Maria Alexandrovna
Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Duchess of Edinburgh
Spouse	Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Issue
Prince Alfred of Edinburgh Marie, Queen of Romania Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh Princess Beatrice, Duchess of Galliera
Detail Titles
HI&RH The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha HI&RH The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha HI&RH The Duchess of Edinburgh HIH Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
Royal house	House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Father	Alexander II of Russia
Mother	Marie of Hesse
Born	17 October 1853(1853-10-17) Tsar's Village, Russia
Died	24 October 1920 (aged 67) Zürich, Switzerland

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (later Duchess of Edinburgh and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; 17 October 1853 – 24 October 1920) was a daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Maria became the wife of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Image File history File links MariaAlexa. ... Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900) was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha between 1893 and 1900. ... Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1874-1899) was a member of the British Royal Family. ... Princess Marie of Edinburgh (Marie Alexandra Victoria; later Queen of Romania; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was a member of the British Royal Family who became the queen consort of Ferdinand I of Romania. ... Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Victoria Melita; 25 November 1876 - 2 March 1936) was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. ... Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Alexandra Louise Olga Victoria; September 1, 1878 - April 16, 1942) was a member of the British Royal Family. ... Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Beatrice Leopoldine Victoria; 20 April 1884 - 13 July 1966) was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. ... A Royal House or Dynasty is a sort of family name used by royalty. ... Saxe-Coburg-Gotha or Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (German: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) was once the name given to the two German duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha in Germany, in the present states of Bavaria and Thuringia, which were in personal union between 1826 and 1918. ... The House of Romanov (Рома́нов, pronounced Ro-MAH-nof), the second and last imperial dynasty of Russia, which ruled Muscovy and the Russian Empire for five generations from 1613 to 1762. ... Alexander (Aleksandr) II Nikolaevich (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (Moscow, 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881 in St. ... Marie of Hesse Princess Maximilienne Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and the Rhine (8 August 1824-8 June 1880) was a princess of Grand Ducal Hesse and, as Marie Alexandrovna, Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Catherine Palace and Park Tsarskoye Selo (Russian: ; may be translated as Tsar’s Village) is a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility 24 km south of St. ... is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For other uses of Zurich, see Zurich (disambiguation). ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Alexander (Aleksandr) II Nikolaevich (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (Moscow, 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881 in St. ... Princess Maximilienne Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (8 August 1824 - 8 June 1880) was a princess of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and, as Maria Alexandrovna (in Russian Мария Александровна), Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. ... Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900) was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha between 1893 and 1900. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Francis Augustus Charles Albert Emanuel, later HRH The Prince Consort) (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ...

From 1893 until her death, she had the distinction of being a Russian grand duchess (by birth), a British royal duchess (by marriage), and the consort (and later widow) of a German sovereign duke (by marriage).

Early life

The Duchess was born at Tsarskoye Selo, Russia, the second daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of Russia (who was assassinated in 1881) and his wife Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, legal daughter of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, yet it was openly rumoured her father was actually Baron Augustus de Senarclens, her mother's chamberlain. She was the aunt of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia who was murdered in 1918. Her brother, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was assassinated in Moscow in 1905, and another brother, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia was shot in Saint Petersburg in 1919. Catherine Palace and Park Tsarskoye Selo (Russian: ; may be translated as Tsar’s Village) is a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility 24 versts (km) south from the center of St. ... Alexander (Aleksandr) II Nikolaevich (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (Moscow, 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881 in St. ... Princess Maximilienne Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (8 August 1824 - 8 June 1880) was a princess of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and, as Maria Alexandrovna (in Russian Мария Александровна), Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. ... Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (26 December 1777 – 16 June 1848) ruled over the Grand Duchy of Hesse from 1830 until his death. ... Baron August Ludwig von Senarclens de Grancy (19 August 1794 - 3 October 1871) was born at Schloss Etoy, the son of Baron Cesar August von Senarclens. ... Nicholas II redirects here. ... Sergei Alexandrovich Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov (April 29, 1857 - February 4, 1905, Old Style) was the seventh child and fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and his first Empress-consort Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (Павел Александрович) (October 3, 1860 N.S.–January 24, 1919 N.S.) was the eighth child of Tsar Alexander II of Russia by his first wife Maria Alexandrovna of Hesse. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Marriage

On 23 January 1874 at the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, the Grand Duchess Marie married His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh made their public entry into London on 12 March. The marriage, however, was not a happy one, and the bride was thought haughty by London society. Furthermore, Tsar Alexander II's insistence that his daughter be styled "Her Imperial Highness" and have precedence over the then Princess of Wales infuriated Queen Victoria. The Queen insisted that style "Her Royal Highness" Marie Alexandrovna acquired upon marriage, should always precede the style "Her Imperial Highness," which was hers by birth. For her part, the new Duchess of Edinburgh apparently resented the fact that the Princess of Wales, who was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, took precedence over her, the daughter of the Russian Tsar. After the marriage, Marie was varyingly referred to as Her Royal Highness, Her Royal & Imperial Highness, and Her Imperial & Royal Highness. Queen Victoria granted her precedence immediately after the Princess of Wales. Her father gave her the then staggering sum of £100,000 as a dowry plus an annual allowance of £28,000. is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Located between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, the Winter Palace (Russian: Зимний Дворец) in Saint Petersburg, Russia was built between 1754 and 1762 as the winter residence of the Russian tsars. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900) was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha between 1893 and 1900. ... Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819–22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Princess Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Carolina Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen Consort to Edward VII of the United Kingdom and thus Empress of India during her husbands reign. ... Royal Highness (abbreviation HRH) is a style (His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness); plural Royal Highnesses (abbreviation TRH, Their Royal Highnesses). ... Christian IX of Denmark (April 8, 1818 – January 29, 1906) was King of Denmark from November 15, 1863 to January 29, 1906. ...

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

On the death of his uncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, on 22 August 1893, the vacant duchy fell to the Duke of Edinburgh, since his elder brother the Prince of Wales had renounced his right to the succession. He surrendered his British allowance of £15,000 a year and his seats in the House of Lords and the Privy Council, but retained the £10,000 granted on his marriage in order to maintain Clarence House as his London residence. Upon her husband's ascension to the ducal throne, the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna became Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in addition to being Duchess of Edinburgh. As the consort of a sovereign German duke, she technically outranked her sisters-in-law at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Ernst II August Karl Johannes Leopold Alexander Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (b. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically in a monarchy. ... Clarence House, London Clarence House is a royal home in London, situated in The Mall. ... A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary. ...

The couple's only son, Hereditary Prince Alfred, became involved in a scandal involving his mistress and shot himself in January 1899, in the midst of his parents' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary celebrations. He survived, but his embarrassed parents sent him off to Merano to recover, where he died two weeks later, on 6 February. The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died of throat cancer on 30 July 1900 at Rosenau Castle in Coburg. The ducal throne passed to his nephew, Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany. The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha continued to reside in Coburg. Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was a member of the British Royal Family. ... Merano (Italian, now most common in English; German: Meran, also used in English; Ladin: Meran; Archaic (857 AD): Mairania; Latin: Merona; many of the regions Italian languages/dialects use Meran), is a town in the province of Bolzano-Bozen, Italy. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Äž: For the film, see: 1900 (film). ... Coburg is a district in Bavaria, Germany. ... Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Leopold Charles Edward George Albert; in German Carl Eduard, Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha 19 July 1884 - 6 March 1954) was the fourth and last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a duchy in Germany (from 30 July 1900 to...

Image File history File links Royal_Standard_of_England. ... A style of office, or honorific, is a form of address which by tradition or law precedes a reference to a person who holds a title or post, or to the political office itself. ...

Later life

She died in October 1920 in Zürich, Switzerland and was buried in the ducal family's cemetery outside Coburg. For other uses of Zurich, see Zurich (disambiguation). ...

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 17 October 1853 – 23 January 1874: Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
• 23 January 1874 – 22 August 1893: Her Imperial & Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh
• 22 August 1893 – 11 October 1905: Her Imperial & Royal Highness The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• 11 October 1905 – 24 October 1920: Her Imperial & Royal Highness The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

Issue