#pre1894
The Signs as Queens:Taurus - Catherine The Great
Born in May 1729, Catherine II of Russia also known as Catherine the Great was the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. Her country was revitalized under her reign, growing larger and stronger than ever and becoming recognized as one of the great powers of Europe. She then passed away in November 1796 at the age of 67.
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Little Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich of Russia
On September 30 (12 October), 1876, at the Vladimir Villa in Tsarskoe Selo Marie Pavlovna and Vladimir Alexandrovich had a son who was given a name that had never been used in the Romanov family before, Kirill. Possibly, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who had been interested in history since early childhood, was inspired by the deeds of Saints brothers Kirill and Methodius who created the Old Church Slavonic alphabet and are revered both in the east and in the west.
The Minister of Home Affairs, P.A. Valuyev, wrote in his diary: “30 September. Today Grand Duke Vladimir had a son, Grand Duke Kirill. The next one will probably be called Methodius. I am not keen on all this put-on.”
G. Korneva, T. Chebotareva: Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna
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Imperial couple Alexander I and Elizaveta Alexeievna
There had, of course, never been a complete breach between Alexander and the child-bride his grandmother had chosen for him back in 1793. Elizabeth accepted his infidelity over the years just as he had resigned himself to the attachment she felt, on more than one occasion, for Adam Czartoryski. Yet their marriage remained essentially a convenience of State: he looked on her as a companion to whom he turned for support when his domestic sensitivity was strained, just as he would look to Golytsin for guidance in the troubles of a spiritual life. Each was in the habit of taking the other for granted: they exchanged confidences as friends; they ever regretted the increasing number of occasions upon which State affairs separated Alexander from his home; but the intimacy of a husband and wife relationship continued to be strange for them. Then suddently, at the start of the year 1824, Alexander´s emotions were stirred by the patient care which Elizabeth was lavishing on him, and they recovered some of the lost raptures of love.
Alam Palmer: Alexander I, Tsar of War and Peace
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Princess Alix of Hesse (and her elder sister Iréne), future Empress of Russia
The death of her mother … had a shattering effect on six-year-old Alix. She sat quiet and withdrawn in her playroom while her nurse stood in the corner, weeping. Even the toys she handled were new; the old, familiar toys had been burned as a precaution against the disease. Alix had been a merry, generous, warm little girl, obstinate but sensitive, with a hot temper. After this tragedy she began to seal herself off from other people. A hard shell of aloofness formed over her emotions, and her radiant smile appeared infrequently. Craving intimacy and affection, she held herself back. She grew to dislike unfamiliar places and to avoid unfamiliar people. Only in cozy family gatherings where she could count on warmth and understanding did Alix unwind. There, the shy, serious, cool Princess Alix became once again the merry, dimpled, loving “Sunny” of her early childhood.
R.K. Massie: Nicholas and Alexandra
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The children of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, by Vladimir Ivanovich Hau.
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Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (nee Princess Charlotte of Prussia) by Christina Robertson.
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