess Alice had met
before, and the Hessian children were not particularly
impressed. Princess Alice was raising her children very
much in the "English mode," with the ideals of her mother
the Queen of England, which, in the eyes of the conservative,
tradition-bound and etiquette-smothered German and
Russian Courts was considered very liberal. Liberalism,
even in the relative sense, was innately distrusted. The
stiff young Russians, suspicious of this more relaxed
atmosphere, found their Hessian cousins somewhat odd
in this way.
Even when very young, Princess Elisabeth, the second
daughter of Prince Ludwig and Princess Alice, was
becoming noticed for her loveliness and grace. But even
though "Ella" was considered the family beauty, no sparks
flew between her Russian cousins and her.
This changed in September 1879, at least for Sergei,
when, on yet another trip to Hesse, he suddenly seemed to
see his cousin Ella with new eyes. The Princess was not
yet fifteen, but the twenty-two Sergei suddenly noticed
she was no longer a little girl. It does not appear that,
even given Sergei's new appraisal, that Ella made any
new appraisals of her own. Even by this time, Sergei
had a reputation for being cold, unapproachable and
distant; hardly a likely candidate to inspire romantic
ideas in a young girl. Also distracting Ella was the death
of her mother, the December before. Though devoted to
many causes, the Grand Duchess Alice had been the
linchpin and central figure of the Hessian Grand Ducal
family; Life has revolved around her and all had turned
to her. Though Queen Victoria did as much as she could
to oversee her grandchildren from England (and encourage
them to visit as often as possible) and Ella's eldest sister
filled in as much as she could, there was an enormous
sense of loss.
The Tsarina's health continued to deteriorate, and by
the Spring of 1880, she was confined to her rooms in the
Winter Palace. Most cruelly, the children of her
husband and his mistress, could be heard in their
playrooms directly above the dying Tsarina's suite. It
was a constant and painful reminder of what her marriage
had become and how her husband had not only made
another Life, but went merrily along without her as if she
were already dead. Still, Grand Duchess Marie
Alexandrovna strove to keep some sense of normalcy
in this decidedly odd (and fraught with tension, spoken
and unspoken) domestic arrangement, as well as
entertain and comfort her mother.
Even at this time, though partisan, as I wrote, to the
mother he adored, Sergei still worshipped his father and
believed that the Tsar was inviolate and worthy of
respect, both as his father and the monarch. From what
I have read, though, he did not "travel" as easily between
the two "camps" as his elder sister. The sight of his
mother, in her misery and illness, compared to his father's
happiness with his mistress and "other family," even in
such close quarters, even with the knowledge of the
Tsarina's situation, was too much for him.
Adding to the tension in the Household, an attempt
was made on the Tsar's Life: a bomb had been smuggled
into the Palace itself. As it happened, the explosion hurt
no one, but it was a reminder of what *could* happen
(and, in the end, what *would* happen.)
On 3 June 1880, the Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna died
at the age of fifty-six, after thirty-nine years of marriage.
As it happened, the Tsarina died alone, with no one at
her bedside. It was a final tragic note to a Life that had
so long been unhappy. Mercifully, the Tsarina died in
her sleep.
In a move that deeply shocked and outraged his children,
less than a month passed when the technically-bereaved
Tsar revealed the depth of his lack of feeling, not only
for his recently dead wife, who had loved him, but for
his grieving children, by marrying his mistress at the
Tsarskoe Selo. A mere thirty-three days since the Tsarina
died in Moscow. Full Court mourning had not even yet
ceased for the dead Tsarina. In all fairness, it must be
mentioned that two of the Grand Dukes, while
acknowledging the haste, were not as deeply offended
in comparison to the others.
It's still fair to say, however, that, overall, the children
were incensed; their mother was barely cold, and
though all knew of their father's relationship with
Ekaterina Dolgorukaya, none truly expected that he
would do something so outrageous as attempt to put
her in their mother's place, much less in an official
capacity. Despite her princely antecedents, there was
no way to stretch the requirements making Ekaterina a
fit consort for a Russian Tsar, and in the end, her ambitions
had to be denied; the Tsar gave her the title of "Princess
Yurievskaya" on 5 December of the same year.
The happiness of the Tsar and his new wife was not to
last. Ekaterina was terrified about what might befall her,
in the largely hostile Court, should Alexander die before
her, and given the increase in terrorist activities, it was
a distinct possibility. Though revered by some as the
"Tsar-Liberator" (for his abolition of serfdom in 1861)
Alexander had also gained enemies, both of those who
had opposed his sweeping reforms, as well as those
who believed he had not done enough.
Ekaterina's fears were realized when, on 13 March 1881,
a series of attempts where made on the Tsar's Life. The
second in which a bomb was thrown directly beneath
his feet. The mortally-wounded Tsar was transported
to the Winter Palace, where he died in agony in the
presence of his hastily-summoned family, including his
successor, Alexander III. The Church of "Our Saviour on
the Spilled Blood" was later erected on the site.
None of his children present either forgot the sight of their
hideously wounded father nor forgave his murder. Especially
vehement was the new Tsar, Alexander III, who saw his
father's murder as how "the people" had "repaid" a
monarch generous with reform. Thus, the reactionary
backlash was extreme.
The Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was not in Moscow
at the time of his father's murder, and thus missed witnessing
the terrible events. However, he was in complete agreement
with his eldest brother on the matter. A Tsar must be ruthless,
firm and strict: Russia demanded no less, and to be otherwise
invited the very events of 13 March 1881. Though he had
always been of an anti-liberal bent, his father's assassination
conceived a murderous hatred of revolutionaries, reform
and liberal ideals.
It was this hardened man who returned to Hesse in 1882,
but that was not what Ella saw. Intensely sympathetic,
the now seventeen year old Princess saw a man devastated
by the deaths of his parents, alone and in need of nurturing.
She empathized with his grief over his mother's loss; the
Grand Ducal family of Hesse still felt the death of Ella's
mother four years previously keenly. Sergei was well-
traveled, cultured and urbane. Also appealing to Ella,
who had inherited her mother's restless, questioning nature
and religious interests, was Sergei's piety and satisfaction
in his Russian Orthodoxy.
By 1883, Ella was penning letters to her adoring Grandmama
in England, who had been worriedly keeping abreast of
the developments between Sergei and Ella, kept advised by
Ella's eldest sister, Victoria. It was a courtship fraught with
Ella's indecision - one moment she was certain, the next
she was not. She was well aware not only of her family's
trepidation about the match, and Queen Victoria's disapproval
of the Romanovs and Russia in general, but also had her
own fears. She tried to sort out what was a genuine fear and
what was based on simply what she had heard and the
feelings of her family. Queen Victoria was especially concerned
about Sergei's reputation and his stringent views on "the way
things should be" (in his opinion.) Ella wrote her grandmother,
revealing what perhaps might have been one of her driving
motivations in accepting Sergei's suit, "We both have that great
sorrow of losing one we love so dearly that it draws us closer
together and we feel for each other more..." and even more
revealingly, "Do you not think, dear Grandmama, that I
might do him good?"
By the New Year of 1884, Ella had decided, and on 26
February 1884, the engagement of Grand Duke Sergei
Alexandrovich Romanov and Princess Elisabeth Alexandra
Louise Alice of Hesse and by Rhein was officially announced
in the presence of the former's eldest brother, Tsar Alexander
III and his wife, the Tsarina Marie Fyodorovna. In honour
of the occasion, Sergei gave Ella the deeply symbolic gifts
of a jeweled bracelet and a shawl, both of which had belonged
to his late mother. The Tsar gave her the Order of Saint
Catherine as well as a brooch of sapphires and diamonds.
As she would with all the members of her family, once
presented with a romantic fait accompli, Queen Victoria,
whom, for all her shortcomings, was a romantic herself and
always wished the best for those she loved, "came around."
When told of Ella's engagement, Victoria immediately
dispatched a loving letter assuring Ella of her good will and
blessing. (It must be said, however, that Queen Victoria
"came around" when a match was suitable, as Gentle
Readers will soon see, the good Queen was not such a
hopeless romantic as to countenance a mésalliance, especially
if she suspected social motivations... ;)
But there was still more romantic drama in store for the
Hessians. On 30 April 1884, Hesse was packed with Royal
relations for the wedding of Princess Victoria to Prince
Louis of Battenberg. The Prussians were a bit out of sorts -
they considered the Battenberg marriage a mésalliance at
best, for the Battenbergs were tainted through the morganatic
marriage of the groom's parents; his mother was merely
a lowly Countess, most shocking to the rank-conscious
Hohenzollerns. The bride's aunt Vicky, married to the
Hohenzollern heir, had pleaded to be allowed to attend.
(Queen Victoria was *quite* put out by the Prussians'
stance on this point, making it clear that she, as Queen of
England, was planning to attend, and that should be
validation enough of the worthiness of the match for
*anyone*.)
Unbeknownst to anyone, the bride's father also had marriage
on his mind, and after attending the services of his daughter
and her groom, but before the bridal meal, he adjourned
to his rooms in the Grand Ducal Palace and secretly
married his mistress, Countess Alexandrine von Hutten-
Czapska, an ambitious Russian woman already twice
divorced. The revelation of this fait accompli ignited a
storm which very nearly ruined the Hesse-Battenberg
wedding. Livid, Queen Victoria summoned her son-in-law,
whom she liked, to her rooms, gave him a furious dressing-
down and demanded he have the marriage annulled, post-
haste. Alexandrine, Victoria was under no illusions, was
a scandalous adventuress with two living husbands and was
in *no* way a fit successor to her beloved daughter, Alice.
Shocked, Royalties began to decamp from Hesse en masse.
The furious Kaiser ordered Vicky and Fritz home, as if
yet another morganatic marriage was contagious. Tears
and outrage abounded, and Ludwig at first tried to hold
out against the furious Queen of England and her equally
offended family. As much as many members of the
English Royal Family (Queen Victoria reluctantly included)
could perhaps understand Ludwig's loneliness and need
for companionship, none would countenance the idea of
him remarrying, especially to such a woman (Queen
Victoria hoped to arrange a marriage between Ludwig
and her youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, an idea
for which neither showed the slightest interest or
enthusiasm.)
For her part, Alexandrine proved herself venial and
immediately tried to blackmail her new husband. The
matter was solved with a financial payoff (financed,
at least in part, by Queen Victoria, who regretted the
loss of money on such a matter but was eager to see
it definitively resolved) and the creation of the wannabe
Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhein as Countess
Romrod. The marriage was annulled on 9 July 1884,
and the erring (and depressed) Ludwig was returned
to Queen Victoria's graces. He went to England after
the annulment, where the Queen could keep a closer
eye on him, and spent his days hunting and bemoaning
his lost love (though she had not exactly proved herself
faithful during the crisis.)
I believe Ella may have been along on this trip, which
also settled her sister in her new home in England. She
visited the Queen at Windsor, where "darling Grandmama"
was filled with "plenty [of] advices and warnings about
married life in Russia".
There was no question that a Russian Grand Duke, brother
of the Tsar, would marry in provincial Hesse, especially
after such a fiasco. So, Ella departed for her new Life
in Russia, where she was married in a dazzling ceremony
filled with Romanov tradition on 14 June 1884 in St
Petersburg.
Ella was prepared for her "big day" at the Winter Palace
in St. Petersburg. Like all Grand Duchesses, her hair
was arranged and she was dressed before the famous
gold mirror of the Empress Anna Ioannovna (1693 -
1740) daughter of Tsar Ivan V Alexeiovich. The hairstyle
itself was another "traditional" one, with two long "sausage
curls" framing her face.
For her bridal gown, Ella wore a heavy Russian Court
dress of real silver tissue, with an immensely long train
edged with ermine. She also adorned with the spectacular
gems which had belonged to Catherine the Great, including
a diadem with a brilliant pink diamond and a necklace of
large diamonds. From her ears dangled heavy, cherry-
shaped earrings. Interesting, for a future saint and martyr,
Ella also wore a crimson crown adorned with a large
cross, all encrusted with diamonds on top of her long,
lace veil.
The preparation was sadly lacking in the presence of
happy, excited mothers: both the mother of the bride
and the mother of the groom were dead, loved ones
whose absence was felt keenly by the nuptial pair.
After the long and intricate ceremony, in which Ella
promised to "love, honour and obey" her husband, the
newlyweds departed for the estate that would become
synonymous with them: Illinskoe, just ten miles from
Moscow. Sergei loved the estate which he had inherited
from his late mother. It was there that Ella would play
hostess to her youngest surviving sister, Princess Alix,
on her visits to Russia, and where Sergei's nephew
Nicholas would long to be, after developing a deep crush
on the shy, serious Hessian princess.
And what happened on that honeymoon? I have seen
no documentation that provides any details. Certainly,
Ella, at nineteen, expected *something* to happen. The
groom has celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday the
month before and was healthy, and ostensibly, as "manly"
as any other member of his large family. Certainly, by
his age, most Romanov males were not only most
certainly *not* virginal, but were likely to have
accumulated at least one mistress; some would have
sired illegitimate children.
If Ella had any questions, she had a dearth of female
confidantes available on hand. Both her mother and
mother-in-law were dead. Her younger sisters were
unmarried and soon back in Hesse at any rate. Alix
had only just passed her twelfth birthday (Ella's wedding
had made an enormous impact on the impressionable
young Alix, who soaked up the almost magical environment
like a sponge and noticed the attentions of the sixteen year
old Tsarevich, who later admitted in his diary to having
been struck by the serious and pretty "Alix H.") and was
certainly too young for such confidences. Ella's
remaining sister, Iréne, was nearly eighteen, but unmarried,
herself, and would therefore have no practical advice to give,
however much she might be able to listen sympathetically.
Sergei's only sister, the brusque and practical Marie
Alexandrovna, had been unable to attend the wedding,
having delivered what would be her youngest child,
Princess Beatrice, in England, only two months before.
Besides, Marie Alexandrovna would have been an
effective stranger to Ella, and not a likely candidate
to approach on such a sensitive topic, especially given
she was the *groom's* sister.
A far better - and more likely - candidate would have
been Ella's eldest sister, the new Princess Victoria of
Battenberg. Twenty-one at the time and a newlywed
herself, Victoria was intelligent, calm, sensible, devoted,
intensely loyal and above all, discreet. But even given
all that, would Ella have approached her sister? Such
was Victoria's personality that, if Ella did, we will never
know, for Victoria would have never broached such a
confidence. From accounts I have read, Princess
Victoria was not overly impressed with Sergei, and had
shared the same trepidations as Queen Victoria (with
whom she corresponded regularly) over Ella and her
marriage plans.
It appears that, sometime during the honeymoon, Ella
did come to realization that her marriage would be
"different," and that Sergei did not have interest in her
physically or intimately. True to her nature, and the
promises she had made at the altar, Ella honoured all
that had brought her to Russia and made every
appearance of devotion to her new husband. But,
hélas, her hopes of "doing him good," as she had so
optimistically written her Grandmother, were not to
take the form of "changing" Sergei, but rather to achieve
harmony by seeking always to please him.
As I alluded in another post, Sergei may have had a
Pygmalion-esque view of Ella: he would mould her,
as Pygmalion fashioned Galatea, into what he wanted,
and for Sergei, it appears this took the form of dressing
her, choosing her jewels, even her reading material.
Tolstoi (especially "Anna Karenina") was out, as was
anything of a romantic nature (a waste of time, and
more likely than not would encourage unhealthy
passions and interests.) Sergei worked on Ella's French
and Russian, and approved her religious and devotional
texts. Luckily, Ella, like her late mother, had a deep
interest in the mystical and the religious.
After their honeymoon, Ella and Sergei settled into
their official "in town" residence, Sergievskaya Palace,
in St Petersburg. Russian society was far more
sophisticated than provincial, sleepy Hesse, and
it was quite a change, on many levels, for Ella.
Gamely, she set about making the adjustment,
impressing all as a charming hostess. Initially ignorant
of Russian, Ella set her mind to learning it. Luckily,
French was the langue de choix of the Russian
Court, though Ella's French was not quite "up to
snuff," either, though she set to remedying that as
well.
Unfortunately, for all of Ella's efforts to please (and
the praise she received from others) Sergei criticized
and belittled his wife, often in front of others. He made
fun of Ella, her tastes, efforts, intellect and errors, as
well of Ella's serious pursuits, even her religious
interest and devotions (though, perversely, he prided
himself on his own religiosity.) Naturally, Ella was
tremendously embarrassed and hurt, and resented such
treatment, but further impressed others by refusing to
complain about her husband, who was only furthering
his own reputation as a bully, as well as giving more
cause to make people wonder why such a charming
woman as Ella would have accepted the proposal of
such an oppressive creative.
There was interest, of course, as to whether the Grand
Ducal couple would soon begin producing children.
A mere ten months after her 30 April 1884 wedding,
Ella's sister Victoria welcomed her first child, Princess
Alice (the future mother of the Duke of Edinburgh;
Princess Alice would also be fascinated by her "Aunt
Ella" and seek to emulate her in many ways.) All
of Sergei's married siblings had quickly produced
children, usually within their first year of marriage,
aside from the 18 months between the wedding of
Sasha - Tsar Alexander III - and his wife "Minnie"
and the birth of the future Nicholas II.
The Romanovs also had young children and even
a new baby, when Ella and Sergei married. The
youngest daughters of Sasha and Minnie (Grand
Duchess Olga Alexandrovna) and Grand Duke
Vladimir Alexandrovich and his wife, "Miechen,"
(Grand Duchess Helena Vladimirovna) were
both two years old when Ella joined the Imperial
Family, and her sister-in-law, Marie Alexandrovna,
married to Ella's "Uncle Affie" in England, had
given birth to her last daughter (Princess Beatrice)
only a few months previously.
Given the fertility on both sides of the family, it was
not considered untoward that Sergei and Ella would
enjoy the same success.
And yet, the months passed, and there was no
announcement from the Grand Ducal couple, and
perhaps more significantly, there appears to have been
little to no conversation as to why there wasn't.
Like the English Royal Family, the Romanovs were
a chatty bunch who exchanged a veritable forest
of letters, all filled with family news and gossip. Yet
I cannot recall much information of an intimate nature
about Ella and Sergei. This is not to say that Sergei
and Ella did not make their appearances in the
letters, diary entries and other correspondence of
the Romanovs, for they did. However, unlike other
people, Ella and Sergei emerge more in the way of
"everyday" activities; appearances at various functions
and family events, their homes and the various concerns
of those establishments, and, of course, Ella's growing
and spectacular wardrobe and adornments.
Sweet-natured and eager to please, Ella soon settled
into her new family, who gave every appearance of
embracing and welcoming her into the family.
Conversion to Russian Orthodoxy was only
absolutely mandatory for a woman who might bear
a future Tsar. Since it was unlikely that a son of Ella
and Sergei would be called upon to assume the Throne
(by 1884, Tsar Alexander III had four sons, as did
Grand Duke Vladimir, and Grand Duke Alexis had
married morganatically; and all came before Sergei in
the Succession) there was no especial pressure put
upon Ella to convert.
Ella had been baptized and confirmed a Lutheran
("Evangelisch") and her grand Russian Orthodox
wedding had been followed by a Lutheran service, in
accordance with her own beliefs and at the insistence
of her father. One of Ludwig of Hesse's primary
concerns, when the subject was the marriages of his
daughters, was that they retain their religion. This was
not an issue for Iréne, who, on 24 May 1888, married
into the House of Hohenzollern when she wed Prinz
Heinrich ("Harry") of Prussia. It was also acceptable
to Ludwig when Princess Victoria married Henry of
Battenberg.
After her marriage, Ella continued to attend Lutheran
services in St Petersburg. She showed a keen interest in
Russian Orthodoxy, and, his perverse behaviour aside,
Sergei enjoyed instructing her.
Four years after her marriage, Ella made a trip that
would change her Life. A beautiful church had been
constructed in Jerusalem, at the foot of the Mount
of Olives, in honour of the late Tsarina Maria
Alexandrovna. In 1889, the Tsar delegated his
youngest brothers, Sergei and Paul, to represent him
at the consecration ceremonies, and Ella excitedly
made the trip in September to join them and be present
as well. Ella made the most of the trip, happily "sight-
seeing" and exploring the Holy Land. In awe of and
profoundly moved by all around her, all that she was
seeing and experiencing, Ella ecstatically wrote her
brother Ernst ("Ernie") in Hesse, "You cannot think how
joyful it is to see all these Holy places, to go on the same
roads where our Lord walked and lived... You cannot
imagine what profound impression it makes on entering
the Holy Sepulchre..."
It was while in the Holy Land that Ella prayed for a
personal miracle: a child of her own.
It was during the emotional, dazzling and intricate
consecration ceremonies for the new Church of Saint
Mary Magdalene that it is thought that Ella also began
to doubt her own Lutheran Faith (especially as the
"*only* way") and move more firmly towards embracing
Russian Orthodoxy. She continued this self-examination,
exploration and religious search upon her return to St
Petersburg, believing, more and more, that Russian
Orthodoxy offered her a more direct communion with
the Almighty, this last an interest that had also consumed
her mother, Princess Alice. Both Ella and Alice unceasingly
sought a deeper, more personal relationship with God,
ever in search of harmony and knowledge.
Her renewed and intensified interest also changed her
footing with Sergei somewhat - realizing her seriousness,
Sergei threw himself into instructing Ella with all due care.
When Ella was at last certain of her decision and satisfied
that conversion would bring her personal happiness and
religious fulfillment, she at length decided to write her equally-
devout father (who had been nettled by his late wife's
restless searching on religious issues; his was not a
questioning spirit, he simply accepted and had faith and did
not truly understand nor appreciate the religious quests of
others.) As she feared, Ludwig of Hesse was appalled,
fearing Ella risked Heaven itself in abandoning the Faith she
had once sworn to observe. He speedily wrote back, "God
protect and forgive you if doing wrong..."
Ella was certain she was not erring, and further bolstered
by the understanding and approval of both her sister
Victoria, and by Queen Victoria, who sent their own letters
of support, Ella officially converted to Russian Orthodoxy
in January 1891, becoming the "truly believing Grand
Duchess Yelisaveta Fydorovna." (Saint Fydor is the
Russian Orthodox patron saint of converts, and many
converts took the patronymic of Fydorovich/Fydorovna,
as appropriate, upon conversion.)
The effect on Ella was profound, and she threw herself
wholeheartedly into the observances and practices of
her new religion. A cousin, Prince Nicholas of Greece,
observed that Ella's piety added "a certain mixture of
idealism and mystery" which only enhanced the well-
known charm and personal sweetness of the Grand Duchess.
No snob, Ella's search for direct and simple communion
with her Maker led her to worship amongst the peasants,
who adored her for it.
Accounts differ as to the true status of the relationship
between the Grand Duke and Duchess. Some have it
that it was harmonious, unified by a mutual wish for
children, though Ella disapproved of Sergei's severe
personality and prejudices, while others have it that the
relationship had settled into a cool arrangement, with
Ella thoroughly disillusioned but equally certain that
there was nothing she could do to change Sergei,
withdrawing further and further into the comfort she
derived from her religion and its practice.
Alexander III appointed his brother Sergei to the post
of Governor General of Moscow, and Sergei and Ella
duly moved there. As deeply effected by their father's
assassination as had been Sergei, Alexander knew his
brother was the man to enact his severe and
repressive policies. Ella was horrified by the form these
took, and the way Sergei exercised his power. Sergei's
reputation as cold and brutal grew, and he was feared
and disliked even within the family. Especially brutal
was his treatment of Moscow's Jews, whom he drove
relentlessly out of the city in their tens of thousands,
requiring any Jewish woman or girl who unwisely chose
to stay to register as a prostitute. The Jews, Sergei
sincerely believed, were "the killers of Christ" and thus
not worthy of human consideration.
Almost as if to counterbalance Sergei's cruelty, Ella
increased her charitable concerns. The way the Grand
Ducal couple were perceived by many was to be at
opposite ends of the moral spectrum. Though some
in the Imperial Family preserved their affection for
Sergei, there were not many. Most found him cold
and oddly disagreeable at best.
In Moscow, Ella at least made one good friend,
Princess Alexandra of Greece, the niece of Minnie
(the Empress Marie Fydorovna, the wife of Sasha.)
Through her mother, Queen of Greece (née Grand
Duchess Olga Konstatinova Romanova, herself the
granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I) "Aline," as
Alexandra was called, was also closely related to
the Imperial Family was well. In 1889, Aline had
married the Grand Duke Paul, the youngest brother of
the Tsar and Sergei. As sweet-natured as Ella herself,
Aline and Ella rapidly became close friends, making
Ella happier in Moscow than she had been in St.
Petersburg. This happiness was short-lived, however,
when Aline, a frequent visitor to Ella at Illinskoe, died
during childbirth. Already the mother of a little girl (Ella's
future ward Maria Pavlovna) Aline, heavily pregnant,
had dashed exuberantly down to the Moscow River
and jumped into a small boat. It was believed she
somehow shifted her unborn child, bringing on premature
labour later that evening. To the horror of everyone, Aline
fell rapidly into a coma, and, still unconscious, was
delivered of a son after six days, after which she died.
Grand Duke Paul immediately fell apart, and Sergei
swore to help his bereft brother raise his children. The
new baby was christened Dmitri and he and his sister
were frequent visitors at the homes of Ella and Sergei,
coming to live with them permanently after the Grand
Duke Paul remarried - inappropriately, morganatically -
and left Russia in disgrace, eleven years later.
The next year, Ella suffered another loss with the death
of her father, Ludwig, in Hesse. She traveled home
to be present when he died, and his death reminded her
of how far away she lived, how distant she was, in
many ways, from her family and the memories of her
past in Hesse.
Ella had long been concerned about the future of her
youngest surviving sister, Princess Alix of Hesse. It had
been at Ella's wedding to Sergei that the Tsarevich
Nicholas had shyly pressed the present of a brooch,
which he had personally selected especially for Alix,
into her hand. Flustered by the gesture and distracted by
the excitement of a children's party, the twelve year old
had simply given it back. Then, flustered himself, the
Tsarevich next offered the brooch to his younger sister,
Xenia, "who not knowing [the brooch's] history, happily
accepted it."
On the death of Ludwig IV, Ella and Alix's only surviving
brother, Ernst Ludwig, became the new Grand Duke.
Both Ella and Alix adored the creative, highly-strung
"Ernie." With Alice long dead, Victoria in England with
her growing family, Ella in Russia, Iréne in Prussia with a
growing family of her own (like Ella's Romanov in-laws
and her own Hessian family, Iréne began to quickly
produce progeny within a year of her 1888 nuptials)
only Ernie and Alix remained in Hesse. Like Alix,
Ernie was unmarried, and so Alix filled in the role of
"Landesmutter."
For her part, Alix was somewhat restive to the idea of
marriage. Her grandmother, Queen Victoria, was *very*
keen on the idea of matching the "magnificent Alix" to
her very unpromising grandson, Prince Albert Victor "Eddy"
of England, the heir to the Prince of Wales and a future
King of England. Alix was unmoved by the grand destiny
of her languid, certainly intellectually-deficient cousin. Though
he duly proposed, Alix let it be known that much as she
"liked [him] as a cousin" (which was arguable ;) she would
only agree "if forced," but was very certain that neither of
them would be happy with one another.
It appears that, even at this early date, Alix was trying to
dismiss from her mind the charming Tsarevich, for she
knew that marriage with Nicholas would absolutely *require*
conversion to Russian Orthodoxy, which Alix simply
could not imagine doing. It was a war for Alix's heart:
her emotions pulling her in two different directions at once.
The first deciding factor would be the marriage of Ernie.
While Queen Victoria could not convince Alix to accept
"Eddy," she could, and did, prevail upon Ernie to accept
her plan for him: that he marry Princess Victoria Melita
of Edinburgh, the second daughter of the Duke of
Edinburgh and Ella's sister-in-law, the Grand Duchess
Marie Alexandrovna.
Victoria had been thwarted in a previous match-
making plan, that of matching Ducky's eldest sister,
Princess Marie ("Missy") with Prince George of
Wales. This match was heavily favoured by Missy's
father, the Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha, but equally disapproved of by his wife,
the Duchess Marie (née Grand Duchess Maria
Alexandrovna Romanova, Ella's sister-in-law) who
initial unease with the English Court and her in-laws
had hardened, with the demise of her marriage, into
deep disdain and dislike. Duchess Marie preferred
Continental, preferably German (or Germanicly-
connected) spouses for her four attractive daughters.
No way would she countenance a match between
Missy, considered one of the great beauties of her
generation, and Georgie, if for no other reason than
she wished to thwart both her mother-in-law, whom
she considered an insufferable busybody, and her
husband, with whom she had been long disenchanted.
Duchess Marie's match-making of Missy with Crown
Prince Ferdinand ("Nando") von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen,
the heir (though not son) of the King of Romania. Marie's
hurried match of Missy and Nando was so rushed that
Royal Europe was shocked - surely the beautiful and
well-connected Missy could "do better" than the awkward
"Nando" and with only the Throne of backwater Romania
to which to look forward.
"Affie" (Prince Alfred, son of Queen Victoria, husband of
Marie and himself the Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha) was so disappointed with Missy's marriage that
Marie knew she could not press her luck by refusing a
*second* English-favoured match, so she agreed, albeit
somewhat grudgingly to the pairing of her second daughter
with the Hessian Grand Duke, and vocally hoped that
Victoria had not influenced Ernie too much.
At first blush, the matching of "Ernie and Ducky" seemed a
smart piece of business. Both were highly-strung, lively,
personable, intelligent, creative, artistic, attractive and social
creatures. But always, even from the inception, there were
inherent problems. The prospective Hessian "Landesmutter"
was already in love - with the Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich,
the eldest son of Ella's brother-in-law, Vladimir Alexandrovich.
First cousins were forbidden to marry by the Russian
Orthodox Church, but the Anglican (and Evangelisch)
Church did (does) allow for first cousin marriages, and
this, on 19 April 1894, Schloß Ehrenburg, Ducky did,
when she married Ernie.
Further complicating matters from the Ducky and Ernie
standpoint, aside from the bride being in love with another,
was the fact that the groom was homosexual. It was
hardly a recipe for marital bliss.
Alix had been long tormented about the issue of Nicky
and her growing love for him. For their part, Nicky's
parents had been discouraging, in fact, their personal
liking for Ella aside, had done all they could to dissuade
their son from marriage to the Hessian Princess. But
as firm as Alix was on the matter of her religion, Nicky
was equally (and perhaps, for the only time in his Life)
firm on the issue that he would consider *no one* else.
When it became apparent that the Tsar's health was
failing, Sasha and Minnie at last capitulated with good
will: Nicky could propose to Alix with their blessing.
(Perhaps they hoped the matter would be resolved if
Alix absolutely refused to convert, thus definitively
settling the matter.)
Nicky arrived in Hesse for the wedding of Ernie and
Ducky determined to leave an engaged man.
Long aware of the situation, Ella had done her best to
gently counsel and console Alix, who had become quite
overwrought over the entire dilemma. Conversion, she
assured Alix, was nothing to be feared. After all, she
had been exactly as Alix was - a Lutheran becoming
Orthodox.
Though the matter of religion was, without doubt, the
largest factor in Alix's considerations, also apparent to
Alix was that she could not continue living as she was.
Ducky would soon be the new "Landesmutter" and
First Lady (as Ernie's wife) of Hesse. Unmarried and
no longer needed by Ernie in that capacity, what would
Alix do? There are also some accounts that, even at
this early time, it was already obvious that Alix and
Ducky were hardly to be expected to be "simpatico"
(and weren't.)
As History knows, it was a very successful wedding,
aside from the groom and bride themselves. Nicky of
Russia proposed to Alix of Hesse, and was accepted.
(Hessian weddings seemed to provide the impetus for
many Royal engagements, such as Beatrice of England
with Henry "Liko" of Battenberg, and Marie Louise
of Schleswig-Holstein to Aribert of Anhalt, et al, -
though not all of these pairings would be successful!)
Ella was thrilled. With the tragic death of Princess
Aline (Alexandra) of Greece in 1891, Ella had been lonely,
and had happily grasped the idea of her younger sister
finding happiness in Russia and living close by. Ella
could also have had few doubts about Nicholas: the
Tsarevich had long made his feelings plain about Alix,
and over the years, her home and heart provided a
conduit for Alix and Nicky.
Alix soon came to Russia to receive the blessing of the
failing Tsar. Ella would have heard the dark mutterings
of how Alix "came to [the Russian people] behind a
coffin" as Alix's nuptials ended up closely following the
funeral services of Alexander III.
Ella's experience radically differed from that of her sister.
Alix went almost literally from her home in Hesse to
the pinnacle of Russian Imperial society, on the Throne
next to her uncertain, overwhelmed husband. Unlike
whatever uncertainties and darkness may have plagued
the bedroom of Sergei and Ella, Nicholas and the new
"Alexandra Fydorovna" (as Alix became upon her
premarital conversion to Russian Orthodoxy) would
enjoy one of the greatest of Royal love stories, truly, a
"Lifelong Passion" they would share until their murders
in 1918, twenty-three and one half years later.
As, it must have seemed to Ella, because it happened to
everyone else, the marriage of Nicky and Alix quickly
produced a baby, when the new Tsar and Tsarina welcomed
their first child, the Grand Duchess Olga Nicholevna, on 15
November 1895, a mere eleven days before their first
wedding anniversary.
Married, by this time, for over eleven years, had Ella
given up all hopes of a child of her own?
With a seemingly unending list of new responsibilities,
obligations and duties, Alix turned to Ella, and Ella was
only too pleased to aid her sister in any way. There had
already been "rubs" between Alix and the Dowager
Tsarina (Marie Fydorovna, "Minnie," who was not only
Alix's mother-in-law but Ella's sister-in-law) and Ella
did what she could to defuse them.
But disaster had only slept for the Romanovs, and woke
again with the Coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra.
And, as Ella had moved in to aid her sister in her transition
from Hessian princess to Russian Orthodox convert to
Romanov bride and then Tsarina and mother, Sergei moved
in to help Nicholas.
The first disaster would be at the Khodynka Meadow. As
was traditional, open-air feasts, laden with food, alcohol and
commemorative trinkets, had been prepared for the people
in honour of the Coronation. Sergei had been in charge of
those in and around Moscow, and at the Khodynka site,
his decisions proved disastrous. Security was minimal
(especially given the thousands who arrived to participate)
and a stampede and riot ensued when rumours spread that
there was not enough food, alcohol and "goodies" for
everyone. In a mere fifteen minutes, almost fifteen hundred
people died and thousands were wounded. Sergei was
blamed for negligence, but later exonerated. Unfortunately,
Sergei was to compound his error by insisting on what
followed, for which Nicky and Alix would be blamed.
The new Tsar and Tsarina were horrified, and there first
instincts were to cancel a lavish dinner being held that evening.
Sergei and the other Grand Dukes insisted that the dinner
continue as planned - no need to cause a "political situation,"
they felt, by risking offending the French (whose dinner it
was.) Nicky and Alix tried to demur - they wished not only
a cancellation, but to immediately withdraw into a prayerful
religious retreat, but Sergei and the others prevailed.
Though the Tsar and Tsarina insisted not only on visiting the
horrors at Khodynka, and paying for separate burial for the
victims (instead of allowing them to be disposed of in a
mass grave) and medical care for the wounded, that news
did not disseminate broadly. All that was seen was that the
new Tsar and his wife were callous and unfeeling, that they
attended a grand fête on the very night of such a tragedy.
As I recall, Ella went with the Nicholas and Alexandra,
and witnessed the horrors of the Khodynka Meadow. Like
Alix, her instincts were to withdraw and pray, even that it
was during the Coronation festivities.
Ella could have only been repulsed by Sergei's difference
of opinion (and lack of foresight) on the matter. She certainly
would see how her sister would "pay" for a disaster entirely
NOT of her making.
Ella would also bear witness, not only to her sister's happiness,
but Alix's increasing frustration that, though Grand Duchesses
arrived in satisfying - and healthy - succession (with the births
of Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia Nicholevna,
in 1897, 1899 and 1901, respectively) Russia still lacked the
all-important male heir. While Ella would have understood the
need for a boy, she might have also been wistful that Alix was
at least having children, while she still had none, or had Ella
become completely resigned to the fact that children simply
were "not part of God's plan" for her?
In 1902, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, the widower of
Ella's dear friend Princess Aline of Greece, remarried.
Unfortunately, his choice was controversial, to say the
least. On 27 September 1902, Paul married Olga Valerienovna
Karnova, his mistress of long-standing and already mother
of three of his children. For this stunt, as Paul had foreseen,
he was promptly banished from Russia, Olga Valerieovna
and their children in tow.
This had repercussions for Ella as, remembering his promise
when Princess Aline of Greece had died, Sergei stepped
in and took guardianship of Paul's children by Aline,
Marie and Dmitri. The children did not come as strangers:
given the past affection between their parents and Ella and
Sergei, they had long known them. But now, their father
was gone.
Sergei had certain expectations of the children, however.
Upon taking custody, he announced "I am your father now,"
to them, and was annoyed when the children still proclaimed
that they loved the Grand Duke Paul, even that he had left
Russia - and them. Sergei was stern, dictatorial and expected
total obedience, but for all his cruel and odd behaviour to
others, Sergei also proved himself a doting and involved father-
figure. The same cannot be said of Ella, of whom it was sadly
noted, seemed to resent these children, who had been buffeted
by tragedy and the decisions of the adults around them.
Particularly sad was the adoration the young Marie Pavlovna
would show for "Aunt Ella," whom she adored and believed
to be the most beautiful woman who ever lived. Marie
Pavlovna would write, with the clarity and guilelessness of a
child, about enjoying watching her beautiful aunt prepare for
Royal occasions, longing to be embraced by her, and
being driven back, cringing, by Ella's "hard look" when the
child threw her arms around "that snowy neck" to kiss her
with affection and adoration.
It was readily apparent to both children that "Aunt Ella"
found them to be a "disagreeable presence" in her homes,
little entities that were best avoided.
All of this was all the more ironic, for Dmitri and "Marisha,"
as Grand Duchess Marie Pavolvna was known (to
differentiate her from another Grand Duchess of the same
name and patronymic, this "Marie Pavlovna the Elder"
was nicknamed "Miechen") were the children of a woman
whom could fairly be termed Ella's best friend. One
might think that Ella's love for Aline would have motivated
her to cherish her dead friend's now-motherless children,
to love them as she would her own.
It was not to be.
Though all continued, on the surface, as long it had, there
must have been significant undercurrents in the marriage of
Sergei and Ella.
Two events in 1904 must have effected Ella deeply. Firstly,
Ella and Sergei went to visit a "holy hermit." Russian
Orthodoxy is filled with wandering holy men and women,
as well as hermits (male and female) whose departure from
secular Life, even into total aesthetic lifestyles, led to their
reputations for saintliness, even prophecy. It was one such
hermit which Ella and Sergei sought out in the Summer of
1904: he predicted darkly that, within a year, Sergei would
die... "his head smashed to atoms."
Ella was horrified.
The second event began with such hope and was, initially,
the cause of unabashed jubilation: on 12 August 1904, Alix
gave birth to the long-awaited son and heir, the Tsarevich
Alexei Nicholaevich. However, this momentous event was
soon overshadowed by the tragic news that this baby was a
hemophiliac. How soon did Alix share this news with her
sister? Certainly, Ella would have commiserated: both sisters
knew of the specter of hemophilia that hovered over their
family; their brother Frittie had died from complications
following a fall in 1873 (an event which had plunged their
mother into a deep depression) and their sister Iréne had
at least one hemophiliac son.
Now, it was Alix's turn to despair. She had wanted a son
so keenly, besieged the very gates of Heaven to produce
the son that her husband and his people needed. And now
she had one, but the child had this dread disease, and
increasingly, Alix felt she could not be both the instrument of
her son's illness and that of his release. This feeling would
set the stage for a miracle worker, for Rasputin.
But these events were still in the future.
1905 brought more drama, more groundwork for the
tragedies would come. There was the disastrous war
against Japan, as well as "Bloody Sunday," in which the
Tsar's soldiers fired upon peaceful demonstrators who had
gathered to see their Tsar with petitions and holy icons.
Thousands were injured and killed, men, women and even
children. It was a gruesome fiasco which fueled the blood
of revolutionaries.
And few were hated by the revolutionaries as was the Grand
Duke Sergei, who was seen as the author of so much
brutality. In an odd twist of Fate, an offspring of the "Will of
the People" terrorist sect which had been involved in the
assassination of Alexander II, the "Socialist Revolutionary Party,"
now determined to eliminate Sergei. It was led by Ezno Azev,
a Jew, who had never forgotten or forgiven the murders of
many of his family members during the past pogroms nor
Sergei's vicious expulsion of the Jews from Moscow. Azev
dispatched the same two men who had earlier assassinated
the hated Minister of the Interior, Plehve; Boris Savinkov and
Ivan Kalyaev.
As much as he loathed Sergei, Kalyaev refused to kill either
Ella, nor Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna and Grand Duke
Dmitri Pavlovich, who were often in Sergei's company. On
Friday, 17 February 1905, Kalyaev at last found his prey alone,
and threw a bomb into the carriage carrying Sergei, who was
instantly killed.
The explosion could be heard through the Kremlin, and even
to Ella's own apartments. She would later say she knew that
immediately what had happened and that Sergei was dead.
Followed by Marie and Dmitri's governess, Ella flung herself
into the street and could not be dissuaded from getting to the
side of her husband. Kneeling in the bloodstained snow, Ella
removed the rings from his right hand (including his wedding
band) and wiped his face. Few forgot the sight of the contrast
between Ella's beautiful blue velvet gown, the white snow,
and the blood blackening everything, everywhere. When a
stretcher arrived, Ella began to calmly gather the bleeding bits
of her husband, placing them on the blankets with her shattered
husband's remains. The Grand Duchess was soon, ineffably,
inevitably, covered in her husband's blood.
When Sergei's body had been removed, Ella retired with it
to the Chudov monastery to pray, "submitting to the Will of
God."
Many remarked on the courageousness of the Grand Duchess,
who insisted on visiting the man who had murdered her husband.
Their conversation was noted, and says much about Ella's
beliefs and state of mind. When Ella admits it is pitiable that
it was only by such a terrible action that feelings should thus
be known, that she wishes he could have come to her before,
Kalyaev rails at her, "So you think it is easy to go to you?
Surely you know what happened on January 4 when they went
to the Tsar. Do you really believe that this could go unpunished?
There is also that terrible war that people hate so much. You
have declared war on the people and we took up the challenge.
I would give my life thousand times, not just once. Russia must
be free."
While Ella had been conciliatory and tearful to this point, she is
not a simpering push-over - the man had brutally murdered her
husband. With some spirit, Ella observed, "in war men fight
each other, face to face,and you have murdered from behind,
and that is not war but cowardice. You think that you are the
only ones that suffer; we also suffer and I assure you, we wish
only good for the people."
Ella then attempted to talk about Sergei, about the man who
was her husband. Evidently, Ella wanted Kalyaev to know
that he had killed so much more than a symbol, more than a
member of the Imperial Family, more than a Grand Duke,
but also a man, a man who was her husband. Kalyaev wouldn't
have any of it, and Ella conceded. She stood and said, "Yes,
I don't want to enter into discussion with you. I only wanted
you to know that the Grand Duke forgives you and that I will
pray for you. I beg you to accept this icon in my memory."
Ivan Kalyaev was executed on 23 May 1905 in the courtyard
of the Schlusselburg Fortress outside of St Petersburg. His
body was left hanging for thirty minutes after his death before
being cut down.
Despite all that had happened, Ella refused to dwell on Sergei's
many shortcomings. In fact, Ella effectively canonized the man
who had so disappointed her in Life and nearly venerated him
as a saint. People who knew Sergei in Life might have found it
*very* difficult to recognize him in the idealistic way in which
Ella now chose to remember him. "I hope God," she said,
"might give me strength, that never one can say I was worthy of
having been in olden times guided by such a true noble husband
and true Christian." She had a cross erected on the site where
Sergei died, inscribed with the words, "Forgive them, Lord, for
they know not what they do."
The marriage that had begun with such hope and optimism in
1884 was over.
As could be expected, she withdrew and found solace in her
religion; now all that was left to her, all that really mattered.
Though many expected that Ella, still beautiful at forty-one,
would remarry. Nothing Ella ever said or did appears to
give credence to the idea that she ever considered marrying
again. She threw herself whole-heartedly into charitable
efforts, her ideas of what she would do with the rest of her
Life increasingly taking on clarity and form.
Much would happen after Sergei's death, both to Ella and to
Russia. Ella found it increasingly difficult to "understand"
the youngest sister who reigned as Tsarina and consort, yet
she possessed some of the very same, blind, insistence on
seeing things the way she *wanted* to see them, and then
truly *believing* that they were, indeed, that way.
~ C.
--
--
~ CEM-L-G
It might be nice, when everyone seems so terribly concerned
with praying for our enemies, if people remembered also to pray
for those who protect and defend us, thereby ensuring we have
freedoms to enjoy.
Candide
message news:kWpQa.10027$cJ5...@www.newsranger.com...
> From mid-March 2003:
Great post, as per your usual!
Nice to have you back with us. It has been awhile but figured you had
your handsful with your second child, and of course past and current
events must be worrying.
Candide
--
"I highly recommend worrying. It's much more effective than dieting."
_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+___+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+__+_+_+
William Powell - Actor
Lethal Injectn
>Very curious, I decided to see what I could come up with concerning the
marriage of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Princess Elisabeth ("Ella") of
Hesse and by Rhein, from
the (admittedly limited and not overly impressive ;) resources at hand >>
(remainder snipped)
Welcome back!!!! You've been sorely missed! Thank you for another wonderful
piece.
priapus...@hotmail.com
>
> Very curious, I decided to see what I could come up with
> concerning the marriage of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich
> and Princess Elisabeth ("Ella") of Hesse and by Rhein, from
> the (admittedly limited and not overly impressive ;) resources
> at hand.
>
Gosh how amazing that you took the trouble to write all that and
thanks for posting it again as I only started reading AGR posts a few
weeks ago. For some reason the epic tragedy of the last doomed
Romanovs has fascinated me for years. I believe that Alexander II was
actually on his way to sign legislation giving Russia a constitution
and power to the legislature, which it had never had, when he was
assassinated. I have read that Sergei was a masochistic homosexual who
liked to be flogged though I don't know how whoever wrote that knew
such a thing. But I also read that Sergei wore corsets, and then I saw
a photo of him, and it is quite clear from his wasp waist and pinched
in figure, that this was true. He seems to have been a real fruitcake.
Anyway much thanks again for such absorbing reading. Are you going to
carry on to Ella's death and canonisation? Hope so.
SEAN
<priapus...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:73550c5a.0307...@posting.google.com...
> "C.E. Metz-Longinette-Gahring" <Walkuere@Merry_Halls.Walhalla> wrote in
message news:<kWpQa.10027$cJ5...@www.newsranger.com>...
> > From mid-March 2003:
> <and then at considerable length>
> Gosh how amazing that you took the trouble to write all that and
> thanks for posting it again as I only started reading AGR posts a few
> weeks ago. For some reason the epic tragedy of the last doomed
> Romanovs has fascinated me for years.
Have you read "A Romanov Autumn" by Charolotte Zeepvat? If you like epic
tragedy, you will definitely enjoy it.
> assassinated. I have read that Sergei was a masochistic homosexual who
> liked to be flogged though I don't know how whoever wrote that knew
> such a thing.
I don't think any of this was proven.
>But I also read that Sergei wore corsets, and then I saw
> a photo of him, and it is quite clear from his wasp waist and pinched
> in figure
I would attribute that more to vanity than to homosexuality.
>, that this was true. He seems to have been a real fruitcake.
Er... what do you mean by "fruitcake"?
Susan Cohen
"SEAN" <seann...@here.com> wrote in message
news:1CGQa.21869$Ab1....@newscontent-01.sprint.ca...
>
> <priapus...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >But I also read that Sergei wore corsets, and then I saw
> > a photo of him, and it is quite clear from his wasp waist and pinched
> > in figure
>
> I would attribute that more to vanity than to homosexuality.
Lots of men have worn them for just this reason; it takes an expert to tell
te differnce between a boy's & a woman's early Victorian corset. I've seen
men's structural garments for sale today, but tailored & named differently
than "girdles".
SusanC
aMAZon
priapus...@hotmail.com wrote:
> "C.E. Metz-Longinette-Gahring" <Walkuere@Merry_Halls.Walhalla> wrote in message news:<kWpQa.10027$cJ5...@www.newsranger.com>...
>
>>From mid-March 2003:
>>
>>Very curious, I decided to see what I could come up with
>>concerning the marriage of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich
>>and Princess Elisabeth ("Ella") of Hesse and by Rhein, from
>>the (admittedly limited and not overly impressive ;) resources
>>at hand.
>>
>
> <and then at considerable length>
> Gosh how amazing that you took the trouble to write all that and
> thanks for posting it again as I only started reading AGR posts a few
> weeks ago.
Get thee to Google and look up all of her posts! You will not be sorry.
Everything I've read by her has been sound, and worthwhile, and full of
information and good reasoning.
--
aMAZon
zeszutko at nycap.rr.com
"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."
Susan Cohen
"aMAZon" <zeszutk...@nycap.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3F137410...@nycap.rr.com...
>
> Get thee to Google and look up all of her [Candace's] posts! You will not
be sorry.
>
> Everything I've read by her has been sound, and worthwhile, and full of
> information and good reasoning.
& just plain very entertaining!!
SusanC
G-B
SEAN wrote:
====
Fruitcake usually means mad/weird - the saying - "Nutty as a fruitcake"
Gioff
SEAN
"G-B" <tarn...@lexicon.net> wrote in message
news:3F138A51...@lexicon.net...
Yes, I know that that is one of the meanings, but, IIRC, it is also a
pejorative term used to describe a gay man (or someone perceived to be a gay
man). Of course, I could be wrong.
Regards,
(Btw, Gioff, in your studies on the Soviet Union did you ever here of come
across the name Herbert Norman, renowned Japanologist & Canadian Ambassador
to Japan & Egypt? He was named as a Soviet agent and he jumped off a
building in Cairo Egypt.)
priapus...@hotmail.com
> news:73550c5a.0307...@posting.google.com...
> > "C.E. Metz-Longinette-Gahring" <Walkuere@Merry_Halls.Walhalla> wrote in
> message news:<kWpQa.10027$cJ5...@www.newsranger.com>...
> > > From mid-March 2003:
>
> > <and then at considerable length>
> > Gosh how amazing that you took the trouble to write all that and
> > thanks for posting it again as I only started reading AGR posts a few
> > weeks ago. For some reason the epic tragedy of the last doomed
> > Romanovs has fascinated me for years.
>
> Have you read "A Romanov Autumn" by Charolotte Zeepvat? If you like epic
> tragedy, you will definitely enjoy it.
Thank you for the recommendation - I'll look out for it.
> > assassinated. I have read that Sergei was a masochistic homosexual who
> > liked to be flogged though I don't know how whoever wrote that knew
> > such a thing.
>
> I don't think any of this was proven.
>
> >But I also read that Sergei wore corsets, and then I saw
> > a photo of him, and it is quite clear from his wasp waist and pinched
> > in figure
>
> I would attribute that more to vanity than to homosexuality.
>
> >, that this was true. He seems to have been a real fruitcake.
>
> Er... what do you mean by "fruitcake"?
A lunatic - I don't mean because of his supposed homosexuality but his
apparently psychopathic anti-semitism and fiercely repressive rule as
Governor of Moscow and the disastrous advice he gave his nephew the
Tsar.
priapus...@hotmail.com
Ok thanks I will!
SEAN
<priapus...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:73550c5a.03071...@posting.google.com...
> "SEAN" <seann...@here.com> wrote in message
news:<1CGQa.21869$Ab1....@newscontent-01.sprint.ca>...
> > <priapus...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:73550c5a.0307...@posting.google.com...
> > > "C.E. Metz-Longinette-Gahring" <Walkuere@Merry_Halls.Walhalla> wrote
in
> > message news:<kWpQa.10027$cJ5...@www.newsranger.com>...
> > > > From mid-March 2003:
> >
> > > <and then at considerable length>
> > > Gosh how amazing that you took the trouble to write all that and
> > > thanks for posting it again as I only started reading AGR posts a few
> > > weeks ago. For some reason the epic tragedy of the last doomed
> > > Romanovs has fascinated me for years.
> >
> > Have you read "A Romanov Autumn" by Charolotte Zeepvat? If you like epic
> > tragedy, you will definitely enjoy it.
>
> Thank you for the recommendation - I'll look out for it.
>
Zeepvat, Charlottte. A Romanov Autumn: Stories from the Last Century of
Imperial Russia. Sutton Publishing 2000.
There are chapters on Nicholas I & Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Charlotte of
Prussia), Grand Duchess Elena Pavolovna (nee Charlotte of Wurttemburg), the
early years of Alexander II, Maria Fedorovna and Ekaterina Dolgurukaya,
Constantine Nikolaivich & Alexandra Josifovena (parents of Queen Olga of
Greece), Gatchina, the imperial nannies, Grand Duchess Vladimir, Sergei
Alexandrovitch, the Constantinovichi branch, Princess Elena Petrovna, Paul
Alexandrovitch, and much, much more.
Sean
G-B
SEAN wrote:
I can't recall anyone ever having used it that way but for some reason it is
ringing a bell...
>
>
> (Btw, Gioff, in your studies on the Soviet Union did you ever here of come
> across the name Herbert Norman, renowned Japanologist & Canadian Ambassador
> to Japan & Egypt? He was named as a Soviet agent and he jumped off a
> building in Cairo Egypt.)
No I haven't but will do a search now actually. That sort of thing fascinates
me. We had a couple of them here too. Thanks for the tip.
Gioff
SEAN
snip to points
> >
> > (Btw, Gioff, in your studies on the Soviet Union did you ever here of
come
> > across the name Herbert Norman, renowned Japanologist & Canadian
Ambassador
> > to Japan & Egypt? He was named as a Soviet agent and he jumped off a
> > building in Cairo Egypt.)
>
> No I haven't but will do a search now actually. That sort of thing
fascinates
> me. We had a couple of them here too. Thanks for the tip.
I've just been reading up on him some more. He was, at one time, Canada's
best and the brightest. Studied, a Cambridge and the Ivy League, advised
McArthur on the reconstruction on Japan, (also served as the ambassador to
New Zealand after being named as a 'dupe' the first time) etc., etc. He was
actually born in Japan to missionary parents. You may have heard of his
doctoral dissertation, which was later published as a book. IIIC, it was
titled "The Emergency of Japan as a Modern State". In the 1930s it was the
only thing of its kind.
Anyway, IMHO, it was a case of maximum suspicion and minimum proof. You know
Gouzenko, right? Well, Dr. Norman's name was in the telephone book of one of
the people named by him (the person in questions Israel Halperin, was later
exonerated). Anyway, once the senate sub-committee got ahold of Dr.
Norman's name it was like a dog with a bone.
During the 1980s, a rather conservative academic by the name of James
Barros wrote a sensational book titled "No Sense of Evil" in which he 'makes
the case' against Norman. The book is good, but it is more like a murder
mystery novel than a piece of academic work. It takes a lot of liberties (if
you know what I mean). Barros even goes as far as insinuating that Lester
Pearson himself was a Soviet agent. Anyway, it actually led the Mulroney
government to appoint commission to look into the whole matter (led by
another conservative academic). The commission found Dr. Norman to be not
guilty.
If one reads the Barros book, one must also read "Innocence is not Enough"
by Roger Bowen in order to get the other perspective.
To keep this on topic, Dr. Norman also served as tutor to Prince Mikassa
(3rd son of Emperor Hirohito) while he was head of the Canadian legation to
occupied Japan (McArthur thought that it would provided good insight on the
politics of the imperial court.
Dr. Norman was particularly worried about how 'feudal forces', Japanese
political culture and political apathy, and the Yoshida government's
conservatives would endanger democratization of Japan. He points out that
the country's Constitution day was made as a holiday, but that it
conveniently happened to be the birthday of the Meiji Emperor as well. In
his November 1946 report to the Canadian government he describes the scene:
I mixed with the crowd during this function and was
struck by the indifference with which they listened
to the speeches from the dais. The only enthusiasm
which was shown was when the Emperor & Empress
appeared towards t he end of the ceremony. One their
departure from the dais, on their way to the palace,
the usually restrained crowd rushed the carriage in
a cheering mass so that a great number were trampled and
injured. The made rush to get close to the Emperor, and if possible to touch
his carriage, had an element of
hysteria in it, which in contrast to the apathy
attending the speeches and ceremony was sobering, especially
when one reflected that this was the Constitution expressly designed to
remove the mystery, but real power
from the man being so wildly acclaimed.
G-B
SEAN wrote:
Ah now the penny drops.... there is a well known club in town for
'enterprenerial and professional gay men called 'Fruits in Suits' - so it looks
like it can mean both!
Gioff
sacha Hubbard
on 16/7/03 11:17 pm:
<snip>
In this country (UK) nutty as a fruitcake simply means bonkers. Nothing to
do with sexuality at all. Nothing.
--
Sacha
G-B
sacha Hubbard wrote:
=====
For the most part, same here although it looks like it has been adopted to some
extent...
Gioff
SEAN
>
>
> sacha Hubbard wrote:
>
> > in article 3F15CFF8...@lexicon.net, G-B at tarn...@lexicon.net
wrote
> > on 16/7/03 11:17 pm:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > SEAN wrote:
> > >
> > >> "G-B" <tarn...@lexicon.net> wrote in message
> > >> news:3F138A51...@lexicon.net...
> > >>>
> > >>> Fruitcake usually means mad/weird - the saying - "Nutty as a
fruitcake"
> > >>>
> > >>> Gioff
> > >>
> > >> Yes, I know that that is one of the meanings, but, IIRC, it is also a
> > >> pejorative term used to describe a gay man (or someone perceived to
be a gay
> > >> man). Of course, I could be wrong.
> > >
> > > Ah now the penny drops.... there is a well known club in town for
> > > 'enterprenerial and professional gay men called 'Fruits in Suits' - so
it
> > > looks
> > > like it can mean both!
> > >
> > > Gioff
> > >
> > <snip>
> >
> > In this country (UK) nutty as a fruitcake simply means bonkers. Nothing
to
> > do with sexuality at all. Nothing.
> >
> > --
> >
> > Sacha
>
> =====
>
> For the most part, same here although it looks like it has been adopted to
some
> extent...
>
> Gioff
Well, I'm not sure as to whether there is any correlation or not, but it
wasn't so long ago that homosexuals were regarded as mentally ill and, in
this country at least, could be legally placed in asylums.
In the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, we had what was termed the
"Fruit Machine". It was supposed to weed out gay men (both the real and
imagined variety) from the civil service. Gay men were considered security
risks because they were easy targets for blackmail.
Sean
Robert Hall
It was fairly common in those days for men to wear corsets, to squeeze
into their uniforms. The Kaiser wore them.
sacha Hubbard
seann...@here.com wrote on 17/7/03 7:32 am:
I think the term 'fruits' for homosexuals is an American one, not an English
one. The term 'fairy' used to be heard here and one old lady I knew would
say "Is he 'so'?"
--
Sacha