Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia
| Maria Alexandrovna of Russia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duchess of Edinburgh | |||||
 Photograph by Charles Bergamasco, 1876 | |||||
| Duchess consort of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |||||
| Tenure | 22 August 1893 – 30 July 1900 | ||||
| Predecessor | Alexandrine of Baden | ||||
| Successor | Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein | ||||
| Born | 17 October [O.S. 5 October] 1853 Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire | ||||
| Died | 22 October 1920 (aged 67) Zürich, Switzerland | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House | Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov | ||||
| Father | Alexander II of Russia | ||||
| Mother | Marie of Hesse and by Rhine | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (Russian: Марія Александровна, romanized: Mariya Aleksandrovna; 17 October [O.S. 5 October] 1853 – 22 October 1920) was Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 to 1900 as the wife of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was the fifth child and only surviving daughter of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna. She was also the younger sister of Emperor Alexander III and the paternal aunt of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia.
In 1874, Maria married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, becoming the only Romanov to marry into the British royal family. They five children together named Alfred, Marie, Victoria, Alexandra, and Beatrice. For the first years of her marriage, Maria lived in England with her husband and did not adapt to the British court. As Duchess of Edinburgh, she travelled extensively through Europe. She visited her family in Russia frequently and stayed for long periods in England and Germany attending social and family events.
In August 1893, Maria became Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha when her husband inherited the duchy on the death of his uncle, Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She enjoyed life in Germany, where she became active in charitable work. Her husband died in 1900 and was succeeded as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha by his nephew Charles Edward.
In her widowhood, Maria continued to live in Coburg. During the outbreak of World War I, she sided with Germany against her native Russia. Many of her relatives, including her brother Paul and her nephew Nicholas II, were killed during the Russian Revolution. After World War I, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha collapased in November 1918. Maria later died in 1920 while living in exile in Switzerland.
Honours
[change | change source]
Russian Empire: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Catherine, 17 October 1853
United Kingdom:
- Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, 1st Class[1]
- Companion of the Order of the Crown of India, 1 January 1878[2]
- Lady of Justice of the Order of Saint John[3]
German Empire: Dame of the Order of Louise, 1st Class[4]
Hesse and by Rhine: Dame of the Order of the Golden Lion, 1 May 1896[5]
- Template:Country data Restoration (Spain): Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa, 20 May 1888[6]
Kingdom of Portugal: Dame of the Order of Saint Isabel, 28 February 1894[7]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Joseph Whitaker (1897). An Almanack for the Year of Our Lord ... J. Whitaker. p. 110.
- ↑ "No. 24539". The London Gazette. 4 January 1878. p. 114.
- ↑ "No. 26725". The London Gazette. 27 March 1896. p. 1960.
- ↑ "Luisen-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, p. 1056 – via hathitrust.org
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ "Goldener Löwen-orden", Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste (in German), Darmstadt: Staatsverlag, 1914, p. 3 – via hathitrust.org
- ↑ "Guía Oficial de España". Guía Oficial de España: 173. 1890. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ↑ Bragança, Jose Vicente de (2014). "Agraciamentos Portugueses Aos Príncipes da Casa Saxe-Coburgo-Gota" [Portuguese Honours awarded to Princes of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]. Pro Phalaris (in Portuguese). 9–10: 13. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2019.