An interesting fact from history: Peter I had 100 percent Russian roots, while the last emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, was less than 1 percent Russian. Why did this metamorphosis take place, and what events preceded it? Let's try to figure it out.
From the most Russian to the most "German"
The "most German" emperor of Russia was Alexander III. He had 93 percent German blood in his veins. His wife Maria Feodorovna was the daughter of the King of Denmark, although she also had powerful German roots in her family tree. Why, then, in such a short period, namely from the end of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century, there was nominally nothing Russian left in the Russian rulers?
Eradicating palace coups
This is due to the reform adopted by Emperor Paul I in 1797. According to the Act of Succession, “inheritance by law” was introduced and the primary right to the throne was secured for male heirs.
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Unequal or closely related marriages were no longer welcomed, otherwise the heir was excluded from the list of applicants for the throne (this addition was introduced into the document by Emperor Alexander I in 1820).
This reform was supposed to put an end to the leapfrog of palace intrigues and coups that began after the death of Peter I. The great tsar did not leave behind a male heir, his eldest son Alexei died at the age of 28, and his second son Peter died at the age of three.
The daughters of the emperor, led by their associates, began a serious struggle for power. The flywheel of the palace coups was launched, which could not benefit the state. The Act of Paul I allowed the royal persons to marry only with persons of equal status, of which Russia simply did not exist.
Dynastic marriages as a stronghold of diplomacy
From a political point of view, marriages between the monarchs of European powers were beneficial for maintaining peace. Other monarchies began to practice such alliances even before Russia. This led to the fact that already at the beginning of the 19th century, the whole of Europe was literally enmeshed in family ties.
Some statistics
Russian monarchs have traditionally woven the closest blood ties with Germany, which is in close territorial proximity. In addition, there were strong ties with Denmark, the Baltic states (which was annexed to Russia in 1815) and with Sweden.
For example, Paul I himself was only 12.5 percent Russian and 56.25 percent German. The emperor married the princess of Württemberg (named Maria Feodorovna), who, in addition to German roots, had a great-grandmother from Bohemia.
The wife of Nicholas I was already 100% German. The situation repeated itself with the marriage of the next Russian ruler, Alexander II, who married a purebred German woman.
Alexander II himself was only 3 percent Russian. Moreover, he was 86 percent German. Therefore, his son Alexander III became the "most German" Russian emperor, with 93 percent of German blood in his veins.
Influence on Russian history
The mother of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II, Maria Feodorovna, was 37.5 percent Danish and 62.5 percent German. Therefore, the share of German blood in the veins of Nicholas II dropped to 77.74 percent. One way or another, only 0.78 percent remained "Russian" in it. However, all these calculations are interesting only from a genealogical point of view. They did not in any way affect the contribution of this or that ruler to Russian history.
Features of the preparation of the heirs to the throne
The heirs to the throne in Russia were trained by the best minds of the state. The preparation process could take years, including in practice. For example, the future Emperor Alexander III, before taking the throne, went from adjutant general to his own father to the commander of the guard troops.
A strong state must have a strong and strong-willed ruler who understands the political and economic structure. The future emperor had to know perfectly the history (including foreign), be a military leader, diplomat and a competent lawyer. It remained only to choose a profitable party for marriage, further strengthening their positions.
Were there feelings in dynastic marriages?
And again let us turn our attention to the biography of Alexander III. He was the second successor to the throne, and initially his elder brother Nicholas was being prepared for the reign. The heir was betrothed to the Danish princess Dagmara, but died suddenly after being seriously injured on a trip to Italy just before the wedding.
Alexander loved his brother very much and came to visit him before his death. The tragedy united the future emperor and the inconsolable bride. A deep emotional bond has formed between them. A year later, the newly-minted heir came to Denmark to woo and received consent.
Six children were born from the marriage of Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna. The couple lived together for almost 30 years, until the death of the king. Their family is considered exemplary, which allowed them to maintain sincere feelings for each other until the last days. And this despite the fact that their acquaintance happened under very tragic circumstances.
Inga Kaisina