In Defense of Maria Feodorovna

According to Anna Vyrubova (whom we’ll call Anya) in her book Memories of the Russian Court,

“[Maria Feodorovna’s] fine eyes, so kind and smiling towards most of the company, clouded slightly whenever they were turned to the Emperor or the Empress. Still I must record that later, passing the open door of Alexei's cabin, I saw the Empress Mother sitting on the edge of the child's bed talking gaily and peeling an apple quite like any loving grandmother.

“I do not pretend to understand the Empress Dowager or her motives, but, as far as I can judge, her chief weakness was love of power. She carried her insistence on precedence so far that the chiffres of the maids of honor of both Empresses bore the initials M. A. instead of A. M., which was the proper order. She wanted to be first in everything and could not bear to abdicate either power or influence. She never, I believe, understood her son's preference for a quiet, family life, or the changed and softened manners he acquired under the influence of his wife.”

Whew! That’s not a positive review! Anya’s main points are—
1. Dowager Empress Maria loved her grandchildren
2. She did not love Nicholas or Alexandra
3. She was greedy and power-hungry
4. She did not like Nicholas’s lifestyle

Let’s examine these and see how true they are:

1. Dowager Empress Maria loved her grandchildren: Well, this is a positive! No need to argue here.

2. She did not love Nicholas or Alexandra: It’s true that she wasn’t fond of Alexandra, but as for Nicholas, mother and son were close. While Anya seems to think Maria disliked her son, it’s more likely she was disappointed in how he was reigning, as well as his wife’s influence on him.

3. She was greedy and power-hungry: This one is true. While maybe not “greedy,” she was certainly controlling and power-hungry. Even her own children resented this. (Not Nicholas, though.) In a desperate attempt to find out if Alexandra's initial should have gone before Maria's in the chiffres, I did a quick search and came up with nothing except for a picture from the Nicholson Advisory. It includes a chiffre with the initials of the empress before the dowager empress's. However, I cannot confirm that the rule was in place during Nicholas's reign. I do trust Anya, however. Nevertheless, it is true that the dowager empress was higher in rank than the empress (according to the note of The Romanov Empress).

4. She did not like Nicholas’s lifestyle: Anya, a devoted friend of Alexandra, clearly admired her “family life.” Was it the family life the dowager empress hated, though, or the refusal of social events that came with it? Nicholas and Alexandra hated social events, thus damaging their popularity and appearing as proud and anti-social. As for “the changed and softened manners he acquired under the influence of his wife,” she really means the loss of his social life.

Hmm. Anya, maybe you should have thought this through a little more before publishing it in your book.

Tags: maria feodorovna, anna vyrubova, nicholas ii, alexandra feodorovna