Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna

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Alexandra Fyodorovna, the last Empress of the Russian Empire, was a caring mother and wife. However, her flaws were frowned on by citizens unhappy with tsarist rule.

Empress or Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna Romanov was the wife of Nicholas II of Russia and mother to the Romanov children, including Anastasia and Alexei, the heir to the monarchy. “Alex” as the Tsaritsa was known to Nicholas II, was a devoted mother but a poor fit for the throne.

Society

Alexandra Fyodorovna’s society manners were lacking – she often excused herself from public gatherings or avoided them altogether. High strung and excitable, the Empress of Russia was disliked by Russian society. Her lack of interest in mingling with her noble subjects was taken down as just one more score in the tally of flaws that lowered the public opinion of the Tsar and Tsaritsa.

Health

It could be argued that Alexandra Fyodorovna’s mental health was never secure while she was Empress of the Russian Empire. Not only did the pressures of her position make her shrink from the public eye, but her perpetual worrying over Alexei (who had hemophilia and was often ill or in pain) set her on constant edge. That Alexei was the only male heir that she had produced after having four daughters by Nicholas made the tsarevich’s failing health even more problematic.

Faith

Alexandra Fyodorovna was deeply religious, having converted to Orthodoxy upon marriage to Nicholas II. This religious fervor helped to secure Rasputin’s dubious position in the Romanov household, and evidence suggests that it bordered on fanaticism. The Russian Empress’s religiosity was in keeping with Nicholas II’s belief in the old autocratic system of the Russian monarchs – one that emphasized the Tsar in a position closer to God than even the holy men of Russia.

Rasputin

Alex’s demands were often met, whether or not they bode well for the family, for public opinion, or for Nicholas II. The entry of Rasputin to the Romanov’s inner circle was one such demand. Rasputin, an unkempt, foul-smelling, uneducated, and barely literate con man was given responsibility over Alexei’s health. Alexandra Fyodorovna put all faith into Rasputin’s “powers.” Rasputin’s sway over the Russian Empress made her more unfavorable to the public, who were wary of Rasputin at best.

Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna was a good match for Nicholas II, but the couple’s blindness to the world outside their family or immediate desires interfered with their ability to establish the respect necessary to deal with increasingly complicated matters of state. This problem, unfortunately, was one of the many issues that contributed to the onset of the Bolshevik Revolution.