Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia (in Russian Великая Княжна Елена Павловна)(24 December 1784 – 24 September 1803) was a daughter of Grand Duke, later Tsar Paul I of Russia and his second wife Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg. After marrying the son and heir of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin she became heiress-presumptive consort and thus dropped her Russian title. December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Paul I of Russia by Vladimir Borovikovsky Paul I of Russia (Russian: ; Pavel Petrovich) (October 1, 1754-March 23, 1801) was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. ... Portrait of Maria Fyodorovna in 1777 by Alexander Roslin Sophie Marie Dorothea Auguste Louise of Württemberg or Maria Fyodorovna (Russian: )(October 25, 1759 - November 5, 1828) the second wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia. ... The title of Grand Duke (Latin, Magnus Dux; German, Großherzog, Russian, Великий князь) used in Slavic, Baltic, and Germanic countries, is ranked in honour below King but higher than a sovereign Duke (Herzog) or Prince (Fürst). ... Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a Duchy (from 1815 a Grand Duchy) in northeastern Germany, formed by a partition of the Duchy of Mecklenburg. ...

Early years

Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna was born in Saint Petersburg, capital city of the Russian Empire. The arrival of a second daughter was happy news to her father, Tsarevich Paul Petrovich, who had lost his first wife Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt in childbirth, eight years before. A Grand Duchess is the wife of a Grand Duke or a woman who rules a Grand Duchy in her own right. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Anthem: God Save the Tsar! Russian Empire in 1914 Capital Saint Petersburg Language(s) Russian Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1721-1725 Peter the Great  - 1894-1917 Nicholas II History  - Established 22 October, 1721  - February Revolution 2 March, 1917 Area  - 1897 22,400,000 km2 8,648,688 sq mi Population  - 1897... Tsar, (Bulgarian цар�, Russian царь; often spelled Czar or Tzar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to 1917. ... Capital Darmstadt Government Monarchy Landgrave  - 1567 - 1596 George I  - 1790 - 1806 Louis X History  - Established 1567  - Disestablished 1806 The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (German: ) was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. ...

Elena was a younger sister of Alexander I of Russia, Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia and Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia. She was also an older sister of Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Ekaterina Pavlovna of Russia, Olga Pavlovna of Russia, Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Nicholas I of Russia and Mikhail Pavlovitch of Russia. Aleksandr I Pavlovich (Russian: Александр I Павлович) (December 23, 1777–December 1, 1825), was Emperor of Russia from March 23, 1801–December 1, 1825 and King of Poland from 1815–1825, as well as the first Grand Duke of Finland. ... Constantine was known for his repugnant physical features which resembled those of his father, Emperor Paul. ... Portrait of Maria Pavlovna, by Vladimir Borovikovsky. ... Portrait of Jan Baptist van der Hulst, 1837. ... Nicholas I (Russian: Николай I Павлович, Nikolai I Pavlovich), July 6 (June 25, Old Style), 1796–March 2 (February 18, Old Style), 1855), was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855. ...

As a girl, Elena was educated privately at home, her first years' education being supervised by her paternal grandmother, the formidable Catherine II of Russia. As any other royal of her time, the Grand Duchess' education was focused mainly on art, literature and music. Her real purpose in life, eventually, would be to marry well and provide her husband-to-be with children. Out of all her siblings, Elena Pavlovna was closest to her older sister Alexandra, whose life was shaped practically the same as was Elena's. Catherine II of Russia For the 1934 film biography see Catherine the Great (1934 film). ...

Engagement and marriage

If royal males have gone down in history for their political and military decisions, women have played decisive roles in uniting through blood and marriage all European royal families. Elena's mother, Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg (by now known as Maria Fyodorovna following her baptism in the Orthodox faith), turned out to be an excellent matchmaker. Although one of her daughters died as an infant, the rest married members of Europe's most important and prestigious royal houses. Portrait of Maria Fyodorovna in 1777 by Alexander Roslin Sophie Marie Dorothea Auguste Louise of Württemberg or Maria Fyodorovna (Russian: )(October 25, 1759 - November 5, 1828) the second wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia. ...

In the late 1790s Elena was betrothed to Hereditary Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1778–1819). He was the eldest son of Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Luise, Duchess of Saxe-Gotha. At the same time her sister Alexandra, who was very like her in many ways, was engaged to Palatine Joseph of Hungary (1776–1847). Friedrich Franz I Frederick Francis (Friedrich Franz) I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (10 December 1756 - 1 February 1837) ruled over the German state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, first as Duke (1785-1815) and then as Grand Duke (1815-1837). ...

It was customary for European princesses to travel to their husband's homelands to wed; Russian Grand Duchesses were always the exception, as they were all married at home following tradition. On 23 October 1799 Elena Pavlovna and Friedrich Ludwig were married at the palace of Gatchina. (Her sister Alexandra followed her example and married her fiancé in the same place one week later). October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Gatchina is the city of 84900 inhabitants in the Leningrad oblast of the Russian Federation, 45 km south of St Petersburg by the road leading to Pskov. ...

Life in Schwerin and death

Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (now Princess Elena) moved to Schwerin with her husband. There she was introduced to a whole new court, quite different from the oppulence of the splendours of Saint Petersburg. She was quite content with her married life and soon after the wedding she was with child. In September 1800 she gave birth to a son, Paul Friedrich, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1837 till 1842, who was named so after his grandfathers, the Tsar of Russia and the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The year 1801 had been especially hard for Elena, for she lost two close members of her family in just a few days. On 16 March her sister Alexandra died in Buda after giving birth to a daughter Alexandrine, who died too a few days before. Just eight days later her father, the tsar, was assassinated following a coup probably led by his own son and heir, Alexander I of Russia. The following year Elena became pregnant again and in March 1803 produced a daughter whom they named Maria after her maternal grandmother the Dowager Tsarina. Schwerin is a town in northern Germany. ... Paul Friedrich, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (15 September 1800 - 7 March 1842) ruled as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1837 to 1842. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in leap years). ... Buda (German: Ofen, Croatian: Budim, Slovak: Budín, Serbian: Будим or Budim, Turkish: Budin) is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the right bank of the Danube. ... Aleksandr I Pavlovich (Russian: Александр I Павлович) (December 23, 1777–December 1, 1825), was Emperor of Russia from March 23, 1801–December 1, 1825 and King of Poland from 1815–1825, as well as the first Grand Duke of Finland. ...

In September 1803, Elena Pavlovna fell gravely ill and died suddenly on 24 September. She was buried with great sorrow in the Helena Paulovna Mausoleum in Ludwigslust which was named in her memory. Several members of the Mecklenburg-Schwerin dynasty, including her husband's second wife, are buried there. September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Germany showing Ludwigslust Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. ...

Descendants

However, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna's role in genealogical history is not to be slighted. Her great-granddaughter, Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg, married Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia in 1884; another great-granddaughter, Princess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (known as Miechen) married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia; her brother Franz Friedrich married Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaievich of Russia. His daughter, Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was Crown Princess of Germany through marriage, and her younger sister Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin became Queen consort of Christian X of Denmark. Elizaveta Mavrikievna (born HH Princess Elisabeth Auguste Marie Agnes of Saxe-Altenburg; in Russian, Елизавета Маврикевна) (born January 25, 1865 in Meiningen, Germany, died March 24, 1927, Leipzig, Germany), was a Russian Grand Duchess by marriage. ... Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia. ... Velikiy Knjaz Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, in Russian Владимир Александрович / Влади́мирович (22 April 1847 - 17 February 1909). ... Portrait of Cecilie, German Crown Princess Duchess Cecilie Auguste Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (20 September 1886 at Schwerin, Germany–6 May 1954 at Bad Kissingen, Germany) was the wife of German Crown Prince Wilhelm, the son of German Emperor Wilhelm II. She was the daughter of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz... Queen Alexandrine of Denmark (December 24, 1879- December 28, 1952) was the consort of King Christian X of Denmark She was born a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in the city of Schwerin. ... King George V of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Mary A queen consort is the wife and consort of a reigning king. ... Christian X of Denmark (Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm) (September 26, 1870 – April 20, 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and of Iceland between 1918 and 1944. ...

Elena's widower, Friedrich Ludwig, remarried in 1810 and again became a widower in 1816. In 1818 he married a Princess of Hesse but he died the following year. He never became Grand Duke because his father outlived him, and he was succeeded by Elena Pavlovna's son, Paul Friedrich, in 1837. Hesse (German: Hessen) is a state of Germany with an area of 21,110 km² and just over six million inhabitants. ...