Empress Maria Fedorovna: A Life & Fate

"Empress Maria Fedorovna: A Life & Fate" continues a series of exhibitions curated by the State Archive of the Russian Federation, acquainting viewers with the history of the House of Romanov. This show coincided with the reburial of Empress Maria Fedorovna in St Petersburg in 2006. Princess Dagniar first came to Russia from Denmark in September 1866. Finally, 140 years later, she returned to the country that had become her second homeland. Maria Fedorovna was laid to rest in the St Peter and St Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress, alongside her husband, Alexander III, as befits a Russian empress. This frail-looking woman gave birth to six children. She was a loyal friend and adviser to her husband and eldest son - Russian emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II. Maria Fedorovna witnessed many historical events. Her life, like that of many, was full of joys and sorrows. Yet no one could foresee the terrible tragedy she experienced in 1918. The murder of her son and his children not only destroyed her world forever; it also meant the end of the House of Romanov. The dowager empress refused to accept either. This book offers a fascinating insight into the domestic, private life of the imperial family at the turn of the century. The idiosyncrasies of this little-known side of life have always interested the general public. Like other members of the Romanov family, Empress Maria Fedorovna was not a public politician in the modern sense of the word. Both her husband and s...