Nicholas II marries Alix of Hesse at the Winter Palace (1894)

Nicholas II of Russia married Alix of Hesse on 26 November 1894 in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. The wedding followed Alexander III's death and Alix's reception into the Russian Orthodox Church as Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna. Originally planned for spring 1895, the celebration was shaped by mourning for Nicholas's father.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Nicholas II obtained permission from his parents to propose to Alix, a favorite granddaughter of Queen Victoria. In April 1894, Nicholas attended the wedding of Alix's brother Ernest Louis to Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. When Alexander III's health failed in 1894, he allowed the marriage to secure the succession. Alix arrived at Livadia several days earlier in order to receive the dying tsar's blessing.

Conversion and Mourning. Following Alexander III's death on 1 November 1894, Alix was received into the Russian Orthodox Church as Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna. The wedding tone was altered by the mourning for Nicholas's father. Plans originally set for spring 1895 included public celebrations, but the event proceeded earlier due to the succession crisis.

Ceremony Details. At 11:30 am on the morning of the wedding, Nicholas departed the Anichkov Palace in an open landau to the Winter Palace, accompanied by his sixteen-year-old brother, Grand Duke Michael. Alexandra was dressed in her wedding dress and imperial mantle. Nicholas had intended to keep the wedding a private family affair, but his uncles persuaded him to invite the diplomatic corps to watch the procession to and from the cathedral.

People involved

Sources

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