{"id":943,"date":"2018-12-10T14:05:40","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T18:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/?p=943"},"modified":"2018-12-10T14:05:40","modified_gmt":"2018-12-10T18:05:40","slug":"empress-alexandra-in-love-and-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/2018\/12\/10\/empress-alexandra-in-love-and-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Empress Alexandra in Love and War"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By Zinaida Osipova<\/p>\n

As an international student, it is difficult to imagine a world without videocalls and instant messages connecting me with my family in real time. How did people travel far from home before such a connection was possible? When World War I erupted, many people had to be apart from their loved ones for months at a time, including Nicholas II himself. In 1922, the Berlin-based Russian language publisher \u201cSlovo\u201d (Word) published letters that Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Russian Empress, wrote to her husband between July 1914 and December 1916. Intermixed with words of affection and summaries of the family\u2019s daily activities, the letters contain the Empress\u2019 thoughts on the ongoing war and advice on military matters, revealing her to be not only a loving wife but also a political actor.<\/p>\n

The two-volume book was published in Berlin and it was written using pre-Revolutionary Russian orthography that had been abolished by the Bolsheviks in favor of new rules in 1918. While Russia was building a new country, the \u00e9migr\u00e9 community strived to preserve tradition and took an interest in publishing the four hundred letters that Alexandra sent to the emperor while he was away. The book informs us that the letters were found in Ekaterinburg after the royal family had been killed, not indicating, however, how the \u00e9migr\u00e9 community got ahold of them.[1]<\/a> Interestingly, the German-born Alexandra and the Russian-born Nicholas communicated in English: the Empress wrote her letters in English with some words and sentences in Russian. The book provides both the original and the Russian versions translated by Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov, the father of the famous writer Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov.<\/p>\n

Alexandra sent her first wartime letter to Nicholas on September 19, 1914. In it, she warned her husband: \u201cLovy dear, my telegrams can\u2019t be very warm, as they go through so many military hands \u2013 but you will read all my love & longing between the lines.\u201d Yet several sentences later she followed with \u201cI bless you & love you, as man was rarely loved before – & kiss every dearly beloved place & press you tenderly to my own heart.\u201d[2]<\/a> Alexandra\u2019s letters are imbued with declarations of love and care, affectionate nicknames (\u201cNicky\u201d, \u201csweet treasure,\u201d \u201cmy lovebird,\u201d \u201cHuzy dear,\u201d \u201cprecious Sunshine of our little home,\u201d \u201cmy very own Life\u201d), for her husband, and details on manifestations of her missing him.[3]<\/a> The content and the large volume of the letters demonstrate the Empress\u2019 sincere attachment to Nicholas.<\/p>\n

Alexandra\u2019s letters also talk about family matters, such as the health of their son, Alexey, their daily activities, trips to church, but they also demonstrate her concern for wartime issues. In a letter from March 2, 1915, there is a short paragraph dedicated to their children and a long one about wounded soldiers and plans to raise money for hospitals. She understood it as her duty to support the soldiers: \u201cThe idea of going to town to a hospital is rather awful, but still I know I must go,\u201d \u201cShe [Anna Vyrubova, Alexandra\u2019s friend] only thinks of herself & is angry I am so much with the wounded \u2013 they do me good and their gratitude gives me strength\u2026\u201d[4]<\/a> In a letter from May 4, 1915, the Empress expressed her suggestion on a military appointment: \u201cDeary, if a new Com. of the Nijegorodizy is to be named, wont you propose Yagmin? I meddle in things not concerning me \u2013 but its only a hint, – (& its your own regiment, so you can order whom you wish there).\u201d[5]<\/a> Indeed, on June 30, 1915, Stanislav Yagmin was appointed Commander of the Seventeenth Nizhegorodsky Dragoon Regiment of His Majesty.[6]<\/a> While Nicholas\u2019 decision to appoint Yagmin does not necessarily imply he relied solely on his wife\u2019s advice, Alexandra\u2019s suggestion demonstrates her familiarity with current issues and her wish to be involved in making decisions.<\/p>\n

Private and official matters converge in the letter from June 14, 1915: the Empress informed her husband that at tea, Grand Duke Pavel Aleksandrovich had told her about the French ambassador\u2019s attempts to find out whether Nicholas was planning to sign a separate treaty with Germany. Alexandra told Pavel that \u201cyou were not dreaming of peace & knew it would mean revolution here & therefore the Germans are trying to egg it on.\u201d[7]<\/a> The letter was written before the Great Retreat of the Russian army of 1915 that crippled the Russian society and political system.[8]<\/a> Nevertheless, it is interesting to see Alexandra\u2019s notion of what would cause a revolution as of mid-1915, namely, ending the war. In the same letter, the Empress advised that Nicholas have an eye on General Danilov, who was rumored to be a spy. Interestingly, similarly to her note on Yagmin, she started her suggestion by addressing her husband with an affectionate name \u201cLovy mine.\u201d[9]<\/a> Clearly, Alexandra liked to be involved in discussing internal political matters and stressed her devotion to Nicholas immediately before advising him.<\/p>\n

Alexandra also showed curiosity and expressed strong opinions on foreign affairs concerning Russia. On October 31, 1915, she wrote \u201cWhat is Greece up to? Does not sound very encouraging \u2013 hang those Balkans all. Now that idiotical Roumania, what will she do?\u201d She continued the next day, \u201cOh, confound these Balkan countries. Russia has only been as an ever-loving helping mother to them and then they turn treacherously and fight her.\u201d Alexandra wanted to stay on top of the matters, following with \u201cIf you do get any sure news about Roumania or Greece, be an Angel & let me know\u201d on November 3.[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

Alexandra\u2019s letters are a valuable source that reveal the private side of the Empress. In addition to satisfying the popular curiosity on the inside workings of the relationship between the royal couple, the letters allow us to see that the Empress was well-informed about the latest developments of the war and desired to be involved in the official matters of her adopted country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bibliography<\/p>\n

Alexandra Feodorovna. \u041f\u0438\u0441\u044c\u043c\u0430 \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0446\u044b \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0440\u044b \u0424\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043d\u044b \u041a\u044a \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0443 \u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u044e <\/em>II.<\/em> [Letters of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to Emperor Nicholas II]. 2 vols. Berlin: Slovo, 1922.<\/p>\n

Sanborn, Joshua. Imperial Apocalypse: The Great War and the Destruction of the Russian Empire.<\/em> Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.<\/p>\n

\u0421\u043f\u0438\u0441\u043e\u043a \u043f\u043e\u043b\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u043f\u043e \u0441\u0442\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443. \u0421\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u043b\u0435\u043d \u043f\u043e 1-\u0435 \u0430\u0432\u0433\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0430.<\/em> [The List of Colonels by Seniority. Compiled as of August 1st]. Petrograd, 1916.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> \u041f\u0438\u0441\u044c\u043c\u0430 \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0446\u044b \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0440\u044b \u0424\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043d\u044b \u041a\u044a \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0443 \u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u044e <\/em>II<\/em> [Letters of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to Emperor Nicholas II], 2 vols, (Berlin: Slovo, 1922): 2.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> \u041f\u0438\u0441\u044c\u043c\u0430 \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0446\u044b \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0440\u044b \u0424\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043d\u044b \u041a\u044a \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0443 \u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u044e <\/em>II<\/em> [Letters of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to Emperor Nicholas II], vol.1: 378-379.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Idib., see letters 9, 16, 19 for examples on manifestations of Alexandra\u2019s missing Nicholas; letters 8, 13, 20, 47, 64, 65 for nicknames.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 428 (letter 48), 434 (letter 52).<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid., 455 (letter 73).<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> \u0421\u043f\u0438\u0441\u043e\u043a \u043f\u043e\u043b\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u043f\u043e \u0441\u0442\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443. \u0421\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u043b\u0435\u043d \u043f\u043e 1-\u0435 \u0430\u0432\u0433\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0430.<\/em> [The List of Colonels by Seniority. Compiled as of August 1st], (Petrograd, 1916): 267.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> \u041f\u0438\u0441\u044c\u043c\u0430 <\/em>\u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0446\u044b <\/em>\u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0440\u044b <\/em>\u0424\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043d\u044b <\/em>\u041a\u044a <\/em>\u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0443 <\/em>\u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u044e II<\/em> [Letters of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to Emperor Nicholas II], vol.1: 469 (letter 86).<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Joshua Sanborn, Imperial Apocalypse: The Great War and the Destruction of the Russian Empire<\/em>, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014): 108.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> \u041f\u0438\u0441\u044c\u043c\u0430 \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0446\u044b \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0440\u044b \u0424\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043d\u044b \u041a\u044a \u0418\u043c\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0443 \u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u044e <\/em>II<\/em> [Letters of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to Emperor Nicholas II], vol. 1: 469 (letter 86).<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Ibid., 576-577, 583 (letters 144, 145 and 148).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Zinaida Osipova As an international student, it is difficult to imagine a world without videocalls and instant messages connecting me with my family in real time. How did people travel far from home before such a connection was possible? … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":781,"featured_media":944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/781"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}