Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna Of Russia
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Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia (26 May 1826 – 28 January 1845) was the second child and daughter of
Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia (; – ) was a Russian grand duke, the tenth child and fourth son of Paul I of Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, who took the name Maria Feodorovna. He was the younger brothe ...
and
Princess Charlotte of Württemberg Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (9 January 1807 – 2 February O.S. 21 January">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 21 January1873), later known as Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, was the ...
who took the name ''Elena Pavlovna'' upon her conversion to the Orthodox faith. Through her father, Elizabeth was a granddaughter of Tsar
Paul I of Russia Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...
, and a niece of both Russian emperors
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...
and Nicholas I.


Biography

Elizabeth, nicknamed 'Lili' or 'Lili the fidget', was born in the
Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...
in Moscow and she was named after her aunt who had died ten days earlier, the
Empress Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elizaveta Petrovna (; ) was Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, her numerous constructio ...
, wife of
Emperor Alexander I Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russia during the chaotic period of the Napoleo ...
and a close friend of her mother. She grew up with her other siblings in the
Mikhailovsky Palace The Mikhailovsky Palace () is a grand ducal palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is located on Arts Square and is an example of Empire style neoclassicism. The palace currently houses the main building of the Russian Museum and displays its c ...
in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. Elizabeth was said to be the prettiest among her sisters and, like her mother, Elena Pavlovna, she was graceful in manners and well-educated. Her mother paid great attention to the education of her daughters, and her father introduced military topics into their program, citing the fact that they were cheifs of military regiments. They learnt the signals on the bugle and drum, which made their father proud. Her cousin, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna described her as straightforward, hot-tempered, and boyish and described by the Empress as 'an honest person'. A foreign contemporary described her as;
"The healthiest of the three sisters, the most beautiful, tall and slender. Hair shimmering with deep red tones, long light eyelashes and a charming face."
By the end of 1843, Adolf, Duke of Nassau was visiting St. Petersburg and met Elizabeth for the first time. Adolf's stepmother was
Princess Pauline of Württemberg Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...
, Elizabeth's maternal aunt. Adolf and Elizabeth fell in love and they eventually got married on 31 January 1844 in St. Petersburg. Elizabeth was 17 years old and Adolf was 26. She was initially proposed to by his brother Maurice, but declined. Elizabeth was allowed to keep her orthodox faith, even after moving to Nassau. After the wedding, the couple stayed in Russia for some time until they moved to Germany and took up residence in Castle Biebrich in Wiesbaden. Elizabeth, now Duchess of Nassau, was popular among the people. She followed her mother's footsteps and used the income from Nassau on charity works and refused payments from the treasury. She had plans to open the first children's hospital in Weisbaden, but was unable to. During the three week trip to Germany in the winter of 1844, she had caught a cold, which is believed to have developed into
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. She and Adolf were happily married and the news that she was already pregnant with their first child brought great happiness to the couple. The pregnancy weakened her strength and come Christmas, she was so ill that she did not leave her room. On 28 January, Father John Bazarov was called to the dying Grand Duchess' bedside, she was drifting in and out of conciousness. In a moment, of conciousness, she asked about her child and was reassured she was healthy. After only a year of marriage, Elizabeth died giving birth to a daughter, who also did not survive. Her cause of death was advanced tuberculosis. The grief-stricken Adolf ordered the construction of a Russian Orthodox church – the St. Elizabeth's Church in
Neroberg Park Neroberg is a hill in Wiesbaden in Hesse, Germany. It offers a panoramic view of the city and is therefore a tourist destination, reached by the historic Nerobergbahn, a funicular railway from the Nerotalanlagen. File:Wiesbaden Nerobergbahn 201 ...
, Wiesbaden – to house her remains. The location of the church on the hill was chosen by Adolf himself so that he could always have a view of the church from his residence. Elizabeth's sarcophagus can still be seen today inside the church. The children's hospital she had planned, was opened in 1845 under the name 'Elizabeth'. In Saint Petersburg, her mother created the Elizabeth hospital for children in her honor, who's physician was her personal doctor she brought with her from St. Petersburg. A year and a half later, having lost another daughter, Elizabeth's sister, Maria, their mother opened orphanages in Moscow and Pavlosk, naming them after the sisters.


Legacy

* Elizavetinskaya Street in Pavlosk named in 23 July 1840 by Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich who owned the street. At the same time, he named the streets Ekaterininskaya and Mariinskaya streets were named in honor of two of her sisters. * was named in honor of the late Grand Duchess. Her mother was made it's cheif trustee, and after her death, Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna took over the role. * founded by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna in honor of her daughter's Elizabeth and Maria. * Russian Orthodox Church of St. Elizabeth in Wiesbaden was built by her husband using her dowry to house the remains of the Grand Duchess and her daughter.


Ancestry


References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess 1826 births 1845 deaths House of Romanov Grand duchesses of Russia House of Nassau-Weilburg Duchesses in Germany Deaths in childbirth 19th-century women from the Russian Empire Royal reburials