The Softening of a Hard Heart

The following account describes an incident that occurred during the first phase of the Romanov family's house arrest, at their palace outside St. Petersburg. It illustrates the misconceptions that many people had about Tsarina Alexandra, and how getting to know her personally disproved the rumors about her.

"In one of her outings, Alexandra sat under a tree, as was her custom. Next to her sat Baroness Buxhoeveden and they were enjoying the beautiful weather. At one point, however, the baroness rose for a bit, when suddenly a soldier sat heavily next to Alexandra with a hostile growl. 'The Empress,' writes Buxhoeveden, 'edged a little bit away [so that her visitor might sit more comfortably], making a sign to me to be silent, for she was afraid that the whole family would be taken home, and the children robbed of an hour's fresh air.

"'The man seemed to her not to have a bad face, and she was soon engaged in conversation with him. At first he cross questioned her, accusing her of "despising" the Russian people, of showing by not travelling about that she did not want to know Russia. Alexandra Feodorovna quietly explained to him that, as in her young days she had had five children and nursed them all herself, she had not had time to go about the country, and that, afterwards [when they had grown], her health had prevented her. He seemed to be struck by this reasoning and, little by little, he grew more friendly. He asked the Empress about her life, about her children, her attitude towards Germany, etc. She answered in simple words that she had been a German in her youth, but that that was long past. Her husband and her children were Russians, and she was a Russian too, now, with all her heart. When I came back with the officer, who seemed a decent man, and to whom I had risked appealing, fearing that the soldier might annoy the Empress, I found them peacefully discussing questions of religion. The soldier got up on our approach, and took the Empress' hand, saying, "Do you know, Alexandra Feodorovna, I had quite a different idea of you? I was mistaken about you." It was the more striking because this man was the deputy of the soviet. When he came on guard the next time he was quite polite'" (The Romanov Royal Martyrs, pg. 268).