Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 182 039 The Coronation of Alexander and Louisa (Part 2)

There were also representatives from all over the country in the church. It was against convention to hold a coronation ceremony in St. Petersburg at this time. The reason was to show the young Tsar Alexander's strong rule over the country.

After that, at the right time, he went to Moscow to complete the formal ceremony.

The British now realized that although the new Tsar was young and lacked patience due to his age, he still had the skills and ruling power. He had already managed the country according to his own wishes, and even held the coronation ceremony in St. Petersburg. He also held a second ceremony in Moscow afterwards, which showed his determination.

Of course, this determination did not mean that the Russian regime was stable.

Lord Whitworth was not expelled, but diplomatic elegance replaced the whipping. Otherwise, the British ambassador was involved in the incident of subverting the Russian regime. Not to mention the end of the relationship between the two countries, it should be time to expel 76 British diplomats. Moreover, Russia and France formed an alliance, which was what the new cabinet in London least wanted to see.

Fortunately, Alexander was not crazy. He could still endure the hatred of his father's murder. He did not want to conduct the final trial at this time. He did not want to kill before his wife gave birth. The secret trial of the court was in progress, and the final verdict was also planned to be left in November. After all, the investigation and evidence collection and court trial of these things also take time.

What the British saw was that all kinds of people came from the steps of the Winter Palace to the porch and hall. The ceremony in the church was also in the final preparation. The envoys of various countries were in front, and they had to consider that this was a coronation ceremony, so there were no monarchs who had already ascended the throne to congratulate.

This is why Alexander's father-in-law, Louisa's father, was able to come here. He had previously received the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, which is the highest medal honor in Russia. If Tsar Paul was still alive, there would be the Grand Master-level Cross of the Order of Malta. Although this medal is still valid, it is no longer issued and is considered an out-of-print medal.

And "Filipova" was really there to protect Louisa when the attendants carried her to the coronation throne. The maid's dress and the first aid kit in her hand also let people know what "she" was doing here.

Lieutenant Rzhevsky, a hussar officer, saw the maid and was moved.

"What a heroic maid, I wonder where she is from."

As one of the three classic jokes in Russia, the hussar obviously didn't realize the occasion today, and he was not so clear about the difference between women dressed as men and men dressed as women, and he also interrupted his superior, Prince Mikhail Dolgorukov.

"Whose girl is that? She's so beautiful. If I could, I would propose to her."

"Don't be nosy! Just stay on duty here. Today is the coronation ceremony, so it's not as casual as before!"

"Yes, sir!"

Rzhevsky actually saw the letters on the brooch, which meant that she should be the queen's personal maid, probably a newly elected noble lady. After all, the queen is also very young, and the people around her have to come in and out, so they all have to be arranged.

"Rzhevsky, I do have a source of information, I wonder if you want to hear it."

"I'm on duty now!"

"If you don't want to hear it, forget it. We are at the outermost of the Emperor's coronation ceremony, and we are not allowed to go in to watch."

"Then tell me?"

"Who is Svetlana Filippova? I heard that she has been here since Her Majesty the Queen lived in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. I still learned about it from the head lady-in-chief. She just got the qualification of a maid, which is what happened recently in the Tavrid Palace."

"What an interesting name, I've never heard of it before."

"Indeed, Her Majesty the Queen is quite Mysterious, always hiding in the deep palace, she is so young, and she is not the first lady in the palace. This position belongs to Her Majesty the Queen Mother. Such a poor poor person, if there are no more caring girls around her, it would be too aggrieved. Of course, Her Majesty the Queen is such a pretty poor person, and the girls around her are all first-class. Not to mention the new one, there are also beautiful beauties from the Shakhovsky family. "

In general, public opinion is very sympathetic to Louisa, including these hussars on duty in the palace. Although they are bold and reckless, they still understand the truth.

And on the coronation throne, Louisa can still walk. She is holding her belly with her hand. She is also very careful at this time. The doctor checked her before coming up, and there should be no problem. However, after the coronation ceremony, she will return to the Tavrid Palace. In addition to the ceremony, there will be a reception at the Winter Palace, which will be noisy and not suitable for her.

The queen is in this state now, and it won't be long before she gives birth. She looks very good, which is always a good sign. In addition, the young Queen Elizabeth has always been considered weak, and her appearance in public at this time can indeed shatter the rumors spread by the British.

Even the Queen Mother, who has always been a hindrance to her daughter-in-law, has restrained herself now. Juliana's return to her parents' home will attract the attention of the royal families of various countries. She can't let out something that is not conducive to the peaceful atmosphere in the court, and openly take sides and make things difficult for her.

Only at the coronation ceremony of the Russian royal family, the unity of the royal family must be shown.

Fortunately, many Russian newspapers were published in Moscow instead of supplying Petersburg, and there were no tabloid reporters in this era, which made the whole atmosphere seem relatively peaceful.

Louisa herself sat on the throne very smoothly. Alexander saw her appearance, as usual, even though she only had light makeup on, she was very beautiful.

He also knew the identity of "Filipova", but although Alexander was called this name, he did not want to have Hephaestion, and the eyes of this person today seemed to be very wary of the audience.

But "she" couldn't speak yet, to the extent that she could reveal her target by opening her mouth, and under the hem of her skirt, according to Solovyov's previous report, he had prepared a revolver under his skirt to ensure safety. and a short sword, just to prevent assassins from appearing.

Alexander did not doubt the necessity of this. After all, his attitude towards the British was not friendly. What if Lord Whitworth went crazy?

The ceremony is about to begin. In the glorious ceremony, surrounded by Byzantine hymns, the Metropolitan of Petersburg will hand over the orb and scepter representing imperial power to Alexander's hands, and will give him a blessing.

First, the emperor and the empress came to the door of the icon, bowed three times, and kissed the icon to receive blessings.

The coronation ceremony in Moscow will be like this. Currently, Louisa's body does need someone to support her at all times. "Filipova"'s movements must also match the Queen's movements as much as possible. His image today is quite suitable.

After all, this is just a "light and shadow", and Solovyov's temporary name is indeed correct. Using a "girl" that does not exist in the "phantom" will naturally provide some "illusory" effects. If it were replaced It may be a bit embarrassing for the individual.

Sometimes, Solovyov himself feels strange, how Alexander sometimes comes up with such abstract ideas, to show his dominance, and then to ensure the smooth progress of the ceremony, at the expense of loyal subordinates. "Integrity" and exposing the daughter-in-law to "risks" from time to time.

The church choir was singing carols, and this time the Metropolitan of Petersburg was on the podium of the church to preside over the coronation ceremony.

"Great God-fearing Sovereign, our Emperor and Ruler of all Russians! For by the providence of God, by the cooperation of the Holy and All Holy Spirit, and in consultation with you, the coronation and holy anointing of your Imperial Majesty should now be This orthodox coronation is performed in the church according to the ancient custom of the Christian monarchs and your crowning ancestors and your majesty, so that the orthodox faith may be propagated to your loyal subjects.”

Alexander also had to recite the Orthodox creed. After completing it, he also had to accept the blessings of the metropolitan and the clergy. When they recited biblical passages, he took over the coat of arms representing the imperial power and made a lasting gesture. The status of the shield.

The Metropolitan would at this time put on the coronation robes of the Tsar himself, followed by the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, as a symbol of the supreme authority of the head of state.

After that, the huge tsar's crown inlaid with many gems was handed to Alexander. The young tsar needed to take the crown, bow his head to indicate, and then put on the crown himself.

Speaking of which, the etiquette of the Orthodox Church is very different from that of the Western Church. After all, the Orthodox Church still has imperial power greater than religious power. Even the founding monarch of the Romanov Dynasty, Mikhail, whose father was the archbishop, this is the same.

".This visible and tangible ornament on your head clearly indicates that Christ, the King of Glory himself, through his gracious blessing, invisibly crowns you as the Head of the Russian people and confirms the supreme power that belongs to you ”

When the eulogy arrived here, the Metropolitan's work had not yet been completed. The Patriarch was blessing on the side, which was to add some buffs and pray that the Russian monarch would gain more happiness.

Finally, the Metropolitan presented the scepter in his left hand and the scepter in his right hand to the monarch: “.Take the scepter and the scepter, which are the visible images of the sole power given to you by the Most High over his people, in order to rule over them and to provide for them. They provide every desirable blessing.”

At this point, the coronation ceremony for the emperor comes to an end. The tsar himself will take over the queen's small crown. Starting from the late emperor Paul and the current empress dowager Maria, the empress will participate in the coronation ceremony. In the period of the empress dowager, The queen knelt down to receive her coronation.

But when it came to Louisa, the young Queen Elizabeth, when discussing the coronation ceremony, whether it was the Moscow ceremony or the Petersburg ceremony, she stood to receive the small crown, took it from Alexander's hands during the congratulations, and then wore it until Come on your own head.

At this time, during the coronation process, Tsar Alexander had to stroke Queen Elizabeth's hair and receive the medal necklace and coronation cloak of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle. The ceremony was the same as the previous emperor's coronation.

"Filipova" knew that she was here to play a supporting role, but Alexander hugged Louisa with her big belly and let her put on the small crown. This was a rather special situation.

After all, without the service of the "maid", the queen herself needs the protection of her spouse. This kind of coronation ceremony can make the spouses of monarchs in other countries envious. This kind of jealousy was also shared by the Queen Mother Maria. When Paul joined her in the coronation ceremony, he still knelt down to receive her.

After Louisa gave birth, she went to Moscow. Although she did not need to be crowned in the arms of the Tsar, she still had to stand like this to complete the whole ceremony.

This was also Alexander's compensation to Louisa. Since she could only be the second lady in the court, she could also find some etiquette in the coronation ceremony.

Then the Metropolitan Bishop would read the long titles of Tsar Alexander and Queen Elizabeth, and the choir would continue to chant, blessing the emperor's long reign and the country's longevity.

The next activity was to kiss the Gospel, and Alexander would swear and receive the blessing of holy anointing.

The royal couple now went to the holy image behind the scepter carried by the royal guests. The emperor stood on the golden cloth laid in advance, and the queen stayed behind, and now needed the "maid" to support her. The Metropolitan Bishop would anoint the emperor with the anointing stick, and then anoint the queen's forehead, followed by the ringing of bells and the roar of salutes.

Fortunately, Louisa was in good health and her mentality was very peaceful, so she was not frightened by the sound of the cannon.

As for the Eucharist, freshly squeezed grape juice was used to replace the Queen's wine. The Tsar received the Eucharist as usual, followed by the Queen.

At the same time, the Metropolitan Bishop blessed the Tsar and the Queen.

"Lord, please give us a happy and quiet life, health, salvation and all blessings, as well as defense and victory over the enemy for our orthodox and pious Christians, great monarchs, crowned by God, noble and anointed emperors, rulers of all Russians. And his wife, orthodox and pious, crowned, respected and anointed queen, we wish them a long reign."

Then the choir sang the hymn "May the reign be long" three times, and the secular officials and clergy present bowed three times. At this time, Alexander kissed the cross, which meant that the coronation ceremony was over.

At this time, the Tsar and his wife will return to the official residence. Since the ceremony in Petersburg is different from that in Moscow, this time it will be held in the church of the Winter Palace. The banquet will be relatively short, and the pregnant queen will be carried back to her queen's bedroom to rest.

Anyway, Alexander knew that the envoys of the Holy See were coming during the ceremony. If the other party wanted to protest, he would just stand by. The problems between the Eastern and Western Churches are often caused by the small actions of the Holy See, which is the case in Constantinople, Moscow and today's Petersburg.

As for the future, there will be celebrations, but we have to take into account. Considering the physical condition of the queen, this year's celebrations will also be connected with the birth of the heir or the Grand Duchess. The whole of Petersburg is very festive and joyful in this autumn.