Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna- Type of Russian Wives and Mothers

Among the sisters, the two eldest with already established characters of cheerfulness, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna seemed lost and shaded. But, we don’t emphasize what we see outside; here we will speak about the fine character of the third daughter of the Tsar.

This young princess is accurately the archetype of Russian wives and mothers. She represents the most favorable image of a Russian woman: cheerful, pure-hearted, modest and faithful to her husband, and house-proud.

S.F. Orimosofova has noticed this bright nature of the Grand Duchess Maria: "[Maria Nikolaevna] can easily be called a Russian beauty. Tall, healthy, with sable eyebrows and a bright blush on her open Russian face, she is especially lovely to a Russian heart. You look at her and involuntarily imagine her dressed in the Russian boyar's sarafan; snowy muslin sleeves around her hands; on the highly decorated bodice semi-precious stone; and above her white brow, a kokoshnik with the traditional pearls. Her eyes illuminate her entire face by a unique, radiant luster; they sometimes seem black as long eyelashes throw shadows over the bright blush of her soft cheeks. She is merry and alive, but she has not yet awakened completely to life; probably concealed in her are the immense forces of a real Russian woman."
P. Gilliard noted this of Maria: "Marie was a fine girl, tall for her age, and a picture of glowing health and colour. She had large and beautiful grey eyes. Her tastes were very simple, and with her warm heart she was kindness itself. Her sisters took advantage somewhat of her good nature, and called her 'fat little bow-wow' ('le bon gros tou-tou'). She certainly had the benevolent and somewhat gauche devotion of a dog.'"

Sophie Buxhoeveden, lady-in-waiting and friend of the Empress and the Imperial Children, wrote that Maria Nikolaevna was completely ruled by her younger sister, Anastasia who their mother called “imp”. But, this submission, if it really happened, was not due to Maria’s weak character. We can see that this girl possessed a great inner strength. “She was strong and looked imperious. I remember her offering her hand to anybody who needed help”.

Julia Dehn remembered the Grand Duchess as “… a wonderful girl, possessed of a tremendous reserve force, and I never realised her unselfish nature until those dreadful days. She too was exceeding fair, dowered with the classic beauty of the Romanovs: her eyes were dark blue, shaded by long lashes, and she had masses of dark brown hair. Marie was plump, and the Empress often teased her about this; she was not so lively as her sisters, but she was much more decided in her outlook. The Grand Duchess Marie knew at once what she wanted, and why she wanted it."

Dehn also recollected an episode from the early months of Revolution:

“Where is Marie?”, the Empress asked.

I went back to the red-drawing room. Marie was still crouching in the corner. She was so young, so helpless, so hurt that I felt I must comfort her as one comforts a child. I knelt beside her, her head rested on my shoulder. I kissed her tear-stained face.

“Darling,” I said, “don’t cry…You will make Mamma so unhappy. Think of her”.

At the words “Think of her”, the Grand Duchess remembered the unswerving devotion of the children towards their parents. Every one was always subservient to Mamma and Papa. “Ah, I’d forgotten, Lili. Yes, I must think of Mamma,” she answered. Little by little, her sobs ceased, her composure returned, and she went with me to her mother…’

Another friend of the family, Anna Vyrubova, recalled the bravery and calmness of the Grand Duchess Maria: It was about eleven o’clock and the Empress was sitting for a few minutes’ rest on the edge of my bed. Getting up hastily and wrapping herself in a white shawl, she beckoned Marie, the last of the children on her feet, and went out of the palace into the icy air to face whatever threatened…From one guard to another, the stately woman and the courageous young girl, undaunted both in the face of deadly danger, speaking words of encouragement, and most of all simple faith and confidence. This alone held the men at their posts during that dreadful night and prevented the rioters from attacking the palace. Leaving, the Empress said to my mother, “I go to them not as an Empress but simply as a Sister of mercy of my children…’

“I cried too, but not more than I could help, for poor Mama’s sake”, Maria said to Anna Vyrubova on the day the Empress knew the Tsar had abdicated.

There were only few people who saw the life led by Maria. She had kept some of her secrets from her sisters, but, her sensitive mother knew her well. As a mother, the empress comforted and gave her helpful advice. Because of that, Maria, as well as her siblings, loved their mother dearly.

The following excerpts of the correspondences between the empress and her third daughter clearly show what their relationship had been:

“Dear Maria, with love, I thank you for your letters. Our friend stayed here for a very short time. Be good and obedient always, my little girl, then everyone will love you. Anastasia and I have no secrets. I do not like secrets. God bless you. A lot of kisses from your mother.”

“My dear Mashenka,

Your letter made me quite sad. Sweet child, you must promise me never again to think that nobody loves you. How did such an extraordinary idea get into your little head? Get it quickly out again. We all love you very tenderly, only when too wild and naughty and won’t listen, then must be scolded; but to scold does not mean that one does not love, on the contrary, one does it so you may cure your faults and improve. You generally keep away from the others, think that you are in the way, and remain alone with Irina instead of being with them. They imagine then that you do not want to be with them; now you are getting a big girl it is good that you should be more with them. Now do not think anymore about it, and remember that you are just as precious and dear as the other four and that we love you with all our heart. God bless you, darling child. Your old loving Mum”.

“Yes, I too am very sad that our Friend is leaving. But while he is away, you should try to live as what he wishes you. Then, we will feel that he is with us in our prayers and thoughts”.

“Maria dear, do not forget to go to the Confession and Communion. Read the book that Father gave you. Anya and I are doing the same. God bless you from your old mum”.

“Maria, my child, do not be such a wild one. It is necessary for you to obey your elder sisters so that you won’t catch cold. I hope that you will spend a wonderful time on the yacht. Sleep well. Blessings from your old mum.”

“My dear Maria, you will read this when we leave. I’m very sad to leave you my kids, and I will be constantly thinking of you all. You’re with the elder ones and must therefore look after the younger ones. Never leave Baby for two days...”

“Go to the hospital at the Grand Palace and visit the wounded. Is Grudno going to visit your hospital? Be sure to entertain her well. Look after Sonia if you’re already free. Send a message to me. When you wake up next morning, write to me about the businesses you had and in the evening, about how you spent your day. I’ll see you on Sunday morning in the church…”

“Dear Maria, Please distribute this picture of mine to all officers in the Big Palace (during the First World War, the Empress has transformed the Catherine Palace into a military hospital). If these are too much, return the rest to me. Then I send you bread for them (holy unleavened bread) which should be warmed up and eaten. I also send an image to our wounded officers. I don’t know how many they (the wounded men) are and who are the non-Orthodox. Many officers will be transferred to your hospital. I hope that you will send me a letter. God keep you. 1000 kisses from your old mum who misses you so much”.

The world of Grand Duchess Maria was vividly painted with religion. These correspondences with her mother show her love for her faith and the Church.

“…You know this is very strange. When I left Alexei’s room after praying with him, I felt as if I had come from Confession…a pleasant heavenly feeling”.

“My dear Mother, you told me that you would like to go to the Holy Mysteries. You know, I too wanted to there at the beginning of Lent. I hope you will have a good visit there. I kiss you and Papa many times. Anastasia sends you a kiss. How I would like to go with you to Communion on the 14^th. God bless you. Your Maria”.

“Mama dear, I wish you a Happy Christmas and hope that God will give you strength to walk back to the hospital. Sleep well. Your loving daughter, Maria. I love you dearly and wholly.”

“My beloved Mother, I am so pleased that you will see dear papa very soon. Anastasia or I will read the prayer with Baby.”

The most complete description of the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna was by M. Dietrich: "Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna was the most beautiful, and a typical Russian: good natured, merry, an affable girl. She loved and knew how to talk with people, in particular the simple people. She started conversations with the soldiers, questioned them and wonderfully remembered who had a wife, how many kids, where they lived. In her simplicity she obtained the family nickname of Mashka. By appearance she was like Alexander III. She was very strong. When he needed to be moved because he was sick, Alexei Nikolaevich called, 'Mashka, carry me!'"

She could easily lift Alexei from the ground. She was the last to have measles among the children due to the historical cold evening of February 27. Her case took a severe form with double pneumonia. Only the strong being of the Grand Duchess helped her to overcome the illness. She fell ill at the early days of their arrest. She was able to befriend all the guards in their arrest, including the commissars Pankratov and Yakovlev and those ones in Yekaterinburg, who even taught them how to prepare cakes without yeast.

NA Sokolov emphasized that “she was a typical mother. She was very attached with children. Most of all, she loved taking care of them and messing with them.’

Sydney Gibbes recalled her as this: "[Marie] was very strong and broadly built and could easily lift me off the ground. Good-looking, with light grey eyes, she too grew very thin after her illness. She could paint and draw, and played the piano competently; less well than Olga and Tatiana. Marie was simple and fond of children; a little inclined to laziness; probably she would have made an excellent wife and mother. She liked Tobolsk and told me she could have made herself quite happy there."

From this several fragments, we can make a portrait of a simple and modest young lady with artistic and motherly inclinations. She was the one who Nicholas Alexandrovich and Alexandra Feodorovna brought with them to Yekaterinburg to help the latter, leaving the other children in Tobolsk as Alexei Nicholaevich was too sick to travel.

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna–The “Madcap” and Comforter

The youngest of the Grand Duchesses, Anastasia Nikolaevna,might have been composed of quicksilver, instead of flesh and blood; she was most amusing, and she was a very clever mimic. She saw the humorous side of everything and she was very fond of acting; indeed, Anastasie would have made an excellent comedy actress. She was always in mischief, a regular tomboy, but she was not backward in her development, as Mr. Gilliard once stated. Anastasie was only sixteen at the time of Revolution –no great age after all. She was very pretty, but hers was more of a clever face, and her eyes were wells of intelligence”. –Julia Dehn.

Who said that this young girl must go too early and leave the face of the Earth in just a second? But, what if the Lord gave her a different way of life?

This impish girl, “Shvibz’ (as what she was called by her family), perhaps, would also have grown to be an ideal Russian Girl. But, this was not much noticed as her real character was not revealed until the end of her life.

A. Vyrubova recalled that: “All three of these girls (except Tatiana) were more or less of a tomboy type. They had something of the innate brusqueness of their Romanov ancestors, which displayed itself in a tendency to mischief. Anastasia, a sharp and clever child, was a very monkey for jokes, some of them at times almost too practical for the enjoyment of others.”

T. Botkina-Melnik said this of Anastasia: “Most of the time, we saw Anastasia. She came and sat on the sofa beside my father. When the saluting cannon was fired at sunset, Anastasia liked to retreat into a corner, stick her fingers into her ears, widen her eyes, and loll her tongue in mock terror. Sometimes, while she is talking, she would suddenly stand up and trip over us.”

M. Dietrich wrote: "Grand Duchess Anastasia, in spite of her seventeen years, was still much a child. The impression she produced was that of a merry girl. She was a 'monkey box,' as her sisters teased. Her distinguishing feature was her ability to notice the weak sides of people and talentedly imitate them; this was her gift, she was a natural comedian. She amused everyone."

Her parents condoned her every mischief. Nevertheless, the Empress also thought that she must be curbed of her extreme mischievousness for her own good. But once again, unlike her contemporary mothers, The Empress did not want to change entirely the nature of her children and break the protocol. She wanted her daughters to evolve according to the divine qualities of Christianity. As a result, Anastasia’s playfulness, which might have made her unappealing, turned into her an advantage: she grew up very cheerful and able to comfort others.

All loved Anastasia. With her charm, she can turn each gray moment to a cheery atmosphere. She was able to put joy on every dismal face. The Empress, strict as ever, not only once tried to talk to her daughter but also reprimanded her. As usual, those reprimands ended up in laughter and kisses. Her father, mother, brother, elder sisters, teachers, the family doctors, maids, footmen and many others ---love her.

Revolution unexpectedly rattled Russia…She, with her family, were transferred to another house in the remote region of Siberia guarded by many guards. What they brought with them were the things they would really need, leaving a lot of others in Tsarskoe Selo. They had been permitted to go around their garden but were not allowed to go to town anymore.

However, Anastasia remained cheerful. She starred on amateur theatricals they arranged to entertain themselves while in Tobolsk. She played the major roles in most of those plays, and had shown so much of her comical abilities that she made the Empress “dying of laughter”, as the family doctor Botkin, said.

Pierre Gilliard, her French teacher, commented on Anastasia as “… very roguish and almost a wag. She had a very strong sense of humour, and the darts of her wit often found sensitive spots. She was rather an 'enfant terrible', though this fault tended to correct itself with age. She was also extremely idle, though with the idleness of a gifted child. She was so lively, and her gaiety so infectious, that several members of the suite had fallen into the way of calling her "Sunshine," the nickname her mother had been given at the English Court."

I should say that Anastasia Nikolaevna’s being is well hinted in these words by the Apostle Paul: “Do not let your adornment be merely outward– arranging the hair, wearing gold or putting on fine apparel–-Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God”. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Anastasia was obedient to her parents and elder sisters. She has been a soft and quiet spirit internally rather than outwardly. She was a humble person. Because of humility, she was able to hide her sufferings from the world---she was able to accept what the world was in her time even the Bolshevik men who sneered at them.

It is very impossible not to notice the closeness shared by Anastasia and her brother, Alexei, in the photographs of the Imperial Family. Anastasia lovingly hugged her brother in some of the pictures left of them. Undoubtedly, their closeness was brought by their close age gap and love for each other. When there was no boy to accompany the Tsarevich, Anastasia successfully replaced it.

Ofrosimova wrote: When the Grand Duchesses, in particular the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, there began a terrible fuss and endless lines of pranks. The The Grand Duchess was a desperate ‘minx’ and a loyal friend to others, especially to the tsesarevich. The two elder ones have completed course for being “Sisters of Mercy” while she and the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna worked at sewing clothes for the wounded men and their families, helped prepare bandages and lint, and lamented for being too young to be true Sisters of Mercy like their sisters Olga and Tatiana […] So, the little princess was not able to be very naughty those days. She was given lighter work than that of her two elder sisters. One day, I sat beside the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna. Her pretty face is full of life and cheerfulness. Her quick eyes which always sparkle with irrepressible joy and enthusiasm indefatigably look sharply at everything they see and made her naughtiness clear. Her acute, sometime, merciless tongue tells everything she sees. She can enliven any place she sets foot in by her uncontrollable cheerful laughter. In her mischief, she would even dance with the wounded men and once said that she doesn’t like to sit just to sew! While the pale thin hands of Tatiana can quickly knit mittens, the graceful head of Olga bending low to the sewing machine, and Maria Nikolaevna was choosing a new job to do, she would not think of something ‘We need to sit and work..’ Instead, her quick wit would think of devising pranks”.

Truly, she was not only an imp but also a comforter. Her vivacity and nimbleness were of tremendous use to her mother, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, on the early days of Revolution. On the times the Empress was feeling unwell and was forced to rest, she ran errands to Anastasia, subsequently calling her as “my legs”.

Her fate became so terrible that it is impossible to imagine she would end that way. She was only seventeen years old when she died in the basement of Ipatiev House. She died from bullets and bayonets---her death was painful. How many managed to understand this girl who all her life has brought much bliss to people around her? We can say that there is not a drop of hatred in her pure soul even at the last moment of her life.