Alexandra Feodorovna

Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918) was born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine in Germany before marrying Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in 1894. As Empress of Russia, she became a pivotal but deeply unpopular figure in Russian history. During World War I, when Nicholas II was away commanding the military, Alexandra dominated Russian court politics and made numerous controversial governmental appointments, including the infamous relationship with Grigori Rasputin, whom she believed could heal her son Alexei of hemophilia. Her German birth and perceived sympathies toward Germany during WWI made her wildly unpopular, earning her the nickname 'the German woman' among Russians. Her political meddling and poor decision-making contributed significantly to the royal family's loss of legitimacy among the Russian people. Following the Russian Revolution, she was executed alongside her family by Bolshevik forces in 1918, becoming one of history's most tragic royal figures.