WOMAN of ACTION

 

 

Alexandra Romanov

 

“Before Alexandra’s death, she was known to be obstinate, cold, and withdrawn. But to those in her family circle she was warm, friendly, and endearing, only shy when encountered with strangers. I believe that she was a complex woman who was just misjudged but should be known for being loyal to her country and family.”
-Elaine Reyes about Tsarina Alexandra Romanov

 

 

Her Royal Highness Alix Victoria Helena Louise Beatrice von Hesse was born in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, on June 6, 1872. She spent her early life in Darmstadt and at the New Palace, but she also traveled to foreign countries a lot of the time, especially Great Britain. She visited Great Britain so much because she went to visit her grandmother, Queen Victoria. It was her grandmother that gave Alix a formal education in literature, geography, music, history, arithmetic, religion, and languages. Sadly, in 1875, her brother, Frittie, died of hemophilia and three years later, her mother and her sister died from diptheria. This was a very hard time for Alix.

In 1884, Alix met and fell in love with Tsarevich Nicholas Romanov at her sister’s wedding to Nicholas’ uncle in St. Petersburg, Russia. Consequentially, five years later in 1889, they met again, this time at the Belossievsky-Belossievsky Palace in St. Petersburg. From that point forward, Alix and Nicholas would communicate by sending letters to each othe. They became engaged on April 20, 1894, in Coburg, Germany. They married on November 26, 1895, a marriage of love even though their families didn’t agree. It was from marrying Nicholas that Alix became Alexandra Feodorovna Romanov.

From that point forward, Nicholas and Alexandra ruled Russia, and Alexandra made many good changes. She worked continuously to improve the poorer classes’ conditions, created some professional girls schools, helped build workhouses for the poor, created a school for nurses and housemaids, founded other schools and hospitals, and headed the Red Cross and all other charitable organizations. However, not everyone was happy with the Romanov rule. The Bolsheviks, an opposite faction, wanted to do away with the Romanov dynasty. So, on July 16, 1918, Nicholas, Alexandra, their 5 children, and 4 employees were shot, stabbed, and beaten to death secretly, spontaneously, and mercilessly by the Bolsheviks. Before the massacre occured, the family thought they were going to have their picture taken, while instead they were huddled together for a successful assassination.