Maria Alexandrovna Romanova (1824-1880)

Russian Tsarina. Born Maximilienne Wilhelmine Marie, Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, she was the youngest daughter of Wilhelmine of Baden, wife of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. She and three of her siblings were probably the children of Baron Auguste Saenarclens de Grancy, but Ludwig II acknowledged her and her brother Alexander (two others having died young) as his own to avoid scandal. In 1838, Tsarevitch Alexander Nikolaievitch fell in love with the lonely, unhappy 14-year-old Princess Marie despite the irregularity of her birth. They were married on April 16, 1842 at the Winter Palace and Marie adopted the name Maria Alexandrovna upon her conversion to the Russian Orthodox church. The damp Russian climate wreaked havoc on Maria's weak chest, making her frequently ill with coughs, but she gave birth to 8 children. The shy, sickly Maria was absent from many court functions, and her husband's affections strayed. In 1855, Alexander ascended the throne as Tsar Alexander II, and the new Tsarina was forced to attend court more often, sick or not. Though her husband always treated her very well, by 1858 Maria was forced to acknowledge that his love was now for his mistress Princess Ekaterina Dolgoruki, mother of four children by the Tsar. Empress Maria died at St. Petersburg at the age of 55.

Bio by: Kristen Conrad