Kshesinskaya Matilda Feliksovna biography children. Matilda Kshesinskaya - biography, photo, Nicholas II, personal life of the great ballerina

From the first performances on stage, she was accompanied by rumors, the increased interest of tabloid newspapers and numerous fans. Interest in this unique and vibrant woman continues to this day. Who was Matilda Kshesinskaya - an ethereal creature wholly devoted to art, or a greedy hunter for power and wealth?

First student

Kshesinskaya began her memoirs, written at the end of her life, with a legend. Once upon a time, the young scion of the Krasinski count family fled from Poland to Paris from relatives who were after his enormous fortune. Fleeing from hired killers, he changed his last name to “Kshesinsky”. His son Jan, nicknamed the “golden-voiced slovik,” that is, the nightingale, sang in the Warsaw opera and became famous as a dramatic actor. He died at the age of 106, passing on to his descendants not only longevity, but also a passion for art. Son Felix became a dancer, shone on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, and when he was already middle-aged he married ballerina Yulia Dominskaya, the mother of five children. In the new marriage, four more were born, all of them, except for the first-born who died early, made a successful career in ballet.

Including the youngest Matilda, who was called Malechka in the family.

Petite (153 cm), graceful, big-eyed, she captivated everyone with her cheerful and open disposition. From the first years of her life, she loved to dance and willingly attended rehearsals with her father. He made his daughter a wooden model of the theater, where Malechka and her sister Yulia performed entire performances. And soon the games gave way to hard work - the girls were sent to a theater school, where they had to study for eight hours a day. However, Matilda learned ballet easily and immediately became her first student. A year after admission, she received a role in Minkus's ballet Don Quixote. Soon she began to be recognized on stage, her first fans appeared...

Malechka rested from her righteous labors on her parents’ estate, Krasnitsa, near St. Petersburg. She always remembered trips to pick berries, boat rides, and crowded receptions - her father adored guests and himself prepared exotic Polish dishes for them. At one of the family receptions, a young coquette upset someone's wedding, making the groom fall in love with her. And early on I realized what men liked - not for beauty (the nose is too long, the legs are short), but for brightness, energy, sparkle in the eyes and ringing laughter. And, of course, talent.

Brooch as a keepsake

Matilda describes her romance with an unmarried heir in her memoirs very sparingly. At the beginning of 1894, Nikolai announced that he would marry Alice, their engagement took place in April, and their wedding took place in November, after his accession to the throne. But there is not a single line about wounded female pride in Kshesinskaya’s memoirs, intended for the general reader:

“The sense of duty and dignity was extremely highly developed in him... He was kind and easy to talk to. Everyone was always fascinated by him, and his exceptional eyes and smile won hearts” - about Nicholas II. And this is about Alexandra Fedorovna: “In her, the Heir found himself a wife who fully embraced the Russian faith, the principles and foundations of royal power, an intelligent, warm-hearted woman with great spiritual qualities and duty.”

They parted, as they would say now, in a civilized manner. That is why Nicholas II continued to patronize Kshesinskaya, moreover, together with his wife, they chose a gift for Matilda for the 10th anniversary of her ballet career - a brooch in the form of a sapphire snake. The snake symbolizes wisdom, the sapphire symbolizes memory, and the ballerina was wise enough not to base her career on very personal memories of the past.

Alas, her contemporaries also tried for her, spreading gossip around the country, where fables were intertwined, and descendants who, more than a hundred years later, published Kshesinskaya’s diaries, which were not intended for prying eyes. Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Yegoryevsk spoke about this in a balanced interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta after the release of the trailer for the film Matilda, which is being directed by the famous director Alexei Uchitel (see below).

Unfortunately, as often happens, behind the scandalous discussions, no one has ever been interested in the personality of an extraordinary woman and a magnificent ballerina, who was made famous by her not-so-high-profile romances (including with the Grand Dukes Sergei Mikhailovich, with whom she gave birth to a son, and Andrei Vladimirovich ), but talent and hard work.

Running away with a suitcase

In 1896, she received the coveted title of prima ballerina and danced leading roles in The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. To the expressiveness of the Russian school, Matilda added virtuoso Italian technique. At the same time, she tried to oust foreign competitors from the St. Petersburg stage and promoted local young talents, including the brilliant Anna Pavlova. Kshesinskaya shone in Paris, Milan, and her native Warsaw, where Gazeta Polska wrote: “Her dance is varied, like the shine of a diamond: sometimes it is distinguished by lightness and softness, sometimes it breathes fire and passion; at the same time, it is always graceful and delights the viewer with its remarkable harmony of movements."

After leaving the Mariinsky troupe, she began touring on her own, charging 750 rubles for a performance - a huge amount of money at that time. (Carpenters and joiners earned in July 1914 from 1 ruble 60 kopecks to 2 rubles a day, laborers - 1 ruble - 1 ruble 50 kopecks. - Author). The highlight of her performances was the main role in the ballet “Esmeralda” based on the novel by Victor Hugo, last performed shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. That day she was especially warmly applauded, and at the end she was presented with a huge basket of flowers. There were rumors that the flowers were sent by the king himself, who was present at the performance.

Neither he nor she knew that they would see each other for the last time.

During the war, Matilda helped the wounded: she equipped two hospitals with her own money, took soldiers to the theater, and sometimes, taking off her shoes, danced for them right in the ward. She organized receptions for friends who were going to the front or coming on vacation - court connections helped to obtain food and even champagne, which was prohibited by Prohibition. The last reception took place on the eve of the February Revolution, after which the “tsar’s kept woman” fled from home in what she was wearing, taking her son, a suitcase with jewelry and her beloved fox terrier Jibi.

She settled with her faithful maid Lyudmila Rumyantseva, and the Swiss butler who remained in the mansion brought her saved things along with sad news. Her mansion was plundered by soldiers, and then the Bolshevik headquarters were located there. Kshesinskaya sued them, but the laws in Russia were no longer in effect. She fled to Kislovodsk, where she lived for three and a half years: she starved, hid jewelry in the foot of her bed, and escaped from the security officers. Sergei Mikhailovich saw her off at the Kursk station.

Already in Paris, she was visited by investigator Sokolov, who told about the death of the Grand Duke, who, along with the other Romanovs, was thrown into a mine near Alapaevsk...

Tears of a Prima

In 1921, after the death of the parents of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, he married Matilda, who received the “hereditary” surname Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya. The husband entered politics, supporting the claims of his brother Kirill to the Russian throne, which had sunk into oblivion. The son did not want to work - taking advantage of his beauty, “Vovo de Russe” lived on the support of elderly ladies. When the savings ran out, Matilda had to feed the family. In 1929, she opened a ballet studio in Paris. And she regained fame: the best ballerinas in the world came to her school, she was invited to meetings of the World Ballet Federation, journalists asked how she managed to stay in shape. She answered honestly: two hours of walking and exercise every day.

In 1936, the 64-year-old prima danced the legendary “Russian Dance” on the stage of Covent Garden, earning a storm of applause. And in 1940, she fled from the war to the south of France, where her son was arrested by the Gestapo, suspecting (apparently, not in vain) of participation in the Resistance. Kshesinskaya raised all her connections, even visited the head of the secret state police (Gestapo), SS Gruppenführer Heinrich Müller, and Vladimir was released. With the end of the war, the old life returned, interspersed with sad events - friends left, my husband died in 1956. In 1958, the Bolshoi Theater came to Paris on tour, and Matilda burst into tears right in the hall: her beloved art had not died, the imperial ballet was alive!

She died on December 5, 1971, a few months short of her centenary. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery, next to her husband, and a few years later her son, who never continued the Kshesinsky-Krasinsky family, lay in the same grave.

"Not a demand for prohibitions, but a warning about truth and untruth..."

BISHOP OF EGORIEVSK TIKHON (SHEVKUNOV):

The film by Alexei Uchitel claims to be historic, and the trailer is titled nothing less than “The Main Historical Blockbuster of the Year.” But after watching it, I honestly admit I can’t understand: why did the authors do it this way? Why touch on this topic in this way? Why do they force the viewer to believe in the historicity of the heartbreaking scenes of the “love triangle” they invented, in which Nikolai, both before and after his marriage, melodramatically rushes between Matilda and Alexandra? Why is Empress Alexandra Feodorovna depicted as a demonic fury walking with a knife (I'm not kidding!) towards her rival? Vengeful, envious Alexandra Fedorovna, unhappy, wonderful, magnificent Matilda, weak-willed Nikolai, rushing to one or the other. Hugs with Matilda, hugs with Alexandra... What is this - the author's vision? No - slander against real people."< >

The heir considered it his duty to tell the bride about Matilda. There is a letter from Alix to her fiancé, where she writes: “I love you even more since you told me this story. Your trust touches me so deeply... Can I be worthy of it?!” The love of the last Russian Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, amazing in the depth of feelings, fidelity and tenderness, continued on earth until their last martyrdom hour in the Ipatiev House in July 1918.< >

Not demands for prohibitions, but a warning about truth and untruth - this is the goal that can and should be set in connection with the upcoming wide screening of the film. If the film lives up to the trailer, it will be enough to simply talk broadly about the actual story. Actually, that's what we are doing now. And then the viewer will decide for himself.

DIRECTOR OF THE FILM "MATILDA" ALEXEY TEACHER:

For me, the main thing is to avoid aesthetic vulgarity. Fiction is possible when it helps to better understand the main characters of the picture.< >

I believe that “bloody” and “weak-willed” are not the most fair descriptions of Nicholas II. This man ascended the throne in 1896 and until 1913 - during 17 years of rule - he led the country, with the help of the people he gathered in power, to political, economic, and military prosperity. Yes, he had shortcomings, he was contradictory, but he created the most powerful Russia throughout its existence. It was the first in Europe, second in the world in finance, economics, and in many respects.

Russian Empire, favorite of Tsarevich Nicholas in 1892-1894, wife of Grand Duke Andrei Romanov (since 1921), Most Serene Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya (since 1936), mother of Vladimir Krasinsky (born 1902).

Biography

She was born into a family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater: the daughter of the Russian Pole Felix Kshesinsky (1823-1905) and Yulia Dominskaya (the widow of the ballet dancer Lede; she had five children from her first marriage). Sister of the ballerina Yulia Kshesinskaya (" Kshesinskaya 1st"; married Zeddeler, husband - Zeddeler, Alexander Logginovich) and dancer, choreographer Joseph Kshesinsky (1868-1942), who died during the siege of Leningrad.

Artistic career

Early in her career, she was heavily influenced by the art of Virginia Zucchi:

I even had doubts about the correctness of my chosen career. I don’t know what this would have led to if Tsukki’s appearance on our stage had not immediately changed my mood, revealing to me the meaning and meaning of our art.

Matilda Kshesinskaya. Memories.

She took part in summer performances of the Krasnoselsky Theater, where, for example, in 1900 she danced the polonaise with Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Alexander Shiryaev and other artists and the classical pas de deux of Lev Ivanov with Nikolai Legat. Kshesinskaya's creative individuality was characterized by deep dramatic elaboration of roles (Aspiccia, Esmeralda). Being an academic ballerina, she nevertheless participated in the productions of the innovative choreographer Mikhail Fokin “Evnika” (), “Butterflies” (), “Eros” ().

Emigration

Check information.

In the summer of 1917 she left Petrograd forever, initially to Kislovodsk, and in 1919 to Novorossiysk, from where she and her son sailed abroad.

Soon after the coup, when Sergei Mikhailovich returned from Headquarters and was relieved of his post, he proposed marriage to Kshesinskaya. But, as she writes in her memoirs, she refused because of Andrei.
In 1917, Kshesinskaya, having lost her dacha and the famous mansion, wandered around other people's apartments. She decided to go to Andrei Vladimirovich, who was in Kislovodsk. “I, of course, expected to return from Kislovodsk to St. Petersburg in the fall, when, as I hoped, my house would be liberated,” she naively believed.

“A feeling of joy to see Andrei again and a feeling of remorse that I was leaving Sergei alone in the capital, where he was in constant danger, were fighting in my soul. Besides, it was hard for me to take Vova away from him, in whom he doted.” And indeed, in 1918, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich was shot in Alapaevsk.

On July 13, 1917, Matilda and her son left St. Petersburg, arriving in Kislovodsk by train on July 16. Andrei, his mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and his brother Boris occupied a separate house. At the beginning of 1918, “the wave of Bolshevism reached Kislovodsk” - “until that time we all lived relatively peacefully and quietly, although before there had been searches and robberies under all sorts of pretexts,” she writes. In Kislovodsk, Vladimir entered the local gymnasium and graduated with success.

After the revolution, he lived with his mother and brother Boris in Kislovodsk (Kshesinskaya and her son Vova also came there). On August 7, 1918, the brothers were arrested and transported to Pyatigorsk, but a day later they were released under house arrest. On the 13th, Boris, Andrei and his adjutant Colonel Kube fled to the mountains, to Kabarda, where they hid until September 23. Kshesinskaya ended up with her son, her sister’s family and the ballerina Zinaida Rashevskaya (the future wife of Boris Vladimirovich) and other refugees, about a hundred of them, in Batalpashinskaya (from October 2 to October 19), from where the caravan, under guard, moved to Anapa, where she decided to settle under escort Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. In Tuapse, everyone boarded the Typhoon steamer, which took everyone to Anapa. There, Vova fell ill with a Spanish flu, but they let him out. In May 1919, everyone returned to Kislovodsk, which was considered liberated, where they remained until the end of 1919, leaving there after the alarming news for Novorossiysk. The refugees traveled on a train of 2 carriages, with Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna traveling in a 1st class carriage with her friends and entourage, and Kshesinskaya and her son in a 3rd class carriage.

In Novorossiysk we lived for 6 weeks right in the carriages, and typhus was raging all around. On February 19 (March 3), we sailed on the steamship Semiramida of the Italian Triestino-Lloyd. In Constantinople they received French visas.

On March 12 (25), 1920, the family arrived in Cap d’Ail, where Kshesinskaya, 48 at that time, owned a villa.

Private life

In -1894 she was the mistress of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (the future Nicholas II); their relationship ended after the crown prince's engagement to Alice of Hesse in April 1894.

Later she was the mistress of Grand Dukes Sergei Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich. On June 18, 1902, a son, Vladimir, was born in Strelna (his family name was “Vova”), who, according to the Highest Decree of October 15, 1911, received the surname “Krasinsky” (according to family tradition, the Kshesinskys were descended from the Counts Krasinsky), the patronymic “Sergeevich” and the hereditary nobility.

On January 17 (30), 1921 in Cannes, in the Archangel Michael Church, she entered into a morganatic marriage with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, who adopted her son (he became Vladimir Andreevich). In 1925 she converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy with the name Maria.

On November 30, 1926, Kirill Vladimirovich assigned her and her offspring the title and surname of Prince Krasinski, and on July 28, 1935 - His Serene Highness Prince Romanovsky-Krasinski.

Death

Matilda Feliksovna lived a long life and died on December 5, 1971, a few months before her centenary. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris in the same grave with her husband and son. There is an epitaph on the monument: “ Your Serene Highness Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya».

Repertoire

• - Princess Aurora, The Sleeping Beauty by Marius Petipa
• - Flora*, "The Awakening of Flora" by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
• - Mlada, "Mlada" to music by Minkus, choreography by Lev Ivanov and Enrico Cecchetti, revival by Marius Petipa
• - goddess Venus, "Astronomical pas" from the ballet "Bluebeard", choreography by Marius Petipa
• - Lisa, “Vain Precaution” by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
• - goddess Thetis, "Thetis and Peleus" by Marius Petipa
• - Queen Nizia, "King Candaules" by Marius Petipa
• - Gotaru-Gime*, “The Mikado’s Daughter” by Lev Ivanov
• - Aspiccia, "The Pharaoh's Daughter" by Marius Petipa
• - Esmeralda"Esmeralda" by Jules Perrot in a new edition by Marius Petipa
• - Kolos, queen of summer*, The Four Seasons by Marius Petipa
• - Columbine*, Harlequinade by Marius Petipa
• - Nikia, "La Bayadère" by Marius Petipa
• - Rigoletta*, “Rigoletta, the Parisian Milliner” by Enrico Cecchetti (charity performance in the Hall of the Officers’ Assembly on Liteiny Prospekt)
• - Princess*, The Magic Mirror by Marius Petipa
• - Evnika*, "Evnika" by Mikhail Fokin ( Akteya- Anna Pavlova, Petronius - Pavel Gerdt; performed only at the premiere)
• November 28 - Young woman*, “Eros” by Mikhail Fokin ( young man- Anatoly Viltzak, Eros- Peter Vladimirov, Angel- Feliya Dubrovskaya)

(*) - the first performer of the part.

Addresses in St. Petersburg - Petrograd

• 1892-1906 - English Avenue, 18;
• 1906 - March 1917 - Kshesinskaya Mansion - Bolshaya Dvoryanskaya Street (now Kuibysheva Street), 2;
• March - July 1917 - apartment of P. N. Vladimirov - Alekseevskaya street, 10.

Essays

• Kshesinskaya M.. - M.: Artist. Director. Theater, 1992. - 414 p. - (Ballets Russes). - 25,000 copies. - ISBN 5-87334-066-8.
• Matilda Kshessinskaya. Dancing in Petersburg. - L., 1960, 1973. (English)
• S.A.S. la Princesse Romanovsky-Krassinsky. Souvenirs de la Kschessinska: Prima ballerina du Théâtre impérial de Saint-Pétersbourg (Reliure inconnue). - P., 1960. (French)

Memory

Fiction

Matilda Kshesinskaya is a character in the following literary works:

• V. S. Pikul. Devilry. Political novel. - Frunze: Kyrgyzstan, 1991.
• Boris Akunin. Coronation. - M.: Zakharov, 2002.
• Gennady Sedov.. Madame Seventeen. Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nikolai Romanov. - M.: Text, 2006. - ISBN 5-7516-0568-3.
• T. Bronzova. Matilda. Love and dance. - Boslen, 2013

• The ballerina Kshesinskaya may have been genetically programmed for longevity, since her grandfather Ivan Felix (1770-1876) already lived for 106 years.

see also

Write a review of the article "Kshesinskaya, Matilda Feliksovna"

Notes

Literature

• Arnold L. Haskell. Diaghileff. His artistic and private life. - N.Y., 1935.
• Bronzova T. Matilda: Love and dance. M.: Boslen, 2013. - 368 pp., 1000 copies, ISBN 978-5-91187-181-9
• S. M. Volkonsky. My memories. M.: Art, 1992. - In 2 vols.
• T. P. Karsavina. Theater street. M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004.
• V. M. Krasovskaya. Russian ballet theater of the second half of the 19th century, M.: Iskusstvo, 1963.
• V. M. Krasovskaya. Russian ballet theater of the early 20th century. M.: Art.
• Reviews of performances by Kshesinskaya’s studio in the newspaper “Last News” - see the complete collection in: Revue des études slaves, Paris, LXIV/4, 1992, pp.735-772
• O. G. Kovalik. Daily life of ballerinas of the Russian Imperial Theater. M.: Young Guard, 2011.

Links

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An excerpt characterizing Kshesinskaya, Matilda Feliksovna

“So that Prince Andrei knows that she is in the power of the French! So that she, the daughter of Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky, asks Mr. General Rameau to provide her with protection and enjoy his benefits! “This thought terrified her, made her shudder, blush and feel attacks of anger and pride that she had not yet experienced. Everything that was difficult and, most importantly, offensive in her position, was vividly imagined to her. “They, the French, will settle in this house; Mr. General Rameau will occupy the office of Prince Andrei; It will be fun to sort through and read his letters and papers. M lle Bourienne lui fera les honneurs de Bogucharovo. [Mademoiselle Bourien will receive him with honors in Bogucharovo.] They will give me a room out of mercy; soldiers will destroy their father's fresh grave to remove crosses and stars from him; they will tell me about victories over the Russians, they will feign sympathy for my grief... - Princess Marya thought not with her own thoughts, but feeling obligated to think for herself with the thoughts of her father and brother. For her personally, it didn't matter where she stayed and whatever happened to her; but at the same time she felt like a representative of her late father and Prince Andrei. She involuntarily thought with their thoughts and felt with their feelings. Whatever they would say, whatever they would do now, that is what she felt necessary to do. She went to Prince Andrei’s office and, trying to penetrate his thoughts, pondered her situation.
The demands of life, which she considered destroyed with the death of her father, suddenly arose with a new, still unknown force before Princess Marya and overwhelmed her. Excited, red-faced, she walked around the room, demanding first Alpatych, then Mikhail Ivanovich, then Tikhon, then Dron. Dunyasha, the nanny and all the girls could not say anything about the extent to which what M lle Bourienne announced was fair. Alpatych was not at home: he had gone to see his superiors. The summoned Mikhail Ivanovich, the architect, who came to Princess Marya with sleepy eyes, could not say anything to her. With exactly the same smile of agreement with which he had been accustomed for fifteen years to respond, without expressing his opinion, to the old prince’s appeals, he answered Princess Marya’s questions, so that nothing definite could be deduced from his answers. The summoned old valet Tikhon, with a sunken and haggard face, bearing the imprint of incurable grief, answered “I listen with” to all the questions of Princess Marya and could hardly restrain himself from sobbing, looking at her.
Finally, the elder Dron entered the room and, bowing low to the princess, stopped at the lintel.
Princess Marya walked around the room and stopped opposite him.
“Dronushka,” said Princess Marya, who saw in him an undoubted friend, the same Dronushka who, from his annual trip to the fair in Vyazma, brought her his special gingerbread every time and served her with a smile. “Dronushka, now, after our misfortune,” she began and fell silent, unable to speak further.
“We all walk under God,” he said with a sigh. They were silent.
- Dronushka, Alpatych has gone somewhere, I have no one to turn to. Is it true that they tell me that I can’t leave?
“Why don’t you go, your Excellency, you can go,” said Dron.
“They told me it was dangerous from the enemy.” Darling, I can’t do anything, I don’t understand anything, there’s no one with me. I definitely want to go at night or early tomorrow morning. – The drone was silent. He glanced at Princess Marya from under his brows.
“There are no horses,” he said, “I told Yakov Alpatych too.”
- Why not? - said the princess.
“It’s all from God’s punishment,” said Dron. “Which horses there were were dismantled for use by the troops, and which ones died, what year it is today.” It’s not like feeding the horses, but making sure we don’t die of hunger ourselves! And they sit like that for three days without eating. There is nothing, they are completely ruined.
Princess Marya listened carefully to what he told her.
- Are the men ruined? Do they have no bread? – she asked.
“They’re dying of starvation,” said Dron, “not like the carts...”
- Why didn’t you tell me, Dronushka? Can't you help? I will do everything I can... - It was strange for Princess Marya to think that now, at such a moment, when such grief filled her soul, there could be rich and poor people and that the rich could not help the poor. She vaguely knew and heard that there was master's bread and that it was given to the peasants. She also knew that neither her brother nor her father would refuse the needs of the peasants; she was only afraid of somehow making a mistake in her words about this distribution of bread to the peasants, which she wanted to dispose of. She was glad that she was presented with an excuse for concern, one for which she was not ashamed to forget her grief. She began asking Dronushka for details about the needs of the men and about what was lordly in Bogucharovo.
– After all, we have the master’s bread, brother? – she asked.
“The master’s bread is all intact,” Dron said proudly, “our prince did not order it to be sold.”
“Give him to the peasants, give him everything they need: I give you permission in the name of my brother,” said Princess Marya.
The drone said nothing and took a deep breath.
“You give them this bread if it is enough for them.” Give everything away. I command you in the name of my brother, and tell them: what is ours is also theirs. We will spare nothing for them. So tell me.
The drone looked intently at the princess while she spoke.
“Dismiss me, mother, for God’s sake, tell me to accept the keys,” he said. “I served for twenty-three years, I didn’t do anything bad; leave me alone, for God's sake.
Princess Marya did not understand what he wanted from her and why he asked to dismiss himself. She answered him that she never doubted his devotion and that she was ready to do everything for him and for the men.

An hour after this, Dunyasha came to the princess with the news that Dron had arrived and all the men, by order of the princess, gathered at the barn, wanting to talk with the mistress.
“Yes, I never called them,” said Princess Marya, “I only told Dronushka to give them bread.”
“Only for God’s sake, Princess Mother, order them away and don’t go to them.” It’s all just a lie,” Dunyasha said, “and Yakov Alpatych will come and we’ll go... and if you please...
- What kind of deception? – the princess asked in surprise
- Yes, I know, just listen to me, for God’s sake. Just ask the nanny. They say they do not agree to leave on your orders.
- You're saying something wrong. Yes, I never ordered to leave... - said Princess Marya. - Call Dronushka.
The arriving Dron confirmed Dunyasha’s words: the men came on the orders of the princess.
“Yes, I never called them,” said the princess. “You probably didn’t convey it to them correctly.” I just told you to give them the bread.
The drone sighed without answering.
“If you order, they will leave,” he said.
“No, no, I’ll go to them,” said Princess Marya
Despite the dissuading of Dunyasha and the nanny, Princess Marya went out onto the porch. Dron, Dunyasha, the nanny and Mikhail Ivanovich followed her. “They probably think that I am offering them bread so that they will remain in their places, and I will leave myself, abandoning them to the mercy of the French,” thought Princess Marya. – I will promise them a month in an apartment near Moscow; I’m sure Andre would have done even more in my place,” she thought, approaching the crowd standing in the pasture near the barn in the twilight.
The crowd, crowded, began to stir, and their hats quickly came off. Princess Marya, with her eyes downcast and her feet tangling in her dress, came close to them. So many different old and young eyes were fixed on her and there were so many different faces that Princess Marya did not see a single face and, feeling the need to suddenly talk to everyone, did not know what to do. But again the consciousness that she was the representative of her father and brother gave her strength, and she boldly began her speech.
“I’m very glad that you came,” Princess Marya began, without raising her eyes and feeling how quickly and strongly her heart was beating. “Dronushka told me that you were ruined by the war.” This is our common grief, and I will not spare anything to help you. I’m going myself, because it’s already dangerous here and the enemy is close... because... I give you everything, my friends, and I ask you to take everything, all our bread, so that you don’t have any need. And if they told you that I am giving you bread so that you can stay here, then this is not true. On the contrary, I ask you to leave with all your property to our Moscow region, and there I take it upon myself and promise you that you will not be in need. They will give you houses and bread. - The princess stopped. Only sighs were heard in the crowd.
“I’m not doing this on my own,” the princess continued, “I’m doing this in the name of my late father, who was a good master to you, and for my brother and his son.”
She stopped again. No one interrupted her silence.
- Woe is our common, and we will divide everything in half. Everything that is mine is yours,” she said, looking around at the faces that stood before her.
All eyes looked at her with the same expression, the meaning of which she could not understand. Whether it was curiosity, devotion, gratitude, or fear and distrust, the expression on all faces was the same.
“Many people are pleased with your mercy, but we don’t have to take the master’s bread,” said a voice from behind.
- Why not? - said the princess.
No one answered, and Princess Marya, looking around the crowd, noticed that now all the eyes she met immediately dropped.
- Why don’t you want to? – she asked again.
Nobody answered.
Princess Marya felt heavy from this silence; she tried to catch someone's gaze.
- Why don’t you talk? - the princess turned to the old man, who, leaning on a stick, stood in front of her. - Tell me if you think anything else is needed. “I’ll do everything,” she said, catching his gaze. But he, as if angry at this, lowered his head completely and said:
- Why agree, we don’t need bread.
- Well, should we give it all up? Do not agree. We don’t agree... We don’t agree. We feel sorry for you, but we do not agree. Go on your own, alone...” was heard in the crowd from different directions. And again the same expression appeared on all the faces of this crowd, and now it was probably no longer an expression of curiosity and gratitude, but an expression of embittered determination.
“You didn’t understand, right,” said Princess Marya with a sad smile. Why don't you want to go? I promise to accommodate you, feed you. And here the enemy will ruin you ...
But her voice was drowned out by the voices of the crowd.
- There is no our consent, let them ruin! We do not take your bread, there is no our consent!
Princess Marya again tried to catch someone's gaze from the crowd, but not a single glance was directed at her; her eyes obviously avoided her. She felt strange and uncomfortable.
“Look, she taught me cleverly, follow her to the fortress!” Ruin the houses and into bondage and go. How! I'll give you the bread, they say! voices were heard in the crowd.
Princess Mary, lowering her head, left the circle and went into the house. Having repeated the order to Drona that there should be horses for departure tomorrow, she went to her room and was left alone with her thoughts.

For a long time that night, Princess Marya sat at the open window in her room, listening to the sounds of men talking coming from the village, but she did not think about them. She felt that no matter how much she thought about them, she could not understand them. She kept thinking about one thing - about her grief, which now, after the break caused by worries about the present, had already become past for her. She could now remember, she could cry and she could pray. As the sun set, the wind died down. The night was calm and cool. At twelve o'clock the voices began to fade, the rooster crowed, the full moon began to emerge from behind the linden trees, a fresh, white mist of dew rose, and silence reigned over the village and over the house.
One after another, pictures of the close past appeared to her - illness and her father’s last minutes. And with sad joy she now dwelled on these images, driving away from herself with horror only one last image of his death, which - she felt - she was unable to contemplate even in her imagination at this quiet and mysterious hour of the night. And these pictures appeared to her with such clarity and with such detail that they seemed to her now like reality, now the past, now the future.
Then she vividly imagined that moment when he had a stroke and was dragged out of the garden in the Bald Mountains by the arms and he muttered something with an impotent tongue, twitched his gray eyebrows and looked at her restlessly and timidly.
“Even then he wanted to tell me what he told me on the day of his death,” she thought. “He always meant what he told me.” And so she remembered in all its details that night in Bald Mountains on the eve of the blow that happened to him, when Princess Marya, sensing trouble, remained with him against his will. She did not sleep and at night she tiptoed downstairs and, going up to the door to the flower shop where her father spent the night that night, listened to his voice. He said something to Tikhon in an exhausted, tired voice. He obviously wanted to talk. “And why didn’t he call me? Why didn’t he allow me to be here in Tikhon’s place? - Princess Marya thought then and now. “He will never tell anyone now everything that was in his soul.” This moment will never return for him and for me, when he would say everything he wanted to say, and I, and not Tikhon, would listen and understand him. Why didn’t I enter the room then? she thought. “Maybe he would have told me then what he said on the day of his death.” Even then, in a conversation with Tikhon, he asked about me twice. He wanted to see me, but I stood here, outside the door. He was sad, it was hard to talk with Tikhon, who did not understand him. I remember how he spoke to him about Lisa, as if she were alive - he forgot that she died, and Tikhon reminded him that she was no longer there, and he shouted: “Fool.” It was hard for him. I heard from behind the door how, groaning, he lay down on the bed and shouted loudly: “My God! Why didn’t I go up then? What would he do to me? What would I have to lose? And maybe then he would have been consoled, he would have said this word to me.” And Princess Marya uttered aloud that affectionate word that he had spoken to her on the day of his death. “Darling! - Princess Marya repeated this word and began to sob with tears that relieved her soul. She now saw his face in front of her. And not the face she had known since she could remember, and which she had always seen from afar; and that face - timid and weak, which on the last day, bending down to his mouth in order to hear what he was saying, for the first time examined closely with all its wrinkles and details.
“Darling,” she repeated.
“What was he thinking when he said that word? What is he thinking now? - suddenly a question came to her, and in response to this she saw him in front of her with the same expression on his face that he had in the coffin, on his face tied with a white scarf. And the horror that gripped her when she touched him and became convinced that it was not only not him, but something mysterious and repulsive, gripped her now. She wanted to think about other things, wanted to pray, but could do nothing. She looked with large open eyes at the moonlight and shadows, every second she expected to see his dead face and felt that the silence that stood over the house and in the house shackled her.
- Dunyasha! – she whispered. - Dunyasha! she cried in a wild voice and, breaking out of the silence, ran to the girls' room, towards the nanny and girls running towards her.

On August 17, Rostov and Ilyin, accompanied by Lavrushka and the escort hussar, who had just returned from captivity, from their Yankovo ​​camp, fifteen miles from Bogucharov, went riding - to try a new horse bought by Ilyin and find out if there is hay in the villages.
Bogucharovo had been between the two enemy armies for the last three days, so that the Russian rearguard could just as easily enter there as the French avant-garde, and therefore Rostov, as a caring squadron commander, wanted to take advantage of the provisions that remained in Bogucharov before the French.
Rostov and Ilyin were in the most cheerful mood. On the way to Bogucharovo, to the princely estate with a manor, where they hoped to find a large household and pretty girls, they first asked Lavrushka about Napoleon and laughed at his stories, then they drove, trying Ilyin's horse.
Rostov did not know and did not think that this village to which he was going was the estate of that same Bolkonsky, who was his sister's fiancé.
Rostov and Ilyin let the horses out for the last time in the cart in front of Bogucharov, and Rostov, having overtaken Ilyin, was the first to jump into the street of the village of Bogucharov.
“You took the lead,” said the flushed Ilyin.
“Yes, everything is forward, and forward in the meadow, and here,” answered Rostov, stroking his soaring bottom with his hand.
“And in French, your Excellency,” Lavrushka said from behind, calling his sled nag French, “I would have overtaken, but I just didn’t want to embarrass him.”
They walked up to the barn, near which stood a large crowd of men.
Some men took off their hats, some, without taking off their hats, looked at those who had arrived. Two long old men, with wrinkled faces and sparse beards, came out of the tavern and, smiling, swaying and singing some awkward song, approached the officers.
- Well done! - Rostov said, laughing. - What, do you have any hay?
“And they are the same...” said Ilyin.
- Weigh ... oo ... oooh ... barking demon ... demon ... - the men sang with happy smiles.
One man came out of the crowd and approached Rostov.
- What kind of people will you be? - he asked.
“The French,” Ilyin answered, laughing. “Here is Napoleon himself,” he said, pointing to Lavrushka.
- So, you will be Russian? – the man asked.
- How much of your strength is there? – asked another small man, approaching them.
“Many, many,” answered Rostov. - Why are you gathered here? - he added. - A holiday, or what?
“The old people have gathered on worldly business,” the man answered, moving away from him.
At this time, two women and a man in a white hat appeared on the road from the manor house, walking towards the officers.
- Mine in pink, don’t bother me! - said Ilyin, noticing Dunyasha resolutely moving towards him.
- Ours will be! – Lavrushka said to Ilyin with a wink.
- What, my beauty, do you need? - Ilyin said, smiling.
- The princess was ordered to find out what regiment you are and your names?
- This is Count Rostov, squadron commander, and I am your obedient servant.
- B...se...e...du...shka! - the drunk man sang, smiling happily and looking at Ilyin talking to the girl. Following Dunyasha, Alpatych approached Rostov, taking off his hat from a distance.
“I dare to bother you, your honor,” he said with respect, but with relative disdain for the youth of this officer and putting his hand in his bosom. “My lady, the daughter of General Chief Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, who died this fifteenth, being in difficulty due to the ignorance of these persons,” he pointed to the men, “asks you to come... would you like,” Alpatych said with a sad smile, “to leave a few, otherwise it’s not so convenient when... - Alpatych pointed to two men who were running around him from behind, like horseflies around a horse.

Name: Matilda Kshesinskaya

Date of Birth: 31.08.1872

Age: 146 years

Place of Birth: Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire

Activity: ballerina, teacher

Family status: Married

The biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya is now being actively discussed. This name is on everyone's lips after the premiere of the acclaimed film "Matilda", in which the autocrat, canonized by the holy Orthodox Church, is shown as an ordinary passionate person. This shocked many, especially believers. And, as you know, many people are now protesting. So who exactly was this mysterious woman?

Matilda's childhood and youth

Matilda Kshesinskaya was born on August 31, 1872. Her biography began in the town of Ligovo, St. Petersburg district.

Matilda's parents were ballet actors, Pole Felix and Julia. His father performed at the Mariinsky Theater, and his mother was a corps de ballet dancer. The personal life of Felix and Yulia Kshesinsky was successful, they had three children, despite the fact that Yulia had 5 children from her first husband before her marriage to Felix. My mother's maiden name was Dominskaya. She was married to the famous dancer Lede, who died leaving her alone with her children.

Matilda from childhood showed the ability to theatrical art, and with all her heart she loved the theater. Her older sister was also a ballerina, which only strengthened the young girl’s desire to follow this path. Therefore, as soon as she turned 8 years old, the girl entered the Imperial Theater School and graduated as an external student in 1890. During her studies, the future ballerina was worried that she would not be able to benefit society, but after seeing the performance of the famous Virginia Zucchi and being inspired by it, she realized that nothing was more important to her than art.

Matilda Kshesinskaya in childhood

At the final exam, already exciting for Matilda, Emperor Alexander III was present along with his son, Tsarevich Nicholas. The Emperor praised Matilda's performance, wishing her to become an adornment of the famous Russian ballet.

This praise had a huge impact on the biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya and gave her confidence. After the exam, at the ball, the girl danced with Nikolai. Both of them, recalling this moment, claim that they fell in love with each other immediately.

Matilda's parents

Memoirs of contemporaries show that the girl had a cheerful character. Matilda was easy-going and very cheerful. Tsarevich Nicholas even said in his diary that instead of blood, champagne flows in her. She remained that way for the rest of her life.

Since the girl showed her best side in her studies, after graduating from college she was immediately invited to the Mariinsky Theater.

Creative career in Russia

Matilda was a very hardy and purposeful person. She could hold the ballet barre for hours, not paying attention to the pain and discomfort.

The girl played many roles in the theater, but her debut was the role of Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. In 1896, Matilda, despite the lack of consent from the chief choreographer Petipa, became the prima ballerina of the Imperial Theater. The girl’s work was difficult, and the attitude of other ballerinas towards Matilda was not easy, but she continued to shine on stage.

At that time, Italian ballerinas were the most popular in Russian ballet, thanks to their physical endurance and grace. To learn this skill, Matilda takes lessons from Italian masters, which allowed her to perform the famous trick - 32 fouettés, which had not previously been performed by Russian ballerinas.

Famous ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya

Kshesinskaya performed not only at the Mariinsky Theater, but also at the Krasnoselsky and Hermitage. Also, the young ballerina worked together with such famous ballerinas as Anna Pavlova and Yulia Sedova.

Matilda's style was different from other ballet styles of the time. The girl knew how to combine Italian flexibility and Russian grace, as well as endurance and natural charisma. All this allowed her to leave a noticeable mark in the history of art.

The great ballerina’s repertoire at that time included roles from ballets:

• "Esmeralda";
• "La Bayadère";
• "Vain precaution";
• "Flora's Awakening";
• "Sleeping Beauty";
• "Evnika" and others.

None of the dancers had such beauty of movements and grace in those days. Matilda knew how to charm the viewer with her charm, expressiveness of feelings and precision of movements. This is all thanks to the hard training, diligence and perseverance of this small but strong woman.

Matilda dancing

In 1904, Matilda left the theater forever and began giving commissioned performances. She earned decently for those times; on average, the former prima ballerina received 500-750 rubles per performance. This was a lot of money at that time, considering that two rubles could buy a cow, for example. In 1911, the ballerina performed very successfully in London. Matilda has since become interested not only in the theater, but also in various financial transactions. For example, during the First World War, Kshesinskaya distributes orders for troops between firms and influences various military affairs.

Life abroad

During the February Revolution, the biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya changed completely. The ballerina with her family and son Vladimir leaves Petrograd forever. For some time the ballerina lives in Kislovodsk, then moves to Novorossiysk. Matilda wanted to return to the capital of Russia, but she could not do this, since her famous mansion was occupied by the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party.

In Novorossiysk, life for the Kshesinskys was not sweet. In those difficult post-revolutionary times, aristocrats had a very difficult time. They, along with the relatives of the grand dukes, had to live for 2 months in carriages in which typhus was raging.

For some time the dancer lived abroad

Fortunately, the disease passed by Matilda and her son. In 1920, the ballerina moved abroad, to France, to a city called Cap d'Ail. There she had a villa, and Matilda's life improved again.

9 years later, Kshesinskaya opens her own ballet school in Paris. The students recalled that her noble blood was visible to the naked eye. During her teaching, Matilda Kshesinskaya never raised her voice to her students, she was always polite and behaved with dignity. She did not talk much about her biography and personal life, and in the photo, and in life, she looked much younger than her age.

During World War II, Matilda develops arthritis, which causes her every movement to cause pain, but, as in her youth, the former ballerina copes with it. In Paris, Kshesinskaya begins to write memoirs, which were published in France in 1960. In Russia, her books were published only after the fall of the USSR, in 1992.

Matilda Kshesinskaya's romance with the Tsarevich

The biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya is closely connected with the imperial family. In 1890, the girl met Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Nicholas II. According to the ballerina’s memoirs, she immediately fell in love with the heir. Nikolai was also fascinated by this fragile and petite girl (her height was only 153 centimeters!).

Empress Maria Feodorovna approved of the Tsarevich's decision to have an affair with Matilda and even helped with money for gifts to Kshesinskaya. This was explained by the fact that Nikolai was too modest and paid little attention to the female sex. His mother was seriously worried about this.

But, unfortunately, there could be no marriage between the ballerina and Nicholas, since in this case the Tsarevich would have lost the opportunity to ascend the throne. Everyone understood this, and Matilda too. However, no one forbade young lovers to meet.

Matilda in her country house

Their love was like a young unblown rose that attracts attention with its aroma and beauty. However, it can be very difficult to pick it due to the thorniness of the thorns.

Thanks to this novel, Nikolai gained experience in love and communication with women. The love of the Tsarevich and the young beautiful ballerina became forbidden fruit when the time came for him to marry, finding a worthy candidate for this, and ascend to the throne.

In 1894, on the occasion of the death of Emperor Alexander III, Nicholas made a decision - it was necessary to marry Alice of Darmstadt, the future Alexandra Feodorovna, granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria. Moreover, the crown prince fell in love with the princess. Nikolai saw Alix (as her relatives called her) as a child, at the wedding of her sister, Princess Elizabeth, and his uncle, Prince Sergei. Having met Alix a few years later, Nikolai saw a mature beauty in her appearance, and his heart trembled. He realized that he could not find a better match for marriage.

Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nikolai Alexandrovich

Since then, the relationship between Matilda and Nikolai has ceased forever. The girl took the breakup hard, but soon quickly got over it. Matilda and Nikolai have warm memories of each other.

Before his wedding, the future emperor asked his nephew, Sergei Mikhailovich, to take care of Kshesinskaya, to which he happily agreed. Moreover, Sergei was the president of the Russian Theater Society, which had a beneficial effect on the girl’s career. Matilda and Sergei became good friends, and later lovers.

Personal life

Love intrigues were not alien to this pretty girl. After parting with the Tsarevich, Matilda had two lovers, His Serene Highnesses Sergei Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich. Sergei proposed to the ballerina, but for some unknown reason she refused. Probably at that time the girl was still too flighty and was not ready for a serious family life.

One day, in 1908, while on tour in Paris, Matilda started an affair with young Pyotr Vladimirovich. As a result of this affair, Peter and Andrei developed far from friendly relations; it even came to a duel, where Peter was shot in the nose.

Matilda with her husband and son

The unmarried life of the ballerina at that time could not last long, and the dream of a large and friendly family did not allow Kshesinskaya to enjoy a free life. In 1902, Matilda had a son, Vladimir. By the way, it is still unknown who the boy’s father actually is.

Despite the fact that Kshesinskaya was not married to Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, her son was given the nobility and patronymic Sergeevich. But soon the son had to change this middle name, since in 1921, in Cannes, Matilda married Andrei Vladimirovich, the grandson of Alexander II. Matilda, who was a Catholic before the wedding, converted to Orthodoxy with the name Maria. Their family was exactly what the ballerina dreamed of. They were together until the end of their days.

Passions are still running high around the film “Matilda” by Alexei Uchitel, which is being released across the country. However, few of both opponents and supporters of his show are familiar with the real story of the affair between the heir to the Russian throne and the ballerina of Polish origin Matilda Kshesinskaya. Meanwhile, this story deserves the closest attention, because it is capable of clarifying a lot and dotting the i’s in the events that took place around the last Russian emperor more than a hundred years ago.

“Reedus” tried to figure out what really stood behind the novel attributed to Nicholas II and Matilda Kshesinskaya, whether it really happened and how the further fate of Matilda herself developed.

Beautiful polka

Matilda's real name is Krzezinskaya. Because of her cacophony, the girl’s father, the famous dancer Felix Krzesinsky, changed his last name to Kshesinsky. All her life, his daughter voiced a complex legend that her ancestors were the Polish Counts Krasinski, but due to the intrigues of her relatives, the family lost the right to the title.

After the revolution, having married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, the ballerina achieved the right to be called Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya. However, there was and is no documentary evidence of her relationship with the Krasinskis.

It was no coincidence that Kshesinskaya came up with noble ancestors for herself. This was a traditional move for all the famous courtesans of that time. At some point, the ladies of the Parisian demimonde necessarily acquired the noble prefix “de”, for which they had neither rights nor documents. Liana de Pougy, Emiliena d'Alençon, Beautiful Otero - the tastes and passions of Kshesinskaya were no different from the morals of semi-secular French women. She also adored jewelry and handsome young men, fleeced men completely, lost at roulette and took it out on her rivals.

She was a fighter

In terms of her appearance, Kshesinskaya fit perfectly into the gold standard of the era. The famous beauties of the late 19th century were short and had a very dense physique. In the photo we see a strong, muscular Kshesinskaya with a pronounced waist, rounded arms and plump legs. Her large head and small height (about 150 cm) did not add to her beauty, but her snow-white teeth and cheerful smile made her forget about all her shortcomings.

Kshesinskaya’s external characteristics not only made her a favorite of the Romanov house. They allowed her to master the most difficult ballet steps. The shorter the ballerina, the higher the tempo she can dance.

The pumped-up little Kshesinskaya (Malya, as her lovers called her) had a build reminiscent of modern gymnasts. She became a real record holder on the Russian stage, the first of the Russian ballerinas to master thirty-two fouettés.

The lyrical roles that later made her rival Anna Pavlova famous were not suitable for Kshesinskaya. She was a virtuoso, a sports ballerina, as we would say today. She showed the same sporting character in life. “She was a fighter, a real warrior,” said Diaghilev, who suffered a lot from her.

The beginning of the novel

And now this 17-year-old “fighter,” a charming, lively and irresistibly flirtatious girl, meets with the sad and thoughtful heir to the throne. The first acquaintance took place on March 23, 1890 after the graduation performance. The dancers were invited to the table with the imperial family. Kshesinskaya was not entitled to an invitation. But Alexander III personally noted her and seated her next to the heir. “Just be careful not to flirt too much!” - The emperor smiled at the couple.

It was a difficult time for 21-year-old Nikolai Alexandrovich. The parents were worried that their son was somehow not interested in the fair sex. They tried to introduce him to young ladies, but things didn’t go beyond platonic walks.

The imperial couple had every reason to worry.

Nicholas's eldest relative, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, was known not only for the cute poems to which Tchaikovsky wrote romances, but also for his love for members of his own sex.

“My life flows happily, I am truly a “darling of fate”, I am loved, respected and appreciated, I am lucky in everything and succeed in everything, but... there is no main thing: peace of mind. My secret vice has completely taken possession of me…” the Grand Duke wrote in one of his diaries.

Uncle Nicholas, another Grand Duke - Moscow Governor-General Sergei Alexandrovich, at one time was also saved from homosexuality by the entire royal family.

“Some members of the imperial family also led an openly homosexual lifestyle,” wrote sexologist Igor Kon. “In particular, Nicholas II’s uncle, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who was killed by Kalyaev in 1905, openly patronized handsome adjutants and even founded a closed club of this kind in the capital.”

Alexander was forced to invite Dostoevsky to be his teacher. This, however, did not help, and rumors about the gay brothels of the Moscow Governor-General circulated throughout the capitals until the death of Sergei Alexandrovich from Kalyaev’s bomb.

Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, a desperate liberal and enthusiastic Freemason, nicknamed Philippe Egalite for his revolutionary spirit, was also practically an open homosexual.

The mid-19th and early 20th centuries made homosexuality in the eyes of high society a kind of unusual delicacy, a funny and very “cute” curiosity, although forbidden.

All these weaknesses were forgivable when it was not about the heir to the throne. But Nikolai Alexandrovich’s sex life was a matter of national importance. The fate of the monarchy and the country depended on whether he was able to leave offspring.

Naturally, Maria Feodorovna and Alexander III turned their attention to the “ballet” ones. If under Mother Empress Catherine, sexual education of the heirs was provided by broken ladies-in-waiting, then in the 19th century the Smolny Institute (where Alexander II’s beloved Princess Yuryevskaya studied) and the ballet troupe of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi (later Mariinsky) Theater became a semi-legal harem for the royal persons.

Having met the heir, Kshesinskaya led the siege according to all the rules. I regularly met Nikolai, as if by chance, either on the street or in the theater. She came to dance for him at the summer theater in Krasnoe Selo. She flirted diligently. However, the phlegmatic Nikolai did not reciprocate her feelings, he only wrote in his diary “I positively like Kshesinskaya the second.” In the fall of 1890, he went on a trip around the world.

After his return in 1892, Kshesinskaya began to invite the heir to her parents’ house. Everything was decorous and noble. Niki and Malya were sitting in the living room and talking. After one such conversation, which lasted until dawn, Kshesinskaya announced to her parents that she was leaving them and would live separately, in a rented apartment. She actually rented a house on English Avenue. All that remained was to lure Niki there.

But just at this decisive moment the heir had a panic attack. He told Mala that he needed to break off the relationship, that he “cannot be her first, that this will torment him all his life.” Kshesinskaya began to persuade him. “In the end I almost managed to convince Nicky,” she recalls. “He promised that this would happen... as soon as he returned from Berlin...” Returning from Berlin, the future emperor actually arrived at the house on English Avenue. There, as Kshesinskaya’s memoirs say, “we became close.”

Despite the fighting qualities of the little ballerina, her romance with Nikolai was short and not very successful. It turned out that even before meeting her, the heir fell madly in love with Princess Alice of Hesse. Despite his parents' opposition, he sought their consent to the marriage for several years. Then he had to persuade Alice. Immediately after the announcement of the engagement, which took place in 1894, Niki broke up with Malya.

As a consolation, Kshesinskaya received a mansion on English Avenue, bought for her by Nikolai, a privileged status in the theater and, most importantly, connections with the House of Romanov.

Lengthy epilogue

Like a true gentleman, Nikolai Alexandrovich after the engagement avoided meeting and corresponding with Kshesinskaya. In turn, she behaved wisely and delicately. The emperor’s intimate letters “disappeared” somewhere. Kshesinskaya did not try to blackmail her lover. Just at this time, Nicholas II’s cousin, German Kaiser Wilhelm II, got into trouble. For years, his ex-lover had been extracting money from him, keeping notes compromising him.

The fate of our heroes turned out differently. Niki married his Alice, became emperor, abdicated the throne and died in Yekaterinburg.

Malya outlived her lover by fifty-three years. Immediately after her affair with him, she came under the official patronage of Nicholas II’s cousin, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. At the same time, she was credited with an affair with the emperor’s uncle, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. After some time, she became friends with his son, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Besides them there were the “cutest” diplomats, hussars, and dancers. At the age of 40, Kshesinskaya fell in love with her young stage partner Pyotr Vladimirov. Andrei Vladimirovich challenged him to a duel in Paris and shot the handsome man in the nose. At the same time, Kshesinskaya managed to dance the main roles, then “leave forever” from the stage, then return again - and so on until she was 44 years old. She had complete control over the Mariinsky Theater, selected the repertoire and appointed performers.

“Is this really a theater and is it really me who runs it? - the director of the imperial theaters Telyakovsky, driven to despair, exclaimed in his diary. - Everyone... glorifies the extraordinary, cynical, arrogant ballerina, who lives simultaneously with two great princes and not only does not hide it, but, on the contrary, weaves this art into her stinking, cynical wreath of human carrion and depravity... Kshesinskaya herself says that she is pregnant... It is still unknown who the child will be assigned to. Some speak to Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, and some speak to Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, others talk about the ballet Kozlov.”

They said about Kshesinskaya that she married the entire Romanov family. They paid her in jewelry (before the revolution, Kshesinskaya had accumulated two million rubles worth of jewelry alone), villas, and houses. When it became obvious that the diamonds and sapphires that Kshesinskaya wears on stage were paid for from the country’s military budget, she became one of the most hated characters in Tsarist Petersburg. It is no coincidence that the Bolsheviks occupied her new mansion on Kronverksky Avenue as their headquarters.

Kshesinskaya sued the Bolsheviks and even managed to win. However, she could no longer return anything and, together with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and her son, fled to France. There she quickly lost at roulette, the French villa had to be sold, Kshesinskaya moved to Paris, where she opened her own school.

Her son grew up to be a dandy and handsome. He liked to hint that Nicholas II was his real father, but no one believed him. Emigrants called him Vovo de Russi - "Vova of All Rus'". For some time, he believed that he would be able to come to an agreement with the Soviets and that he would be allowed to reign, at least nominally.

During World War II, he ended up in a concentration camp. To get him out, Kshesinskaya went almost to the legendary Gestapo chief Muller. Her famous charm worked again, Vovo was released, went to England and became a British intelligence officer.

Kshesinskaya died in 1971, several months short of her centenary. Against the background of these adventures, her youthful romance with Nikolai Alexandrovich looks like a kind and funny story. Both lovers behaved in the highest degree worthy.

She wanted fame - and she got her way. At first it was scandalous fame - like any young artist who would become a friend of the heir to the throne. Then her talent and skill, diligence and stubbornness became visible to everyone.

In 1851, Nicholas I, along with several other dancers, sent Felix Kshesinsky from Warsaw to St. Petersburg. He was an unsurpassed performer of the mazurka, Nikolai's favorite dance. In St. Petersburg, Felix Ivanovich married the ballerina Yulia Dominskaya, the widow of the ballet dancer Leda. From her first marriage she had five children, in her second four more were born: Stanislav, Yulia, Joseph-Mikhail and the youngest, Matilda-Maria.

Malya was born, as she was called at home, on August 19, 1872. From a very early age she showed an ability and love for ballet - which is not surprising in a family where almost everyone dances. And at the age of four she already appeared on the stage of the main theater of the Russian Empire in the ballet “The Little Humpbacked Horse”. In the scene of the underwater kingdom, all the little girl, dressed as a mermaid, had to do was approach the huge fake miracle whale and pull out a ring from its open mouth.

At the age of eight, she was sent to the Imperial Theater School - her mother had previously graduated from it, and now her brother Joseph and sister Julia were studying there. Subsequently, both of them successfully performed on the ballet stage.

At first, Malya did not study particularly diligently - she had long learned the basics of ballet art at home. She was bored at school and even thought about quitting ballet. But then the girl saw the dance of the Italian ballerina Virginia Zucchi, who came to St. Petersburg on tour. She understood what she should strive for. And at the age of fifteen, when she got into the class of Christian Petrovich Ioganson, Malya not only felt a taste for learning, but began to study with real passion.

Two years later, she brilliantly performed Lisa’s flirtatious dance from the ballet “Vain Precaution” - the same ballet in which she saw Tsukki, her “dance genius.” It was at the graduation performance on March 23, 1890 - a date she remembered forever. Everyone knew that the royal family led by Alexander III would be at the gala concert. After the performance, according to tradition, the emperor was supposed to be presented with the three best students of the school, which included Matilda. Only she should stand modestly at a distance, since she was not fully a boarding house student, but a “comer.”

As soon as he entered the hall where the graduates had gathered, the sovereign asked: “Where is Kshesinskaya?” Not believing her ears, she stepped out of the crowd. “Be the adornment and glory of our ballet,” said the Emperor. Then an even greater honor - at a gala dinner, Alexander seated her between himself and Tsarevich Nicholas. “When I said goodbye to the Heir, who sat next to me the entire dinner, 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, although we were not aware of it.”

Everything that seemed to Matilda a miracle, providence, everything that later fueled her feelings for the future king was a well-planned intrigue of the court. The heir at that time was infatuated with the German princess Alice of Hesse, who was brought up at the English court, and his father did not like this very much. In political interests, it would be better for Nicholas to fall in love with some French princess. Decided to distract the heir.

Already in her first season, Kshesinskaya danced in twenty-two ballets and twenty-one operas. The roles were small, but responsible, and allowed Mala to show off her talent. But talent alone was not enough to get so many parts - one important circumstance played a role: the heir to the throne was in love with the artist.

They met at every opportunity - given that Nicholas was in military service and was bound by many duties at court, this was very difficult. Nikolai bought a house for Kshesinskaya on English Avenue - before that it belonged to the composer Rimsky-Korsakov. Matilda lived there with her sister Julia.

Her theatrical career was excellent. Kshesinskaya’s first big role was the part of Marietta-Dragoniazza, the main role in the ballet “Calcabrino”, then there was the part of Aurora in “The Sleeping Beauty”. Critics praised the debutante for her bold and technical dance, but Kshesinskaya herself was clear that her technique lagged behind the virtuoso perfection of Brianza and Legnani. Then Matilda, without stopping her studies with Ioganson, began taking lessons from the Italian dancer and teacher Enrico Cecchetti. This allowed her not only to acquire the perfect technique characteristic of Italians, but also to enrich it with lyricism, naturalness and softness, characteristic of the Russian classical school. Added to this was the pantomimic talent inherited from his father and the dramatic flair borrowed from Virginia Zucchi. In this form, Kshesinskaya’s talent best corresponded to classical ballet of the late nineteenth century and it was in it that it was able to develop most fully.

She did not have many of the qualities inherent in her contemporaries and competitors on stage: neither the beauty of Tamara Karsavina and Vera Trefilova, nor the sophistication and lightness of the brilliant Anna Pavlova. Kshesinskaya was short, strong, dark-haired, with a narrow, corseted waist and muscular, almost athletic legs. But she had inexhaustible energy, piquancy, eclipsing all brilliance, chic, undeniable femininity and irresistible charm. She had excellent, very beautiful teeth, which Matilda constantly showed off in a radiant smile. Innate practicality, willpower, luck and fantastic performance were also undoubted trump cards.

Kshesinskaya's romance ended in 1894 due to the engagement of the heir. It was announced on April 7, 1894.

The coronation celebrations were approaching, the Imperial Theater was distributing roles for the upcoming gala performance in Moscow, but she was not offered any role in Drigo’s ballet “The Pearl” at all. For the proud artist this was unbearable. She told Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich about her grief. This is how Kshesinskaya recalled those events: “The Directorate of the Imperial Theaters received an order from above for me to participate in the ceremonial performance at the coronation in Moscow. My honor was restored, and I was happy, because I knew that Nicky had done this for me personally. The directorate would not change its previous decision... I was convinced that our meeting with him was not a passing hobby for him, and in his noble heart he kept a corner for me throughout his life.”

When the “order from above” came, the ballet “Pearl” was almost completely ready, all the roles were distributed and rehearsed, but in order to include Kshesinskaya in this performance, the composer Drigo was urgently obliged to write a new musical part, and the great choreographer Petipa had to stage for her special pas de deux. It is clear that such antics quickly created a corresponding reputation for Kshesinskaya.

Interestingly, it was Kshesinskaya who understood the character of her friend best of all. Many years later she wrote: “It was clear to me that the Heir did not have what it took to reign. It cannot be said that he was spineless. No, he had character, but he didn't have something to force others to bend to his will. His first impulse was always correct, but he did not know how to insist on his own and very often gave in. I told him more than once that he was not made for kingship, nor for the role that, by the will of fate, he would have to play. But, of course, I never convinced him to renounce the Throne...”

Before his marriage, Nicholas entrusted her to the care of his friend and cousin, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. He became not only Matilda’s official “patron” for the next few years, but also her closest friend.

In November 1895, Kshesinskaya received the long-deserved title of ballerina, which was awarded only to the best dancers of the troupe. But she came forward not only thanks to the favor of the royal family. She was indeed an extremely talented dancer, working on herself with great perseverance. Loved to have fun and have fun in her free time, adoring receptions, balls and a card game, Matilda was transformed before performances. Here is how Tamara Karsavina recalled her: “She had amazing vitality and exceptional willpower. During the month preceding her appearance on the stage, Kshesinskaya devoted all her time to work - she trained hard for hours, did not go anywhere and did not receive anyone, went to bed at ten in the evening, weighed herself every morning, always ready to limit herself in food, although her diet and without that she was quite strict. Before the performance, she stayed in bed for twenty-four hours, only eating a light breakfast at noon. At six o'clock she was already at the theater in order to have at her disposal two hours for exercise and make-up. One evening I was warming up on stage at the same time as Kshesinskaya and noticed how feverishly her eyes were shining.

- ABOUT! “I’ve just been dying of thirst all day, but I won’t drink before the show,” she answered my question.”

Her goal was to become the first ballerina on the Russian stage. But then Italian ballerinas reigned supreme in Russian ballet. Competition with Pierina Legnani, a ballerina who performed 32 fouettes for the first time on the Russian stage, became Kshesinskaya’s goal. Their confrontation lasted eight years.

Back in 1893, Legnani showed the Russians a hitherto unknown trick. Kshesinskaya was the first Russian ballerina to master this innovation. Moreover, she could repeat the fouetté several times as an encore, which even today is considered “aerobatics.” Patriotic critics declared Legnani's departure and Kshesinskaya's elevation to the rank of prima ballerina the final victory of Russian ballet.

The first thing the new prima did was set a condition: she would dance only three months a year, so that the rest of the time she could live for her own pleasure. No one has ever allowed themselves to do this before. Then Kshesinskaya achieved an increase in salaries for leading artists.

Kshesinskaya's repertoire quickly expanded. She received the previously Italian roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, which became one of her favorite roles as Lisa in Vain Precaution, Teresa in Cavalry Rest, and the title role in Paquita. In each of these roles, Matilda literally shone: she went on stage, hung with real jewelry - diamonds, pearls, sapphires, given to her by the enchanted grand dukes and Nicholas himself.

Since graduating from college, Kshesinskaya dreamed of dancing the title role in the ballet Esmeralda. But when she then turned to the all-powerful chief choreographer Marius Petipa with a request for this role, he referred to the fact that Kshesinskaya lacked the personal experience necessary for this role of a tragically in love gypsy. Having survived a break with Nikolai, Kshesinskaya was ready for the role of Esmeralda. She danced Esmeralda in 1899, and this role became the best in her repertoire - no one before or after her danced this ballet with such brilliance and depth.

Another major scandal was related to the costume for the ballet Camargo. Legnani danced a Russian dance in a dress modeled after Catherine the Great's costume, kept in the Hermitage, with a wide skirt with flaps that raised the sides of the skirt. Given her height and figure, such styles are contraindicated - and Kshesinskaya told the then director of the imperial theaters, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Volkonsky, that she would not wear hoops. He insisted that the suit remain unchanged. At the premiere of Camargo, the whole audience wondered whether Kshesinskaya would put on the hose. She didn't put it on. For this she was fined. The offended Kshesinskaya turned to Nikolai. The next day the fine was canceled, but Volkonsky resigned. Vladimir Telyakovsky was appointed the next director. He never dared to argue with Matilda Feliksovna.

In 1900, Kshesinskaya danced a benefit performance in honor of her tenth anniversary on stage - bypassing the rules according to which ballerinas were given benefit performances only in honor of twenty years and a farewell one before retirement. At a dinner after the benefit performance, Kshesinskaya met Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, Nicholas’s cousin. They fell in love with each other at first sight - although Kshesinskaya was six years older than him. They met often. Andrei came to her - at rehearsals, at home, at the dacha in Strelna. In the fall of 1901, Matilda and Andrei went on a trip to Europe. They arrived separately in Venice, traveled through Italy, stopped in Paris... On the way back, Matilda realized that she was pregnant.

Nevertheless, she continued to perform - as long as she managed to hide her growing belly. In 1902, Tamara Karsavina graduated from the school, and Kshesinskaya, at the request of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, took her under her protection. Having transferred several of her parts to Karsavina, Kshesinskaya studied with her until the very last days of her pregnancy.

On June 18, 1902, Matilda had a son, Vladimir. The birth was difficult, mother and child were barely saved. Two months later, Kshesinskaya appeared on stage.

At this time, the era of Mikhail Fokin, a choreographer who tried to radically update the art of ballet, began at the Mariinsky Theater. New dancers came to the stage who were able to embody his ideas and outshine Kshesinskaya - Karsavina, Vera Trefilova, the brilliant Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky.

Kshesinskaya was Nijinsky's first partner and was a great patron of him. At first she supported Fokina, but then the mutual understanding between them disappeared. The ballets that Fokine staged were not designed for a ballerina like Kshesinskaya - Pavlova and Karsavina shone in them, and Fokine’s ideas for Kshesinskaya were contraindicated. They tried to cooperate, but nothing worked. But Diaghilev organized a successful tour for Kshesinskaya in England - there she eclipsed her partner, Vaslav Nijinsky, with her skill.

Kshesinskaya continued to perform with constant success, but she herself understood that she was no longer the same age. Before the start of each season, she called her sister and theater friends to rehearsal so that they could honestly tell her whether she could still dance. But it was precisely this period that became one of the best in her work - with the advent of her new partner, Pyotr Nikolaevich Vladimirov, she seemed to have found a second youth. He graduated from college in 1911. Kshesinskaya fell in love with him - perhaps it was one of her strongest passions in her entire life. He was very handsome, elegant, and danced beautifully. In order to dance with him, Kshesinskaya specifically decided to perform in Giselle. For a ballerina at forty-four years old, this was a completely unsuitable role, and besides, Kshesinskaya did not know how to perform lyrical-romantic roles. It was the first time she had failed. To confirm her reputation, Kshesinskaya immediately decided to dance her signature ballet, Esmeralda. Never before had she danced with such brilliance.

Andrei Vladimirovich, having learned about Matilda’s passion, challenged Vladimirov to a duel. They shot in Paris, in the Bois de Boulogne. The Grand Duke shot Vladimirov in the nose. Tom had to have plastic surgery.

Kshesinskaya could have danced for a long time, but the 1917 revolution put an end to her career as a court ballerina. In July 1917, she left Petrograd. Kshesinskaya’s last performance was the number “Russian”, shown on the stage of the Petrograd Conservatory.

Her palace on Kronverksky (now Kamennoostrovsky) Avenue was occupied by various committees. Kshesinskaya addressed a personal letter to Lenin demanding that the looting of her house be stopped. With his permission, Kshesinskaya removed all the furnishings of the house, but she deposited the most valuable things in the bank - and as a result lost them. At first, Kshesinskaya and Andrei Vladimirovich, together with their son and relatives, left for Kislovodsk. Sergei Mikhailovich remained in Petrograd, then was arrested along with other members of the royal family and died in a mine in Alapaevsk in June 1918, and a month later Nikolai and his family were shot in Yekaterinburg. Kshesinskaya also feared for her life - her connection with the imperial house was too close.

In February 1920, she and her family left Russia forever, sailing from Novorossiysk to Constantinople.

Pyotr Vladimirov tried to leave via Finland, but was unable to do so. It came to France only in 1921. Kshesinskaya was very worried when Vladimirov left for the USA in 1934. There he became one of the most popular Russian teachers.

Kshesinskaya, together with her son and Andrei Vladimirovich, settled in France, in a villa in the town of Cap d'Ail. Soon Andrei's mother died, and after the end of mourning, Matilda and Andrei, having received permission from their older relatives, got married in Cannes on January 30, 1921. Matilda Feliksovna was given the title of His Serene Highness Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, and her son Vladimir was officially recognized as the son of Andrei Vladimirovich and also his Serene Highness Prince. Although there was little money - almost all of her jewelry remained in Russia, Andrei's family also had little money - Kshesinskaya rejected all offers to perform on stage. In 1929, the year of Diaghilev’s death, Matilda Feliksovna opened her ballet studio in Paris. One of her first students were two daughters of Fyodor Chaliapin - Marina and Daria. The stars of English and French ballet took lessons from her - Margot Fonteyn, Yvette Chauvire, Pamella May... Having given her first lesson in the studio in April 1929, a few years later Kshesinskaya already accepted a hundred students. Other masters of the Russian stage who found themselves abroad greatly helped the development of her ballet class: Tamara Karsavina, Anna Pavlova, Serge Lifar, Mikhail Fokin and many others. However, Matilda Feliksovna herself had plenty of energy - having decided to officially say goodbye to the stage in 1936, Kshesinskaya chose London's Covent Garden for this purpose and so provoked the cold English audience that they called the 64-year-old prima 18 times!

Kshesinskaya, her husband and son, survived the Second World War in France without much hardship (the number of students in the school, of course, was greatly reduced, but it was enough for a modest existence). And although during the war, when the studio was not heated, Kshesinskaya fell ill with arthritis and moved with great difficulty, she never lacked students. They were very worried only once, when the Gestapo arrested Vladimir: he was part of a circle of Russian Freemasons, and for the Nazis, any organization represented a potential danger. Some of those taken in connection with this case were shot, but the young prince was not harmed.

Matilda Feliksovna did not live only nine months before her centenary. She died on December 6, 1971. Kshesinskaya was buried in the Russian cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois in the same grave with her husband and son. It says: Your Serene Highness Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya.

D. Truskinovskaya