I thought I'd take our adorable teenage bride discussion further East...
So. Louise of Baden, born 1779, granddaughter of the Margrave of Baden and niece of Frederica Louisa of Prussia, also of Wilhelmina/Natalia, first wife of Paul of Russia. All of this makes her a very desirable bride, in the eyes of Catherine the Great, for Paul's son Alexander.
(As Paul had been taken from her to raise, Catherine had taken Paul's first sons. He effectively had two sets of children by his second wife, the ones raised by Catherine, and the ones born after her death who his wife got to raise for herself.)
Catherine invites both Louise and her sister Frederica to St Petersburg when Louise is 13. Six months or so later, at fourteen, she's engaged to Alexander (aged fifteen), and once she's learnt Russian, converted, and become Elizaveta, they marry. Catherine describes it as "the marriage of Cupid and Psyche“.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth is young, sheltered, and modest, and not ready for the court of Catherine the Great. Worse still, it becomes clear that she and Alexander are not fucking, and this causes Catherine concern. In the end, she sends out her favourites to try and seduce both of them to work out where the problem is. Elizaveta is not receptive to this, and Alexander apparently finds quite how avoidant she is hilarious, writing to friends that she's an angel, and he feels bad for the man who's been trying to seduce her for a year. Sadly, Elizaveta is lonely, writing that "Without my husband, who alone makes me happy, I should have died a thousand deaths".
Finally, Catherine dies, and Paul ascends. And at some point along here, Elizaveta meets Adam Czartoryski.
Adam was brought from Poland as a hostage for familial good behaviour, and tutored alongside Alexander, with whom he was close friends. Such close friends, in fact, that Alexander became theoretically sympathetic to the rights of Poland. He was also close to Elizaveta.
Five years after the wedding, Elizaveta has her first child, a daughter. At the christening, the Emperor Paul says how odd it is for two such fair haired parents to have a dark haired and eyed child, then shrugs and goes on with being an adoring grandfather, even declaring himself her dear protector if anyone dares complain she's not a boy. His wife Maria, on the other hand, does not like Elizaveta and is not fooled.
Alexander is also almost certainly not fooled, but does not care. Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that while Elizaveta is educated, modest, pious and kind, this is not what Alexander likes in a woman.
Finally, when the baby is three months old, Maria Feodorovna sends her aide to the nursery, and has the baby taken to Paul. Elizaveta doesn't want to allow it (the baby has to be taken outside) but doesn't have a choice, and says she's grateful for the Empress's interest in her child.
The baby is taken to Paul's study. Maria Feodorovna and her aide also enter the study. Paul becomes angry, and summons Alexander. The next day, Adam Czartoryski is banished, and Paul loses his affection for Elizaveta, who effectively locks herself in the nursery until, aged fourteen months, the baby dies.
"As of this morning, I no longer have a child, she is dead. Not an hour of the day passes without my thinking of her, and certainly not a day without my giving her bitter tears. It cannot be otherwise so long as I live, even if she were to be replaced by two dozen children."
Paul is also apparently distressed by the loss, but doesn't have long to dwell on it, as he is assassinated eight months later, with Alexander's tacit approval. Elizaveta, who knows about the coup, is there to support him on the night.
Now she's Empress, but her troubles are very much not over, starting with Maria Feodorovna convincing Alexander that she as his mother should take precedence over his wife. I don't know if this took place while she was insisting the blood stained shirt Paul was murdered in be between them at all private meetings. She also refuses to give up her jewels and the charities overseen by the Empress.
Unlike Maria Feodorovna, who spent to the upper limit of her allowance (1 million roubles), Elizaveta took about a fifth, and used about a tenth for herself, spending the rest on largely on charitable works and supporting soldiers. We know this because she carefully supervised the keeping of meticulous accounts.
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Elizaveta Alexeievna (Louise of Baden) I
Date: 2024-04-05 10:45 am (UTC)So. Louise of Baden, born 1779, granddaughter of the Margrave of Baden and niece of Frederica Louisa of Prussia, also of Wilhelmina/Natalia, first wife of Paul of Russia. All of this makes her a very desirable bride, in the eyes of Catherine the Great, for Paul's son Alexander.
(As Paul had been taken from her to raise, Catherine had taken Paul's first sons. He effectively had two sets of children by his second wife, the ones raised by Catherine, and the ones born after her death who his wife got to raise for herself.)
Catherine invites both Louise and her sister Frederica to St Petersburg when Louise is 13. Six months or so later, at fourteen, she's engaged to Alexander (aged fifteen), and once she's learnt Russian, converted, and become Elizaveta, they marry. Catherine describes it as "the marriage of Cupid and Psyche“.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth is young, sheltered, and modest, and not ready for the court of Catherine the Great. Worse still, it becomes clear that she and Alexander are not fucking, and this causes Catherine concern. In the end, she sends out her favourites to try and seduce both of them to work out where the problem is. Elizaveta is not receptive to this, and Alexander apparently finds quite how avoidant she is hilarious, writing to friends that she's an angel, and he feels bad for the man who's been trying to seduce her for a year. Sadly, Elizaveta is lonely, writing that "Without my husband, who alone makes me happy, I should have died a thousand deaths".
Finally, Catherine dies, and Paul ascends. And at some point along here, Elizaveta meets Adam Czartoryski.
Adam was brought from Poland as a hostage for familial good behaviour, and tutored alongside Alexander, with whom he was close friends. Such close friends, in fact, that Alexander became theoretically sympathetic to the rights of Poland. He was also close to Elizaveta.
Five years after the wedding, Elizaveta has her first child, a daughter. At the christening, the Emperor Paul says how odd it is for two such fair haired parents to have a dark haired and eyed child, then shrugs and goes on with being an adoring grandfather, even declaring himself her dear protector if anyone dares complain she's not a boy. His wife Maria, on the other hand, does not like Elizaveta and is not fooled.
Alexander is also almost certainly not fooled, but does not care. Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that while Elizaveta is educated, modest, pious and kind, this is not what Alexander likes in a woman.
Finally, when the baby is three months old, Maria Feodorovna sends her aide to the nursery, and has the baby taken to Paul. Elizaveta doesn't want to allow it (the baby has to be taken outside) but doesn't have a choice, and says she's grateful for the Empress's interest in her child.
The baby is taken to Paul's study. Maria Feodorovna and her aide also enter the study. Paul becomes angry, and summons Alexander. The next day, Adam Czartoryski is banished, and Paul loses his affection for Elizaveta, who effectively locks herself in the nursery until, aged fourteen months, the baby dies.
"As of this morning, I no longer have a child, she is dead. Not an hour of the day passes without my thinking of her, and certainly not a day without my giving her bitter tears. It cannot be otherwise so long as I live, even if she were to be replaced by two dozen children."
Paul is also apparently distressed by the loss, but doesn't have long to dwell on it, as he is assassinated eight months later, with Alexander's tacit approval. Elizaveta, who knows about the coup, is there to support him on the night.
Now she's Empress, but her troubles are very much not over, starting with Maria Feodorovna convincing Alexander that she as his mother should take precedence over his wife. I don't know if this took place while she was insisting the blood stained shirt Paul was murdered in be between them at all private meetings. She also refuses to give up her jewels and the charities overseen by the Empress.
Unlike Maria Feodorovna, who spent to the upper limit of her allowance (1 million roubles), Elizaveta took about a fifth, and used about a tenth for herself, spending the rest on largely on charitable works and supporting soldiers. We know this because she carefully supervised the keeping of meticulous accounts.