Constantine Pavlovich (1779 - 1831)
Constantine Pavlovich, the second son of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna, born on 27 April 1779 at Tsarskoe Selo. Of all Emperor Paul I's children, Constantine most closely resembled his father both physically and mentally. The direction of the boy's upbringing was entirely in the hands of his grandmother, Empress Catherine II, who arranged his marriage as she had Alexander's. Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, fourteen, and Constantine, sixteen, were married on 26 February 1796. Juliane (Anna Fedorovna after accepting the Orthodox Faith) was unhappy in this marriage, separated from Constantine in 1799 and went back to her German home in 1801. An attempt by Constantine in 1814 to win her back broke down in the face of her firm opposition.
Like his father and brothers, Constantine adored army life. During Napoleonic Wars, his first campaign took place under the leadership of General Alexander Suvorov in 1799. The battle of Bassignana was lost by Constantine's fault, but at Novi he distinguished himself by personal bravery, so that Emperor Paul I bestowed on him the title of Tsarevich, which according to the fundamental law of the constitution belonged to the heir to the throne. Constantine never tried to secure the throne and, after his father's death in March 1801, led a disorderly bachelor life. In command of the Imperial Guards during the campaign of 1805, he had a share of the responsibility for the Russian defeat at the battle of Austerlitz, while in 1807 neither his skill nor his fortune in war showed any improvement. After the peace of Tilsit in 1807 he became an ardent admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte and an upholder of the Russian-French alliance. In 1812, after the fall of Moscow, Constantine pressed for a speedy conclusion of peace with Napoleon and, like Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, he opposed the policy which carried the war across the Russian frontier to victorious conclusion upon the French soil. His personal behaviour towards both his own men and French prisoners was eccentric and cruel. During the campaign, Michael Andres Barclay de Tolly was twice obliged to send him away from the army due to his disorderly conduct. At Dresden, on 26 August 1813, his military knowledge failed him at the decisive moment, but at La Fere-Champenoise on 25 March 1814 he distinguished himself by personal bravery.
In the Congress Poland created in 1815 by Emperor Alexander I Constantine received the post of commander-in-chief of the forces of the country, to which was added later, in 1819, the command of the Lithuanian troops and of the Russian provinces that had formerly belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His efforts to strengthen the secret police (Ochrana) and suppress the Polish patriotic movements led to popular discontent among his subjects. Constantine also harassed the liberal opposition, replaced Poles with Russians on important posts in local administration and the army, and often insulted and assaulted his subordinates.
After the years of separation, the marriage of Constantine and Juliane was annulled on 20 March 1820 and, two months later, on 27 May, Constantine married the Polish Countess, Joanna Grudzinska, who was given the title of Princess of Lowicz. Connected with this, he renounced any claim to the Russian throne, which was formally completed in 1822. After this marriage, he became increasingly attached to his new home of Poland.
An assassination attempt was made on his life, which precipitated the November 1830 insurrection in Warsaw (the November Uprising), when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress Poland's military academy revolted, led by Peter Wysocki. They were soon joined by large segments of societies of Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine. Despite local successes, the uprising was eventually crushed by a numerically superior Imperial Russian Army under Ivan Paskevich. Nicholas I decreed that henceforth Poland was an integral part of Russia, with Warsaw little more than a military garrison. After the attempt on his life, a secret court was set up to prosecute those who were responsible.
Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich (1779-1831), second son of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna
Joanna Grudzinska (1791-1831),
daughter of Count Anton Grudzinski, the last owner of the town of Chodziez
Constantine saw the revolt as a strictly Polish affair and refused to use troops not because he could not but rather because it was a foolish idea politically. Constantine's involvement remained minimal, he showed considerable restraint in not wanting to use the Russian troops to help put down the rebellion. What the grand duke was trying to accomplish was to remain neutral at all costs and this led to a belief among his fellow Russians that he was more sensitive towards the Polish independence rather than the Russian dominance. The securing of neutrality from Constantine gave the Polish government the feeling that Russia would not attack them and gave them the chance to effectively quash the uprising and was then able to effectively defeat the radicals in the country. After securing neutrality, the grand duke retreated behind Russian lines to watch how the scenario would play out. This act further confused the Polish government on the matter of what its status was with Russia. This was due to a promise by the Russians earlier that they were going to help put the rebellion down. The Polish patriots could not have been more pleased they took the upper hand and Constantine on 3 December retreated towards Russia. He himself retreated behind Russian lines but following the failure of the uprising expressed admiration for the valor of the Polish insurgents.
Constantine died of cholera in Vitebsk (now Belarus) on 27 June 1831; he did not live to see the suppression of the revolution. His frequent stands against the wishes of the Imperial family were perceived in Russia as brave, even gallant, however, in Poland, he was viewed as a tyrant, hated by the military and civilian population alike.
Alexandra Pavlovna (1783 - 1801)
Alexandra Pavlovna was born on 9 August 1783 in Saint Petersburg as the third child and eldest daughter of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna. Empress Catherine II's secretary Alexander Khrapovitsky wrote that the empress considered the infant Alexandra very ugly, especially compared with her older brothers. However, as a gift for the birth of Alexandra, Catherine II gave her son Gatchina Palace. The girl received the usual education of Russian princesses and was taught French and German as well as music and drawing. She was very close to her sister Elena and they were often painted together. Alexandra's upbringing, as well as her sisters, was entrusted to Charlotte von Lieven, who acted as Governess.
In 1796 Catherine II, considered the eighteen years old Gustav IV Adolph of Sweden as a possible husband for thirteen years old Alexandra in order to solve many political problems between Russia and Sweden. The empress liked the young king very much because he was said to have 'a very pleasing face, in which wit and charm were portrayed.' Alexandra, on the other hand, was described by the contemporaries as 'the lovable, caring and thoughtful of the available princesses in Europe.' When the king of Sweden arrived in St Petersburg in August 1796, he and Alexandra fell in love at first sight. He was charmed by her naivete and he went straight to the empress to declare his love for Alexandra and asked for her hand. The empress was delighted, but, in all the excitement, she seemed to overlook the matter of religion: as Queen of Sweden, Alexandra would have to convert to Lutheranism. However, the empress considered that Gustav IV Adolph had implicitly agreed to allow her to keep the Orthodox faith when he told Alexandra that he loved her. After the long negotiations, their betrothal was set for 11 September 1796. On that very day, before taking their vows, Gustav IV Adolph read in the engagement contract that Alexandra would keep her faith even after marrying. The young king exploded with anger, declaring that a trap had been laid for him and he swore that he would never agree to give his people an Orthodox queen. He did not appear at the ceremony and Alexandra was grief-stricken. The empress died of a stroke less than two months after the marriage negotiations.
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna
by Vladimir Borovikovsky in 1796
In 1799 Emperor Paul I decided to join Austria and Prussia in a coalition against the rising power of the French Republic and to cement the defensive alliance, Alexandra was married to Archduke Joseph of Austria, a younger brother of Emperor Francis II. Archduke Joseph had been made Palatine (Governor) of Hungary. The wedding took place on 30 October 1799, in St Petersburg. The young couple settled in the castle of Alcsut in Hungary, however, Alexandra's life in the Austrian court was unhappy. Empress Maria Theresa, the second wife of Emperor Franz II, was jealous of Alexandra's beauty and her fine jewels. Not only that, Alexandra very closely resembled the emperor's first wife, Elizabeth of Wurttemberg, who was her maternal aunt. Furthermore, her Orthodox faith aroused the hostility of the Roman Catholic Austrian court. Alexandra was the first member of the Russian Imperial family to marry a Catholic.
A year and a half later, Alexandra died in Vienna on 16 March 1801, of a puerperal fever shortly after giving birth to a daughter, who died on the day of her birth. Alexandra was only seventeen years old and her death occurred during the week as her father's murder. Archduke Joseph built a mauseleum dedicated to his wife, but the Austrian court refused her burial in any Catholic cemetery. Therefore, Alexandra's coffin remained unburied until the Russian government had her interred in Hungary. During the Vienna Congress of 1814-1815, Alexander I and Grand Duchesses Maria Pavlovna and Catherine Pavlovna visited the grave of their sister. Alexandra was eventually buried in her own mausoleum in the village of Urom near Pest.
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna (1783-1801), eldest daughter of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna; Archduchess of Austria in 1799-1801
Elena Pavlovna (1784 - 1803)
Elena Pavlovna was born on 24 Decemeber 1784 in St Petersburg. The arrival of a second daughter was happy news to her father and she was also said to be very beautiful so her grandmother, Catherine II, named her after Helen of Troy. Elena was educated privately at home, her first years' education being supervised by the formidable Catherine II. As any other royal of her time, her 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 was closest to her older sister Alexandra, whose life was shaped practically the same as was Elena's.
In 1798 the situation in Europe was such that Russia decided for a military cooperation with Austria, which was supported by the marriage of Alexandra Pavlovna with Archduke Joseph of Austria, Palatine of Hungary. At the same time the negotiations began on the marriage of Elena Pavlovna with the heir of a small but politically profitable state, the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The negotiations went without any complications and ended successfully. Frederick Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1778-1819) was the eldest son of Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The betrothal between Elena and Frederick Ludwig was celebrated on 5 May 1799. It was the customary tradition for the European princesses to travel to their husband's homelands to wed, however, the Russian grand duchesses were always the exception, as they were all married at home following tradition. On 23 October 1799 Elena and Friedrich Ludwig were married at Gatchina Palace. Her sister Alexandra followed her example and married her fiance in the same place one week later.
Elena moved to Schwerin with her husband, where she was introduced to a whole new court, quite different from the opulence of St 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 Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1837-1842. 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 a few days before and, just eight days later, her father, the emperor, was assassinated. The following year Elena became pregnant again and in March 1803 produced a daughter whom they named Marie Louise after her grandmothers, Dowager Empress and Duchess Louise. In September 1803, Elena fell gravely ill and died suddenly in the end of the month. She was buried with a sorrow in the Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum in Ludwigslust which was named in her memory. Several members of the Mecklenburg-Schwerin dynasty, including her husband's second and third wife, are buried there.
Elena's widower, Frederick Ludwig, remarried in 1810 to Caroline Louise of Saxe-Weimar. They had a daughter, Helene Louise Elisabeth (1814-1858), who married Ferdinand Philippe d'Orleans, Duke of Chartres (1810-1842), but Frederick again became a widower in 1816. In 1818 he married Landgravine Auguste of Hesse-Homburg, but he died the following year. He never became a grand duke because his father outlived him and he was succeeded by Elena's son, Paul Frederick, in 1837, whose reign saw improvements in the infrastructure and judicial system, and a change in the government's seat of residence from Ludwigslust to Schwerin. Nonetheless, Paul Frederick was largely interested in the military matters and spent most of his time drilling his troops. He was married to Alexandrine of Prussia, daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz since 25 May 1822. As he reached his middle age, he adopted a more reclusive lifestyle, preferring only the company of his mistress, Countess Catherine Hauke, daughter of Johann Mauritz Hauke and Sophie Lafontaine, and sister of Julia of Battenberg. Paul Frederich died in 1842 of a cold caught while rushing to a fire in his capital city.
Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna
by Vladimir Borovikovsky in 1796
Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (1784-1803), fourth child and second daughter of
Paul I and Maria Fedorovna;
Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1799-1803
Maria Pavlovna (1786 - 1859)
Maria Pavlovna was born on 16 February 1786 in St Petersburg and raised at her father's lavish palaces at Pavlovsk and at the nearby Gatchina. As a child, she was not considered pretty: her features were disfigured as a result of a pioneering application of the smallpox vaccine. Her grandmother, Catherine II, admired her precocious talent as a pianist but declared that she would have been better to have been born a boy. Her music instructor was Giuseppe Sarti (1729-1802), an Italian composer and Kapellmeister at the Russian court. From 1798, Maria was taught music by Ludwig-Wilhelm Tepper de Ferguson (1768-1838).
On 3 August 1804, Maria Pavlovna married Karl Frederick, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Grand Duke in 2 February 1783 - 8 July 1853). The couple stayed in St Petersburg for nine months, before departing for Weimar. There Maria was greeted with a bout of festivities. Maria Pavlovna and Karl Frederick had four children - Paul Alexander Karl Constantine Frederick August (1805-1806); Maria Louise Alexandrine (1808-1877); Augusta Louise Catherine (1811-1890), Karl Alexander August Johann (1818-1901).
Her daughter Maria was sixteen years old when she first met her future husband, Prince Karl of Prussia in Frankfurt an der Oder in 1824. He was the third son of Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Maria Pavlovna and her two daughters were travelling to Russia and had arranged to meet her brother, Grand Duke and later Emperor Nicholas I and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna in Frankfurt. When they arrived, they were welcomed by Prince Karl and his brother William, furture German Emperor William I. At the time, his older brother William was in love with the Polish princess Elisa Radzwill. Frederick William III was in favour of Karl marrying Maria and immediately contacted the courts in St Petersburg and Weimar to negotiate a marriage arrangement. At the time Maria Fedorovna, the mother of the emperor, was still the authority in the family matters. Neither she nor Maria Pavlovna gave the response that Frederick William III had hoped for. Both court were hoping that Maria could marry an heir to the throne, albeit a throne of a smaller country. The third son of a king was not quite what they had in mind. The Russians proposed that Maria could marry William and his younger brother Karl would marry her younger sister Augusta Maria Louise Catherine. This would be a better fit in terms of age and would certainly satisfy the court in Weimar and William liked Maria more than he did Augusta. Frederick William III, however, saw nothing in this proposal, which completely ignored the feelings of his sons.
Things were further complicated by William's love for Elisa Radziwil. Maria Pavlovna tried to defame the Polish princess with every means available. Outwardly, she did not want to base her daughter's marriage on the ruins of William's happiness. She hoped that William would marry Elisa morganatically, not have a legitimate heir and the Prussian throne would be inherited by the heirs of Karl and Maria. An ally in her quest to paint Elisa as the lower nobility was Grand Duke George of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the brother of Karl's late mother. Negotiations had already lasted more than two years when Maria Feodorovna managed to persuade her daughter to agree to a marriage between Karl and Maria, without putting any conditions on William.
On 26 May 1827 Maria married Prince Karl of Prussia in Charlottenburg and their son Frederick Karl was born ten months later. Maria's sister Augusta and William gave in to dynastic pressure and married two years later. Their marriage, however, was not a happy one. William regarded his wife as an 'outstanding personality', but also as less charming than her older sister. Augusta, on the other hand, did at first like her husband and was full of hope for a happy marriage. She was aware of his unrequited love of Elisa Radziwil, but she had hoped to be able to replace her.
After the death of Grand Duke Karl Frederick in July 1853 Maria retired from public life and her son Karl Alexander became Grand Duke, however he stopped his constitutional accession until Goethe's birthday, on 28 August 1853. On 8 October 1842, Karl Alexander married with his first cousin, Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, daughter of William II and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, sister of his mother.
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (1786-1859),
third daughter of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna;
Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1828-1853
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (1786-1859);
Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1828-1853
Maria Pavlovna was a patroness of art, science and social welfare in the poor Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She maintained a lifelong correspondence with the foremost Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky and it was to her that Schiller dedicated one of his last poems. She attended ten courses at the University of Jena, some delivered by Alexander von Humboldt and was instrumental in establishing the Falk Institute in Weimar. She selected, as a tutor, to her son Karl Alexander, the Genevan Frederic Soret, who became well acquainted with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In her later years, Maria invited Franz Liszt to her court, restoring a measure of artistic excellence previously associated with Weimar.
Maria owned a small chalet close to Jena, owned formerly by the Protestant theologist of Enlightenment Griesbach, where she used to spend the summer with her children. She is buried in Weimar, in a Russian-style chapel by the side of the Goethe-Schiller Mausoleum.
Catherine Pavlovna (1788 - 1819)
Catherine Pavlovna was born on 10 May 1788 at Tsarskoe Selo. She had a happy childhood and her education was carefully supervised by her mother. She received the best education and constantly furthered her it through reading new literary publications and personal contacts with various outstanding persons. She was very close to her siblings particularly with her eldest brother Alexander. Throughout her life she maintained a close relationship with him. It was said that she was Alexander's favorite sister and one of the few persons he loved unconditionally. She was reportedly also her mother's favorite daughter.
After Napoleon Bonaparte's divorce from Josephine during the course of the Napoleonic Wars, the French emperor hinted to Alexander I his wish to marry Catherine - a desire mainly to draw the Russians to his side. These plans had actually been hinted as early as 1808, in Erfurt, on suggestion by Talleyrand. Catherine's family was horrified and so Maria Fedorovna immediately arranged a marriage to Duke George of Oldenburg. Described as beautiful and vivacious, Catherine was married to Duke George of Oldenburg on 3 August 1809. Although their marriage was arranged, Catherine was devoted to her husband who was the second son of Peter I of Oldenburg and his wife, Frederica of Wurttemberg. It was said that he was not handsome but Catherine reportedly cared for him deeply and his death in 1812 due to typhoid fever saddened her greatly. The couple resided in Tver, where the couple lived a lavish court life and entertained with balls, grand dinners and similar events in the pattern of the imperial court, to create 'a small St Petersburg' in Tver.
In 1812, some conspirators who planned to depose Alexander I had the ambitions to put her on the throne as Empress Catherine III. In 1812 she supported the suggestion to summon a national militia and formed a special regiment of chasseurs which took part in many of the great battles of the era. During 1813-1815, Catherine travelled to England with her brother Alexander I to meet Prince Regent George Augustus Frederick, later George IV, and again during the Vienna Congress. She was not without influence upon his political acts during these trips. She also supported the marriage between her younger sister Anna and William II of the Netherlands.
It was in England where she met Crown Prince William I of Wurttemberg. It was love at first sight for the couple, but William was then married to Charlotte Augusta of Bavaria and took the then drastic step by divorcing her and married Catherine in January 1816 in St Petersburg. On 30 October 1816 Catherine, who had two sons from her first marriage, gave birth to a daughter Maria Frederica Charlotte. Upon her husband's accession as the king, Catherine now became active in charity works in her adopted homeland. She established numerous institutions for the benefit of the public. She supported elementary education and organized a charity foundation during the hunger of 1816.
Catherine and William's second daughter Sophia Frederica Mathilde, who later became Queen of the Netherlands, was born on 17 June 1818. Despite the outwardly harmonious marriage, William had extramarital affairs. He took to his former lover Blanche La Fleche again. Eduard von Kallee, born on 26 February 1818 is thought to be his illegitimate son. When Catherine found her husband in Scharnhausen in January 1819, with Blanche La Fleche, she travelled back to Stuttgart. She died of complications from pneumonia on 9 January. William had the Wurttemberg Mausoleum constructed for her in Rotenberg and she was buried in 1824. To cover up the circumstances of her death he tried to obtain her letters, which he suspected contained information about his love affairs. The main political reason for this was so Wurttemberg's relationship with Russia would not be strained. After their mother's death, Catherine's sons by her first marriage went to live with their grandfather, Grand Duke Peter I of Oldenburg.
Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna (1788-1819), fourth daughter of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna
Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna (1788-1819); Duchess of Oldenburg in 1809-1812;
Queen of Wurtemberg in 1816-1819
Anna Pavlovna (1795 - 1865)
Anna Pavlovna was born on 18 January 1795 at Gatchina Palace, the eighth child and sixth daughter of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna. She was raised by her mother at Tsarskoe Selo, the summer residence of the Romanovs, where she spent her childhood there with her two younger brothers, Nicholas and Michael. Anna received a broad education, including the foreign languages and maths. She was also good at handicrafts and painting.
In 1809, after failing to secure her elder sister Catherine, Napoleon Bonaparte asked for Anna's hand in marriage. Her mother managed to delay her reply long enough for the French emperor to lose interest and marry Archduchess Marie Louise, the eighteen years old daughter of the Austrian emperor. On 21 February 1816 Anna married Prince of Orange, who would later become William II of the Netherlands. The marriage had been suggested by her brother Alexander I in 1815, as a symbol of the alliance created after the Congress of Vienna. As it had been decided that no member of the Romanov family should be forced to marry against their will, William was invited to Russia before the wedding so that Anna could get to know him and consent to marry him. At the time of the marriage, it was agreed that William and Anna's children should be raised as Protestants, although Anna herself remained Orthodox. On 17 February 1817 in Brussels, their first son William Alexander was born, the future William III.
Anna was shocked over the many differences between Russia and her new home country, especially when it came to the class system and the separation between the classes, which was much less strict in the Netherlands, where the distance between royalty and the public was not as great as in Russia and she had difficulties adjusting herself to this. The couple lived in Brussels until the Belgian Revolution forced them to leave in 1830. Anna liked Brussels, as it reminded her more of her native country. She founded a school where poor women and girls were educated in sewing in 1832 and a hospital for soldiers wounded in the Belgian Revolution.
From the beginning, Anna considered herself superior in rank to William. In 1829, several pieces of her jewellery were stolen and she suspected her spouse of stealing them, as he was at the time in debt and mixing with people she considered to be questionable. The adultery of her spouse created conflicts between them and they lived separated until 1843. Anna did, however, act as a mediator between her husband and her father-in-law and tried to ease the tension between them during political conflicts. As a person, Anna was described as intelligent, sensitive, loyal to her family and with a violent temperament. During her time in Holland, she studied the Dutch language, history and culture, and founded more than fifty orphanages.
On 7 October 1840, on the abdication of her father-in-law, William I of the Netherlands, she became Queen of the Netherlands. As a queen, Anna is described as dignified, arrogant and distant towards the public. She did in fact learn to speak better Dutch than her often French-speaking spouse, but she upheld a strict etiquette and never became popular as a queen. She valued pomp, etiquette and formal ceremonies and rituals. Anna corresponded with her mother and brothers in Russia and treasured the memory of her birth country: she founded a Russian boys' choir, where the members were to be dressed in traditional Russian costume and it has been said of her that she remained a Russian Grand Duchess more than she ever became Queen of the Netherlands.
As Dowager Queen, Anna left the royal palace, retired from the court life and lived a discreet life. She did not get along with her daughter-in-law and had plans to return to Russia after a conflict with her son, William III, in 1855, but in the end, she did not.
Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna (1795-1865); sixth daughter of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna;
Queen of the Netherlands in 1840-1849
Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna (1795-1865); sixth daughter of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna;
Queen of the Netherlands in 1840-1849
Michael Pavlovich (1798 - 1849)
Michael Pavlovich was the tenth child and fourth son of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna. He was born on 8 February 1798 in St Petersburg. On 19 February 1824, Michael married his first cousin once removed Princess Charlotte of Wurttemberg, the daughter of Prince Paul of Wurttemberg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Charlotte took the name Elena Pavlovna upon converting to the Russian Orthodox Church.
When Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna died in 1828, the palace of Pavlovsk passed on to Michael and he and Elena visited it often. Their marriage was not a happy one: Michael's only passion was for the army and he neglected Elena. Nevertheless, he and Elena had five daughters.
Elena was a close friend to her brother-in-law, Emperor Alexander I and his wife Elizabeth Alexeyevna. She was also quick to befriend the shy Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of then Tsarevich Alexander Nicholaevich. When Michael died in September 1849, Elena became a patron of several charitable organizations and the arts. She also founded the St Petersburg Conservatoire as well as a group of nursing sisters which would eventually become the forerunners of the Red Cross in Russia.
Elena died in Stuttgart, at the age of sixty-six.