Charlotte of Württemberg

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Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, later Grand Duchess Helene of Russia

Princess Friederike Charlotte Marie of Württemberg (* 9 January 1807 in Stuttgart , † January 9 . Jul / 21st January  1873 greg. In Saint Petersburg ) was by marriage Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (also Helena Pavlovna , Russian Елена Павловна ) of Russia .

Life

Charlotte was born in Stuttgart as the eldest child of Prince Paul von Württemberg and his wife Charlotte von Sachsen-Hildburghausen . She spent her childhood with her father and younger sister Pauline in Paris , where they were tutored by various intellectuals, such as: B. the researcher Georges Cuvier . Compared to the court in Stuttgart, the family lived in relatively modest circumstances.

Marriage and offspring

Portrait of Karl Pawlowitsch Brjullow : Charlotte von Württemberg with her eldest daughter Maria

In 1822, at the age of 15, she was betrothed to Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia . Charlotte was considered exceptionally intelligent and mature for her age. Michael was impressed by her beauty and her confident demeanor. In 1823 she converted to the Orthodox faith and called herself Helena Pavlovna from then on . The wedding took place in Saint Petersburg on February 20, 1824. At first the couple lived in Moscow, and since 1825 in the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg. After the death of Michael's mother, the couple moved to Pavlovsk in 1828 , where they also spent a lot of time. However, the marriage was not a happy one, as Michael was more interested in the army than his wife.

The marriage produced five daughters:

∞ Duke Adolph of Nassau
∞ Georg of Mecklenburg  [-Strelitz] (1824–1876)
  • Alexandra Mikhailovna (January 28, 1831, Moscow - March 27, 1832, ibid.)
  • Anna Michailovna (October 27, 1834, Moscow - March 22, 1836, St. Petersburg)

Next life

Grand Duchess Helena Pavlovna 1862, portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter

Helena got on all the better with the rest of the imperial family. B. with her brother-in-law Tsar Alexander I , his wife Elisabeth Alexejewna or the shy wife of Tsarevich Alexander , Maria Alexandrovna . When Grand Duke Michael died in 1849, Helena took over the patronage of various charitable and artistic organizations. So she founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory and put together a group of nurses during the Crimean War , from which the Russian Red Cross emerged . She rejected serfdom and campaigned with Tsar Alexander II for its abolition.

Helena Pavlovna died in Saint Petersburg at the age of 66 and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral  .

literature

  • Hubert Kolling: Pavlovna, Helena . In: Hubert Kolling (Ed.): Biographical lexicon on nursing history “Who was who in nursing history” . tape 4 . Elsevier, Munich, ISBN 3-437-26083-9 , pp. 223-225 .
  • AF Koni: Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna. Main characters of the liberation of the peasants ( Russian Великая княгиня Елена Павловна // Главные деятели освобождения крестьян ) , St. Petersburg, 1903, pp. 11-23
  • Chernucha flat share: Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna in public. About nobility and superiority of the female sex ( Russian Великая княгиня Елена Павловна на государственной арене // О благородстве и преимуществе женского пола ) from History of Women. A question in Russia ( Russian истории жен. Вопроса в России ) , Saint Petersburg, 1997, pp. 85–93
  • AW Krylowa: Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna ( Russian Великая княгиня Елена Павловна ) , Saint Petersburg, 2001

Web links

Commons : Charlotte von Württemberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Charlotte von Württemberg in the online encyclopedia Saint Petersburg (English, Russian )
personal data
SURNAME Charlotte of Württemberg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Elena Pavlovna; Friederike Charlotte Marie von Württemberg; Елена Павловна
BRIEF DESCRIPTION by marriage to the Grand Duchess of Russia
DATE OF BIRTH January 9, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH Stuttgart
DATE OF DEATH January 21, 1873
Place of death St. Petersburg