One Year at the Russian Court: 1904-1905

Renee Elton Maud

Description

First published in 1918, this volume contains the fascinating memoirs of Renée Elton Maud, who spent a year in the Russian Court during the rule of Czar Nicholas II, the last Romanov to rule Russia. The House of Romanov was the second ruling Russian dynasty after the House of Rurik, reigning from 1613 until the Russian Revolution in 1917. The Romanov dynasty had 65 members at the start of 1917. By the end of it, 18 had been killed by the Bolsheviks while the remaining 47 had gone into exile abroad. Contents include: “The Fulfilment of My Dream”, “In the Caucasus”, “At Petrograd”, and “Rasputin: His Influence and his Work”. Offering extraordinary insights into the Romanovs and the political and social climate of the time, this volume constitutes a must-read for anyone with an interest in this significant episode of world history. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with the original text and artwork.

Sujets

• Former Soviet Union
• Histoire
• URSS
• Caucasus
• Russia
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 16 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528766784
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

ONE YEAR AT THE RUSSIAN COURT: 1904-1905
Copyright 2018 Read Books Ltd.
This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
THE EX-EMPRESS ALEXANDRA FEODOROVNA OF RUSSIA WITH THE EX-TZAREVITCH ALEXIS
ONE YEAR AT THE RUSSIAN COURT: 1904-1905
BY REN E ELTON MAUD
CONTENTS
PART I
THE FULFILMENT OF MY DREAM
PART II
IN THE CAUCASUS
PART III
AT PETROGRAD
PART IV
RASPUTIN: HIS INFLUENCE AND HIS WORK
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
T HE E X -E MPRESS A LEXANDRA F EODOROVNA OF R USSIA WITH THE E X -C ZAREVITCH A LEXIS
R USSIAN C OACHMAN
C AUCASUS -G OURIAN P RINCE
R USSIAN E QUIPAGES -T WO T RO KAS
I N THE P ARK OF M ONREPOS -T HE F ERRY TO L UDWINSTEIN
M ONREPOS -T HE C HAR - - BANCS
T HE C ASTLE OF M ONREPOS FROM THE P ARK
P ETERHOF -T HE I MPERIAL C HILDREN
C RONSTADT -T WO S URVIVORS OF THE GLORIOUS K OREITZ
T HE B ARRACKS AT P ETERHOF -T WO C OSSACKS OF THE E SCORT
T HE C ROWN P RINCE OF G ERMANY WITH P RINCESS C ECILIE AS F IANC S
S CENERY IN THE C AUCASUS
I N THE M OUNTAINS OF THE C AUCASUS
T IFLIS -A P ERSIAN B AKER S S HOP
T IFLIS -A P ERSIAN S HOEMAKER S S HOP
P LOUGHING IN THE C AUCASUS
T HE I MPERIAL P ALACE OF T ZARSKO -C ELO
P ART I
THE FULFILMENT OF MY DREAM
CHAPTER I
AT last, I was on the eve of my departure for Russia! The dream of my twenty summers! For that great Russia, the country of my devoted grandmother, Baroness de Nicolay, who, however, was born in London, her father, Baron de Nicolay, being at the time attached to the Russian Embassy there. He subsequently became Russian Minister at Copenhagen, where on account of the many friendships he had formed in society and his deep attachment to the then King and Queen of Denmark and all their family-who held him in the greatest esteem and intimacy-he remained more than twenty years, refusing every offer of advancement in consequence.
Queen Louise, Queen Alexandra s mother, kept up a frequent correspondence with my grandmother up to the time of the latter s death. Here, it may be of interest to mention that I have amongst my most valued possessions a beautiful diamond bracelet given by the Queen to my grandmother, who was by birth half French on her mother s side, n e Princesse de Broglie-Revel, and until her marriage maid of honour to the Empress of Russia. That great Russia, the charms and delights of which in my innermost self I had longed for and at night dreamt of, during the long winter months passed in the solitude of my ancient and austere Norman home, listening to the howling of the wind amongst the pine trees as they groaned and bent their heads in cadence. How good it was to dream then!
Years after my Uncle Auguste de Villaine, my father s brother, was specially requested by the King and Queen of Denmark, in remembrance of the past, to be sent as French Military Attach to Copenhagen.
The husband of my friend Madame de Saint-Pair had just been appointed Naval Attach at St Petersburg (Petrograd), and I obtained my father s permission to accompany her on her journey to rejoin her husband. First of all I was to pay a visit to my aunt, Baroness de Nicolay, who was waiting to receive me.
On reaching the Russian Frontier, at Wirballen, at 8.30 p.m., we had to change from the North Express into the Russian train on account of the gauge being much wider in the land of the Tzar-as it was then. No sooner had the train come to a standstill than our compartment was literally invaded by a crowd of porters-at least one for each of our packages! The train which had been so full on leaving Paris was by this time almost empty-hence the reason for this invasion, each one fighting as to which should bear the burden! Dressed in those curiously long coats caught up in pleats at the waist, with their baggy trousers, top boots, flat caps and white aprons reaching to the knee, as they walked about on the station platform with their hands behind their backs, they looked like male hospital nurses.
Thanks to the very special recommendation of the Russian Ambassador in Paris and, in spite of the fierce expression worn by the tall, pompous and bewhiskered Colonel of the Gendarmes, this very important functionary merely bowed to our luggage allowing it all to pass the customs without being examined. Many jealous eyes must have watched us there, for the Russian Customs were most severe.
I noticed a large picture of the Sacred Heart with a huge candle burning in front of it-I was indeed in Holy Russia.
An amusing incident occurred on the arrival of the train at Gatchina, where Her Imperial Majesty the Dowager-Empress had a palace, which I feel I must relate. From the windows of our compartment we were able to get a peep at the Grand Duke Nicholas-Michaelovitch, who had just left our train for a dressing-room in the station, and witnessed in silence the transformation of a Grand Duke from civilian clothes into the uniform of his rank, which is by no means a small affair-but I must say a quick one!
A few minutes later we saw His Imperial Highness dashing away in a brilliant Court equipage, his attendants in Imperial scarlet liveries. This was certainly my first experience of a Grand Duke in such complete n glig .
At Petrograd my aunt s brougham was awaiting me. A Russian turn-out is delightfully picturesque. The coachman is dressed in a long dark blue padded coat, especially thick in winter; his vast proportions completely fill up the whole box-seat and sometimes even overlap it. The fatter he looks, the smarter he is. He wears a very full skirt and, with his face framed by his long hair, his top hat cut short, his waist-belt of many colours, his fashion of driving with both his arms stretched out at full length in front of him, and instead of using a whip-which is non-existent-occasionally calling out in guttural tones, he forms a truly picturesque object to the visitors from foreign lands.
There is yet another type of coachman, seen more seldom, however, who is dressed as a Russian postilion and who in summer wears long silk sleeves of varied brilliant hues issuing from his dark coat. The top of his round toque is edged with short up-standing peacock feathers. The big, black, sure-footed, nervous horses, with their long tails and manes, do not resemble ours in any way. The reins and the red or blue tassels brighten up the harness, and how enjoyable it is to go for a drive in a sleigh at full tilt, zigzagging about over the pure white snow as slippery as glass, specially so in a tro ka, to the tinkling sound of its many bells. But, in a droschki, with its narrow borderless seat, the only alternative is to seize one s companion s waist; it may have its charm also!
My Aunt de Nicolay-Tante Sonine, as I always called her- n e Baroness de Meyendorff, had frequented all the most brilliant Courts of Europe, being well known both in London and Berlin. Being married at the age of eighteen to my uncle, my grandmother s brother, she had accompanied her husband during his entire diplomatic career-necessarily a somewhat nomadic existence. My aunt welcomed me with much warmth, which touched me profoundly. I had met her for the first time in 1900 on the occasion of her visit to Paris at the time of the Great Exhibition, after which she had come to Normandy, and it was during this visit that I began to form for her that deep admiration and affection which her memory will always invoke in me.

RUSSIAN COACHMAN

CAUCASUS-GOURIAN PRINCE

RUSSIAN EQUIPAGES-TWO TRO KAS (THREE HORSES)
My aunt was altogether charming; tall and very distinguished looking, and extraordinarily refined-in fact a real grande dame to her fingertips. She appeared to be much younger than she was. Her beautiful features had preserved a wonderfully youthful charm, to be seen at their full value when she smiled that sweet smile of hers-so good and so true. I very soon began positively to adore her.
During her youth my aunt had been very pretty, with her dazzling fair hair and fresh pink and white complexion, so much so that at a great Court ball at the Winter Palace one of the Grand Dukes remarked: She is not a woman, she is a swan!
Even at the time of my visit she still gave one this impression: she was so graceful in all her movements and as active and supple as any young woman of twenty-five; and, to see her beautiful little head so proudly borne on her long flexible neck with its aristocratic lines attached to those exquisitely moulded shoulders of hers, one could imagine that she had simply sailed through life partaking of all its beauties and avoiding all contact with the horrors and pettiness of the great world she frequented, thus conserving intact, both in a moral and a physical sense, the pure whiteness of the swan !
Left a widow at thirty-two, my aunt was always an ideal mother, giving every proof of entire devotion to her children-her every thought was for them and theirs. Her voice, combining softness with firmness, was one of her most charming characteristics, with such a perfect pronunciation in French, English and German that a stranger would have asked himself which of the three was her native tongue.
She declared she did not know Russian well enough, and preferred never to speak in that language in society.
One of the first instructions I received from her was- Always shake hands with a gentleman when he is presented. How different from the English custom, where a slight nod and side look often suffices! While in France a young girl is mor