Tsar of the Sphinx

Chapter 21 The Russo-Turkish War (No War)
Early the next morning, in a room in the Winter Palace.

Several maids are waiting for the arrival of Ekaterina and Crown Princess Maria Feodorovna in the room. Although they have been cleaning since last night, whether they are princesses born in various European countries or nobles of their own countries Daughter, their portraits are updated every year, so they not only have to tidy up the things in the room, but also need to re-place the new portraits in the room, and finally cleaned the entire room two hours ago, these few The maid quietly waited for the arrival of Ekaterina and Crown Princess Maria Feodorovna.

Suddenly, footsteps came, followed by Yekaterina's voice.

Maria, do you know that I haven't been here for almost 11 years, and I don't know how it is now. After all, after you become the crown prince, the royal family no longer chooses a wife.Ekaterina addressed Marya Fyodorovna.

I am very grateful that you chose me to be Paul's wife in the end.answered Marya Fyodorovna.

With a clatter, Ekaterina pushed open the door of the room, and then walked in with Maria Feodorovna.

An arranged blind date kicked off.

Ekaterina and Maria Feodorovna began to choose a wife for Alexander.

His Majesty.A maid introduced Ekaterina and Maria Feodorovna:

Your Majesty, this is Princess Mary from England, born in 1776, one year older than the Grand Duke.

Ekaterina looked at Maria Feodorovna and said: What do you think, Maria.

Maria Fyodorovna shook her head and said: Mother, I don't want Alexander to have an older wife.

Ekaterina asked the maid to continue introducing the portrait next to her.

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness the Crown Princess, this is still Princess Sophia from England, one month older than the Grand Duke, born in November 1777.

Ekaterina said directly: Remove the princesses from England, France, Austria and Prussia.

Then he said to the puzzled Maria Feodorovna: I told you yesterday the reason why the princesses of France, Austria and Prussia were kicked out of this candidate.

What about England?Maria Feodorovna asked suspiciously.

As for England, since they started to implement the Continental Balance of Power, any country that became their in-laws will become a tool for them to maintain the Continental Balance of Power policy, and it was the same with Prussia before.I don't want Russia to be England's thugs on the Continent.

Maria Fyodorovna said: I understand, mother.

It was not that Maria Fyodorovna did not know this, but Ekaterina herself had to say it.

If you say it yourself, there will be a new court force in the name of her and Paul in the court, but if Ekaterina speaks out, it will not appear in the court. It will not be out of balance and lead to infighting.

Yes, Your Majesty.The maid waved the portraits of princesses from England, France, Austria, and Prussia to be removed.

All right, Maria, you look this way, I'll look over there, let's speed up.Ekaterina instructed Maria.

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Who is this, Maria.

Maria Feodorovna looked at the portrait that Ekaterina was pointing to.

Oh, mother, this is Princess Louise Caroline Theodora Amalie of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt.said Marya Fyodorovna, looking at the portrait.

Oh, it's Natalya Alexeyevna's mother clan, so remove her too.Ekaterina thought of Paul's first wife, and her face turned cold.

Maria, do your brothers have any marriageable daughters.After removing the portrait of Princess Louise of the House of Hesse, Ekaterina asked Maria Feodorovna.

Maria Fyodorovna thought for a while and said: Mother, my brother, Frederick had a daughter born four years ago, named Frederick Katharina Sophie Dorothea.

When Ekaterina heard that she was four years old, she shook her head and said: There is actually Sophie Dorothea before you changed your name, but she is too young, so Maria, please recommend some to me.

Your Majesty, what do you think of this, from Baden, Princess Louise Marie August, daughter of Prince Carl-Ludwig, and her sister, Princess Frederick Dorothea Wilhelmina.

Maria Feodorovna led Ekaterina to the two portraits she had just been looking at.

The first Princess Louise Marie Auguste had a very good temperament, which reminded me of Louise Auguste of the Hesse-Darmstadt family. She not only had the same name as this Louise, but also Much like, as for this Princess Frederick Dorothea Wilhelmina, it reminds me not only of Natalia but also of her older sister, Princess Frederick Amalie.

Ekaterina frowned, these two were too similar to the three people he had chosen a wife for Paul for the first time.

Ekaterina asked Marya Fyodorovna who was standing next to her: "Maria, tell me who their mother is."

Marya Fyodorovna replied: Mother, the mother of these two princesses is the Princess Frederick Amalie you speak of.

Ekaterina took a deep breath and said, "Maria, tell me the details of these two princesses."

Yes, mother.Maria Fyodorovna spoke.

This Princess Louise Marie Auguste, born in January 1779, was only one month younger than Alexander, and was handsome, slender, and graceful, even the most ascetic I love her with all my heart.

Yes, the more you look at it, the more attractive it is.Tell me about her sister, Maria.After a few words of praise, Ekaterina asked Maria to introduce her sister.

Princess Frederick Dorothea Wilhelmina, born in 1781, was 4 years younger than Alexander.

In other words, you are only 6 years old, which is much younger than the first time, Maria.Ekaterina said with a smile.

Maria Feodorovna was selected when Ekaterina first chose a wife for Paul in 1770, but because she was too young, she became Paul's wife after Natalia's death.

Yes, mother, which one do you think is more suitable.Marya Fyodorovna also answered with a smile.

I like these two very much, let them come to St. Petersburg first, and let Maria and I choose carefully.Ekaterina said without thinking.

Will you, mother, send a letter to the Grand Duke of Baden tomorrow?asked Maria Fyodorovna.

No, no, let Alexander know that he wants a wife first, and send these two portraits to Alexander.After Alexander's reply, we are sending an invitation to the Grand Duke of Baden.Ekaterina waved her hand.

That night Ekaterina and Maria Feodorovna sent a total of three letters to the south.

Ekaterina sent it directly to Alexander, while Maria Feodorovna sent one to Paul and one to Alexander.

Paul soon received a letter from Marya Fyodorovna calling him a double standard.Because Paul's two wives were directly appointed by Ekaterina, he had no choice but to watch them.

As for the letter sent to Alexander, it took almost a month before it was delivered to Alexander. As for why it was delivered so slowly, it was because Alexander had now reached the Turkish city of Galac at the mouth of the Danube.

At the beginning of December, after Alexander conquered the city of Okhachev, he gathered under the city of Kajibei under the city of Kajibey and led the partial division led by Gregory and Ivanov from Chisinau. The city of Gibey successfully advanced to the mouth of the Danube in late December. After being blocked by Galati and Ismail, it was divided into two parts and besieged, waiting for the Austrian army to come.

As for the Austrian troops, having successfully ground down the city of Belgrade at the end of December, they were finally able to support their allies at the mouth of the river.

In this situation, Alexander also received letters from his grandmother Ekaterina and his mother Maria, including two portraits.

Before Alexander had time to choose in the future, he received a letter from his father Paul, which pointed out that Ekaterina had interfered in the selection of his wife and asked Alexander to choose carefully.

Alexander read the three letters and two portraits in the tent for three days, accompanied by the sound of cannons outside.

On the third day, Alexander made a choice, and he had to make a choice, because the Austrian army was almost at Foksany, and if he didn't hurry, Alexander would have no time to reply to Petersburg.

That afternoon, Alexander wrote three letters and sent them to Ekaterina, Maria and Paul.

In the letter sent to Ekaterina and Maria, he first praised Ekaterina and Maria for their vision, and then said that he thought both of them were quite suitable, and he could invite them to St. Petersburg, and He proposed to use the money in his small treasury to pay for the travel expenses of the two princesses.In the letter sent to Paul, he first asked Paul how far he had traveled, and at the end he wrote that he would listen to Paul's opinion and seriously consider it.

Then he continued to invest in the siege battle.

A month later, St. Petersburg sent envoys to Baden to invite the two princesses.
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Frederick Catarina Sophie Dorothea: Queen of Westphalia, reigned from 1807 to 1813. In 1807, Katharina married Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon's younger brother and King of Westphalia, with two sons and one daughter.

Württemberg Dynasty: is a historical place name, located in Swabia in southwestern Germany, part of today's Baden-Württemberg state.It borders Bavaria to the east, shares Lake Constance with Austria and Switzerland to the south, Baden and Hohenzollern to the west, and the Palatinate and Hesse to the north.For a long time in history, the capital of Württemberg was Stuttgart, and other times, the monarchs chose Ludwigsburg or Urach as their capital.

Maria Feodorovna's brother Frederick held peace talks with Napoleon in Ludwigsburg in October 1805, and decided that Württemberg would provide France with a large number of auxiliary military forces. The title of King was given to Elector Frederick on 10 April. On January 12, 26, Frederick was officially crowned King Frederick I of Württemberg in Stuttgart, the capital of Württemberg.

House of Baden: A branch of the House of Gerlingen, originating in the Breisgau region of southern Germany.

Louise Marie Auguste: the wife of Alexander I, Elizabeth Alexeyevna.Her older sister was Frederick Caroline Wilhelmina.

弗蕾德里克·卡萝琳·威廉明妮：巴登公主，其弟为第二任巴登大公卡尔。1797年3月9日和马克西米利安一世在卡尔斯鲁厄结婚，1806年1月1日成为巴伐利亚王国首位王后。她的女儿玛丽亚·卢多维卡·威廉明妮公主。

Princess Maria Ludovica Wilhelmina: Daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria and Caroline of Baden, mother of Empress Elisabeth.Born and died in Munich.

Queen Elizabeth: Princess Sissi, Elizabeth Amalia Eugenie, commonly known as "Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary" or "Elizabeth of Austria", is the wife of Franz Joseph I, the Queen of the Austrian Empire, Queen of Hungary and Bosch The queen of Mia and Croatia, her beauty and charm conquered the whole of Europe, and was called "the most beautiful queen in the world" by the world.Often nicknamed Sisi by family and friends.

Karl Ludwig: Second Grand Duke of Baden, wife of Paul I's first Empress Natalia Alexievna Wilhelmina Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt Ruth's older sister, Frederick Amari.

Galati: Located on the Danube River in eastern Romania, it is the capital of Galati County.It was an important port of the Roman Empire in ancient times. From 1856 to 1945, it was the seat of the International Danube Commission.

Ismail: It is a city in Ukraine and the largest city in South Bessarabia. It is located on the Danube River in the southwest of the country, 250 kilometers away from Odessa State. It is under the jurisdiction of Odessa State and covers an area of ​​53 square kilometers. The population in 2011 was 74, of which about 421% of the residents were Romanians.Before 1954, it was the capital of Izmail Oblast.

Siege of Izmail: was a military investment in the Black Sea during the Russo-Turkish War (1790-1787) in 1792.The Russians were led by Alexander Suvorov, who defeated the Ottomans at Kimbern, Ochakov and Fuchani.The Black Sea Fleet was commanded by Spanish Admiral José de Ribas.

ps: Ekaterina hated Natalia Alexeyevna, the first queen of Paul I, because she refused to learn Russian and wanted to replicate Ekaterina's success. The second is that the extramarital affair was too big, and the entire Russian court knew about it, and they kept Paul in the dark.

(End of this chapter)