Friday, February 18, 2011

Serge's beautiful widow

February 18, 1905

The Chicago Tribune reports today that "running through the cable dispatches on the assassination of Grand Duke Sergius are expressions of thankfulness of the people of Moscow" that his wife, Grand Duchess Elisabeth was not with him when the bomb was throne.   Elisabeth, who is known as Ella,  is known for her charity work, which has "endeared her to the Russian people."  It is not "improbable" that the Grand Duke's life by the fact that he was usually accompanied by his wife when he went out driving.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth is a niece of King Edward VII, and the sister of Tsarina Alexandra.  Her husband "forced her to renounce" her Lutheran faith and become a member of the Russian Orthodox church on the advice of Father John of Cronstadt, "who laid the non-birth of a boy in the grand duke's family" to Ella's religion.   The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, although residing in the same palace, had not lived together as man and wife for many years.

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