The fate of the ladies at the court of His Imperial Majesty was always riveted to the attention of the public, because sometimes they, having romance with autocrats and princes, became the main heroines in the everyday life of royal people. It also happened that a maid of honor or a gofmeisterin gave birth to children from the heir to the throne. But it also happened that the fate of the "person close to ..." was very unpredictable, and she left the palace forever. A vivid example of this is the maid of honor of Grand Duchess Marina Nikolaevna. Who is she? Some Olga Kalinovskaya. She was not an ugly woman, her manners were sophisticated, so the girl got into the staff of court ladies quickly. It was this maid of honor with big eyes with ardent passion that fell in love with Tsarevich Alexander. But their romance ended in nothing. So who is she, Olga Kalinovskaya? And why was her chosen one the heir to the Russian throne? Let's consider this question in more detail.
Curriculum Vitae
Olga Kalinovskaya came from a noble family, whose representatives have long lived in Poland. Her father served in the rank of cavalry general. Mother was a noblewoman (Potocki clan).
As early as the 13th century, her Polish ancestors controlled castles and performed some judicial functions. Olga Kalinovskaya, whose biography is known to a narrow circle of readers, idolized and admired the Russian emperor with her family, and this fact became another argument on the question of why she was chosen by the maid of honor.
How did the novel begin?
Alexander Nikolaevich was spoiled by female attention and by nature was an amorous person. Already at a young age, he had an affair with the fairer sex. At the age of fifteen, Alexander Nikolaevich “tricked” the maid of honor Alexandra Fedorovna, who was two years older than him. It's about Natalia Borozdina. Parents of the Crown Prince did not attach such importance to their son’s enthusiasm, attributing everything to age.
But the greatest love of the young man was Olga Kalinovskaya. The heir to the throne often saw her at balls and social events, and soon became indifferent to her.
Their romance began in early 1937, during a Chinese masquerade. Dressed in a ball gown, the young man honed his dancing skills. He waltzed ineptly, but still tried. And the Polish noblewoman in a masquerade turned into the first court lady. Alexander II was then only 19 years old.
The inner circle about maid of honor
He was subdued by this girl. After some time, rumors spread that Alexander wanted to marry a Polish noblewoman. And the courtiers quite admitted that if the emperor refuses his offspring, the prince can marry Olga secretly.
Princess Olga Nikolaevna later describes her brother’s passion as follows: “Her eyes are inexpressive, albeit large. Of course, she is not devoid of charm and femininity, which is inherent in the Polish. But I did not notice any special intelligence, wit, sentimentality and any hobbies behind it. Olga knows how to keep herself in society, to maintain a small talk, but she could not make friends with anyone. A Polish woman who is trying to coexist in this frivolous society is surely sympathetic to many. And dad also pity her with all my heart. "
Maid of honor A. Tolstaya also outlined a portrait of a Polish noblewoman: “Her amazing eyes are immediately noticeable. An aristocrat from birth, she received a brilliant upbringing in St. Petersburg. “She is not distinguished by dazzling beauty, but her manner of keeping herself in a secular society captivated the heart of the prince”.
Parents did not approve of the choice of son
Anticipating and anticipating gossip and rumors, Alexander and Olga set as an example Prince Konstantin Pavlovich (uncle of the Cesarevich), who married a Polish girl, Jeanette Lovich, whose marriage turned out to be happy. But no arguments could convince Nicholas I of the correct choice of the chosen one, who made his son. Not only that, Olga Kalinovskaya (maid of honor) does not have a “monarchical” title, so she also has a different faith. Of course, the emperor made sure that the romance of Alexander and the maid of honor did not go beyond what was permitted, so the relationship of this couple was exclusively platonic. But it is precisely in adolescence that love prohibitions are perceived most acutely.
Will there be a replacement maid of honor?
With this in mind, Nicholas I decides to send his offspring away from the whirlpool of love passions, and the future heir to the throne goes to "unwind" in Europe.
At the same time, the purpose of the trip is trivial: the young man should pay attention not so much to sightseeing as to the choice of the bride. Shortly before this, the father and mother thought about who could make a worthy couple of their offspring, making a list of applicants. However, the prince himself experienced spiritual discomfort: he was very worried that during his absence in Russia, Olga Kalinovskaya would become the wife of another.
The heir to the throne in search of
Alexander, even in Europe, could not forget about Olga, he was thinking about her all the time. But, having arrived in German Darmstadt and visiting the royal castle, I saw Princess Maximiliana-Wilhelmina, who was only fourteen. And then his amorous nature again made itself felt. He was captivated and discouraged by the beauty of the young princess. And then he announced to his adjutants that he would marry this girl of angelic appearance. Until recently, his heart was empty, and he no longer hoped to meet one that would replace Olga, and here such a meeting. The prince immediately wrote to his parents that he wanted to get married. But Emperor Nicholas I, knowing the amorous nature of the offspring, said that before the wedding some preparatory measures were needed, which required a certain time.
Roman flares up again
Tsesarevich introduced his future wife to his parents, and in early August 1840 she moved to the imperial residence to be with Alexander.
Their marriage took place in the spring of 1841.
However, before this, Alexander again resumed meetings with Olga, and his love broke out with renewed vigor. But after some time the emperor finds out about this, and he decides once and for all to cut the "Gordian knot." Once he wrote in his letter: "... his longing for polka, why defend God!"
Nicholas I also spoke with his son, who stated that he was ready to abandon everything if only to be with her, while emphasizing that their love has no future, since it will interfere with the interests of the state. As a result, the emperor suggested that the Polish girl leave the palace. Alexander, learning about such a radical measure of his father, after a while became seriously ill.
“His example is another science”
But how would an autocrat behave if he found out that one of his daughters, Maria Nikolaevna, wants to enter into an organic marriage with Count Grigory Stroganov? And such unions were banned in Russia by Emperor Paul I. And Nicholas I did not recognize that his daughter, realizing that his lover could be exiled to Siberia, decided on such a desperate act.
However, later, taking the throne, Alexander reacted harshly to the act of his sister. He signed a decree from which it followed that Maria Nikolaevna had no right to appear in public with Count Stroganov. Members of the imperial court reacted coolly to the choice of Princess Mary. It is noteworthy that in the late 60s of the 19th century her son Nikolai also chose a wife who did not belong to the royal family. We are talking about the daughter of a college assessor Nadezhda Annenkova.
The fate of the maid of honor
Olga had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that she was expelled from the palace. In the city on the Neva, she lived with her sister, who was the wife of General Plautin. A relative comforted Olga. To distract from sad thoughts, the former maid of honor decided to get married. Her chosen one was a real state adviser, chamberlain of the Court of His Imperial Majesty Oginsky Irenaeus Kleofas Mikhailovich. Olga moved to the estate of her newly-made spouse and rarely left his territory. It is noteworthy that, becoming an adult, Alexander did not forget his youthful love, again brought the woman closer to the court and even visited her Retovo estate. The eldest son, who will be born in the marriage of Olga and Irenaeus, will then assure everyone that he is the offspring of Prince Alexander Nikolayevich Romanov.
The wife of the heir to the throne, Maria Alexandrovna, naturally guessed about the hobby of her husband and was jealous of him. She alienated all the pretty maids of honor so that no gossip would go around the yard. The tsar was helpful, and Alexandra Fedorovna showed sympathy for her daughter-in-law, emphasizing that she was the wife of the heir to the throne and should be patient.
And she steadfastly endured all the blows of fate, knowing that her husband felt in a female society, like a fish in water. Alexander sometimes even dedicated Maria Alexandrovna to his amorous affairs. And the Polish noblewoman-maid of honor was later forgotten by him.
Olga Kalinovskaya died on the last day of the 19th century, having survived both Alexander II and the Empress Maria.
Conclusion
The relations of beautiful maids of honor and members of the royal family were far from always limited by strict ethical standards. The court ladies could get so close to the royal lady that they were then surrounded by their closest attention and care. Up to a certain point, Olga Kalinovskaya, who at the court enjoyed the seemingly unshakable protection of Emperor Nicholas I, fell into this category. He touchingly called her "poor Osipovna." But for Russian monarchs, family honor and state interests were always in the first place, and no love affairs of their offspring could change this axiom. Its inviolability was once again confirmed by the conservative autocrat Nicholas II.