Film. In the film by Alexei Uchitel, Matilda, played by the Polish actress Michalina Olshanskaya, is a brilliant beauty. On the screen, such passions are raging around the beautiful polka that it cannot be otherwise. “More than fifty actresses auditioned for the role of Kshesinskaya, the search was painful,” the director admits. - When on film set Mikhalina arrived, I realized that I had found Matilda and, fearing to lose her, on the same day, without screen tests, I signed a contract. ” By the way, Matilda was supposed to be played by Keira Knightley, but the actress got pregnant and had to look for a replacement for her. Mikhalina is not a dancer, she is a film actress, violinist and singer, but a ballet girl with a height of 1 m and 65 cm.
Kshesinskaya was not 18 when, in March 1890, she met the Tsarevich during a gala dinner in honor of the graduates of the Petersburg Ballet School. Michalina is 25, she looks older than her years, and this is appropriate: the film is not about romantic love, but about passion.
Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix). Photo: Global Look Press
Matilda, or Malya, as her relatives called her, Olshanskaya turned out to be strong-willed and wayward. On the way to the goal - to take possession of the Tsarevich and make him give up the throne for her sake - she sweeps away everything and everyone. Only fate and fate stop the heroine. The prototype, Matilda Kshesinskaya, never dreamed of becoming the wife of the Tsasarevich. When the ballerina left her parents to live in a house on Angliysky Avenue of St. Petersburg, bought for her by Nikolai, she knew that she could only be a mistress, and put up with it. But Matilda really had a character. For more than ten years, with the support of all-powerful admirers, she reigned supreme on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. The great ballerinas of that time - Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova, who danced at the same time with Matilda, had the status of the first ballerinas, but there was only one prima - Kshesinskaya.
Story. One glance at the portrait of the star of the imperial ballet is enough to note: Kshesinskaya was not a beauty. Large nose, wide eyebrows ... The face is devoid of harmony, but pay attention to the expression of intelligent dark eyes. Before us is clearly an extraordinary woman. In reviews of the St. Petersburg press on ballets with the participation of the "prima ballerina of the absolute" (as they called Matilda), much is said about her "physical charm", however, compliments to her appearance sounded restrained: "a pretty artist ... a pretty ballerina", but never a "beauty" ...
Prima ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya (1903). Photo: Global Look Press
The slender, graceful, little Kshesinskaya (the ballerina's height is 1 m 53 cm) was praised for the fact that she had "a lot of life, fire and gaiety." Perhaps in these words lies the secret of the magical charm of Matilda Feliksovna, who said about herself: "By nature, I was a flirt." She loved and knew how to live, enjoy luxury, earthly blessings and surround herself with the first men of the state, in whose power to give whatever she wants. The heir was in love with Kshesinskaya Russian throne Tsarevich Nikolay, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Nikolai's cousin Andrei Vladimirovich, to whom Matilda gave birth to a son, Vladimir. For Andrei Vladimirovich Matilda dreamed of marrying for a long time, but only in 1921, in exile, in Cannes, was she able to marry one of the Romanovs and change the status of his mistress to the title of His Serene Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya.
Tsarevich Nikolay
Film. The Tsarevich in the film is played by the 41-year-old German actor and theater director Lars Eidinger, who has devoted almost two years to work on the role. In contrast to the fame of a weak tsar, which has strengthened behind Nicholas, Eidinger plays an almost Shakespearean hero, a man of strong passions, capable of rebellion for love. He is suffering, impetuous and sharp in his movements. Outwardly, the on-screen hero also little resembles a historical character in his youth. Eidinger is tall (height 1 m 90 cm), large, mature. A thick beard also adds age. Before us is not a weak indecisive crown prince, but a personality. Be Nikolai such a hero as Eidinger played him, who knows how the fate of the dynasty and country would have developed. The role of Nikolai was promised to Danila Kozlovsky, but when the decision changed, the actor was offered to play Count Vorontsov, a character who did not exist in reality.
Lars Eidinger as Nikolai. Photo: PR-agency "Sarafan PR"
Young Tsarevich Nikolai (1890). Photo: Global Look Press
Story. Reddish, thin, slim, short, short haircut a hedgehog and calm gray-green eyes - this is how Matilda saw the crown prince. At the time of the meeting with Kshesinskaya, the 22-year-old future emperor wore a small dandy mustache, the beard appeared later. Contemporaries claim that Nikolai's gestures and movements were very measured, even slow. “He was kind by nature, easy to handle. Everyone has always been fascinated by him, and his exceptional eyes and smile won hearts. One of the striking traits of his character was the ability to control himself and hide his inner experiences, - writes about Nikolai Kshesinskaya in the book "Memoirs". “It was clear to me that the heir did not have something to reign ... Something to force others to submit to his will. His first impulse was almost always correct, but he did not know how to insist on his own and very often gave in. I have told him more than once that he is not intended either for reign or for the role that by the will of fate he will have to play. "
Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt
Film. Screen Alice cannot be called anything other than a red-haired beast. German theater actress Louise Wolfram, similar to Tilda Swinton, has created a grotesque image. Miserable, lanky, awkward, she tries to seduce Nicholas by dancing and gets entangled in her skirts, causing the audience to laugh. Alice is the complete opposite of the brilliant Matilda. The bride of the Tsarevich unsuccessfully intrigues against the ballerina, arranges seances, conjures with blood and wears green dresses in terrible roses. The empress and mother of Nikolai, Maria Feodorovna, now and then reproaches the future daughter-in-law for her tastelessness and clearly dislikes her, like the rest of the Tsarevich's entourage.
Lars Eidinger and Louise Wolfram, who played Alix. Photo: PR-agency "Sarafan PR"
Story. As soon as in April 1894 the princess became the heir's bride, he confessed to her that he was infatuated with Kshesinskaya and severed his relationship with the ballerina. In response, I received a short letter from Alix: "What happened, that was, and will never return ... I love you even more after you told me this story." According to the authors of the film, Alice had to seek a wedding with the Tsarevich, but in reality everything was different. The princess refused the heir several times, not wanting to betray the Lutheran faith, but then succumbed to persuasion. As contemporaries noted, Alice was distinguished by impeccable taste, was tall and slender. "Thick hair lay in a heavy crown on the head, adorning it, but the large dark blue eyes under the long eyelashes looked cold ..."
The whole truth about love
“Listen to how it will be: it is you, not me, who will be jealous, tormented, looking for a meeting and you will not be able to love anyone like me ...” - says Matilda to the heir in the film. In fact, Matilda was more interested in the relationship than Nikolai, loved and suffered in separation more than he. In June 1893, when the question of the engagement of the heir to Princess Alice was not yet resolved, Kshesinskaya rented a dacha near Krasnoe Selo, where the heir's regiment was stationed. But during the whole summer he came to Matilda only twice. In the diaries of the Tsarevich there are records that his heart and head at that time were occupied only by the princess. “After the engagement, he asked for a last date, and we agreed to meet on the Volkonskoe highway. I came from the city in my carriage, and he was on horseback from the camp. Only one meeting took place in private ... What I experienced on the day of the Sovereign's wedding can only be understood by those who are capable of truly loving with all their souls, ”Matilda admitted.
Still from the film. Photo: PR-agency "Sarafan PR"
“I like Malya, I love Alix,” the Tsarevich wrote in his diary, and this phrase contains the whole truth about the love triangle - Nicholas, Alice (or Alix) and Matilda. And here are the lines from the queen's diary, which she wrote down on her wedding night: "We belong to each other forever ... The key from my heart, in which you are imprisoned, is lost, and now you will never get out of there."
People who lived in Russia at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries thought little about what their image would be in the eyes of distant descendants. Therefore, they lived simply - they loved, betrayed, committed meanness and selfless acts, not knowing that a hundred years later one of them would be put on a halo, while others would be posthumously denied the right to love.
Matilda Kshesinskaya got an amazing fate - fame, universal recognition, love the mighty of the world this, emigration, life under German occupation, need. And decades after her death, people who consider themselves to be highly spiritual personalities will flap her name on every corner, inwardly cursing the fact that she ever lived in the world.
"Kshesinskaya 2nd"
She was born in Ligov, near St. Petersburg, on August 31, 1872. Ballet was her destiny from birth - father, Pole Felix Kshesinsky, was a dancer and teacher, an unsurpassed mazurka performer.
Mother, Yulia Dominskaya, was a unique woman: in her first marriage she gave birth to five children, and after the death of her husband she married Felix Kshesinsky and gave birth to three more. Matilda was the youngest in this ballet family, and, following the example of her parents and older brothers and sisters, she decided to link her life with the stage.
At the beginning of her career, the name "Kshesinskaya 2nd" will be assigned to her. The first was her sister Julia, a brilliant artist of the Imperial Theaters. Brother Joseph, also a renowned dancer, will remain in Soviet Russia after the revolution, receive the title of Honored Artist of the Republic, stage performances and teach.
Felix Kshesinsky and Yulia Dominskaya. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Joseph Kshesinsky repressions will bypass, but his fate, nevertheless, will be tragic - he will become one of the hundreds of thousands of victims of the blockade of Leningrad.
Little Matilda dreamed of fame, and worked hard in class. The teachers of the Imperial Theater School said among themselves that the girl had a great future, if, of course, she found a wealthy patron.
Fateful dinner
The life of the Russian ballet of the times Russian Empire was similar to the life of show business in post-Soviet Russia - one talent was not enough. Careers were done through the bed, and this was not really hidden. The faithful married actresses were destined to be the backdrop for the brilliantly talented courtesans.
In 1890, 18-year-old graduate of the Imperial Theater School, Matilda Kshesinskaya, was given a high honor - the emperor himself was present at the graduation performance Alexander III with the family.
Ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. 1896 Photo: RIA Novosti
“This exam decided my fate,” Kshesinskaya writes in her memoirs.
After the performance, the monarch and his retinue appeared in the rehearsal hall, where Alexander III showered Matilda with compliments. And then the emperor showed the young ballerina at a festive dinner a place next to the heir to the throne - Nikolay.
Alexander III, unlike other representatives of the imperial family, including his father, who lived in two families, is considered a faithful husband. The emperor preferred another entertainment of Russian men to walking "to the left" - the consumption of a "little white woman" in the company of friends.
However, Alexander did not see anything shameful that a young man learns the basics of love before marriage. That's why he pushed his phlegmatic 22-year-old son into the arms of an 18-year-old beauty of Polish blood.
“I don't remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with the heir. As I now see his blue eyes with such a kind expression. I stopped looking at him only as an heir, I forgot about it, everything was like a dream. When I said goodbye to the heir, who had spent the whole dinner next to me, we looked at each other differently than when we met, a feeling of attraction had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine, ”Kshesinskaya wrote about that evening.
Passion "hussar Volkov"
Their romance was not stormy. Matilda dreamed of meeting, but the heir, busy with state affairs, did not have time to meet.
In January 1892, a certain "hussar Volkov" arrived at Matilda's house. The surprised girl approached the door, and ... Nikolai was walking towards her. They spent that night together for the first time.
The visits of the "hussar Volkov" became regular, and the whole of St. Petersburg knew about them. It got to the point that one night a St. Petersburg mayor broke into a couple in love, who received a strict order to deliver the heir to his father on an urgent matter.
This relationship had no future. Nikolai knew the rules of the game well: before his betrothal in 1894 to a princess Alice of Hesse, the future Alexandra Fedorovna, he parted with Matilda.
In her memoirs, Kshesinskaya writes that she was inconsolable. Believe it or not, everyone's personal business. An affair with the heir to the throne gave her such patronage that her rivals on the stage could not have.
We must pay tribute, getting the best games, she proved that she deserves them. Becoming a prima ballerina, she continued to improve, taking private lessons from the famous Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti.
Matilda Kshesinskaya became the first Russian dancer to perform 32 fouettés in a row, which today are considered the trademark of Russian ballet, having adopted this trick from the Italians.
Soloist of the Imperial Mariinsky Theater Matilda Kshesinskaya in the ballet "Pharaoh's Daughter", 1900. Photo: RIA Novosti
Grand Ducal Love Triangle
Her heart was not free for long. The new chosen one again became the representative of the House of Romanovs, the Grand Duke Sergey Mikhailovich, grandson Nicholas I and a great-uncle of Nicholas II. Sergei Mikhailovich, an unmarried man, known as a closed man, felt incredible affection for Matilda. He took care of her for many years, thanks to which her career in the theater was completely cloudless.
Feelings of Sergei Mikhailovich passed cruel tests. In 1901, the Grand Duke began to look after Kshensinskaya Vladimir Alexandrovich, uncle of Nicholas II. But this was only an episode before the appearance of a real rival. The rival was his son - the Grand Duke Andrew Vladimirovich, cousin of Nicholas II. He was ten years younger than his relative and seven years younger than Matilda.
“It was no longer an empty flirtation ... From the day of my first meeting with the Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, we began to meet more and more often, and our feelings for each other soon turned into a strong mutual attraction,” writes Kshesinskaya.
Men of the Romanov family flew to Matilda like butterflies on fire. Why? Now none of them will explain. And the ballerina skillfully manipulated them - having struck up a relationship with Andrei, she never parted with Sergei.
Having gone on a trip in the fall of 1901, Matilda felt unwell in Paris, and when she turned to a doctor, she found out that she was in a "position." But whose child it was, she did not know. Moreover, both lovers were ready to recognize the child as their own.
The son was born on June 18, 1902. Matilda wanted to call him Nicholas, but did not dare - such a step would be a violation of the rules that they once established with the now Emperor Nicholas II. As a result, the boy was named Vladimir, in honor of the father of the Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.
The son of Matilda Kshesinskaya will succeed interesting biography- before the revolution he will be "Sergeevich" because he is recognized by the "senior lover", and in emigration he will become "Andreevich", because the "younger lover" marries his mother and recognizes him as his son.
Matilda Kshesinskaya, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and their son Vladimir. Around 1906 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Mistress of the Russian ballet
In the theater, Matilda was openly afraid. After leaving the troupe in 1904, she continued one-time performances, receiving mind-boggling royalties. All the parties that she liked were assigned to her and only to her. To go against Kshesinskaya at the beginning of the 20th century in Russian ballet meant to end her career and ruin my life.
Director of the Imperial Theaters, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Volkonsky, once dared to insist that Kshesinskaya go on stage in a suit that she did not like. The ballerina did not obey and was fined. A couple of days later, Volkonsky resigned, as Emperor Nicholas II himself explained to him that he was wrong.
New Director of the Imperial Theaters Vladimir Telyakovsky I didn’t argue with Matilda because of the word “absolutely”.
“It would seem that a ballerina serving in the directorate should belong to the repertoire, but here it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya, and as of fifty performances, forty belong to balletomanes, and in the repertoire - of all ballets, more than half of the best belong to the ballerina Kshesinskaya, - Telyakovsky wrote in his memoirs. - She considered them her property and could give or not let others dance. There were cases when a ballerina was discharged from abroad. In her contract, ballets were stipulated for the tour. So it was with the ballerina Grimaldi, invited in 1900. But when she decided to rehearse one ballet specified in the contract (this ballet was “A Vain Precaution”), Kshesinskaya said: “I won't give it, this is my ballet”. Began - telephones, conversations, telegrams. The poor director rushed here and there. Finally, he sends the minister an encrypted telegram to Denmark, where he was at that time with the sovereign. The case was secret, of special state importance. And what? Receives the following answer: "Since this ballet is Kshesinskaya, then leave him for her."
Matilda Kshesinskaya with her son Vladimir, 1916 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Shot off nose
In 1906, Kshesinskaya became the owner of a luxurious mansion in St. Petersburg, where everything, from start to finish, was done according to her own ideas. There was a wine cellar in the mansion for men visiting the ballerina; in the courtyard, horse-drawn carriages and cars were waiting for the hostess. There was even a barn, since the ballerina loved fresh milk.
Where did all this splendor come from? Contemporaries said that even Matilda's space fees would not be enough for all this luxury. It was claimed that the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, a member of the Council of State Defense, "pinched off" for his beloved little by little from the country's military budget.
Kshesinskaya had everything she dreamed of, and, like many women in her position, she got bored.
The result of boredom was the romance of a 44-year-old ballerina with a new stage partner Peter Vladimirov, who was 21 years younger than Matilda.
Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, ready to share his mistress with an equal, was furious. During a tour of Kshesinskaya in Paris, the prince challenged the dancer to a duel. The offended representative of the Romanov family shot the unhappy Vladimirov's nose. The doctors had to collect it piece by piece.
But, surprisingly, the Grand Duke forgave his windy beloved this time too.
The end of the fairy tale
The tale ended in 1917. With the fall of the empire, Kshesinskaya's former life also collapsed. She also tried to sue the Bolsheviks for the mansion, from the balcony of which Lenin spoke. The understanding of how serious everything is came later.
Together with her son, Kshesinskaya wandered across the south of Russia, where the power changed, as if in a kaleidoscope. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks in Pyatigorsk, but they, still undecided what he was to blame, let him go on all four sides. Son Vladimir was ill with the Spanish flu, which mowed millions of people in Europe. Miraculously escaping typhus, in February 1920 Matilda Kshesinskaya on the steamer "Semiramis" left Russia forever.
By this time, two of her lovers from the Romanov family were no longer alive. Nikolai's life was interrupted in the Ipatiev house, Sergei was shot dead in Alapaevsk. When his body was raised from the mine where it had been dumped, a small gold medallion with a portrait of Matilda Kshesinskaya and the inscription "Malia" was found in the Grand Duke's hand.
Juncker in the former mansion of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya after the Central Committee and the Petrograd Committee of the RSDLP (b) moved from it. June 6, 1917. Photo: RIA Novosti
The Serene Princess at a reception at Muller's
In 1921, in Cannes, 49-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya became a legal wife for the first time in her life. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, despite the sidelong glances of his relatives, formalized the marriage and adopted a child whom he always considered his own.
In 1929, Kshesinskaya opened her ballet school in Paris. This step was rather forced - the former comfortable life was left behind, it was necessary to earn a living. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who declared himself in exile in 1924 as the head of the Romanovs' house, in 1926 assigned Kshesinskaya and her offspring the title and surname of princes Krasinskikh, and in 1935 the title began to sound like "the lordly princes of the Romanovsky-Krasinsky".
During the Second World War, when the Germans occupied France, Matilda's son was arrested by the Gestapo. According to legend, the ballerina, in order to achieve release, achieved a personal audience with the chief of the Gestapo Müller... Kshesinskaya herself never confirmed this. Vladimir spent 144 days in a concentration camp, unlike many other emigrants, he refused to cooperate with the Germans, and nevertheless was released.
There were many long-livers in the Kshesinsky family. Matilda's grandfather lived 106 years, sister Yulia died at the age of 103, and Kshesinskaya 2 herself passed away just a few months before her 100th birthday.
The building of the Museum of the October Revolution - also known as the mansion of Matilda Kshesinskaya. 1972 Architect A. Gauguin, R. Melzer. Photo: RIA Novosti / B. Manushin
"I cried with happiness"
In the 1950s, she wrote a memoir of her life, which was first published in French in 1960.
“In 1958 the Bolshoi Ballet Company arrived in Paris. Although I don't go anywhere else, dividing my time between my house and the dance studio where I earn to live, I made an exception and went to the Opera to see the Russians. I cried with happiness. It was the same ballet that I saw more than forty years ago, the owner of the same spirit and the same traditions ... ”, wrote Matilda. Probably, ballet remained her main love for all her life.
The cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois became the resting place of Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya. She was buried with her husband, whom she survived for 15 years, and her son, who passed away three years after her mother.
The inscription on the monument reads: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."
No one will be able to take away from Matilda Kshesinskaya the life he has lived, just like no one will be able to remake the history of the last decades of the Russian Empire to their liking, turning living people into disembodied beings. And those who are trying to do this do not know even a tenth of the colors of life that little Matilda learned.
The grave of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov at the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery in the city of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois in the Paris region. Photo: RIA Novosti / Valery Melnikov
Alexey Kulegin
Head of the Editorial and Publishing Department of the State Museum of Political History of Russia, Candidate of Historical Sciences, author of the research “The Mansion Case. How the Bolsheviks "consolidated" Matilda Kshesinskaya "and" Prima Donna for the emperor. Nicholas II and Matilda Kshesinskaya "and the exposition" Matilda Kshesinskaya: Fouette of Fate ", which has been working in the Museum of Political History of Russia since 2015.
Family
Matilda Kshesinskaya came out of a theatrical family. Her father Felix Yanovich (in Russian transcription - Ivanovich) was a famous ballet dancer, performed at the Warsaw Opera. They even went on stage together: there is a photograph of them dancing the mazurka in the opera A Life for the Tsar. Felix Janovic lived a very long life and died due to an accident: during
Felix Kshesinsky with his wife Julia
One of the rehearsals accidentally fell into an open hatch, and, apparently, severe fright and trauma brought his death closer. Mom Kshesinskaya Julia Dominskaya was also an artist. Almost all of her children went to ballet: Matilda's older sister Julia did not become the same famous ballerina, but brother Joseph received the title of Honored Artist, which he retained in Soviet time.
Acquaintance with the imperial family
In 1890, Matilda very successfully graduated from the Imperial Theater School (now - the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. - Approx. A.K.) in 17 years. Prom and became a turning point in the fate of Kshesinskaya - there she met with the heir-Tsarevich.
Nicholas II
By tradition, the royal family was almost entirely present at this event. Ballet was considered a privileged art - as it was later, in Soviet times. The powers that be showed interest in him in every sense - they were often interested not only in performances, but also in the ballerinas themselves, with whom the princes and grand dukes had many novels.
So, on March 23, 1890, after the exams, the royal family arrived at the school. After a short ballet fragment, in which Kshesinskaya also took part (she danced the pas de deux from "Vain Precaution"), there was a dinner with the pupils. According to Matilda, Alexander III wanted to meet her - he asked where Kshesinskaya was. She was introduced, although usually the foreground was supposed to be another girl - the best student in the graduation. Then Alexander allegedly uttered the famous words that predetermined the future fate of Kshesinskaya: "Be the beauty and pride of Russian ballet!" Most likely, this is a myth invented later by Kshesinskaya herself: she loved to engage in self-PR and left behind a diary and memories that did not coincide in some details.
Matilda Kshesinskaya
The emperor put Kshesinskaya together with Nikolai, who was four years older than Matilda, and said something like: "Just don't flirt too much." Interestingly, Kshesinskaya initially perceived that historic dinner as a boring, routine thing. She did not care what grand dukes would be there, who would be next. However, they quickly had a casual conversation with Nikolai. Already at their parting, it was clear that this meeting was not accidental. Returning to the Anichkov Palace, Nikolai left the following entry in his diary: “Let's go to the play at the Theater School. There were small plays and ballet. I had a very good dinner with the pupils ”- nothing more. However, he certainly remembered his acquaintance with Kshesinskaya. Two years later, Nikolai will write: “At 8 o'clock. went to the Theater School, where he saw a good performance of drama classes and ballet. At supper I sat with the pupils, as before, only little Kshesinskaya is very lacking. "
novel
Kshesinskaya was enrolled in the troupe of the Imperial Theaters, but she, a young debutante, was not allowed at first big roles... In the summer of 1890, she performed at the Krasnoselsky wooden theater. It was built for the entertainment of the guards officers, among whom were all the Grand Dukes, including Nicholas. Backstage, she and Matilda once met, exchanged short phrases; Nikolai wrote in his diary: "I like Kshesinskaya 2nd, positively, very much" Kshesinskaya First, in turn, called Matilda's sister Julia... In private, they practically did not see each other. All in all, an innocent cute situation.
Then a well-known event took place - the heir's trip around the world on the cruiser "Memory of Azov". Kshesinskaya was very worried that Nikolai would forget her. But this did not happen, although the journey lasted more than a year... Upon their return, the young people met at the theater, and in March 1892 their first private date took place. This is indicated in the memoirs, although in fact Nikolai came to her parents' apartment, and in the room they were the three of them with his sister Kshesinskaya.
The first - in French - the edition of Matilda Kshesinskaya's memoirs was published in Paris in 1960
How it happened can be found in Matilda's diary. In the evening, Kshesinskaya did not feel well, the maid entered the room and announced that their acquaintance, the hussar Volkov, had arrived. Kshesinskaya ordered to ask - it turned out that it was Nikolai. They spent more than two hours together, drinking tea, talking, looking at photos; Nikolai even chose some kind of card, then said that he would like to write to her, received permission to reply letters and subsequently asked Kshesinskaya to contact him on you.
Their relationship culminated in the winter of 1892-1893. Most likely, Nikolai and Matilda became lovers. The diary of Nikolai, a very closed and reserved person, is replete with descriptions of meetings: “I went to M.K., where I had dinner as usual and had a great time,” “I went to M.K., spent three wonderful hours with her,” “I just left at 12 ½ straight to M.K. Stayed for a very long time and had an extremely good time. " Kshesinskaya, on the other hand, kept a very ladies' diary, where she described her experiences, feelings, tears. Nikolai has no liberties. However, this is how he writes about the winter events: “January 25, 1893. Monday. In the evening I flew to my M.K. and spent the best evening with her so far. I am impressed by her - the pen is shaking in my hand. " Even in the description of much more formidable events, such strong emotions on the part of Nikolai are practically invisible. “January 27, 1893. At 12 o'clock. went to M.K., who stayed until 4 o'clock. (meaning, until four o'clock in the morning. - Approx. ed.). We had a good chat, and laughed, and fiddled. " Later they decided that Kshesinskaya should live separately: it was too inconvenient to meet with her parents, especially since the girls' small bedroom was adjacent to her father's office. With the support of Nikolai Kshesinskaya, she rented a house at 18 Angliysky Prospekt - from now on they saw each other there.
Kshesinskaya previously asked permission from her father. Then the move of an unmarried girl from her parents was considered indecent, and Felix Yanovich hesitated for a long time. In the end, they talked: her father explained to her that this relationship is futile, the novel has no future. Kshesinskaya replied that she understands all this, but she is madly in love with Niki and wants to remain at least somewhat happy. Such a decision was made - the father allowed the move, but only together with the older sister.
Nikolai Romanov began keeping a diary in 1882. The last entry was made 9 days before the execution - June 30, 1918
They started living in the house with a very interesting story... Its most famous owner was the uncle of Emperor Alexander III, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich 
... In addition to being a great liberal (and Alexander III could not stand him for that), Constantine was de facto a bigamist: he left his legal wife and lived there with a ballerina Anna Kuznetsova 
.
It is usually said that the move took place in winter. There is no exact date in Matilda's diary, but Nikolai has it. He wrote: “February 20 (1893). I didn't go to the theater, but went to see M.K. and the four of us had a great housewarming dinner. They moved into a new home, a cozy two-story mansion. The rooms are very nicely and simply decorated, but there are still a few things to add. It is very pleasant to have a separate farm and be independent. We sat down again until four o'clock. " The fourth guest is Baron Alexander Zeddeler, colonel, whom Julia later married. Kshesinskaya described in detail how she was engaged in landscaping: she generally did construction work with pleasure.
The gap
It was the culmination of the novel and at the same time the beginning of the end. The prospect of marriage with Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, the future Alexandra Fedorovna, was becoming more and more clear. Nikolai wrote in a rather interesting diary: “A very strange phenomenon that I notice in myself: I never thought that two identical feelings, two loves were simultaneously combined in my soul. Now it's already the fourth year that I love Alix G. and I constantly cherish the thought if God will ever marry her ... ”The problem was that his parents did not really approve of this choice. They had other plans - Maria Feodorovna, for example, was counting on a marriage with a French princess; I also looked closely at other options.
Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt - the future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
Several times Nikolai came to Alice, but it did not work to get married - which Kshesinskaya was very happy about. She wrote: I was glad again that nothing happened, that Nicky came back to me, that he was so happy. Was he that happy or not - big question... Alice did not want to convert to Orthodoxy. This was an important condition for a dynastic marriage. Her sister Ella (Elizaveta Fedorovna) 
In 1918, the Bolsheviks threw her, along with other members of the imperial family, into a mine near Alapaevsk. In 1992, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Elizaveta Fedorovna who became the wife of the Moscow governor Sergei Alexandrovich 
Was killed in 1905 by revolutionary Ivan Kalyaev, also did not immediately agree to this. Alice hesitated for a long time, and only in the spring of 1894 did the engagement take place. Even before that, Nikolai broke off relations with Kshesinskaya.
Matilda has a very detailed description of their last date - at some sheds on the Volkhonskoe highway. She came from the city in a carriage, he came on horseback from the guards camps. According to her version, Nikolai said that their love will forever remain the brightest moment of his youth, and allowed her to continue to contact him for you, promised to respond to any of her requests. Kshesinskaya was very worried - this is described in her memoirs and a little in the diaries, but after parting with Nikolai, the diaries break off. She probably abandoned them in frustrated feelings. At least we know nothing about the existence of other similar records.
According to the memoirs of the emperor's valet, Nicholas drank a glass of milk every evening and meticulously wrote down everything that happened to him during the day. At some point, he just stopped mentioning Matilda. At the beginning of 1893 Nikolai wrote something almost every day "about my Male", "about my M.K." or that he "flew to little M." Then the references became less and less, and by 1894 they disappeared altogether. But you need to take into account the nuances - strangers, parents, valet could read his diaries.
Relationship to the novel in the imperial family and in the world
There are several versions that the royal family thought about the romance of Nicholas with Matilda. It is believed that their first meeting was a well-prepared impromptu. Allegedly, Alexander III began to worry that the heir had become lethargic, inert, that he seemed to be an adult youth, but there were still no novels. On the advice of Konstantin Pobedonostsev, the educator of Nicholas and the main ideologist of the Russian Empire, Alexander decided to find him a girl - ballerinas in this capacity were undoubtedly suitable. In particular, Matilda - she possessed a little dubious, but still nobility, was young, not spoiled by high-profile novels, perhaps even remained a virgin.
Judging by Matilda's diary, Nikolai hinted at closeness, but could not make up his mind. Their romance was platonic for at least two years, on which Nikolai focuses special attention. According to Matilda, during a meeting in early January 1893, a decisive explanation on an intimate topic occurs between them, from which Kshesinskaya understands that Nikolai is afraid to be the first with her. Nevertheless, Matilda managed to somehow overcome this constraint. Nobody was holding the candle: there were no documents confirming the erotic connection. Personally, I'm sure that between Nikolai and Matilda there were intimate relationship... Agree, “the pen is trembling in the hand” was written for a reason - all the more so by the heir to the throne, whose choice is actually almost unlimited. No one doubts the novel itself - platonic or not. However, the historian Alexander Bokhanov 
Author of many books about Russian emperors - from Paul I to Nicholas II - and a history textbook Russia XIX century. Monarchist believes that there was no intimate relationship, otherwise Matilda would have tried to give birth to a child from Nicholas. Of course, there was no child, this is a myth. Well, in 1894 the romance definitely stopped. Nicholas can be considered a worthless statesman, but he was loyal to his family: his father's nature, not grandfather's, who had a sea of novels.
Alexander III with his wife - Empress Maria Feodorovna
Maria Feodorovna knew exactly about Nikolai's novel. She was told about this by one of the ladies-in-waiting - before that the empress had complained that her son often did not spend the night at home. The lovers tried to disguise their meeting in a rather funny way. For example, Nikolai said that he was going to the Grand Duke Alexei Alekseevich. The fact is that the mansion on Angliysky Prospekt adjoined his house with a garden: the route was the same, the address was different. Or he said that he was going somewhere and stopped there after Matilda. There are rumors about the novel, recorded by the owner of a high-society salon, Alexandra Viktorovna Bogdanovich. Her diary was published several times: she kept it from the 1870s until 1912. In the evening, after receiving the guests, Bogdanovich carefully entered into her notebook all the new gossip. Also, essays by the ballet figure Denis Leshkov have been preserved. He writes that the rumors reached the highest parents. Mom became angry and instructed one of her aide-de-camp to go to Felix Yanovich (Matilda was still living with her family at that time) in order to forbid him, under any plausible pretext, to receive the Tsarevich at home. Felix Yanovic found himself in a very difficult situation. A way out was found in the spirit of Dumas' novels, writes Leshkov: young people saw each other in a carriage that stood in a secluded alley.
Kshesinskaya moved to the famous mansion on Kuibyshev Street in the winter of 1906. By that time, she, the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, already had a son, Vladimir, and she herself was in a relationship with two other great dukes - Sergei Mikhailovich 
Before the revolution, he was considered the father of Vladimir - therefore, since 1911, the child bore the patronymic "Sergeevich" and Andrey Vladimirovich 
He married Matilda Kshesinskaya in 1921 and adopted Vladimir - he changed his patronymic to Andreevich. By then they were living in France... Nikolai gave her a house on Angliysky Avenue, and we even know how much it cost - about 150 thousand rubles. Judging by the documents that I found, Kshesinskaya tried to sell it - and this figure is just there. It is not known how much Nikolai regularly spent on his novel. Kshesinskaya herself wrote that his gifts were good, but not large.
Of course, the newspapers did not mention the novel - there were no independent media at that time. But for the high society Petersburg, the connection with Kshesinskaya was not a secret: she was mentioned not only by Bogdanovich, but also, for example, by Alexei Suvorin, Chekhov's friend and publisher of Novoye Vremya - and unambiguously and in rather indecent expressions. In my opinion, Bogdanovich points out that after the breakup various options were discussed of what to do with Kshesinskaya. The mayor Viktor von Wal offered to either give her money and send her somewhere, or simply send her from St. Petersburg.
After 1905, an opposition press appeared in the country with materials of very different levels. Well, the real flurry begins in 1917. For example, in the March issue of the "New Satyricon" a cartoon "Victim of the New System" was published. It depicts Kshesinskaya lying down, who argues: “My close relationship with the old government was easy for me - it consisted of one person. But what am I going to do now, when the new government - the Soviet of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies - consists of two thousand people? "
Matilda Kshesinskaya died on December 6, 1971 in Paris at the age of 99. In emigration, she bore the title of the Most Serene Princess, which was assigned to her by the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who in 1924 proclaimed himself the Emperor of All Russia.
Matilda Kshesinskaya is considered almost the love of the whole life of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II. The ballerina and the heir to the throne met in 1890, and their romantic relationship lasted four years. But what was and what was not between them in reality?
At the end of 2017, only the lazy did not hear about the scandalous picture of Alexei Uchitel "Matilda" at the end of 2017. According to many critics, the film about the love affair between the ballerina Kshesinskaya and the future Tsar Nicholas II came out too "erotic" and therefore far from the truth. Supporters of the conservative version of this story insist that the relationship between the crown prince and the ballerina was purely platonic. But could, in fact, Nicholas resist the female charms of Matilda?
Today it is necessary to restore the details of these relations literally bit by bit. And the point is not in the absence of archival materials - they are just fine. But many of them contradict each other. Mysteriously, Matilda Kshesinskaya herself described the same events in different ways in her diaries, which she kept during her romance with the Tsarevich, and in her memoirs written many years later.
The disagreement begins with the story of the very first meeting of Matilda and Nicholas. The young ballerina entrusted her diary with the story of how she asked for permission from Alexander III to invite the Tsarevich to her table. Whereas the memoirs she wrote decades later tell a completely different, flattering version for Matilda about how Tsar Alexander spotted the young beauty and invited her to join their table.
Knowing how helpful memory can be, distorting, embellishing or displacing meaningful information, we tend to trust more the revelations that the young ballerina Kshesinskaya left on the pages of her diary. It is noteworthy that in the same period, Nikolai also wrote down the events of his life in his diary. And if the girl's records concerning the Tsarevich are always emotional and detailed, then he is stingy about her both in words and emotions. It is all the more interesting to compare the revelations of Matilda and Nicholas and try to shed light on this "dark" history of royal addiction.
Acquaintance of the ballerina and the heir to the throne
Curiously, Nikolai Aleksandrovich himself left only a couple of lines in his diary dated March 23, 1890. No mention of Kshesinskaya herself or details of the dinner. However, it’s probably more of a feminine trait - to notice details. Men, on the other hand, focus on facts. “Let's go to the play at the Theater School. There were small plays and ballet - very good. We had supper with the pupils, ”- this is how the Tsarevich described that day simply and succinctly.
Mutual sympathy and embarrassed smiles
On 4 July of the same year, the young ballerina, who had just been admitted to the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, performed for the first time in Krasnoe Selo. The Tsarevich was also there, which made her very happy. The fear that she experienced before going on an unfamiliar stage disappeared, and at every opportunity she glanced at Nikolai. “So, the first performance was successful for me: I was successful and saw the Heir. But this is only enough for the first time, then, I know well that this will not be enough for me, I want more, this is my character. I'm afraid of myself, "Kshesinskaya admitted in her diary.
The first mention of the ballerina in the records of the Tsarevich appeared two days after that - on July 6, 1890: “After dinner we went to the theater. Positively, Kshesinskaya 2nd interests me very much "(Nikolai writes" Kshesinskaya 2nd ", since the ballet troupe also included Matilda's older sister, Yulia, who was called" Kshesinskaya 1st "). According to Matilda's diaries, that day she tried very hard to impress the emperor's son - and, obviously, she succeeded. She even noticed how many times she caught the eyes of the Tsarevich when she danced. “As soon as the curtain came down, I felt terribly sad. I went to the bathroom to the window to see him again. I saw him, he didn't, because I got up to that window, which is not visible from below, if you do not look back when you drive away from the royal entrance. I was offended, I was ready to cry. I rightly said that every time I will want more. "
That month there were several more performances and short meetings between Nikolai and Matilda. Judging by the records left by the young ballerina, she tried to catch the Tsarevich's eye more often when he came to the theater. She really wanted to talk to him, but there was no suitable opportunity. And yet, the nascent sympathy between the young people gradually grew. During the intermissions of performances, when the heir to the throne came backstage, they exchanged embarrassed smiles, but they did not dare to start a conversation for some time. Nikolai several times in July mentioned Kshesinskaya in his diaries: for example, "I positively like Kshesinskaya 2nd" or "were in the theater ... I spoke with little Kshesinskaya through the window."
First separation and thoughts of another girl
In the summer of 1890, the development of these relations did not follow: circumstances developed in such a way that soon, on the orders of his father, the Tsarevich left on a long journey to Far East and then went with his parents to Denmark. Nikolai returned home only in 1892. Per for a long time separation Nikolay did not write in his diaries about the young ballerina, but remembered another girl he liked - the granddaughter of the Queen of England Alice Hesse. They met back in 1974, and since then the image of a foreign princess has been vividly imprinted in the heart of the Tsarevich. During his trip, he left the following record: "My dream is to someday marry Alix G. I have loved her for a long time, but even deeper and stronger since 1889, when she spent 6 weeks in St. Petersburg in winter." An obstacle to the realization of this desire of the son of the emperor was that the bride of the Russian heir to the throne had to convert to the Christian faith, and this was opposed by the relatives of Alice Gessen. Nevertheless, Nikolai was greatly attracted by her. “I’m almost convinced that our feelings are mutual,” he wrote in his diary.
Matilda remained in Russia, danced with the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater and made great strides on stage. Occasionally in her diaries during that period there are references to the Tsarevich. So, for example, she writes that one of the colleagues of the emperor's son - Evgeny Volkov - told her that Nikolai Alexandrovich was "terribly glad that I paid attention to him, especially since I am an artist, and, moreover, pretty." But regular entries about the Tsarevich returned to the pages of her diaries only when he returned to Russia. Their meetings resumed, which this time began to occur more and more often, and the heir himself began to act as their initiator.
An unexpected visit and flared up feelings
Nikolai Alexandrovich had just arrived in Petersburg when his thoughts again rushed to the young ballerina. On February 15, 1892, he writes that he was "possessed by a theatrical fever that occurs every Shrovetide." The Tsarevich visited the Mariinsky Theater, where he had a few words with Matilda. Then their meeting took place in the city. On February 28, the heir to the throne, while driving around Petersburg in a carriage, saw Kshesinskaya on the embankment. It was an unexpected joy for him, however, as is known from the ballerina's recordings, she began to visit the center regularly, knowing that this increases her chances of meeting someone with whom she was in love.
On March 10, the Tsarevich went to the Theater School: "I sat at supper with the pupils as before, only little Kshesinskaya was very much lacking." And the very next day, an event happened that marked the beginning of a new stage in the relationship between Nikolai and Matilda. Kshesinskaya was unwell: in the afternoon she had an operation on her eye. In frustrated feelings, she was resting at home when the maid reported that Evgeny Volkov was asking her. However, instead of an old acquaintance, Nikolai Alexandrovich himself appeared on the threshold of her house, who decided to arrange a surprise. He wrote in his diary: “I spent the evening in a wonderful way: I went to a new place for me, to the Kshesinsky sisters. They were terribly surprised to see me with them. I sat with them for more than 2 hours, chatting about everything incessantly. Unfortunately, my poor Little girl had an eye ache, which was bandaged, and besides, her leg was not quite healthy. But the joy was mutual great! After drinking tea, he said goodbye to them and came home by one in the morning. Nicely spent the last day of my stay in St. Petersburg, the three of us with such faces. "
Matilda was overwhelmed with happiness, despite the fact that she was embarrassed (as she recalled), because she "was not quite dressed, that is, without a corset and then with a tied eye." But the joy of meeting my beloved was much stronger: “today, when I got to know him better, I was fascinated by him even more”. That evening Nikolai began to call her "Maley," and they agreed to write letters to each other. Matilda mentioned in her diary that after the tea party, the heir "certainly wanted to go into the bedroom," but she would not let him in.
After that evening, Nikolai began to pay visits to the Kshesinsky on a regular basis. Moreover, in his diaries there appeared previously unusual entries about every, even the most insignificant, meeting with a charming ballerina: “I went to the Maly Theater to the box of Uncle Alexei. They gave an interesting play "Thermidor" ... In the theater, the Kshesinskys were sitting directly opposite "; “I saw the Kshesinskys again. They were in the arena and then stood still on the Karavannaya ”; "After lunch I went to visit the Kshesinskys, where I spent a pleasant one and a half hours." Even in his free hours, he could not get rid of thoughts about the object of his love. On March 13, he wrote: "After tea I read again and thought a lot about the famous person."
Romantic correspondence and first kiss
Nikolai and Matilda constantly exchanged tender letters. The Tsarevich wrote to the young ballerina almost every day, and if he did not receive an answer in the near future, he was very upset. On March 23, exactly two years after the first meeting of Nikolai and Matilda at the graduation performance of the Theater School, the heir sent Kshesinskaya a letter in which he announced that he would visit her at eleven in the evening. She was very happy, but the wait seemed unbearable.
In her diary, Matilda describes that evening in detail: "The Tsarevich arrived at 12 o'clock, without taking off his coat, entered my room, where we greeted and ... kissed for the first time." Then Nikolai presented her with several of his photographs and a bracelet. “We talked a lot. Even today I didn’t let the Tsarevich into the bedroom, and he made me laugh terribly when he said that if I’m afraid to go there with him, he will go alone. ” The night passed unnoticed. The emperor's son left the ballerina only in the early morning.
Matilda concludes the description of that night with the following lines: “At first, as he came, I was very embarrassed to speak to him in Thou. I was all confused: You, you, you, you and so all the time! He has such wonderful eyes that I'm just going crazy! The Tsarevich left when it was already dawn. We kissed several times before parting. When he left, my heart sank painfully! Ah, my happiness is so precarious! I always have to think that maybe I will see him for the last time! "
Growing jealousy and longing for a lover
Of course, even then Matilda understood that the continuation of this relationship had rather vague prospects. But she was so much in love with Nicholas that she practically did not think about it, living from meeting to meeting with the Tsarevich. They saw each other not only at the Kshesinskys' houses, but also in public places, but behaved with restraint in front of a large audience. Nikolai sent flowers to the ballerina and at every opportunity he tried to see his beloved. But, curiously, he did not forget about Alice Gessen, which undoubtedly touched Matilda's feelings.
On April 1, 1892, he wrote in his diary: “A very strange phenomenon that I notice in myself: I never thought that two identical feelings, two loves are simultaneously compatible in my soul. Now it's already my fourth year that I love Alix G. and constantly cherish the thought, if God willing, to marry her someday! .. And from the camp of 1890 to this time I passionately fell in love (platonically) with little K. Amazing thing our heart! At the same time, I never stop thinking about Alix G. Really, can you conclude after this that I am very amorous? To a certain extent, yes. But I must add that on the inside I am a strict judge and extremely discriminating! "
Once Nikolai took his diaries with him when he arrived at the Kshesinsky's, and Matilda had the opportunity to read them. She was delighted by the numerous notes of the Tsarevich, which were dedicated to her, and unpleasantly struck by the mention of a foreign princess: “In the diary I was very interested in one day, this is April 1, where he writes about Alice G. and about me. He really likes Alice, he told me about it before, and I am seriously beginning to be jealous of him. "
At the same time, the son of the emperor did not deceive the ballerina: he frankly told her that he could stay with her until his own wedding, but he did not promise anything after. In a letter dated August 3, Matilda wrote to him the following words: “I keep thinking about your wedding. You said yourself that before the wedding you are mine, and then ... Nicky, do you think it was easy for me to hear that? If you knew, Nicky, how jealous I am of you for A., don't you love her? But she will never love You, Nicky, as Your little Panny loves You! I kiss you warmly and passionately. All yours".
In fact, the closer the communication between the Tsarevich and the ballerina became, the more reasons for jealousy she found. She was upset when it seemed to her that Nikolai in the arena was looking for a long time through binoculars at another young lady when the Tsarevich was talking with other ballet dancers. Matilda wanted to be the only lover with whom he could openly appear in public, but she knew that their relationship should remain secret. Therefore, she kept all her mental anguish in her diary, and sometimes wrote about her jealousy to Nicholas. From time to time she herself seemed to try to hurt the pride of the Tsarevich and make him jealous. She, like a ballerina, at the same time a beautiful woman, had other admirers, about whom she spoke in letters to the Tsarevich. For example: “I keep forgetting to write to you: I have a new fan of Pik G (Golitsyn - ed.). I like him, he is a pretty boy, "or" You are interested to know from whom I received flowers in the first performance. I'll tell you on Monday. Yesterday the basket was from R. He takes great care of me and assures me that he is in love with me. "
And, nevertheless, judging by the diaries of young people, while Matilda constantly thought about the heir to the throne, even when he was leaving on long trips, Nicholas wrote about her only when they saw each other in person and in the first days after his departure. “All the time I remember the last evening spent with you, when you, dear Nicky, were lying on my sofa. I admired You all the time, ”the ballerina wrote to the Tsarevich on May 2, after he had left for a military camp in Denmark. When Nikolai returned to Petersburg two months later, the conversation between them was rather cool. And yet again there was a parting for several months ahead - this time the Tsarevich left for the Caucasus. She waited, dreamed of a meeting and suffered from the flames of jealousy flaring up. Upon learning of rumors that the heir to the throne was carried away by some Georgian woman, she could not contain her despair. On November 15, an entry appeared in her diary: "I went to church, prayed fervently, and it seemed to me that it felt better, but upon returning home everything, every thing, reminded me of my dear Nicky, and I started crying again." The correspondence between the ballerina and the Tsarevich was not interrupted (according to what Matilda wrote in her diary), but the name of the pretty ballerina did not appear in Nikolai's personal notes until the beginning of 1893.
One last decisive attempt
A new round of relations began in January 1893. Matilda, missing the heir for months of separation, was incredibly happy when they saw each other again. In her diaries, these meetings are described in great detail and colorfully. In them, you can feel that she enjoys every minute spent next to him, gets upset if he is late at the service, coming to her later than agreed. But, most importantly, she begins to think about the future, desperately wants to develop relations with Nikolai, and herself leads him to frank conversations. The description of the happy meeting after the return of the Tsarevich to St. Petersburg on January 3 ends in her diary with the following words: “They said a lot, but not a word about the main thing, and I was tormented that Niki did not start a conversation about it. Maybe he didn't want to right away? "
Five days later, a serious private conversation takes place between them, which the ballerina turns on. From Matilda's notes it is quite clear what she was trying to get from the heir: “This conversation lasted more than an hour. I was about to burst into tears, Nicky struck me. Before me sat not in love with me, but some indecisive, not understanding the bliss of love. In the summer, he himself repeatedly in letters and in conversation reminded of a closer acquaintance, and now he suddenly said completely the opposite, that he could not be the first with me, that it would torment him all his life, that if I were already innocent, then he would he got along with me without hesitation. "
Matilda was desperate, but did not lose hope. She did not give up and continued to act decisively. In the same month, Nikolai briefly left for Berlin, and when he returned, regular meetings with the ballerina were resumed. The Tsarevich meticulously fixes in personal diary their every meeting. Supporters of the theory that the line of platonic relations between the son of the emperor and Matilda was overcome, cite as an example Nikolai's entry on January 23, 1893: “In the evening I flew to my MK and spent the best evening with her so far. Impressed by her - the pen is shaking in his hands! ". The Tsarevich rarely allowed himself such emotional liberties in his diaries. How was the evening alone with his beloved Maleya, if after him Nicholas had “a feather shaking in his hands”? After that, the name of the ballerina is mentioned almost every day in the records of the heir, because they constantly meet - either they ride together during the day, then they sit up at night until dawn. Undoubtedly, she was very attracted to him at that time. However, this “peak” of relations was also the beginning of their end. Most Nicholas was on the road for years - he visited Crimea, England, Finland and Denmark, and also took part in the "mobile training" of the Preobrazhensky regiment.
Meetings with Matilda cease, and the Tsarevich, as if, grows cold to the subject of his passion. At the same time, the ballerina's diaries are cut off. Perhaps she stopped leading them in frustrated feelings. But, one way or another, the relationship between Nikolai and Matilda is gradually fading away. At the same time, the illness of Emperor Alexander is aggravated - it becomes clear to everyone that very soon his son will take the throne. The contradictions that hinder the marriage of the heir and Alice Gessen are beginning to be resolved. The Tsarevich understands that his life will change radically, and there will no longer be room for a frivolous, but ardent love for a ballerina.
The last meeting and explanation of Nikolai and Matilda takes place at the end of 1893. She is described in the ballerina's memoirs - there she says that Nikolai said that their love will forever remain the brightest moment of his youth. It is known that after the announcement of the engagement of the heir to the throne with a foreign princess, Nikolai and Matilda stopped communicating and never met in private again.
By the centenary of the October Revolution, on October 25, 2017, perhaps the most scandalous film will be released on Russian screens recent years- "Matilda" by Alexey Uchitel. The creators of the picture have already named it "the main historical blockbuster of the year."
The tape tells about the dizzying romance of one of the brightest couples in world history: the future Emperor Nicholas II and the star of His Majesty the Imperial Theaters, ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya.
Despite the fact that the premiere is not soon, the first trailer for "Matilda" has already appeared on the network. Luxurious outfits, magnificent halls and explicit scenes not at all platonic love with the participation of a young ballerina and Tsarevich Nicholas.
It was these shots that caused a storm of indignation among Orthodox activists " Royal cross". Believers were outraged that the Teacher denigrated the memory of the saint (in 2000, Nicholas II and his family were recognized as martyrs).
Then the deputy Natalya Poklonskaya added fuel to the fire, stating that she would not even "get dirty by watching" the tape.
The heirs of the royal House of Romanov did not pay attention to the conflict, but the descendants of Matilda Kshesinskaya were very worried about the release of the provocative film.
The film will probably be good, considering that the director is good, - the great-uncle of the ballerina Konstantin Sevenard shared with Komsomolskaya Pravda - Nizhny Novgorod. - But the problem is that the film ends with the coronation of Nicholas, and the authors argue that this is where the relationship between Matilda and Nicholas ends. But we, the relatives of Matilda Feliksovna, have completely different information. And we want the whole truth about Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II to finally become known by the 100th anniversary of the dramatic revolutionary events.
An excursion into history
But let's start in order. For the first time, the young Tsarevich Nikolai saw Matilda on her final exam at the Imperial Theater School. Matilda is an expressive 18-year-old beauty with amazing thin waist- that evening was dressed in a delicate blue suit, decorated with lilies of the valley. Then, on March 23, 1890, the entire imperial family, headed by Alexander III, came to the school for the final performance.
Of all the graduates, the tsar singled out Kshesinskaya, who shone on stage in "an expressive dance performed with sly coquetry."
When Kshesinskaya was introduced to the sovereign, he held out his hand to her, uttering words that were fateful for her:
Be the decoration and glory of our ballet.
After admission, the students of the school and the royal family moved to the dining room. Alexander III invited Kshesinskaya to sit next to him, and next to her, as if on purpose, he sat his son Nicholas. It was this evening that became a turning point in the lives of both.
I don't remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with the Heir, - Matilda wrote later in her diaries. - As now, I see his blue eyes with such a kind expression. When I said goodbye to the Heir, who had sat the whole dinner next to me, we looked at each other differently than when we met: a feeling of attraction had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine, even though we didn’t realize it. ...
According to the memoirs of Kshesinskaya herself, ardent meetings of lovers began only two years later, in 1892.
Nikolai himself described his attitude to the ballerina quite simply:
Little Kshesinskaya positively interests me ...
However, the short-lived happiness of lovers soon comes to an end: in 1894, the engagement of Nicholas II took place with German princess Alice of Hesse. The future last emperor of Russia breaks off an affair with the brilliant Kshesinskaya and plunges into family life and state affairs.
Heartbroken by separation, Matilda, however, soon finds solace in the arms of another member of the royal family - Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, and later marries Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. From him she gives birth to her only child - the son of Vladimir.
On the night of July 17, 1918, Nikolai and his entire family would be shot in the basement of the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg. After the bloody massacre, not a single heir of the last Russian emperor remained alive.
In any case, this is what the official version says.
The last daughter of Nicholas II
Almost immediately after the tragic events of the summer of 1918, in different parts of the world, like mushrooms after rain, the false children of Nikolai and Alexandra began to appear "escaped from execution". In total, history knew 28 false-Olga, 33 false-Tatyan, 53 false-Mary, 34 false-Anastasius and 81 false-Alexei. In addition to them, the allegedly secret daughters of the imperial couple, who had never existed, also tried to gain recognition and "regain their rights".
However, later, among historians, there were timid assumptions that the last emperor might indeed have heirs. But not from his faithful, but from a completely different woman. Since the tsar was not distinguished by his riotous character and loving nature, the only "suspect" was Matilda Kshesinskaya. Fans of getting to the bottom of the truth decided that the "last daughter of the emperor" could become Celina Kshesinskaya, who is still considered the niece of the famous ballerina. For many years there was not a single confirmation of this version, until ...
… On the New Year's Eve, a descendant of the Honored Artist of His Majesty of the Imperial Theaters, Konstantin Sevenard, arrived in Nizhny Novgorod. According to all documents, he is the great-grandson of Joseph Kshesinsky - the brother of Matilda Feliksovna. It is believed that it was Joseph Kshesinsky's daughter Celina who was born in 1911. The girl married Konstantin Sevenard and bore him three children: Lydia, Yuri and Fedor. None of them doubted their origins. Only at the end of the 80s, one of the grandchildren of Celina, Konstantin Sevenard, by the will of fate, opened the curtain family secrets and legends of Matilda Kshesinskaya.
According to the descendants of Kshesinskaya, in this photo Matilda is trying to hide her rounded tummy. Photo:
And now, in Nizhny Novgorod, in the family photo archive of the ballerina's descendants, Konstantin Sevenard discovered several extremely important photographs. It is they, according to Sevenard, who are able to turn the prevailing ideas about the royal family. Konstantin Yuryevich met with "Komsomolskaya Pravda" and showed historical photographs.
This photo was taken in 1911. As you can see, Matilda Feliksovna is far from in ballet form, - Konstantin Sevenard points to the noticeably rounded belly of the ballerina. - And here, for example, another picture taken later in the same year. Here we see the already built Matilda. Look, she is standing next to the carriage and with tenderness looks at the little sleeping Celina. We believe that these pictures fully prove the fact that Matilda Feliksovna gave birth to a daughter in the summer of 1911. But from whom?
According to the descendants of Kshesinskaya, this picture fully proves that in the summer of 1911, Kshesinskaya gave birth to a daughter. Photo: From the personal archive of the publication's hero
Hot autumn of 1910
To answer this question, you need to go back almost 30 years, to perestroika Leningrad, where in 1987 general repairs were carried out in the former mansion of Matilda Kshesinskaya.
Then the builders found the diaries of Matilda Feliksovna, which were not previously known to the public, - Konstantin Sevenard begins his story. - I myself have not seen these diaries, but the people who managed to read them told me something that fundamentally changes the view of the history of our state.
You know, during her career in tsarist Russia, the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater Matilda has repeatedly turned to her former lover Nicholas II for help in resolving theatrical intrigues. The correspondence between them never stopped completely. Nikolai, along with his wife Alexandra Fedorovna (this name was given to Princess Alice when she converted to Orthodoxy) even attended performances in which Kshesinskaya danced. It's all known facts... But we never knew that Nikolai and Matilda met in person after 1894. And this happened, and at least twice.
The first time Matilda Feliksovna and Nikolai met in October 1910. Moreover, the emperor himself insisted on the meeting. The situation in Russia was already extremely tense, and his position was becoming more and more precarious. Moreover, Nicholas II was a man who believed in mystical predictions. According to one of these predictions, a martyrdom was destined for him and his entire family. Of course, the emperor, as a statesman, already then thought about the future of his and his country. After much deliberation, he came to the decision to leave behind another heir, but outside the royal family.
According to the descendants of Kshesinskaya, Celina is the daughter of Matilda and Nicholas II. Photo: From the personal archive of the publication's hero
Naturally, the only woman, besides Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, from whom the tsar would like to have an heir, was Matilda, beloved by him. The October meeting ended with their closeness. And - about happiness! - Matilda Feliksovna became pregnant. In July 1911, Matilda gave birth to a girl. But leaving the baby at home was impermissible - gossip would go. And she gave the baby to the care of her brother Joseph and his wife.
Secret marriage in Tsarskoe Selo
After 6 years, the situation in the country reached a boiling point. Failures in the First World War and, as a result, the dissatisfaction of the inhabitants of the country with the emperor personally led to mass demonstrations of the Petrograd workers and soldiers of the Petrograd garrison in February 1917. The February Revolution led to the overthrow of the monarchy. On March 2, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. Now already former emperor The Provisional Government arrested him in Tsarskoe Selo, where he and his entire family were imprisoned until August of the same year.
In April 1917, Matilda made sure that she was allowed to visit the imperial family in Tsarskoe Selo, allegedly to give them gifts for Easter, - the voice of Constantine Sevenard becomes firmer. - She succeeded only due to the fact that Prince Lvov (Chairman of the Provisional Government - Ed.) Was an ardent admirer of ballet and Matilda Feliksovna in particular. On that day, in the Tsarskoye Selo church, the marriage of Nikolai and Alexandra Feodorovna was dissolved. Almost immediately, in the same church, Nicholas was married to Kshesinskaya.
Again, in this situation, Nikolai was guided, first of all, by state interests. In the spring of 1917, the imperial family still had a chance to flee abroad. But for this, Nicholas needed to ensure that after him there would be no heirs who could claim the throne. Having divorced Alice, he thereby deprived their common children of the right of succession to the throne.
And the marriage with Kshesinskaya was concluded in order to make her and their common daughter Tselina (about which the Provisional Government did not know) heiress.
5 thousand tons of gold of the Tsar's crown
- Is there any documentary evidence of what you have just told? I mean, apart from the unpublished diaries of Matilda Feliksovna.
Certainly! - Konstantin Yurievich answers with a confident smile. - I personally saw the originals of all these documents. And a couple of very important papers.
Here is how it was. In 1989, together with my classmates, I went to Poland on an excursion to Gdansk.
After that, I decided to drive to Warsaw, visit the Krasinsky family crypt (according to family legend, the Kshesinsky family originates from the Polish counts Krasinsky - author's note), - Konstantin Sevenard continues with a sparkle in his eyes. “I quickly found a crypt in the cemetery: we had photographs of it at home. I went inside. In the cold room, he sat down on a massive marble bench. Suddenly I realized that the slab on top of the bench was not properly secured. On a whim, I lifted this slab and saw that the bench was hollow inside. The thought immediately flashed that it was an ingenious hiding place. I climbed inside and fumbled for a few pieces of paper. Gently, almost without breathing, he took them out and gasped. Directly above lay the Decree of Nicholas II, certified by his personal signature.
- What was this decree?
About succession to the throne. In it, Nikolai admitted that there was no renunciation. In addition, in it he bequeaths the inheritance of the throne and property to the Most Serene Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya (this title belonged to Kshesinskaya - author's note) and her direct male and female heirs.
Under the decree lay a church document on the conclusion of an alliance between Nicholas and Matilda, dated April 1917. Beneath it is the confession of Celina's daughter.
But this was not the end of the surprises for me. At the very bottom were two certificates of the National Reserve Bank of the United States of America for the contribution of 5 thousand tons of gold at 6%.
- What exactly was said in these certificates?
They were compiled in two languages: Russian and English. One certificate was for the contribution of 3200 tons of gold, the other for 1800 tons. The certificate stated that this is Nikolai's personal contribution (not the state one!) For a period of 110 years. After that, only direct descendants of Nicholas can manage the gold. The contribution was made in 1913. It turns out that the non-return period ends in 2023.
Also, the certificates stated that the heirs of Nicholas can withdraw interest at any time in the form of any equipment and weapons produced in the United States. In addition, the documents strictly stipulated the conditions under which the bank must immediately return the deposit with huge interest.
- For instance?
For example, if the United States does not go to war with Japan, if Japan attacks Russia.
- Did you take these documents?
I could not take them out of the crypt: firstly, because of the time and improper storage conditions, many papers literally crumbled at the slightest movement. Secondly, it would have caused me a lot of trouble. I didn't have a camera to take at least pictures either.
On my return from Poland to Leningrad, I called the Leningrad KGB department and reported the find. I also asked them to take copies of the documents and give them to me, but this request was never fulfilled.
News from emigration
- Has Kshesinskaya never tried to tell her heirs the whole truth about their origin for many years?
Matilda Feliksovna tried several times to contact her descendants, but the letters coming from her were immediately tore. You see, our parents thought that being in contact with a person like Kshesinskaya would cause them a lot of trouble. But Matilda was persistent: in 1961, when she was already 90 years old, she sailed on a steamer to Odessa to personally see her grandchildren. But, imagine, in the port she was not even allowed to get off the steamer!
But Kshesinskaya did not give up: she decided to leave for posterity an envelope with a letter and copies of all documents. It was given to me in the same 1989.
- An amazing coincidence!
At that time, I traveled a lot as part of various student delegations. Almost immediately after the trip to Poland, we went to Antwerp. Baroness Anne de Casterlet accompanied us there as an interpreter. Once we got into a conversation with her, and the baroness said that in her youth she attended the ballet classes of Matilda Kshesinskaya in Paris. When Anna found out that I was a descendant of Matilda Feliksovna, she convinced me to go to Paris. Like, important news awaits me there.
After collecting money, I went to Paris. There, on the eve of my departure, I saw Prince Meshchersky in his luxurious estate in the south-west of the capital.
The prince handed me an envelope with a letter from Matilda and copies of all those documents that I had already, by the will of fate, seen in Warsaw.
Unfortunately, in early 1990, my apartment in Leningrad was robbed. Almost nothing was missing from the valuable, except for that very envelope with all the papers ...
Genetic examination
- And what do you intend to do now? As far as I understand, you are convinced that you are the direct heir to the last Russian emperor. But this is easy enough to check.
Of course, that is why my father, Yuri Konstantinovich Sevenard - the son of Tselina Kshesinskaya - in November handed over a DNA sample to the Institute of General Genetics. Vavilov. Geneticists will compare it with a DNA sample of Nicholas II. And then, I hope, everything will fall into place.
The story told by the great-grandson of Matilda Kshesinskaya looks more like a brilliant script for another Hollywood biopic. There is everything here: the tragic personality of Nicholas II, a secret and such a forbidden marriage with a brilliant ballerina, an illegitimate heiress to the crown, thousands of tons of gold taken out of the country, a whole detective looking for secret documents, hidden diaries, crypts and robberies. Perhaps this would be more than enough for more than one film. It doesn't even matter that there are a number of inconsistencies in history. For example, it is almost unbelievable to imagine that documents of practically world importance were hidden in a loose bench, where a casual passer-by could easily find them. Or here's another: seemingly simply unrealistic amounts that Nikolai allegedly took out of the country right on the eve of the devastating First World War. Why, at the very time when Russia was literally starving, did he calmly store 5,000 tons of gold in the United States? By the way, the entire gold reserve of the country by the beginning of the war was 1311 tons of gold and the Russian Empire was ranked first in the world for this indicator!
Be that as it may, time and genetic examination (if it takes place) will put everything in its place. But who knows, maybe very soon Russia will still hear about the descendants of the last Tsar Nicholas II and the glory of the Russian ballet Matilda Kshesinskaya.
COMPETENTLY
Fedor Drozdov, candidate of historical sciences:
The fact that Nikolai had a relationship with Matilda Kshesinskaya is a fact. But it is difficult to talk about their connection after Nikolai's marriage to Alexandra Fedorovna: even if they saw each other, all this was done as secretly as possible.
But, excuse me, I will never believe that Nicholas in Tsarskoe Selo bequeathed the throne to his illegitimate daughter, whose origin still needs to be proven. Moreover, in the Russian Empire, the priority right of succession to the throne was always in the male line. Let me also remind you that Nicholas abdicated both for himself and for his son Alexei.
Now with regard to the personal contribution of Nicholas II to the US National Reserve Bank. Undoubtedly, some capital of the royal family exists abroad. By the way, they were previously claimed by the emperor's pseudo-children. But it is impossible to imagine such a colossal private contribution. Five thousand tons of gold are no longer private, but government volumes!
What makes the whole story unreal is that the most important historical documents were found in the cemetery. This can only happen in some exciting movie.
Nevertheless, the descendants of Kshesinskaya may well check their relationship with Nicholas II. But I think, most likely, the "heirs of the last emperor" will turn out to be ordinary swindlers who just wanted to get PR.
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The descendants of Matilda Kshesinskaya revealed to "Komsomolskaya Pravda" the secrets of their family. Roman IGNATIEV
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