Grand Duchess Xenia of Belarus

Grand Duchess Xenia of Belarus is the daughter of Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) and sister of Nicolas II. She is married to Yaroslav I who is the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Belarus which makes her the Grand Duchess of the Grand Duchy.

## History

### Early Life

Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna was born on 6 April [O.S. 25 March] 1875 at the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg. She was the elder daughter among the six children of the Tsesarevich Alexander and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna of Russia (née Princess Dagmar of Denmark).

After the assassination of her paternal grandfather Tsar Alexander II of Russia (13 March [O.S. 1 March] 1881), when Xenia was five years old, her father ascended to the Russian throne as Emperor Alexander III. It was a difficult time politically, plagued with terrorist threats. For security reasons, Alexander III moved with his family from the Winter Palace to Gatchina Palace.

There Xenia and her siblings enjoyed a relatively simple childhood: sleeping on cot beds, waking at 6am, and taking cold baths every morning. Their rooms were simply furnished, though comfortable.

Like her brothers, Xenia was educated by private tutors, with special emphasis on the study of foreign languages. Apart from her native Russian, Xenia studied English, French, and German. She learnt cookery, joinery, and making puppets and their clothes for their theatre. She also enjoyed riding and fishing on the Gatchina estate, drawing (for which she supposedly had a particular talent), gymnastics, dancing, and playing the piano. She was a tomboy in her younger years, and somewhat shy.

Her entire family enjoyed family holidays at the home of her Danish maternal grandparents, Fredensborg Castle. On such a visit she met her cousin and lifelong friend, Princess Marie of Greece, daughter of King George I of Greece and of his Russian-born wife, Queen Olga. The Danish composer, Valdemar Vater, paid Xenia a tribute by writing the "Polka Mazurka".

In the winter of 1888 Xenia caught typhoid and had to have her hair cut as it began to fall out; luckily she made a full recovery. Only a few years later she began suffering from some sort of recurring skin disease, possibly eczema, which caused painful red spots.

### Marriage

Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna was born on 6 April [O.S. 25 March] 1875 at the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg. She was the elder daughter among the six children of the Tsesarevich Alexander and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna of Russia (née Princess Dagmar of Denmark).

After the assassination of her paternal grandfather Tsar Alexander II of Russia (13 March [O.S. 1 March] 1881), when Xenia was five years old, her father ascended to the Russian throne as Emperor Alexander III. It was a difficult time politically, plagued with terrorist threats. For security reasons, Alexander III moved with his family from the Winter Palace to Gatchina Palace.

There Xenia and her siblings enjoyed a relatively simple childhood: sleeping on cot beds, waking at 6am, and taking cold baths every morning. Their rooms were simply furnished, though comfortable.

Like her brothers, Xenia was educated by private tutors, with special emphasis on the study of foreign languages. Apart from her native Russian, Xenia studied English, French, and German. She learnt cookery, joinery, and making puppets and their clothes for their theatre. She also enjoyed riding and fishing on the Gatchina estate, drawing (for which she supposedly had a particular talent), gymnastics, dancing, and playing the piano. She was a tomboy in her younger years, and somewhat shy.

Her entire family enjoyed family holidays at the home of her Danish maternal grandparents, Fredensborg Castle. On such a visit she met her cousin and lifelong friend, Princess Marie of Greece, daughter of King George I of Greece and of his Russian-born wife, Queen Olga. The Danish composer, Valdemar Vater, paid Xenia a tribute by writing the "Polka Mazurka".

In the winter of 1888 Xenia caught typhoid and had to have her hair cut as it began to fall out; luckily she made a full recovery. Only a few years later she began suffering from some sort of recurring skin disease, possibly eczema, which caused painful red spots.

### Charity

Xenia contributed strongly to charitable works. She was a member of the Women's Patriotic Association. From 1903, Xenia was patron of the Creche Society of St. Petersburg, which looked after poor working-class children while their parents were at work. She took a particular interest in hospitals for patients suffering from tuberculosis in the Crimea, perhaps influenced by the death of her brother George from the disease in 1899. She was also patron of the Maritime Naval Welfare Association, which took care of widows and children of naval personnel. Xenia founded the Xenia Association for the Welfare of Children of Workers and Airmen. In addition, she was patron of the Xenia Institute, a St. Petersburg boarding school for 350 students.

### War and Violence

Like other members of her family, Xenia had been grateful to her father for keeping Russia out of wars. On 25 January 1904, Xenia recorded in her diary that war had been declared between Russia and Japan. The previous December, Xenia had told the War Minister, Kuropatkin, that there would be no war and that her brother did not want war. The War Minister said the whole matter might be outside the control of Russia (because Japan started the war in the first place because they wanted Russia's East Asian territories). As war broke out, there was unrest in Russia.

On a cold Sunday in January 1905, over 150,000 peaceful people approached the Winter Palace under the leadership of Father Gapon. The people wanted to present the Tsar with a petition. The St. Petersburg police had asked for help from the army, which fired into the crowd, resulting in 143 casualties. The day would be known as "Bloody Sunday" and mark a turning point in the relationship between the Tsar and his people. In February, Xenia's uncle Sergei, was killed by a bomb in Moscow. Xenia wanted to be with her aunt Ella, but was told the situation was too dangerous.

Xenia was exasperated on hearing of Russia's military defeat in Korea. She had been angry about the start of the war and recorded her thoughts on the end, "and ended even more stupidly!" Xenia was in the Crimea at their home at Ai-Todor with her husband and children, when news of the mutiny of the Black Sea fleet reached them. In October, her brother was forced to agree to the establishment of a Duma as a concession to the people. Some of Xenia's family saw it as "the end of Russian autocracy". Her husband Sandro had resigned his position at the Ministry of Merchant Marine. Xenia and her family spent Christmas at Ai-Todor as it was not safe to travel north, or from their estate. A Christmas service was held in the house, with the priest being driven there and back "in a closed landau under an escort of cavalry".

### World War I

World War I broke out and the country was conquered and occupied by the Germans before the Russians were even prepared. 2 Years after the conquest and occupation of Russia's Western regions bordering Europe, Russian socialists overthrew the Government resulting Germany creating puppet states in the West part of the Russian Empire and conquering hordes of nations and regions in the Eastern Front. She and her husband met with Wilhelm, her brother's cousin in law who told them that he will have her husband as canadate for the throne of the Puppet State of Belarus so he does not have his brother Heinrich for the throne due to his brother Heinrich has two sons who have the same disease as her nephew Alexei. She and her husband finding this out then accepted the throne of Belarus. Her husband was crowned Yaroslav I of Belarus.

## Marriage

Together, Alexander and Xenia had seven children:

* Princess Irina Alexandrovna (b. 1895) married Felix Yusupov (b. 1887) one of the Nobles responsible for the assassination of Grigori Rasputin. They have one daughter together
	+ Peinxaaeaa Felix Yusupov (b. 1914)
* Prince Andrei Alexandrovich (b. 1897) married Elisabetta Ruffo, descendant of Russian Nobles and they have 3 children
	+ Princess Xenia Andreevna (b, 1919)
	+ Prince Michael Andreevich (b. 1920)
	+ Prince Andrew Andreevich of Russia (b. 1923)
* Prince Feodor Alexandrovich (b. 1898) married Princess Irina Paley (b. 1903) and they have one son.
	+ Prince Michael Feodorovich (b. 1924)
* Prince Nikita Alexandrovich (b. 1900) married Countess Maria Vorontsova-Dashkova (b. 1903) a childhood friend of his and have two sons.
	+ Prince Nikita Romanov (b. 1923)
	+ Prince Alexander Romanov (b. 1929)
* Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich (b. 1901) married Countess Marina Sergeievna Golenistcheva-Koutouzova (b. 1912) and they have one daughter
	+ Princess Nadejda Dmitrievna (b. 1933)
* Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich (b. 1902) married Princess Alexandra Pavlovna Galitzine (b. 1905) and the have no children so far.
* Prince Vasili Alexandrovich (b. 1907) married Princess Natalia Golitsyna (b. 1907), they have no children so far.